Is it worth reloading 9mm or 38 sp with a single stage press ??

fogducker said:
i would recommend any one to start off with a single stage press...
it just makes it easier and simpler to follow the stages in the reloading processes ...
once you have the understanding of why your doing what,give er and get the toys to speed things up for you....
then you can resell the single stage in the EE..;)
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Or just buy a turret press and use it in single stage format until you need the speed of the turret press.
 
jacky said:
I don't know about the ready thing since I have been through this with shot shells and my MEC 600 lasted a month before I got went with the MEC 9000 hydralic.

I shoot 9mm in my semi-auto far more than my 38/ 357 so the 9mm is where the majority of my cost is. Is the 1000 9mm ready to go meaning I don't need to get anything else. If it is I think that one of those for loading 9mm is the best option.
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ok, let ask you this-are you prepared to remove the entire shellplate carrier and spend maybe a full afternoon or night getting the thing to feed- there's just so many fiddly things with the 1000 that it's a well known nightmare when it goes wrong- however, all that said, i've got 1 in 9mm that works perfectly now that i've performed all the tricks on it- in your shoes, i still go for a second press- one in 9mm ( the 1000) and 1 in 38/357- either the 4 holer or the loadmaster- just be aware of the primer feed with the 1000- it doesn't always feed a primer to the pin- other than that along with accompanying powder dump( this is where you pull the carrier and start cussing, take the carrier apart and blow the works out with compressed air) and re-assemble - this is usually a result of not aving enough primers in the system( fill the tray, not the trough- the system uses the weight of the primer column to push the primer into position on the pin
the loadmaster, has no such problems as it uses a DIFFERENT and seperate station for priming and powder dump- also changing calibers , while more expensive, is simpler
the only place where the loadmaster gets tricky is changing primer sizes- ie large and small
the 1000 requires you to disassemble the entire carrier to changethe shellplate - with the loadmaster you undo the thumb screw and lift the plate out, put the new one on, and do the screw back up-
changing the heads are about the same, provided you have everything loaded on a spare head
and if there is a powder dump, it goes harmlessly down the ram and gets cleaned out when you dump the primers- again some compressed air takes care of that when you're doing the maintaince( oil and grease ) anyway
 
Is it worth it?

Here's a sample computation on costing I posted on another thread for reloading 1,000 9mm rds vs. Cheapest 9mm factory loads

I mold lead heads and reload 9mm. Cost per 1,000:
- Primer $40
- Powder 1 lb. $29
- Brass $25
- 35 lbs. lead $35
- liquid lube $1
Reloading cost/1k = $130

Wolf Bullets 9mm Ammo = $11.08/50rnds or $221.60/1k plus shipping of $160 = $381

Savings = $251/1k

Since you shoot 100rds/week you should realize your savings in four months which should cover the cost for a single stage and dies.
My actual savings are larger as I have a free source of lead (w/ antimony) and my brass is largely free. I have been using a single stage RCBS Rock Chucker for the past 25 years but am now shooting multiple calibers (9mm, .40 & .45) so would prefer to spend my extra time at the range.
I agree with others who recomend you start of with a single stage. Being patient and meticulous to quality are traits developed with regularity on most single stage presses.
That being said, am saving the coin to make the purchase of a used progressive which I hope to get before year's end.
Anyone what to sell their Dillon 550????
 
if he's ALREADY RELOADED shot shells, he's far from ' STARTING OFF' -a shotshell employs much of the same theory as metallic cartridge reloading- FORGET ABOUT the single stage- he said so in his first post
 
hmmmmm this is certainly a ton to think about. As tstar said the fiddly things with the 1000 may drive me nuts and I know this well. My MEC 9000 used to load Federal hulls to perfection, but with winchesters.....it was VERY time consuming and fiddly to get it to crimp well and produced a nice reloaded hull, why ?? who knows.

So maybe the LEE loadmaster is the way to go. I think I will start with 9mm and work my way through the whole process then try other calibers. It appears much the same as rifle cartridge reloading but I have never had to crimp or use three dies.
 
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