Which Reloading Press is Right for Me?
This is one of the most asked questions out there. Just like which pistol or rifle is right for me. There are many factors to take into account and we are going to examine them in this thread. I would like this to be a learning experience for all. This is not for the “My press is better than your press because mine cost X dollars”.
I have been loading for about 22 years now. I have loaded on single stage and progressive I have loaded Rifle, pistol, revolver and black powder. I have loaded from 22 hornet all the way up to 45-70 both smokeless and black powder loads.
Let’s look at some of the factors we need to determine your press.
1. How much do you shoot?
2. How much do you have to spend?
3. What are you loading for?
4. How long have you been shooting?
5. Are you just testing the waters or you know you’re going to reload?
6. What is your mechanical ability?
How much and what calibers you shoot determine a lot about your press. If you shoot nothing but pistol ammo and you shoot a lot of one load then maybe a small progressive is for you to start out with. I prefer to have people start on single stage presses. Let’s face it though loading pistol ammo on a single stage is boring and SUCKS. You have to resize and deprime. Then you flare the case mouth then you seat and many people prefer to crimp in an extra step. That’s a lot of die changing and stop and starting for a beginner. A guy that just goes to the range and is looking for the best accuracy is going to be more suited by using a single stage where you go slow take your time trickling your powder till it is perfect every time.
Money let’s face it this is the single biggest factor in the equipment you buy. If you have little disposable income do not feel bad for buying a cheaper Lee classic cast press. Once you get going you can pop it on ebay or here and someone will buy it at or near the price you paid for it. A reloading press is like money in a savings account. If you have the wealth to plop down the green for a full on Dillon XL650 set up with case feeder and all the goodies then by all means get that. The nice thing about many of the progressives you can use them as a single stage as well.
What are you loading for? If you are loading small batches of precision rifle ammo then a high quality single stage like the Forester Co-Ax press may be for you. Someone shooting IPSC on the weekends is not going to want to waste time changing dies and what not with the amount of ammo they burn up. So they are going to look at a Dillon, Hornady , RCBS or Lee progressive loader for speed. Bottle neck cartridges do not require as many steps in the press to load them as pistol ammo does.
How long have you been shooting? This goes to part of the equation for me in that the longer you have been shooting the more you know your firearms and what goes into making them go bang and not BOOM. Plus a person that picked up a Springer XD last week may not need the reloading set up that a guy with a dozen different rifles and 2 dozen pistols is going to need. This is a smaller part of the equation but is still a part of it in my eyes.
Are you sure that no matter what you are going to keep reloading? Or do you just want to test the waters and see what it offers you in terms of performance fun? Reloading ammo can be as simple or complex as you want it. If you are not sure and want a set up that is low cost and can maybe grow with you then that is what you should look for. Don’t feel bad if you are a testing the water loader. Many people just don’t like it or just don’t have the time and money to commit to reloading. Please just remember one thing you’re NOT going to save a single dime. The money you save will go right back into buying more supplies or equipment. If you are reloading to see a savings then you’re loading for the wrong reasons.
Mechanical ability unfortunately not everyone can tear down a firearm or small block chevy and know how to put them back together. Loading is the same way it takes some kind of mechanical ability to produce quality accurate safe ammunition. At least I think it does. Progressive presses take more than single stage presses as well. You have every operation going on at one time on a progressive vs 1 operation at a time on the single stage.
This is one of the most asked questions out there. Just like which pistol or rifle is right for me. There are many factors to take into account and we are going to examine them in this thread. I would like this to be a learning experience for all. This is not for the “My press is better than your press because mine cost X dollars”.
I have been loading for about 22 years now. I have loaded on single stage and progressive I have loaded Rifle, pistol, revolver and black powder. I have loaded from 22 hornet all the way up to 45-70 both smokeless and black powder loads.
Let’s look at some of the factors we need to determine your press.
1. How much do you shoot?
2. How much do you have to spend?
3. What are you loading for?
4. How long have you been shooting?
5. Are you just testing the waters or you know you’re going to reload?
6. What is your mechanical ability?
How much and what calibers you shoot determine a lot about your press. If you shoot nothing but pistol ammo and you shoot a lot of one load then maybe a small progressive is for you to start out with. I prefer to have people start on single stage presses. Let’s face it though loading pistol ammo on a single stage is boring and SUCKS. You have to resize and deprime. Then you flare the case mouth then you seat and many people prefer to crimp in an extra step. That’s a lot of die changing and stop and starting for a beginner. A guy that just goes to the range and is looking for the best accuracy is going to be more suited by using a single stage where you go slow take your time trickling your powder till it is perfect every time.
Money let’s face it this is the single biggest factor in the equipment you buy. If you have little disposable income do not feel bad for buying a cheaper Lee classic cast press. Once you get going you can pop it on ebay or here and someone will buy it at or near the price you paid for it. A reloading press is like money in a savings account. If you have the wealth to plop down the green for a full on Dillon XL650 set up with case feeder and all the goodies then by all means get that. The nice thing about many of the progressives you can use them as a single stage as well.
What are you loading for? If you are loading small batches of precision rifle ammo then a high quality single stage like the Forester Co-Ax press may be for you. Someone shooting IPSC on the weekends is not going to want to waste time changing dies and what not with the amount of ammo they burn up. So they are going to look at a Dillon, Hornady , RCBS or Lee progressive loader for speed. Bottle neck cartridges do not require as many steps in the press to load them as pistol ammo does.
How long have you been shooting? This goes to part of the equation for me in that the longer you have been shooting the more you know your firearms and what goes into making them go bang and not BOOM. Plus a person that picked up a Springer XD last week may not need the reloading set up that a guy with a dozen different rifles and 2 dozen pistols is going to need. This is a smaller part of the equation but is still a part of it in my eyes.
Are you sure that no matter what you are going to keep reloading? Or do you just want to test the waters and see what it offers you in terms of performance fun? Reloading ammo can be as simple or complex as you want it. If you are not sure and want a set up that is low cost and can maybe grow with you then that is what you should look for. Don’t feel bad if you are a testing the water loader. Many people just don’t like it or just don’t have the time and money to commit to reloading. Please just remember one thing you’re NOT going to save a single dime. The money you save will go right back into buying more supplies or equipment. If you are reloading to see a savings then you’re loading for the wrong reasons.
Mechanical ability unfortunately not everyone can tear down a firearm or small block chevy and know how to put them back together. Loading is the same way it takes some kind of mechanical ability to produce quality accurate safe ammunition. At least I think it does. Progressive presses take more than single stage presses as well. You have every operation going on at one time on a progressive vs 1 operation at a time on the single stage.