I'm a progressive now

Just added a Hornady AP to the bench to load pistol and 223. Any sage advice as I start learning about this new toy. Hopefully my production will increase. I haven't been able to keep up with the single stage. My son shoots my ARs like 22s and my daughter can go through 250rds of pistol in a session.

Scott

I've had two of these...an excellent product for mass production of pistol rounds. I probably loaded 40,000 rounds on my first one....every single one of them a .45ACP with a 200gr lead SWC over 5.0gr of WST! Never changed it to anything else!

For production of pistol ammo or lots of high volume rifle rounds... a progressive is tough to beat.

Oddly enough- since then I've moved back to a single stage after becoming more interested in loading more precision rifle ammunition. I found I was using the progressive more like a single than anything else!

Scott,

Congratulations on the progressive loader.
Now you just need to train the kids on how to load their own ammo and you will have some extra time on your hands.

JD338

Nice I love mine

Love mine to.

Best advice, go slow and don’t be in a hurry. A few hundred rounds really smoothed the press out and my God, just watch the Bullets and brass disappear.

I tip-toed into the progressive pool this winter with a Dillon.

Yep, the components go fast. The wife is sort of side-eyeing me anytime I'm on the net now, because I'm generally looking for the cheapest components I can find to feed the press, and the press is feeding my hungry firearms. The cold snap in the northeast slowed it down some, but that seems to be lifting now, so it may be game on...lol.

Brass, primers, bullets, powder.....you'll need them all in good supply. And "good supply" takes on a whole new meaning when in possession of a progressive loader!

JD338":3gojtag1 said:

Scott,

Congratulations on the progressive loader.
Now you just need to train the kids on how to load their own ammo and you will have some extra time on your hands.

JD338

Click to expand...

If I could get them to load mine as well, I could just spend my time shooting!

I found after switching to the progressive for all pistol ammo, the next step was to cast my own bullets to shoot in even more volume. Moved last year, hadn't cast much but started to in the colder weather. I powder coat also, so no worries about anything changing with ammo that sits.

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Yep, I want to start casting and PC'ing bullets, too.

If you do start casting, look at NOE moulds. I bought several other brand moulds in the beginning, big quantity Lee ones were what I wanted, that way I could pump out several hundred per casting session, which is great for the price, but I don't touch them to much anymore.

I use four cavity NOE with hollow points pins and can still put out high numbers of good quality slugs. And I went to harbor freight and got a cheap electric powder coat gun. For my hollow points, I took an old pan that would fit in my oven, drilled it for rivets and simply never broke them off, that way I can place my HP bullets upside down, put a heavy coat of PC on them and hope the bases get nice and thick.

If I ever get into bear baiting, I want to try the Ranchdog .357 I cast. I shot them into water jugs and they opened perfectly.



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You really need to keep distractions to a minimum with any progressive press. A lot of things are happening at the same time with every pull of the handle and you can make a big mess in a hurry if you try to do anything other than focus on reloading.

I load 12 gauge on a hydraulic operated MEC 9000H and pistol on a pair of Dillon SDBs. I can make 600 shells an hour on the MEC and 400 an hour on the Dillons.