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Old March 20, 2015, 02:52 PM   #76
sawdustdad
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Join Date: August 2, 2014
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Quote:
Do guys who use a progressive load for 15-20 calibers on them? Is it as simple as another set of standard dies and shell holder? Can you even do rifle on some of them?
I load 4 different pistol cartridges on my progressive press. I load rifle on a single stage press, primarily due to lower volume. My progressive only does pistol cartridges anyway (Square Deal). Most progressive presses will do rifle cartridges-the Square Deal is just not one of them.

You can buy enough different tooling to make caliber changes quick on most progressives, or you can just swap dies and reset the powder measure,etc. takes more time, but less investment in toolheads and powder measures.

I've just purchased a second Square Deal so I can dedicate one to large primer cartridges and one to small primer. Mostly leave it set up to load .38spl which I shoot far more of than any other cartridge--200-300/wk. I generally run 1000-2000 rounds at a time when I loading 9mm or .38spl. Maybe 500-1000 for .357 or .44 mag. Getting set up to load .45colt next.

If I were shooting a lot more 5.56 for example, I'd get a progressive that could load that cartridge. I'm just not there yet. I just loaded 675 rounds of .223/5.56 last week on my single stage press. So volume can be done, it just takes several sessions to complete.
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Old March 20, 2015, 03:37 PM   #77
Worc
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Safety. Many times I've prevented potential problems by eyeballing and comparing powder level in a block full of charged cases before seating bullets. I'm not willing to omit that step because it has prevented problems more than once.
I look in every case at the powder level before a place the bullet on the case. I also weigh about 10% of my loads powder charges.


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Others you can almost buy off the shelf cheaper than you can load. 9mm and .223 are probably number 1 and 2 on that list. You are going to be loading thousands of rounds over several years of 9mm to recoupe your initial expense before you start saving money. Even with a cheap single stage setup, it will be a very long time before you break even on 9mm.
You do save less on 9mm but, it's untrue how long it will take to pay off your equipment. It really depends on how much you shoot and your cost of equipment and components. I'm at 11.6 cents per round of 9mm ($5.80 box of 50). My equipment was all paid off after about 2,500 rounds. Right now 9mm seems to be on the upswing again price wise with a box of 50 going for about $15.00 in my area.
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Old March 20, 2015, 04:14 PM   #78
condor bravo
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This is a follow up to post #76 above and the referenced quote although I can't find the post that contains the quote. This response refers to the Dillon 550B only since I cannot recommend either the Square Deal or the 650. Caliber conversions for the 550B require only standard dies, a caliber conversion kit (that includes a shellplate) for around $46; a toolhead that holds the dies for around $24; and what Is called a powder die (that inserts into the the toolhead and the Dillon 550B powder measure is attached to) for about $12. So we're talking about $80-some plus shipping and cost of dies.I would not attempt to load rifle ammunition on the 550B unless it is for something like .223s not requiring much pressure. Larger calibers are likely to require much heavier pressure and should be done by single stage. I load for over 30 handgun calibers and over 50 rifle calibers.
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Old March 29, 2015, 11:19 AM   #79
axismatt
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As to the priming system... I knew they could be problematic from my initial research, so I planned on eliminating that issue from the start. Bought a Lee hand primer when I ordered the press kit. Problem eliminated.
I do the same thing. Actually, I got the priming system to work just fine on the LEE LM, but it happens to be the only function I can't eyeball as I go, so my confidence was never 100% (and would be the same lack of trust with any system, for all you LEE haters). And truth be told, I can sit with a beer and hand prime 1000 cases in less than 2 hours, run a finger over each one and mic the depth every 10 to 15 pieces, get a good look at the brass for flaws, etc... So I have grown to prefer hand priming. Then I just dump in the hopper and GO. Plus, the new LEE hand primer is comfy and easy on the web of your hand.

Who stated that you should expect about 8 hours of set up to get your progressive running just right? While I agree that, from the box to running completed cartridges was a few hours, it certainly wasn't 8.
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