Reloading on the Single Stage Press

[Farmland]

First of all this thread is not meant to be about how to reload on a single stage press. So if I don't add somethings about safety you understand.

I made some plans to shoot with a friend in an indoor range this Friday. One of the handguns I want to take is my 629 S&W 44 Mag. I didn't even have to check to know that I only had a limited supply of lead bullets made up for the 44 Mag.

So earlier today I went to the reloading room to make up at least 100 Speer 240 gr jacket hollow points. I have been wanting to put these together since I bought a few hundred along with some IMR powder.

I decided to make up some loads around the minimum since they were just going to be target loads and I will be shooting a few more different calibers while I'm there.

The loads aren't the important part of the story but the speed at which I was able to manufacture these two hundred rounds are. Now as I have stated many times I am a progressive loader. To be honest I probably do somewhere between 250 and 300 on my Dillon 650. That is a comfortable pace for me.

I was one step ahead with the 44 Mag. During some free time I had cleaned, sized and deprimed all of my brass for the 44 Mag. So tonight my first step was to expand 206 cases. After I had them expanded I proceeded to set up the crimp/bullet setter die. I use the six extra cases for this process. It took me a few minutes to set the correct crimp and OAL.

I then went ahead and primed 200 brass with my RCBS hand held priming tool. After this I went through the process of calibrating my RCBS powder scale checking the powder on both my new RCBS balance scale and the Lyman digital scale. I dialed in the powder measure and I was ready to go. If you noticed I decided to load 200 rounds after all.

My process is to place all 200 primed brass in a bin beside the powder scale, throw a charge then immediately move to the Lee Single Press and run a bullet on through the crimp/bullet set die. So in a little more than a few seconds I have a completed 44 mag round. It is kind of neat because I can verify the powder charge and the bullet seating with no problem during the process. The bullets have the little ring so it is easy to see the OAL. ( Sorry I forget what that ring is called right at the moment.)

I still take time to check the powder weight around every 10 rounds since it isn't much of a problem to do so.

When everything was finished I had loaded 200 rounds in less than a hour from start to finish and I was working at a slow pace. Granted I had all ready had clean sized brass prior to starting to reload these rounds.

Oh the load was the 240 grain Speer Gold Dot Jacket Hollow Point along with 20 grains IMR 4227. This made a very enjoyable target load. I did do my normal testing procedure prior to loading all 200 rounds. I have the ability to take a finished round and test fire it in under a minute.

Anyways this is my work flow for the single stage press. Again I may have glossed over some safety steps but the general work flow operates similar to my progressive press steps.

The down side was that I shot around 100 rounds after I was done, so that is less to shot on Friday.

Now what I was wondering is how my work flow compares to the veterans of the Single Stage press?

 

[Sevens]

I guess I fit in to that group. I'm using a Lee Classic Cast... I think I've got nearly two years on this press... and nearly 18 on the Challenger that it replaced.

I batch load. I head down to the cave whenever I have a half hour or more and I feel like I want to work. The shelves are full of brass, separated by caliber, and further separated by batch. Some are just clean and waiting. Others are sized and in need of a primer. Batches in multiples of 50 might already be primed and waiting. Others have all that done and are flared, too.

Suffice to say, if you go down there, you can find handgun brass in any of 9 calibers, and in any of the stages I detailed above. A lot of small containers with lids.

When I go down there with the express purpose of emerging with loaded ammo, I need only grab some in the caliber I want that's ready to be charged and topped.

So actually "going and making ammo" is not a long process. The most tedious part of it is getting the powder measure set and triple checked (or more.) Once the powder measure is rolling, ammo comes out in 50 to 200 round batches and I can't imagine it takes all too much longer than a progressive press. (of course, that doesn't include all the work that went in to getting that brass ready to load... and that is a lot of work, but it's a leisure activity and an on-going process.)

I'd love to have a progressive press, but I don't feel like I need one. Even if I could justify the expenditure, I'd puke when it comes to buying shell plates in 13 calibers and anything else required for a caliber change. Obviously, I've got the dies I need.

I'm always on the lookout for a broken or crappy old progressive that I can set up to size/flare/prime, and turn my operation in to a "semi-progressive", continuing to charge and seat the way I have always done it, single stage. But even if I found such a press... I'd still be staring down the barrel of a slew of shell plates.

Sorry for the length. That's how I load all those calibers on one single little press.

 

[oneounceload]

I use a RCBS Jr., and have for over 30 years to load everything from 32 acp to 7mm mag. For pistols, I deprime, size and bell in one session, then drop powder and install bullet in another. Progressives work great when they're working great, but when they screw up, you can lose more time and possibly create a dangerous load.....I had a Dillon - priming area always seemed to have issues.......

