How fast do you reload?

[Lead Waster]

Prep time can make a difference.

Preload a bunch of primer tubes - only matters between 100 round batches

Pre-screening brass for stepped 9mm, .380, crimped primers (for 9mm) - takes a long time, but avoids coming to a screeching halt.

Pre-sized and deprimed cases - well, this makes things work much smoother of course and easier BUT also ... ain't nobody got time for that.

Spritz some hornady one-shot into the case feed hopper is an easy trick. The cases are dried by the time they feed.

[MarikinaMan]

Dillon 550b for 9mm

15 minutes to load and unload the wet tumbler
1-2 days to air dry them on a blanket
1 hour on the press for 300 rounds, at a relaxed pace

Another hour for case gauging for competition. I skip this last process for plinking.


Dillon 550b for 223

15 minutes to load and unload the wet tumbler
1-2 days to air dry them on a blanket
1.5 hours to trim 300 rounds
1.5 hours to swage 300 rounds
1 hour on the press for 300 rounds, at a relaxed pace

Another hour for case gauging for competition. I skip this last process for plinking.

[CSACANNONEER]

With bullet feeders, brass feeders and primer feeders, you need to take into account the time it takes to load them and keep them running properly. Reloading 100 rounds on a machine that's already set up and loaded is not a fair assessment of the time it takes. You need to start with a machine/press without dies in it and take the total time it takes you to set up the press, fill primer tubes, etc. You should include set up etc. and record the time it takes to load 500 or 1000 rounds and then average it out.

[tanks]

Without rushing about 4.5 minutes per 100 rounds on a 1050 with bullet feeder. Then, I dump new batch of primers from the RF100, dump a few handfuls of bullets in the bullet feeder and a box of primers in the RF100 and get going again.

I don't usually have long sessions though. A few hundred rounds each day is enough if one is consistent.

[robert101]

Csacannoner is 100% correct. It doesn't matter that I can pull the handle while it is running perfectly. What was the set up time and put that into the total time as well. I can't reload 100 rounds in 10 minutes on my progressive without having dialed it in first.

[Lead Waster]

With bullet feeders, brass feeders and primer feeders, you need to take into account the time it takes to load them and keep them running properly. Reloading 100 rounds on a machine that's already set up and loaded is not a fair assessment of the time it takes. You need to start with a machine/press without dies in it and take the total time it takes you to set up the press, fill primer tubes, etc. You should include set up etc. and record the time it takes to load 500 or 1000 rounds and then average it out.

Hmmm, well once you've set up a machine to go though, you might not reset it for thousands of rounds. So I agree on refilling primer tubes, powder, bullet and case feeders, but starting from a naked press is not likely.

[CSACANNONEER]

Hmmm, well once you've set up a machine to go though, you might not reset it for thousands of rounds. So I agree on refilling primer tubes, powder, bullet and case feeders, but starting from a naked press is not likely.

Set up time only counts if your machine isn't already set up for that round? We need to compare apples to apples so, unless you only load one cartridge with the exact same load every time, set up time needs to be factored in. Set it up and load 5000 rounds and then take the average time to load 100 rounds works fine but, not including it because, you might get lucky and everything might already be set up is a BS approach.

[Lead Waster]

OK, but I think it would be fair to say you can have your dies set up in an unmounted toolhead (for a progressive).

So the time is swapping toolheads, swapping shellplate, maybe primer size.

Adjusting load maybe.

I have a found a decent 9mm load, and I have a lot of components, so it's reasonable to sit down, crank out 100 rounds, then go inside... then a few days later, go out CHECK POWDER LOAD, and do another 100-500. wihtout swapping things around I mean.

[CSACANNONEER]

OK, but I think it would be fair to say you can have your dies set up in an unmounted toolhead (for a progressive).

So the time is swapping toolheads, swapping shellplate, maybe primer size.

Adjusting load maybe.

I have a found a decent 9mm load, and I have a lot of components, so it's reasonable to sit down, crank out 100 rounds, then go inside... then a few days later, go out CHECK POWDER LOAD, and do another 100-500. wihtout swapping things around I mean.

Yea, I do the same thing but, I still take into account the amount of time it takes to do set up into account since, I can't guarantee that my press will be preset to the exact cartridge and load I want to load that day. Currently, my press is set up and I plan to do +5000 rounds of 9mm before I change it but, that doesn't mean that the set up time was zero. It's just a smaller amount of time than if I was only doing runs of 100 rounds.

[tanks]

Set up time only counts if your machine isn't already set up for that round? We need to compare apples to apples so, unless you only load one cartridge with the exact same load every time, set up time needs to be factored in. Set it up and load 5000 rounds and then take the average time to load 100 rounds works fine but, not including it because, you might get lucky and everything might already be set up is a BS approach.

It depends. I load only .40 S&W on my 1050 and only 9mm on my 650XL. So, set up time is nil by this time after thousands of rounds. Now, I do check the OAL every 100 rounds and powder at each fill up of the powder dispenser. But, those checks do not take a hella time.

Once I run out of the 15K or so cleaned brass I have I will be using roll sized primed brass in the future and that should save even more time as I would be using only 4 stations on the machine (powder, bullet feed, seat and crimp)..

[hambam105]

Have two, two, perfectly good Reloading Presses, set up at the same time!!!
That really is a financially strange concept for some people. Must be nice.
I am joking here, but there was a time when having two machines was only for the rich guys.

[RestrictedColt]

I have four, but unfortunately only space to mount one. I'll eventually fix that, but it's far down the project list.

[trackcage]

I have dedicated tool heads (deluxe quick change as they call it) for each caliber. Switching set ups simply requires the removal of a couple pins, a screw to remove the shellplate, quick check powder drop hasn't changed, and go. Maybe primer swap if I'm going from large to small or vice versa.

The only real time sink I would consider adding to my "how long does it take..." would be filling primer tubes, but i usually do that when I'm watching tv and load 5-10 primer tubes at once. Tubes are cheap and keep the reloader cooking. I absolutely despise the hunt and peck routine mid-reloading session.

[Lead Waster]

Have two, two, perfectly good Reloading Presses, set up at the same time!!!
That really is a financially strange concept for some people. Must be nice.
I am joking here, but there was a time when having two machines was only for the rich guys.

I have a 1050 set up for 9mm, with bullet and case feeders because that's what I shoot most of.

I have a 550b with a casefeeder for other stuff (.38, .40) and ... another 550b for .45 acp fully manual.

And a Rockchucker.


Why?

Started with Rockchucker for .303 British and .45. Immediately bought 550b for .45acp because ... what a pain.

Decade later ... someone offered me a 550b for a decent price (slight discount off factory price) So why not?

Then after a while someone else had a 1050 so ... why not? It swages primer pockets, which had been frustrating me with 9mm. Then someone offered me their old bullet feeder so ... why not!

With current Ammo laws, etc ... I'm glad I have them.
I'm way past the point where I deceive myself into thinking that I'm saving money. I do it for quantity and quality, not savings.

But I also know that if one day I want to sell one of the presses I'd probably get back 80% of what I paid for them.

[trackcage]

But I also know that if one day I want to sell one of the presses I'd probably get back 80% of what I paid for them.

And that's one of the biggest reasons I see to "go blue." Perception is much higher resale than the other guys.