Reloading press

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I have a Dillon 650 for high volume 45acp. I also use it to process other brass to prep it for later powder and projectile. 38/357, 45LC, 44 mag and special, and 38 Super. I can decap, resize, prime, and flare the necks very quickly and in volume, then at a later time I can drop powder and seat projectiles on a single stage. That's a real time and trouble saver.
I have a Redding turret for 3 different benchrest calibers, all dies are bushing neck sizers and micrometer seaters. Don't want to have to set those up every time I load.
I have an RCBS Ammomaster for 50 BMG. It will resize anything.
I have an RCBS Partner single stage that gets a lot of use. It is mounted to an 18" piece of 2x6 that I clamp to my bench. I can also take it to my range and clamp it to my shooting bench.
Before you point out that I have $2000 worth of presses let me tell you that I collected these over a 15 year period at a cost of less than $150 per year.
They will all outlast me and I intend to be around for a few more decades.
 
snakeye said:
Yes you have to pull the lever four times to make a round but you have to do the same on a progressive press. If your satisfied with 200 to 250 rounds an hour at a real good price is what you want.
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Snakeye, read orionegnr's post 18 and 41_Mag's. The definition of progressive press means each pull of the handle produces a finished round. This is possible because the multiple operations that usually require multiple pulls on the handle are done all at the same time.

A progressive press has (instead of a shell holder, a shell plate that can hold, 3, 4, 5 or more cartridge cases at a time).

You are absolutely right about the ease of changing calibers on the Lee Turret.

Lost Sheep
 
First, some history on me, so you understand my point of view.

I started loading with a single stage and usually got around 50 rounds per hour. Then I got two Lee Pro-1000s, but I never got comfortable with them, mainly because my attention did not divide well over the multiple stations. Loading was stressful rather than relaxing and fun. By the time I finished a loading session I was a nervous wreck.

So I traded "up" to a Lee Classic Turret. While loading with the Turret, I can put a case in the press, observe it going through all the steps and produce a finished round (continuous processing rather than batch processing). The Turret and my style are suited to one another. (You may be able to synchronize successfully with a progressive, but I couldn't.)

The first day I used my Turret, I did 100 rounds in 47 minutes, from setup to delivering two boxes of 50 rounds each of .357 magnum. This included filling the powder measure and the priming device from empty. I am probably capable of a sustained 150 per hour if I really get "in the zone".

Now, a progressive (Dillon or Hornady would be my choice, or perhaps Lee Loadmaster) is quite capable of delivering three times that output per hour or more, but at three times the price for the press, too, and caliber swaps are a much more complex, too.

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

I find reloading to be relaxing now and get 300-400 rounds in an afternoon and changing calibers is no trouble at all with the Lee Classic Turret. With a decent progressive, I could probably top 1,000. maybe 2,000 if I really push it and don't change calibers. But I would be a nervous wreck at the end of it.

So, factors i suggest you consider, besides initial cost of the equipment, are:

How much time you want to spend doing the loading.
How often you switch calibers
How comfortable you are monitoring multiple simultaneous operations

Lost Sheep
 
A lot of folks, including me, prefer to load on a turret or single stage. When a single stage or turret press is brought up the progressive guys all chime in and tell us how much faster loading is on their progressives. We already know that. We aren't necessarily reloading on a single stage or turret because we are uneducated. For some of us it is just because we prefer to do so.
 
Received my new Lee Classic Turret press last week and have played with it a bit. Just finishing up building a new reloading bench out of solid white oak I've had in the basement for about 10 years. Can't wait to bolt the new press in and start turning out some shooting fun!
 
The beauty of the Dillon 550 is the flexibility the manual index gives you. You can treat it as a single stage, or as an "enhanced" turret where the case moves instead of the dies. You can work as quickly or slowly as you want to. They also sell the basic press, the BL 550, which is the same press less the primer and powder system for about $250. It can easily be upgraded to the full press later on.
 
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