Progressive vs Single Stage Threshold

[MikeInOr]

I have found that the cost of adding a new cartridge head to my Dillon 650XL varies a lot depending on the cartridge.

.45 acp, 6.5x55, .308, 30-06 and 8x57 all take the same shell plate and case feed ramp so I don't need duplicates of all of those. The shell drop tube is the same for the rifle calibers so I only need one of those. I reload 10 different cartridges but some of them not very frequently so I have found that 6 powder measures cover my high volume cartridges and I have a few to share among the less reloaded cartridges. Resetting the powder charge for occasionally reloaded cartridges isn't that big of a deal because it doesn't happen very often. If I had to switch powder measures between two frequently loaded cartridges it would get annoying though.

So some cartridges I only have to buy a head plate and stand, a die set and the powder die to add it to my Dillon 650 arsenal.

Then there are other cartridges that pair up but don't save as much money as you would expect. When I started loading .50ae it was almost foolish to not reload the parent .44mag because there was so little needed to do so. The expensive part of that deal is I then had to buy a .44 mag barrel for my Desert Eagle L5 and eventually a Dan Wesson 744 Revolver too... so adding .44mag was sort of expensive.

Changing primer sizes on the 650 isn't that hard or time consuming. Load large batches of frequently used cartridges takes a lot of the pain out of swapping primer sizes. Some times I wish I had a second press. So I save up for one and when I am just about to buy one some great deal that I can't refuse on a firearm pops up and my second press fund gets depleted. Such is life!

What makes it all worth it... I have had my favorite shooting spot all to myself for the past two years because nobody else can afford to shoot!

 

[lordpaxman]

Just curious - what would your threshold be to invest $150 into equipment for another caliber on a progressive vs just cranking them out on a single stage?

150$? That’s a tank of gas for my truck these days!
I’m with @Demi-human, a progressive saves time which you can’t buy back. It also is very satisfying having a completed round drop in the bucket for every pull of that handle. You may also find yourself in a situation where you need X number of rounds tomorrow and didn’t plan ahead. Oh, and, once you have fun with that .45, your guesstimate of 100 rds/mo is off by an order of magnitude… Just sayin…. Good luck!

 

[Nature Boy]

I decided from the start to go the progressive route. From that point I figured, in for a penny - in for a pound, and have dedicated tool heads for the calibers I load for.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I decided from the start to go the progressive route. From that point I figured, in for a penny - in for a pound, and have dedicated tool heads for the calibers I load for.

View attachment 1068122

VERY CLEAN!

At the beginning I didn’t know what I was doing. I was trying to build a Chevy with Honda and Lawnmower parts. Now I got every press except a Mark_Mark7

 

[WeekendReloader]

I started with a single stage. At 100 a month, I was loading just fine. A few sessions over the winter and I had enough loaded for the year.
When I increased my volume, I found loading single stage in the summer was hard as I was busy doing other things. So, I bought a basic progressive press. Now I can load a few hundred at a time whenever I want.

I only load 9mm on the progressive. Everything else I load is on the single stage (even though I have the shell plates for them). I have the Lee ABLP and use it in it’s basic state, without any automatic feeders or powder drop. It keeps things simple. Easy to setup. Easy to take down and put away until I need it again.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Just curious - what would your threshold be to invest $150 into equipment for another caliber on a progressive vs just cranking them out on a single stage? I'll find out my threshold when I start loading 9mm and compare it to loading 45 quite soon!

When I was young and poor, I would have told you to use the single stage, that was what I had to do. Now that I'm near retirement age, I not rich but I'm not poor either.
Now I would say spend the $150.00 for the progressive parts and get it over with.

See the difference was when I was young I would still have wanted to spend the $150.00 and knew it was the right thing to do, I just couldn't afford to.

Working two jobs and raising a family is a hand full. Money gets tight but so does time (for me). Now, again, time is tight for me and has been for the last 15 years.
I really glad I started buying progressive presses when I did and don't regret one part of it. In time you forget about spending the money and what you will remember is the really nice progressive presses you now have.

