Is it worth it to reload pistol rounds with a single stage press?

Tak said:
In your opinion ? I'm not gonna shoot 1000's... yet :p
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IMHO NO, just to slow, you will end up shooting more when you reload and will quickly get bored with a single stage, some people maybe able to load 100's an hour, but not me.

I am moving on to lnl ap, even for rifle.
 
I`ve done lots on a single stage, but i like reloading and don`t find it a chore. Used to keep me occupied in the evenings, of coarse that was in the old days before computers and chat lines.
 
depends what your loading i guess, 9mm or 38 is a deffinat know in my books, but if your loading .50ae or for the .500SW then its fine, since "most" people wont shoot more then 50ish rounds out per trip

i use my single stage for my .50cal hand cannons, as its easier and faster then resetting up the progressive to me
 
id say for sure start with a single stage if your new to reloading..you take your time.. that way and learn and pay more attention to the individual steps of the reloading..
 
Yeah I've already got a single stage kit, but i'm still fairly new to it, I've only reloaded rifle so far (300 wm, 30-30 and 306). At the same time, I'm new to recreational pistol shooting as well, so I don't know how much I'll shoot. In any case I don't plan on buying a progressive yet, so my dilemma was between commercial ammo or reloading. Might go reloading since I like doing it :)
 
I reload pistol ammo single stage, augmented with a Lee hand priming tool.
Yes it takes longer, but you can save time with having plenty of prepared brass beforehand.
(cleaned and sized maybe even primed awating thrown powder charges)
A few nice things about handloading this way, you'll never accidently seat a primer backwards and if you are vigilant in your visual inspection of the primed cases filled with powder on a 50 round reloading tray just prior to seating bullets, you will rarely have any issues with your handloads.
I load for 45 Auto, 44 Special and 44 Magnum mostly. And a few rifle cartridges as well.
 
well a few weekends ago i loaded up 1000 9mm

and from dirty once fired to to clean, primed, sized, loaded. was 8 hours not including tumbling.

im getting a dillion 650 for Christmas..

but having a single stage to test and do small scale stuff is fine.
 
It all depends on where your interests lie. If reloading is as much of the overall hobby as just pulling the trigger, then go for a single stage. Each round you make is a labour of love and something to be proud of. If you only enjoy pulling the trigger and don't want to waste time reloading, then go for a progressive machine. Depending on my mood, I'll single stage with my Lee or crank them out with my Dillon Square Deal or my 550. Only you know what you really want to do.
 
When shooting a .44 Magnum for Silhouette my reloading was done with a Pacific "C" press I bought used as part of a deal with my first .44. Using 24 grains of WW296 powder was the easy part.
 
Tak said:
In your opinion ? I'm not gonna shoot 1000's... yet :p
Click to expand...

Is it worth it to load 9mm pistol rounds in a single stage? If a single is all you got, then use it until you decide you need a faster machine.

Only you can answer that. What's your time worth to you? For me, single stage reloading is too tedious for pistol rounds that do not need to be precision loaded.

I load 9mmm, 45acp and 40S&W in a turret. 38spl in a progressive. To me, those equipment make the most sense to me, based on my shooting needs and budget.

I will start loading 30-06 and that will be a job for my Lee Classic Cast Single.
 
Tak said:
Yeah I've already got a single stage kit, but i'm still fairly new to it, I've only reloaded rifle so far (300 wm, 30-30 and 306). At the same time, I'm new to recreational pistol shooting as well, so I don't know how much I'll shoot. In any case I don't plan on buying a progressive yet, so my dilemma was between commercial ammo or reloading. Might go reloading since I like doing it :)
Click to expand...

Since you already have a single stage, the short answer is - of course. Use your single stage until you feel a need to go to a progressive.
Remember that you will be loading in batches - size all, bell all, prime all, powder charge (as many as your loading block takes), seat the bullets on the charged cases in your loading block.
 
I've loaded a lot of pistol ammunition on a single stage press.
Then I started using a Lee turret press as follows:
-size and deprime.
-tumble.
-prime with a Lee tool.
-bell and charge on the press, using a Lee through the die expander with Lee disc measure mounted on it.
-manually rotate the turret, seat the bullet. Rotate back, for next round.
Made a lot of ammunition this way.
Currently use a Dillon SDB.
Have made a lot of ammunition this way as well.
A larger progressive would be even faster.
Use what you've got, decide if you want to go faster.
 
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