redding press

[70 blazer]

I'm new to reloading. I have watched quite a few videos read quite a post and was at a reloading place today to take a look at some presses. now I'm a firm believer in the buy once cry once. I don't want to have to buy twice. I shoot 500+ rounds a month total atm 223 308 9mm 45acp . I was recommended a redding t7 turret press with versa pack. I don't want stuff ill have to replace after a year.and what's the disadvantages or advantages of turret vs progressive the 650xl dillion is about the same price range. I've heard that turret or single presses make more precise match grade rounds than a progressive. but is much slower than a progressive. any recommendations welcome ty in advance.

[RickD427]

I'm new to reloading. I have watched quite a few videos read quite a post and was at a reloading place today to take a look at some presses. now I'm a firm believer in the buy once cry once. I don't want to have to buy twice. I shoot 500+ rounds a month total atm 223 308 9mm 45acp . I was recommended a redding t7 turret press with versa pack. I don't want stuff ill have to replace after a year. any recommendations welcome ty in advance.

Redding is a top-drawer company. I'm sure that you'll be well pleased with their product. For a turret press, IMHO, the T-7 is the best available.

The only drawback to Redding is that they don't provide any support for large rifle calibers.

[70 blazer]

what the largest caliber that redding will do? and what's the disadvantages or advantages of turret vs progressive the 650xl dillion is about the same price range. I've heard that turret or single presses make more precise match grade rounds than a progressive. but is much slower than a progressive. edited first post

[RR.44]

I don't think a T7 costs as much as a Dillon 650, I only paid $220 for my T7 BNIB, keep looking around.

[70 blazer]

yeah I see now your absolutely right I went to redding site first it was like 1200 for the package deal. the guy at the reloading store quoted me 1300 otd . I was thinking id look around first. glad I don't just jump into things. research is key. and ty I was looking away and looking at the dillon cause of the price he quoted me and reddins web sight price . but at 250 for the press ill be looking around for sure

[OpenSightsOnly]

70blazer - if, in a month or in course of a few months, you shoot more of one caliber over another then a dillon may be your solution. i shoot 223, 308, and 45ACP. but i haven't shot pistol for about 7 years and don't yet reload for 45ACP. i shoot mostly 223 and 308 but more on 223. i got started single stage press then got the chargemaster and a giraud trimmer to speed up the brass prep and reload process. if i were to do things over again i would love to go for dillon 650 and set it up for 223 from sizing, trimming, and seating.

[Khromo]

In my opinion, the reloader looking for the greatest precision and less concerned with high-volume, high-speed production is best served by the Forster Co-Ax (about $300). Floating die and shell holders, die changes are as fast or faster than any other single stage or turret press.

The shooter who is more concerned about reloading speed, or less concerned about precision (this probably includes most handgun shooters) might be best off with one of the mid-priced Dillon presses.

For the beginner, or the guy who is working on a budget, there is nothing wrong with buying a single stage press from one of the major manufacturers and learning on that platform. That single stage press will still be useful after you have upgraded, and they are pretty reasonably priced.

If you can afford the difference in price between the Co-Ax and the single stage or turret (we're talking less than $200), it would be money well spent.

[Lead Waster]

The reason single stage presses allow for more precision than a progressive is because on a progressive, you will have multiple cases on the shellplate in different stages of reloading. The pressure of the dies on the cases adds some variance to each stage. With a single stage press, you concentrate on one case at a time, for each stage. A turret press you also just concentrate on one case at a time, but you are rotating a turret so that you basically bring the stages to the case. A single stage you do all of one stage to a batch of cases, so it's possible that you will be more consistent because you are concentrating on a single action, maybe bullet seating or crimping, so you get into a groove of it so your rounds are more consistent, and since the single die is fixed in the press for all the cases, you will have way less variance. If the die is off by a fraction of what you want, they will all be ... but it's consistently off for all the rounds.

