Progressive loader for pistol

[Cull Buck Hunter]

Any recommendations or cautionary tales before I buy something I might regret. Loaded for 25 years with a single stage and feel pretty efficient, but a progressive looks really quick for small pistol rounds, is it worth the investment?

Thanks
Cull

 

[Jcalder]

I would think if you shot high volume it would worth the investment. And I guess it depends on what you're looking at. Do you want a Lee progressive that's fairly inexpensive or go all out on a Dillon. Biggest issue right now is gonna be finding components to feed it. But may also be the time to find a used unit taking up space of someone that can't find components.

 

[Cull Buck Hunter]

Good point on used unit, i have all the components, for 4-5k rounds. Prefer good quality, the Hornady looks like a good bridge between quality and value.
Thanks
Cull

 

[DaveB]

I have a lee progressive. The mechanism to insert a primer is shall we say less than perfect. You can flip a primer, insert just half of it, crush a primer. All exceptionally easy to do. Its no wonder there is a metal shield between you and the primer cache.

The story goes on but essentially I decap and prime on standalone stations. Then on the progressive I drop primed cases and they are FL sized (no decap pin) then powder is dropped, and then I insert a 9mm 115 gr FMJ bullet which is then seated and ejected.

The powder measure component is stupid accurate with CFEPistol. The secret is a deliberate & consistent push pull process. I am never in a hurry.

I can crank out 100 rounds in about an hour or (much) less if I do not let the brass supply go to zero.

Note: on all progressives you have to read the instructions and learn what they mean as they have invented new words.
Note: I want an accurate load so I build up using old fashion way using my 10-10 beam. I also determine best COAL. I then translate values to the Progressive.

Best of luck. Progressives make pistol ammo a sweet thing.

 

[waynesworld]

My cousin and I brought a Hornady and he used it all the time. it worked good but i didn't use it. Wish i had learned and kept it but cousin was the one to keep it.

 

[Safari Hunt]

Dillon or RCBS. Good luck in finding components.

 

[Wiley]

I've been loading on a Dillon 550B for a few years. I use it as a progressive for pistol and my .223 rounds. Then I use it as a hybrid single stage for my .308 hunting rounds.

 

[Derek]

I load on a Dillon 550. It will spoil you on single stage presses. I can't speak to the others, never tried them.

 

[jemo4570]

I purchased a Lee Loadmaster back in the 80's because of the cost ($200 vs. $7-800 for a Dillon). I had 2 kids in private school. I had planned on upgrading to a Dillon 650xl when I could afford it. I was shooting 45acp 2-3 times a week and 38, 357 & 44 mag almost as often. It has loaded probably close to, if not over, 500,000 rounds. I have had minimal problems with the machine.
I was in a position to upgrade about 15 years ago. I never did and still run the Loadmaster.

 

[Cull Buck Hunter]

Thanks
for input.

 

[brassmagnet]

I started in the 80's with a $15.00 Lee Loader, look that puppy up, you hammered rounds together, seated the primer by feel, with a hammer. Upgraded to a LEE 3 hole turret press for $65.00, loaded thousands of rounds of .44 and .45. Fast forward to 2013, I retired and started loading 308 and 223, didn't get the case lube figured out and broke the base. Ordered a base from Lee for $15.00, back in business. Have since picked up an RCBS JR single stage and use it for rifle brass sizing. You can spend what you want to, or not, I think that turret went up about $100.00, sweet thing is turrets are $11.00 and once you set your dies, you just change turrets to change calibers.

 

[Cull Buck Hunter]

Good info

 

[FTG-05]

I've been using a Dillon RL-550B since 1986 or so. 9mm, .40, .44 Mag/Spec, .223, 7mm-08, .308, 30-06, 45-70, .303 British and probably a couple others I'm forgetting at the moment.

If I wanted a pistol-only progressive reloader, I'd get the Dillon Square D. The only real downside is their use of proprietary reloading dies.

You can't go wrong with a Dillon, no matter what you buy. Their service is outstanding.

 

[square]

Dillon. Great quality and warranty. I like the dillon dies also.

 

[shootin-blanks]

Dillon for me.. one 550, two 1050's.. 100 pistol rounds in about 4min.

 

[Safari Hunt]

Adding- I used to shoot competitive trap years ago. Had the Mec 650 which took a long time to load 25 shells. Bought the Mec 9000 progressive. Much easier and faster. To anwer your question, a progressive loader is worth it. We all know it isn't uncommon to shoot 100-200 rounds of pistol ammo. If you shoot any type of competition, the extra rounds are good fro practice.

 

[Cull Buck Hunter]

Probably going progressive when the market settles down, not paying the current prices.
Thanks for the experience based opinions.

 

[cm1021]

I started on a hornady L-N-L for my first progressive. Didn't want to drop the dillon money when I was looking to uo the process. Well after finnicking with it and adjusting a bunch, breaking things, and just letting it sit... I got most of my money back when everything started going out of stock so I decided to bite the bullet and get a Dillon. I now know what all the hype is about!! I've got the XL750 and when I looked at what all it came with vs if I bought the equivalent Hornaday there was only about $100-$150 difference.

Bottom line if you're going progressive, go Dillon. As far as waiting for things to die down. Dillon will let you order everything and ship it as it becomes available. Presses are shipping quickly its the caliber conversion that's backed up. Order one with a 9mm conversion and you can load on it while you wait for the others. Its what I'm doing right now.

 

[shootin-blanks]

pay once cry once...