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Old January 7, 2012, 05:50 PM   #1
Roland Thunder
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Thinking of switching to a progressive

I currently have a Lee Classic Turret press which I am happy with. However, I seem to be developing tendinitis in my wrist which I think is caused by pushing the handle of the press so much along with shooting. For this reason, I am thinking of switching to a progressive press or something that would not require me to put so much pressure on my wrist. If I switch, it would probably be to a Dillon.

How does a progressive press work? Would it keep me from pressuring my wrist so much and which Dillon would you suggest?
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Old January 7, 2012, 06:00 PM   #2
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go dillon you will never go back
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Old January 7, 2012, 06:03 PM   #3
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well, the number of times you would have to press the lever down would be reduced for a given number of rounds, but the amount of pressure you have to apply seems like it would go up, since each press of the lever is doing more stuff, unless the handles are longer......

Is it the actual action of doing it thats causing trouble, or the ammount of pressure you have to apply? If its the latter, you could fabricate some kind of extension to the handle, a longer handle would mean it would take less force, you would just have to move your arm through a bigger stroke....

Or, just start reloading left handed.....
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Old January 7, 2012, 06:07 PM   #4
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The main difference with a progressive is you get a round out with each cycle of the handle instead of 3 or 4 cycles as the turret press requires. So, even if the effort were the same, you get only 1/4 your current exposure.

The regular Dillons require you to push the handle to seat the primer, and that might still aggravate your wrist. The only one that does not is the 1050 professional unit. It's got more leverage and works very well, but it's a big investment. On the other hand, I think they now have roller handles for the other presses which might help the wrist. I recommend you find somebody with a Dillon who will let you try operating it to see how it feels.
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Old January 7, 2012, 06:14 PM   #5
Roland Thunder
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I don't think it's the actual action of doing it it's probably caused by the pressure or the repetitions. My wrist doesn't necessarily hurt while I'm loading but it's sore for several days afterward. Between loading a day or two a week and shooting a couple of days a week, I think I'm getting in inflammation in my wrist.

Am I still going to have to put a lot of pressure on my wrist even with a progressive press?
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Old January 7, 2012, 06:16 PM   #6
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i can pull the roller handle on my dillon 650 with 2 fingers thru a full cycle with a round being loaded in all 5 positions.

it has a compound action that reduces the input the user needs to provide.
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Old January 7, 2012, 08:00 PM   #7
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Lubricating the cases with One Shot prior to loading reduces the effort needed to re-size the cases. The amount of effort needed for the other positions is really minor including the primer. The roller handle will also spread the pressure across the entire hand and not just the middle that happens with a ball type handle. Once all positions have a case in them you produce a round with each pull of the handle. I would think it might reduce the strain. How much is hard to say.
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Old January 7, 2012, 08:05 PM   #8
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I have a lot of nerve damage and reloading for any length of time on my single stage was getting to be very problematic. At least 4 handle pulls to load one round had goten me to where I was not loading much at all.

I switched to a progressive and now I can load for about 20 minutes and get loaded what used to take me 3-4 hours. The force required seems to be about the same but going from 400 handle strokes per 100 rounds to 105 made a heck of a difference for me.

I can actually load more ammo at one sitting now than I usually shoot for one range trip.
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Old January 8, 2012, 12:18 AM   #9
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If you are loading short pistol ammo, like 9mm or .45 ACP, the pressure isn't much at all on a progressive. The only time I actually lube cases and find a little more pressure is when I load .45 Colt ammo. All other things being equal, the big savings on a progressive is time required to load a specific number of rounds.
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Old January 8, 2012, 01:03 AM   #10
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Before you buy, read this: http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillon...Comparison.pdf
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Old January 8, 2012, 02:27 AM   #11
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Try mounting the press up higher where you have to pull on the handle instead of pushing. Just a thought.
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Old January 8, 2012, 04:51 AM   #12
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Move the handle to the other side.
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Old January 8, 2012, 06:46 AM   #13
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I lave a love hate relationship with a month old Hornady LNL -w- case feeder.

When it works I love it. But you have to constantly tinker with it to keep it working.

If you are looking for something that works out of the box I understand Dillon is the way to go.

If you like to tinker, polish, buff, sand and create/search for mods go with the Hornady LNL AP. Even better for the tinkerers out there go with the Lee Loadmaster and buy some consumables with all the $$$ you will save.


And yes I keep the press CLEAN, am mechanically inclined and pay attention to detail.

To their credit Hornady CS is top notch and sent parts that were needed in a timely manner. I however would rather have a reliable press with top notch CS that doesn't get used rather than a press with poor QC that requires me to find out how good the CS really is.

My bottom line on the Hornady LNL AP is it is a very well engineered press that is easy to learn and use. The CS is excellent but the problems are all caused by POOR QUALITY CONTROL from the factory.

YMMV, good luck.
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Old January 8, 2012, 09:56 AM   #14
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I have been using a Hornady LNL for 4 years now. I never had a major problem. Both have some features that are slightly better than the other brand but in my opinion the LNL is superior to the Dillon. I have used both and would have no reason to change.
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Old January 8, 2012, 04:39 PM   #15
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Quote:
I have been using a Hornady LNL for 4 years now. I never had a major problem. Both have some features that are slightly better than the other brand but in my opinion the LNL is superior to the Dillon. I have used both and would have no reason to change.
Sigh. I think it's all a matter of perspective gained by loading style, personal experience with a particular serial # (not brand), accented with gobs of personal preference.

Mine goes like this: I have been using an RCBS Pro 2000 for 3 1/2 years now. I've never had any problems. All three presses have some features that are slightly better than the other brand, but IMO the Pro 2000 is superior to the Dillon or the Hornady. I have used all three and have no desire to switch to either of the other two.

Does that help?

