Bingoc
Well-Known Member
I agree with Equalizer above. You won't go wrong with a quality single c frame and add quality components to compliment the press.
Should I buy a new press ?
- Thread starter WGTX
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I started with the RCBS JR press and it served me well until I started case forming 30-06 into 25-06, a rather simple resize. At that time we were living in our 1st apartment after college and the breakfast bar didn't like the press. I sold to my hunting partner and got the Rock Chiuker, vintage 1972. I got away from the firearms fun and took up fly fishing, another expensive hobby. After the knees and ankles gave up, and I returned to reloading, I purchased a M.E.C. metalic press dedicated to bullet seating only. The Chucker has been and will continue to be my prep platform mainly due to the robustness. of the product. I spend more time prepping brass and reloading than I do shooting, mainly because I;m so "anal" about my brass. As much as I'd love to have a progressive press, I am more into the elusive 5 shots into 1 hole than into hunting so, I'm willing to spend 2-3 days preparing brass. I do go through 150 - 200 rounds per range session so my next serious loading tooling will be in the annealing discipline. Like I've said before, every shooter has another "rat hole" for loose change.. How far one gets into it depends on one's degree of anal thinking.
freddiej
Well-Known Member
Good evening WGTX: It looks like I am going to be among those saying get another press. just a personal opinion of the Hornady presses.. especially the LNL AP. it's functioning is weird and moves in ways that boggle the mind. I say this as a seasoned reloader.
I would say this to anyone starting out. find others that reload. use their press and see what you like and what you do not like. then the dies, the powder meter and the rest. try it all out and find what you like or can not due without.
It's no secret I love dillon presses. I have 3 of them two dillon 550's and a 1050. I also have RCBS electronic powder scale. I have dillon, honady, RCBS, Lyman, and Redding dies. brass prep is all over the place too; What ever does the job best in my mind.
the best thing I can say to a newbie/rookie reloader about the 550 dillons is that you can lock down the shell plate and use it as a 4 position single stage press. if you buy the BL-550 then you can add-on as you like. you pick the way your press performes and the timing of the up-grades. I've worked on the Dillon RL-450, up-graded it to a 550 in the mid-1980's, never had a reason to up-grade to the 650 (honestly; I hate the 650 for very personal reasons- hint they fixed it with the 750 priming sharing the 550 priming). I am not an "auto-progressive person" I like the manual progression of the 550. that is me. when locked down, the shell plate is just as strong and the press is just as precise as the O-presses or that freak of a co-ax. yes, I dislike the forster co-ax for a very personal reason as well.
IF, and only if I had to go back to a single stage I would be looking at the Hornady Iron Press. C&H twin pillar press. If I was to be relegated to a Turret press I would get the Redding T-7. progressive is the dillon 550. if i need high production I might get the dillon 750 or keep with my dillon 1050.
this is my two cents worth..
I would say this to anyone starting out. find others that reload. use their press and see what you like and what you do not like. then the dies, the powder meter and the rest. try it all out and find what you like or can not due without.
It's no secret I love dillon presses. I have 3 of them two dillon 550's and a 1050. I also have RCBS electronic powder scale. I have dillon, honady, RCBS, Lyman, and Redding dies. brass prep is all over the place too; What ever does the job best in my mind.
the best thing I can say to a newbie/rookie reloader about the 550 dillons is that you can lock down the shell plate and use it as a 4 position single stage press. if you buy the BL-550 then you can add-on as you like. you pick the way your press performes and the timing of the up-grades. I've worked on the Dillon RL-450, up-graded it to a 550 in the mid-1980's, never had a reason to up-grade to the 650 (honestly; I hate the 650 for very personal reasons- hint they fixed it with the 750 priming sharing the 550 priming). I am not an "auto-progressive person" I like the manual progression of the 550. that is me. when locked down, the shell plate is just as strong and the press is just as precise as the O-presses or that freak of a co-ax. yes, I dislike the forster co-ax for a very personal reason as well.
IF, and only if I had to go back to a single stage I would be looking at the Hornady Iron Press. C&H twin pillar press. If I was to be relegated to a Turret press I would get the Redding T-7. progressive is the dillon 550. if i need high production I might get the dillon 750 or keep with my dillon 1050.
this is my two cents worth..
keep your Hornady lock and load. Remove the Hornady powder measure, get a dillion 550 powder funnel in right cal for it. I use 2 electric powder dispensers and manually drop the charge. It is seldom I have to wait long for a charge.
Hand de-prime and clean cases before sizing. The priming system is very sensitive to primer residue
if your loading for just one rifle, use the Redding competition sizer and seater. The brass would only have been fired in that rifle to work
Hand de-prime and clean cases before sizing. The priming system is very sensitive to primer residue
if your loading for just one rifle, use the Redding competition sizer and seater. The brass would only have been fired in that rifle to work
tylerw02
Well-Known Member
Putting five shots in one hole isn't exclusive to single-stage presses.
Ward Thurman
Well-Known Member
I have no experience with a progressive press. How are they to use? I would think they would be persnickety.
ILVTOHT
Well-Known Member
yes. In my opinion you shouldn't start reloading with a progressive press. There is tomuch to learn and pay attention to. Any single stage press will be better to learn on and easier to get accurate loads out of for a beginner. A kit is fine, but I would suggest buying it one piece at a time... do your research and find what you like!
I would recommend any good quality single stage to start out. I started with a RCBS years ago and still have it. I've had a couple Turrets that I like also, especially the Redding T7. I still go back to the single stage when loading just a few test rounds, like when I get a new batch of powder. Loading is relaxing if you relax and take your time. Enjoy.
All on one bench? If so how long is your bench?
antelopedundee
Well-Known Member
Does Hornady still offer the Projector progressive press??
osok-1k
Well-Known Member
I've been hand loading since 1976, shot bench rest and still am a LE sniper. I'v had Dillon and RCBS presses, replaced my 60 year old Rock Chucker about a year ago with a new Rock Chucker Supreme. I would have bought the Co-Ax except they were not available at the time.
It sounds like you don't care as much about what things cost as much as doing things right the fist time. If you want to be precise, get great equipment to start with, take your time to learn exactly what each tool does and how to use them correctly. Buy good dies, Forster, Whidden, Redding and certain RCBS, I've found Hornady to have loose tolerances and would not use them for precision loading. Buy a good powder measure to get your load close and trickle up to exactly the desired weight. Have your scale calibrated if you use a beam scale and on and on. One of the best ways to learn is to find someone in your area who has a lot of experience both in loading and precision shooting and ask if they would mentor you until you get comfortable. I would not buy a Dillon except for pistol loads or something like 5.56 / 300 BO where you need volume more than precision. They're great tools for their intended purpose, which is to load a lot of ammo in a short period of time, 750 is the smallest I would consider. Be patient and have a quiet place (distractions cause mistakes) to load with a solid bench where you can hopefully leave things set up and enjoy.
It sounds like you don't care as much about what things cost as much as doing things right the fist time. If you want to be precise, get great equipment to start with, take your time to learn exactly what each tool does and how to use them correctly. Buy good dies, Forster, Whidden, Redding and certain RCBS, I've found Hornady to have loose tolerances and would not use them for precision loading. Buy a good powder measure to get your load close and trickle up to exactly the desired weight. Have your scale calibrated if you use a beam scale and on and on. One of the best ways to learn is to find someone in your area who has a lot of experience both in loading and precision shooting and ask if they would mentor you until you get comfortable. I would not buy a Dillon except for pistol loads or something like 5.56 / 300 BO where you need volume more than precision. They're great tools for their intended purpose, which is to load a lot of ammo in a short period of time, 750 is the smallest I would consider. Be patient and have a quiet place (distractions cause mistakes) to load with a solid bench where you can hopefully leave things set up and enjoy.
tylerw02
Well-Known Member
How is there more to pay attention to?
How is it easier to make more accurate loads?
One can easily set up only one station on a progressive press at a time and perfect that step before adding the next station.
Accuracy depends on the load and doing the process correctly. Unless your press is bad, accurate ammo can be loaded on any modern press.
OP: stop listening to people tell you that you gotta buy something new to get started. You don't.
