Single stage press vs. progressive?

Boomer454

Boomer454

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
103   0   0
Location
Southern Alberta
I suppose this might have been better off in the reloading forum, but I figure most guys here aren't shooting factory ammo.

Anyway. Is there any reason you can't load precision ammo on a progressive press?
I have a dillon 550B and an old rcbs jr3. I'm loading 223 on te single stage but time wise it's killing me.

Can a progressive load with the precision I need for an MOA or better gun?
 
Unless your making hundreds of .223 for a semi-auto on the progressive, you will get better precision ammo on a single stage press.

I have the Hornady progressive and only do my pistol ammo in bulk.
 
Powderfinger61 said:
Unless your making hundreds of .223 for a semi-auto on the progressive, you will get better precision ammo on a single stage press.

I have the Hornady progressive and only do my pistol ammo in bulk.
Click to expand...

I do high quantity 1/2 moa quality ammo on my hornady progressive.
It's the powder measure that is the time vs quality thing.
No powder throw is accurate enough, you need a pair of electronic powder dispensers.
Other than that, no problems.

Do your deprime, resize separate for smoother operation.
 
Lets put it this way.......there is not a competitive rifle shooter, that I have ever talked to, that uses a progressive press to load with.
 
The limiting factor is the tolerance the powder measure can dump powder.

Most can't hold +/- 0.2gr with an extruded powder. That is way too big an error range. Blasting ammo, no problem. LR precision, not a hope.

One solution is using ball powders and some new gen stuff is pretty interesting. I hope to pursue some in the future when time allows.

But for a 223, you have to hold to the same 0.1gr and that is not likely to happen with any powder dispenser anytime soon.

You can speed up your powder loading by using a quality digi scale. These are miles faster then a balance beam scale and far more accurate (beam scales aren't very accurate). I have likely cut the time for each charge to 1/4 the time it used to take me with a beam scale. I know I am faster then a RCBS chargemaster and far more accurate.
Jerry
 
Why is this in the Precision Rifles thread? Surely this is a reloading question. It seems too often of late that questions in this section have very little to do with "Precision Rifles"
 
I'm with Mystic on this one. The smaller the powder capacity - the more accurate the powder weight needs to be in order to maintain the same velocity spread.

And forget the Chargemaster - it's a complete waist of money if you are looking for a precision load. Before you guys get your panties in a twist, let me explain..,.

If you spend two dollars less than the cost of a chargemaster on a digital scale, you will have a scale that is at least 5 times more precise meaning your loads will have 1/5th the velocity spread.

Why two dollars less you may be wondering...

That's for a set of Lee powder scoops which are almost as accurate as the Chargemaster - and faster.

If you really want to sit in the high weeds, get an Omega trickler too - they are the best.
 
the runout on the 223 I make on my 550 is disgusting. It's fine for plinking, or pistol, but no more than that

but then again, isn't the shaft on the RCBS jr3 a bit wobbly?
I have the rcbs partner press, and I wouldn't load anything on it. I use it strickly for removing primer crimps and even doing this small task warps the frame!
 
The runnout with regular dies will be the same/similar on a progresive as it would be on most single stage presses. The dies are what make the difference, and using precision/match quality dies on a press like the 550 will yield similar results to using them on a single stage press.
You can easily remove the powder dispensing step from a progressive, so if that is an issue for you as a loader who counts the number of kernels - it essentially turns the process into a 'semi-progressive' - it is still faster than on a single stage, and the quality is still there.

I'd wager a bet folks who dismiss the progressive as a viable option for long range precision loading are people who have likely never tried it.
 
damadama said:
Why is this in the Precision Rifles thread? Surely this is a reloading question. It seems too often of late that questions in this section have very little to do with "Precision Rifles"
Click to expand...

Surely the title line was clear enough. I wouldn't have clicked on it if I didn't wish to read it. "No biggie". ;)
 
damadama said:
Why is this in the Precision Rifles thread? Surely this is a reloading question. It seems too often of late that questions in this section have very little to do with "Precision Rifles"
Click to expand...


Those of us that are just learning about precision shooting get better answers here than elsewhere. Besides isn't reloading and creating precision loads about 75% of precision shooting? Just my $.02
 
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek059.html

About the Chargemaster; if you try and use it out of the box, without tuning it and not paying attention to what the display reads when you remove the pan, then yes its crap. However, it can be accurate if you tune it, add a reducer and make sure the display always reads -(pan weight) before dumping the powder. I had an Acculab VIC-323. The SDs I got from using it were no better. it was slow because it was always drifting all over the place (even on a UPS). My two Chargemaster keep the powder flowing as fast as I can seat the bullets and check the runouts.
 
kombayotch said:
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek059.html

About the Chargemaster; if you try and use it out of the box, without tuning it and not paying attention to what the display reads when you remove the pan, then yes its crap. However, it can be accurate if you tune it, add a reducer and make sure the display always reads -(pan weight) before dumping the powder. I had an Acculab VIC-323. The SDs I got from using it were no better. it was slow because it was always drifting all over the place (even on a UPS). My two Chargemaster keep the powder flowing as fast as I can seat the bullets and check the runouts.
Click to expand...

Now 've never had the inclination to try, but from what I've heard, it is not possible to shine up a turd.

Clearly kombayotch you have never owned or so much as tested a 2 or god forbid 3 decimal place scale, or you are a short range shooter and would not know the difference.

I have personally owned 4 scales, Dillon 1 decimal place, RCBS 1 decimal place, Sartorious 2 decimal place and Vibra 3 decimal place (meaning grains as a unit of measurement). I have compared them all and I could type until my fingers hurt about all the ways ALL 1 decimal pace scales are only good for short range shooting. I have tested the loads and the velocity spreads that result from variations in said loads. Out to 300 yards you could hardly tell a perfect load from a powder scoop. At 600 yards it matters and at 1000 yards it means everything.

The real variation of a 1 decimal place scale is plus or minus .2 grains, meaning a .4 grain variation in the loads. Don't confuse a precise number being displayed on the scale with a precise weight on the pan.

It is not possible to consistently hold 10 inches of vertical at 1000 yards with a 1 decimal place scale under the most ideal conditions.

My Vibra scale can weigh the ink it takes to sign your name and that is no BS, or you guys can line up with our boy kombayotch.

There are plenty of decent 2 decimal place scales for around $300, just google it.

This company sells more than their web site shows. You just have to call them. They have scales from about $150 to $2000 so pick what you can afford. Also they are Canadian.
http://www.walterproducts.com/products-main/balances/electronic-balances/kilotech-kha-series-entry-level-precision-balances

One more thing, make sure the model you pick weighs in grains. Don't confuse G as in Gram with Gn as in grains.
 
Last edited:
I use a RCBC Chargemaster and my loads shoot pretty well when the driver is switched on but what BadAsMo is saying seems to make sense as on my scale a, for example, 46.5 reading could be 46.511 46.599. Such a variance wouldn't really show up until out past 600 or so but it would make a difference and such a difference would grow with every inch the bullet traveled.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom