High Volume / Short Time Reloading Press ....

[riverwalker76]

I'm needing a high volume reloading press that I can use to reload 3k .223 & 2k 9mm with. I am writing an article for a magazine, and have opted to reload my ammo instead of buying cartridges. Cartridge to cartridge this is the cheaper route.

I have a LEE single stage that I use for my own personal use, but I don't reload anywhere near the volume that I will need for this piece.

What would be the best brand to go with for minimal break-downs, minimal downtime, and maximum efficiency for reloading these two calibers?

[PA-Joe]

Hornady LNL AP Press!

Next would be a Dillion 650.

[dawico]

I agree with PA- Joe. They are both good loaders. I have the Hornady LNL AP and it has serves me well. I have heard great things about the Dillon presses also, and would have gotten one if Hornady wasn't twisting my arm with all of the free bullets.

[dlb435]

Post again and ask to barrow (or rent) a progessive press for someone near your home.

[COSteve]

With over 130,000rds through my Dillon 650 and casefeeder, I'm very happy with it.

[riverwalker76]

Renting is not really an option for me since I plan on using this press for future endeavors as well. Another piece I'm working on involves the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot in October, and I'll need a lot of ammo for that as well.

I'm leaning towards a Dillon just because of their reputation for a fast turnaround if there is a problem.

[HighValleyRanch]

When I was seriously competing in Bullseye shooting, I went to a progressive loader. At that time, top of the line was a Dillon 550.
That beauty could put out rounds as fast as you could pull the lever.
I was shooting over a thousand rounds a week.

So get a Dillon, and great customer service as well!
Never loaded any rifle, but tons of pistol.

[Sevens]

Being that I've been loading single stage for 20+ years (and happy with it and not looking to upgrade), I've often wondered how much time savings there is to load progressive for a rifle round like .223.

Yes, I know there is a world (or more!) difference in progressive loading vs. single stage. I've done enough progressive loading for shotgun to know that it's not even close, no matter how you measure it.

But for rifle brass where you've got to lube cases and trim for length and chamfer, how much increase in speed do you get with a progressive machine?

And what is the process? Do you size and prep all the rifle brass and pull the size die out of the progressive machine for when it's time to load the ammo?

I can still see where you can go faster on .223 in a progressive press, but is it that big a difference that it's worth the investment? It seems to me that if you have a bullet feeder, you can make things go quicker. But without a bullet feeder (many progressive setups don't use them), where is all the quickness if you are still prepping rifle brass?

[Edward429451]

Since no one has mentioned it yet (sic) I have to say Get a Dillon Press. I have a 550 and it seems to serve me well but so many people have and speak highly of the 650's that I wonder what I am missing...

Sevens I don't know how others do it but I do not attempt brass prep on the progressive press. The progressive press does not do your brass prep for you. There is no way around brass prep. I size, trim, decrimp, deburr, uniform, and degrease before the brass ever touches the loading machine. The time savings comes at actual loading time. With a big pile of prepped brass by a single stage and a progressive, the progressive will blow away the ss in amount of rounds loaded.

[dmazur]

But for rifle brass where you've got to lube cases and trim for length and chamfer,...

Depending on how you trim and lube, you can have varying degrees of success with running brass through a progressive press without a "break out" operation for resizing and brass prep.

I have heard of folks who use spray-on lubes, sometimes shaken in a bag to distribute uniformly. After these dry, there is no need to remove lube before powder charging. If they are formulated so they don't degrade powder, that concern is also removed.

Regarding trimming, many trim slightly shorter than the recommended "trim to" lengths, and get 5 or more reloading cycles before trimming is necessary. (And when they trim, they use something like a Giraud to handle the brass by the bucket...)

On the other hand, some use a manual indexing press (like the 550B) so you just use Station 1 as a single stage press. After trimming and removing excess lube, they resume operations with a bin of prepped brass. There is no need to remove dies, just index before pulling the handle to skip Station 1 and use Stations 2, 3 and 4 (if you have a crimp die.)

So, I don't believe there is a single way to skin this particular cat.

[Edward429451]

You can't skip station 1! I needs my primer!

[dmazur]

You can't skip station 1! I needs my primer!

Well, of course this is true. The perfectionists among us reprime using a hand primer so they have a better feel. Some also use a separate single stage press for resizing.

My point was that there are several ways to use a progressive press to reload bottleneck cartridges.

The method I described, using Station 1 to resize and then remove the brass for trimming and removal of excess lube, also uses that station to reprime.

The "prepped brass" I described is already primed.

