What Press for a beginner?

[RAM4171]

Just curious to hear some opinions from some seasoned handloaders. I won't give my opinion or thoughts since I don't know anything yet. I have my eye on something to start out with but would like to know what y'all think.

[boomstick]

You can never go wrong buying RCBS for a single stage press starting out. Their Customer Service is second to none and the equipment will last a lifetime.

[Middle Age Russ]

Practically any single-stage O-Frame press (if looked at from the side, it looks a bit like an O with the ram on the bottom and die station at the top) from a major manufacturer is good. RCBS Rock Chucker will last forever, but so will models from Hornady, Lee and Lyman. Take a hard look at the Hornady Lock-n-Load, which allows for a very quick change from die to die once they are initially set up.

[rm9792]

I started with a progressive and it was not too bad a learning experience. If you are mechanically inclined then just buy a progressive and you are futureproof. If not then start simpler with a singlestage. I hate buying twice so I just jumped in with both feet.

[softwarejanitor]

You can never go wrong buying RCBS for a single stage press starting out. Their Customer Service is second to none and the equipment will last a lifetime.

Actually, I personally consider that advice outdated. While there is really nothing wrong with the RCBS Rock Chucker, the Lee Classic Cast beats it in virtually every way that matters (better spent primer catch system, better priming arm system, etc), and costs about 2/3 as much. If you are looking at the lower end alloy presses, I also consider the Lee Challenger Breech Lock press to be superior to the RCBS Partner Press, again, about 2/3 the price. If you read a lot of forums you will hear people raving about RCBS's customer service replacing parts that the customer broke for free... it is true... but what it amounts to is they build the price of the replacement parts into the original price so you really aren't getting something for nothing. If you break something on a Lee press outside the warranty you may have to pay for it, but their replacement parts are fairly priced and if you aren't a goober who doesn't know their own strength, you are money ahead in the long run.

[softwarejanitor]

I started with a progressive and it was not too bad a learning experience. If you are mechanically inclined then just buy a progressive and you are futureproof. If not then start simpler with a singlestage. I hate buying twice so I just jumped in with both feet.

Progressives are great if you reload mostly for handguns or small rifle cartridges like .223 Rem, especially if you need large volumes and consistency and accuracy around the level of commercial ammo is sufficient. They aren't so great if you are loading many bigger bore bottleneck rifle cartridges, especially .30-06 Spr and larger. And if you really want supreme consistency and accuracy you a single stage press has advantages in ability to individually weigh and measure individual powder loads, etc.

And a one big disadvantage of a progressive if you reload a couple dozen different cartridges like I do... the extreme expense of all the shell plates, etc. needed with most progressive presses to set up for them, and the huge time consumption and pain in the butt of changing the press over for a different cartridge and adjusting everything to run smoothly.

I do have a couple of progressives... inexpensive Lee Pro 1000's. I leave one set up for 9x19mm Parabellum and another for .45 ACP. I shoot both of those in volume. I reload my other ammo on other presses, a Lee Turret (old 3-hole version) for most of my handgun ammo and .223 Rem and a Lee Classic Cast for most of my rifle ammo. Set up time for a turret press or single stage is next to nill compared to any progressive I've seen.

Anyway, I don't see it as buying twice... even if you have a progressive chances are a single stage press on your bench will get used, even if it is just for the occasional use of depriming a case or something.

[rm9792]

I got mine strictly for .45acp. Then friends wanted reloading done and i agreed but they had to buy the dies. Now i got 40,.38,9mm and .50ae dies but not a single person has asked for me to load anything. I offer but they always say maybe later. I have never done rifle calibers. Looks a lot harder.

[softwarejanitor]

I got mine strictly for .45acp. Then friends wanted reloading done and i agreed but they had to buy the dies. Now i got 40,.38,9mm and .50ae dies but not a single person has asked for me to load anything. I offer but they always say maybe later. I have never done rifle calibers. Looks a lot harder.

Reloading for bottleneck rifle cartridges is indeed a bit harder, but far more rewarding. And by rewarding I don't mean just in $ savings, although that is usually much more with rifles than most handgun cartridges (with the possible exception of something super expensive off the shelf like .500 S&W). There is also more variety in powder and bullet choices for rifles which means you can do a lot more experimentation and tuning of loads.

