Need a new progressive press for .40, .308, .223

Icefire

Icefire

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I currently have a Lee pro 1000, and it was good enought.

I want something that you load bullets, case, primer, powder and only have to drop the lever.

I don't have 1000$ for it, so the cheapest that would do the job without an headache (like 1h to change caliber).

I currently have limited time to reload, and would like to be able to do 150+ round per hour.

Suggestion?
 
It's double what you say you want to spend, but a Dillon 1050 with two spare toolheads and the KISS bullet feeder will meet your needs.
 
Icefire said:
Nothing aroung 500$?
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The Dillon 550 would do it for that (press only) or the Hornady LNL - but neither will be a 'pull only the lever once' affair. Besides, you will have a fair amount of work ahead of you prepping the bottle necked rifle cases before they even get to the press.
 
Looking at Dillon website, you can't get a bullet feeder kit for either the 550 or 650... am I wrong?

beltfed, already prepping .40 brass, what is different for 308? I'm not looking for World Class brass.... just something accurate 1MOA and safe.
 
Prep for the bottleneck rifle cases generally should include measuring length and trimming after resizing die. What are you shooting them out of?
 
sks and rem 742

I guess I'll keep the Lee pro for a while, some bullet feeder kit cost more than a Dillon 550... lol.

If I can get the Lee bullet feeder kit to work...
 
If you're reloading for an SKS - you're wasting time AND money. Don't bother. Surplus 7.62x39 is plentiful and cheap. Plus, 7.62x39 isn't that inherently accurate - nor is the SKS! Reloading for 7.62x39 is a TOTAL waste (in my opinion). You'll NEVER get 1 moa out of an SKS. Not gonna happen.

.308 can be loaded fairly cost effectively. I make precision loads for less than $0.50/round - waay less if I use FMJ instead of AMAX.

I can load .223 in my Dillon 550 at the rate of about 400/hr. This is handfeeding the brass and the bullets.

This assumes that brass is prepped and ready, and extra primer tubes are filled up and ready to go.

You will NOT find a solution with a case and bullet feeder for $500 - sorry to burst your bubble!
 
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How can ya do 400/hr by feeding both case and bullet? That's like running VERY quick.

My Lee pro work good, If I go too hard I get some case stuck on the resizing/depriming die so I take the time to look at the powder..
 
It IS quick - but once you get into a groove, it's not that tough. That's one round every 9 seconds - if you don't have any stoppages, you can do more than that. As long as the brass and bullets are within reach, and you're in a comfy position, you can crank em out like crazy.
 
You can get the KISS bullet feeder to work on both the 550 and LNL...although with the 550, I admit is doesn't make much sense.
 
Well I just bought an AR-180b so I can add .223 to the list.

To reload .40, .223 and .308, quickly with an auto case feeder for the .40, easy to switch caliber. What are the choice?

The Lee can do .223 and could do .308 but it need to be crimped after. A 5 stage press would be better I think
 
I have a 650 with a case feeder dedicated to 308. I use a die position to bell mouth cases (with a 303 neck button) and the last die position is a taper crimp to close the bell mouth. This is in lieu of case mouth champfering.

It is getting close to 1 million rounds. At the Shot Show the Dillon guy told me a key piece of the machine has been improved and offered to replace it free.

I only feed it factory new (and primed) cases. It cranks out 500 to 600 per hour.

For handgun I use an old 450. I have given up trying to get it prime cases, so I size and prime cases before loading. It works well. A caliber change over only takes a few minutes, although I prefer to load thousands of a caliber before changing over. I only plink, so having a year's supply of ammo on the shelf is not a problem.

While I am impressed with the product of most suppliers, when it comes to progressive presses, I realy like Dillon.
 
Wouldn't the Load-Master be better Price/Quality wise?

5 station, auto case feeder, only need to put the bullet and it can Factory crimp on the last station.

for the 3 caliber it would run me around 450$ while one caliber LnL is more than that.
 
It is precisely because of the trimming rifle cases require after resizing that you will gain very little advantage from a progressive press. Handgun ammo is where they shine. A little know fact is that it is the full length resizing process is the main cause of case stretch. If you have your heart set on a progressive then you can save a little time by using it for the priming, dispensing, seating and crimping steps but you will still have to size, clean and trim seperately. A case that is too long is potentially very dangerous.

Brian


Grizzlypeg said:
Prep for the bottleneck rifle cases generally should include measuring length and trimming after resizing die. What are you shooting them out of?
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Question would be how many .223's and .308's do you shoot per range trip... per month... progressive might be overkill... dont discount a good single stage with quick change dies... start to finish most people could easly make 150 per hour on one of those machines
 
lcq said:
It is precisely because of the trimming rifle cases require after resizing that you will gain very little advantage from a progressive press. Handgun ammo is where they shine. A little know fact is that it is the full length resizing process is the main cause of case stretch. If you have your heart set on a progressive then you can save a little time by using it for the priming, dispensing, seating and crimping steps but you will still have to size, clean and trim seperately. A case that is too long is potentially very dangerous.

Brian
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Why after? I trim during resizing with a Dillon RL-1200 and bell the case mouth as GANDERITE explained with a Lyman 'M' die. Rifle on a progressive is much faster and still accurate if done properly.

One wet tumbling with ceramic media and two tool heads and I have loaded ammo.
 
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