Is it ok to begin reloading w/ a progressive set up?

[Skip Sackett]

What turns most folks off from a progressive in the beginning isn't the technical aspect but cost. Starting a new hobby and not being sure they are going to like it coupled with the higher cost of equipment can be a turn off for some.

If money is not the main object and you need/want to load a bunch of ammo, then there is no reason in the world not to get a progressive press to start on.

ANY of them can be used in single stage fashion, which is a good choice when learning the process, and you must learn the process FIRST and FOREMOST.

Once that is accomplished you can load ammo to your hearts content.

Lee has some free videos on their website that show setup for the single stage and the turret press they produce. It doesn't matter what press you load on, the process is still the same and the videos will apply.

Leave it to vonfatman to do it completely backwards and not blow himself up!

He is quite special!

I now have a bunch of progressives, 3 Square Deals and an XL650. Also have a Lee Classic Turret Press in the cast iron version, and several single stage presses under the bench.

Dillon is the industry standard for equipment and customer service, IMO.

 

[dennis40x]

Unless you can’t walk and chew gum at the same time a progressive would tend to be a challenge. Those that advise against a progressive ignore the oblivious. The progressive may be used with only one cartridge case at a time until that one cartridge case completes the full cycle of operation (sizing – primer decapping – primer seating – flaring – powder charging – bullet seating & crimping) to a completed round. One simply observes the process at each individual station.

I’m not a “Hand Loader” but rather a “Reloader”. Understanding the difference is important. There are standard “Loads” that I’ve utilized for decades and feel no need for experimentation. I only wish that as an example that Dillon equipment had been in the market place when I started reloading. The rate/ease of production is the advantage of the progressive. Both come by experience. Go slow in order to go fast. Quantity at the expense of quality is problematic.

Is there a place for a single stage press yes there is. I have one but I also have three progressive units.

 

[Amici]

Note that the Hornady LNL is a true progressive; it indexes the case with each pull of the handle.

The Dillon 550 is actually a semi-progressive; YOU index the cases to each station. This means you can use it as a single-stage if you wish.

 

[g17]

I started out with a progressive setup 20 years ago and never had a problem. If you are confident in your abilities and are attentive, you should have no problems starting with a progressive. The Hornady LNL AP is, IMO, one of the best reloaders there is and in fact I ordered another one this week. It will load anything that you will ever want to load and with the 1000 free bullets, it's a no brainer. Dillon is a good machine also but you would need to buy the 650 to be comparable to the LNL AP.

 

[OKFC05]

It may be a radical thought, but I think if you take lessons from a competent instructor who lets you use his equipment to start, you can learn reloading on ANY good machine. I have started several people on Dillon, and that's what they bought as their first press.
There were a couple who bought a Lee turret (which I also have) and a couple who decided reloading was not suited to their personality (and I agreed, vice versa).

Trying to learn reloading without taking lessons is like learning to drive from a book: possible, but not the best idea. And it helps to drive a few cars (or loaders) before buying your first one.

As to why ANYONE would want to load hundreds of pistol cartridges per hour, try shooting IDPA or USPSA and come back and tell me!! Practice, practice...

 

[SLT223]

Originally posted by pwelsh4hd:
I'm going to buck the trend, and suggest going ahead and getting the progressive....you'll wish you had it later. I learned reloading on a progressive, and you can monitor and load a single round at a time if you wish....just simply don't introduce more than one round to the plate at a time. Then when you are proficient and ready, you can ease your way into true progressive loading. It's like buying any machine or electronics, always get the next size up from what you think you need....if you think you need a 42" TV, you better get a 50"....if you think you want a 5 gallon compressor, better get a 10+....if you think you want a 4000 watt generator, better get an 8000....and if you think you want a single stage reloader, better go ahead and get the progressive (you can operate it basically as a single stage anyway).

The one-at-time approach occured to me last night while brushing my teeth. I'm starting to think for this reason I will go progressive to avoid buying two machines.

 

[VonFatman]

Lots of great info here...

I will add that I had some "extra" cash when I bought my first press (the 650 Dillon)...so money was not an issue for me when I pulled the trigger.

