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So I've been looking at progressive presses to get into relaoding, but curious about including a resizing die in the rotation. I've noticed a lot of videos where they have deprimed, tumbled, resized the cartridge, then measured for length. This makes sense to me as you want to make sure the case length is correct. On the other hand I've seen several videos where they are using progressive presses to deprime, prime, resize, charge, seat the bullet, and crimp all in a single cycle and make a complete round it seems. So I guess I have a few questions for you experienced reloaders

Do you deprime before tumbling?

Do you tumble before every reload?

Do you measure each case after resizing it?

Is there a situation where you can have all the 5 positions on a progressive press in use to go from spent casing to complete round?
 
Are we talking rifle ammo or pistol ammo?

Loading for precision, or loading for blasting?

Well I plan on getting into to save a little money on 300 BO, but since I'll have the setup I'll likely be reloading 5.56 as well. I also plan on getting dies for reloading my 10mm.

Primarily loading for blasting.

I mainly ask so I can load safely and avoid things like squibs or something else that would cause catastrophic failure.
 
I have started with a Lee Turret Press until, and if, my round count in monthly shooting gets to several hundred or so.

Do you deprime before tumbling?

YES, then use wet tumbling with Dawn, LemiShine, and steel pins.

Do you tumble before every reload?

YES, wet tumble before each relosd. Dry out brass, the prime brass and put away until decisions on powder and bullet preference.

Do you measure each case after resizing it?
Rifle yes, pistol no.
 
Recommend you start with the 10mm; pistol much simpler IMHO than rifle. After feet wet, then move to rifle calibers. Good luck and enjoy this lifelong and rewarding hobby!
PS: we all do it to "save money," but then there's another gadget, die set, case trimmer.... ;)
 
Recommend you start with the 10mm; pistol much simpler IMHO than rifle. After feet wet, then move to rifle calibers. Good luck and enjoy this lifelong and rewarding hobby!
PS: we all do it to "save money," but then there's another gadget, die set, case trimmer.... ;)


Also it is best, as just said, to start with one caliber and work slowly and deliberately to learn the procedures of reloading. It's not good to "push the envelope" in reloading until you have built a solid experience base so you know the consequences of your actions. Reloading is a multi-step science project with dire consequences for a lapse in judgement.
 
Start with a single stage or turret press, it will teach you the process. After a thousand rounds you will know if you need the expense, complication and speed of a faster machine. If you go with a turret press or a progressive machine you will still find uses for that single stage.

You might want to take the NRAs Basic Reloading Class:
NRA Explore

There aren't many instructors that teach this class but if you can find one he/she will help you avoid some mistakes.
 
for rifle/bottleneck rounds I do the following after picking them up from the range

1. tumble
2. lube and deprime/size (happens in the same die)
3. tumble again to remove the lube (this is where I sort by headstamps and number of firings, but that's just me)
4. measure length and trim if necessary. 5.56 will 'grow' more than 300BO during the resizing
5. debur and chamfer the trimmed case mouth
6. swage or ream out the primer crimp on nato brass

now your bottleneck brass is ready to reload.

For pistol brass, I tumble them, then go straight to the press for deprime/sizing/priming, powder charging, then bullet seating/crimping. They dont need lube with carbide sizing dies, and usually don't need trimmed either.
 
I'm a pistol and shotshell reloader, mainly loading mass quantities for games like Speed Steel and USPSA. My first press was a progressive, since I knew going in, I was going to want to maximize my output for the amount of time/$ spent. Current process looks like: Sort brass, using mixed range brass as a starting point. Wet tumble with pins and Turbo-sonic case cleaning solution, in a Lyman tumbler, about 1 hour. Media separation in a CED separator. ( batch size is ~ 750-1000 9mm cases) Dry in a CED dryer, another hour. While you CAN run unlubed pistol brass with carbide dies, it is much more pleasant with lube... easier on you, the brass, and the dies. So I throw mine in a big cardboard box, and spray it with Hornady one-shot, shake and repeat til the brass slips easily through my fingers. Sweet dragon treasure... mua hahaha! Then it gets loaded into the casefeeder, and I run : Mighty armory shorty deprimer, then Lee resize, then RCBS neck and flare. Then another hour wet tumbling, gets the lube off, and cleans the primer pocket. The extra shiny is worth it to me, just 'cause I like nice brass, but definitely optional. Dirty primer pockets will not affect your accuracy measurably. At this point, I have very clean, nice brass, that just needs a primer and a load. The priming system on my Hornady LnL press kind of sucks, doesn't get them in consistently to the same depth, or sometimes even " all the way in", so it hangs up the press. I went to a Lee auto prime bench, which is a very nice tool for old folks with perpetually achy fingers from shooting too much. I can prime about 1000 rounds while watching a show or two. Now, the pay-off... I can set up my press's 5 stations with 1. powder measure 2. lockout die 3. bullet feeder 4. bullet seater ( only, no "seat and crimp at same time", because that tends to shave lead off poly coated lead bullets. ) 5. Lee factory crimp die.

