New reloader recommendations

[osis32]

Good afternoon everyone. Just gonna get some things out of the way before I ask my questions. I've read the stickies and done a ton of research as well as talking to friends and fellow cgers. So my question is this: is there a progressive machine that can run the whole gamut between pumping out pistol calibers and produce near match quality long action rifle calibers?

It seems like I should get a single stage for the rifle calibers and dillon650 for pistol stuff. Then I read about the hornady lock n load and it sounds like it might be able to go everything if set up properly. However there are tons of unhappy customers who went to the 650. So am I just gonna have to bite the bullet and get multiple presses our is there something in my wheel house. Any and all guidance is appreciated. Thank you as always.

[Hairball]

Depends how anal you are with your match rifle loads. I use three different presses. A progressive for the mass produced stuff, a single stage for the bolt action rifles, and a 50BMG press for the large stuff.

[M1NM]

Do you shoot enough to need a progressive? It's nice to crank out 1000 in an evening but I can do a couple hundred on a single stage which is enough for my needs. I started with a RCBS JR then added a Rockchucker when I started doing a lot of belted magnum loads and kept the Jr for handgun loads. I added a progressive setup to the Rockchucker when I shot a lot of .45 9mm and .223. Bought another Rockchucker so I didn't have to remove/reset the progressive. Since I don't do mag dumps I figured I no longer needed a progressive and sold it and the Jr. The Rockchucker meets all my current needs and I don't need 8' of bench space.

[osis32]

Do I shoot a lot? Not lately and never as much as I'd like to. But a lot of that is based on my limited free time. That makes efficiency and time saving a considerable factor for me.

[cavemanlrrp]

Have you looked at turret presses?
Hard to beat if you have multi calibers that you load, just set up turret for each. Not as high volume as progressive though.
And every bench needs at least one single stage, to batch that top grade rifle ammo.

Best
caveman

[Bill Steele]

What kind of long action calibers do you shoot? How many is a big weekend, etc.

Most of the guys I know that use a Dillon 650 for rifle are shooting AR style guns in 5.56.

Sizing long action rifle cases is a pretty hefty process, a stout single stage (or heavy turret like a T7 would be my choice for those).

[Full Clip]

Have you looked at turret presses?
Hard to beat if you have multi calibers that you load, just set up turret for each.

Yep, that was my solution. Been very happy with the RCBS. If I had space, I'd have a dedicated single-stage maybe just for decapping.

[osis32]

300 win mag is as big as I go right now. I may step up to 338 lapua some time in the future. Would someone mind explaining the turret pies to me? I kinda got the impression you could run the lock n load like that and just quick change out the bushing.

[Jjwisled]

A turret press rotates the dies to the cartridge where a progressive rotates the cartridge to the dies. I believe the progressive to be better for high output with case feeders bullet feeders ect. The turret is supposed to be pretty quick but there's more hand work as far as feeding cases bullets ect. This is what I've found looking into myself but I have no experience on either and im still plugging away with my Lee hand press ha-ha, oh and I believe many turret presses can do double duty as a single stage press.

[huckberry668]

Yes, there is. The question is what makes it 'match quality' and how to apply the principal to the progressive setup. I read up on many of the world class champion long range shooters and their methods and experimented myself. I've been loading all my match rounds on 550B for years and don't even use my CoAx single stage any more. My CoAx 1/2MOA loads are done more than twice as fast on 550B. I do 'batch processing' and load it 'semi progressively'. I size, prime and seat on progressive. Prep and charge the cases separately.

1. Float the sizing and seating dies to keep run-out at a minimum. Floating allows the brass, bullet, shell plate & dies to line up naturally on their axis so loaded rounds are straight.

2. Separate by headstamp and prep your brass so they're uniformed in length, neck thickness, primer seating depth & contact, flash and weight.

3. Size your bottle neck brass to fit your chamber. Full length size, bum the shoulder by .001" or so to get reliability, long brass life and precision. Get a set of comparators for this work.

4. By hand or by machine, trickle rifle round charges is absolute essential for precision.

once you figure out how to get these 4 steps to work, most likely semi-progressively (for cheap). you can set your progressive up for higher volume and precision at the same time.

[bsumoba]

Progressive for bulk, single stage for match ammo.

I know a few people that load precision ammo on a progressive and it is possible, but charge weights are typically done offline with an electronic scale and should be within a kernel of each other. Brass prep and die set up to get the most consistent neck tension is key. A good rifle (specifically the barrel) and good bullets are also key.

I love my CoAx for all my match ammo up to 338 Edge, and I use a Hornady Progressive for bulk pistol and .223 ammo.

I wouldn't use a progressive to load 300 win mag. That is a large case and requires more effort to size down.

[Divernhunter]

I use a Dillon 650 for 9mm and 45acp. The other pistol rounds I do on a single stage.
All rifle rounds are done on a single stage.
I use a RCBS rockchucker for sizing, a hand primer, an electronic powder measure/dispenser for powder and a RCBS Jr for seating bullets and the pistol rounds I do not load on my 650. I like the less leverage and better feel of the RCBS Jr for seating bullets compared to the RC.
Also use a RCBS electric power trimmer and Lyman case prep center for rifle brass. a hand flash hole deburrer. These are all good reasons to use a single stage for rifle ammo. I batch process my brass so I always have brass ready for powder/bullet. You can seat primers while watching TV to save time.

I say get a Dillon for pistol ammo you shoot a lot of and a single stage for the rest.

[davek8s]

I use a Square Deal B for all of my pistol loads and a Lee single stage for 223. I do 2 different runs with rifle loads. When I load for my Remington 700 I have matching head stamp brass and I trickle each powder charge for consistency. For my AR I use mixed brass and I'm not as precise with my powder throws.

If you're new to reloading I would suggest starting with a single stage and learning each step of the process.

[Bill Steele]

I use a Dillon 650 for 9mm and 45acp. The other pistol rounds I do on a single stage.
All rifle rounds are done on a single stage.
I use a RCBS rockchucker for sizing, a hand primer, an electronic powder measure/dispenser for powder and a RCBS Jr for seating bullets and the pistol rounds I do not load on my 650. I like the less leverage and better feel of the RCBS Jr for seating bullets compared to the RC.
Also use a RCBS electric power trimmer and Lyman case prep center for rifle brass. a hand flash hole deburrer. These are all good reasons to use a single stage for rifle ammo. I batch process my brass so I always have brass ready for powder/bullet. You can seat primers while watching TV to save time.

I say get a Dillon for pistol ammo you shoot a lot of and a single stage for the rest.

Pretty much covers it.

[LeadPilot]

You can get a single stage conversion for the 650 on eBay.