 

[armoredman]

Ditto on the RCBS, mine is an '82 vintage RS, and I do 50 9mm in about 30 minutes, taking my time. I do it for the fun, too, no rush.

 

[Sidewinder72]

I also load in batches, 500, 1000, etc.. Every chance I get I am working in the garage prepping brass. Once brass is prepped, loading is quick. I use two single stage presses for all my reloading. Working up the brass is the most time consuming.

 

[Magnum Wheel Man]

I'm feeling inadiquate... I don't have a progressive

I do have an RCBS Junior & 2 Rockchuckers... & a pair of powder measures though... & like SEVENS, I have shelves full of brass ( at last count I have almost 50 different calibers I reload for )... unforunately I'm lacking on time, & most of my brass is in the just fired condition, & needs full brass prep... cartridges like 17 K Hornet, 5.7 X 28, & 22 Hornet revolver developement loads have been the bulk of my most recient reloading, & since I'm still developing loads, I often don't even break out the powder measure, & I scale each charge... I'm trying to switch all my ammo over to plastic 50 round boxes, & I normally put 5 different reloads, 10 each, in each box, when I'm developing loads... when I have a good load, I can crank out pretty good volume if I encorporate the powder measure into the routine

honestly... reloading is the easy part... brass prep takes most of my time ( especially with what I have been loading lately )

one of my Rock Chuckers was my father in laws, & before he died, he really liked to go over prairie dogging... I remember him loading 1,000 rounds of 223 over a weekend, then going to South Dakota on Monday, only to return on Wednesday to load a 1,000 rounds more, & headed back on Friday... not a bad week, loaded 2,000 rounds & shot most all of them in one week... loaded on that single stage Rock Chucker...

 

[CraigC]

Sorry I forget what that ring is called right at the moment.

Cannelure.

Sounds like a good, efficient pace. If I start with brass that has been cleaned only, I load about 100rds an hour on my RCBS turret press. I do everything in batches and prime on the press so that eats up some time. Not having to adjust the dies at every stage saves some.

On my Dillon 650 I can do the same in about 15mins.

 

[GP100man]

the only time i timed myself was on 357 rounds , i started with cleaned cases ,deprimed& sized , clean primer pockets, prime with hornady hand tool.
i use lee auto disc with the lee die so belling & powder measure is in 1 step,
checking powder each 10 rounds , rounds are then mouth up in trays of 50 ,inspect powder level ,if ok on to the seater .
i can manage 100 or so an hr. at a enjoyable & safe pace ,even no finger pinching!!!
any faster & it would seem like a job & it would go to the wayside.
rifle is considerably slower.


GP100man

 

[Farmland]

I wasn't really loading for speed though I was amazed in how many I loaded. I just knew the time because I knew what time I started and I finished just in time for dinner. Now if I had to prep the cases it will have taken longer.

In any event working at what I consider a lower pace than with my progressive I did manage to load more than I thought. I thought I was just having fun taking my good old time.

So batch loading is probably what I was doing? Prepping case one day then priming all brass and finishing with powder and bullet.

 

[jamaica]

Pretty much what I do too. I usually do batches of 100. Clean and inspect the brass. (I usually do this beforehand.) Size them all, expand them all, prime them all, (with a hand primer tool) throw powder and put them in a block, (ya, it takes a few mins to adjust the measure) check powder level, then seat bullets.

It takes only a moment to screw out a die and put in the next one.
I find that the only thing that irritates me is those darned lock rings on the Lee dies. If you take them out of the press, you have to adjust them the next time you put them in the press. If you use lock rings with set screws your dies will stay adjusted from use to use and you don't have to adjust them unless its the seater if you change bullets. I have changed the lock rings on my Lee dies to the type with set screws.

Sometimes I will just work at prepping brass, tumble it and size and expand a whole pot full. Then when I go to reloading it is a snap, just prime, charge and seat bullet.

I enjoy the single stage press, and timewise, I am sure it won't compare to a progressive, but it doesn't take too long to load 100. Less than an hour on pistol. Rifle actually goes faster as you don't have to flare the neck and the expanding is done in the sizing step. Size, prime, charge, seat bullet. Only one die change.

Life is good. Carry on.

 

[Sevens]

I find that the only thing that irritates me is those darned lock rings on the Lee dies. If you take them out of the press, you have to adjust them the next time you put them in the press. If you use lock rings with set screws your dies will stay adjusted from use to use and you don't have to adjust them unless its the seater if you change bullets. I have changed the lock rings on my Lee dies to the type with set screws.

