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RocketScott wrote:
MadPick wrote:
RocketScott wrote:
MadPick wrote:
hartcreek wrote:
Because you listed .223 you will always use a single stage press at some point.


Eh? Why's that?

I've loaded 22,369 rounds of .223, and I don't own a single-stage press. Am I doing it wrong?


I thought you decapped before wet tumbling?


I size/decap before wet tumbling . . . using the progressive press. So yes, I'm just doing one step, but I'm still using the case feeder and just cranking the handle, and sized/deprimed brass is falling out the other end into a bin.


Sizing dirty brass just doesn't make sense to me


Same here, I start with clean dies and don’t like to dirty them up with funky brass.

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Tue Apr 14, 2020 10:08 am
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Nitro_Guns wrote:
dreadi wrote:
Three pages of comments and no response from the OP. He must be essential and busy as all get out. :bigsmile:

Someone else asked the same question I had. What's your budget? Breaking the bank doesn't mean the same thing to all people. So knowing what you'd like to spend will help people give you sound advice beyond how many times you should clean your brass in the rock tumbler they bought from the Sears Wish Book in 1987.


You are correct my friend.

Without a stated budget, no real answer can be given.
My definition of "breaking the bank" is definitely different than others on here.

Go Team Nightforce….. :bigsmile:


I can only afford Vortex! Some people have all the luck! :bigsmile: I agree with the T-7 which I also own one. It might have a turret, but it is basically as single stage press. The turret only places the die above the ram without rotating the round. The best of both worlds, and makes some really good ammo, with precision. Very solid machine, and you don't have to move your dies in and out of machine.


Last edited by Fishjager on Tue Apr 14, 2020 11:04 am, edited 1 time in total.



Tue Apr 14, 2020 10:55 am
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Advisor787 wrote:
I want to start reloading without breaking the bank. 556,9mm,45 range/plinking ammo. I have no idea where to start but would like to learn. Whats the best setup/kit to try out?


Most people will say get a single stage. I say get a Dillon RL550. Very good and reliable tool. Life time warranty, with no questions asked if you break something. Well worth the investment. I would venture to say most people here have used them. There is a reason. Experience talks.


Tue Apr 14, 2020 10:59 am
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leadcounsel wrote:
It's my opinion, from a PURELY ECONOMIC standpoint, which is sure to get heated disagreement, but you're not going to save any money reloading those common calibers.

And particularly if you have a viable income and valuable time.

Money is better spent buying that ammo a pallet at a time from professionals when it's on sale. Less hassle, less time.

Many ECONOMIC reasons support this, and disregard any reloader who doesn't factor ECONOMIC arguments such as the monetary value of TIME. Plus the overhead and storage space of the reloading equipment and supplies, which does cost something from an ECONOMIC argument. Then there's errors relating to kabooms, which is more frequent with reloads. And voided gun warranties. And of course turning 5 valuable components (time, primers, bullets, brass, powder) into a whole unit that has no ECONOMIC value. In other words, if you bought a pallet of 10,000 rds of ammo in 2019 when the price was low, and you decided to sell it later, you would break even or maybe even make a profit today. However if you bought all the components separately and input 5 things into 1 unit and made 10,000 rounds of ammo in 2019, you would not be able to resell the ammo because nobody will buy or shoot your reloads. This is an important thing to consider if you plan to barter, or want to store value for later resale or trade or if you fall on hardship.

If it's for the knowledge and hobby aspect, that's a totally different position. Enjoy! :thumbsup2:


I disagree to one of your main points. You say "disregard any reloader who doesn't factor ECONOMIC arguments such as the monetary value of TIME." I don't know about you, but I don't reload while I'm on the clock for my job. Currently, I'm making $0/hour in the evenings or weekends when I'd be reloading. I reload on my down time, when I'm not getting paid, when I'd be sitting on my butt watching TV if I wasn't loading. So with that in mind, I can load 9mm for about $5/50 rounds, which is half of factory. And in doing so, I'm in my garage playing with bullets and powder, which adds enjoyment to my life, while I save money.


Wed Apr 15, 2020 2:01 pm
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Well said. :bow:

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Wed Apr 15, 2020 2:03 pm
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I have one of each.

I first started out with an RCBS Rock Chucker single stage. I converted it into a progressive, but it was a little persnickety, so I sold it and bought a Dillon 650 (discontinued). I think a Dillon 550 would more than suffice. I crank out lots of straight walled cases, albeit with some maintenance if powder spills, primers go in sideways, etc.

I bought a few turrets for some instances where I go a little slower or do smaller loads: 300 AAC Blackout.

I still have some single stages. I started out with a Lee Challenger (discontinued) and worked it until a linkage broke, and I paid shipping to Lee for a replacement. For 223 which I have a lot of mixed brass, to include Berdan, split cases and who knows what, I run these slower in this single stage using an RCBS small base die. I have lost a lot of decapping pins (the RCBS threads strip real easy) so I change these out frequently.

There are sellers here who have great deals on equipment. Go to the Reloading for sale section.


Last edited by jackass on Thu Apr 16, 2020 3:39 am, edited 1 time in total.



Wed Apr 15, 2020 3:22 pm
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Fishjager wrote:
Advisor787 wrote:
I want to start reloading without breaking the bank. 556,9mm,45 range/plinking ammo. I have no idea where to start but would like to learn. Whats the best setup/kit to try out?


