While I have a bit more time on my hands lately, its still a long process to reload 100 cartridges on a single stage press. In the past for bang and clang range time ammo the 55 grain xm193 has been fine purchased for 30 cents a round, (now 40cents a round), but I find myself wanting to shoot more expensive bullets and hate paying 80 cents a round. Anyone here use a progressive and what do you use or recommend?

I just run my single stage and pump out 300 per hour. I wouldnt pay the prices i see for the type of precision handloads i make either. Id love to have a progressive one day. But, if used right, the single stage works pretty good at keeping up with my needs.

Jimmy,

I recently took the progressive plunge. Picked up a Dillion 550C. It didn't take long to figure it out.

So far I've loaded several hundred 5.56, and 9mm. For me one of the biggest benefits is just how much easier it is on the shoulders.

It would be fun to play around with a progressive. When I shot trap competitively (for money), that was the only way to go...

You Can load 300 rounds per hour on a single stage starting with a fire case BSA? That’s trucking brother. I barely do any better than that with my Dillon. Shoot it take me 10 minutes or so just to refill the primer tube. I better get my act together.

Nah, that is starting with fully prepped brass. Just dump powder and go.. I stay on top of my brass prep though. Have brass in the tumbler from yesterdays outing, calling my name... For 223, I use the powder that I can just drop from my uni-flo and then seat the bullet. I wouldn't waste my time with powders that don't drop well. I would pull my hair out if I had to weigh every charge for a 223 or any of my other AR's (6.5cm, 6WOA, and 308) for that matter. As you know, you still have to do your brass prep for a progressive. And accuracy starts with good brass prep...and I think Jimmy was talking about loading more precision type ammo because he doesn't like the price tag of factory precision fodder.. Am I reading that wrong?

I load rifle on a Rock Chucker, pistol on a Dillon SDB.

From what I've seen is a lot of folks do their prep work on a single stage then run the sized and primed case through the Dillon. That I don't understand.

What I do now is lube cases, size on the RC, trim and hand prime my cases when I get in, then dump powder and stick a bullet in them on the RC when I decide to load. I suppose I could start at priming them on a Dillon but I just don't see the benefit.

edit: Looks like BSA and I are on the same page except I dump my powder with an RCBS Micro thingamajiggy.

For pistol & high volume rifle like 5.56, I do sizing on a single stage, prime off line, then use a turret press for the extra............saves a lot of handling, especially on the pistol which requires a mouth expansion, & also since all my pistol & 5.56 gets the extra step of a collet crimp.

MM

TWR, what is a RCBS micro thingamajiggy? I use a RCBS uni-flo powder measure. I got it in the supreme reloading kit 23 years ago. It works well enough, but i have to be selective when chosing powder for my high volume loading. When im loading for my 30-06 and magnums, i use stick powder, so i weigh and trickle those. That process goes a lot slower, but i dont shoot those cartridges as often as i used to.

It’s just a regular RCBS powder dump with a micro powder scale installed. It’s been very accurate and repeatable. I just go to the setting I’ve used from past loading, dump and weigh a few charges, then start filling cases. I can fill a loading block of 50 cases before my old uniflow would do 20.

I also look at all my cases to make sure powder levels are consistent, then start stabbing bullets in them.

The hardest part of my loading is wiping the lube off the cases. I used to throw em in the tumbler for that but then I had to dig out media from the primer pockets. But once brass prep is done, I see no need for a progressive. Pistol is a no brainer, take it out of the tumbler and start loading on the SDB.

Yep I use a Dillon 550 for pistol and ar practice rounds. Even use varget through it. Did the polishing on the powder measure parts years ago and it helps somewhat on some of the extruded powders.

223 and 260 ammo loaded on my Dillon 550 is as accurate as anything I can load on a single stage press
Lee collet dies and powder thrower on the 550 is a great combination

Good lord if you still use a 30 year old inflow, no wonder you have to be picky about powder. That measure is better than Lee spoon set by a, well maybe its not actually, but I digress. I'd have to be picky too. In fact about 1980 or so maybe closer to 85 the measure had me trying to get all my powders down to just a couple and all ball powders.
Then I found out there are other powder measures one can buy that don't kill you so bad...

I have been loading .223 for the AR and bolt guns and have been waiting and waiting for the RCBS Chargemaster to throw each load... it is painful. I should get my powder measure back out and just run it through there. If I remember right, IMR 4064 is not too bad through the powder measure.

I run a red progressive. It get's me about 400 rounds an hour. I use a carbide expander ball on the resize die which avoids case stretch and lubing inside of case neck.