One more thing...as most here know, I do love to tinker and invent, but making up for mediocre QC is not fun. QC is a major factor that makes for happy campers and disgruntled discontents with any brand....which is why I added "serial #" above.

While RCBS (nor Dillon, nor Hornady) does not make a perfect machine, I like the way it is iron heavy and strong, yet simple in mechanism enough to work every time. A need to resync or tweak is not something I have ever had to do.
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Old January 8, 2012, 04:54 PM   #16
Kevin Rohrer
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Dillon is The Bomb

Quote:
I currently have a Lee Classic Turret press which I am happy with. However, I seem to be developing tendinitis in my wrist which I think is caused by pushing the handle of the press so much along with shooting. For this reason, I am thinking of switching to a progressive press or something that would not require me to put so much pressure on my wrist. If I switch, it would probably be to a Dillon.

How does a progressive press work? Would it keep me from pressuring my wrist so much and which Dillon would you suggest?
Good choose.

As to how they work, it depends on which model you get.

550B: each time you cycle the handle AND manually advance the shellholder star, you get a round of ammo.

650: each time you cycle the handle, you get a round of loaded ammo.

The only other action needed by you is with either press is to manually insert a casing and a bullet.

Each press has its strengths and weaknesses, to include cost and cost of caliber changes. Do a search here and on other sites and you will get that info. Do a search on YouTube and you will see the presses in operation. I have a 550 and had a 650.
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Old January 9, 2012, 06:41 AM   #17
mumbo719
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Quote:
One more thing...as most here know, I do love to tinker and invent, but making up for mediocre QC is not fun. QC is a major factor that makes for happy campers and disgruntled discontents with any brand
Ain't it the truth.

As a locksmith tinkering and inventing is pretty much what I do, especially on antique furniture where I have to handcraft parts for locks that have been previously handcrafted and out of existence for decades.

Mistakes/things happen, I can accept and work with that.

But 100% of the issues experienced with the LNL is QC related.

The problems are not isolated issues, you can chase down all the fixes doing Bing searches.

Again I love the press when it works, once you get the issues worked out it will be a reliable press that pumps out accurate ammo. Just be prepared to do some buffing, polishing and some internet searches for mods and fixes.
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Old January 9, 2012, 07:08 AM   #18
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I went from a Lee Classic Turret to a Dillon 550
I would never even consider a Lee again ,one you go BLUE you'll never go red
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Old January 9, 2012, 08:45 AM   #19
Don P
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Lee has come out with a roller handle upgrade for the turret press and pro. It alleviate your issue. I have one coming for my turret.
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Old January 9, 2012, 09:50 AM   #20
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I certainly am not bashing the Dillon. It is a very good press. I just preferred the LNL over the Dillon as I am sure there are plenty of folks out there that state exactly the opposite. Simply stated whether it is a Hornady, Dillon, Lee, etc. if people didn't buy them they wouldn't be in business so they all must have something to offer.
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Old January 9, 2012, 10:47 AM   #21
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I have similar hand problems, and my solution was a "hybrid" so to speak.

I use a Lee 1000 for case prep (size, deprime, flare prime), then I use my Lee Classic Turret for the rest of the process.

I found the small motor actions of handling the brass a lot was becoming problematic during the times when my hands are acting up. This method drastically reduces the amount of brass handling I do. However, it allows me the precision of a manual powder charge process and bullet seating/crimp. I can prep a bin full of cases and finish the process whenever I want.

This has managed to increase my output without any sacrifice of quality on the charging and seating processes -- the parts of the reload cycle that I like to do manually and monitor closely. At the same time, I've experienced a *significant* decrease in hand problems caused by reloading.

I *have* run the Lee 1000 in full progressive -- mostly as an experiment. it worked and produced good ammo, but I'm not going to use it that way very often. It reminds me just a little too much of a Wile-E-Coyote machine for me to be really comfortable with it.

Were I to go fully progressive, I could certainly look at a Dillon 650 or an Hornady LNL-AP. Both are fine machines.
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Old January 9, 2012, 11:30 AM   #22
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Before you buy, read this: http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillon...Comparison.pdf

excellent read, bought a LNL a couple of months back and love it for my pistol stuff. There was a bit of a learning curve on the primer system but Hornady customer service was patient with me and got me straightened out. For a while there I was second guessing myself on whether I should have bought the Dillon but looking back now have no regrets on the Hornady and wish I had went progressive sooner.

BTW best lube for rifles I have found is good old fashioned Imperial Sizing wax. A six dollar tin of it lasts for what seems forever and have never had a stuck case with it.
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Last edited by Unclenick; January 10, 2012 at 10:16 AM. Reason: Fixed broken link copy
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Old January 22, 2012, 08:22 AM   #23
Roland Thunder
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I have heard that with Dillon dies (I have Lee), it takes less force to de-prime and prime a case. I think most of the soreness in my wrist is more from de-priming/priming then it is the repetition.

Can anyone confirm that about Dillon dies. If so, I may sell my dies and get Dillon dies otherwise I may as well keep the Lee dies
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Old January 22, 2012, 08:29 AM   #24
Kevin Rohrer
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I don't own any Lee dies, but can tell you that it requires almost no effort to cycle my 550 roller handle when resizing even large cases like .45LC.
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Old January 22, 2012, 09:45 AM   #25
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I can't believe everyone is telling you to spend $900 to solve a $30.00 problem.

Take a look at this, it should help you.

Jim

http://www.titanreloading.com/lee-roller-handle-upgrade-kit



Also go to Walgreens and get a $5.00 wrist band, I use one shooting.

But it sounds like you want an excuse to go out and buy a new press, go to it if you can spare the funds.
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Last edited by Unclenick; January 23, 2012 at 04:57 PM. Reason: Fixed broken link
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