Progressive loaders-anyone like sizing as a separate function?

[Chuck Perry]

Since "the lockdown" has left us with lots of extra idle time, I have been playing with my RCBS Rockchucker II alot more. I recently started sizing my pistol cases on the RCII, and then using the Pro2000 to expand, prime, charge, seat and crimp. I find that by sizing "off press" as a separate function it makes my progressive a lot friendlier to use. I clean my cases in the tumbler, then hose 'em down with One Shot and size. Then it's back into the tumbler again to remove the lube and they're ready for progressive loading. Extra work? Yeah for sure it is, but I'm liking the process and finished product a lot better this way. Anyone else load like this?

[Biggin]

I'm new to progressive presses but I've have taken up the habits of my mentor and friend. I size deprime and prime off press. I size and deprime on my rockchucker and prime with a hand primer. Then onto the 550.

[M-Tecs]

All my progressives have case feeders. I run everything in two stages. First is size and deprime than at a minimum tumble or if needed additional process like chambering etc. Back to the progressive for primer, powder and bullets.

[EDG]

I have been loading like that for about 30 years. That method works much better for rifle rounds for me.
1. I like to clean primer pockets, trim the brass, deburr and remove the case lube on a large lot of cases. Once the case prep is done the prepped cases can be stored indefinitely without an extra cash being tied up in inventory.
2. The next step is priming which begins to tie up components and money. The primed brass can be stored for long periods too.
3. I use the progressive for charging and seating bullets. Crimping s included for rounds that go through anything but a bolt gun or single shot.

This allows me to keep nearly all my brass cleaned and prepped.
When I want to load I simple charge and seat bullets and I am ready to go.

[country gent]

I deprime by hand clean and then. clean lube off and fill case feeder on the 650. I also like to crimp seperatly from seating the bullet. I dont want the fired primer residue in the press.

[Winger Ed.]

For handgun ammo: I wash in soap, dry, polish, wash in thinner, dry, then into the progressive.

I've been reluctant to do rifle ammo on a progressive since I couldn't clean the lube off the cases except by hand one at a time.

It never occurred to me to de-prime, size, then clean off the lube as a separate step with a single stage,
then run them through the progressive.
For the next batch of 5.56-- that's how I'll do them.

[dverna]

You asked...
I would never reload pistol cases like that. Waste of time with no gain. Match grade ammunition can be loaded on a full progressive so there is no sense in taking more steps than necessary IMHO. But some progressive presses are more "progressive" than others.

What matters is what works for you using your equipment and components!!!

Lots of guys load pistol ammunition on a SS press and get great results but not very much to shoot. Again whatever works for someone is good if it meets their needs, budget, and expectations.

[Taterhead]

I also load on a Pro 2000 auto-index. I have a RC IV mounted to its right. My handgun ammo is never loaded on 2 presses. One pass through the Pro 2000 and done. I do add a bit of One Shot to the handgun cases and that improves the experience. One Shot doesn't need to be removed.

I load rifle cases (esp 223) on the Pro 2000, but case prep is on the RC.

For the rifle cartridges thatare loaded on the RC, I use the Pro 2000 as a sort of bench priming tool. On station 1 of the die plate, there is a universal de-capper to remove and cleaning media from the flash holes. Then prime in station 2. The primed cases index around to the bin. 100 are banged out quickly.

[HeavyMetal]

I have a reloading routine that's a little different but was developed out of my desire for very clean case's and wanting to prime off any of my press's.

1. brass is sorted when I come back form the range, this gets rid of the brass you can't use for whatever reason.

2. I then put each caliber through my Pro 1000 with a de-capping only die which removes the old primer but doesn't get dirt & grimes in my sizing die.

3. Then this brass is run through my wet tumbler with SS pins Dawn and Lemi-Shine.

4. once dry it's stored in a zip lock bag, 1 gallon size, with the excess air sucked out of it until I decide to reload. How much I need determine's the press I use: 50 or so I'll use my turret press 400 or 500, or more, and I'll use my progressive.

5. Once I decide how much is needed I'll prime the needed amount on my RCBS bench primer then load it on what ever press is called for.

The advantage to this system is I get to handle the brass for whatever caliber at least 5 times giving me that many chances to remove bogus brass before loading. I've done this for the past 10 years and find my ammo improved greatly, mostly in appearance I'll agree but in the old days I would get the loads in cracked / split case's and wonder how they got past me, today I don't have this happen.

