Best beginner progressive press

Auto Indexing Progressive Presses are a fast way to load any ammo,

BUT,
Expect to have about 8 hours in set up to crank out 'Exactly Correct' ammo.

'Common' screw-ups are getting the deprime/resize die too deep or shallow.
The case is either bulged, or it's concave on the sides.

The next thing I see a bunch of is primers not hitting the primer pocket squarely.
The primer will take a 'Bite' out of the case on the way in.
Most of the progressives have an adjustment to move the primer feed so it's square under the case.

Take the time to adjust so the primers hit the cases SQUARELY...

Straight Wall pistol ammo need a case expander (Bell Mouth) to accept the bullet.
Some have the case expander in the resizing ram,
Some have the expander in the powder die/funnel.

The amount of 'Bell' depends on the length of the case since the expander indexes off the ram head.

If you crimp the bullet into the case, the crimp die will also index off the ram most times...
This might lead to some SHORT brass not getting crimped,
Some LONG brass getting over crimped and bulged.

Just watch for these things and you should be fine...
And you should produce some high quality ammo without glitches!
 
I know you want to hit the ground running, but falling on your face at running speed is not much fun. You won't like my opinion, but here it is, NO progressive is best for the beginner to start on.

And for basically the same reason a beginning driver should not get on a NASCAR track. You WILL make mistakes, you WILL make bad rounds, you WILL destroy components (wasting money). The learning curve is steep.

I'm not saying you can't do it. I'm just saying I don't think it is a good idea.

I started reloading in the early 70s. By the mid 80s, I got a Dillon 450. By the mid 90s, I got rid of the Dillon and went back to single stage presses. I load for over 30 different rifle and pistol cartridges, and I don't usually produce ammo in case lots. And even when I do, I still use the single stage press. I loaded more "bad" (out of spec) rounds on a progressive in just a few short years than I did in decades using a single stage, or turret press.

You might have different results than I did, and frankly, I hope you do. But I expect you will run into the same things I did, and it will be very frustrating for a while. Good Luck!

If you are only checking COL every 10, 20, 30, etc. rounds. It matters not if it's a hand press, single stage, or progressive press. You'll still need to break down X amount of rounds that are too short regardless of the type of press.
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Ok, I don't get this. First, I don't understand how you can load some rounds "too short" and others ok. For me, too short a COAL only happens when the round is too short to feed. Otherwise, its not a concern to me.

but mostly its this, if you are "having to break down X amount of rounds, regardless of the type of press", the problem isn't the type of press, the problem is the press OPERATOR!
 
I'm glad that you were always perfect
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I'm not sorry that your reasons are unfounded. If you come up with something valid, I'd love to hear it.

It's more about using some common sense and having some diligence. I'm not the only one here who started out on a progressive and did not crank out hundreds of out of spec ammo. I check X % of rounds for 4 different things in addition to a visual inspection on every load and I doubt that would change because of the type of press I used.

What press/s are you using and for what caliber/s.
 
And for basically the same reason a beginning driver should not get on a NASCAR track. You WILL make mistakes, you WILL make bad rounds, you WILL destroy components (wasting money). The learning curve is steep.
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I'm no rocket surgeon, but I had no problem starting out with a progressive and did not find the learning curve to be that steep...and that was way before we had da intrawebz to run to for research and discussion.

Reloading isn't rocket surgery, nor is the operation of a reloading press...single stage, turret or progressive. At least it never was for me. YMMV.
 
FWIW; A new reloader chooses a progressive press. Three weeks later his next question to the forum; "my 9mm reloads won't go all the way in"...:D :D
 
Ok, I don't get this. First, I don't understand how you can load some rounds "too short" and others ok. For me, too short a COAL only happens when the round is too short to feed. Otherwise, its not a concern to me.

but mostly its this, if you are "having to break down X amount of rounds, regardless of the type of press", the problem isn't the type of press, the problem is the press OPERATOR!
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First, a too short COL can cause overpressure issue, which is a problem. Secondly the quote you did was a reply to Negative Investment's comments and your second part that I quoted hits the nail on the head.
 
but I decided what I'm doing. Lee classic turret and then if that's not enough volume, I can move up to a progressive and use the classic for rifle only or something.
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BINGO. You will always need a turret / ss press. It is a real pain to size or deprime or seat just a few brass on a progressive.
 
jojo,

AllenJ is right; however, you could still buy a turret or progressive press and use it as a single stage press then when you are comfortable with the steps, you could use it as a progressive/turret press. I'm using a Lee 4 position turret press but I removed the indexing rod. This rod makes the turret turn to the next die when you cycle the handle. I don't know if you can do this with a progressive press. Although I load all dies for a specific caliber in the turret, I do only one step at a time so when it's time to move the turret, I do it by hand.

I'm not a "power" loader; however, I am loading for the next revolution. In spite of this, I don't have a need to crank out hundreds of rounds in one sitting. I may have more free time than most because I'm retarded, uh, I mean retired uh, I mean maybe I'm both, so I can go to my loading shed and do one task then return on any other Saturday of the week and do another.
 
I guess I should say, it matters if you are doing rifle or pistol reloading. Most of my rifle brass needs a lot of case prep (mixed head-stamps, NATO stuff for a semi auto). Pistol ammo doesn't require the same amount of prep. When I get mixed head-stamp brass it can be inconsistent and that is where you have to be most careful of any differences. You can go either way with a progressive or single, but if you are reloading rifle ammo it is probably better to learn on a single stage because some brass requires a lot of prep that is better to do one at a time.
 