Dillon is a good machine and I've owned two 550s. I like red for a number of reasons..better viability, primer set up, powder measure set up and ease of emptying unused powder back to container, the retainment of cases and ease of removing cases to check something, 5 stations..you have to 650 Dillon for 5, and it's easier to load large rifle rounds. The factory customer service on red or blue is equal.

And I reload lots of 223 in different bullet styles and weights. Following is picture of a box of 55 FMJ BT. it is box number three in the last two years.

Thats good info Lennie. Thanks. I'm sure the op will appreciate it too...

Thanks rost, I've been thinking about trying something different. Trust me.. I get by and it works great for what I use it for, but I know there is much better out there and some of them are pretty damn reasonable in cost...

I recently started using my 550B on 223. I use Dillion insanely expensive carbide dies, spray brass with hornady lube, and AA2230 powder.
I get a very uniform powder throw, and the bullets are very consistent. I'm never in a real rush, so I can get 400 in an hour.
I have a original hornady projector progressive and I always had primer seating issues, probably because it was no set up right. I have not touched it in 15 years.

I have a Dillon XL650

Taking my time I crank out 3-400 rounds an hour (meaning I double check things a lot so everything is consistent and high quality)

I reload 223, 204, and sometimes 243 / 260 on it

When BSA said uniflo I was thinking chargemaster by mistake. Ya I still use the Uniflo with the micro dial thingie.

Oops!

Lennie what is a "red" progressive reloader? Hornady??
the thing I am beginning to worry about is after you size the case you normally trim to length. Seems like you would have to size and trim, separately, while the priming the case, powder addition, and bullet seating could be done automatically. Not sure about crimp if you wanted or needed it.

I have 2 Dillon 550s that I load pistol and 223 on... I process my 223 brass on a single stage so that I can wet tumble and get the primer pockets clean before I load... I keep one press set up for small primer and one for large...

Just reminded me I bought a carbide 223 die. Had a smith cut off the top and make it neck bushing. SO I could run em without lube or very little.

And while it worked I never trusted it enough and unfortunately was getting out of shooting at that time. Gonna have to find that die back and play a bit again maybe.

With a Dillon - just put all the brass in a box and lube it with the spray and shake them around... then let them dry.

Then do a “sizing run only”... that de-primes and sizes...

Tumble

Then you do a loading run on those cases..

I do something similar for lubing , I put them on a cookie sheet and spray them and roll them around .

If anyone wants a hornady projector, I would sell mine. I have probably 4 or 5 shell plates. I think 45 acp/308, 223, 41 mag, 380? You can send me a PM.

I’ve been reloading on the same RL550 I bought in 1992 when I first moved out of Alaska. Probably rebuilt it (springs, small plastic parts) twice


Easily 25,000 rounds.

If required, 223 cases are trimmed before reloading. Yes, press is a Hornady. Like I said, Blue is a great product...I have owned them and they work great. My Hornady was new about 5 years ago and has loaded 40,000 plus rounds. I no longer crimp 223.

I like a fifth station on a progressive for straight wall cases. On a 4 station press when using a separate station for crimping straight wall cases, the bullet seating is the 3rd station and then crimping the 4th station, you have to expand and bell the case at the powder station. Station one becomes the case sizing station, station two..powder and expanding belling the case, station three seats the bullet and station 4 is the crimp die. I crimp straight wall cases by using a Lee carbide crimp die. This die is not made for bullet seating. Use of this die means that all my rounds will chamber and I do not have to trim all the straight wall cases to the same length prior to reloading.

With a 5 station progressive and reloading straight wall cases...station one resizes, station two expands and bells, station three is powder, station four seats bullet and station five is a Lee carbide crimp die.

Hornady and Dillin's 650 are 5 station machines. Dillon's 550 is a 4 station machine.

I use a couple of different single stage presses to process brass (to include a Crow WFT to get to the right length) and then reload with an RCBS powder measure and an RCBS Junior I bought in 1975. Yes, you can reload faster but I find it hard to believe you can reload better. If I were 25 years younger I might consider a Dillion but it would never pay off at this point in my life.

kwg

My standard procedure is to lube the 223 brass on a cookie sheet and run them through a small base die on the Rock Chucker. It has a case kicker on it so I can size about as fast as I can pull the handle. Then it's back to the tumbler to clean the lube off.
Next step is to prime and load on the 550.

Come to think of it, I haven't trimmed a case in years.

I would check my case lengths. 1.76" is the maximum length.

You think? ha ha..

This is what I use to trim to length



Giruad grimmer

Case prep should only have to be done very rarely (other than de-crimping primer pockets which of course is only once). Some guys sound like they're trimming every time; if you have to do that, there's something wrong with your sizing die setup.

