Reloading Output Speed

[ravencon]

I'm weighing the cost/benefits of reloading equipment.

About how long would it take someone to produce, say, 100 rounds of pistol ammo in a quality turret press and in a progressive press (say a Dillon 550 or 650).

Thanks for the info. There are a lot of things to think about in selecting reloading equipment!

 

[adweisbe]

I produce 60 rounds in 17 minutes or there abouts. I am slow and my press can be finicky.

 

[Supermoto]

I do about 100 rounds in 12-15min on my little Lee Pro 1000

 

[PistolPete]

I do an average of 100 rounds in 7-8 minutes on my Dillon 650.

 

[EddieCoyle]

About 10 minutes on a Hornady L-N-L Progressive if you start timing after I've adjusted the powder measure and loaded the primer tube.

 

[Cuz]

I'm weighing the cost/benefits of reloading equipment.

About how long would it take someone to produce, say, 100 rounds of pistol ammo in a quality turret press and in a progressive press (say a Dillon 550 or 650).

Thanks for the info. There are a lot of things to think about in selecting reloading equipment!

I can easily (and safely) load 450 rounds in an hour, but I also weigh every 35th round or so to verify powder weight.
That's on my Dillon RL550B press and 40 or 45 cal. My round count is slower for .38s.
-Cuz.

 

[M1911]

On my Dillon RL550B, the most I can load in an hour is 300 rounds (that includes putting the loaded cartridges in a box). I've got no idea how Cuz is able to get 450 in an hour. YMMV.

 

[GTOShootr]

The last time I reloaded I did 500 9mm in 35 minutes with my 650 with the case feeder. You get a smooth rhythm going and the bullet box is empty before you know it. That was my nationals match ammo and I visually checked each charge as I set the bullet. I also weighed a few charges. Loading up the primer tube ahead of time is key. I have the RF100 auto filler, which fills a tube for me. I spend additional time with match ammo gauging it, usually in front of the TV.

 

[jhrosier]

400 rounds per hour on my Dillon Square Deal, 100 rounds per hour on the Lyman turret press.
The Dillon takes about 45 minutes to change calibers, the Lyman about 5 minutes.

 

[RKG]

1. Not to sound like an old lady, but I believe that focussing on speed, particularly in the case of someone who is just venturing into reloading, is at best distracting and, at worst, a bit dangerous.

2. That said, I couldn't begin to answer the question because, at least for "normal" pistol calibers (.38, 9mm and .45 ACP), I don't reload in one sitting. Rather, when I come back from shooting I decap all the brass I've shot and put them in the tumbler. (This is right after cleaning the guns.) When they're done (or when I'm ready, whichever is later), I dump and sift the cases, visually inspect them, and then run them through the sizer and beller. At that point they go into a plastic container until I've accumulated a couple of hundred. At that point I load up the primer tubes and load them all up.

At that point, there will be between 500 and 2,500 rounds of decapped, tumbled, sized and belled brass (all of the same caliber) to reload. If there are more than 600, I stop after 600 and take a break; usually until another day. As an estimate, the time to load 600 rounds of decapped, tumbled, sized and belled pistol brass is about 2 hours.

 

[PistolPete]

I disagree because when you shoot a lot you need a press that can do things quickly. I typically will load 200-300 rounds in a sitting. I preload my primer tubes so when it is time to load I just go to town. I crank these out in 1/2 hour. I visually check EVERY case to ensure the powder is all there and inspect several rounds per thousand to make sure the primers are seated and nothing out of the ordinary is going on.

I think that loading from start to finish in 1 sitting is smarter than doing it in stages because it is much easier to miss or forget a step when doing things at different times. I also wonder if removing the primer before tumbling could cause tumbling media to get stuck in the flash hole and cause charging problems? I could be wrong though.

When shooting 500-1000 rounds a week a press that loads quickly is imperritive.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I load 500 or 1000 at a sitting. I have tons of brass and I don't like to change calibers (even though it's not terribly time consuming). Once I start loading a caliber, I don't stop until I'm out of primers, bullets, or powder.

Of course, that's for loads that I've already worked up. When working up loads, I'll typically load 5-10 with various powders/charges and see how they work out. When I find one I think I like, I'll load up 100 or so, then if those work out, I go to town.

And yes RKG, I think you sound like a bit of an old lady. The fast guys here are using auto-indexing progressive presses ( I use an L-N-L and PistolPete runs a 650). These presses are safer than a turret or single stage at any speed.

 

[highlander]

I have a 650 with case feeder avg time 8 min per 100 and I load 9mm,38,357,40 S&W,44spl and mag,45acp,45 schofield and 45 colt

 

[Lugnut]

Ok, I'm getting jealous. I see a progressive in my future. Since I have a single stage I'm much slower. I tend to deprime,resize a bunch. Then I clean out the pockets (I'm anal and I'm sure I'll stop at some point). Then I bell a bunch and prime. I always have a lot primed cases ready to go. I can then crank out a couple hundred/hour when I need them. Slllloooowwwww but fun.

 

[Plink]

I'm on a Lee turret press and I do about 150 an hour. Pistol that is. I reload .45acp .357 .40S&W and 9mm

 

[PistolPete]

I'm on a Lee turret press and I do about 150 an hour. Pistol that is. I reload .45acp .357 .40S&W and 9mm

OUCH!!!! Time to buy a Dillon. I can bang 150 out in less than 10 minutes.

 

[TY43215]

On my Dillon RL550B, the most I can load in an hour is 300 rounds (that includes putting the loaded cartridges in a box). I've got no idea how Cuz is able to get 450 in an hour. YMMV.

