Single stage vs. turret press.

[himurax13]

I am getting ready to purchase my first reloading press in the next week or so. There are so many to choose from but I finally decided on a RCBS Rock Chucker Single Stage. I am one of those guys who figures things out quickly and I am worried that I may want something a little more advanced. I saw the turret press and I think it would better suite my needs. I like the idea of not having to reset the dies every time I move to a different stage. I eventually plan on shooting 1000 rounds of .45 ACP a month but for right now, 2 to 3 hundred is fine. I decided against a progressive because I simply don't have the money or the room to hold a ton of reloading equipment. So here are a few questions. Is the turret press just as sturdy as the single stage? Will it be good to make target .223 ammo down the road as well? Is it significantly faster once I figure out what I am doing?

[bohoki]

turret has to much play in my opinion for rifle rounds ive seen .223s sized and they have a little cant in them that you can see when trimming

wow 1000 rounds a month rethink a progressive

i can bang out like one or two hundred a night 9mm or 45 acp with my single stage watching tv i like doing lots of 100 at a time

as to adjusting the dies or as you call it reset its not so hard with the locking rings

i size/decap then bell/prime(with that little arm on thr press) then i charge with a lee perfect powder measure and seat the bullet

[f4tweet]

Single stage for rifle, progressive for pistol.

[CGK60]

I have a RCBS single stage and a Lee auto indexing turret press.I would go with the Lee at minimum.

[Brasspolisher]

I assume you're thinking of the Lee turret press, since the others are (physically and price-wise) pretty close to a progressive. With that in mind, I hope this helps:

So here are a few questions. Is the turret press just as sturdy as the single stage?

Can't run over it with a bulldozer (which a Rock Chucker would probably put up with), but plenty sturdy for anything short of that.

Will it be good to make target .223 ammo down the road as well?

Depends on your degree of tolerance. I've never made anything I wasn't happy with, but do note that the OAL of a given batch of rounds will probably wander around inside .005" -- if you absolutely have to be more precise than that (which to my mind is pretty demanding, but YMMV), single stage is the only way to go.

Is it significantly faster once I figure out what I am doing?

You'll find ways to save time as you go, but I wouldn't say the turret is significantly faster all by itself. I use mine as a faster single stage, really:

• decap and then prep (LOTS of) brass
• prime a couple hundred rounds (your elbow will thank you for getting the Lee Ram Prime, by the way, instead of using the standard arm -- the seating motion is WAY more comfortable, smoother, and precise)
• charge 50-100 cases
• seat bullets on those
• crimp the whole batch
• repeat as necessary

instead of trying to make it a slow progressive and do one round at a time.

Where the turret really shines is when you want to take a bunch of toys to the range, so you need 200 rounds of 9mm, 100 of .45, a couple boxes of rifle rounds, and some pipsqueak .38 Specials for your friend who hates recoil... Changing calibers is clicking out a turret, and then clicking in another turret with the dies all adjusted and ready to go; the spare turrets and AutoDisk powder measures are so economical I just get one for each caliber and leave 'em set up.

As to your projected volume, by the way, a thousand round habit is going to be like the Army Reserves: 1 weekend a month. Starting with clean, decapped, and sized brass (I usually do brass prep in bulk as a separate activity), figure on <100 rounds per hour until you're really comfortable with your skills and your setup, and maybe 20% or so faster than that after you are.


Hope that helps your purchase decision -- welcome to reloading!

[cdrxls]

I am one of those guys who figures things out quickly and I am worried that I may want something a little more advanced. I like the idea of not having to reset the dies every time I move to a different stage. I eventually plan on shooting 1000 rounds of .45 ACP a month but for right now, 2 to 3 hundred is fine. I decided against a progressive because I simply don't have the money or the room to hold a ton of reloading equipment. Is it significantly faster once I figure out what I am doing?

Get a USED Dillon 550, can be had for $200-$300, it will do both rifle and pistol rounds, swapping toolheads with the dies already set are +++, you can do your 200-300 rounds in 1-2 hours at a slow relaxed pace.

Regardless of you having a single-stage, turret or progressive. YOU WILL HAVE A TON OF RELOADING EQUIPMENT ie tumbler, brass, bullets, powder, primers,

Good Luck on your choice.

