Who Still Loads on a Single Stage Press?

[Vodoun daVinci]

Been using a single stage my whole life building rounds one at a time...hand weighing each and every charge on a digital scale and resizing, expanding, and seating on an ancient RCBS single stage. Then again, I don't compete and get off on precision even with pistol/handgun ammunition. Aside from it being slow I find it relaxing and uber precise.

Anybody else still load on a single stage or is the consensus that this is too tedious and slow for making precision rifle ammunition and has no merits in the age of cranking them out? Can I learn to make precision ammo at a faster rate?

Thanks in advance for your opinions and perspective!

VooDoo

 

[Crang]

I have been loading on my Co-Ax for however long I have been reloading- maybe 15 years? No plans to ever change for hunting and precision centerfire ammo. I do admit it would be nice to have a progressive setup to crank out big piles of 5.56 though where absolute precision is less of a concern for me. But for that I can just buy cheap bulk stuff anyway and save the time.

 

[isofahunter]

Single stage here.

 

[SkyScrapin]

Co-Ax and Dillon 650 here. Co-Ax is my favorite for precision, but the nature of the single stage is ultra slow. Recently purchased a Dillon for processing brass which has significantly reduced my time at the bench.

 

[Snuby642]

Single stage for rifle dillon for pistols, may set up a dillon 5.56 for range ammo.

 

[10ring1]

Single stage for life!! Would love to know how many rounds I've loaded over the past 30 yrs on mine. Bet it's alot. Rcbs here

 

[wildcats]

Single stage for all my center fire stuff from 260 to 50bmg in the past

 

[Snuby642]

Had a round .38 miss a powder charge on the dillon 2 weeks ago.
Stuck mid chamber.
What a pta to bash it back into the case in the revolver at the range.
Has never happened to me on a single stage.

Enjoy your precision and buy items that speed up that process.

 

[deltawiskey]

I build mine the same way you do! : )

 

[mheimer_45]

RCBS Single stage for several years. .223 22-250 6.5 creed .308 9mm 38 special and 45acp.

 

[fxdrider]

For my semi-autos, I load on my Dillon 550B and XL650. But for critical accuracy/precision rifle ammo it's single stage on a Lee Classic Cast press.

 

[JMGlasgow]

Everything I load is single stage. It would be nice to get a progressive for handgun and plinker 223 sometime.

 

[Badfinger]

 

[Velocity Chad]

Single stage rcbs. progressive will be coming sometime soon though.

 

[McCrazy]

Co-ax for quality; Hornady Lock and Load for quantity.

 

[MTRecon]

Single stage RCBS Jr since 1973 for rifle...RL1050 since 1992 for handgun...

 

[Deleted member 10043]

Me

 

[whiskeysierra762]

Redding Ultramag replaced my Rockchucker when when I went to 338LM. I also load on a Dillon 550 and 650.

 

[Alphatreedog]

Lee single stage . I am getting a progressive for 0istol because I just can't keep up with feeding a 9mm . Will continue using single stage for .308 and .223 .

 

[Vodoun daVinci]

Wow. And a local guy at the range told me no one uses single stage anymore.

VooDoo

 

[ReaperMedic]

I started reloading on a Lee single stage this year, and don't figure I'll change anytime soon. I just reload for my .308 though. Maybe one day I will add a progressive for pistol and 5.56

 

[supratt96]

Co-ax for me. Been doing it the same way for 30 years. No point in shooting precision rifles if your not using precision ammo.

 

[supercorndogs]

RCBS rock chucker, Lee Loadmaster, Looking for a 550 or 650. I reckon it comes down to volume of ammo and the time you want to spent at the reloading bench. I would rather take a beating than go back to single stage handgun ammo making.

 

[Vodoun daVinci]

Looked up those Foster Co-ax Presses. Man....I might needs me one of those.

VooDoo

 

[ruebarb]

To answer the Ops questions, Yes you can precision load faster with a progressive press than a single stage. It comes down to how much $$$ you want to spend. You don't have to give-up any accuracy when moving to a Dillon 550 outfitted with the Whidden Gunworks tool head and floating dies. I make single SD ammo on the 550, equal run out as my Rock Chucker. You still need to manually measure your powder.

I also load on a 650 and fully automated 1050, each press meets a different need.

 

[HoustonB77]

Co-Ax for me. I will eventually get a progressive for high volume pistol loading but I'll always load rifle one at a time.

 

[1500varmint]

I've loaded thousands of pistol rounds on a Hornady lock N Load, but I'm just starting to load for rifle (.308 and possibly .223) so I just picked up a single stage Lyman press.

 

[BW64]

All my precision rifle ammo is done with an arbor press & Wilson dies.

BW

 

[Pinmaster]

I "still" do and I do not see going to anything else, ever.

 

[Stevo86]

I just load for long range rifle so that’s what I use.

