how long are your sessions?

[Foxbat]

i think i might have slightly better results if my press was bolted really really solid to a big thick bench or something like that where the thing doesnt move around whatsoever. i rigged this table up which works pretty good but when working the action i can see that case feeder tub shaking around.

Precisely... and that is the reason I anchor all my presses to the floor. Not the bench, which is already anchored, but I put a metal bar under each press. The press mounting screw goes into the threaded hole in the bar, and its bottom screws into the anchor in the floor. Makes amazing difference not as much to the process itself, but to your enjoyment from the same.

 

[darkgael]

progressives

capable of easily turning out 1,000 rounds in an hour

I've gotta get me one of those presses. That's a round every 3.5 seconds steady for 60 min. Gotta be an automated press with a lot of room for cases, heads and primers. Who makes that?
Pete

 

[BigJimP]

I agree with Foxbat - and I rigged up some braces from the case feeder into the wall studs as well ( to keep the case feeder on top of my Dillon 650 from moving at all ) - and used 4 X 4's to support the corners of my loading bench.

Any flex in your table or workbench is a bad thing ....

Speed capability is one thing / but you need the quality there or speed is irrelevent.

 

[Winterhawk56]

I guess this is my relaxing time and I normally spend about 2 to 4 hours at a time. Their is alway something in various stages of reloading from cases cleaned needing triming, cases cleaned with new primers and expanded ready for reloading and cases in the cleaner.

Being this is my time and I enjoy it so much the time is of no consequence to me. Although I have been scolded by the wife when she does not see me most of the day and complains about the mancave (garage)!

 

[medalguy]

I have several Dillons always set up in my common calibers so I can walk in and load whatever I need/want to load without having to change over a press. So I generally load up about 1,000 primers in tubes and that is what I load at one setting, usually about an hour or so. Then I prep another batch of brass and go out and do something else to get the cobwebs out before I sit down to another batch. In the winter sometines I will load several batches of 1,000 at one time.

Lately I've been sending a lot of my military brass out to Custom Brass Processing and letting him process the once fired military brass the first go-around. Saves more time for loadaing.

 

[rc]

I know that reloading is supposed to be cost effective, but once you have the process down, a progressive reloader is a godsend. I don't get in a rush reloading and can finish 1000 rounds in about two or three hours. Most of the time I don't load that many because I'm working up and testing loads. Once it's set up, I will take a break when a primer tube runs dry. Otherwise the physical pain of loading 8 hours is not worth the cost savings for the relatively few finished rounds you have at the end. I'd say 2 to 4 hours with breaks is about all I care to load.

 

[Hydraulicman]

get on the phone right now with dillon and order a 550 with the .32 acp caliber conversion. and an extra small powder bar for throwing those tiny charges

about 400 bones shipped you can use your dies you already have.

You'll more than make up for the cost when your finished reloading those rounds.

 

[spleify]

I am usually out in the garage for a couple hours at a time, although today I was out there for nearly 6 hours.

 

[Mortech]

My first reloading session was 3.5 hours long , I resized , flared , primed , filled each case with an individually weighted powder charge (thats 800-X for ya ), and finally seat a bullet ..grand total of 132 rounds done Thank god my reloading buddy/mentor keeps a good supply of cold brew on hand in his shop Thus went my first reloading session

 

[mongoose33]

My first reloading session was 3.5 hours long , I resized , flared , primed , filled each case with an individually weighted powder charge (thats 800-X for ya ), and finally seat a bullet ..grand total of 132 rounds done Thank god my reloading buddy/mentor keeps a good supply of cold brew on hand in his shop Thus went my first reloading session

Mortech, I hope you're kidding about the cold brew. I have one specific rule about that: If I've had any at all, no reloading. The chances of making a crucial mistake in OAL, or powder in the case, or whatever, are increased the more alcohol one has in their system.

 

[orionengnr]

My sessions are 1 to 2 hours long. In a good week, I may have three or four of them. Then I may go a month without another.

I reload to be able to shoot, not the other way around. I enjoy reloading, but to be honest, if I could spend an hour shooting or an hour reloading, there is no contest between the two...

 

[Mortech]

Umm , the brew is for AFTER the reloading ......

 

[spleify]

Well, while I try to keep them short, the wife was gone all day yesterday, so I was out in the garage for 9 hours. It was great, I was able to completely process nearly 500 rounds of .243, 30-06, .44 mag, .45 ACP and 9mm. I prepped hundreds more and trimmed and decapped a few hundred more.

What a great day!

 

[Emerson]

I'll usually do about 1-1/2 - 2 hours at a time. With my Dillon 550b that will give me 500 completely loaded rounds. I have loaded that many rounds in an hour but I don't like to go after it like I'm killing snakes.