Just shootin' the breeze. Pun intended. Nothing serious here.
My reloading has been on hold for a few months while I built a new reloading addition to my garage. Before shutting down I reloaded enough ammo to last while building it. I load my 9mm ammo on a Loadmaster. Complete with case feeder and bullet feeder. I had everything tuned in real well and it was running flawlessly. Just kept refilling and cranking the handle. Ran 6k+ plus with few stoppages. YMMV, let's skip the color wars. It was pure drudgery, though. I would go in the house in the evenings mentally tired. There is so much going on on a progressive press and I have to OCD watch it all. Look in every case every time, check primer fill, check case fill, bullet fill, new dropped case for alignment, and on and on...then pull the handle. Constantly moving head and eyes to peer everywhere and at everything. Peeking between the bullet feeder linkage, powder measure chain, and a mounted light to see into the case while pushing production. I didn't like it. That was a far cry from the single stage press I enjoyed in the beginning. Single stage reloading is relaxing and enjoyable. You go step by step with each and every case. Feel every part with feedback from each pull of the handle for that step with that one round. Progressive reloading is work.
Fast forward. Reloading addition is complete and I'm setting up the presses. I brought the Loadmaster out of mothballs and disassembled it for a complete cleaning. Dies, powder measure, press, everything. Spent a day tuning it in. Loaded up all consumables and started reloading. Everything is working fine but it doesn't feel as smooth as I would like it. Took it all back part. Little filing on indexing rod. Yep, that feels better. Adjusted case feed assembly. Yep, that's really smooth, now. Checked all functions separately. Ran a few cases to check all functions together. Everything is fine, but it feels like work. Looked down the bench to the LCT press. Maybe I'll just use that one for everything. I like using that press. No, we shoot too much 9mm for that. Back to the progressive grind.:banghead: Oh, well.
I resolved myself to get back in the soup kitchen and just work. Then a thought. A friend of mine has a Hornady progressive. He puts a case in one side, puts a bullet on a case on the other side, pulls handle, looks relaxed. So I take off the case feeder, and all that bullet feeder stuff. Rob the LCT of the powder measure with the spring return (I look in every case to check powder anyway) to get rid of that chain. With that stuff gone I don't need the light, it's outta here, too. I like it. I can see thru the press. It's so open now. No clutter.
Time to run this around the block. Couple minutes into it and the fun is coming back. Rhythm starts to build. Both hands reach forward. Right hand picking up a case. Left hand picking up a bullet. Give new case a lookin' over and then position it in shell holder. Look in case to check powder, place bullet, pull handle. Slow and relaxing. Feeling good about quality of completed rounds, also. The fun is back! And still one pull equals one completed round. No time studies in any of this but I don't think it's that much slower.
Took all that busy stuff off and the fun is back.
Anyone else feel this way about progressives?
My reloading has been on hold for a few months while I built a new reloading addition to my garage. Before shutting down I reloaded enough ammo to last while building it. I load my 9mm ammo on a Loadmaster. Complete with case feeder and bullet feeder. I had everything tuned in real well and it was running flawlessly. Just kept refilling and cranking the handle. Ran 6k+ plus with few stoppages. YMMV, let's skip the color wars. It was pure drudgery, though. I would go in the house in the evenings mentally tired. There is so much going on on a progressive press and I have to OCD watch it all. Look in every case every time, check primer fill, check case fill, bullet fill, new dropped case for alignment, and on and on...then pull the handle. Constantly moving head and eyes to peer everywhere and at everything. Peeking between the bullet feeder linkage, powder measure chain, and a mounted light to see into the case while pushing production. I didn't like it. That was a far cry from the single stage press I enjoyed in the beginning. Single stage reloading is relaxing and enjoyable. You go step by step with each and every case. Feel every part with feedback from each pull of the handle for that step with that one round. Progressive reloading is work.
Fast forward. Reloading addition is complete and I'm setting up the presses. I brought the Loadmaster out of mothballs and disassembled it for a complete cleaning. Dies, powder measure, press, everything. Spent a day tuning it in. Loaded up all consumables and started reloading. Everything is working fine but it doesn't feel as smooth as I would like it. Took it all back part. Little filing on indexing rod. Yep, that feels better. Adjusted case feed assembly. Yep, that's really smooth, now. Checked all functions separately. Ran a few cases to check all functions together. Everything is fine, but it feels like work. Looked down the bench to the LCT press. Maybe I'll just use that one for everything. I like using that press. No, we shoot too much 9mm for that. Back to the progressive grind.:banghead: Oh, well.
I resolved myself to get back in the soup kitchen and just work. Then a thought. A friend of mine has a Hornady progressive. He puts a case in one side, puts a bullet on a case on the other side, pulls handle, looks relaxed. So I take off the case feeder, and all that bullet feeder stuff. Rob the LCT of the powder measure with the spring return (I look in every case to check powder anyway) to get rid of that chain. With that stuff gone I don't need the light, it's outta here, too. I like it. I can see thru the press. It's so open now. No clutter.
Time to run this around the block. Couple minutes into it and the fun is coming back. Rhythm starts to build. Both hands reach forward. Right hand picking up a case. Left hand picking up a bullet. Give new case a lookin' over and then position it in shell holder. Look in case to check powder, place bullet, pull handle. Slow and relaxing. Feeling good about quality of completed rounds, also. The fun is back! And still one pull equals one completed round. No time studies in any of this but I don't think it's that much slower.
Took all that busy stuff off and the fun is back.
Anyone else feel this way about progressives?
Last edited: