loading 223/556 on Progressive press? Do you work up load first on single stage?

[Bigeclipse]

I am not trying to get the most precise 223/556 ammo but I would like a consistent 1.5MOA load. I know it is possible with my rifle because ive had some factory loads do 1MOA or better. My question to you all is do you work up a load on a single stage press and then move to your progressive press once you find a decent load? Any tips or tricks? Basically my ARs are fun range toys so I don't need extreme accuracy but I also don't want 2inch plus groups at 100 yards either. Thanks!

 

[RT2506]

Yes I work up a load on a single stage press. I then do ALL my loading on a single stage press. The reason that I don't use a progressive is from hearing others who have them complain all the time about it either breaking down or having this or that problem. I have been hand loading for 40 years and I am one that just wants my loads to be as accurate as I can make them. As to progressives as well as using a powder dumper to drop loads you about need to use a ball powder for consistency. Depending on what you are loading for there are some fine short stick powders that will work and are more temperature stable. Problem with most ball powders is they are not very temperature stable. Depending of temperature between work up and shooting time you can get some pretty large velocity swings which in turn may cause pressure problems and both can cause accuracy issues. It sounds like you are just wanting to load blasting ammo for 100 yards or so with 1/2 a beer can accuracy. If it were me I would work up a ladder load with my chosen powder for the bullet weight I was going to shoot and if it was a ball powder, which will aid in less function problems, I would use the middle of the lower end accuracy node. That way it will not matter that much if your progressive drops a charge a tenth of so one way or the other off and you will most likely not run into pressure problems with higher temperatures in the summer.
This is what I did a number of years ago when I was given an 8lb jug of AA2200 Data powder that is a very fine ball powder. I also came across a cash of 55 gr FMJ bullets at a give away price. I also acquired free a BUNCH of once fired LC military cases. Found a middle of the road powder charge that remained expectably accurate from low to high temps and loaded up a few thousand. Have fun.

 

[Bigeclipse]

Yes I work up a load on a single stage press. I then do ALL my loading on a single stage press. The reason that I don't use a progressive is from hearing others who have them complain all the time about it either breaking down or having this or that problem. I have been hand loading for 40 years and I am one that just wants my loads to be as accurate as I can make them. As to progressives as well as using a powder dumper to drop loads you about need to use a ball powder for consistency. Depending on what you are loading for there are some fine short stick powders that will work and are more temperature stable. Problem with most ball powders is they are not very temperature stable. Depending of temperature between work up and shooting time you can get some pretty large velocity swings which in turn may cause pressure problems and both can cause accuracy issues. It sounds like you are just wanting to load blasting ammo for 100 yards or so with 1/2 a beer can accuracy. If it were me I would work up a ladder load with my chosen powder for the bullet weight I was going to shoot and if it was a ball powder, which will aid in less function problems, I would use the middle of the lower end accuracy node. That way it will not matter that much if your progressive drops a charge a tenth of so one way or the other off and you will most likely not run into pressure problems with higher temperatures in the summer.
This is what I did a number of years ago when I was given an 8lb jug of AA2200 Data powder that is a very fine ball powder. I also came across a cash of 55 gr FMJ bullets at a give away price. I also acquired free a BUNCH of once fired LC military cases. Found a middle of the road powder charge that remained expectably accurate from low to high temps and loaded up a few thousand. Have fun.

FYI I will be using a Dillon 750xl. Not sure if that matters much in the equation or not. I can stick with ball powders. I do all my rifle plinking shooting in warmer months so no need for temperature stability. Thanks for the thoughts about that.

 

[243winxb]

A single stage for work up. With different amounts of powder & changes in COL, a singe stage seems a better choice. I use an RCBS single stage.

When you start full length sizing on the progressive, check how each station of the shell plate is setting the shoulder back. Use a comparitor to check head to datum. Fired brass to sized brass.

I used an early Dillon RL-450 progressive in 1979 to load for an M16A1. A very outdated press by todays standards.

