I am thinking of going to an auto-progressive reloader from many years of single staging it.

What do you folks that use the AP presses do about the steps such as checking case length and inspecting cases after resizing,
cleaning primer pockets? Do you just skip it for the sake of speed? I am used to sweating the details and it seems like an auto press skips over some things.

comments?

Dave.

Dave, that is why I have a progressive AND a single stage press. (Dillon & Bonanza)

I do all my bottle-neck "low quantity" rounds one at a time, and use the progressive for high-quantity pistol rounds.

I don't worry much about 45ACP - I just shoot them until they split.

Rick.

I inspect, clean primer pockets and trim my my cases before I begin loading. To do this I use a universal decapping die.

I agree with the above posts, Dave. Ya gotta get your case prep things done before you start pumping them thru the press.

Best progressive press to get IMHO is Dillon. Top quality machine and best of all top quality people.

But one thing you better know going in is you give up a lot of your ability to experiment with a progressive press. It's a LOT more trouble to change loads and monkey around.

For this reason I suggest keeping your single stage press as well.

------------------
A well placed bullet is worth 1,000 ft/lbs of energy.

Dave, I use a Lee Turret Press, for the express reason that it gives me most of the benefits of both a single-stage and a progressive.

I can remove the index rod (the dingus that advances the turret) and use it just like a single-stage, but with the advantage that instead of having only one die mounted, I've got them all right there, already properly spaced. It has a little more slop and flex than a true single-stage press, but not that much.

Then if I want to load a bunch of pistol rounds quickly, I just pop on the turret with my pistol dies, stick the indexing rod back in, add powder to the measure (which is already mounted on the turret plate) and off we go.

It's not the very best single stage press or progressive press, but it's real good at both, and that works fine for me right now.

I have a Rockchucker, Redding Turret and RCBS Pro2000. I have used the Rockchucker since the late 70's and the turret for several years but the Pro2000 is new this year. Before buying I tried out the Pro2000 at the NRA convention and a Dillon a friend has (model above the 650); another friend purchased a Hornady Lock N Load about the same time I purchased my RCBS Pro2000.

My experience with the Pro2000 (and both of my friends experiences with the Dillon and the Hornady) has been that depriming and priming are the weak points of a progressive. In fact after I tumble my cases I now deprime with a Universal deprimer die on my Rockchucker and I reprime with a RCBS standard benchmount tool or a RCBS hand priming tool. By taking priming off of my progressive I control the inspection and priming process with the degree I am used to and use the progressive where it seems to work best. I have never been happy with the "feel" I got from priming on the progressive - so offline priming works for me. I feel that I am now using the tools where each is particularly strong and eliminating the weakness in the progressive.
Odessa

Nobody asked, but I'll toss this out anyway.

I have two single stage presses set up side/side with the Uniflow powder charger between them.

For "fast" and handgun ammo, use an RCBS Hand Priming Tool which holds maybe 400 primers and goes really fast. Also, it allows "feel" when seating the primer. I like to feel the primer seat.

I set up two dies, "belling" and "seating" in the presses. Ammo gets belled, filled, seated. Moving right down the line.

NOT nearly as fast as a progressive, but I get to bird dog each step of the operation. Also, the second press ran $25 in a pawn shop.

------------------
.223 Ackley Improved Wildcat Forum:
http://www.hotboards.com/plus/plus.mirage?who=223ackleyimproved