Running the lockout die is crucial in my mind, so that I don't get squibs. Rather than a visual or audible signal, it physically stops the press if I get one with no powder. This has saved me a few times! Still need to watch as a "sanity check" for double charges, but with the right powder selection, that is less of an issue.

Lastly, I gauge the rounds, so I know they will chamber on match day, or even just at practice. I need the mental confidence of knowing my ammo will be reliable.

I'll leave you with two thoughts... 1. make sure you get full press strokes, a half-stroke because something went wrong is how you get double charges or squibs. If you have to stop mid stroke, you should probably pull the rounds off and redo.

2. Your own process will come about in time, based on your own equipment choices, and your preferences. Just be observant, patient, take a break if you get frustrated, and learn from your work!
 
So I've been looking at progressive presses to get into relaoding, but curious about including a resizing die in the rotation. I've noticed a lot of videos where they have deprimed, tumbled, resized the cartridge, then measured for length. This makes sense to me as you want to make sure the case length is correct. On the other hand I've seen several videos where they are using progressive presses to deprime, prime, resize, charge, seat the bullet, and crimp all in a single cycle and make a complete round it seems. So I guess I have a few questions for you experienced reloaders

Do you deprime before tumbling?

Do you tumble before every reload?

Do you measure each case after resizing it?

Is there a situation where you can have all the 5 positions on a progressive press in use to go from spent casing to complete round?
Yea, the fifth hole is intended for a powder cop or lockout die, I've never used one, doubt I ever will.
The fourth hole for pistol is intended for a factory crimp die or the like. You don't really even need that. For many years people got by with a three stage press, intended for use with the standard three die pistol set.
I've never tumbled my brass or cleaned a primer pocket save if it's crimped and you need to remove it. I just wash, dry and then reload it. If it's pistol brass you can then cycle it all the way through the press without removing until the finished round is completed.
 
So I've been looking at progressive presses to get into relaoding, but curious about including a resizing die in the rotation. I've noticed a lot of videos where they have deprimed, tumbled, resized the cartridge, then measured for length. This makes sense to me as you want to make sure the case length is correct. On the other hand I've seen several videos where they are using progressive presses to deprime, prime, resize, charge, seat the bullet, and crimp all in a single cycle and make a complete round it seems. So I guess I have a few questions for you experienced reloaders

Do you deprime before tumbling?

Do you tumble before every reload?

Do you measure each case after resizing it?

Is there a situation where you can have all the 5 positions on a progressive press in use to go from spent casing to complete round?

This guy below has solid info. I would say that if you're already, say, a machinist, or have a good grasp on using calipers and have mechanical abilities, and are mechanically minded, you could slide right into the process. Other wise, a quality single stage will always be of use.

Start with a single stage or turret press, it will teach you the process. After a thousand rounds you will know if you need the expense, complication and speed of a faster machine. If you go with a turret press or a progressive machine you will still find uses for that single stage.

You might want to take the NRAs Basic Reloading Class:
NRA Explore

There aren't many instructors that teach this class but if you can find one he/she will help you avoid some mistakes.
 
Do you measure each case after resizing it?

For pistol brass, I do not. I don't think many people bother, other than measuring how much belling or flare you put on the case mouth, when you're setting up that particular die, and again if you use a crimp die, measuring the diameter at the finished crimp. These are set up steps, though, not something that is usually done on every round. I know rifle reloaders measure the overall case length before reloading, and trim them to length if needed.
For rifle, some people will use a neck sizing die only, once the brass is fire formed to a specific rifle. You rifle reloaders, please correct me if I've got any of that wrong.
 
For rifle, some people will use a neck sizing die only, once the brass is fire formed to a specific rifle. You rifle reloaders, please correct me if I've got any of that wrong.

Bolt rifles only I believe due to the shell being pulled out of the chamber and ejecting while pressure is still present, in semi-auto, means shoulder would be more likely to need bumped back to spec.
 
