Single Stage Reloading!

[Rhoa4396]

I use one of the old Flambeau loading blocks with my single stage press. This one has 60 holes on each side (one side for large cases and the other for smaller cases).

This sounds like the one I use but I's have to go down and check to see if there's a name on it anywhere. In my case, unless I'm doing a "throw then trickle to desired weight", I leave them in the tray, and move the tray from one case to another under my powder drop. I've found that if I do a "throw- tap - tap, throw - tap - tap" on the handle It keeps extremely close throw weights. There seems to be less chance of messing up that way too.

I have a question. Years ago I saw a "tool". It was just a stamp pad that was a cone of sorts. You inserted the case base first into the cone which centered the case. You then pressed a center 'piston' from the other side of the cone which held a rubber number stamp. With this you could stamp an identifying number on the primer of your loaded ammo. In this way you could identify loads you were using. You could also later use it to identify the fired case from the different loads. When you de-prime the case to reload, the number was removed along with the primer and you could then re-mark new or different loads. the beauty of it was that it centered any case. The plunger was spring loaded back to the neutral position and pressed with your finger or thumb to mark the case.

I'm not very good at descriptions but does anybody remember these or know where I could get something like that?

Ken
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[Char-Gar]

I have been loading my ammo with single stage presses and loading blocks since 1958 and have no plans to change.

[Rhoa4396]

I have to admit, although I've used either my RC or my Bonanza, I've been looking at progressive presses recently. I almost bought one right before Christmas. I'm getting set up to do some major marathon loading(for storage). I did this once before back in the late 80's and it's time I do it again. This time though it's going to be for a few more firearms than before so the job is even bigger this time ...

Oh well, I guess I have to think of it as eating an elephant... you still do it one bite at a time.

Ken
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[seagiant]

Hi Ken,
Like I mentioned on another thread,I've owned most of the mid-priced progressive reloader in and out of the market. STAR,Dillon,and Hornady.Like I said there the STARS (3) were a joy to use,but they are also gone! The Dillion 550B and Hornady LNL were like buying a boat or a convertable top car,my happiest days of ownership was the day I bought them and the day I sold them! This is of course MY opinion!

All of this to suggest that you look at the RCBS 2000 reloader,I have not owned one but if I was going to get another progressive it would be the RCBS but for no other reason than the priming setup. Good luck!

[Sonnypie]

I have been loading my ammo with single stage presses and loading blocks since 1958 and have no plans to change.

Well, yeah.
But you are really, really stubborn, too.

Truth be known, I'd still be single stage if a friend hadn't given me the RCBS Auto 4X4 I use for 45 ACP.
But all my rifle ammo is single stage.

[1hole]

"You are welcome to eyeball the charged case but using a loading block as described is an invitation to disaster"

You are welcome to any system you wish to use but I've use the same system Rhoa4396 describes since '65, and without a single failure but some people can screw up an anvil with a spoon. However, if anything can possibly be more consistant - and safe - than eye-balling each charged case while sitting in a block has yet been invented I haven't heard about it. Immediate seating after charging breaks up the charging rythum AND precludes visual 'side by side' comparisions of the powder column and ONLY THAT can prevent skips/doubles/squibs.

[Rhoa4396]

Hi Ken,
Like I mentioned on another thread,I've owned most of the mid-priced progressive reloader in and out of the market. STAR,Dillon,and Hornady.Like I said there the STARS (3) were a joy to use,but they are also gone! The Dillion 550B and Hornady LNL were like buying a boat or a convertable top car,my happiest days of ownership was the day I bought them and the day I sold them! This is of course MY opinion!

All of this to suggest that you look at the RCBS 2000 reloader,I have not owned one but if I was going to get another progressive it would be the RCBS but for no other reason than the priming setup. Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback. My spotter/shooting partner uses(d) a progressive press... but after blowing up a .45 for the THIRD time, he asked to borrow my RC. He's not had a mishap since ...but I still don't have my press back.

I was a high speed packaging mechanic for a number of years at General Foods so tinkering with machines to get them working correctly is not a problem. Flawed concepts in their engineering can be a bit harder to overcome. I have a hangup about what I'll feed 'my' guns, so even "if" I get a progressive, I'll probably use it to size and deprime in bulk before tumbling and still prime separately.(sigh... old habits are hard to break) It's one of the reasons I keep looking at the LNL. ease of moving and re-moving dies. I don't care for that spring though. I haven't really sat down with it yet, but I'm thinking the case retention system Lee uses on their 5 station progressive might be easily "adaptable" to replace the spring on the LNL.

The RCBS 2000 does looks interesting, although I'm not so sure about the aps system... I understand the old fashion primer tube is now a factory accessory that's available if one doesn't like the primer strips.. decisions decisions... that RCBS2000 looks better all the time... now if I could figure out what to hock.... (grin)

Ken
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[Katya Mullethov]

Old man Potterfield's baby boy is powdering a loading block full of cases with an RCBS in this months Midway flyer .

I just cant bring myself to do it that way . Too easily confused , I'd say .

[Rhoa4396]

[QUOTE=..... powdering a loading block full of cases with an RCBS in this months Midway flyer .

I just cant bring myself to do it that way . Too easily confused , I'd say .[/QUOTE]

Whether from confusion, problem with the powder drop, or from a mythical gremlin, that is the beauty of taking a final visual with them all side by side... problems or variances stand out. If something looks 'different' you can dump the case on the scale right then and there. If it's fine just pour it back into the case thru a a funnel.. if it's not right... it gives you a chance to see what else went wrong you didn't know about.

In the end, it's your hand, or your face next to that explosion so you have to do what you're comfortable with.

[Char-Gar]

Well, yeah.
But you are really, really stubborn, too.

Truth be known, I'd still be single stage if a friend hadn't given me the RCBS Auto 4X4 I use for 45 ACP.
But all my rifle ammo is single stage.

Stubborn? Well, I call it beng prudent. I do not need the best and most recent, unless it is signifcantly better than what I have.

I did embrace the transistor radio in 1960 and last month got a new Pickup that has Sirrius radio in it. I have a color TV set now and am into the Internet. I am still not certain about the long term viability of flying machines though.

[tcbnick]

Ok I got to throw my hat into this ring. Sometimes I think we forget that not all reloaders shoot 1000 rounds a day. If I was real honest with myself I probably shoot so I can reload more. I find reloading and casting (that is from finding WW to the BANG) is enjoyable and relaxing, its MY Time in My Room with My stuff, gives me time to reflect, remember the good times with my hunting and shooting family, and try to remedy some bad. I still use a single stage press, all three, one boolit at a time. If I loaded any faster I might miss something, and I'm not talking about a powder charge. I'm probably being to sentamental here and I'm sorry, but hay, I still carry my MAN CARD.
Thanks Nick

[r1kk1]

What is relaxing for me is case forming duties on the single stage. I would not want to go back to it for a majority of my shooting, but that's me. I have a single stage shot shell loader that is great for hunting loads but will send a person screaming into the night being a league shooter. There are certain duties my semi-progressive won't due. I could not live without my single stage. It is there for a reason. I bought the semi-progressive in the 80s and used it for informal competitions ranging from bullseye to IHMSA and rifle silhouette.

Equipment is a personal thing. It is a wonderful thing to see some of the members with equipment that is no longer made churn out ammo. I remember some of the old names. I remember punching wads out for my Uncle's 10 and 8 gauge shotguns. That was in '68 and my brother went to 'nam. I was in elementary school and in '70 got my 375c press and later in the 70s a Champion press. A thief stole tons of equipment in my reloading shed in the 80s and although most of what I had is irreplaceable, I was able to repurchase the 375c and Champion. Part of my life was recaptured. It's a pleasure using those tools.

Thank God they are still being made but I miss the A press series of RCBS and the Big Maxx. I miss my Deitz shotshell press, I miss my old 800 P/W press, I sorely miss my Uncle's Texan.

Ya know, equipment is a personal thing.

r1kk1

[Char-Gar]

Reloading equipment is indeed a personal thing. But can also be a safety thing, depending on who is operating it. There are many reloaders (myself included) who should never be allowed within six feet of a progressive reloader.

[Bealzybub]

"I got a 99" flat screen mounted on top of my shark aquarium, know why? BOOM, cause I go big or I go home"

When I first decided to start reloading, before I even loaded a single bullet I decided on a Dillon RL550B. I am SSOOOOOOOOOO glad I didnt do that. I did the research and got good advice from a couple wise old sages not unlike some of the guys here. I took a step back and found a deal at a swap meet. RCBS junior press, it had a bunch of stuff with it. An old Herters balance beam, primer pocket brushes, a set of dies and a couple other parts and pieces. $75

Being as anal as I am and wanting precision I use the loading block. After the cases are prepped in the block they go. One by one they get charged. After completion double checked with the flashlight down the hole. No squibs yet but I'm glad I check because I have missed a few, the never get to the bullet seater empty though.

[seagiant]

Hi,
That was a good deal the RCBS junior is an excellent press quite capable for all of MY reloading. I found an orphan junior with no handle and called the nice lady at RCBS and when we found out how old it was she said send me the ram/handle block which I did and they redrilled and tapped so the modern handle would fit and sent it back(the block) with a new handle ,no charge!

[Bullet Caster]

It probably takes me about an hour to charge 50 rounds as I meticulously weigh each charge before it goes into the case sitting in the reloading blocks. If this is rifle ammo, it gets a condom after charging awaiting the next step. I use the rubbery ends from my e-cigarettes' filters that comes with two for each cartridge. They work great over my .30-0 cases preventing any spillage of the contents. I'm also a beginning reloader and have as of yet not trusted my powder dispenser to throw a definitive charge weight.

For pistol rounds, I bell the case mouth just before dumping in the powder from the powder measure that is mounted on top of my single stage Lee Breechlock press. That's where the Lee dies shine in that they have a powder through die which bells the case mouth in one operation. Since I'm a beginner I have to weigh those charges too so I take the charged, belled case from the press and dump the powder in my powder scale tray. I then weigh the charge adding to or subtracting from the weight till it balances. I then return the case to the press, lower the lever arm and pour in the weighed charge and set a boolit on top with my fingers signifying that the case is charged. If I could trust the powder measure it would go a lot faster to the next step of boolit seating and crimping, but I only have time on my hands and don't mind going slow at the beginning of my reloading career. So far no accidents so my necessity for attention to detail is paying off tremendously. However, in batch processing (early IBM 360 mainframe) one must pay close attention to the job at hand and not be distracted by outside forces like television or any other interruptions. Sometimes when reloading I do turn on the television to my favorite station and listen as I work but not watching it. BC

[Le Loup Solitaire]

There is nothing wrong with SSR as long as you are making good handloads that are safe and accurate, and you are satisfied and happy with what you are doing. The most important and key step is the charging with powder and the checking of that step regardless of your equipment and method. Better safe than sorry. LLS

[stubshaft]

ALL of my rifle loads are single stage and some of the pistol test loads get the same treatment. I use a progressive for pistol calibers. I have loading blocks in a variety of base dimensions including the large 460 Weatherby ones. I usually turn the cases mouth down until they are charged then turn them over.

[.22-10-45]

Hello, everyone. My loading is alot like stubshaft's..single stage for nearly all..Ponsness Warren Metal Matic for revolver loads.
I couldn't load without loading blocks!..even on the Metal Matic, hand-primed cases are mouth down. I always use two blocks..empty primed cases mouth down..this is positioned on L.H. side of measure..on R.H. side block for charged cases. 5 cases get charged..& I stop & examine with small Mag-Light. If load gets a fibre wad under bullet..this is inserted flush with case mouth at this time, if not, a bullet is inserted in mouth. & case placed mouth up in plastic ctg. box.
I make my own custom fitted blocks of fancy grained walnut & maple..use Bridgeport & endmills, for nice flat bottomed holes.

[canebreaker]

Bill Cash, If I filled a case over half, I'd be afraid to shoot it. 38 spl 110 gr lrn 2.4 gr. bullseye.