[44 Magnum only] dillon / lee / hornady

first- don't listen to the single stage guys- i started off with an rcbs partner - just one- and was going to reload 308 winchester only,and within months i had to have another press and powder measure, scales, trimmer, etc- why two?- well you have 2 dies- one for resizing and one for bullet seating- put the powder measure between the two and you have a natural progression of case, powder , bullet- then i got the m14 and found out i was spending roughly a half-hour to do 20 rounds complete- not including prep- and this was back in the days before c-68 when we had 20 round mags- that feb i got my 550b- the only thing on the market that could do 308 win progressively- well semi- progressively - it doesn't auto- index
now as to mounting it, i've got my 550 and a bunch of others on a MODIFIED MICROWAVE CART, and it's on casters- that's EIGHTEEN INCHES SQUARE- WHY DO YOU NEED ALL THAT ROOM- my cart carries 3 lee 1000, 1 turret press, and the 550b- in the center, i have my scale, and my trimmers are in holes drilled in the top- all my other "junk" is in those garbage bins from tire mounted on the non-press ends- so it's portable- the powder ( 8 pounders) is kept in the bottom cabinet along with the conversion units- i can also sync the 2 lee 1000 if i want to do 9mm and 45 at the same time- just use a threaded rod between the two- but then you have to use both hands on the rams, and you can;t stop and fix things that go wrong
when it comes to reloading , single stage is about as antiquated as they come- these days i'd go directly to a progressive, or at least a turret- if you want volume and follow the directions EXACTLY, use FULL STROKES( this is where the accidents happen) and watch each stage CAREFULLY , there is no need to burden yourself with model t equipment
 
You know what... since i am alone in my team.. you guys may be right.. there is probably more complicated science behind the process.. even tho my first impression of reviews and youtube press demo, readings, etc.. seem to let me believe.

I do want to make it secure.. avoid mistakes.

Cosmic, you got some great points but for the 44 magnum project.. its more quantity than quality.. im not going hunting with it.. more of a plinking cowboy style toy.

I know i'll reload 30-06 someday.. that will be 100% more accuracy than quantity.
 
Here was my logic.. tho i may agree it was not clear the way i asked things...

I could buy a progressive.. and start slow.. single stage style but with a press that will be there once you get good quality ammo.

Lee turret press.. you can remove the rotating pin at the center and use it as a single press
Dillon 550B.. you have to rotate it manually..

so you can start learning with a overkill press and have the "mass production/speed" for the day you need it... without buying another press.. and you can still go slow and check every step single stage style.

What i was thinking: once you get the right 44 magnum recipe.. i'll not have to tweak anything else and just mass produce them
 
If you want to learn how to reload on a progressive, start by running one case at a time on the shellplate, doing each operation in turn on that case. Once you get the hang of it, you can start using it as a progressive press, doing all operations simultaneously on different cases. When I took up reloading with my Dillon 550, I had no difficulty learning how to use it. The same press works just fine for both rifle and pistol reloading; lots of people use progressive presses for bottleneck rifle cartridges.

There is absolutely nothing wrong and a lot right with buying the right press for your volume needs right off the bat. If anything, it would be better to err on the side of more capacity than less capacity.
 
I used a C-Press for a long time, reloading 44 Mag for Silhouette.
When a carbide die was purchased, this was like the advent of sliced bread.
Planning ahead saved time in the long run, as the brass was resized, then tumbled, case mouth, primed, powder added, and the bullet seated and crimped.
Over the course of a few days, a weekly supply could be produced.
Occasionally there would be a store of 200 and the next session would be a month away.
It was a case of mind over matter . . . I didn't mind and it didn't matter.
 
My experience with a progressive press is that they are great for mediocre ammunition. For pistol it shouldn't matter, but with a high powered pistol like 44Magnum you will want to get a single stage/turret so that you can accurately crimp your bullets the same every time. My hornady LNL will seat within 0.005 every time but that might not be good enough for a Magnum pistol like the 44. I would get a Redding T7 so that you can get the accuracy you want. Grafs.com is a great website for these products as that is where I bought my progressive. I also reload in an apartment, here is my setup
Reloading%2520setup.jpg
 
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