Single Stage press or Progressive press

[Ad0nis]

I buy most of my reloading supplies on Midway. Thing is you can shop around on Hornady, RCBS, and Lee products as many discount stores carry them.

On the blue stuff I check prices on Dillon's and Brian Enos' store.

For example:

Conversion to 45ACP

xl650 "Full kit" = $185.94 + shipping (caliber conversion kit + tool head + powder die + powder measure + small/large powder bar + tool head stand) No dies.

A lot of folks (well my buddies that have xl650's anyway) buy an additional primer assembly (~$80.00) in order to make primer size changes MUCH faster.

xl650 "barebones" kit = $117 + shipping. (caliber conversion kit + tool head + powder die) No dies. That's not even including a powder bar,


I guess you could go cheaper if you choose to run dies in and out of a single tool head, but who does that?

[Colt562]

Ok I thought you were talking about the conversion kit for the 550. They can be bought for 70 bucks.

I dont think anyone would use just one single tool head.


My reccomendation to the op...do not read the previous comments. Get the Turret press and never look back.

[bandook]

Romnesia?

Caliber changes for some progressives (the blue ones) can cost upwards of $200 depending on how much convenience you want to pay for. My comment highlights how relatively inexpensive caliber conversions on the LnL are, and eventually showing that there's only a $30 price difference between the LnL and a Turret or SS w/ LnL conversion.

For your information, I have a Rock Chucker Single stage W/ LnL conversion, and a LnL AP w/ Case feed and bullet feed.

I load between 50 and 100 rounds of 454 and 460 S&W on the RC/month when I am home. I load close to max so I run them in batches checking every load. I have the LnL conversion on the Rock Chucker so that I do not have to fiddle with setting up the dies each time I run them on the press. This adds $12 for bushings each time I add a new caliber, but it's worth it. I suspect buying extra turret heads is the same.

I think I understand this better now... Do we have our first Confirmed Hornady Kool-Aid Drinker???

OP wanted to know what direction to take on a new press. My suggestion is that a Lee Turret is a good place to start as it provides a decent throughput and even if OP moves to a progressive at a later point, the Turret will remain useful as a reasonably fast and reliable way to load low volume calibers because you don't have to buy additional bushings and shellplates (which do add to the cost).

Instead of thread crapping and making this into a dillon/hornady caliber change cost argument (that nobody asked for), please make a press recommendation and why you think your recommendation may be useful for the OP to make a decision on a press.

[ar15barrels]

I try shoot about 700 rounds a month. to me thats a lot but to some it may not be i try to buy ammo and stock pile it for future range trips but that never works i just end up shooting it all. Its costing me about 250-300 bucks a month just in ammo ( not including gas and range fees. ) so thats why i want to start reloading i figure i will spend half that amount but i may be wrong! i might just spend the same and shoot more lol

You won't save any money.
You will shoot a lot more for the same money.

[ar15barrels]

I think I understand this better now... Do we have our first Confirmed Hornady Kool-Aid Drinker???

Not the first, just the loudest one currently.
It changes every few months when a new one shows up.

[Kappy]

Hey everyone,

i shoot alot and am trying to save money on ammo, i have been reading up a lot on reloading and think i want to try my hand at it. My question is this: being that i have never reloaded before should i start on a single stage press? it seems more time consuming but looks like you learn more because your more involved in each step, or is a progressive press ok to begin on?

i shoot pistols only( saving up for my future long guns ) in .40 SW

A lot of folks like to start on single stage presses. I, for one, agree with this philosophy. But...

If you aren't planning to shoot super-accurate loads, I'd say a progressive would be... sort of OK, but it is so important to learn the fundamentals.

The answer is that you SHOULD start with single stage, but clearly you want to go progressive, so just do it.

[Kappy]

Incidentally, when it comes to loading in two calibers on progressive, when I have a new pistol caliber, I just get a complete whole Lee Progressive for the job. Of course, I only load two pistol calibers...

[ar15barrels]

The answer is that you SHOULD start with single stage, but clearly you want to go progressive, so just do it.

Everyone likes to ignore the fact that you CAN use a progressive as a turret or as a single stage.
It's all in how you feed the brass through it.

I recommend people start with a progressive setup for manual indexing.
I recommend they only run 1 case through it at a time for about 500 rounds.
This will be using the press like a turret.
You will get the feel of each station and what it's doing.
You will make mistakes and see them (hopefully instantly).
You will LEARN what you need to learn.

Only after you are completely comfortable should you switch to auto index and start running 2 or 3 or 4 cases through the press at a time.
Soon, you will be loading in a fully progressive (1 round per handle pull) fashion.

[Gothboy]

OP. Im not yet fully into reloading, but as someone who until recently had the same questions as you, I suggest to you this. Go on cabelas, and any other website you can find presses, like the dillon, rcbs, hornady, etc any other you can find and start reading. That is how I was able to determine what features I will want in a press. Read what each press has, and read about each type of press. You will find what features you dont like and which you preferr. Then find the press that has all or as many of the features you want all in one package for the best price. New or used should not matter too much. Check craigslist and even the reloading for sale section here. Also determine the ammount of time you will want to be sitting behind the machine pulling the handle. You've already got your monetary limitations set.

