New to reloading, trying to decide on a press

[dread_scott]

I have caught myself double charging a case. It doesn’t happen very often. But on rare occasion it does. I’m only human, right?

I had an empty in a batch not to long ago. First time since I started with the single stage. I have a little system with the cases so that I dont miss any steps. Most would find it a bit insane but it makes me feel good but

I did something TERRIBLY stupid and I stopped to look at a text. Somehow my case system failed me.

When I did my quick flashlight scan .. there in the middle of the tray was an empty. No powder. I yelled at myself a bit because I actually hate the phone and the whole phone culture, fixed it and moved on. So yea .. we are all human and stuff happens. Glad I have checks in place but I still messed up.

Good thing you caught it!

That is definitely something I am worried about (as well as a double charge) so I am willing to fill a slot in the press and spend the money to make sure I avoid it as much as possible. Obviously I am going to pay attention and try to avoid it to begin with, but has been pointed out, we're human, we're going to miss eventually. It's that whole 'not if, but when' scenario.

I definitely also plan to get a light kit to help aid in checking the powder level by eye as well. Inline fabrication has a nice little setup specifically for the Hornday that I'll be grabbing.

 

[Boriqua]

The guy who taught me installed a light just where it would shine onto the cases as he loaded on his progressive. A little above and to the right so it was perfectly trained.

I am still using the single and am interested in your new unbiased experience with the Hornady but even with the single I have one desklight right in front of me and a clip on light just to my left so my work surface is bright.

I thought about hand priming at one point when I was getting light strikes on a particular firearm but after taking out a caliper and checking primer seat .... I was setting them fine. You really do get a feel for it.

One if the things I started doing and many people may disagree is ... I deprime before tumbling. I feel it gives me a better feel when setting primers but I've read people who can't tell the difference.

I use the lee universal deprime and if you ever want to run some brass and see if it works your welcome to try it.

Reloading is a bit like cooking. Everyone knows how to use pots and anyone can read a recipe but everyone has their own way of making dinner

Edited to add: the wife does all the depriming!

 

[High Standard]

I have caught myself double charging a case. It doesn’t happen very often. But on rare occasion it does. I’m only human, right?

I had an empty in a batch not to long ago. First time since I started with the single stage. I have a little system with the cases so that I dont miss any steps. Most would find it a bit insane but it makes me feel good but

I did something TERRIBLY stupid and I stopped to look at a text. Somehow my case system failed me.

When I did my quick flashlight scan .. there in the middle of the tray was an empty. No powder. I yelled at myself a bit because I actually hate the phone and the whole phone culture, fixed it and moved on. So yea .. we are all human and stuff happens. Glad I have checks in place but I still messed up.

Don’t get on yourself for missing a charge. The whole idea behind visually checking the charge prior to seating is to find any issues. Redundancy checking is the key to catching these. So don’t forget to visually check. I call each step a part of the process. I have to answer certain texts and phone calls when they come through. So I can get interrupted at any time. I have not had a missing charge or a double charge in a very long time but I know it can happen at anytime. So visual checking is the last line of defense against interruptions and just pain being human. I use a flashlight to look down into the cases. I have a high intensity light on my reloading bench but I find it easier and quicker to use a flashlight. Like you said, everyone has their way of doing the same thing. My way is no more right than others. I have my opinion, you have yours. Both are correct. I wish more people here would understand there is a difference of opinions and to just accept it and quit trying to justify their opinion over others. It is looking like they are insecure.

 

[Boriqua]

I use one of those cheap led flashlights. In a moment of insanity I worried about a proper flashlight bulb exploding while I was over 100 charged rounds.

I know ... silly but the flashlights are a buck and it makes me a bit more comfortable even if it's overkill put I always go over the trays with a light.

Now I never had a bulb explode and it's behind glass so I am aware it's crazy. Lol!

My buddy has his lights set up well for his progressive.