[v-rog]

I'm also thinking about getting into reloading. I have two books that should arrive in the next couple of days- ABCs of reloading, 9th ed. and Lyman, 49th ed.

I'm thinking about eventually getting this starter kit from Midway USA:

Sale Rebate RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Single Stage Press Master Kit Product #: 646599, Status: Available,
4.6 stars (36) Reviews $319.99 $287.99 You save $32.00

[softwarejanitor]

I'm also thinking about getting into reloading. I have two books that should arrive in the next couple of days- ABCs of reloading, 9th ed. and Lyman, 49th ed.

I'm thinking about eventually getting this starter kit from Midway USA:

Sale Rebate RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Single Stage Press Master Kit Product #: 646599, Status: Available,
4.6 stars (36) Reviews $319.99 $287.99 You save $32.00

There is nothing wrong with that kit, but I'd suggest this instead...

Lee Classic Cast Breech Lock Press $99.99
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=824144" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

MTM Mini Digital Reloading Scale $39.99
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=713049" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hornady Lock-N-Load Powder Measure $69.99
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=290524" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lee Auto Prime XR Hand Priming Tool $18.49
Lee Auto Prime Hand Priming Tool Shellholder Package of 11 $14.99
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=413473" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=566058" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lyman Case Preparation Kit $30.99
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=299864" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lee Powder Funnel 22 to 45 Caliber $3.29
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=974498" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lyman Universal Reloading Tray 50-Round Plastic Clear-Smoke $6.99
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=576361" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That comes out to $284.72 (not counting that a couple of the items are on sale and I put the regular price above in case the sale runs out) and about the only thing in the RCBS kit it doesn't include is the reloading manual, but you've already got two. Oh, and the case lube kit, but I personally don't like RCBS's lube (too greasy and messy). As I've said previously, in my opinion the Lee Classic Cast press is far superior to the Rock Chucker, I prefer a digital scale over the old fashioned 505 balance in the RCBS kit (and I have a 505 so I can say from experience). I also like the Lee priming tool better than the RCBS one mainly due to the 'feel'. I also prefer the Lyman case prep tools and loading tray over the ones in the RCBS kit. I've heard much better things about the Hornady powder measure than the Uniflow from people I trust.

[GrandmasterB]

I started with a progressive, the Dillon Square Deal B. It only loads pistol rounds, but that's find by me. Dillon's customer service is EXCELLENT and I have been delighted with this press. I have loaded thousands and thousands of rounds on it and if anything breaks or goes wrong, Dillon takes care of me. Ask a competition pistol shooter what brand of press he uses and you will most likely hear "Dillon".

[OldCannon]

ok, I thought I'd throw this down for my opinion. Y'all are welcome to criticize. I'm probably going to "grow" this over time...


(A) Costs are always relative. The costs listed here are the kind of prices you can expect just for the press. I left out the costs for things like shell plates, dies, etc, which can vary wildly. A caliber change for a one type of progressive press can run you over 2x more than another. Once you decide what TYPE of press, you have a lot of additional homework to do. I'm also not including all the costs for standard reloading tools like scales or calipers

(B) Load accuracy is a function of several things, but during reloading, precise and identically cocistent powder charges are critical, expecially for long range hunting loads. Turret and Progressive presses don't NORMALLY support the precise feeding of charges, although a skilled reloader will tell you that it's easy to remove the automatic powder drops from high end presses and have the same level of accuracy. While this is very true, it eliminates the key speed benefits of turret or progressive presses. Mechanical imperfections in progressive press stage rotations can also introduce microscopic changes in bullet seating and alignment, although this is more likely (again) due to the convenience of speed afforded by these presses, rather than to an inherent superiority of single-stage style presses.

(C) Turret presses come in two flavors, auto-indexing, like the Lee Turret Presses or non auto-indexing, like the Redding Turret Press. The need to manually index the press head can have a significant impact on speed. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

(D) There's some arguments about whether a progressive press requires more workspace than a turret or single-stage press. They all need to be mounted to a sturdy location, more or less permanently, as the arm motions can cause the work surface to shift. Progressive presses, however, tend to be sturdier and impart more motion just by virtue of the constant pulling and rotation of the press. A more-fair argument, however, is that progressives require fewer motions to load the same number of cartridges

