progressive press or single stage ?

In your opinions is it worth the cost to go to a progressive instead of the single stage I have now ?
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You're shooting 400 rounds a week and you are asking this question? You must have a lot of time on your hands. :rolleyes:
 
You're shooting 400 rounds a week and you are asking this question? You must have a lot of time on your hands.
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I am retired and have plenty of time.
I enjoy reloading almost as much as shooting, but with my shoulder problem the repetition of pulling the handle so many times on my single stage press my shoulder gets really sore. I am thinking the less pulls it takes on a progressive will save wear and tear on my shoulder and less pain. Now with winter being here and outdoor choirs are limited to snow blowing the drive way, I can shoot more times on the indoor range.
 
I understand that. I have finally done surgery that must not have repaired all of the damage. Unlike you, sometimes working it out with some reloading loosening up. You've made a good decision. I'm also retired.
 
I don't know how much it will help but there are "ergo" handles available for many presses that change the dynamic of stroking the press. It may be worth looking into.
 
I just got done setting up my new Hornady LNL AP. This is a beautiful machine, I love it. I watched the video twice and read all the literature twice before starting the setup. The setup went great, the only problem is static in the powder measure. I cleaned it good with Hornady one shot gun cleaner and dry lube and wiped it all down just like in the video. I even wiped it with a fabric softener wipe. It was throwing consistent charges varying by 1/10 of a grain. But when I went to empty the powder measure there was powder that stuck all over inside the tube and down on the bottom. I wiped it again and left a static wipe in the tube.
Any other tips on getting rid of the static ?

I seen the ergo handles online, there is a long and short one. Is anyone using one ?
 
Not me I have the press mounted really high as I reload standing, so I dont need the different angle.
I'd guess its a question of height, movement & leverage. Which bothers you more, range of motion or torque?
 
Static is pretty common in the winter and fall. You can do two things, first, get a Bounce dryer sheet, use it to wipe the measure down in and out, then wad up and lay on top of the powder supply in the measure.

That might work. Don't use the spray stuff, it mixes with the powder.

The other thing is to ground your powder measure. Put an alligator clip or whatever on the ends of a small-gauge copper wire and clip one end to the measure and the other end to a water pipe anywhere near by. That could be a 30-foot run or something.

Also, get an antistatic mat from the computer store, and ground yourself before handling your press or powder. Now that you see static electricity is present at your press, you need to add another step to your safety regime while reloading.
 
rebs, l remember seeing a static strip printers would string across the paper feed table, removed static so the paper wouldn't stick together. Happens when the room is hot & dry.
 
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I just got done setting up my new Hornady LNL AP. This is a beautiful machine, I love it. I watched the video twice and read all the literature twice before starting the setup. The setup went great, the only problem is static in the powder measure. I cleaned it good with Hornady one shot gun cleaner and dry lube and wiped it all down just like in the video. I even wiped it with a fabric softener wipe. It was throwing consistent charges varying by 1/10 of a grain. But when I went to empty the powder measure there was powder that stuck all over inside the tube and down on the bottom. I wiped it again and left a static wipe in the tube.
Any other tips on getting rid of the static ?

I seen the ergo handles online, there is a long and short one. Is anyone using one ?
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I made my own handle to conform to the height of my press and my physical size.

As for the static in the powder measure it will go away by itself after filling it a few times.
 
ergo handles?

The bicycle handle on some presses is a bloody joke. My redding came with the straight bike handle. I tried that thing a few times, and before I even set up my dies I went to the craft store, bought a 2" wooden ball, drilled it out to fit the shaft of the press, and epoxied it into place.

I doubt that many presses and cartridge combinations are so demanding that a person can't get by with using a large enough ball and the three fingers/thumb hold. Not everyone is going to be able to work with it, of course, but I can't imagine that anyone, anyone at all, can work better with a straight shaft and a tricycle grip on it than with an alternative. You start at about 12 oclock, press downward to maybe 5, and using a straight handle isn't good for that.
 
You seem to be missing the point of ergo handles.
Its not about balls, rods grips & so on but about the angle of the operating rod. The ergo types re-position the handle for a better angle of the operator's arm & shoulder, which is a concern for the O.P. as he has some physical issues to deal with.
 
I believe that using a progressive press that eliminates a lot of possible errors
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I realize I am going against the grain, but my experience is just the opposite. I found that a progressive press introduced a lot of errors that DID NOT happen with a single stage press.