 

[TheAccountant]

I'm just confused about why you would not use the priming function on the press? Having to run the brass through the size/decap function, prime the brass off the press, and then run the brass back through the press again to finish up seems pretty inefficient for straight wall cases. I get those three steps are batched, but I would still like to know what the perceived advantages are. The pickup tubes can be a pain, but it only takes about 10-15 minutes for me to get 5 tubes loaded up, which still seems faster than straight wall brass through 3 times.

For a hand primer, 21st Century is the gold standard, but overkill for most. Frankford Arsenal has been focusing on producing quality tools as of late. I use their hand primer for anything I load that's not on a progressive and I think it works very well. There's enough leverage to make seating smooth and effortless without ruining the ability to feel the primer seat.

As far as Lee goes, their factory crimp die is great. Haven't been impressed with much else.

I won't speak for AZ1182 and let him answer the primer part, but I know I have heard from others that they do it so they can verify more easily that it is seated properly (orientation and height), some say they don't like the finnickiness of some progressive's primer systems, some say its therapy to sit and do it. So there are a myriad of reasons it sounds like as I've been trying to get as much info I can from as many people as possible lately.

I personally will be trying to use the press to prime, but now know that handpriming wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be, especially if I get one that doesn't have any issues. Took me 12-15 mins to hand prime 200 9mm cases. I'm brand new and was having issues with the handprimer, so that feels pretty quick to me, especially if I was doing something to pass the time; music, podcast, tv, etc.

5 tubes in the same timeframe does sound pretty nice though! Especially if I outsource and have the kid or wife do it for me! haha I'm assuming each tube holds 100?

Yes, each tube holds 100. Some primer brands have the primers oriented all the same way, others just random, but flip trays are inexpensive enough.

If I couldn't get the press won't prime reliably, that would 110% be a deal killer for me. It may not seem like a big deal now, but trust me, it will get old in a hurry. Hand priming has its place, but that place is definitely not bulk loaded rounds.

One nice thing about going with the local blue company is they will get you fixed up quickly and you'll never reach for your wallet. I had one of my presses back to them for a timing issue that was causing some primer flip, but it was resolved quickly and they went through the whole press while they had it. Dropped it off on a Saturday and it was back on my bench before the next weekend. It had a solid 10k rounds through it at that point and has had least that much through it again without any issues.

Ideally, a clean piece of straight walled brass should enter the press and 4 or 5 stations later it should leave as a loaded cartridge. If that's not your process, then I would evaluate what you're doing. You'll find some people spend hours doing pointless crap at the reloading bench when they really should be out behind a gun. Shoot 20 of yours against 20 of theirs and see if there's any difference on paper before you go wasting your time.

Bottleneck cases are a different animal.

 

[High Standard]

Lots of projection as far as whom is really insecure and whom isn't in this thread.

And as far as opinions go, those that seem to be the most combative at technology or using a press other than a singe stage, they only want to hear their opinions through the other persons mouths. I really could care less how someone else does it, but they really do care about others are doing it, and THAT is the actual problem here.

It's really not that hard to continue doing it YOUR WAY and not fret about others DOING IT THEIR WAY.

Dude, when I wrote the part about being insecure it had nothing to do with you. But if you feel the need to respond to being insecure then it says a lot about you.

 

[High Standard]

Lots of projection as far as whom is really insecure and whom isn't in this thread.

And as far as opinions go, those that seem to be the most combative at technology or using a press other than a singe stage, they only want to hear their opinions through the other persons mouths. I really could care less how someone else does it, but they really do care about others are doing it, and THAT is the actual problem here.

It's really not that hard to continue doing it YOUR WAY and not fret about others DOING IT THEIR WAY.

Dude, when I wrote the part about being insecure it had nothing to do with you. But if you feel the need to respond to being insecure then it says a lot about you.

How sad that you've chosen to troll.

The forest opens back up tomorrow, go be better and prep to go shooting instead of looking for more ways to be at ends with your own community like the other person that has me living rent free inside of his head.

Hey, you are the one defending yourself against a comment not meant for you. All I did was inform you of that fact. And if you really think I trolled you then obviously you fell for it!

 

[Boriqua]

Well OP? It's been a bit. How is the reloading adventure going, how do you like the press, what peripheral gear did you get and how do you like it.

Did you get the powder cop?