(E) This one is likely to start World War IV, but let's step back a minute. Most seasoned reloaders tend to view the world from their current experience rather than their starting experience. It's natural. I don't remember how much I struggled with Algebra when I was first learning it, but I'm pretty sure all those letters and number mixed together were pretty confusing at first. Same goes with reloading. It's more than the press; It's recipes, case preparation, Cartridge OAL, bullet weights, fiddling with scales and calipers, picking the right powder (or your 3rd or 4th choice because the store is out of your first choices). Beginners want their initial experience to be a good one, and there's no better way to kill a new reloader's enthusiasm then the myriad ways that a progressive press can go wrong out of the box. Progressives require good alignment, testing, and most of all, patience. An experienced reloader already moves with the familiarity of adjusting dies, figuring out primer loaders, and just how much wiggle room they have in their favorite bullet recipe. In addition, Single and Turret presses are considered to be functionally identical in terms of this rating, with the exception that all die elements are held in the turret, rather than in separate bushing assemblies for the single stage press.

For those of you STILL interested in progressives, consider reading this document for comparison ( http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillonLee ... rison.pdf). Keep in mind, however, that progressive reloading people tend to divide into two camps, Dillon fans and Everything Else fans. This document is not entirely kind to Dillon fans.

[v-rog]

Why do you rate the "ease of reloading" a single stage press a 3?

ok, I thought I'd throw this down for my opinion. Y'all are welcome to criticize. I'm probably going to "grow" this over time...


(A) Costs are always relative. The costs listed here are the kind of prices you can expect just for the press. I left out the costs for things like shell plates, dies, etc, which can vary wildly. A caliber change for a one type of progressive press can run you over 2x more than another. Once you decide what TYPE of press, you have a lot of additional homework to do. I'm also not including all the costs for standard reloading tools like scales or calipers

(B) Load accuracy is a function of several things, but during reloading, precise and identically cocistent powder charges are critical, expecially for long range hunting loads. Turret and Progressive presses don't NORMALLY support the precise feeding of charges, although a skilled reloader will tell you that it's easy to remove the automatic powder drops from high end presses and have the same level of accuracy. While this is very true, it eliminates the key speed benefits of turret or progressive presses. Mechanical imperfections in progressive press stage rotations can also introduce microscopic changes in bullet seating and alignment, although this is more likely (again) due to the convenience of speed afforded by these presses, rather than to an inherent superiority of single-stage style presses.

(C) Turret presses come in two flavors, auto-indexing, like the Lee Turret Presses or non auto-indexing, like the Redding Turret Press. The need to manually index the press head can have a significant impact on speed. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

(D) There's some arguments about whether a progressive press requires more workspace than a turret or single-stage press. They all need to be mounted to a sturdy location, more or less permanently, as the arm motions can cause the work surface to shift. Progressive presses, however, tend to be sturdier and impart more motion just by virtue of the constant pulling and rotation of the press. A more-fair argument, however, is that progressives require fewer motions to load the same number of cartridges

(E) This one is likely to start World War IV, but let's step back a minute. Most seasoned reloaders tend to view the world from their current experience rather than their starting experience. It's natural. I don't remember how much I struggled with Algebra when I was first learning it, but I'm pretty sure all those letters and number mixed together were pretty confusing at first. Same goes with reloading. It's more than the press; It's recipes, case preparation, Cartridge OAL, bullet weights, fiddling with scales and calipers, picking the right powder (or your 3rd or 4th choice because the store is out of your first choices). Beginners want their initial experience to be a good one, and there's no better way to kill a new reloader's enthusiasm then the myriad ways that a progressive press can go wrong out of the box. Progressives require good alignment, testing, and most of all, patience. An experienced reloader already moves with the familiarity of adjusting dies, figuring out primer loaders, and just how much wiggle room they have in their favorite bullet recipe. In addition, Single and Turret presses are considered to be functionally identical in terms of this rating, with the exception that all die elements are held in the turret, rather than in separate bushing assemblies for the single stage press.

For those of you STILL interested in progressives, consider reading this document for comparison ( http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillonLee ... rison.pdf). Keep in mind, however, that progressive reloading people tend to divide into two camps, Dillon fans and Everything Else fans. This document is not entirely kind to Dillon fans.

[rm9792]

Probably because you have to keep changing dies with each stage, would slow me down a lot. This chart will vary thoguh as changing calibers on my progressive is 1 thumbscrew and pop a new turrent in with preloaded dies. 2 steps if you need a new shellplate.