New Reloader and Ready to Take Plunge

[locknloader]

I agree with ed308, chances are if you get into the hobby you will want a progressive once you get the hang of things (very quickly). So you may want to start out on a progressive and like ed says, use one station at a time until you fully understand the machine then you can start using all the stations at once.

Dillon and Hornady LNL are 2 most popular progressives.

[Iggy913]

I really wanted to go progressive or at the least turret press up front. Replies here have my rethinking that and looking to a single stage press. I’m not looking for a “how to guide” from everyone, just some clarification on the process, I do plan to buy several manuals and actually have some already in the mail. Please don’t think I’m going to start turning out ammo based on the Internet compared to legitimate manuals. I’m very thankful for the information I’ve gotten here already from everyone, let me run this past the group if you don’t mind and make sure I have this correct:

Say I have a bunch of once fired brass from my rifle, let’s also say it’s some Lake City or other surplus type military brass with a crimped primer. Let’s also say I’ve already inspected the brass for damage and get the safety stuff ruled out. I load this brass in my turret or progressive press and my first die will either just deprime the brass or deprime and resize the brass. Accurate so far correct?

At this point the brass needs to come out of the machine and checked with calipers for length right? This is also when you would address the primer pocket and clean the brass.

Once these steps have been completed the brass can go back into the press for its new primer, powder charge, and bullet.

Again I’m not looking for exact details here but if that is correct am I really speeding up the process reloading on a turret or progressive press? Seems like removing the brass after the first step would slow you down tremendously and you’d be just as efficient loading on a single stage press in batches?

Thank you all again for the help

[kmw1954]

Iggy913 the press type is all about volume. If you are only loading 100/200pcs per month then there is no sense to a turret or progressive press other than you can set up your dies once and leave them. If you are going to be loading 100/200pcs every week then it might be a consideration.

But they are right about buy once cry once. I did the research needed bought once and never cried at all. I didn't buy the XYZB press everyone was taunting with the $500.00 budget and another $500.00 worth of tooling to change calibers. Buy what suites your needs or wants not what everyone else thinks your needs are.

[Howland]

If your goal is to compete in matches or otherwise wring the most accuracy out of the rifle, metering powder charges by volume won't cut it. Progressive presses meter by volume.

Regardless of your objective, during load development, you'll want to precisely measure powder charges and weigh each charge to determine the precise charge weight that yields the best accuracy. Once you know what the target charge weight is, you might then find that +/- 0.2 grains is doesn't change group size too much and is good enough. If so and all you want is plinking ammo or minute of deer out to 2-300 yards, you might be perfectly happy with 2" groups at 100 yards and metering powder charges by volume will be acceptable. If so, you can then set up the progressive press and load in volume and the progressive will be much more time efficient

For my rifle loads, I want the accuracy of exact weight powder charges and I like to deprime, inspect the primer pockets and clean before I resize. For rifle loads, the only thing I use the progressive for is decapping. Case lube is a must for bottleneck rifle cases and lube has the potential to contaminate both powder and primers. I clean off all traces of lube after sizing.

For pistol rounds, metering powder charges by volume is perfectly fine. Plus, I'm using titanium carbide dies without lubricating.

[mikld]

Your description of the process is correct so far. I don't know how measuring, trimming and primer crimp removal can be accomplished on a progressive press. Some progressive owners use a dedicated sizing/depriming press, usually a single stage, to process the brass before loading. Which brings up another thought; I batch load with my Co-Ax and Lee turret (I removed the auto index 4 days after I got the press). For my Garand brass, I size and deprime a batch, anywhere from 50 to 200 cases at a time, then remove the crimp at another time. Later I will measure, trim, deburr. In another session I will prime the cases and now I have a batch of processed, ready to charge and seat cases (I have a lot of primed and ready brass waiting for finishing for all my pistols [upwards of 200 each] and two of my rifles [normally just 100-200]).