I used a single stage, and also a turret press for a couple decades, before getting a progressive. After about a half dozen years or so, I stopped using the progressive, and sold it some years later.

It was a Dillion 450, and while it did turn out good ammo rapidly, it also turned out more bad rounds in a few short years than I had made in two decades previously.

it was, for me, just more trouble that it was worth. I like reloading ammo. I load for over 30 different rifle and pistol rounds. I found that the loss of fine "feel" in the progressive (because you are sizing and seating on the same pull) meant that any problem in the seating process was hidden and damaged bullets and cases could result. I found that the time needed, making tiny adjustments to get things to run right, the attention to detail to do decent QC, issues with powder feed and primer feed, all these ate up most of the "speed" advantage touted for progressives.

Sure, if I was going to load a case of exactly the same thing, then spending an hour (maybe longer) doing trial and error adjustments to get everything running smoothly was worth it. But doing other things, especially rifle rounds and IMR powders, the progressive was more hassle than benefit.

I'm the kind of guy who weighs powder charges every 10th round, for standard things and every single charge for top end loads. Doing that also negates some of the progressive advantages.

These days, I do "batch" loading on a single stage, but I don't do a box (20 or 50) all the way through to loaded ammo, I do ALL the prepped brass in one batch, then (usually another day) do priming, powder charging and checking and bullet seating for the number of rounds I plan on. I also crimp some rounds during seating, and others in a separate step.

I had my years of quantity over quality, and have settled on quality over quantity, but considering I have several hundred, in some calibers thousands of rounds "in stock", I'm not terribly concerned with speed of loading ammo.

OK, my experience isn't typical, from what I read on here, but it is what I went through. My point is that just because everyone seems to say progressives are better, doesn't mean that holds true for every one of them, or every one of us.
 
I just got done setting up my new Hornady LNL AP. This is a beautiful machine, I love it.
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Good to hear. I had a bit of an issue getting the pawls timed correctly when I bought mine years ago; called them with a question and the guy insisted on waiting until I got in front of the machine so he could walk through the adjustment with me to make sure it got done correctly. Haven't had to mess with it since.
 
You seem to be missing the point of ergo handles.
Its not about balls, rods grips & so on but about the angle of the operating rod. The ergo types re-position the handle for a better angle of the operator's arm & shoulder, which is a concern for the O.P. as he has some physical issues to deal with.
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when I referred to ergo handles, it was to point out that the factory handles are junk. some of them wouldn't be allowed on industrial equipment because they are just so badly set up for hand use on a long term basis. In my situation, adding a ball that my hand could rotate around was enough.
 
I realize I am going against the grain, but my experience is just the opposite. I found that a progressive press introduced a lot of errors that DID NOT happen with a single stage press.
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I don't disagree. Myself, I feel safe with a single stage, and I go through an unbelievable series of checks as I go through the process.

The progressive that automatically indexes and feeds powder with each stroke, essentially a machine, would eliminate a lot of potential for charging errors.

As far as I'm concerned, i'd rather chew the bark off of a moldy elm tree than set up dies and other equipment on a cantankerous progressive. A cheap progressive would be the worst thing I could own.

So, I suspect that we both share the same feeling. A single stage is an easy way to put together thousands of rounds a year of varying rounds, but for a person who loads a limited variety of rounds and still does thousands of rounds per year, a progressive may, or may not, be a good answer.
 
My progressive press is new so I haven't experienced the problems and fadjustments some of you guys are talking about. I loaded 200 rounds of 45 acp yesterday and 400 today without a single problem. With my shoulder problem I couldn't have done that on my single stage. For my situation the progressive was the way to go. I can feel the primer seat and visually see the powder in the case to verify no squib or double charge etc.. I am not pounding out rounds but taking my time going easy on my shoulder and enjoying reloading again. I should have bought this Hornady press a long time ago.
Thank you guys for all the info, I appreciate it.
 
My original RL450b was purchased in the 80's. I never had a problem with it.
The RL550b i now have was one of the first ones made, before any of the lube "fixes".
I still don't have problems with it.
If your press is "mushrooming" you're doing something terribly wrong!
 
regs, good to hear your enjoying your new press. With the progressive does the bullet position straight on the case mouth. I just got back to reloading 45auto again, the finished rounds seemed to have a slight bulge on one side, checked them in a case gauge worked fine, the next time I'm going to bell a little more & try to place the bullet straighter.
 
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