Opinions wanted: Progressive reloaders!

[dennishoddy]

Basically, I've loaded with a single stage for many years, pistol and rifle.
I've never owned a Dillon. They must be good, as I've never heard anything bad about them.
However, after much thought, I went with the Hornady Loc and load.
Its been all .45acp so far for pistol, and .30-06/.223 for centerfire rifle.
Runs great, and I love the cam system for fast changes.
In my way of thinking, both the Dillon and the Hornady mount some dies, and go up and down. Both are built like tanks. Both have great customer service, although I will say Hornady's automated phone service message is much more entertaining than Dillons
Its going to be a personal decision for you

 

[vdub]

Please see edited original post.
I hope the addition of for most purposes makes you feel that the statement is more completely correct.

Although you did not specify, apparently you were referring only to precision long range rifle ammunition, not to the pistol calibers listed.

I can write in bold text because I am cool. I was addressing the statement that was made. You can address it however you want.

In addition the Forster Co-Ax is not a progressive press so really was not part of the OP's requirements.

I personally load on a Dillon 550B. When I need super specific long range ammo, I still load portions on the Dillon. My powder charges are manually added, but the bullet seat and crimp still take place. With each round weighed, and measured, all of my loads are on spec.

Seriously!?!?! I never noticed. I guess that is why I didn't chime in and recommend him getting a Forster Co-Ax but was merely addressing some of the misinformation. You can load all you want on the Dillon but if accuracy and control of reloading variables is desired, a progressive press is not the answer. If it was, nothing else would exist because the progressive is a better means of cranking out volume. Not sure why you are crimping on long range ammo unless you are using some kind of gas gun. However, with proper neck tension I have never had a problem needing a crimp in a gas gun much less bolt rifle.

When I load, I take measurements on the the first few completely loaded rounds to make sure nothing changed since last time. Shock: it never doesn unless I was jacking around with the dies. Then I just finish loading everything. Each charge weighed and using a press that deals with one case at a time.

For volume and plinking ammo absolutely get a progressive. I never argued that point.

 

[Cinaet]

This is sort of against the grain, but if you've never reloaded before maybe you could start with something simple, like a good quality single stage, and get your feet wet before jumping into the deep end. Limit your budget to around $150-$200 for a starter setup. Nothing you buy, including even a Lee Loader and a hammer, would be wasted. If you find that you like reloading and decide to get a nice expensive progressive later on you'll still use what you buy to start off with. If you decide you don't like it you won't have a couple of house notes tied up in a press and accessories. Just a thought.

 

[aeropb]

Ignore vdub. He's being a dick. Rod Snell's statements hold true. Get a 550.

 

[NikatKimber]

Im looking into a progressive reloader to load mainly 9mm, 45acp, 5.56, and 7.62 nato. My main concern is load consistency and how user friendly the press itself is.

I want your opinion. Both from experience and what you know by you own homework. Please don't recommend a press simply because you have it. Im here to learn!

Lets hear what you have to say!

A post of mine in the FAQ section. Please read this, and answer these questions.

Different Reloading "Setups" and who would use them.

A frequent question we get here at OSA, is "I'm a beginning reloader, what press should I buy?"

I will attempt to explain the differences in different press preferences, and why some people would want particular ones.

The first thing to know before buying equipment, is:
How much will I reload?
This is both how many rounds per month you anticipate loading, and also how many calibers will you be loading for.
If your answer here is say, reloading .30-30 for your deer rifle, and .38 spl for your house gun, and you only anticipate shooting a handful of rounds a month, like 5-10 of .30-30 just to keep it zeroed, and 25-50 of .38 spl, then your needs are different from the competitive shooter who will be loading for 5-10 different calibers, and might load a thousand or more rounds of one at a time.

The next question you need to answer is:
How serious am I about reloading?
Are you "just trying it out," or are you planning for the long haul? If you've researched, and know that you want to go all in, and reload for years to come, then you may be willing to invest a lot more into this up front.

Another question you need to answer:
What will I be loading?
You already answered this, sort of. Are you loading pistol or rifle? If rifle, how accurate are you wanting to be? If you're looking to be "minute of buck" you're a different user than the one who is hoping to one day shoot the 1000 yard competition at Camp Perry.

Finally, the big question is:
What is my purpose? or What is my budget?
If your purpose (or budget) is to find the cheapest possible way to maintain your addiction... er, shooting level, or to shoot more, then again, you are looking for something other than what the person who is looking to win precision rifle competitions.

Now that we know a little more about what we are doing, lets look at some specifics.

You told us what (9mm, .45, .223, .308), now we need to know the answers to the others. What is the expected quantity, purpose, and budget? Be realistic here.

I'll assume quantity/efficiency (vs extreme precision) is high on your list if your considering a progressive.

 

[alank2]

Hi,

I don't always think the "start on single stage" advice is good depending on the person or their goals. Sure someone can learn on a single stage, but if your goal is to load pistol calibers, single stage is going to get old real quick. Also, a good single stage setup often involves some tools you may not need or use with a progressive like a powder trickler, bench powder measure, etc.

For this reason I always try to ask what the person wants to do. If they talk about any volume at all of pistol caliber cartridges, there is no reason they can't start on a simple progressive like the 550. You can always do just one cartridge on it at a time if you like until you have confidence and then move up to a full shellplate. If on the other hand, they just want to do rifle cartridges and not tons of them, a single stage may be just the ticket.

Good luck,

Alan

 

[Dr_Mitch]

Get a Dillon. They're great, and their service is amazing. The powder throw mechanism on mine came loose internally, and they just shipped out another one. It makes you glad they got your money.

 

[NikatKimber]

Hi,

I don't always think the "start on single stage" advice is good depending on the person or their goals. Sure someone can learn on a single stage, but if your goal is to load pistol calibers, single stage is going to get old real quick. Also, a good single stage setup often involves some tools you may not need or use with a progressive like a powder trickler, bench powder measure, etc.

For this reason I always try to ask what the person wants to do. If they talk about any volume at all of pistol caliber cartridges, there is no reason they can't start on a simple progressive like the 550. You can always do just one cartridge on it at a time if you like until you have confidence and then move up to a full shellplate. If on the other hand, they just want to do rifle cartridges and not tons of them, a single stage may be just the ticket.

Good luck,

Alan

Exactly my point. It's like saying "I need a car, what should I buy?" without giving any additional info.

 

[vdub]

Ignore vdub. He's being a dick. Rod Snell's statements hold true. Get a 550.

If you say so chief!!! I called out on information that was not correct. Guess what? He clarified it because it was not correct in the manner it was stated. Now go take some midol!!!

 

[dennishoddy]

I do want to add, that for some small run ammo, like my .300 savage, a single stage is just as fast/better than a progressive, with all the set up time.
Making up some 10 round runs for range tests are also quicker on the single stage.
Even with the progressive, (my Hornady) one can pull a case at any time in any stage, and measure the powder, check the case, etc.