In a progressive, when you put the first case in it and run the handle, you have only one case and only the sizing die acts on it. Then insert the next case ... well, there are two cases, and the first case is now in stage two (belling and charging) ... so now two dies are in play and the second case won't actually go into the sizing die with the exact same pressure the first one did. Now add a third case, etc. Once all the stations are filled with cases, it gets a bit more consistent, but you are still getting the variations introduced by the new case being added.

For pistol, the way to go is a turret or progressive, and I'd lean to the progressive because shooting a handgun is like eating popcorn. Rifle rounds, you might shoot 20-50 rounds in a session, with a handgun, that's like 2 minutes of shooting. So for handguns, you want economical, fast reloading. Precision ... probably variations in your shooting have more effect than using a progressive over a single or turret press.


A turret is a very good compomise if you reload for both. And I might pick a turret over a single stage because .. you DON'T HAVE TO index your turret. You can use it AS a single stage press if you want to.

Oh, and a single stage press is probably sturdier than a turret or progressive so if you want to swage primer pockets or resize big rifle cases with ease, the single is the way to go. If you ahve a single and a progressive there is no need for a turret. If you have a turret, you might want a progressive. And of course if you have a single stage ... you might decide to get a progressive.

IMHO

[Mot Mi]

Just take a sip of the blue kool-aid. I have a rock chucker and a 650xl. Get the 650xl and in the future get a rock chucker or lee turret for your precision rounds. If you're plinking the 650 will feed all of your shooting. Now, in the future when you're ready get a turret or single stage for the precision stuff. It isnt like you're going to make a can full of precision rounds. I mean a bench shooter will shoot strings for groups but probably won't go through 500 rounds just to be precise. Save the precision for later and just go for what you really want. In the end, you will more than likely get a progressive anyways.

[OpenSightsOnly]

Match-grade ammo can be made by using a progressive.

The question we need to ask is - is the rifle or pistol accurized to take advantage of the precision offered by the match-grade ammo?

[AdamVIP]

Buy once cry once to me says Dillon but if you dont want a progressive get a Forster CoAx. The dies slide in so change out is so fast there is no advantage to getting a turret.

[Wrangler John]

I have a Redding T-7, works great, better than the RCBS Rock Chucker I used for 35 years. It's heavy but precise, producing ammo with little to no bullet run-out. It'll last longer than me, which is going to be a long time according to my cardiologist. Everybody has an opinion on this stuff, but a T-7 or single stage press is the best starting point, especially for case forming and experimenting with wildcat or improved cartridges. Nothing says a progressive press can't be added as a companion piece later on.

[9mmepiphany]

I'm a firm believer in the buy once cry once. I don't want to have to buy twice.
...I shoot 500+ rounds a month total atm 223 308 9mm 45acp .
...make more precise match grade rounds

Divided between 4 calibers, this isn't a lot of rounds.

And when you add "match grade" into the mix, the obvious answer is the Forster Co Ax...which with it's die retention system is much faster than most single stage presses.

The Redding T-7 might be the best turret on the market. It offers the stability a a single stage and the option to be used for batch processing or finishing one round at a time. You could have one turret with both handgun caliber dies mounted and another with both rifle caliber dies mounted...you could even mix and match depending on what you shoot more.

If I hadn't been given a Hornady LNL AP to start with, I would have likely gone the T-7 route...maybe added a small progressive for handgun calibers later.

If you are thinking of starting with a progressive press, be aware that you'll eventually end up getting a single stage press to complement it

[Lead Waster]

Buy once cry once to me says Dillon but if you dont want a progressive get a Forster CoAx. The dies slide in so change out is so fast there is no advantage to getting a turret.

Well, in terms of workflow, it's easier with a turret to sit down, crank out some random number of FINISHED rounds and then go eat a sandwich, come back 2 days later, make a few more, etc. With a single stage, if you want finished rounds, you still have to batch process some amount.

[revo1911]

Redding Big Boss for your rifle ammo and Dillon square deal or 550 for your pistols.