There have been a lot of good suggestions in this post, most of which are aligned with the progressive parts.
My threshhold? When you already have the progessive press, it's a no brainer, buy the progressive press parts and don't look back, you won't ever regret it.

 

[kalielkslayer]

I was rooting through my Hornady shell plates about a year ago, and realized I had one for .45 Colt! I had just finished loading 100 of them the week prior (on the single-stage...) and was lamenting not having a shell plate. Dumb bell... I should have known I would have bought one.

I bought a duplicate sets of dies once. Feel less stupid now?

 

[scotty]

I started out with an RCBS Rock Chucker kit 20+ years ago which took care of my needs very nicely for a while. Then I got bitten by the USPSA bug and my ammo appetite grew exponentially. I then bought a Dillon 550. At the time I worked at a gun store and was a Dillon dealer. I still have a .223, .308, .45 colt, and .44 mag setups that I have never used. The single stage keeps up with my needs with these calibers just fine. On the other hand my 9mm, .45 ACP. .40. and .38 spl kits get plenty of use. It depends on your volume of use. $150 is a pretty small outlay compared to time spent with your family. Only you can decide.

 

[Blue68f100]

Another aspect to consider is your age. As you get older your body/joints may have problem with repeated motion, tennis elbow, arthritis., ..... With a AP you will reduce the time you pull the handle. I have tennis elbow, it was the reason I got a AP. My elbow complained every time I sit down to crank out some ammo. I went from loading 50 rounds to 4-500 with the same number of strokes. My elbow liked it. And it allowed me to still shoot without laying off a few days for recovery.

 

[d31tc]

.45 acp, 6.5x55, .308, 30-06 and 8x57 all take the same shell plate and case feed ramp so I don't need duplicates of all of those. The shell drop tube is the same for the rifle calibers so I only need one of those. I reload 10 different cartridges but some of them not very frequently so I have found that 6 powder measures cover my high volume cartridges and I have a few to share among the less reloaded cartridges. Resetting the powder charge for occasionally reloaded cartridges isn't that big of a deal because it doesn't happen very often. If I had to switch powder measures between two frequently loaded cartridges it would get annoying though.

So some cartridges I only have to buy a head plate and stand, a die set and the powder die to add it to my Dillon 650 arsenal.

Good point, I also load .308. There is more than enough reason to set up for .45 on the progressive. Load larger batches, less often, save time.

 

[AJC1]

Another aspect to consider is your age. As you get older your body/joints may have problem with repeated motion, tennis elbow, arthritis., ..... With a AP you will reduce the time you pull the handle. I have tennis elbow, it was the reason I got a AP. My elbow complained every time I sit down to crank out some ammo. I went from loading 50 rounds to 4-500 with the same number of strokes. My elbow liked it. And it allowed me to still shoot without laying off a few days for recovery.

Of all the reasons, reducing pain is clearly a good choice. If it hurts its not any fun, and I do this to enjoy myself.

 

[mdi]

I don't load enough lately (old and post stroke) to "justify" much more than a Lee Loader, but since I don't load in a group, and no one checks up on my numbers, if I wanna a progressive, I'll get it. Even if I later considered the progressive a mistake, it's only my mistake and if push came to shove, I could easily get my money back selling it. I look at my reloading as more than just a source of ammo. I enjoy the research, amassing parts, processing the components, assembling the handloads, shooting and recording/reviewing. I do a lot of reading and viewing component reviews, most are interesting. I spend quality relaxing time in front of my press, whether I'm using my turret or my Co-Ax. If I only process 40 rounds, fine. If I need to resupply my JIC ammo stash (a couple hundred rounds) fine. It's all time well spent

I guess I'm saying, if you have an itch, scratch it. Will spending the money take food out of your family's mouths, miss a mortgage payment or hurt your bank account? We see a lot of this type of question, reloader not wanting to make a mistake, which is understandable. But get the progressive, ignore additional costs per round and enjoy. If later you feel you made a mistake, just keep it to yourself. Life is too short to "I wish I hadda...".

 

[Shak3s1977]

My cutoff is 1 round. Any more than that gets the progressive.