Stick with rock chucker or get a progressive??

L

lampy

New member
Hey fellas,

I currently have everything I need to reload. Single stage press, scales, caliper, trimmer, primer, everything. But, I just bought a .45 that I plan on shooting roughly 50 rounds a week, which will get pretty dang expensive if I don't reload. I reload my .22-.250, .223, .45 Long Colt, .9mm, .30-.06 so I have the powders and I know what I am doing, but I guess the question I'm trying to get at is would I be better off sticking with my single stage or getting a progressive press now? Like I said, I will be shooting A LOT and single stage presses take for [beeep] ever. Espicially if I'm shooting 50-100 rounds a week.

Thoughts??

Thanks, Steven
 
Hey Steven

I think that you are in pretty good shape with what you have now. I have been using the same RCBS RC that I bought new some 38 years ago and I have never seen the need to change. If I had a nickle every time that handle was cranked I could buy me a new car and have enough money left over for a nice vacation.

A friend had a Dillion RL550 that he sold just a few months later because of (he said) hassles of changing from one caliber to another.

Perhaps I am just sententimental, but that old Rock Chucker will stay on my reloading bench until my widow sells it at an estate auction, or hopefully, one of my grandchildren starts using it.
 
Lampy,
I am with Rusty on this one.
I have been using the same RC for roughly 35 years now and it's still going strong.
50 rounds a week ain't nuthin' to reload. Nuthin' at all.
At times, I will reload in batches of 1000.
Do all of your steps for a 1000 brass at one time.
I think it sames some time in the long run.
For the cost of the dies you can start reloading instead of spending hundreds more to buy a progressive.
Give it a try, if you are not happy with your single stage, then upgrade later.
JMO
 
Yeah, the press I was looking at is +$500. But something about everytime you pull the handle, a completed round falling out sounds very nice!! haha
 
Just stick with the Single stage. For one, unless you have enough brass and are reloading in excess of certain number rounds at a sitting there wouldn't be much time savings unless you always have that press set up for just that one cartridge/load. 2, it doesn't take long on a single stage to load up 200 rounds. Most of my reloading is for handguns. I'm not talking 1000's of rounds a month but 200-300 is not rare lately. A couple hours a couple nights before bed and I have all the ammo I need for a month. Just last month I loaded 300 rounds of handgun (4 different loads) and if I spent more than 6 hours total I'd be shocked. More than likely closer to 4 or 5 hours.

CB

BTW, all mine are loaded on a Lee hand press and I don't have a dedicated reloading bench so I have to drag everything out and set up everytime I touch the stuff.
 
Originally Posted By: KenlguyKeep the Rock Chucker for the rifle calibers and get yourself a Dillon Square Deal for the pistol calibers.

I found a NEW Dillon Progressive press half off at a local gun dealer, just because it was the display model haha right around $550
 
I went the progressive route when I started shooting 300 rounds a week. Fifty is not a very high number.

But I'll ask you a question . . . do you see yourself shooting more as time goes on?

If the answer is yes spring for the progressive now. You'll learn how to use it while not under pressure to complete ammo for the weekend.

If you have the urge to learn how to load on the progressive than by all means do. I've been reloading for 35 years now and still enjoy it. I also enjoy investing in time saving equipment.
 
I plan on shooting 3 times a week, 48 rounds a time out, so 144 rounds a week. We'll call it 150 rounds. I shoot competition through an orginization and the course is a 48 round course at difference distances, as well as reloads, while on a time. I took regionals (7 states) last year and qualified for nationals, so this year I'm hoping to at least place half way decent there this year, if I go that is haha
 
Like has been stated, The volume you are talking about is easily done on your single stage.
I loaded everything on my rockchucker up until this year when I bought a Dillon 550. I still use the single stage more often for alot of things. The cost of gettting all the calibers I needed for the progressive put the cost close to 1000.00 when it was all said and done, but I love the press and like you said, after going single stage for so many years, there is something very cool about hearing a round PLUNK into the bin with each pull of the handle. If the cost doesn't put you off, get the progressive and don't look back. If it you don't feel like spending that much right now, a couple hours a week will keep you in ammo with that rockchucker too.

A square deal B is also a much cheaper option for pistol loading only.
 
This is probably a dumb question, but you can't be as precise with a progressive loader as you can a single stage, am I correct?
 
Originally Posted By: lampyThis is probably a dumb question, but you can't be as precise with a progressive loader as you can a single stage, am I correct?

In a word......no. I went to the USPSA Nationals in '85 using ammo loaded on a Square Deal. Of course I didn't win, but I didn't get there using inaccurate ammo either.
 
Lampy, you went from shooting 50 rounds a week to 150. Big difference, progessive may be in order. And except for top notch, hard core target shooters I don't think you'll ever notice the difference in ammo between the progresive and a single stage.

CB
 
haha yeah, I am planning on starting out with about 50 rounds a week then by spring be up to 150.

Sorry for the confusion
 
I started on a single stage but soon out grew with more and more pistol cartridges. I would highly recomend the dillon 550 and yes its a little troublesome at first changing die cartridges but its well worth it in the end .After I have it set I can crank out some major ammo.
 
If you see yourself shooting more in the future I'd say go for the progressive. You really aren't giving up any quality on a progressive, I haven't seen it with mine.

I have 2 progressives, a 650 and 1050. One does large primer and the other small. Presently I'm shooting maybe 1000 rounds a year. But I'm also stock piling 9mm for the future. I probably do 1000 9mm a month at present. The 1050 has been sitting for a year at present.
 
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