Feeding The Black Beast

Glenfilthie

Glenfilthie

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How many of you guys are running progressive reloaders?

I am still single staging it and I just can't keep up anymore. Between my 45 and the AR I will be chained to the press for the rest of my life just to keep up with these powder gobblers, never mind my other hunters.

I can see the sense of a Dillon or similiar progressive press for pistols but what about rifles? It has been my experience that the powders used for the .223 usually don't meter well. Have any of you noticed a drop off in accuracy by going to a progressive?

I am thinking it might be time to bite the bullet and go to a progressive press but I would like to do so by knowing what to expect going in if possible.

Your two cents are appreciated...:confused:
 
I went one step in between, a turret press. I can load about 175-200 rounds in one hour for pistol. Caliber change outs are a breeze, just swap in another die plate.

I haven't loaded any .223 yet, but I would suspect if the powder doesn't meter well, your groups would open up.
 
I loaded .223 on a Dillon 1050.

If your prefered powder doesn't meter well through the Dillon, just use the progressive to process the cases, and then drop powder and seat the bullets on your single stage.
 
I process .223 on a Dillon 550, and get +/-.1 grain with H335. Actually, I would say 7 out of 10 are exactly the chosen charge weight.

I started reloading on a progressive - I can't IMAGINE how long it must take using a single stage. :)
 
I do both rifle and pistol reloading on my Dillon 550. Ball powders do tend to meter more consistently than stick powders through the Dillon powder measure.

I, too started out with a progressive loading for pistols. I prefer the "housekeeping" aspect of throwing the charge, then seating/crimping the bullet on a progressive, compared with throwing charges in a batch, then seating bullets.

As far as accuracy goes, I can get groups of around 1.5"-1.6" at 100 yards out of my Norinco M14 using iron sights. I doubt it would be possible to improve much on that.
 
I would say it all comes down to the "how much do you care factor" If you are going to be target shooting and accuracy is what you are going for than you'll never beat your single stage press. That goes for your 45 or your .223 Usually your only shooting short distances with your 45 so the margin of error between progressive and single stage is much smaller. But with your .223 it will become more significant. if your trying to make bullet holes touch at 100 yards than the progressive loader is not for you. If your just hunting with your 223 than I would go with the progressive loader. The more care you put into making bullets the better they will shoot!! Like i mentioned earlier, it all comes down to the how much do you care factor!!
 
.50BMG said:
I would say it all comes down to the "how much do you care factor" If you are going to be target shooting and accuracy is what you are going for than you'll never beat your single stage press. That goes for your 45 or your .223 Usually your only shooting short distances with your 45 so the margin of error between progressive and single stage is much smaller. But with your .223 it will become more significant. if your trying to make bullet holes touch at 100 yards than the progressive loader is not for you. If your just hunting with your 223 than I would go with the progressive loader. The more care you put into making bullets the better they will shoot!! Like i mentioned earlier, it all comes down to the how much do you care factor!!
Click to expand...

I'll have to respectfully disagree here - I have loaded match ammo on my current 550B and on the 650 that I had prior that shot in the low .400's out of a Savage 110FP in .223. I know several people who load for 6BR on a 650 and shoot in the .250" range on a good day.

Case prep, sorting your cases and picking a powder that meters well is probably more important than the difference between single-stage and a good progressive...

I'll add here - single-stage or progressive has no bearing on how or whether the original poster is actually making bullets. Now reloading cartridges, well that's another matter altogether. Very few people (aside from casters) make bullets, however lots of folks reload cartridges...

If you wish to have your opinion taken seriously, you really need to at least sound like you know what you're talking about. Remember that just having an opinion doesn't make you right...


blake
(in a particularly picky mood this evening)
 
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