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Progressive presses are great but don't replace the usefulness of a single stage press
Cleaning dies with the same tools & solvents as barrels makes it easy (bore snakes work in a pinch during large runs...)

1. Completely agreed about progressive vs. single stage presses. I have both and they both have their virtues and vices.

2. I think many reloaders don't clean their dies all that often. Based on used sets I've acquired over the years. I didn't used to but do now.
 
1. Completely agreed about progressive vs. single stage presses. I have both and they both have their virtues and vices.

Count me as another in complete agreement.

2. I think many reloaders don't clean their dies all that often. Based on used sets I've acquired over the years. I didn't used to but do now.
I hit mine with a shot of brake cleaner after use. It's worked well for me.

I also bulk buy the small size desiccant packs from Amazon and always have one or two in every die box, ammo can and pretty much anything else in my shop/garage. They are cheap, rechargeable in the microwave when full of moisture and I don't have to worry about rust on my brake cleaner cleaned dies.
 
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If you don't have the right top punch, get any top punch of the same caliber, clean it well, lightly lubricate the bullet tip you want it to fit, apply so hot melt glue to the tip of the punch and make an impression with the bullet you just lubed, after the glue has set carve off the excess. [some people do this with epoxy] There are places you can buy cheap flat-ended top punches
 
Have you ever deprimed on an RCBS Rock-Chucker press and had the primers bounce off the bottom of the plate all over the room. It kinda defeats the purpose of the plastic catch cup that mounds to your press. Take a large diameter drinking straw (McDonald's works best for me...the thin ones don't hold against the walls of the groove). Cut it and insert it into the repriming groove of the ram making sure the top of the plastic straw is below the shell holder. It should be about 1/2"-3/4" shorter than the ram groove total length. When depriming, it adds some resistance to the walls and the primers will drop neatly into the depriming plastic catch cup.
 
"When using any powder charge with which a double charge is possible, always charge case and immediately seat the bullet. "

My experience - for most calibers, CANNOT reliably EYEBALL a Charging Block full of LOWER POWDER CHARGED cases, seeking double charges...
 
DISTRACTIONS: Remember to keep TV, Wifey, 3 kids, 2 cats, and the hamster AND "adult" beverages & things that have coals & release smoke.OUT of the Reloading Room!!!
 
If you have cats in your reloading room, don't forget to put your lid back on your brass tumbler.
No, that's not a tootsie roll in there .
 
Count me as another in complete agreement.


I hit mine with a shot of brake cleaner after use. It's worked well for me.

I also bulk buy the small size desiccant packs from Amazon and always have one or two in every die box (and pretty much anything else in my shop/garage) They are cheap, rechargeable in the microwave when full of moisture and I don't have to worry about rust on my brake cleaned dies.
That spray brake cleaner works great for cleaning AR bolts. Just remember your safety glasses. Face bigsmyl.gif
 
"When using any powder charge with which a double charge is possible, always charge case and immediately seat the bullet. "

My experience - for most calibers, CANNOT reliably EYEBALL a Charging Block full of LOWER POWDER CHARGED cases, seeking double charges...
***This is a MUST when using BULLSEYE PISTOL POWDER. A double charge of this powder will make a virtual hand grenade out
of most cartridges.
 
great thread, just adding my own opinions:

1) never ever having had a single stage press, I've learned how to work the 550 &650 to act as single stage for those times it was helpful....ie loading the Holy Black into the 45-70 case, or a few special projects where actual production wasn't the goal. And those various 22-250 caliber thru 45-70 smokeless rifle rounds at times did comport themselves better doing a single stage process. I considered it 'flexibility' rather than some kind of design flaw. Even the notoriously vulnerable mouth of the 38x55 were doable. Eventually.

2) dry cases? Having restrained my enthsiasm for the steel-pin/water/roller method by staying with the antique turbo & grit style, so far dry cases have not been a problem. Related, no issue with primer hole clogging as cases remain with spent primer intact until Stage 1.

3) A tip remarkably handy, is to NEVER keep more than the exact powder container IN USE for THIS LOAD, anywhere near the reloading bench. Obvious safety issue.

4) Plastic parts on the Dillons actually do wear out from time to time. And they've always replaced mine under warranty with no question. IF your press isn't functioning normally even after troubleshooting & readjusting, cleaning, using Words of Power, etc, take the hint. Something is worn out of spec. Learn how to keep your tool/instrument 'in tune', it leads to far more satisfaction. And they do sell a box of 'smalls', parts you can bet you will either wear out or drop or somehow mis-file under the bench in the next room, etc. Spend a few bucks to get the essentials.
 
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Check and double-check that:

* I'm using the powder I intend to use

* The bullet I intend to use

* The powder weight

* I visually check the cases before I seat the bullets (This was a big one the same day when my A5744 started hanging up in the throat of the measure and giving me over and undercharging.

* For the intended Over All Length of the finished bullet.

* And I check and make sure that finished round will chamber without problems before making a batch of them.

* Checking and double-checking throughout the process avoids this:
 
It's good to use your beam balance pan on the electronic scale and check the charge on the beam scale before dumping into the case. Surprising what shows up some times.....
 
If you have an old Food Dehydrator..... it will dry brass cases just as well as that new expensive brass case drying unit sold by Lyman or Frankford Arsenal .
Yes if you never use it for food....

I have the dehydrator and a Frankford brass dryer. Reason: clearly identified as their uses. No mistaking.
 
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I like to use 1 gallon freezer bags, shot a few seconds worth of one-shot lube into the bag, dump a few hundred shells into the bag, zip the bag up and just roll the shells around. Seems to work well for me to lube the freshly cleaned (by SS pins) so they don't bind in the dies.
 
"When using any powder charge with which a double charge is possible, always charge case and immediately seat the bullet. "

My experience - for most calibers, CANNOT reliably EYEBALL a Charging Block full of LOWER POWDER CHARGED cases, seeking double charges...

With pistol, I powder 10, eyeball 10, bullet and press 10.

With rifle, I weigh, dump, bullet, press each one.
 

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