- It isn't that progressives are all that complicated, they're not...especially my Pro 2000...simplicity is its middle name.
- It isn't that progressively loading rifle isn't faster or worth the trouble (what trouble, and yes its faster....you have to case prep on a single too, so no big deal)
The real reason to start on a single is one of preparation and understanding. Since you are doing one step at a time on a tray full of brass, it sinks in what each process is, what its for, and how to do it right....a great way to learn to reload.
The real problem with a progressive is t
hat every step is done at once with each pull of the handle. If you don't understand the safety and quality side of each step, you can make a lot of bad ammo very fast.
As for rifle and case prep, many of us who use progressives, still use a single station to deprime and size. Why not? You gotta do that one step before you prep the cases. THEN, you can trim, debur, chamfer, and if you wish, clean & uniform primer pockets & remove military crimps.....and tumble the case lube off....
all OFF PRESS.
Once that's all done for the whole batch, then using the progressive, finish the job with one pull of the handle (per case). That's priming, charging, seating, and crimping if you want. That's 3 or 4 steps on a single station press, cut down to one. Certainly worth it to me.
Do you have to use a single for the first step...of course not, but you have to set up the progressive twice, once for just sizing/depriming, second for the post prep steps. If you have a single station too, you don't have to do that. Besides, most of us reload a few of a calibers we don't shoot that often.....on the single station. It's a bit of a financial commitment to set up a progressive for each caliber, so I don't for those.
To clarify that last statement, for either single or progressive setups you obviously have to buy dies for each caliber, but in addition, to set a caliber up on a progressive you have to buy tool heads(die plates) or in the case of Hornady, LnL bushings for each caliber you want to set up. Plus you will need to buy fairly expensive shell plates for each (excepting where shell plates do double duty such as .45acp, .308, 30-06 etc.). No matter the press brand, that comes out to $35 to $40 per caliber. So if you want to load .9mm, .45, .223, and 7mm Mag. all on a progressive, that's a $150 hit (average) by it self. That compares to $21 for four Lee shellholders for use on a single station press.(3.50 a piece)