New reloader looking for press advice - 9mm handgun
- Thread starter misterzr
- Start date
even a cheap progressive will give a guy a round every few seconds. single stage press would require resizing, change the die/ then flare, then charge, then seat, then crimp.
It would be like sweeping your driveway with a toothbrush.
Hornady lock n load is like $250. you can upgrade later.
It would be like sweeping your driveway with a toothbrush.
Hornady lock n load is like $250. you can upgrade later.
I have never used anything other than a Lee Pro 1000 so I cant recommend anything other than that progressive press. Ya people will complain about it and suggest something that costs double or triple the cost, but honestly, mine works great for 9mm, and when I'm in the groove with good projectiles, I have pumped out 500 rounds in an hour.
Based on your $500 budget,
you can get a Lee Pro set up in 9mm with all the dies you need so its ready to be set up and start loading for around $280 (taxes in) for a brand new one.
You need a scale, my digital was about $60 if I remember correctly.
You will need a bullet puller/hammer, maybe $30
reloading manual, not sure on price, I never bought one, I DL'd a ton of them for free and use the http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/ site.
I also picked up a few other small tools like a brass punch set, a couple of pick sets and things like that which come in handy from time to time.
All within your budget, and a decent press in my limited press experience. Hell, I own 5 of them because I dont want to waste time changing dies, shell plates and powder auto disks so I have 5 presses set up in 5 different calibers
Based on your $500 budget,
you can get a Lee Pro set up in 9mm with all the dies you need so its ready to be set up and start loading for around $280 (taxes in) for a brand new one.
You need a scale, my digital was about $60 if I remember correctly.
You will need a bullet puller/hammer, maybe $30
reloading manual, not sure on price, I never bought one, I DL'd a ton of them for free and use the http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/ site.
I also picked up a few other small tools like a brass punch set, a couple of pick sets and things like that which come in handy from time to time.
All within your budget, and a decent press in my limited press experience. Hell, I own 5 of them because I dont want to waste time changing dies, shell plates and powder auto disks so I have 5 presses set up in 5 different calibers
Ditto on the lee pro 1000. Go to budget shooters supply up top and it's $210
We've used one for decades. I've done between 15000 to 20000 rounds with it over the last year and a half in the 5 calibres that I reload with it.
I reload 9mm for about 15 cents a round and crank out a thousand over a weekend with a few hours here and there spent on it.
I couldn't justify what it would cost me to get a dillon setup to do those 5 calibres with the same degree of automation and ease of changeover. I change my entire turret and entire shell plate carrier and I'm loading something else in a few minutes.
We've used one for decades. I've done between 15000 to 20000 rounds with it over the last year and a half in the 5 calibres that I reload with it.
I reload 9mm for about 15 cents a round and crank out a thousand over a weekend with a few hours here and there spent on it.
I couldn't justify what it would cost me to get a dillon setup to do those 5 calibres with the same degree of automation and ease of changeover. I change my entire turret and entire shell plate carrier and I'm loading something else in a few minutes.
ambishooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Southeastern Canuckstan
I also use this Lee Classic Cast 4-hole Turret Press Kit for 9mm. 150-200 rds per hr and can also be used as single stage press without the indexing bar. Great starter press as I eventually planning to upgrade to a progressive press, double the output.
Don't try to shortcut the cost or the proper process of reloading. You can get set up to hand load 9mm for around $1000 if you go with a 550 and a little more ($1200-1300) if you go with a 650
Using a single stage press turning out pistol ammo is an exercise in frustration. Don't buy into the notion it is a viable option and question those that say it is.
Savings can be had even loading 9mm - it is roughly half the cost of factory ammo if you compared a bulk (per 1000 round case) purchase. If you shoot competition and with training, the cost savings will pay for the press and remaining loading equipment in short order. If you decide to move on the Dillon will retain it's value.
Using a single stage press turning out pistol ammo is an exercise in frustration. Don't buy into the notion it is a viable option and question those that say it is.
Savings can be had even loading 9mm - it is roughly half the cost of factory ammo if you compared a bulk (per 1000 round case) purchase. If you shoot competition and with training, the cost savings will pay for the press and remaining loading equipment in short order. If you decide to move on the Dillon will retain it's value.
How many years will you be in this sport?
How many of those years will be spent wasting time with tools that just make do?
How many hours are you ready to spend fixing or tinkering with the press, rather than loading?
Realistically, it hinges on how much ammo you need. You said, "quite a few," but that means different things to different people and there is no one-size-fits-all perfect solution.
1,000 rounds a week? Anything but a progressive is as fast track to alcoholism.
100 rounds a week? A SS will do you just fine and a progressive might be expensive overkill.
Much of the 'slow' with SS is in set-up - swapping and adjusting dies. A turret press puts all of them in what amounts to a rotatable plate. If you use the same calibre/load each time, it's a snap to switch as they're already adjusted. Not as fast as a progressive, but faster overall than a SS.
If you want numbers, I have a simple Excel file you can plug in different costs (equipment and components) to give you savings per round, pay-off times, etc. PM me with your email address if you want it.
Your idea to use factory ammo for brass is basically solid, I think.
1,000 rounds a week? Anything but a progressive is as fast track to alcoholism.
100 rounds a week? A SS will do you just fine and a progressive might be expensive overkill.
Much of the 'slow' with SS is in set-up - swapping and adjusting dies. A turret press puts all of them in what amounts to a rotatable plate. If you use the same calibre/load each time, it's a snap to switch as they're already adjusted. Not as fast as a progressive, but faster overall than a SS.
