Is there any reason not to get a progressive for starting out?

[ctbreitwieser]

The reason for buying a single-stage is to learn the process of reloading, and to have the right tool for the job, if you ever decide you want very accurate bolt-action ammunition, in lower quantities. If all you're ever going to reload is LOTS of 9mm, 40, 45 or other pistol ammo, a progressive is fine, but as a gunsmith, I seriously doubt your scope is going to remain that narrow.

Thank you very much for your service to country and I wish you nothing but success in the future. I would also be glad to show you the ropes, when it comes to reloading, if you are interested.

Jason

Thank you. I just did some looking at single stage presses. And I think I can afford this- Reloader Single Stage Press to learn on.

Will that be ok to learn the ropes and start on? I just dont want to spend a bunch on one since my main goal is to move up to a progressive.

 

[melensdad]

That will work for pistol, but youd be better served with a more solid unit for any sort of bottleneck rifle cartridge.

 

[ctbreitwieser]

That will work for pistol, but youd be better served with a more solid unit for any sort of bottleneck rifle cartridge.

This?

Challenger Breech Lock Single Stage Press Anniversary Kit

 

[patience0830]

This?

Challenger Breech Lock Single Stage Press Anniversary Kit

That's what I started with, CBreit. Get an EZ prime tool and the special shell holders that go with it. It's cheap and worth more than you'll pay in convenience.
For what it's worth, the first thing I replaced was that dam cheap powder measure. Bought an RCBS and two cylinders(rifle and pistol) and the micrometer measures that go in them. Much more accurate and solid.
The markings on the measures let you write down settings for different powders and loads. They won't be exactly right when you go back to them but they'll make getting to exactly right a lot faster.

 

[Broom_jm]

Since you'll be loading mostly for pistol, I would strongly recommend this:

Classic 4 Hole Turret Press

Remove the rod that indexes the shell plate and treat it as a single-stage press. Once you've loaded a couple hundred rounds that way you'll have a better connection between what you've read in books and what the press does when you pull the handle on it. Now, stick the indexing rod back in and you can turn out 150-200 rounds of quality ammunition per hour. It's not a progressive, but for a lot of folks, this is enough production to meet their monthly ammo needs.

When you are ready to go to a full progressive, the transition will be easier, having used this press for a while. If you decide you don't want the turret press anymore, you can sell it for a modest loss...and a lot of experience gained.

 

[Matt52]

I bought a progressive dillion press and started out using it basically as a single stage press until I got the funds to go full progressive

 

[obijohn]

the lee anniversary kit will serve you well. i still have a lee O frame bolted to my bench.

 

[ctbreitwieser]

After looking around and watching some youtube videos, I think a turret press will be just fine for what I need. Anyone have experience with these items, and is there anything else I would need to get started?

4 Hole Turret Press Auto Index Deluxe Kit

Deluxe Carbide 4-Die Set 9mm Luger

Will I need a depriming die, or will one of these dies above deprime also?

 

[Broom_jm]

Those are exactly what I would personally recommend, with one exception: I am not happy with the Lee powder scale. I would still buy the kit, but then purchase a better scale, either electronic or manual. I use both and cross-check them regularly.

 

[looney2ns]

Hopefully, if all goes well, Im going to be starting the college stage of my life in August. Im 23, so Ive already went through my drinking/party stage of my life, and now Im more focused on spending my money and time on more important things. So my plan is to just reload in my down time. Im going to school for gunsmithing so I would imagine I wont have much homework.

BATFE just approved my paperwork for my M11/9 full auto, so I have a feeling Im going to be going through a lot of 9mm really fast. I also have a suppressor in the works, so I would like to shoot mostly subsonic. Subsonic 9mm can be kind of expensive, and Im gonna need a lot of it. So I would like to get a reloader and start reloading my own subsonic rounds. Ive never reloaded, and this will mostly be for 9mm and .223/5.56 only.

Since I would like to load as much as I possibly can and pretty fast, a single stage seems like it might be slow for what Im wanting. Is there any reason someone who is just beginning and doesnt know anything about reloading should not start out with a progressive? Im planning on buying the "ABC's of reloading" handbook to help get me started, is there any other books I should consider getting?

And with all the research Ive done, I still can not for the life of me, understand what all is needed to begin, and I have no idea what all these parts are, and what their purpose is. There seems to be so many different things that people have for reloading, and it looks like some things arent needed, but are nice to have, such as tumblers. All I know is I would like a tumbler because I can throw my suppressor baffles in it to clean them. Thats seriously the only thing I know about it.

Im know this gets asked alot, and I apologize for asking a recurring question, but I just can not understand it all. I know this was pretty long winded, and got a little off topic, but I figured Id just throw it all out there.

Thanks ahead time for any help or advice.