 

[Stevo86]

Had a round .38 miss a powder charge on the dillon 2 weeks ago.
Stuck mid chamber.
What a pta to bash it back into the case in the revolver at the range.
Has never happened to me on a single stage.

Enjoy your precision and buy items that speed up that process.

I had this exact thing happen on a s&w 38, damn it sucked getting that bullet out.

 

[Fig]

Angry Dillon fan boys in 3-2-1-....

 

[Snuby642]

Still love the dillon, never figured out the 1 round of a hundred missing powder?

 

[whiskeysierra762]

I had this exact thing happen on a s&w 38, damn it sucked getting that bullet out.

I use the powder sensor on the 650, highly recommended.

 

[ShtrRdy]

I do my rifle loading on a 70's vintage RCBS press.

Most pistol reloading is on a progressive press.

 

[Fig]

Still love the dillon, never figured out the 1 round of a hundred missing powder?

My Dad had a Dillon modified Star, so I've been loading on them all my life (for as long as they've been making them). That I still prefer a single stage for hand loading seems to drive some people insane. That I would not want to make everything as fast as possible doesn't compute for some people...

Really, IMO, no matter your process the most significant thing you can do to make your precision loading faster is buy a Giraud.

 

[Threadcutter308]

Single stage; Sinclair arbor press, L.E. Wilson hand dies, FX120i & Autothrow/Autotrickler for CF Rifle.

Full length Resizing, CF Rifle; Rockchucker.

Pistol calibers; XL650 w/casefeeder and Mr. Bulletfeeder.

 

[Fig]

Single stage; Sinclair arbor press, L.E. Wilson hand dies, FX120i & Autothrow/Autotrickler for CF Rifle.

Full length Resizing, CF Rifle; Rockchucker.

Pistol calibers; XL650 w/casefeeder and bulltfeeder.

I have the same arbor press, and a couple of sets of hand dies. I have never been one to reload at the range, and I just bought them messing with BR hand loading techniques on hunting rifles. I really don't use them anymore. I find the Co-Ax makes just as good cartridges...

I'm just not going to stop weighing every charge on a triple beam. I've been doing it so long, and trust it so completely it's not worth changing. Maybe if I ever sprung for a Prometheus, but I don't see that unless I hit the lottery and money becomes no concern.

 

[Threadcutter308]

I have the same arbor press, and a couple of sets of hand dies. I have never been one to reload at the range, and I just bought them messing with BR hand loading techniques on hunting rifles. I really don't use them anymore. I find the Co-Ax makes just as good cartridges...

I'm just not going to stop weighing every charge on a triple beam. I've been doing it so long, and trust it so completely it's not worth changing. Maybe if I ever sprung for a Prometheus, but I don't see that unless I hit the lottery and money becomes no concern.

With the great results I'm getting by loading at home, I don't load at the range anymore either. The biggest reason is that my powder charge consistency with the FX120i & Autothrow/Autotrickler is phenominally good. I have a Redding 3 BR that I have used for 20 years. It seems to be slightly more consistent than the Harrell's powder measure that I had briefly. However, when I was calibrating both measures for field loading purposes, I found that both of them varied by .2 to .3 grains from charge to charge. That's wayyy too much variation and something that I have solved with the FX120i & Autothrow/Autotrickler. Too bad it isn't more "portable"....

 

[black5.3]

All of my rifle gets done on a hornady single stage and powder charged with a charge master. All pistol is done on a hornady lnl progressive.

 

[yakstone]

Single stage for rifle dillon for pistols, may set up a dillon 5.56 for range ammo.

I do the same. Though I do have a 1050 set up for 5.56.

 

[1J04]

Started in the 70's with one of these little babies

And after returning to the States in 96 upgraded all the way up to one of these

Single stage till I'm done. And I mean done done.

 

[Vet2243]

I have a RCBS iv and a Lyman turret press and I am happy with both and have no need to crank out rounds like Lake City lol.

 

[OLD308]

RCBS RC for bolt action rifles. Dillon Super 1050 for semiauto. Dillon 650xl setting quit since the 1050 came in.

 

[Tnc]

Been loading on a single stage since the beginning. No plans to change it

 

[wtmyers]

I roll my own.
Single Stage.

 

[Threadcutter308]

Started in the 70's with one of these little babies

And after returning to the States in 96 upgraded all the way up to one of these

Single stage till I'm done. And I mean done done.

No need to put me in your will, I just bought one yesterday......Needed a shoulder bumping press.

 

[Kyskeet]

Decap and resize on Rock chucker in two different steps, tumbling and annealing in between. Drop powder via FX120i with auto throw, seat bullet with LE Wilson hand die on arbor press.

 

[Wlfdg]

I do
If I loaded pistol I would step it up to a multi-stage press just for sheer volume.

 

[1J04]

No need to put me in your will, I just bought one yesterday......Needed a shoulder bumping press.

You're already in it and I'm extremely grateful for everything you've helped me with and of course gifted me regarding our pew pew pew pursuits. Thanks my friend.