Questioning Progressive Press Productivity for bottle-necked cartridges

[dbarnhart]

I'm going to start by admitting my ignorance. I've used a Rock Chucker all my life but I'm starting to give serious consideration to a progressive press. I shoot 45ACP, 223 and 308.

First: removing the lube from sized cases. It would seem that the normally process would be to size the cases and then re-tumble to remove the lube. So that means a second pass thru the press.

Or if the cases need trimmed or the primer pockets swaged, again a second pass thru the press.

So worst-case, the process might look something like this:

Pass 1: Size
tumble to clean of lube, trim
Pass 2: decap
swage primer pockets
Pass 3: Prime, charge, seat, crimp

Granted, swaging is not part of the normal process so you are making two passes thru the press not three.

Or am I missing a shortcut?

 

[rfwobbly]

Mr Hart -

Not sure you have all the steps described exactly right, but you DO have the correct picture. Bottle neck rifle cases are going to need to make 2 passes through a standard progressive press... unless you have a big, multi-station press like a 1050 with the Dillon electric trimmer in the station after sizing.


In my 550, I load 223 like this...
1. Size & de-prime and out of the press
2. Tumble
3. Trim
4. Back into the press for primer, powder and bullet seating

 

[dbarnhart]

Thank you. Even with two passes thru the press, the progressive is still more efficient (2 pulls of the handle per round instead of 4-5)

Now if someone could invent a 'case-cleaning die', and about a ten stage press...

 

[jmorris]

My progressive rifle goes like this.

1. Tumble
2. Anneal
3. Size/deprime and trim with a 650 & Dillon trimmer.
4. Load on a 1050 (that swages if needed)
5. Back into the tumbler to knock the lube off.


Still two passes but about as good as you can get with manual presses.

 

[jmorris]

Bottle neck rifle cases are going to need to make 2 passes through a standard progressive press... unless you have a big, multi-station press like a 1050 with the Dillon electric trimmer in the station after sizing.

The station after sizing is the swage station and the back up rod/expander so you can't put the trimmer there. Actually the trimmer and vacuum manifold take up so much space you cannot mount dies right next to it anyway.

 

[kingmt]

I load in the Pro 1000.
My process goes check length of all brass being loaded, neck size, prime, charge, seat, & inspect. If I load new to me brass I full length size, trim, chamfer/deburr, tumble, back to prime.......

So if I have to FL it takes 2 passes.

Swage is done on a SS.

 

[sigma40sw]

I stuff all my 223 and 308 on my Dillon 550. All my brass is trimed and sized with my Dillon trimmer mounted in my RCBS Rockchucker press. If primer crimps have to be removed,I use a decapping die in the Rockchucker and the Dillon Super swage for uniform pockets.
The 550 is just used to stuff the rounds. Station 1 only decaps if needed otherwise the rest just do what they are supposed to do. I use a taper crimp die in station 4 as it is not bothered by case length. If you use a roll crimp and have a slightly longer 223 case,it can kink the shoulder,which will not allow the round to fullly chamber. Not fun as you will be performing the M16 Stomp to clear it. I only trim my brass every 3rd time I use it and they all tend to stretch differently.
The use of the progessive press will speed up your loading. You will have loaded rounds anytime you stop. ;<)

 

[loadedround]

I load both 223 and 308's in my Dillon 550 and follow the exact same procedure as "rfwobbly". My only difference is that I usually lose the fired cases before needing to trim them. Two passes through my 550 is still much faster than loading on a single station press.

 

[Walkalong]

I use two passes as well, but heck, I do that with straight walled pistol calibers as well, since I hand prime.

Bottlenecked rifle:

1st run: Size and Decap

........Tumble, trim, debur,chamfer, ream PP if applicable, & prime. All away from press.

2nd run: Seat, and crimp if applicable

 

[helotaxi]

Yep. I don't do any case prep on the progressive for bottlenecked cartridges. I size and deprime on a single stage, finish prep work and then prime and load on the progressive. It doesn't speed up case prep, but loading is significantly faster and the number of case handling steps (in essence wasted motion) is greatly reduced compared to a single stage or a turret.