Single stage or progressive ?

get progressive for volume and they do make excellent rifle rounds too. If you are really fussy about it, then use the progressive in a single stage way.
Then you still have the flexibility to go progressive for high volume.

On the flip side you cannot use a single stage press in a progressive way.
 
the latest versions of the 550 have an AUDIBLE SENSOR ON BOTH THE POWDER MEASURE AND THE PRIMER FEED- IT'S AN ANNOYING 'whaaah -EVEN MY OLD 92 VERSION HAS THE PRIMER SENSOR-and i think it's got the original battery- THE RUNNING OUT OF POWDER AND PRIMERS ARGUMENT DOES NOT HOLD WATER- and older ones can be retrofitted FOR them
 
t-star said:
the latest versions of the 550 have an AUDIBLE SENSOR ON BOTH THE POWDER MEASURE AND THE PRIMER FEED- IT'S AN ANNOYING 'whaaah -EVEN MY OLD 92 VERSION HAS THE PRIMER SENSOR-and i think it's got the original battery- THE RUNNING OUT OF POWDER AND PRIMERS ARGUMENT DOES NOT HOLD WATER- and older ones can be retrofitted FOR them
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The 450's and 500's can add the primer sensor.. Heck I've been known to give them away :) and the low powder sensor is a replacement for the cap in the Powder measure.. it's worth about 30 bucks but as I said the Powder Measure is clear... the Sensor is an idiot light it may be too late when it goes off!
 
Jarlath said:
errors such as too little or too much powder
[...]
If you run outta primers or have a jam in that primer feeder, yet another error to occur.
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1) get an RCBS Lock Out die. About $40, stops the press if there's a lot too much or a lot too little powder. Or none. Then load with an easy-flowing powder and occasionally look at the transparent hopper... The lock out die only applies to handgun rounds, but really powder is never an issue.

2) you'll know quickly, because a) it will feel different and b) there will be powder where there shouldn't be. Then you pick the un-primered rounds out of the bin - no problem.

As for quality, while I would not do benchrest on a progressive, I was the only guy to clean the precision stage at HAHA this year with any gun, let alone a semi, and I loaded that .223 on my LNL AP.
 
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Sounds good, thanks for the input ! Looks like I'm going progressive; now I'll have to choose Dillon, Lee or Hordinary. For now I like the Lee, more reading to do.

Thanks all
 
Best of both worlds

When I got into reloading a few years ago, I asked around the club and got a 50-50 answer between the dillons and the Lee. Being on a budget I opted for the Lee.
I found the progressive part to be a pain at times so I took the twisted stick out of the center that turns the dies and do it by hand.
The way I do it sounds similar to what you do. I deprime/resize 100,200, 400 what ever I want on the press. Take my tupperware upstairs and hand prime (lee auto prime) in front of the tv. take the brass back down stairs, if its pistol I have a powder measure set up for every caliber with the dies locked in place on their own tool heads. (Once set no changing them) then put em through the press, fill, seat, crimp, fill , seat, crimp and so on.
For rifles I place primed cases in wooden tray open ends up and have a RCBS powder dispenser (manual) for basic plinking loads and put em in one after another (very quick) . For accuracy loads I use an electronic scale and I'm specific about them all being exactly the same but that's time consuming.

Each piece was bought on a budget and didn't cost me alot. The only expensive piece was the electronic scale/dispenser and I think it was worth the investment for the accuracy I was looking for.

M.
p.s. I've tried priming on the Lee Press , it sucks,,, bought the Hand primer and I love it.
 
I was thinking about that a least for the beginning (before production), so you use your progressive press like 4 or 5 single stage presses ? As I reloaded before with a single stage this should be a good way to get back is the procedure.
 
Just dive in. If you've used a single-stage, a progressive is same thing only several operations happen at once. When you're tuning it up, you put a single case in and watch it move through the stages. once you have some confidence, you fill it up and go.
 
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