- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
OK, somebody is going to have to explain this to me, as I'm way too dumb to figure it out for myself.
When I load, it seems to me that the most time consuming part of the process is case prep. I tumble my fired cases, inspect them for damage, lube, resize, wipe clean, clean primer pockets, trim (my Giraud trims and chamfers in the same operation), expand the case mouth if applicable, then prime. All that is left for me to do then is to charge the case with powder, seat the bullet, and crimp, if that operation is prudent. I can see the usefulness of an automatic press when one loads new brass but after a couple of firings problems would occur - would they not?
By loading in a step-by-step operation, I can wipe lube off bottleneck cases before the machine indexes them to the next station. I can clean primer pockets after the sizing operation. When I seat primers as a separate operation, I can tell if the primer pocket has expanded beyond useful limitations. I can check for cracks occurring around the mouth of the case after I run it through the expanding die. In short I have good quality control at every step of the loading operation.
Every time I have considered the purchase of an automatic system, I consider these things and go back to my single stage press. When loading pistol ammo I could certainly speed up the process with a Redding turret press, but with regards to the auto-presses, I don't want to loose the quality control that the step-by-step operation affords me.
Yet folks are flocking to the Dillons - even some match shooters. So, how about some of you Dillon guys filling me in. Are you using the automatic presses for only 3 operations, charging the case with powder, seating the bullet, and crimping? What am I missing, besides a couple of thousand rounds an hour?
When I load, it seems to me that the most time consuming part of the process is case prep. I tumble my fired cases, inspect them for damage, lube, resize, wipe clean, clean primer pockets, trim (my Giraud trims and chamfers in the same operation), expand the case mouth if applicable, then prime. All that is left for me to do then is to charge the case with powder, seat the bullet, and crimp, if that operation is prudent. I can see the usefulness of an automatic press when one loads new brass but after a couple of firings problems would occur - would they not?
By loading in a step-by-step operation, I can wipe lube off bottleneck cases before the machine indexes them to the next station. I can clean primer pockets after the sizing operation. When I seat primers as a separate operation, I can tell if the primer pocket has expanded beyond useful limitations. I can check for cracks occurring around the mouth of the case after I run it through the expanding die. In short I have good quality control at every step of the loading operation.
Every time I have considered the purchase of an automatic system, I consider these things and go back to my single stage press. When loading pistol ammo I could certainly speed up the process with a Redding turret press, but with regards to the auto-presses, I don't want to loose the quality control that the step-by-step operation affords me.
Yet folks are flocking to the Dillons - even some match shooters. So, how about some of you Dillon guys filling me in. Are you using the automatic presses for only 3 operations, charging the case with powder, seating the bullet, and crimping? What am I missing, besides a couple of thousand rounds an hour?