If you're reloading for a Garand (or some other gas rifle), you can handle primer pocket uniforming once (and other things like swaging crimped primer pockets). At that point you have brass that really only has a trim length concern.

I check cartridge headspace and case length with the same Wilson gauge, for every case after it is resized. Very few need trimming until they have been reloaded 5 times, and at that point I discard them.

IMO, there seem to be two distinct "schools" for bottleneck cartridge reloading. One has its roots in the benchrest crowd, and it involves some rather detailed case prep, which has to be done every time. These reloaders can't understand why anyone would even contemplate reloading rifle cartridges on a progressive.

The other has its roots in volume reloading for pistol (like IDPA shooters), and they want to crank out 3000 rounds before dinnertime without any "off press" operations.

The realities of lubing, trimming and primer pocket uniforming make the latter practice virtually impossible, and many of us wind up operating somewhere in between the two schools of thought.

[BigJimP]

Dillon 650 / with a case feeder is my choice ....but there isn't really anything wrong with presses from Hornady, RCBS, etc ...

My Dillon 650 with the case feeder will easily crank out 1,000 trouble free rounds an hour in 9mm ...(and make sure you use the Powder Check Die) .../and it'll help a lot if you have someone ... sorting your brass and feeding the case feeder, loading your primer feed tubes and checking the finished rounds with a case gague as you box them up ...

[BODAME]

I have a 650 , but I am going to buy a 1050
No more LNL's in my shop

[jmorris]

What would be the best brand to go with for minimal break-downs, minimal downtime, and maximum efficiency for reloading these two calibers?

You left out money so I'll say a bullet fed 1050 as far as the hand crank reloaders go.

Click on the photo to watch a short video of my bullet fed 1050 loading .223.

[Scorch]

Lee Pro1000. Comes complete with dies and shellplate, already assembled and ready to roll for about $150 or less. Just add cases, primer, powder, and bullets, pull the handle and you're off and running.

Now, of course, you could spend several times that and get a blue, red, or green press, but I thought the idea was to get loaded ammo.

[jmorris]

Now, of course, you could spend several times that and get a blue, red, or green press, but I thought the idea was to get loaded ammo.

I agree but he already has a single stage and from the title I assumed the goal was speed making quality rounds. I wouldn't have the machines that I have if I only needed a few thousand. If you are compensated, like get to keep the equipment you used for the article, I would get what I could.

[floydster]

I would never ever get a LNL Hornady EZ ject, the priming system will drive you nuts, believe me I have done it all with this press trying to get it to prime with reliability, it is not to be.
Go with a Dillon, you will be much happier.
Floydster

[Toolman]

Dillon 550B works for me. It's a manual index, but i prefer that cause it's easier to do QC at each station from time to time. The powder measure is very accurate. I can run 300 RPH more/less.
I load .357 mag, 357 Sig, .45 ACP, .222 Rem, .223 Rem, .308 Win, 38-55 Win, 30-30 Win & 30-06 with it.

[FrankenMauser]

Dillon

I cranked up my 550B for the first time tonight (I've used it plenty in the past, but recently bought it from my father, and moved it to my house).

Including setup time, I spent 1 hour 45 minutes reloading. I put together 225 rounds of 9x19mm, and was taking my sweet time. And I mean I was taking my sweet time - I had a cat on my lap, that demanded love between each loaded round, and I visually verified a proper powder charge in each case (as well as the random charge weight check on a scale).

Like Toolman, I like the manual indexing, and the powder measure works with everything.

Originally Posted by Toolman

Dillon 550B works for me. It's a manual index, but i prefer that cause it's easier to do QC at each station from time to time. The powder measure is very accurate. I can run 300 RPH more/less.

The powder measure is definitely accurate with plenty of powders. In the past, I've used extruded, short-grain extruded, ball, and "flattened ball" powders. All of them metered well. Tonight was my first use of a low density flake powder (Unique), and every charge was perfect on the scale (within less than 0.1 grain).

Once you get used to the motions, it is very easy to get into mass-production mode. I don't think I've ever done more than 300 RPH, but I never reload in a hurry. So, my production rates are poor examples of what the machine will do, even with good QC.

The only drawback (for some cartridges and certain people) is the 4-station design. If you want a powder lockout die, you have to seat and crimp at the same station, or crimp with a separate operation.

[Waldog]

Never had a single problem with primer system on my LNL, WHEN it is adjusted properly. Same goes for Dillon.

Read this for a reasonable comparison: http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillon...Comparison.pdf