Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Progressive press for small bottleneck cartridges?

Have only loaded w/ hand and single stage press. Thinking of a progressive for dual use, some straight walled handgun, some small bottleneck rounds like 25-20, .256 Win Mag, and maybe the new .22 TCM (as I see Rock Island is finally delivering rifles).

Will a progressive work or better to go with a turret?

Thanks for your input.

Geno

Dillon 550B.

Thanks Joe, I'll look into those.

Anyone else?

A Dillon 550B IS a turret press. The only reason to buy an old school turret over a 550B is:

1) You can't afford it (caliber changes can get spendy)
2) You are so mechanically inept you can't run it, which means you probably shouldn't be reloading anyway.

A 550B should be the second press any serious shooter buys, after a good O-type single stage. An AR-fanatic/3-gun type might consider stepping up to a 650 but I would get a 550 first.

550B advice.
1) HAVE PLENTY OF LIGHT. You HAVE to look in each charged case before you set a bullet on top of it for seating. Don't do this and you just might load yourself a bomb.

2) DON'T ALLOW DISTRACTIONS. Radios, TV's, cell phones etc, should be somewhere else

3) If you are interrupted and you have to stop in the middle of the loading process, PULL THE HANDLE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STROKE AND WALK AWAY. If you push the handle back to the top before you stop and fail to index (rotate the shellplate), then walk away, and return and pull the handle again, you just double-charged a case, IE, loaded a bomb.

So is the Redding T7, but the Redding is still a single stage press.

I'm guessing that is what the OP is hinting at.

SquatToPee giving reloading "advice"?!?

Now that is some FUNNY schit!

Wow...............

Sorry, wasn't trying to "hint" at anything in original post. I really have no experience outside hand (by its very nature single stage) and the single stage Rockchucker, Lee Cast etc types.

Do I have this right, progressives produce a completed, loaded, ready to go round with every pull of the handle? I was asking if they are suitable for small bottlenecked cartridges like the ones I listed, as it seems I remember reading/hearing that the progressives are better suited to straight walled "handgun" type cartridges. I load a few of those every year, too, and would prefer (space & $$$ limitations) to just buy one press now, turret or progressive, that would suit my needs to load both types of cartridges.

As for longer bottleneck rounds the single stage press I have now takes care of my needs.

I was hoping to find help in making a decision
between "upgrading" to a turret or go for a progressive like a Lee Load Master, RCBS Pro 2000, Hornady Lock and Load.

Thanks for your help folks,

Geno

Get the Dillon 550B. I have loaded 223, 22/250, 308 and 30/06 plus a lot of different pistol rounds on mine without a problem. You can use your 7/8 x 14 dies on their caliber conversions.Rick.

Rick is right, I have loaded thousands of 17 Fireballs, 223's, and 22-250, 270, 300 Mags, you might be more carefull with smaller pistol and revolver cases but have never double charged a case. You should check your powder drop every 25 or 30 rounds, just to be safe, but it has never deviated for me. Get the 550B.

First of all, let's get off this "progressive" kick -- Progressives are Communists. SEQUENTIAL is better.

Second, a SEQUENTIAL press is a fine investment. It is more demanding of your attention and mechanical skills, but is a huge time saver in the long run. I have a 650 that I run different ways for different jobs, 16 years now and the darn thing has not eaten a single part. I keep it clean and lubed, and it just goes.

Third, SEQUENTIAL presses are best for batch reloaders. I have timed things and my breakeven for going blue is probably around 20 cases. Over that, the 650 gets the job.

The trickiest part of a SEQUENTIAL press is powder charging. You have to be smooth, smooth, smooth on the stroke, no grunting and slamming.

As Big Stick will tell you time and time again, BIG STICK powders don't charge well, but they don't charge well anyway. So if you are after a burn rate, a ball powder in the right range is the way to go, or you can break the sequence and hand-charge-weigh then reinsert the charged cases (in a 650, anyway) if you want to use a stick powder. That's how I run my 25-06 loads and belted cases, or if I have to do an FL-sizing series on a tough batch of cases.

Another vote for the Dillon 550B.

Thanks for your input folks.

Been busy taking care of seasonal "chores" and hunting. No "luck" and another experience of hunting etiquette breach while I was making a stalk. (someone drove the last 50 yds or so past my truck into the area I was hunting to take a look around for deer) Seems to happen every year.

Now to make a decision regarding an upgrade for the press or a new gun for my birthday or Christmas present.

Hope everyone has a great fall.

Geno