Is your time so limited that you are concerned with rounds per hour? You've mentioned speed a few times. One good way to ruin a gun, damage fingers, or worse, is to get in a hurry when reloading. Early in my reloading career I had a squib, I was rushing through a session because I wanted to go shooting now! and forgot to charge a case . That happened once, in 1970 and I've not been in a hurry since. Even when I was working 10-12 hrs per day, I either found time or I didn't reload. Period.

[KEYBEAR]

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If you look at reloading as something you have to do it is not for you .
I really like the time i GET to spend loading cleaning and yes playing with my toys .
In the real cold months if not for loading for better weather I would be lost .

[Road_Clam]

I don't care what people say, there is NO cost savings with reloading. I'm going to take an educated guess that i'm probably loading top quality "match" quality ammo for what I would pay for general plinking/hunting loaded ammo. I'll never recoup the $13K I have invested thus far into handloading equipment and components. I'm investing in my future happy retirement hobby, and i'm ensuring shooting independence moving forward into potentially bad political climates. I handload for the passion and the precision tailored to MY specific firearms.

[scherf]

Road Clam makes a good point.... I have only been doing this for a few years now and it always seems like there is something that can help take your reloading to the next level.... ya you may not be spending $100’s in boxed ammo and you may be decreasing the cost per round, but I have noticed that I will never be breaking even with the equipment I am slowly acquiring..... but the hobby of reloading is sooo worth it, great mind silencer if you ask me....

[Iggy913]

Again, I certainly agree with and appreciate what’s been said thus far. I’m not necessarily looking to save a bunch of money, what I would like to do, what was mentioned just above, was be able to load accurate rounds for rifle competition and hunting, for the cost of cheaper stuff available in stores.

On the 9mm handgun front I’d like to maybe save some, but I understand that anything I save on an exact dollar for round count, I’ll end up investing back in my reloading system.

I understand that this has the real possibility of becoming a serious hobby/obsession. With two kids not in school yet I don’t often have time to go out hunting or shooting, but could probably get away here and there and work on some reloading. What are the thoughts on a turret press compared to a single stage? I can use it like a single stage but with the multiple stations I can set the different does one time and not have to touch them? It may give me both a solid and simple starting point, and room to grow?

Thank you again all.

[ed308]

My 650 will produce ammo for my ARs that shoot .5 MOA. That's more than enough accuracy for hunting at typical distances. For competition, loading on my single stage with scale/auto trickler and sorted brass, bullets and etc. that's a lot of work. A torrent press can do double duty. But don't forget, on a torrent or a single stage press, each pull of the handle accomplishes only one task. One pull on the progressive accomplishes 4 or more task with each pull of the handle. If you don't have a lot of spare time to reload, then a progress makes a lot of sense.

Take a look at the Dillon 550. It adapts really well being used as progressive or a single stage press since it manually indexes. And if you need to load a bunch of ammo fast, you won't be slowed by your press.

[mikld]

I'm still hearing (reading) "speed" and ease; faster, more and easier. Yes a turret can be operated single stage and some must be hand indexed and the Lee turret press is often used as a "semi-progressive".

One thought; trouble shooting your handloads almost always involve die adjustment. With a single stage, removing and replacing dies gives good practice for die adjustments, necessary for "tweeking" the handloads. A die swap on a single stage, even pre-breech lock, is just a few seconds and once learned can be done quite easily and quickly. With a turret press (and breech lock) dies are "set and forget" and can and often do add to problems.

[scherf]

mikld, funny you say that, just went to add a few new dies about two weeks ago to my LNL single stage for a new caliber.... completely forgot how to get a good adjustment i havent added dies for over a year and i had to brush up right quick....

Iggy, i have never personally used a turret press, but a bushing type of single stage is just as good IMO, what has turrned me off from a turret press is putting a powder thrower in one. people do it and it works out fine, but from reading about different powder throwers from peoples experiance, i have found that to get accurate throws, concistance is of the upmost importance, and seeing as how the thrower will constantly be spinning on top of the turret press is what turned me off to starting on a turrent press. dont get me wrong though, one for having just dies in them i am all game for now that i have found a good reloading groove and can recognize and issues when they come up, cause pulling out a bushing to go back a step waists 30 seconds that i dont want to waist when a turret could just be spun...