Single press owners how much brass do reload at a time

[buck460XVR]

I really can't answer this question as asked.

Same here, as I load for a wide variety of calibers with a lot of variation of bullets and powder charges within each caliber at one time. What I do most of the time is to prep all of my empty cases, regardless of amount or caliber. This way all my brass is cleaned, sized, decapped,belled and most cases primed. The exception is calibers using powders that require either a magnum or standard primer. Priming is done by hand, many times while watching T.V. with the wife. Since I generally keep far enough ahead on ammo, I don't load it as I actually need it, but load it when that type starts to get low and when I have the time. Some days I take lots of young folk or females to the range and we shoot more low velocity ammo, some days it's the opposite. I have several hundred or thousand rounds of each sittin' on the shelf waitin' to go. With brass ready on a rainy Sunday afternoon, I may charge and seat pills in 500 rounds of various handgun ammo. On a night after work before/after supper I may do 20 rifle and 50 handgun. While I may start and stop steps like sizing, decapping and priming, I always charge, seat and crimp whatever batch I started at one time. I average about 500-600 rounds a month.....sometimes this is done in two afternoons, sometimes it's over ten evenings. I can do 50 .357 or .44 rounds in the time it takes me to do 20 .460 or .32 Special rounds, so it's hard to put a "rounds per hour" or "rounds per session" on me and my press. I look at reloading much like sex. It's hard to have both quantity and quality. It's also something I don't like to do in a hurry or within a time frame. When I get to do it, I like to take my time and enjoy it....and no, I don't have a smoke when I'm finished.

 

[Raider]

I load 200 - 300 in batches. First size usually 300 cases. Later de-primeand bell them. I use a RCBS hand seater to re-prime all the cases. When I'm ready to load, I fill the cases with a RCBS Lil Dandy powder measure 50 at a time and then seat and crimp the bullets. It doesn't seem to take such a long time if I do it in batches.

Charlie

 

[Beans]

My single stage press, the 1st press I purchased in 1970, is mostly used for load development. therefor I voted for 50 rds. I usually stick to reloading10-20 rds.

If I am going to match where fine accuracy in really needed/required I will load those rounds on the single stage, weighting each powder charge, checking OAL, run out on each cartridge. ETC.

My Lyman star-t is set up for small batches and the Dillon 650's and 550 is used for volume loading for my handguns and plinking rounds for my AR .223's.

 

[Black_Sheep]

Usually 300-500 in a session doing 100 at a time.

I start with prepped brass that has been previously tumbled, resized and deprimed. Loading sessions begin with priming all of the cases I plan to load during the session. As previously mentioned, I expand/charge 100 pieces then visually inspect for overcharged/undercharged loads before seating the bullets. To finish a full 500 rounds takes 3 hours or so...

 

[hotrod150]

I haven't loaded any rifle cartridges in a long time. Handguns-- I usually prep maybe 100 cases or so in a batch. I'll size/deprime, expand, & then prime with a handheld priming tool. Generally I have a batch or two of primed cases ready for loading. When loading, I'll usually do 50 or 100 in a session. Charge & seat in one operation, then crimp in another. I use a single-stage RCBS Reloader Special press and have for many many years-- I never saw the need for a turret or progressive set-up. Too much going on at once, and too much oportunity for something to go haywire- at least for me to be comfortable with.

 

[marsport]

I reload in stages

I reload about 250 to 300 rounds at a time, but I do it in stages with my single press. deprime and resize all cases in step one, prime and expand necks in step 2 and powder charge and seat in final step. Usually I do this on 3 separate evenings.

 

[Fishslayer]

Do you mean "One press" or "Single stage press?"

 

[mscampbell2734]

I load in batches. I'll save 450-500 cases, which is about the max for my tumbler. Tumble then resize. That's a days work. Next weekend prime and flare. Next weekend load 250, weekend after that load 250. I'm not grinding through the whole 500 at one time from dirty case to loaded round.

 

[ruger-p94]

I usually prime and size all at once. Next time I can load 2-300 easily on a Sunday. It sort of breaks it up for me.

 

[Nevada Ed]

With me it is either;
1. Test loads
2. Final Test load
3. Target loads.
4. High Velocity loads.
5. Hunting loads
6. Low recoil target/hunting loads

and the time of year, temp, weather and if near hunting season all play a part in how many rounds I crank out.

"Family time" will also up the work load when they want to go out and pop a few "Caps" of what ever.

I have lots of pistol boxes, rifle boxes and also boxes that hold 100 rounds as well as 50 Cal. ammo boxes............. just depends, could be just six, 5 round finals or getting ready to
do some serious "Vermin" hunting which calls for a minimum of 400 center fire rounds.

 

[Mal Paso]

I put 500 but I've done 1200 at times. I prime with a bench mount APS and load on a Rockchucker. I have about 2700 44cal rounds in rotation and use about 1000 a month. Thought about getting a progressive but it might block the TV.

 

[howlnmad]

One. It's a single stage press.

 

[Maximumbob54]

Depends on how many fit in the loading block and how many loading blocks I have.

 

[bobandmikako]

I have an old Rockchucker and tend to break everything up into stages. I load mostly 9mm and .45ACP. Some days, I'll do nothing else put sort and clean brass. On another day, I might sit down and size/deprime 200-300. On another day, I might expand 200-300. When I have a good pile of sized, deprimed, and flared brass on hand, I'll normally prime, charge, seat, and taper crimp 100-150 per session. If I'm getting short on loaded ammo, I'll do more though.

 

[SW&Larry]

Whatever I have brass and bullets for. It's not worth setting up for less than 200 or so.

I did 500 .44 Specials on my Hornady LnL AP 2 weekends ago.

 

[Bkreutz]

I put 500 but I've done 1200 at times. I prime with a bench mount APS and load on a Rockchucker. I have about 2700 44cal rounds in rotation and use about 1000 a month. Thought about getting a progressive but it might block the TV.

Mount the TV off to the side on an adjustable arm. (that's what I did) Gotta have the priorities straight. I know I'll get some replies about distractions during reloading but I assure you there is absolutely nothing that attracts my attention on TV anymore, it's all white noise. I get more distracted if the radio is on.

 

[rwsmith]

For rifles....

I usually load 20-30 in each batch.

 

[BigBill]

I ran 5,000 rounds of 308win. Each round is exactly the same load. There match quality rounds using 145gr FMJBT bullets. I used my RCBS rock chucker press. First I decapped them, chambered the cripped primer pickets, rough polished the brass, resized them, chamfered the case mouths, resized them, finished polish them, primed the cases, put in the IMR 4895 powder and seated the bullets.

That's five times thru the press for 5,000 pieces of brass.

 

[Mal Paso]

Mount the TV off to the side on an adjustable arm. (that's what I did) Gotta have the priorities straight. I know I'll get some replies about distractions during reloading but I assure you there is absolutely nothing that attracts my attention on TV anymore, it's all white noise. I get more distracted if the radio is on.

Radio IS worse. I don't watch first run movies at the bench but I have favorite DVDs I have on while processing brass. The bench TV is one of the last of the flat screen CRTs and would need a stout arm.

I would like to have a progressive loader. I like complex mechanical systems but I would have to change too much. I get better than 99% powder weight accuracy and can check anything that doesn't look right. I just switched to the APS Priming System further locking me into Single Stage.

 

[SMSgt]

I bought a Lee hand press so I can watch TV while I do all my handgun case prep. When it comes to stuffing time, that's another story.