For rifle (single stage):
  • Vibrate short time to knock off dust.
  • Anneal
  • Lube, deprime, resize
  • Trim
  • Wet tumble, dry, then vibratory tumble for a shiny finish.
  • Prime (press mounted feeder)
  • Powder (individually measured except for 5.56, which I use a powder dropper for)
  • Bullet seating
For pistol (single stage):
  1. Vibrate short time to knock off dust.
  2. deprime, resize
  3. Wet tumble, dry, then vibratory tumble for a shiny finish.
  4. Prime (press mounted feeder), case mouth expand
  5. Powder (dropped)
  6. Bullet seating
  7. (for .380, bullet crimping)
I've thought a lot about getting a progressive press and have never made the move. I am too proud of shiny brass and I feel like doing the things I want to do with the brass defeats the advantages of a progressive. Even if I had a progressive, steps 1-3 would be a separate operation and would go no faster than on a single stage press.

A progressive would combine steps 4-6, but steps 4 and 5 take very little time. Step 4 goes fast for me because I have a primer feed mounted to my press, so it's simply a matter of working the handle one way then the other. The only thing I'd gain with a progressive would be steps 5 and 6, but using a powder dropper and having all my cartridge cases in trays makes that take very little time. I'd also gain time on step 6 with a progressive, but I find that this part really isn't that time consuming so the savings would again be minimal.

For me, the most time consuming part is the case prep and other setup steps -- getting the powder dropper to drop the right amount and if changing bullets, getting the bullet seating stem set properly. I guess I'm happy with the solid rigidity a single stage gives me and unperturbed by the extra time.

Now, if I could get over my OCD and just tumble range pickups and put them in one side of a progressive and take ammo out the other, I might tell a different story. But for whatever reason, I have a hard time making myself go there. I"m not claiming any rational reason for my preference and I objectively do not believe I end up with better ammo as a result of my preference. I just like to know the brass is shiny inside and out for no good reason. If you can avoid that, a progressive is probably awesome.
 
I perform a short wet tumble with my own fired brass and whatever I find with dawn, lemon juice and spent primers - yes - spent primers - old trick for a quick, short tumble cleaning and then the brass goes into storage until sized and deprimed. At this point I will tumble with dawn, lemon juice & pins for the 'finished' look and to get the primer pockets clean. This brass then goes into 'final' storage for priming, powder & bullet seating.
 
I perform a short wet tumble with my own fired brass and whatever I find with dawn, lemon juice and spent primers - yes - spent primers - old trick for a quick, short tumble cleaning and then the brass goes into storage until sized and deprimed. At this point I will tumble with dawn, lemon juice & pins for the 'finished' look and to get the primer pockets clean. This brass then goes into 'final' storage for priming, powder & bullet seating.

I too break up the tasks. I never grab 100 dirty brass, clean etc., and go through the rest of the operations till I have 100 rds in one sitting. I'll clean/deprime/resize 1000 or more shells over the course of some days stopping and starting as convenient. Then I put that in ziplocks until I want to use it. When I need ammo, I'll usually finish 300 or so at a time -- basically it comes down to storage boxes. I have storage boxes totaling about 500 for each pistol caliber I reload. When I get down to 200, I top off the empties.

For my rifles, I don't usually more than 50 at a time, and usually less. The exception is 5.56 -- I've been treating this more like pistol ammo but instead of those nice plastic boxes, I ordered some cardboard repack boxes. I recently finished 14 30rd boxes with Nosler bullets (I used 80 in load development) that shoot decent, but just today I recieved 1000 of the Hornadys my rifle really likes and I couldn't find for a while and so tried the Noslers. Loading those is on my list after I finish my 20 ga buckshot project (just got buffer for that today so tomorrow I'll be testing).
 
Dillon 550 . Nope no need to clean primer pockets. I started loading in around 1978 on a rock chucker a friend brought to my house. 199I bought the Dillon 550 and never regretted the purchase, Straight neck cases don't grow much if any and necked cases need measuring and trimming, a case gauge for the rifle cases is well worth the $$$. On the Dillon I have loaded 38/357, 9mm, 40 S&W, 45 acp, 223, 308, 30-06, 300 Weatherby and 338 Lapua.
 
Last Edited:
If I may suggest?
IMHO....get a single station press.
Learn to crawl before you start to walk, run, or drive a car.
Also recommend, that you do some reading/research: ABCs of Reloading and a good reloading manual (or several, for the load data).

Aloha, Mark

PS (as for the questions)....there are usually some "options" on how to build safe, reliable, accurate, ammunition. My way, might just be different, from how someone else, does things.
 
Last Edited:
If I may suggest?
IMHO....get a single station press.
Learn to crawl before you start to walk, run, or drive a car.

Aloha, Mark

I figure if I get a progressive I can run it like a single station until the hang of it. Ultimately I want to be able to load ammo at a decent pace at some point. I also noticed the price difference between the Hornady single stage and progressive is only about $150
 

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