Progressive press better?

[Jim Watson]

I load bulk pistol ammo on a progressive, have ever since my CH AutoCHamp for .38 wadcutters for PPC in 1979.
Next Dillon SDB, now 550 and S1050.
I dry tumble, lightly spritz with case lube, and load in one pass; no "prep." I do gauge loaded ammo; most passes and goes for IDPA and USPSA, the few that don't gauge will usually chamber and shoot for practice.

I never have needed so much rifle ammo that a single stage is impractical.
If I shot 3 gun with surplus brass I would undoubtedly set up a progressive for .223, maybe two.

 

[Texas10mm]

1. Sizing die
2. Primer and powder drop
3. Expander (for cast bullets)
4. Seat bullet
5. Crimp

At least that's how I do it.

 

[Toprudder]

Top

Interesting... so for rifle you powder at stage one, insert bullet on stage two, seat on stage three, maybe crimp on stage four?

Yes?

No. The universal expander really only puts a small flare on the case mouth. I still have the powder drop at station 2, seater at station 3, crimp at station 4. (Four station Dillon 550).

For plinking ammo, I put a small amount of crimp. For flat-based bullets, I put a small amount of flare on the case mouth.

 

[MySuomi]

I use a single stage press, and have been for years. I just don't trust myself with a progressive press... but that's just me....

I'm with Average Joe on this. I just don't feel safe/knowledgeable enough to go to a progressive yet. Trusting the powder measure along with auto priming are my stumbling blocks. I have only been reloading for a year or so with pistol only. My hope is to graduate soon to a progressive.

 

[Jim Watson]

A step in learning to load on a progressive, Dillon at least, is that you can run one case at a time. It won't throw primers around, it won't drop and spill powder when there is not a case at those stations.
So you can see what is going on at each step, same as a single stage, until you are comfortable "progressing."

 

[cfullgraf]

Certainly not trying to be argumentative, but If you deprime, prime, powder,and seat on a progressive, how do you ream the primer pocket, remove military crimp, and trim the rifle brass without taking it on and off the progressive press.

Or do you use new brass that you trim before putting it on the press? I lust after the Dillon 750 but I cannot justify buying one and having to take brass on and off the progressive press and calling it time saving (for me.)

If you are using cases with crimped primers, you need to process the primers and remove the crimps before the case goes on the progressive. But, once the crimp has been removed, you run the case through the progressive without issue.

Most handgun cartridges do not have crimped primers but there are some out there.

Most bottleneck rifle cases need trimming at some point and this needs to be done after the case has been sized. Dillon makes a trimmer that goes on the progressive. Otherwise, you have size the case, then trim it off the press. After trimming, you can run the case through the progressive as normal.

 

[Jim Watson]

I still have several bags of TZZ 86 Match .45 ACP of which a majority have crimped primers. I used that to justify purchase of a Super 1050 which is very fine.

If you load and shoot a lot of crap rifle brass, Dillon will cheerfully sell you the CP2000 to decap, swage, size and trim before you load. How it differs from a 1050 with that tooling, I do not know. It costs nearly as much as a 1100, probably as much by the time you get all the tooling on it, so you had better be shooting a LOT of crap brass. A lot of the people putting that much money into their setup are also motorizing it so they can either let one run while they operate the other or maybe let both run while they keep the component feeders full.

 

[cfullgraf]

I'm with Average Joe on this. I just don't feel safe/knowledgeable enough to go to a progressive yet. Trusting the powder measure along with auto priming are my stumbling blocks. I have only been reloading for a year or so with pistol only. My hope is to graduate soon to a progressive.

If you have been reloading for a while, you should have an idea how reliable your powder measure is. Besides, there are powder cop dies, video camera set-ups or just plain looking into the case that verify the powder has been dropped.

With my progressive operation, I find I miss a powder drop the most when I've had a jam. It is easy to get things lout of sync and miss the powder drop.

The priming system, on the other hand, is not reliable enough for me. I cannot see that a primer has been presented to the case for seating and I cannot alway tell that the primer has been seated. Since I prefer to clean the cases after sizing, I have an opportunity to prime off the press. I size and clean the cases shortly after shooting, small batches go quick. I then store the clean cases un-primed waiting for a future large loading session.

Some folks get the priming system to work to their satisfaction.