If you want numbers, I have a simple Excel file you can plug in different costs (equipment and components) to give you savings per round, pay-off times, etc. PM me with your email address if you want it.
Your idea to use factory ammo for brass is basically solid, I think.
turbo_bird
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kamloops, BC
Like the rest here say, single stage is way to slow for doing lots of pistol ammo. I'm using my single stage for reloading 45 acp right now, but once I run through the brass that I already have prepped, I think I will look at a Dillon 550. I prep cases in large batches to save time. I leave whatever die I am using in the press, so when I have a few minutes I can run some brass through the press. Having the brass primed and sized I can load about 200 in an hour, and that includes running them through a factory crimp die after seating. I can do about 50-75/hour when doing all the steps for a small batch, vs 400-500/hour for a progressive.
Kristian
Kristian
In the OP's case I'd agree- he says he's shooting competitively. But for those of us who don't go through large amounts of ammo, or are on a tight budget, a single stage is indeed viable. As for frustration, that's not really true provided you break up the process into steps, ie: resize/decap at one sitting, next weekend prime, following weekend powder and seat the bullet. It's a nice winter project for me.
fwiw, I reload 9mm for approx 15 cents/rd.
- Location
- West Quebec
Totally agree I load for 2 pistol and one rifle on my Forester and it is just fine.. would I like a faster press maybe but not in my budget..
I really don't get the comments about a progressive not 'being in one's budget' when it comes to shooting.
A) shooting is an expensive sport - the ammunition being a large cost factor alone, and probably the biggest for those that don't travel and compete.
B) presses don't generally wear out, and their components don't go out of date or expire - guys have passed presses from one generation to the next.
C) most of the put offs on progressives are made out of ignorance of what can be done on them and how versatile they can be (IMHO, based on what I hear and what I thought before getting into it).
I went for years without loading, thinking it was a pain in the a$$, too time consuming, too complicated, takes up too much space, etc., etc.
Once I got into it, I like most got a single stage and went for a couple of years thinking 'this is good enough'. I've done more than my fair share on a single stage loading 9mm...in hind-sight, it sucks dead donkey balls.
Every shooter should hand load, and every loader should be familiar with a progressive.
A) shooting is an expensive sport - the ammunition being a large cost factor alone, and probably the biggest for those that don't travel and compete.
B) presses don't generally wear out, and their components don't go out of date or expire - guys have passed presses from one generation to the next.
C) most of the put offs on progressives are made out of ignorance of what can be done on them and how versatile they can be (IMHO, based on what I hear and what I thought before getting into it).
I went for years without loading, thinking it was a pain in the a$$, too time consuming, too complicated, takes up too much space, etc., etc.
Once I got into it, I like most got a single stage and went for a couple of years thinking 'this is good enough'. I've done more than my fair share on a single stage loading 9mm...in hind-sight, it sucks dead donkey balls.
Every shooter should hand load, and every loader should be familiar with a progressive.
Armored Metal
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- The People's Republik of Kébekistan
Maybe my situation can help you understand why a progressive press is not within my budget:
Married
2 young kids
A mortgage
City taxes
School taxes
One car
A dog
.....and a hamster.
To add to all this, the growing cost of groceries ans gas.
I'm in my forties. I've been shooting since I was 12. I LOVE shooting. I think of shooting sooo many times in a day. I used to compete but have had to put it on stand-by until the kids are a little older.
One year ago I started reloading. All I could afford was a single stage press and a modest ammount of components. Guess what? I discovered a new passion and now can't stop thinking about reloading all the time. For now, I don't get to shoot as much as I'de like but that's OK, because my priorities have changed. I'll get to shoot more often in a few years and even tough I'de love to get a Dillon...I just can't for now....it's not in my budget.
And yes, a single stage is slow for loading pistol rounds but I reload by the batch method and it's my Zen moment once the kids are in bed
armoured metal;
just checked the price of factory, and it looks like it costs about $361/1000rnds. I got a used Dillon set up for 9mm for $500.
Its mathematical and situational if a person will save money and can afford one or not.
If you shoot 1000rnds a month, gear will pay for itself in 2 months, then your cost of ammo is cut in half.
It has little do to with what other things you have to pay for, its how you are putting your money into shooting. If you have $500 to spend, wouldn't you want it to go as far as it can?
a few guys have mentioned the 650. it cost more than a 550, and way more than a hornady lock n load. you can get a progressive press for under $300.
But if you only shoot one box of ammo a month, then its not even worth discussing.
just checked the price of factory, and it looks like it costs about $361/1000rnds. I got a used Dillon set up for 9mm for $500.
Its mathematical and situational if a person will save money and can afford one or not.
If you shoot 1000rnds a month, gear will pay for itself in 2 months, then your cost of ammo is cut in half.
It has little do to with what other things you have to pay for, its how you are putting your money into shooting. If you have $500 to spend, wouldn't you want it to go as far as it can?
a few guys have mentioned the 650. it cost more than a 550, and way more than a hornady lock n load. you can get a progressive press for under $300.
But if you only shoot one box of ammo a month, then its not even worth discussing.
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00...d_t=201&pf_rd_p=1535035302&pf_rd_i=B003BWTF1E
Just buy this for 300 bucks and you're set except for dies and components. I use it for 38 and 45 and love it. If you can skip across the border you can buy it for almost half that.
Just buy this for 300 bucks and you're set except for dies and components. I use it for 38 and 45 and love it. If you can skip across the border you can buy it for almost half that.