 

[Frog4aday]

You can work up and reload from your Dillon progressive press. If you are looking for 1.5" groups or better, you will have no difficulty acheiving that with the press you have. But during load work-up, I would skip having the press dump the powder & would suggest you weigh & dump the powder yourself for simplicity/consistency. Once you settle on a powder charge, then set the press to drop it for you. I have a Dillon 550 press which is manually indexed, so a little easier to use for load workup, but your press can do it, too.

Having written all that, if you have a single stage press available, it would make initial load development easier.

 

[el matador]

I size all my brass on the progressive, then clean them in the tumbler to remove case lube. I trim with a WFT, chamfer/debur, and hand prime. Then into a 50 round loading block they go where I throw all powder charges from a powder measure. By tapping the handle firmly and consistently (twice on the discharge stroke) I'm able to reduce charge variation significantly. I like this method because I can visually check all 50 rounds for powder uniformity before seating bullets. I then seat the bullets on my single stage press. Its not the fastest method around but it gives me very uniform ammo even with stick powders.

 

[DUSTY NOGGIN]

its gonna mostly boil down to brass choice , then powder choice .. if you start with mixed range 223, no chance .. i think even if you sort your sorts and then sort those.. maybe

heavy crimping on exactly trimmed lengths , may give hope

anealing will help too

when sizing .. youll have wide difference in sizing force feel .. id presize on the single stage and sort by that feel .. that way when yoi send em through the progressive it will go much smoother

 

[DUSTY NOGGIN]

try cfe223 .. you may like ..

 

[Bigeclipse]

try cfe223 .. you may like ..

Ok, so from what you are saying if I start out with my own brass or brass all from same manufacturer and lots then I should be pretty good to go.

 

[TRG65]

Work up or loading all on a progressive, 650 or 1050 depending on the round. I don't use the Dillon powder dropper. I weigh all the changes for rifle rounds.

 

[RT2506]

Yes as long as you are using YOUR cases fired in your rifle and all are from the same make then things should run much better. Where you run into problems is range pick up or mixed cases from some other source. Many cases you will find will have a crimped in primer and these primers have to be removed with either something like the punch and shell holder that comes from Lee and you use a hammer to hit the punch to pop the primer out. Some de-capping dies will work and the cheap Lee die is pretty tough and usually works and the good thing about it is if you break it Lee will replace it. Then you have to swage or ream the primer pocket edge to remove the crimp to allow you to put another primer in.
I wish I knew how many thousands of military cases in 06, 08 and 223 I have used the Lee hammer punch to do this and then the RCBS swage the crimp out in the past 40 years.

Oh! About ball powder. It does not take much difference in temperature to cause velocity and pressure. If you are close to a top pressure load at 75* and when you shoot it is 85 or 90* you very well may be way over pressure. This is the reason that I suggested a middle of the road lower end ladder accuracy node. It gives you some "wiggle" room. Good luck.

 

[Braunschweiger]

It all starts with your process of load development. I run a 10 round ladder test to find the best harmonic node. Then I do seating depth test to fine tune my accuracy after typically achieving SD's no more than single digit. Once I get to that point, I can easily load on a progressive (vs my Forster Co-Ax) and can be +/- a 10th or couple 100ths of a grain and still be in the node. I do this for 223, 300 Blackout, and 308 Win (for my gas guns) - all of my bolt guns are done single stage because I want best accuracy I can get for long range.

 

[JASmith]

Concur that load work-up is most easily done on a single stage press and with the suggestions about making sure the primers will come out and that any primer crimp is removed.

That said, however, there is wisdom in running a few small batches with the various headstamps and shooting to assure reliable function in your rifle.

After that, one ought to be able make a bunch with confidence!

 

[xsn10s]

I load all my AR ammo on a single stage press. Mainly because I have a ton of Federal range brass I got for free and it stretches quite a bit. So I measure length samples on the first load and every case when it gets long. Plus I like to clean my primer pockets every firing. But FL sizing and decapping primers on a progressive makes perfect sense. You can load fine ammo on a progressive press, I'd choose a ball powder/ good flowing stick, if you want to go that route.