Take what the others say into consideration, they are ALL good people and ALL seem to know what they are talking about. But its up to you to do the research and pick what you feel suits YOU best. After you have narrowed it down THEN it's time to ask pros and cons between the one / ones you like on here. These guys will not steer you wrong.

I want a fully automatic setup as I will be shooting ALOT more 45, 9, and 40 once up and running. I did not want changeable tool heads (space limitations, and price). I dont have very much time at all to reload, though I will take it slow more at the beginning to ensure safety at all times. If my first reload is 10 bullets in an hour and they all come out good, I will determine it to be a successful run.

I was almost sold on a dillon 650 based on what people said, until I decided to do deeper research by myself. I do not like some of the mechanics of that press. Turns out that the only press I was able to find that had what i am looking for is the hornady lnl ap ammo plant, and especially for the price. It costs alot, so I might have it at the end of this month.

Moral of the story, start reading. Everything you can find. Period. The end decision is yours, as the time spent will be solely yours. Might as well make it happy time! Be safe!

[BajaJames83]

I would strongly suggest looking at the dillon 550 BL which you can upgrade as you go along to the full 550B it starts at 259 for the basic press or you can go for the full setup for 439. The nice thing about the 550 is you maunally index it which for a beginner makes things easier to follow. Its easy to setup and maintain. And the no BS lifetime warranty is nice.

[Ad0nis]

Not the first, just the loudest one currently.
It changes every few months when a new one shows up.

The OP is looking to load 700 pistol rounds a month. Another poster recommended the Lee Classic Turret (sound recommendation) but implied that adding additional calibers to a progressive press can get expensive. I demonstrated that the generalization is untrue.

At 700 rounds a month the OP will almost certainly want to buy a progressive press. If the OP has the mechanical inclination, as another responder suggested, then a progressive press would be the better buy IMHO. Demonstrating that the LnL is not unduly more expensive than a turret to add calibers to, could help the OP make a more informed choice when he ultimately buys his first press.

Now I know the "Red vs Blue" threads can get quite heated but let's keep it civil OK. Again, the price comparisons made on this thread are relevant to the OP's ultimate decision. The title "Single Stage press or Progressive press" demonstrates that he is at least looking, if not leaning, towards a progressive due to the amount of ammunition he is shooting a month. If you think any of the comparisons I made were inaccurate then I would be more than happy to engage with you on that. Throwing labels around and trying to dismiss the information I put out does not help the OP or anyone else looking at this thread with the same question.

Instead of thread crapping and making this into a dillon/hornady caliber change cost argument (that nobody asked for), please make a press recommendation and why you think your recommendation may be useful for the OP to make a decision on a press.

For the record you were the one who implied that caliber conversions on progressives were expensive, I was just airing out your generalization. As the OP declared a rather modest budget, a want to add rifle cartridges, and his consideration of the LnL, highlighting the actual cost difference between the LnL, LCT, and by extension the xl650, was relevant in light of your generalization. Also, I did make a recommendation that I think all will agree on - before all else, buy ABC's of reloading and a good reloading manual. So who's the thread crapper, hmmmm??

[Horton Fenty]

At 700 rounds a month:

A single stage press will take you about 10 hours a month.
A turret like the Lee Classic Cast will take you about 4.5 hours a month.
A progressive will take you anywhere from 1-2 hours a month.

I think this a one of the best things for the OP to think about. How much time does he want to spend reloading....

This is great advice. You have a good estimate of how much you shoot, now decide how much time you want to devote.

Which ever way you go you can maximize your budget by making yourself a checklist of the stuff that is absolutely required to reload. Press, dies, scale, etc. Keep that separate from the list of items that are not necessary, but would be nice to have. Primer flipper, bullet puller, case trimmer, etc. Spend the money on the stuff you need now and pick up the rest later. As soon as you've done a bit of reloading you will have a better idea of the accessories you want, with the benefit of not looking back and saying "why did I buy this, when I could of spent more on that".

[problemchild]

D-650 and call it a day. Lifetime warranty more than pays for itself. Dillon tech support is beyond excellent.

[problemchild]

I would strongly suggest looking at the dillon 550 BL which you can upgrade as you go along to the full 550B it starts at 259 for the basic press or you can go for the full setup for 439. The nice thing about the 550 is you maunally index it which for a beginner makes things easier to follow. Its easy to setup and maintain. And the no BS lifetime warranty is nice.

No powder check= No Buy......

[Ad0nis]

D-650 and call it a day. Lifetime warranty more than pays for itself. Dillon tech support is beyond excellent.

So, no one is going to criticize the Dillon spammer?

Can you read? Last time I checked $500 was not enough to buy the xl650. LnL is a better press, at the right price, all with excellent lifetime CS. Stupid recommendation.