Perhaps it's just me, but when I started reloading (pre web) I wanted to know how each step was done and why it was done. I wanted to handle the growing cartridge between each step so I would learn what's happening, what effect the action has on the cartridge, and when it happens. IMO, it gave me a greater understanding of the process. A friend was a competitor and I watched him use his auto-everything Dillon to produce hundreds of 45 ACPs. He wasn't really handloading, just reloading (operating a machine and filling hoppers). I guess to me that is a huge difference.
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Very well put!
 
Reasons why, after 30 years, I still use single stage:

1. Convenience. Even though I load a lot of ammo, it is multiple calibers with all different bullets and loads. Sometimes when working up and experimenting, I've loading 5 differnet loads in the same batch of 50. Usually I'm loading a box of 357,a box of 44, a box of 30-06 and then a box of 25s, etc. If I was cranking out hundreds of the exact same proven load, it might be worthwhile, but I fear I'd be spending more time setting up than I'd be saving with the prgressive.

2. Safety. Many times I've prevented potential problems by eyeballing and comparing powder level in a block full of charged cases before seating bullets. I'm not willing to omit that step because it has prevented problems more than once.

3. Expense and versatility. Do guys who use a progressive load for 15-20 calibers on them? Is it as simple as another set of standard dies and shell holder? Can you even do rifle on some of them?

Some people load for the personal satifaction of creating the perfect custom ammo. Some people load because they can't find what they need off the self. Some people load to save money, and you can save a fortune on certain calibers. Others you can almost buy off the shelf cheaper than you can load. 9mm and .223 are probably number 1 and 2 on that list. You are going to be loading thousands of rounds over several years of 9mm to recoupe your initial expense before you start saving money. Even with a cheap single stage setup, it will be a very long time before you break even on 9mm. Its also one of the easient to find in every configuration known to exist. I only broke my 9mm dies out of mothballs for the ammo shortage, but I'm ready to put them away again. It's a great cartridge to learn on, so if that is the purpose I'd recommend loading them, but based on your interest in a progressive and trying to guess your reasons, I'm wondering if your intended purpose and expectations are realistic.
 
Do guys who use a progressive load for 15-20 calibers on them? Is it as simple as another set of standard dies and shell holder? Can you even do rifle on some of them?
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I load 4 different pistol cartridges on my progressive press. I load rifle on a single stage press, primarily due to lower volume. My progressive only does pistol cartridges anyway (Square Deal). Most progressive presses will do rifle cartridges-the Square Deal is just not one of them.

You can buy enough different tooling to make caliber changes quick on most progressives, or you can just swap dies and reset the powder measure,etc. takes more time, but less investment in toolheads and powder measures.

I've just purchased a second Square Deal so I can dedicate one to large primer cartridges and one to small primer. Mostly leave it set up to load .38spl which I shoot far more of than any other cartridge--200-300/wk. I generally run 1000-2000 rounds at a time when I loading 9mm or .38spl. Maybe 500-1000 for .357 or .44 mag. Getting set up to load .45colt next.

If I were shooting a lot more 5.56 for example, I'd get a progressive that could load that cartridge. I'm just not there yet. I just loaded 675 rounds of .223/5.56 last week on my single stage press. So volume can be done, it just takes several sessions to complete.
 
Safety. Many times I've prevented potential problems by eyeballing and comparing powder level in a block full of charged cases before seating bullets. I'm not willing to omit that step because it has prevented problems more than once.
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I look in every case at the powder level before a place the bullet on the case. I also weigh about 10% of my loads powder charges.


Others you can almost buy off the shelf cheaper than you can load. 9mm and .223 are probably number 1 and 2 on that list. You are going to be loading thousands of rounds over several years of 9mm to recoupe your initial expense before you start saving money. Even with a cheap single stage setup, it will be a very long time before you break even on 9mm.
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You do save less on 9mm but, it's untrue how long it will take to pay off your equipment. It really depends on how much you shoot and your cost of equipment and components. I'm at 11.6 cents per round of 9mm ($5.80 box of 50). My equipment was all paid off after about 2,500 rounds. Right now 9mm seems to be on the upswing again price wise with a box of 50 going for about $15.00 in my area.
 
This is a follow up to post #76 above and the referenced quote although I can't find the post that contains the quote. This response refers to the Dillon 550B only since I cannot recommend either the Square Deal or the 650. Caliber conversions for the 550B require only standard dies, a caliber conversion kit (that includes a shellplate) for around $46; a toolhead that holds the dies for around $24; and what Is called a powder die (that inserts into the the toolhead and the Dillon 550B powder measure is attached to) for about $12. So we're talking about $80-some plus shipping and cost of dies.I would not attempt to load rifle ammunition on the 550B unless it is for something like .223s not requiring much pressure. Larger calibers are likely to require much heavier pressure and should be done by single stage. I load for over 30 handgun calibers and over 50 rifle calibers.
 
As to the priming system... I knew they could be problematic from my initial research, so I planned on eliminating that issue from the start. Bought a Lee hand primer when I ordered the press kit. Problem eliminated.
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I do the same thing. Actually, I got the priming system to work just fine on the LEE LM, but it happens to be the only function I can't eyeball as I go, so my confidence was never 100% (and would be the same lack of trust with any system, for all you LEE haters). And truth be told, I can sit with a beer and hand prime 1000 cases in less than 2 hours, run a finger over each one and mic the depth every 10 to 15 pieces, get a good look at the brass for flaws, etc... So I have grown to prefer hand priming. Then I just dump in the hopper and GO. Plus, the new LEE hand primer is comfy and easy on the web of your hand.

Who stated that you should expect about 8 hours of set up to get your progressive running just right? While I agree that, from the box to running completed cartridges was a few hours, it certainly wasn't 8.
 
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