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  #51  
Old 03-22-2017, 06:11 AM
Wee Hooker Wee Hooker is offline
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You are losing considerable speed by priming off press now. ANY progressive is going to prime on press. What's the difference? I'd suggest that before you drop big $ on a blue progressive w accessories you try priming on you LTC . Then make the leap if you don't get the speed you want.

Myself, I've been to progressive land and went back to my LCT's. I like the simplicity and control I get and the speed is good enough for my needs.
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  #52  
Old 03-22-2017, 12:59 PM
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"YMMV, but those are reasonable rates over one full hour from scratch with all components staged & ready to go. No amount of fussing gets your turret to 400rds, but you can always slow the progressive down."

quoted for truth

at times I have used my 650 as a single stage loader of the Holy Black. It worked fine and amplify the notion that the fundamental steps of reloading remain the same regardless.

I've been looking for a good informative video showing just how the new-mfg factories manage to remain relatively safe and high quality given the huge output.

Thanks one & all for a great discussion.
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  #53  
Old 03-22-2017, 01:19 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wee Hooker View Post
You are losing considerable speed by priming off press now. ANY progressive is going to prime on press. What's the difference? I'd suggest that before you drop big $ on a blue progressive w accessories you try priming on you LTC . Then make the leap if you don't get the speed you want.

Myself, I've been to progressive land and went back to my LCT's. I like the simplicity and control I get and the speed is good enough for my needs.
Have you ever run the 550? IMO, IT truly is the answer for guys that like to do less work, want full control & can still double the output of any turret if needed. It doesn't get any simpler for a progressive. Like an inverted turret, but with a high speed advantage. Yes it cost more, but who cares, still cheaper than 3 cases of 9mm.
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  #54  
Old 03-22-2017, 01:29 PM
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Have you ever run the 550? ... It doesn't get any simpler for a progressive..
I second that. The RL550B is a really nice progressive press. Changing calibers is a breeze, even when you change the primer size, too.

The caliber change and caliber quick change kits are relatively economical. The quick change kit has its own powder measure, the standard kit does not. You can also save a few dozen dollars by buying a standard caliber change kit plus a powder measure slide that you can then keep adjusted for that caliber - the slide is fast and easy to change on the powder measure.

I have also seen claims that because of the manually indexing plate the RL550B maintains better alignment and thus makes more accurate ammo than an auto index press. I have not thought about this myself so cannot say how true this claim is.

The price difference between RL550B and XL650 is not very big so there must be something special about the RL550B for it to survive so long.

Last edited by sasu; 03-22-2017 at 01:30 PM.
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  #55  
Old 03-22-2017, 02:04 PM
cds43016 cds43016 is offline
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Have you ever run the 550? IMO, IT truly is the answer for guys that like to do less work, want full control & can still double the output of any turret if needed. It doesn't get any simpler for a progressive. Like an inverted turret, but with a high speed advantage. Yes it cost more, but who cares, still cheaper than 3 cases of 9mm.
I agree. A 550 would be the press I prefer. Best of all worlds and high quality. I just wish it had 5 stations. I need that powder check die and still have separate seating and crimping.

The loads I use in my 357 and 327 are light. More of a dusting than a charge. I would take 5 charges to overload my 357 case. I just can't see well enough inside even with a mirror and lights. It would be very hard for me to see and judge a double charge at just a glance.

When I loaded 45 ACP this wasn't a problem. The cases were short and wide and it was very easy to see inside and identify a problem. Not true, at least for me, with the 357 and 327. The cases are tall and narrow. The RCBS Powder Check die solves that problem for me and I'm very satisfied with it. However, it does narrow my options. If I was still shooting 45 ACP, none of this would be a problem and we probably would not be having this discussion.