I'm a recent new reloader. I heard all the stories about why I should start with a single stage. Didn't make sense to me. I bought a Hornady LNL and have not looked back. With the rebates they have, it doesn't cost much more than a single stage. Use a powder like Unique, and your chances of an accidental double charge is almost impossible. Because the proper powder charge with Unique for 9mm almost completly fills the case.

If you want to start super simple, simply use the LNL like a single stage until you are comfortable with the process.

 

[Iroquois]

I guess I load too many different calibers for a progressive...I have thought about a
turrent press so all I have to buy are more turrents .

 

[ctbreitwieser]

Well, I think reloading for bulk 9mm may not be the best option. I just bought 2000rds of WWB 115gr FMJ for $460 shipped. I did alot of running numbers on the reloading calculator, and I could barely reload for that price. So I think Ill just stick to buying bulk pack.

If I ever do decide to start reloading, Ill be sure and check back with this thread.

Thanks everyone for all your help. Its very much appreciated.

 

[Broom_jm]

Well, I think reloading for bulk 9mm may not be the best option. I just bought 2000rds of WWB 115gr FMJ for $460 shipped. I did alot of running numbers on the reloading calculator, and I could barely reload for that price. So I think Ill just stick to buying bulk pack.

If I ever do decide to start reloading, Ill be sure and check back with this thread.

Thanks everyone for all your help. Its very much appreciated.

Using free brass (very realistic for 9mm) but fairly pricy jacketed bullets and a bulky charge of 5.2gr Power Pistol, my 9mm reloads cost $.17/rd. For 2,000 rounds, that would work out to $340. I could probably cut that to $.12/rd pretty easily, especially loading sub-sonic, so that would be $240, or roughly half of what you paid. At that rate, you'd pay for a Lee Classic Turret kit with your first 2K rounds, pretty easily. Of course, you'd have 12-13 hours of time at the press, too...

Now, 9mm and 223 are the hardest rounds to "make money on", reloading, because they are relatively cheap to buy. At the same time, you're at the mercy of your supplier and inflation to get ammo at that price. When you have the components purchased and the means to load them yourself, the only limitation is free time to load. A few less hours at the X-box or in front of the TV always does ME some good...

And if you ever get into shooting really cool rounds, like a 450 Bushmaster or 6.8SPC, or even some of the old stuff, like 38-40 or 8x57 Mauser, well...you'll save a TON by reloading those bad-boys!

Honestly...if all someone is going to shoot and load is 9mm, I generally tell 'em to skip reloading. In your case, with the sheer VOLUME you're looking to shoot, plus the career you're considering, I think it still makes sense...er "cents". If nothing else, learning how to reload will be a hands-on way of learning how metallic cartridges really "work", which will gain you a measure of respect from future clients.

Frankly, I would not trust a gunsmith who doesn't know how to reload to work on anything but one of my handguns.

 

[melensdad]

Broom_jm makes EXCELLENT points in this last post.

While he and I may have different takes on buying some equipment, his points throughout have been solid. Want to make up your money on reloading then start wtih 45acp and then move onto the exotics like 38 Super, 458 Socom, 50 Beowulf or ANY QUALITY hunting load for ANY rifle caliber, including very common calibers like 223, 308 or 30-06.

The fact is that it is very difficult to "make your money back" when simply comparing bulk packs of cheap ammo. Oh, it can and will be done if you shoot enough. If you shoot enough.

But if your desire is to LEARN and, to eventually be a competant gunsmith, then you need to know how to reload for precision and for speed. Those are TWO DIFFERENT things. For precision you load on a single stage or turret press. For speed you load on a progressive. Both have different purposes and while the theory is the same, there is an amazing difference in actually doing each.

 

[Lupin3rd]

A lot of people have the mindset of, "Just start out with a progressive, you're going to get one anyway so just save yourself some money." There is a certain logic to that, after all, I purchased a turret two years ago and am now looking into getting a progressive myself. However, I have to disagree with most everyone here.

Everyone I know who has tried to get into reloading and purchased a progressive right off the bat have not cranked out a single round. They'll give me the tour of their equipment, show me every bell and whistle, then I'll ask, "How long until you can start?" Every time I ask, they're always just a few parts away from starting.

Setting up a progressive is pretty daunting for someone who hasn't reloaded before. I recommend a nice turret. It is much faster than a single stage and, even though it is slower than a progressive, it requires fewer parts to get started. When you get sick of your turret and are ready for a progressive (which will happen), there are enough people getting into reloading that you'll have no problem selling off a turret press, provided it is in good working order.

 

[melensdad]

Everyone I know who has tried to get into reloading and purchased a progressive right off the bat have not cranked out a single round. They'll give me the tour of their equipment, show me every bell and whistle, then I'll ask, "How long until you can start?" Every time I ask, they're always just a few parts away from starting.

