progressive presses

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I like the Hornady L-N-L for one reason is that I can install only the dies I need for the task at hand. I prefer to clean all my cases between resizing and reloading.

But, I could do something similar on a Dillon 650 as well, just differently.

I have been looking at the RCBS progressive. The APS system intrigues me for improved primer system operation. I have a the RCBS Universal APS hand primer and like the way it operates, although I do not use it all the time.

But again, any of the progressives will make good ammunition quickly. It depends on the various options that peaks your fancy.
 
Couple hundred a month? 7 Calibers?

I used to have a couple of Pro-1000 presses, but traded "up" to a Lee Classic Turret.

My throughput has not diminished. (100-150 per hour) I am as fast as was on the progressives, plus, I am not a nervous wreck at the end of my loading sessions.

Swapping calibers is a 30-second affair and that includes putting away the other swapped-out caliber in the box. Cost of swapping is a lot less, too. For someone who loads a variety of calibers, ease of switching is (in my opinion) a big factor.

Lost Sheep
 
So I have two Pro 1000 presses (.41 mag, .357 mag) and two single stages for Rifle calibers; I generally load 50-200 rounds at a time for handgun, and 20-100 at a time for rifle.
I try to stockpile several hundred for each caliber before going shooting. I would like to be able to switch from pistol to rifle on one press, and of course cost is always a factor.
 
So I have two Pro 1000 presses (.41 mag, .357 mag) and two single stages for Rifle calibers; I generally load 50-200 rounds at a time for handgun, and 20-100 at a time for rifle.
I try to stockpile several hundred for each caliber before going shooting. I would like to be able to switch from pistol to rifle on one press, and of course cost is always a factor.
I stow my gear away after each loading session, so ease of setup and teardown is important to me. Speed of swapping calibers is important, too, as I will do 100 rounds of one, 50 of another and if I am feeling particularly ambitious a couple hundred of another.

If I did 500 rounds at a time, I would definitely be in the market for a progressive, but I don't, so I'm not.

The Lee Classic Turret suits my loading style (and my budget) just about perfectly. If you decide to consider it, do not get it mixed up with the Deluxe Turret. The Classic Turret has a vertical opening and ram stroke a full inch longer than the Deluxe and is stronger and runs cleaner (the spent primer handling of the Deluxe is the same as your Pro-1000, the Classic Turret drops them down the hollow ram into a flexible tube for easy disposal and very few, if any, escape their intended path).

Lee's Turret presses (both the current model of the Deluxe and the Classic) have 4-station turrets and auto-indexing (No other turret presses from any other maker have auto-indexing), making them as adept at continuous processing as any progressive press. Removing one simple part (10 seconds, no tools, just your fingers) turns off the auto-indexing and lets you operate your Turret as a single stage for efficient batch processing which you are used to on your single stage press. You might be able to do away with your single stage press entirely. (I have semi-retired my RCBS RockChucker, but I keep it around for sentiment more than anything else.)

Lost Sheep
 
I stow my gear away after each loading session, so ease of setup and teardown is important to me. Speed of swapping calibers is important, too, as I will do 100 rounds of one, 50 of another and if I am feeling particularly ambitious a couple hundred of another.

If I did 500 rounds at a time, I would definitely be in the market for a progressive, but I don't, so I'm not.

I also store everything away at the end of a reloading session. My bench does multiple things, all gun related, but I am never sure what I will do one day to the next.

One of the reasons I postponed buying a progressive for 25 years was the notion I needed to run large batches of ammunition on the press and cartridge changes were somewhat time consuming.

The gadget guy in me and some extra funds convinced me to take the plunge. I was as much interested in reducing operation of the handle as i was increased production.

I have learned by separating the resizing process from the reloading process I can do small batches or large batches. I can charge the cases with powder on the press, or on the bench. Because I separate the resizing from the reloading process, I can prime with a hand primer and avoid the primer system change over and the other change over items take a minute or so.

I have found progressive presses can be quite flexible. I can load 100 rounds in less than an hour or load for an evening and have a mountain of loaded cartridges (300-400 per hour).

I still can't justify the cost of the progressive except for the entertainment value for the amount that I shoot.

A Lee cast iron turret would have probably served me just as well.
 
One of the reasons I postponed buying a progressive for 25 years was the notion I needed to run large batches of ammunition on the press and cartridge changes were somewhat time consuming.

(edited for brevity)
This is true, but apparently not to the extent you believed.

Some progressives are difficult to swap calibers. Some are easier. Some are made easier by having enough spare parts to enable swapping an entire carrier assembly rather than changing out parts. Kind of a modular approach.

You don't need a Dillon 650 to take advantage of the large throughput capacity of a progressive (but the case feeder does help a lot) and a 550 doesn't take up much more space in operation than a Lee Classic Turret and less space than most other turrets.

I know that you know this now. Others can learn from our experiences.