[himurax13]

Get a USED Dillon 550, can be had for $200-$300, it will do both rifle and pistol rounds, swapping toolheads with the dies already set are +++, you can do your 200-300 rounds in 1-2 hours at a slow relaxed pace.

Regardless of you having a single-stage, turret or progressive. YOU WILL HAVE A TON OF RELOADING EQUIPMENT ie tumbler, brass, bullets, powder, primers,

Good Luck on your choice.

Really? I have looked around and I havent seen one for that price.

[Waldog]

Prices of used Dillons on e-Bay is outrageous!! Many are sold for more than the price of a new one. Particularly when you factor in $45 shipping.

Buy a single stage to start. You will ALWAYS use it even after you move up to a progressive press.

[rockdogz]

progressive FTW

I am a first-time reloader and recently got my first press. I went with a Dillon 550, and am very happy with it. But regardless of the brand, I would recommend a progressive for your stated needs, especially if you are a fast learner. I was thinking single stage as well initially since I see some people recommend them for first-timers, but it was really easy to learn on the Dillon (ok, yes I had a great Calgunner to help, thanks bubbapug! ) but still since you can load one cartridge at a time on a progressive when you're starting out, you can take it easy and build up speed. Looking back, I think I would have been really bummed out about how much longer things would take on a single-stage... But of course I haven't used one, so YMMV.

[cdrxls]

Really? I have looked around and I havent seen one for that price.

never said it's going to be easy. you'll need to ask around folks at the gun range, some gun shops and gun shows.....even at garage sales.

I've found brand new older AT500's (discontinued) and upgraded them one at a time, check CALGUNS ALL THE TIME and other sites, and most likely you'll find one. Ebay is the worst place to look, i've stopped using them as a source.

there are alot of calgunners selling their equipment, post a WTB and consistently update it so people will know you're looking.

just be patient.

[mif_slim]

He doesnt have space for a progressive so...the single stage will do just fine. I did a testing for a friend this morning (6:24am) to see how mmuch time it'll take to load 50 rounds. It took me 16 minues and 40 seconds to primer, chamfer/debur(i forgot to do that part in the case prep, lol), charge and seat bullet. Took ~3 minutes per step except for charging powder (~4 min?). If I continued the same pace, I would of gotten ~200 rounds per hour. Single stage isnt as slow as some people think. It depends on the short cuts, that I mean doing each step by bulk.
So, if you shoot about 1000 rounds, it'll take you 5 hours to load. Or, 1 hour per day, mon-fri.

PS: I knew someone was going to recommend a Dillion. Because even at single stage, a dillion can load faster then all the other brand. I kidd i kidd.

[Mac Attack]

I started with a Rockchucker single stage press back in the late 80's and still use it to this day. However, a month after I purchased it I got tired of reseting the dies and added a RCBS Piggyback progressive attachment which greatly increased my reloading times. My Rockchucker and Piggyback combo has loaded thousands upon thousands of rounds without any major problems. I only load pistol calibers on my progressive but use the single stage to reload my blackpowder 45-70 rounds. There is enough clearance however with the progressive to load .233 if needed.

Over the years I have seen all the cool whiz-bang reloaders come into the market and have seriously debated upgrading to a Dillion 650 or 1000 but my Rockchucker/Piggyback just keeps cranking them out and I am so use to it that I haven't made the jump. If I had to do it all over again I would have started with a progressive reloaded and saved myself some money from upgrading my Chucker.

How much more space does a progressive take up compared to a single stage? I know you want to take it slow and learn the in's and out's of reloading but to load the volume of rounds you mentioned monthly with a single stage will take a long time and lots of work. I haven't loaded in over 2 months but when I do I normally load up 500 round (which is the number of bullets which comes in a box of hardcast bullets box) and it takes me about 2 hours for a single caliber.

Regardless if you go with Dillion, RCBS, Lee or any other reloaded do yourself a favor and take the advice which has been posted and seriously consider a progressive press. I see them come up on Calguns periodically and the prices are fair. BTW, I believe places like Dillion sell remanufactured reloaders just like Lee does. Contact them and see what they have.

[mif_slim]

^ Maybe he has a short ceiling? LOL. But a Progressive will take just as much space a single stage...just taller IMO.

[kmca]

I have a turret, single stage and some Dillons mounted on my bench and use them all. When I get to reloading, the single/turret presses actually require more bench space (loading trays, primer tool, powder measure, etc).