Dillon needs to make a 550-5 station press. I would be their first customer.
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  #56  
Old 03-22-2017, 05:21 PM
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while "You can also save a few dozen dollars by buying a standard caliber change kit plus a powder measure slide that you can then keep adjusted for that caliber - the slide is fast and easy to change on the powder measure." does seem like a do-able solution.....there's always the confusion generated by changing little things....such as 'which powder' you use for that load....
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  #57  
Old 03-22-2017, 09:13 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wee Hooker View Post
You are losing considerable speed by priming off press now. ANY progressive is going to prime on press. What's the difference? I'd suggest that before you drop big $ on a blue progressive w accessories you try priming on you LTC . Then make the leap if you don't get the speed you want.

Myself, I've been to progressive land and went back to my LCT's. I like the simplicity and control I get and the speed is good enough for my needs.
The difference is he tried on-press Lee priming and couldn't get the hang of it. *shrugs* Probly needs a little adjusting, but if you can't get the hang of it, what good is it? A progressive with a different priming system would solve that problem, even if it's a costly option.
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  #58  
Old 03-22-2017, 09:44 PM
Nick_H Nick_H is offline
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I have a whopping 500 or so out of my new LnL AP press (about 3 weeks now). After some primer feed issues (burrs) it runs like a charm. Haven't tried for a speed loading session and don't plan on it, but for the money and the time I'm saving loading .38's, I couldn't be happier. I did buy the Hornady powder cop die and it works well. It's a good visual check, just a lot going on at once when your'e used to single stage presses.


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Talk about an over reaction thread.....

..........

As to this, seven years ago, I hit a deer at 65 mph on a motorcycle, as it leaped off a hill and over the left side of the highway, to land directly in front of me. I hit it's direct mass on a 800 pound bike, but it didn't blast through it. Instead the front wheel was pushed into the engine. I was thrown over the windshield, hit the asphalt on the left side of my head, and tumbled over & over for 150 feet. Time did seem to slow, as I was conscious, with no feeling of pain. My mind, said, when will I decelerate?

I did happen to wear a full face helmet that day, considering I often didn't on cross country rides. The helmet saved my head, the face guard flipped down to save my face, and somehow I didn't break my neck. The helmet did take out my collar bone, shoulder blade, and all left ribs were broke, as well as a non-functioning left lung.

But, I'm still here to prime on the 650! Just thought I'd throw this in for anyone wondering about helmets. P.S. Protective clothing helps too. I wasn't wearing any. Severe road rash, that took doctors hours to clean up.
Ouch, been there, done that, but at 105mph. Stupid youth. Helmet, yes, cheap helmet but I had one. Not so much on the protective clothing. Lots of broken bones and LOTS OF ROAD RASH. That really sucks. !!!!!!! I feel your pain. Yeah really, I still feel it 11 years later. Did I say ouch?
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  #59  
Old 03-22-2017, 11:21 PM
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My take on mechl powder check. Yes they work, but they can, like any piece of gear, break or fail. I like them for rifle, where i cant see the charge easily, like 223. I dont worry about it for pistol because i look inside & rarely use anything like TG or BE in larger cases. If i shot a lot of such powders, then a pc die would be important & you might want 5stns.
I only have two powder measures for my 550. One for pistol, one for rifle. If you change things a lot,then a unitek micrometer setup is helpful. The powder measure for each caliber is a waste of $$ to me, saves very little time, unless you always load the same loads which i dont.
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  #60  
Old 03-22-2017, 11:26 PM
domyalex domyalex is offline
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I use the Hornady L-N-L; I can do about 300/hour (including filling primer tubes), visually checking every single round for powder presence (in 9mm I also use a lockout die).
Priming on the LnL is actually one of its strong points, as they don't overflow (it only picks a primer if the previous one was inserted in the case). Mount it on a solid table and you'll have very, very few issues with primers.

I shoot around 1000-2000 rounds / month and the LnL fits me fine. If I were to be a high volume shooter, I'd probably change over to the 650 or 1050, but I don't need it and my LnL has paid itself about 3 years ago.