The only progressive press that I have that I prime on the press is my Dillon SL900 shot shell loader. First, breaking up the loading process with shot shells is not convenient and I can see that a primer has been presented to the hull.

 

[Chuck R.]

All decisions about reloading presses should be based on volumes of ammo required.

Agree 100%, but I'd also add the time factor.

This time of year I shoot 2 IDPA matches and a 3Gun match a month in addition to practice sessions. Time at the loading bench takes away from the normal chore schedule, normal being for an 80 acre yard (lots of chores), also a 40hr. a week job to pay for the 80acre yard and reloading components.

For a guy that shots a little a progressive might make sense IF he's short on free time.

I've got two progressive presses (3 really, but the 3rds for shotgun) and two single stage presses. My match ammo, pistol and .223 get loaded on the progressives in batches (or lots) of at least 1000 at a time. High volume ammo; Dillon 650, moderate Dillon 550. All pistol ammo on a progressive, low density rifle ammo for hunting, target etc. on a single stage.

 

[Marc Alverson]

Certainly not trying to be argumentative, but If you deprime, prime, powder,and seat on a progressive, how do you ream the primer pocket, remove military crimp, and trim the rifle brass without taking it on and off the progressive press.

Or do you use new brass that you trim before putting it on the press? I lust after the Dillon 750 but I cannot justify buying one and having to take brass on and off the progressive press and calling it time saving (for me.)

For rifle ammo I make 2 passes on my Dillon 550. 1st pass I size and deprive. Then I manually trim and ream primer pockets, if necessary. 2nd pass I prime, load powder, seat bullet, and crimp. Most of my reloading is for handguns and one pass on the 550 takes care of everything. If you find you have some brass that has crimped primers, you will have to deal with them. This is very much the exception for me.

 

[rskent]

So if you use one how do you like it. Is it worth it.

Yes.

I have a Hornady AP. I also have a Lee Classic Turret press and two singles. If I were to get rid of one, the first to go would be the turret. The last to go would be the AP. The Hornady AP is a very versatile press.

 

[Dudedog]

I try to buy reloading equipment to match my eyes,

higgite,
I would have been worried about you if you said Lee or Hornady here

 

[Stockwes]

It depends what your going for. For standard plinking Ammo for 9mm or 556, I love progressive presses. That said, I load 1000+ rounds in a sitting. That would be tough for my single stage stuff.

on the flip side, when I want precision stuff for my 556, 308, 300win mag, single stage is the way to go. You have a lot more control.

I have only used 2 progressive presses, a inexpensive one and a very spendy Dillon. I will say you get what you pay for. The Dillon is a dream. The cheap one was a pain.

 

[DanK3Pos]

I'm with Average Joe on this. I just don't feel safe/knowledgeable enough to go to a progressive yet. Trusting the powder measure along with auto priming are my stumbling blocks. I have only been reloading for a year or so with pistol only. My hope is to graduate soon to a progressive.

The priming system on my Dillon is way better than my RCBS hand primer and way faster than the priming arm on my Redding T7. As for being able to feel the primer seat, I would rate the Dillon and the Redding about the same and both are better than the RCBS.

 

[DanK3Pos]

For rifle ammo I make 2 passes on my Dillon 550. 1st pass I size and deprive. Then I manually trim and ream primer pockets, if necessary. 2nd pass I prime, load powder, seat bullet, and crimp. Most of my reloading is for handguns and one pass on the 550 takes care of everything. If you find you have some brass that has crimped primers, you will have to deal with them. This is very much the exception for me.

And, if you are willing to spend the money, Dillon probably has the best case trimming solution around. https://www.dillonprecision.com/rt1500-electric-case-trimmer_8_8_26196.html

 

[Texas10mm]

The priming system on my Dillon is way better than my RCBS hand primer and way faster than the priming arm on my Redding T7. As for being able to feel the primer seat, I would rate the Dillon and the Redding about the same and both are better than the RCBS.

I have no problems feeling each and every primer seat on my Dillon 650.

As far as the powder measure....Once it's set I just make sure the hopper doesn't run out. With non-stick powders the Dillon measure is very accurate.

This month's Blue Press has an article about the accuracy of the Dillon powder measure. It's damn near as accurate as an RCBS Chargemaster...and a LOT quicker.

