[SL1]

I have been doing what Sevens is doing for my .40 S&W reloads, but with an addition. I also use the Lee Pro-1000 with the 3-hole turrets. BUT, I use two of them per caliber. The first is used to prep cases, like Sevens does it. Then I prime and measure powder off-press. When I have a batch of primed and charged cases where I have checked the powder charges, I use a second 3-hole turret to start, seat and crimp my bullets in those cases.

That eliminates the problems with priming and charge dropping that constitute MOST of the safety issues with progressive presses.

And, it effectively gives me SIX die stations to use in the progressive parts of the process. Typically, I deprime and clean the brass before doing on-the-press steps. Then, the first station is a full-length sizing, usually with ONLY the body from a Lee FCD with the carbide ring in it, which goes all the way to the case head to get any bulges back to SAAMI max case diameter. The second die uses a regular carbide sizer, but goes down the case only far enough to get a little below where the bullet base will be when seated. The third die is the expander/flarer, for which I prefer a "step" expander like the Lyman "M" die. Then, after charging, I insert the second turret, where the first die is a taper-crimp die that is adjusted up high enough that it only centers the flared case mouth in the die. I start a bullet at that die station by dropping it down the open top of the taper crimper, and slightly seat it with a punch that fits down the same hole. The second die is the usual seater die that puts the bullet down to final depth, and the third die is the usual crimper. For taper crimps, that will be a second taper crimp die, but it does not have to be the type with the open top.

I think it may have been Sevens that got me thinking about this, so THANK YOU sir. It works great, and allows me to focus my in-progress inspections on the steps that really need it most, priming and charging.

SL1