It's like any other hobby, cars, bikes, coins, photography etc...if you have long-term passion for the hobby, most will choose tools that enhance their experiences.

Another nice consideration...(one I did not consider but learned about later) is that Dillon presses hold their value so well, most can take their used Dillon, throw it up on Ebay and nearly clear their entire purchase price selling it as a used press...crazy? Yep it is.

Bob

 

[SLT223]

Originally posted by kennyb:
my vote goes with a quality single stage to begin with....do u really need 3-500 rounds an hour??

Actually, 500+ per hour is what I'm looking to do once I get comfortable. I'm looking for a long term cost benefit more than load vesatility. At least that's where my thinking is now. I love to tinker with things, so I imagine I will explore the full potential of reloading as time goes on.

 

[Skip Sackett]

As I don't have a Dillon RL550 nor a Hornady L-N-L AP, I have two questions and an observation.

#1: Does the RL550 have an automatic index on it's primer advancement or is it similar to the Square Deal?

#2: Does the Hornady L-N-L AP have an automatic index on it's primer advancement or is it similar to the Square Deal?

Here is my observation. I have 3 Square Deals and an XL650. The Square Deals have no problem being used as a single stage press. Simply run one case around at a time and all is well. Attempting to do that with the XL650 is going to cause problems if it is set up to be a true progressive. Why? Because of the priming system. The primer disk advances with every stroke of the press even if the proceeding primer isn't/hasn't been removed by a case. What happens then is that after two operations of the handle those primers begin to drop onto a tray. The tray will only hold a few then they will fall on the floor. Is there a way around that? Yes. One can remove the cam that operates the primer disk auto-advance feature by removing just one allen bolt.

You just have to be on the ball so that a case doesn't get powder in it without a primer. Very bad, especially if you use fine grained ball powders! (Don't ask me how I know!

)

Anyway, not owning a L-N-L, I have no clue how their equipment handles priming. Fill me in.

 

[dennis40x]

Originally posted by SLT223:
Actually, 500+ per hour is what I'm looking to do once I get comfortable.

One complete round at (7.2-Sec) that’s within the capabilities of the Dillon 550B and apparently the Dillon 650 is capable of one complete round every (3.2-Sec) The reality may be some what different. My pace of operation is more leisurely at (10.3/12-Sec) per completed round.

 

[Amici]

Originally posted by OKFC05:As to why ANYONE would want to load hundreds of pistol cartridges per hour, try shooting IDPA or USPSA and come back and tell me!! Practice, practice...

PRECISELY. There is a world of difference between REloaders and hand loaders: Purpose.

For the former, it is a means to an end; for the latter, an end in itself.

NOTE: Dillon will REBUILD its presses for the cost of return shipping, which was $65 when I did it 14 months ago. Add my cost, about $40, and I got a rebuilt AND upgraded 550 for about $100. I can sell it for three times that simply by placing an ad on any number of firearms forums.

Just a point to consider.

 

[magnum12pm]

I bought the 550 first and glad I did. However everyone really is right here, with most of what was said. I do need 3 or 4 hundered rounds an hour. I sometimes use it as a single stage press and hand charge the powder for complete accuracy. The primer will simply sit and wait until a case is placed in the first station no matter how many time the handle is cycled. The PRIMERS simply sit in the cup and wait. If I was a rife reloader I would probably go with dedicated single stage for that. I will say the Dillon powder drop seems more accurate with finer grains of powder. This is why I love this site, it is a mountain of ideals,opinions and most of all help when needed, good luck on you decision sir.

 

[84CJ]

My first press was a Dillon RL 550B I no longer have it but I am planning on buying another. I really liked the fact that it did not auto index and could easily load progressive for pistol and work single stage for rifle. Also never a hassle from dillon when I broke things. This was 15 years ago hope they have not changed.

 

[shovelwrench]

Simply put...
You want match ammo.. Learn on a single stage, develop your loads, and you'll get match ammo.

When you know what your doing and get a progressive, you'll know how to get that same quality ammo..