Lots of people have made this exact complaint over many, many years but in my opinion, this doesn't have to be a problem. Here's how I use my Lee dies with their regular old rubber ring and no set-screw lock:

Use a permanent "sharpie" marker to draw a solid INDEX line on the top of your press. This is a line that will never, ever change for the life of your press.

When you have a flare die or bullet seat/crimp die in your press and adjusted EXACTLY where you want it, use the same Sharpie marker to draw a matching index line down the body of the die so that it lines up exactly with the press index line.

From here on out for the life of that press and those dies, your die is in adjustment when those two lines match up. If you use an actual wrench (I keep a crescent wrench at the bench) then a quick snug of the standard O-ring lock ring makes the die simply locked in place.

Using this method, the lock ring will always be turned a little bit this way or that, but the setting of the die in the press is dead solid perfect every single time.

Please try it, it has worked for me for many years and it's better than locking rings, IMO. The adjustment is even more precise. Remember that it doesn't matter where on earth the lock ring is at in reference to the press... what is happening to the cartridge is entirely dependent on where the die body sits in the press, assuming your shell holder doesn't change height and you throw the ram to full distance each time.

 

[glicerin]

system

With modern carbide handgun dies
1. size and decap-pocket clean as required
2. press prime,with auto primer feed(lyman, rcbs ,lee classic or breechlock press); flare on upstroke, and charge powder with powder thru die like lyman or lee(lyman 55 can be made to fit in lee powder thru die.)
3. seat bullet and crimp=done.

 

[zxcvbob]

I just replace the Lee crap-rings on my seating and crimping dies with Lyman or Forster (etc) locking rings. No need to do this with the sizing dies or flare dies because those are not critical adjustments.

I like the witness marks idea too.

 

[jamaica]

Sevens, Thanks

Sevens, Thanks for the tip!

From here on out for the life of that press and those dies, your die is in adjustment when those two lines match up.

They would either be in adjustment, or off one full thread or two.

 

[jamaica]

glicerin,

(lyman 55 can be made to fit in lee powder thru die.)

OK, I have thought about this, but am curious just how you do this? Too bad the dies did not have threads cut in them so the powder measure would screw right in.

 

[Doodlebugger45]

Sounds similar to what I do. I usually load up about 100 at a time since I still don't have a great supply of brass yet. That's how many I allow to accumulate before I reload some of them. But I go slower I guess because it still takes me about an hour once I have the brass all prepared.

I have found that if I have a few other things going on, I can still deprime and resize even if the phone is ringing. And I can prime them when watching TV with the RCBS hand primer. From there I do the expanding all in one batch. That isn't terribly sensitive if I have some other things going on.

But from that point on, I make sure that I have at least an hour or so of solid uninterrupted time. I get my powder measure all set up and calibrated and ready to go and get the box of bullets sitting in a handy spot. I take a primed, belled case and dump the powder into it, look into it to verify the charge looks about right and immedieately seat the bullet. If I'm crimping and seating at the same time, I'm done. If I'm using the FCD, then I run those 100 through it all in one batch. I just make sure that everything is perfect once I start dumping powder and seating bullets.

It seems like 100 new shells in an evening is a good number for me. I know I will be mentally sharp and not disturbed in the critical part. I've done 200 in a couple hours, but I'm getting kind of weary of it by then.

I guess if I had the need to do 1000 in one evening, it would be too much for my single stage, but I'm not to that point yet.

 

[zxcvbob]

Get a Lee Hand Press for decapping and sizing brass from your easy chair while watching TV and drinking a refreshing beverage. It gives your hands something to do other than stuffing your face with potato chips Just make sure you dump the spent primers occasionally, or they will break your decapping pin when the ram fills up. (BTDT. Twice.)

 

[mikld]

Lock Rings

I've purchased only 2 used sets of reloading dies. One RCBS and one Herters. both had the setscrew locking rings. Both were nearly ruined by some gorilla that ightened the set screws and tightened the dies in the press enough to distort the threads. I had to rethread both sets and trash the rings. I replace the rings with regular 7/8-14 nuts and HAND TIGHTEN ONLY, no vice grips on my loading bench! BTW my dies don't vary/change settings.

 

[Magnum Wheel Man]

a good way to prevent damaging the threads on lock collars is to slip one lead shot pellet into the hole with the set screw removed, then replace the screw... the lead shot will deform instead of screwing up the threads...

 

[alloy]

As a newbie....I got it down to a bit of a system that works for me, I keep primed brass ready..and can zip thru some pistol rounds pretty quick. +1 on the weird o-ring sytem, wicking low-strength threadlocker keeps the nuts locked to the dies for me.
Doubt i will ever buy a progressive...but you never know.