 

[Herman B]

I just don't feel safe/knowledgeable enough to go to a progressive yet. Trusting the powder measure along with auto priming are my stumbling blocks.

When shooting volume you'll come to appreciate the virtues of a progressive on many levels. Not only expediency but the lesser bodily impact...from fingers while constantly twiddling brass/bullets/primer gadgets to back/shoulder while standing and ramming. Compare # of pulls for 4-die production of 250 rnds on a ss (1,000 pulls) vs. progressive (254).

Let your comfort dictate your gradual use of a progressive. Prime off-press to start. Ample lighting is critical for inspecting charges, which can be difficult on tall, slender cases like 357M. Spend mucho time comparing features/benefits of various presses to ensure overall budget, time and volume compatibility. Cost (time and money) of changing cartridges is not to be underestimated. No reason for a Dillon 1050 if shooting several thousand rnds per year but 25,000+... yes.The 550, since it does not auto index, can be used as a single stage and is a great choice for those of us doing modest volume. But don't ever rid yourself of a solid ss as they are indispensable.

 

[GaryL]

Come to think of it.....a new progressive is way better than a new recliner!

Certainly will be better for your health. You'll get some exercise with the progressive.

 

[GaryL]

I suppose I should add my 2 cents. I started on a progressive - Dillon 550. I did a little homework, and knew that press could be run as a SS getting started or for loading rifle rounds. I knew myself well enough to know that I would hate reloading on a single stage. Don't get me wrong, I have a Lee CC single stage, and it's a great tool to have. But reloading on it would be a chore for me if that's all I had, and reloading requires an "all-in" attitude as part of a best practice.

 

[entropy]

Hello, I've been reloading for about 5 years now
Mostly for my personal hunting rifles. Have not loaded for handguns yet. I've been using a single stage press. I was thinking about a progressive press but do i really need one for hunting rounds.
So if you use one how do you like it. Is it worth it.
Should I just keep loading 1 at a time so to speak
Thanks for any information.

For your current uses, yes, continue using a single stage press. Should you start shooting 3-gun competition, a progressive press (or two) would be handy. Using a single stage allows better control of each process, and results in better ammunition, particularly for hunting use. I also recommend using Lee dippers, and weighing each charge with a beam scale versus using a powder drop drum or other volumetric measure. (Assuming accuracy is your goal.) Can good hunting ammo be made on a progressive? Yes. I don't use one, because I don't like to divide my attention to 4 or 5 different processes at the same time. Same reason I don't use a progressive shotgun shell reloader, even though I do shoot enough competitively to do so.

 

[AR-Bossman]

Just a thought, but nobody forces you to run a progressive fully loaded. You can run one round at a time if that's your thing.

 

[Toprudder]

Just a thought, but nobody forces you to run a progressive fully loaded. You can run one round at a time if that's your thing.

I do that sometimes on my 550. I can run brass through the first two stations, to size, prime, and expand. I set the brass to the side, to be loaded with powder using my Chargemaster when I am working up new loads. Then I put the brass back in station 3 to seat the bullet and then crimp.

Some guys load precision rifle on a progressive. They remove the powder measure and replace it with a funnel. They use something like a Chargemaster to dispense powder, then dump it into the funnel and continue.

 

[Texas10mm]

For your current uses, yes, continue using a single stage press. Should you start shooting 3-gun competition, a progressive press (or two) would be handy. Using a single stage allows better control of each process, and results in better ammunition, particularly for hunting use. I also recommend using Lee dippers, and weighing each charge with a beam scale versus using a powder drop drum or other volumetric measure. (Assuming accuracy is your goal.) Can good hunting ammo be made on a progressive? Yes. I don't use one, because I don't like to divide my attention to 4 or 5 different processes at the same time. Same reason I don't use a progressive shotgun shell reloader, even though I do shoot enough competitively to do so.

Why the need to divide your attention?

The only thing you need to watch is you put a bullet on every case and you don't run out of powder or primers.

 

[entropy]

Call me old fashioned, but I like to make sure there is powder, and the correct amount of it, under the bullet before I seat it.

 

[GaryL]

Why the need to divide your attention?

The only thing you need to watch is you put a bullet on every case and you don't run out of powder or primers.

I run a 550b and take a peek into every case before a bullet gets placed - all done with smoke and mirrors (as long as the smoke stays in the LED, we're good to go). Kind of like having cake and enjoying it.