Personally I prep brass once, and for all subsequent loadings just run it through the Dillon 550 from fired to loaded in one pass, until cases need to be trimmed again, maybe 5-8 loadings depending on the brass. The caveat is that brass is kept separate and not just randomly mixed in with range brass or dumped in a general 5.56 bucket for later re-use; if you do that you'll need to prep brass every time to be safe.

I don't see the appeal or benefit of doing it that way with 5 stations. Dumping powder while expanding and belling in one station works fine. Maybe you found it harder to adjust? But once it's set, it's done. Maybe I'm missing something but I can't see any reason I'd want to separate those into two stages on a Dillon. Most others seem to agree, and for straight wall pistol cases put a powder check die in the 3rd stage instead.

When loading 5.56, I don't even use the 4th station on my 550. Don't need or want crimp on accuracy loads, and don't need a powder check die either.

What problems do you have with the Uniflow?

The Uniflow works very well for me with no issues...

there are a ton of things one does to accurizing / debug a progressive press.

On a Dillion - I must have posted these years ago..

1). Free float the dies
2). Polish the bottom of the powder measure (inside)
3). Ream out the powder funnel in the drop tubes so they don’t bridge powder
4) float the head that holds the dies

After that you figure out that if you run a bunch of loads 12-15 before you start loading then you get much better powder throws across the board.

5 stages is an advantage. Also you don't need to reach though to place bullet in case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WFvz4dqX0k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmm-LXj5raM

Yeah.. I don't need to watch some mouth breather's shaky video on Youtube to see the differences.

Anyone "reaching through" a 550 to seat a bullet in the 4th stage because they feel the need for a powder check die doesn't know what they're doing; the 550 is not designed or set up to be used that way. Don't take any advice from that guy in your first video. 5 stations is an advantage IF you feel the need to use a powder check die, as I said earlier. That is not what I commented about though, or why you were claiming the advantage of 5 stations. You didn't answer my question.

Bridging, cutting kernels, uneven charges. Changed that right quick to start with by a BR30. Then moved to a couple of Harrels measures. And a cheap Lee for big stick powders.
Still cut a kernel here and there but have very minor changes in charges so I can set and forget and just throw.

Could be the fact mine is ancient, and not the test tube round bottom IIRC. I did finally find it back the other day. Needs cleaning and polishing. Am taking with me to AK since all I have there are lee spoons right now... hope I can polish the turd some.

I agree and do it the same way. By the time I need to trim, for me its time to anneal again.

Yup that is about right for me as well, and proper sizing leads to less need for both.

Yep. Except the annealing part must be our TX heat. I can anneal, and load and let the ammo sit a year or more. All fine.

I can not anneal and leave ammo sit and in a year or two probably 30% or more will split necks on firing ruining the brass. Hence I anneal more often than I thought and not for accuracy reasons generally speaking.

Can you expand on this part a bit? I'm not following. Are you just talking about running 12-15 "throws" through the powder measure before you start seating bullets?

I've got a couple 550's that I reload all my rifle rounds with.

I don't think I save much time, but I aint pulling the handle that much either.

I run 100 rd batches and I do things in two stages which go like this.

Tumble overnight in Corn Cob
Spray lube
Lee deprimer in 1st stage
FL size 2nd
Mandrel neck die 3rd

Tumble 20-30 min to clean off lube

Anneal
Trim

Lee deprimer stage 1 (clears any stuck media) + seat primer
Autocharge/throw stage 2
Seat bullet stage 3

I've got all my Dillon heads locked down with the Uniquetek set up and I consider it a must have for COAL consistency.

I have one 550 set up for .308 cases and one for .223 and I change out the primer seater and its spring when changing to small rifle in the 6 Dasher or .22 Creedmoor.

It takes me a little over an hour to charge 100 cases and seat bullets.

I have three progressives

Lee Loadmaster
Two...Hornady AP's one is dedicated to the 223

My Dillon 550 is set up for 5.56 right now with CFE223 in the powder silo.

I think he's talking about setting aside your first 12-15 rounds. As you load, the powder hopper gets shaken around to some degree, so it settles differently than when you first pour it in the hopper or after it's sat for a while (remember powder dispensers measure by volume, and settled powder is denser). Once you get in a consistent rhythm, the powder can settle in the same way after each load. IMO using a powder baffle helps this to some degree.

The other factor here that I've noticed is the powder charge weight can vary a tenth grain or so between just one round in the powder station and a full shell plate. Some powders are more affected by that than others.

and 1/10 or even a couple tenths should not hurt accuracy unless you are long ranging it or have a load thats not in a sweet spot.

And yes on getting rhythm, one could just shoot those rounds as practice or whatever.