I still like my Lee Classic Turret better than the Lee Pro-1000. Watching multiple simultaneous operations drove me crazy, especially when there was fine tuning to do to keep things running smoothly. When I get done with a loading session now, I am relaxed and my ammo boxes just as full.

Lost Sheep
 
That is funny guys, the reason I went with a progressive press is so that loading a thousand rounds of 9mm and another thousand of 45ACP wouldn’t take all day. Even at 200/hr 2000rds will take 10 hours, with my XL650 at a slow comfortable pace of 500/hr it takes 4 hours. Leaving 6 hours for a long range trip.
 
That is funny guys, the reason I went with a progressive press is so that loading a thousand rounds of 9mm and another thousand of 45ACP wouldn’t take all day. Even at 200/hr 2000rds will take 10 hours, with my XL650 at a slow comfortable pace of 500/hr it takes 4 hours. Leaving 6 hours for a long range trip.

That's interesting. I kind of go the other way. I leave it all set up so any time I have 10-15 minutes I can go bang out a box or two and never have to face 4 or 6 or whatever hours straight sitting at the bench pulling the handle. By grabbing the few "lost" minutes before dinner a couple nights a week I can keep up with my ammo consumption without ever seeming to spend a "real" block of time loading.
 
This thread has been very enlightening, as I am looking at getting a progressive press too...yes I'm finally coming to the end of my pre-Y2k ammo purchases of South African ammo. (9mm @ $72/k - delivered)

Like Sam, I'm not look at long reloading sessions, but see the advantage of maximizing loading efficiency for those spare moments throughout the day.

I originally envisioned 2 Dillion SqDBs but am now thinking a SqDB and a 550...I'm looking at loading most pistol calibers, I still have my old RCBS Rock Chucker for rifles and odd pistols
 
I really like the whole SDB concept. If you know you're going to burn through 9mm at a steady rate, regardless of other things you might occasionally need, you have a dedicated press to do that. You've got to be putting quite a bit of lead downrange to really out run your ability to keep up using that press.

If you don't have the space for a single-cartridge press and another press, the others are probably better choices, but having about 15' of bench space where I could have 5 or so SDBs ready to load my most common cartridges anytime, all the time, would be quite handy!
 
An early question was, "How many SqDB caliber conversions does it take to justify just getting another press?"

Auto indexing isn't a deciding factor for me either
 
My suggestion is that the OP keep his two pro 1000 presses set up... each for one of his highest volume handgun cartridges .....

and ....

suppliment this with either a Lee Classic Cast turret press.... or a Dillion 550
 
9mmepiphany said:
An early question was, "How many SqDB caliber conversions does it take to justify just getting another press?"

9mmE - Just check the prices in the Dillon catalogue. Having one 550 that'll do darn near everything and one Square Deal set up for one, or even two, of your most-used pistol calibers is a wise approach to take.


I have single-stages here I still use often for smaller batches of rifle calibers. But I like the Dillon line a lot. And the customer service is like no other. You could send them a box of busted parts and a cracked frame and they'd send you a new press to replace it.

Like Sam, I also appreciate the flexibility of not being forced into an auto-index cycle on the Dillon press. The manual index of the 550 really is nice. I'm totally impressed with the Dillon line.
 
That's interesting. I kind of go the other way. I leave it all set up so any time I have 10-15 minutes I can go bang out a box or two and never have to face4 or 6 or whatever hours straight sitting at the bench pulling the handle.
I even do this with my automated machine. Let it load up a few hundred at a time for matches and stop. I don't like having a ton of loaded ammo then they change the rules. As an example I setup one of my machines to make a run of 2000 SSR loads then a month later they changed the rules from 125 power factor to 105PF. I lived and learned...
 
I know I'm late to this "party" but I have a Hornady LNL and it runs great for me, but i just have it for 45ACP so its not a "challenging" caliber.

Also, if you are looking for someone to "unload" your Lee 1K, I have one of them and I can put it to use.
 
As an example I setup one of my machines to make a run of 2000 SSR loads then a month later they changed the rules from 125 power factor to 105PF.
And the problem was??? ;) You didn't want powder puff loads to game the game anyway you? ;) ;) ;) :D
 
Oh, I still run them as I am usually the only MA class SSR guy wherever I'm at but I generally don't try and handicap myself.
 
I will readily admit to my bias, however...

...I believe that my bias is valid, and is based on my experience.

I had expressed an interest in handloading (and had actually started collecting my brass for a year or more) when a lifelong friend moved to Germany about five years ago. He sent me his Dillon RL450 and a bunch of dies and accessories, manuals, etc. It was a Hell of a Care Package, utterly unexpected and very appreciated. :)

He had not used it in several years, and several small parts were missing (or perhaps lost in shipment?)

I contacted Dillon, and they were good as gold. Sent parts out ASAP, on their dime. And a copy of The Blue Press...

I started cautiously, loading .45acp ammo using W231 and 200 gr SWC lead bullets bought from a local commercial firm.

