Loading large lots of handgun ammo on a single stage. TIPS?

[Steve in PA]

I've been reloading for a little over 20 years on a RCII. I reload for probably a dozen different caibers including .223, 9mm and 45acp.

I do the majority of my reloading during the winter months. Currently I have something like 4k rounds of .45acp, about 3-4k rounds of .223 and close to 2k rounds of 9mm loaded up. I would reload large batches just as the others would do. Right now, I'll throw my fired brass in the tumbler as soon as I get home, then put them into a container. When I have a good pile going, I'll sit down and work on reloading.

I've primed all my reloads using the RCBS priming set up on my press, never found a reason to do anything different.

 

[mdi]

I use almost the same style you are using. I will prep and prime a big batch and store 100 rounds each in zip-lok bags. Easy to do a few hundred in stages and doesn't become a chore. When I need some ammo I'll use the prepped/primed brass and just charge and seat. I don't shoot enough to warrent a progressive press that would cut my reloading time in half, I'd lose that much time of enjoyment! I do the same when casting my bullets, cast up a bunch, later sort/inspect, then depending on the lube I'll lube and size or pan lube then size.

 

[Hondo 60]

I reload almost exclusively on a progressive.
But, I recently added another caliber (I bought a 1911 in 45ACP).
Seeing I don't have all the necessary bits to reload 45ACP on the progressive,
I'm forced to single stage it.

On payday I'll be getting the "stuff" for the progressive!

I'd forgotten how slow & tedious it is to reload on a single stage.

 

[oneounceload]

I deprime, resize and reprime on the press as one step; then flare, charge and seat as the second - been working fine tat way for 30 years but then I don't shoot 1,000 per week

 

[Malamute]

When I was shooting more in years past, I rarely ever cleaned brass other than wiping them off if they were muddy or dusty. Few people had brass tumblers then that I knew of. Somehow the brass and cartridges were fine, if not new looking. I never trimmed handgun brass either.

One trick that helps speed things up with a single stage is using wicker baskets for brass. A 12" w x 3 or 4" deep basket holds a couple hundred rounds of handgun brass, and makes it easy to handle them. I use one for infeeding rounds and one for outfeeding them while processing. Giving the basket a shake sideways for a couple seconds makes all the brass stand on the base and is easy to pick up 3-5 at a time for running thru the press. I orient the shell holder to the left, and can feed them in and out fairly quickly.

I also prime with the Lee hand primer. I look at every one and check to see if they seated properly, if not, back in the tool it goes, and gets seated correctly. Some seem to require rotating the round to get the primer seated deep enough all the way around.

 

[dc.fireman]

Yes but it's laboriously slow and fiddly on my RC IV. I haven't used the feature in years in favor of a Lee ram prime for low volume rifle loading or a Lee hand prime for handguns


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That sounds like exactly what I do...

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

ditto rqone set up another press in tandem to get a buddy, wifey, nephew to run it after all case prep is done.
be surprised how many loads you can run I have done 100 per hour + w/a nephew helping. straight cased pistol rounds. I did all primer squeezings after all case prep. this includes double checks of loads w/a flashlight to veify powder and most of the loads are max .357 or +P 9mmPara

 

[Magichelmt]

I started on a Rock chucker that my father in law pulled out of the barn and gave to me. I was loading 9mm for IDPA. I also batch processed everything. I use plastic coffee cans to stage my brass in. I was hand priming as well while I watched TV. I then would load 100 at a time with powder and then seat & crimp. I am very glad I started this way. I learned allot about each step. I have since then stepped up to a used Dillon 550B I bought from one of the club guys that was moving to a 650. I still have the RC on the bench and use it for .44mag and depriming/sizing .223. Once I have .223 ready to load I charge, seat, and crimp on the Dillon. It still amazes me that I can crank out from start to finish 350 rounds of 9mm in a hour now without much fuss.

 

[James2]

Interesting post. Looks like I am not alone using a single stage.

I start by tumbling the brass.I might get a lot of brass cleaned before loading. I am most apt to load in batches of 100. Whatever size batch I decide to do, I will do each step to the whole batch before moving on. I use a hand priming tool. When loading powder, I use a measure and put the filled casings in a loading block. When the block is full, I take the block and hold it so the light falls into the casings so I can see that each one has powder in it and none has a double charge. Then I seat bullets.

I enjoy the time spent reloading. I have never felt the need to spend the extra money for a progressive. I possibly don't shoot as much as many of you though. If I needed 1000 rounds a week that tune may change.

Have a great day!

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Sounds like you've got a pretty good system down. Mine is similar, but I rarely if ever load 1,000 round batches. I usually just go when I feel like it and do a couple hundred.

I would probably use the press to prime would save you many many hours.

Priming with the press is saving many hours over using a hand priming tool? Not for me. I have the Hornady priming tool and it is very fast. I would imagine all of them are equally fast as well.

 

[GLOOB]

^ I don't get it. No matter how fast it is, you're adding another step to the process for pistol brass, where you can size/decap/prime all at once. Take the time you spent priming on a hand tool. At least 75% of that is wasted time. Over the course of a few thousand rounds, I agree. That's potentially hours wasted.

If you must stop and clean primer pockets and/or trim brass, then I can see it being faster.

 

[R.W.Dale]

With priming on the press you're just swapping handling every case again for handling each and every primer individually.

Except it's not an even trade since on the RC the case has to be taken out of the way to drop the primer in the seater.

AND I'd have to remove my apparatus that prevents spent printer from flying out the priming slot and onto my floor


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[Eb1]

I load in stages. 100 pieces at a time. .44 Mag

1st night I clean, size, bell
2nd night I hand prime, charge, seat and crimp

I have started to seat and crimp at the same time with great results.

 

[chrt396]

I started out at the end of last year buying an RCBS Rock Cruncher single stage press. I learned a lot! I bought it primarily for rifle. I wanted accuracy. I started doing pistol after 1 month. The time that it takes to load 100 rounds is way too time consuming when (as previously posted), you blow it up in almost 3/4's of the time it took you to load it. 100 strokes to decap and resize, 100 strokes to flare case mouth, 100 strokes to prime, 100 strokes to powder charge, 100 strokes to seat the bullet and 100 strokes to crimp the bullet. That is a total of 600 strokes! 1 hour and 10 minutes. "YAWNNN!" It takes 3 nights of a few hours each to set up..load and clean up. I'm missing out on life supporting my habit..uh..hobby!

I just bought...two days ago...a Dillon 550 B. Geez o' Pete!! I set it up very easily. Popped out 600 rounds in less than two hours after it was set up..taking my time. Now I can actually enjoy a evening swim...a good movie...talk to my wife...talk to a neighbor...! There IS a life without being at a press all night. I blow up about 4-500 rounds on a weekend. All calibers, pistols, revolvers and rifles. I make a day of it at the club. The best part is..now I can go home..run the brass through the tumblers overnight..and on Monday..pop out 5-600 rounds in a couple hours or less... and be done until the weekend! Now..I will be spending more time on the single stage doing my rifle..(case prep) and exact powder charges..but I don't blow up 500 .308's. 100 is enough..and it takes me little time to do that for I do case prep in my spare time and have a ton of sized, trimmed and prepared brass sitting..waiting to be primed, charged and seated.

In other words...take back your life and get a progressive!

 

[foxtail]

I also do 100 round batchs. I added the Hornady lock and load bushing to my RC and installed the lock and load on my dies. All the dies keep the correct settings and I can switch back if I missed a round. It saves alot of set up time. I reload 9mm, 38 spl, 357, 44 mag and 45 ACP. No need to reset dies for each case size.