I use baffles in the Dillon. I also have been a bit anal about marking my reservoir in thirds with tape and keep the powder between 1/3 and 2/3 so it helps the weight consistency pushing down some I think. Though I've not tested it.

IMHO there are two things to worry about. Straight loaded rounds. And having a load in a sweet spot. How you get there is up to you.

Anything other than that like polishing, weighing charges and so on, for MOST purposes is a waste of time. We have won many matches with dull dingy ammo loaded in bulk on a Dillon, even out to 600 yards though as I've often said I load 600 plus stuff on a single stage most of the time when we were shooting, assuming I had time. Mostly a mental gain rather than a real gain...

I have a Dillon 650 set up with an electric case feeder.
I use Benchmark and it meters beautifully through the powder measure.
Couple years back I bought two 5 gallon buckets of processed 5.56 brass from my gunsmith for less then $200.00, about 3500 cases to the bucket.
Taking my time I can run off about 600 rounds an hour.

Haven't run out of cases yet.

I've loaded pistol ammo on a SDB for over 20 years. It loads about 400 per hour.

Also have a BL550 I use to load for my Garands and 03A3s.

I have used the same Dillon press since about 1995. I load all of my ammo including practice ammo, precision match and hunting ammo. I consistently hear you cannot load match grade ammo on it but that's a bunch of crap. My run out is typically .002-.003 on rifle ammo. Accuracy of the powder bar is based on the powder selection, as usual long stick powders like to hang up. In 5.56 and .243/6mm Creedmoor I use ball powders such as Ramshot TAC or Hunter. Getting up to .270 and larger I have no problems with any of the Hodgdon short cut or Alliant reloader series.

EDIT: I sold the press.

I have had a dillion 550 for 22 years .I finally wore out that first one three years ago .They sent me a new one when I sent it back . There were not any parts that were not work out .I had loaded over 100000 rounds .It was 338-378 forming from 416 weatherby that stretched that press .I hate loading 223 on be because of small bullets and the fact you can't tell a crimped primer on lots of 223 brass until you size it .I really liked 357 rem mag because it was super easy to load .I loaded more if it than anything . The most impressive thing I loaded waa 250 per hour of 416 rem mag .I loaded 2000 rounds in one day .It takes alot of poweder

I just loaded 500 223 on my Dillion 550.
If you want to make bullet seating easy install and RCBS Match Master seating die.
Just drop the bullet in and pull handle.

I cringe when I see that brass set screw on that RCBS lock ring. Good luck with that one...

PonsnessWarren was the developer of the design currently used by RCBS. It was first marketed over 20 years ago.

Yeah and it is really prone to the lock ring coming loose, or the set screw stripping out. However in a Dillon tool head, the set screw doesn't have to be used anyway so it doesn't really matter. They can be a PITA in a single stage press though where the die gets removed all the time.

I've run a Dillon 550 since the early 90s. They are a great machine, and you just can't beat Dillon's lifetime warranty.

I ran a 650 for a few years, and the case feeder and auto indexing was really nice. I didn't like the extra setup and conversion time, so I sold it and picked up a second 550. I leave one setup for large primers and the other for small primers.

There are times I really miss the 650, though. I could really crank out some ammo with that thing!

I'm out of reloading now but used a Dillon 550 for years. I recommend it.

2 550s and one 50 bmg progressive (Dillon)

Get a Dillon 550C. There's nothing better or even close. I prep the cases in an RCBS small-base full length die on my single stage press and then feed the fully prepped cases into the Dillon. I use a Redding Competition Seating Die and Redding taper crimp die in the Dillon. I have two 550's, one for large primers and one for small primers.

I just don't understand the prepping cases on another press part.

I sized and trimmed 1000 pieces of 45 ACP brass on my Rockchucker then loaded em on my Dillon SDB and I hated every minute of that.

I only prep rifle cases prior to running them thru my Dillons. That way they are sized in a rigid cast-iron press, trimmed, chamfered, primer pockets cleaned and uniformed, and tumbled to like new finish.

There's no need to prep handgun cases unless they need trimming which is rare.

By the way...the new Lyman power trimmer is awesome! 20+ cases a minute!

I would hate that too!

Case prep is, easily, my least favorite reloading chore. I'd rather throw all my pistol brass away and replace it with new stuff, if I hard to size and trim it all.

I'm slowly working my way through a couple thousand .223 cases. Even with an RCBS power trimmer, it's not much fun. A few hundred here and there, is about all I can muster for patience.

I've got a big bucket of IMI M193 brass that I need to size, decrimp and maybe trim that just gets bigger cause I'm too lazy to tackle that job.