Well, I get about 500 per hour with my 550. I have primer tubes for 1200 rounds and just keep cranking. All my ammo is bulk packed in containers as it falls from the press.

I have 2 550 presses. 1 set for large pistol, one for small pistol, I load 45ACP, 9MM, 38spl, 357MAG, 357SIG, and 40 S&W.

I don't weigh charges while I am loading. I grab a few when I am finished and pull the bullets. After all the loading is done, I sit in front of television and chamber check every round. For Moon clip revolver ammo, it gets loaded into clips and checked in a cylinder.

Regards,

 

[Plink]

OUCH!!!! Time to buy a Dillon. I can bang 150 out in less than 10 minutes.

Dillon equipment saves time, I'll give you that. But they're prices are absolutely ridiculous

 

[highlander]

Ah that's true but consider the No BS warranty and their excellent customer service they are pricey but worth it.
Years ago I screwed up my 550b what I did was my fault.
Called Dillon asked what it would cost for repair ,gentleman from Dillon said "send it we'll fix it no charge" I was quite adamant about paying Dillon wouldn't have it .Cost me to ship it but 2 wks later I had ny press back repaired no charge.
When Dillon first press came out ,the 450, in the 80's they weren't selling because of the price around $300 IIRC.
They went FACTORY DIRECT cut the price in have and sold more in one month than all of the previous year

 

[GTOShootr]

You get what you pay for with Dillon.

 

[Gammon]

Dillon prices are far from "ridiculous". The equipment is the best available and backed by a lifetime warantee. I own four Dillon presses which have served me well for many years. A good measure of a progressive press is the people who use it. Surveys taken of competitors at the major matches (IPSC Nationals, Steel Challenge for example) indicate that Dillon machines are used by about 90% of the shooters.

Money saved by purchasing a cheap press is false economy. A reloading press is a lifetime purchase (at least a Dillon is). The extra cost of a Dillon press will amount to almost nothing over the life of the machine. You can save money by reloading on a "Yugo"; I prefer to spend a little more for a "Cadillac" with a lifetime warantee.

 

[adweisbe]

For single caliber high volume reloading I will definitely concede that Dillon is king. If you want to change calibers and switch loads, bullet type/shape, etc. then the powder system and toolheads can be an expensive or time consuming pain. How many people have you read about who run multiple Dillons for each caliber?

 

[rscalzo]

Not to sound like an old lady, but I believe that focussing on speed, particularly in the case of someone who is just venturing into reloading, is at best distracting and, at worst, a bit dangerous.

My thoughts exactly. I have a 550B and love it but I don't try to set speed records. When I do, I find that I've made mistakes. The load rates will depend if you have each caliber set up with its own powder measure, dies, etc.

I load when I have a lot of time and not in a rush to run out the door. That way I can slow down and check the output every so many rounds.

As far as rifle calibers, I would load just as many with a single stgae press as my Dillon.

 

[Plink]

Lee also has a lifetime warranty

 

[Supermoto]

Lee is 2 yr

http://leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1167151949.316=/html/company/satisfaction.html

 

[rscalzo]

Switching loads isn't that big of a deal with the 550. What I would like to run is a small and large primer setup.

 

[TY43215]

Switching loads isn't that big of a deal with the 550. What I would like to run is a small and large primer setup.

That's the way to go. I have one press for large, one for small. Tool heads all set up for the calibers I load most. My large Pistol press is pretty much left as 45ACP. Small goes back and forth between 9MM, 40S&W, 38spl, and 357SIG.

I am in the process of moving gear right now but will send a pic if the set up when complete.

Regards,

 

[ArmedMainer]

For single caliber high volume reloading I will definitely concede that Dillon is king. If you want to change calibers and switch loads, bullet type/shape, etc. then the powder system and toolheads can be an expensive or time consuming pain. How many people have you read about who run multiple Dillons for each caliber?

Check out some of the old post on 1911.com,THR,and GT in the reloading forums. The guys who reload alot do a complete caliber conversion in a few minutes and only add a couple more to change primer size. Brianenos.com has deals on powder measures and the rest of the equipment needed for caliber conversions if you buy three at a time. My 650 is solely for .45 and my 550 for .40. I could've done everything on the 550 but had a chance to get the 650 for a decent price. I don't consider it expensive when I know I can sell either press for at least what I paid for it. Like someone else already said the extra money you might spend for quality is nothing over the life of your press.

 

[adweisbe]

So if I buy extra tool heads and powder measures for more $$$ I gain the ability to switch calibers faster. Why doesn't Dillon sell a decent powder measure that features repeatable adjustments like the other color manufacturers? Why not implement something nifty and cheap like 3 dollars locking bushings for dies so you can switch between wadcutter and ball seating stems and change the order of the dies at will? How can I dial in a load on a Dillon powder measure if I want to switch powders?

Could it be that Dillon wants me to buy more antiquated powder measures and toolheads so they can finance the "free" warranty service?

The blue monster doesn't have a monopoly on customer service...
https://www.hornady.com/story.php?s=178

 

[PistolPete]

The Dillon powder measures are AWESOME!!! a small dial and you can adjust in the most minute amounts. You can add whatever dies you want to the press as that is up to you. If you want different dies then buy them and put them on the press. I had a Lee Progressive 1000 and if you were .1 grain off you had to remove these disks and try to figure out which one will get you "close". "Close" being the operative word. So if you're working up a load and want to go up .1 grains in many cases it won't allow you to. How can that be quality? With the Dillon a small turn of the dial gets you EXACTLY where you want or need to be. No removing anything or readjusting anything just a 5 second adjustment.

Pete