Most people will say get a single stage. I say get a Dillon RL550. Very good and reliable tool. Life time warranty, with no questions asked if you break something. Well worth the investment. I would venture to say most people here have used them. There is a reason. Experience talks.


Fishjager is a LONG TIME friend of mine and I respect his opinion.

However, IMO, every reloader should start with a single stage press and learn the fundamentals in the simplest form.

I have personally seen too many accidents with newbies and any type of progressive press.

Once past the learning curve, Dillon is the go to.

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Wed Apr 15, 2020 7:21 pm
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I learned on a Dillon 550 and then later got a single stage for making small lots and my precision dies for .223. I also size most of my virgin brass since it will have to be decrimped anyway and can't go through the dillon 550 in one pass. Once sized and decrimped, I can quickly prime and run it through.

If you go 550 the quick change kits are a must. You don't want to reset your dies every time you switch calibers.

I don't think it was hard learning on the 550 - you can do one stage at a time for a while if you want to. It still works fine that way...

Buy once, cry once, but I see a need for both presses if you're going to load a lot. Sometimes it is nice to have different stuff set up on different presses.

I bought my 550 used, came from Marcusp223 nearly a decade ago at a great price. Hit him up to see what he has!

Edit to add: get someone to help you set up and run a but before you go on your own!

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Wed Apr 15, 2020 7:34 pm
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Kgbsucka wrote:
I learned on a Dillon 550 and then later got a single stage for making small lots and my precision dies for .223. I also size most of my virgin brass since it will have to be decrimped anyway and can't go through the dillon 550 in one pass. Once sized and decrimped, I can quickly prime and run it through.

If you go 550 the quick change kits are a must. You don't want to reset your dies every time you switch calibers.

I don't think it was hard learning on the 550 - you can do one stage at a time for a while if you want to. It still works fine that way...

Buy once, cry once, but I see a need for both presses if you're going to load a lot. Sometimes it is nice to have different stuff set up on different presses.

I bought my 550 used, came from Marcusp223 nearly a decade ago at a great price. Hit him up to see what he has!

Edit to add: get someone to help you set up and run a but before you go on your own!


I agree with your entire post overall.
I "bolded" the points that I strongly agree with.

Everyone is different when they are ready to start loading.
If I personally know the person that wants to start, it is easier and more comfortable for me to make a recommendation.

These are great threads for discussion, if you leave out one particular post..... :ROFLMAO:

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Wed Apr 15, 2020 7:47 pm
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Looks like someone deleted the "particular post"..... :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:

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Wed Apr 15, 2020 7:49 pm
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So a lot of people have already told you that it's safer to learn on a single stage press, and it is. It's easier to focus on one station rather than four or five. However, based on the calibers you listed that you want to load for, I can assume that you're looking to pump out large quantities of ammo. Based on that, and not seeing any precision rifle calibers listed that you want to load for, I'd go progressive, and I will echo the other guys' recommendations of a Dillon 550. Since it doesn't auto index, you can treat it like a single stage, but when you get the hang of it, 500+ rounds per hour is definitely doable.

I know a single stage is simpler to learn on, but when I started loading, I learned on a single stage, and I didn't want to load anymore because it took so long to make any 9mm rounds. At that point I thought I'd just go buy factory. But once I got a progressive and saw how much easier it was, I didn't look back. If you feel like you must go for a single stage to learn on, just buy the Lee C-shaped press for $35 and start with that. For pistol rounds and .223, that press will work just fine, I was able to full length size .223 on it no problem. After that, get a hold of Marcus and he'll hook you up with a 550 for a great price. Your initial post said you don't want to break the bank, so don't spend $100-$200 on a single stage press when a progressive is the true solution for the calibers you want to load.


Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:02 am
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Think 444, 45-70, 450 Bushy, 30-40 Krag, 35 Rem.
If you shoot any of these "types" of calibers, you can fer sure save $ in the long run, think 2or3 x used brass,
or if you have "that" rifle that just wont dial in with factory loads....
Or even if you just get the satisfaction from thinkin' " I made these"...


Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:42 am
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It’s a shame someone had to derail this thread into his own rant we’ve heard many times before...


The brand new poster, was only seeking advice on an inexpensive way to get started, as shown below.

He wasn’t looking for advice on whether he should or not, or what one’s opinion about it was, merely a recommendation on good, inexpensive, options.

Advisor787 wrote:
I want to start reloading without breaking the bank...


Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:51 pm
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NWGunner wrote:
It’s a shame someone had to derail this thread into his own rant we’ve heard many times before...


The brand new poster, was only seeking advice on an inexpensive way to get started, as shown below.

He wasn’t looking for advice on whether he should or not, or what one’s opinion about it was, merely a recommendation on good, inexpensive, options.

Advisor787 wrote:
I want to start reloading without breaking the bank...


Exactly.... :bow:

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Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:59 pm
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NWGunner wrote:
It’s a shame someone had to derail this thread into his own rant we’ve heard many times before...


The brand new poster, was only seeking advice on an inexpensive way to get started, as shown below.

He wasn’t looking for advice on whether he should or not, or what one’s opinion about it was, merely a recommendation on good, inexpensive, options.

Advisor787 wrote:
I want to start reloading without breaking the bank...


Bingo

:thumbsup2:

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Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:01 pm
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