Wow you know a bunch of people who are idiots. The progressive presses I've purchased come with everthing but a set of dies and scale. Buy the dies and scale and you have all the parts.

Setting up a progressive is pretty daunting for someone who hasn't reloaded before.

Not so much. Heck my wife tells me all men are idiots and I am their king and I currently own 2 progressives (1 for metalic and 1 for shotshells) and I never had any problem setting them up. Read the instructions. Put it together. Its a heck of a lot easier than building a LEGO castle on Christmas Eve night so your kid can wake up to a new toy.

I recommend a nice turret. It is much faster than a single stage and, even though it is slower than a progressive, it requires fewer parts to get started.

Press? Dies? Scale? What other parts do you actually NEED that don't come in the box? You need a press (Progressive, Turret, or Single stage). You need dies (they are interchangeable between the Progressive, the Turret and the Single Stage press and you need them for any of those types). You need a powder scale for any reloading (Oh, I know that Lee sells a scoop that can be used, but that is not nearly as accurate as a scale).

So I have to ask, what parts are these "fewer parts" that you don't NEED for reloading with a Turrett? AND, what parts didn't come with my progressive presses (I've owned Dillon and currently own Hornady and MEC) that I apparently didn't realize I needed but didn't come in the box?

 

[ctbreitwieser]

Thanks guys. Its definitely something I will be getting into shortly, just not quite yet. Broom_Jim, I think the brass is where the calculator made it seem like a high price. I was going off of Midways brass price when I did my calculating. I have been pretty interested in the Bushmaster .450 and one of my builds for my class is bolt action, in which I'm planning to do an M40 clone. So I will definitely be looking into reloading once that time comes around. Its also gonna be awhile until I get my suppressor, so I won't need subsonic for a little while. This 2000 rds of WWB should be just the thing to start out though if I save all my brass. Ill be sure to keep it.

Thanks again for all the helpful advice.

 

[deviljunkie]

ive been reloading for about 6-7 months and the reasons i can give for doing single stage or turret is that it enables you to learn the process slowly and safely. once you got that down you can ramp up the speed. the hornady lnl and the dillons dont HAVE to be used full progressive at first. use it as a single stage until you know the process in and out like the back of your hand. safety first!!

 

[Broom_jm]

Thanks guys. Its definitely something I will be getting into shortly, just not quite yet. Broom_Jim, I think the brass is where the calculator made it seem like a high price. I was going off of Midways brass price when I did my calculating. I have been pretty interested in the Bushmaster .450 and one of my builds for my class is bolt action, in which I'm planning to do an M40 clone. So I will definitely be looking into reloading once that time comes around. Its also gonna be awhile until I get my suppressor, so I won't need subsonic for a little while. This 2000 rds of WWB should be just the thing to start out though if I save all my brass. Ill be sure to keep it.

Thanks again for all the helpful advice.

Yeah, hang onto all the 9mm you can find, and if you need more, well it's about as hard to find as a welfare Democrat, these days. Anyone who buys brand new 9mm brass, to reload, is a suckah! But heck, even if you were to buy new brass, you have to keep in mind that each piece can be reloaded at least 10 times, (20 or more, if sub-sonic). When you amortize the cost over 10 or 20 loadings...hell, it's practically FREE. Buy once-fired and it's half of FREE!.

I'll make one other point about the differences between reloading on a true progressive and a turret or single-stage press. You've got to be "ready" to load on a progressive, in order to really magnify the speed advantage it offers. What I mean by that is, if you're going to load 1,000 rounds in an afternoon, you've got to have 1,000 cases, primers and bullets, with nearly a full pound of powder...or else you're not "ready". It's a mass-production effort and hardly worth it if all you're loading is 50 or 100 cases.

On a turret or single-stage, I can go out and enjoy reloading, even if I'm only prepping and/or loading 50-100 rounds. It might take me half an hour to an hour to load that many, depending on the exact round and how precise I'm being, but that is perfectly fine with me. I'm in no hurry.

I don't have a beef with progressive presses...it's just that I really don't want to be done that fast. I like being free to work in small bunches or spend the whole afternoon turning out several hundred. With a progressive, it's hardly worth pulling the handle unless you're doing that many.

Some things in life are tedious, repetitive and laborious. If that's how you view reloading, a progressive is the right press for you. For those of us who like slowing down and doing something very well, the slower presses make an enjoyable hobby last longer, while still turning out a fair amount very high quality ammo.

To each his own!

 

[Iroquois]

Well, I think reloading for bulk 9mm may not be the best option. I just bought 2000rds of WWB 115gr FMJ for $460 shipped. I did alot of running numbers on the reloading calculator, and I could barely reload for that price. So I think Ill just stick to buying bulk pack.

If I ever do decide to start reloading, Ill be sure and check back with this thread.

Thanks everyone for all your help. Its very much appreciated.

SAVE YOUR BRASS!!! You'll thank me later.