Btw, I strongly recommend getting te Hornady led strip, it's super awesome for visually inspecting the cases: Amazon.com : Hornady Lock N Load Light Strip : Hunting And Shooting Equipment : Sports & Outdoors

Last edited by domyalex; 03-22-2017 at 11:30 PM.
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  #61  
Old 03-23-2017, 11:20 AM
cds43016 cds43016 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fredj338 View Post
My take on mechl powder check. Yes they work, but they can, like any piece of gear, break or fail. I like them for rifle, where i cant see the charge easily, like 223. I dont worry about it for pistol because i look inside & rarely use anything like TG or BE in larger cases. If i shot a lot of such powders, then a pc die would be important & you might want 5stns.
I use 231 for my 357, TightGroup for the 327 and Bullseye for the 32 S&W Long. The charges are light and don’t take up much of the case. But the loads are nice and mild and very accurate.

I use the powder check die but like you I don’t trust a mechanical device fully. They sometimes fail. One of my powder measures when I first got it worked well and suddenly it started to throw wild charges and then none. A part broken off internally within the measure after many hundreds of accurate charges. The powder checker die caught it immediately. It works well and I can detect generally small variations in the charges. However, I still take a quick look with the swiveling mirror. All the talk about primers in this tread is a trivial matter to a squib or an overcharge.

I’ve attached a few pictures of my press with a 357 case in the shell holder. I just can’t get the angle to see inside the case without a swiveling mirror. I have plenty of light, I have a light strip and a book light. Even with all that light because of the dusting charges I use, it’s still hard to judge a double charge with just a just a quick glance. A squib yes, a triple probably but anything close to a double just maybe. Maybe isn’t good enough. I may with the right press go back to priming on the press, if it is reliable and trouble free, but I will never give up being absolutely. positively sure the charge is right.

On my last batch of 357 loads I did not clean the primer pockets. It didn’t save a lot of time but it did save some. I’ll watch the pockets to see how dirty they get after several loadings and if accuracy is affected. I don’t think that either will be a problem. Cleaning the primer pockets is more of a OCD thing than a performance or quality issue.

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  #62  
Old 03-23-2017, 11:26 AM
cds43016 cds43016 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by domyalex View Post
I use the Hornady L-N-L; I can do about 300/hour (including filling primer tubes), visually checking every single round for powder presence (in 9mm I also use a lockout die).
Priming on the LnL is actually one of its strong points, as they don't overflow (it only picks a primer if the previous one was inserted in the case). Mount it on a solid table and you'll have very, very few issues with primers.

I shoot around 1000-2000 rounds / month and the LnL fits me fine. If I were to be a high volume shooter, I'd probably change over to the 650 or 1050, but I don't need it and my LnL has paid itself about 3 years ago.

Btw, I strongly recommend getting te Hornady led strip, it's super awesome for visually inspecting the cases: Amazon.com : Hornady Lock N Load Light Strip : Hunting And Shooting Equipment : Sports & Outdoors
You are where I want to be, the Goldilocks zone. Reliable priming (which frankly on the equipment I’ve use to date hasn’t been that trouble free) a reasonably fast load rate and time for a double check of powder.

9mm is a short case. Do you think I would have problems with the 357 and my light charges seeing the powder charge in the case?
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  #63  
Old 03-23-2017, 01:29 PM
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You are where I want to be, the Goldilocks zone. Reliable priming (which frankly on the equipment I’ve use to date hasn’t been that trouble free) a reasonably fast load rate and time for a double check of powder.

9mm is a short case. Do you think I would have problems with the 357 and my light charges seeing the powder charge in the case?
Depends on the charge wt & color of the powder. I really don't like loading low volume/loft powder like TG or BE. They are also black in color, making them even harder to see inside a case.
When I need light loads in big cases I look for bulky fast powders like RedDot, WST or RS Comp. Lighter in color & 1.5x the volume per charge wt. When I was shooting CAS I shot many #s of RD in my 45colt. But for the cost, I also like TrailBoss in light loads in big revolver cases. Anything that helps me put together a safe accurate load works for me. Even if it cost 1/2c more per round.
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  #64  
Old 03-26-2017, 12:01 AM
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I have been using a Lee classic turret press, I load for 8 pistols and 3 rifles, I do everything on the press, deprime, resize, prime drop powder, set bullet and crimp. I can load 100 rounds in about 50 minutes.
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