As always I post this as 'food for thought".

HM

[GWS]

I've also loaded with a Pro 2000 for years....pistol one trip. Then I discovered wet tumbling with pins and got addicted to bling. So then I deprimed first on the RC. Rifle was always done with 2 trips: 1 for case prep and one for the rest.....then....

When the Pro Chucker 7 came out I thought, what could I do with seven.....

After waiting more than a year for thing to get rung out, I bought one with a case feeder to experiment and play with.

I still do pistol the same way on the Pro 2000, but for rifle (so far .223 and .308), I actually use 7 stations, after depriming on the R.C. and wet tumbling (lately that depriming operation is thrice as fast on the new Lee APP)

What can one possibly do with 7 stations on rifle? Well I bought the new RCBS tube rifle bullet feeders for both calibers too...and they come with "M" style neck expanders to allow bullets to be fed and stuck nice and vertical for the seater. So...and this describes brass trimmed the last time....otherwise I do size first on the R.C. then trim...but it trimming isn't necessary,

1: Size the deprimed and blinged brass with a sizer (minus the expander plug and deprimer.)
2: Expand including the "M" step on the upstroke, prime on the downstroke
3: Powder drop
4: Video monitored case inspect. (my kind of powder cop!)
5: Tube bullet feed
6: Seat
7: Slight taper crimp to remove the "M" pocket.

[gnostic]

I lube, size with SB dies, deprime and swage the primer pocket on .223 on a single stage press. After a couple hours in a vibrating case cleaner, I finish the loading process with a 550 Dillon. That way, I'm not loading dirty greasy cases....

[Shiloh]

Rifle brass. Need to check the length, clean the primer pockets first. Lot easier on the arm.

Shiloh

[Gtrubicon]

I always size, then de prime and then clean brass for pistol. Rifle is the same, except for the trim chamfer and de burr.

[jmorris]

As a general rule I don't like the extra work, thus why I got a progressive to begin with but I do lube, just not the #2 tumble until I have loaded them up.

With rifle I do have to make two passes, the first I size and trim then load on #2.

In any case, if it works and you like it, thats all that matters.

[Hawks Feather]

Since I have not been in need of lots of reloads quickly I have always sized & deprived on my Rockchucker and then cleaned the brass before running it through the Dillon. I have plenty of brass so if I ever really 'have to have' some reloads quickly I just go to that supply and am good to go. Doing the first step gives me time to inspect each piece of brass to make sure that there are no problems. I very seldom find a problem, but it gives me peace of mind.

[kayala]

I only do sizing as separate step for bottleneck cartridges for pistol it would be 357 Sig and 7.62x25 tok; all straight wall just goes whole cycle.

[Walks]

Been doing it the same way for 30yrs.
Got a bad right shoulder. It's amazing how much the press "loads up" when you resize on a progressive.

I tumble in plain corncob, Size & Deprime, do an ultra-sonic clean, dry and case inspect. Then hand-prime (Tennis Elbow).

On to the progressive.

[Burnt Fingers]

Been doing it the same way for 30yrs.
Got a bad right shoulder. It's amazing how much the press "loads up" when you resize on a progressive.

I tumble in plain corncob, Size & Deprime, do an ultra-sonic clean, dry and case inspect. Then hand-prime (Tennis Elbow).

On to the progressive.

Try lubing the brass. I can't even feel the 9mm brass hitting the sizing die.

For pistol brass I clean in a vibratory tumbler. Put brass in bucket and hit it with some One Shot. Pour into collator and load.

Rifle brass is a whole different story.

[Baltimoreed]

I set my dies up to do it all on my Lyman turret or Dillon presses. A clean pistol case goes in and 3 or 4 pulls later a finished round drops out. I size, deprime, prime, expand, dump my powder and seat a bullet on the press. Life is too short to do all those extra operations off press. However .45-60, ‘06 or .30-40 Krag rifle ammo is different and I use a Bair single stage so it’s old school there. Pistol ammo reloading is about volume whereas rifle ammo reloading is about accuracy. When my 300blkout comes back home and I finish my build I plan to reload blkout on a Dillon 550.

[Mike Kerr]

I have usually done rifle caliber processing in multiple stages and in whatever sequence works best - sort of like pre prep - progressive in the middle - finish crimp etc. However, for handgun ammo I like to avoid doing the process multiple times - that is why I have a progressive in the first place.