You want lots of ammo, that REALLY DOESNT PERFORM the way it should from the gun that it SHOULD HAVE been developed for....then get a progressive from the start.

 

[VonFatman]

Mr. shovelwrench,
I would respectfully suggest that you are making a a couple of inaccurate assumptions:

1) You are assuming Mr. SLT223 is buying his press to compete in matches. He never mentioned this in the thread.

2) You may also be assuming we (the other reloaders out here in reloading land) reload to produce "match ammo". Sir, I would suggest a good many of us thoroughly enjoy this hobby with nary a care if our output would group a 1/10th inch tighter at Camp Perry.

3) You also may have assumed that the average handgun shooter can hold a gun steady enough at 25 yards to make precision reloading important/needed for what many/most of use do at the range.

4) And lastly, it would appear that you believe that we who started reloading on progressives were unable to hone our reloading skills because of our choice of tool. You have suggested we will find a pile of "ammo, that REALLY DOESN'T PERFORM" at the end of our rainbow. Well sir, that is quite an assumption and I would suggest you are full of bologna.

But thanks for thinking of us!

Bob

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

#2: Does the Hornady L-N-L AP have an automatic index on it's primer advancement or is it similar to the Square Deal?

You can use the Hornady press as a single stage press, simply rotating one round all the way around the press at a time. The little 'shuttle' that goes back and forth to bring a primer forward from the stack in the tube goes back and forth with every stroke of the handle. However, if there is already a primer in the shuttle, because you are running the press as a single stage, the shuttle does not pick up another primer. The primer in the hole in the shuttle prevents another one from entering. You can pull the handle all day long, and the same primer just keeps travelling back and forth in the shuttle. Once the primer is pressed up into a primer pocket, then the shuttle can pick up another one.

I will chime in on the 'learning to reload on a progressive press' question.

I am a cautious guy, and when I taught myself to reload I went the single stage route. I bought an old used Lyman Spartan press for $50 at a gunshow and taught myself to reload on it. I used the Lyman Pistol and Revolver handbook as my primer. I will say one can learn to reload on a progressive machine, but one MUST take the time to actually learn exactly what is going on at each station on the press. This does not mean running 3 rounds through the press and then flipping the switch to full auto. It means taking the time to run a few boxes through one round at a time, and studying exactly what is going on at each station. It means really understanding how to set up your dies. Too many times guys who learn to reload on a progressive press don't take the time to really understand what is happening. They have not learned to be reloaders, they have learned to be machine operators. When things start going wrong, and they will, those guys don't know what to do. Take your time to learn on a progressive press, and with a little bit of patience you will become a good reloader.

Yes, the Hornady press has recently gone through a redesign of the part that kicks out the finished rounds. This was a weak point on the press. However everyhing I have heard is that Hornady is backed up and has not caught up on orders for the new improved model yet.

Yes, I think the Hornady press is a fine machine, I have two of them.

 

[Skip Sackett]

I would suggest you are full of bologna.

EEWWWW, what you said!

I always thought that "below knee" (bologna) was a modest dress!

Several assumptions. Anyone ever seen an acrostic for assume?

 

[Sgt Preston]

Sgt Preston here. I consider myself to be a good shooter who reloads to fill my ammo boxes. So I shoot and load a lot (15,000 rounds per year). And I don't want to spend all year reloading on a single stage press. So I bought a Dillon 550 about 6 years ago. I never owned any other press. Prior to beginning to reload I bought and read several reloading manuals so I had a thorough grasp on what happened at each step of the reloading process & how to reload in a safe manner. It only took a short while to become familiar with the process & to produce ammo that will hit the bullseye every time I shoot it correctly. Hope this helps. Sgt Preston USMC LLA

 

[dennis40x]

The photo (48) rounds traditional standing at 50yds. The ammunition loaded on a progressive. At one time I could do this on demand. At this stage in my life I can do it on a good day. The point is quality ammunition may and can be loaded on a progressive press. Would the ammunition have been better quality on a single stage I simply don’t know? Either way it’s an individual decision dependent on comfort level.

 

[tomf52]

Begining your reloading experience with a progressive press is asking for a disaster.