I was fairly successful, and very taken with the process...to the extent that (as others have stated) handloading quickly became, in addition to a means to an end, an end itself. The entire process, from collecting brass, to sorting, cleaning, sizing...each step is enjoyable and satisfying, as there is a tangible result/output at the end of each step.

The Blue Press provided monthly opportunities and reasons to spend a bit of money, and (here and there) I got into that habit. I also bought used and new dies for additional cartridges at Gun Shows, on eBay, here on THR, etc...

That 25+ year old 450 was a quality tool. Bob's time in Germany was a variable, but I anticipated his return at some point.

Between that and monthly issues of The Blue Press to add to the temptation, at a certain point, I was eyeballing that 550 every month. My wife bought me that new 550 for Christmas '09 :).

When Bob returned shortly thereafter, I sent his 450 back with his dies, his accessories, his reloading manuals and my thanks. :) Also a bunch of .44Spl, 38 Spl and .32acp brass...cartridges that he had expressed some interest in loading for...especially since he also "inherited" from me a Taurus 431 and a Kel-Tec P32.

In that same time frame, I also inherited a Hornady Pro-7 and an old RCBS Rock Chucker from another friend when he moved away.

Spent a bunch of time reading up on, then cleaning, lubing, adjusting the Hornady Pro-7. It looked like a quality 5-station press. Unfortunately, it was missing most of the priming system components...so I used it as a complex single stage for the only cartridge I had a shell plate for....45acp. Since I was already loading .45acp on the Dillon, there was no real benefit to the Pro-7.

I contacted Hornady, and their rep said, "No, we don't have parts for those, and we do not support that model. No, the Pro-Jector or LNL parts will not work. You need to buy a new LNL."

I did some searching on other handloading/reloading forums, even eBay...no luck. Several months of searching later, I gave up and sold that Pro-7 cheap to someone who had one (and enough parts to make this one work).

As a result, it will be a cold day in a very warm place before I buy another Hornady press. Planned obsolescence works great for the seller...not so much for the owner.

The Rock Chucker still has a place on my bench. I have used it for small production runs of .380 and 10mm. Also some .45 LC shot loads, using the Speer shot capsules.

FWIW, I bought a bedraggled 550 at a gun show about a year ago. It was missing a number of parts. Called Dillon, read them the list, and they sent me all of the requested parts, because they were all available. Support after the sale. Not a unique concept, but apparently, foreign to some manufacturers.

Better yet, without my asking, they only charged me for about half the parts I asked for. Was that because I was a repeat customer, or because they consider some parts "consumable"? End result:

That is the kind of Customer Service and Support that makes for a loyal customer.

I sold this 550 to a good friend for what I had into it (a fair bit under the price of a new one). He had been coming over and loading on my 550 for a little while, and it was a perfect opportunity for both of us.

He was (at the time) new to handloading (just as I had been a few short years ago) but is taking to it quite well.

He is now producing .38 Spl and .45acp in decent quantities, and is another satisfied Dillon customer.

Sorry for the novel.
YMMV, but that is my story, and I'm sticking to it. :)
 
If you don't have the space for a single-cartridge press and another press, the others are probably better choices, but having about 15' of bench space where I could have 5 or so SDBs ready to load my most common cartridges anytime, all the time, would be quite handy!

I built a shelf storage stand for my SDBs. Just one loading location at the bench and I change cartridges by swapping out the entire press. The hold down bolts have wing nuts on a for quick change.

My storage stand has a second position for when the spirit moves me to buy a third SDB..

I would not want to do with my Hornady L-N-L without a bridge crane in the reloading room.:)
 
Here's another vote for the RCBS Pro 2000.

Mine has been great and has produced tens of thousands of rounds over the years that I've had it. RCBS customer service has been every bit as good as the Dillon stories I hear.

The Pro 2000's primer feed system is, in my opinion, superior. You won't hear or read about primer explosions with the 2000.
 
Presses

I used a Dillon 550 in the 1980,s when I was shooting a lot of handguns and .223; it went away in a divorce. Recently a friend sent me his RL550B (freebie) since he had never used it(!) and it does .30 M1, .45ACP, and .223.

I had an old Pacific single stage, but retired it 3 years ago for a Redding Big Boss. I love that press, and it is threaded to also take Hornady LNL collars. I do load 14 rifle calibers, so the quick-change option is great! The Big Boss also has good leverage, and plenty of room for fingers to set bullets, etc.
 
I'm about in the same boat. I'm loading more often than I want to on my Lee Turret.
Others say they get 200+ rds /hr with pistol. I don't.

Dillon is offering a new 550 with out all the bells and whistles, but THE SAME PRess---much cheaper. I'm told the Lee powder-disc system and dies work on the 550, as it uses the same full size dies. So switching from your 1000 wouldn't have to be quite as big of an investment.
The nice extras can be purchased and added as the need occurs: powder system, bullet and case feeders, etc..
Dillon's no haggle warranty is unbeatable. Forever is long time--I hope.

See, I'm talking myself into switching over.
 
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