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Old 07-02-2015, 02:56 AM
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Twoboxer Twoboxer is offline
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You already know progressives are faster than (I'll talk only Lee) Turrets are faster than single stage.

Caliber changeovers and setup time are exactly the reverse . . . single stage is faster than Turrets are faster than progressives. Of course, if you can leave the powder measure and priming system exactly the way they were for the previous caliber . . . either by buying extra parts or presses . . . then Turret and progressive changeover can be very fast, but now the equipment costs are higher.

So, the important thing to look at is your volume . . . not necessarily your shooting volume (although that's a factor), but your reloading batch size. If you do 100 rounds per caliber per reloading session, and you are talking pistol, A Lee Turret is a good buy. Low cost, good ammo, and you won't wear the press out.

But if you can get your batch sizes up to (eg) 1,000 rounds, then progressives make a lot of sense. A half-hour of changeover/setup time (or less if you buy extra parts) and 2+ hours of reloading is a total of 3 hours . . . two calibers . . . 6 hours to get 2,000 rounds. That's somehwere between 7 and 10 months' shooting provided for. But if you do 100 round batches of each caliber on a progressive, you are talking about far more time spent reloading because of the changeovers. And far less of a speed gain . . . at a significantly higher equipment cost.

At your volume, a Lee Turret will give quick payback followed by a return on your investment thereafter. It will take twice or three times as long to payback an investment in a progressive.

Progressives also take a bit longer to learn . . . when suddenly the press seems to jam up, what caused it? And if you are old like me, and shoot low volumes, you don't use the press that often with larger batch sizes . . . and you forget stuff. Or at least I do lol. So it takes longer to get proficient with progressive presses. And perhaps more patience.

Analyze yourself, your wants and needs, and make a choice

Last edited by Twoboxer; 07-02-2015 at 02:58 AM.
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