Best SMALL progressive reloader?

[gwpercle]

You could sure make better use of limited storage with a light single stage that could size bullets. And it would probably hold up better to bouncing down the highway and constantly packed and unpacked . Also how many components are you going to cary cases bullets primers powder . Just somethings to consider.

Lee Hand Press or better Buchanan Precision Hand Press . Neither are progressive but both are compact...in RV situation compact might trump progressive .
I now reload all my handgun ammo 32acp to 41magum + 45 acp/Colt and 30-30 with a hand press.
They do a fine job and take up little space .
Gary

[onelight]

I have two 34 year old SD’s that are the ones I grab if I want a small progressive, for pistol rounds.

NICE , the only press I have ever seen at a range is my old Spartan.

[clydesdalekevin]

Thank you all so much for your replies! This is one heck of a valuable gun forum!

Kev

[JimB..]

I’ll still say Dillon SDB, but you might also consider reloading what you need at home and just taking ammo. Could also pack a hand press, dies and a scale just in case you have an unplanned need. I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy a Buchanan.

[Walter Laich]

If you don't already have dies the SDB dies won't be a problem--you're going to need some anyway. I started out with a SDB and just got its dies as I needed them.

[kmw1954]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS_4D48yQeo

My suggestion would have to be the Lee Auto Breech Lock Pro. It is not the most robust press or the fastest press but it is small, stable and very versatile. It can be equipped with the Lee case feeder and red collator. These speed it up a good bit. The bottleneck is still in the priming as it uses the Safety Prime which slows it down a bit but works fairly well. It was basically designed to work pistol rounds but will work with some bottleneck rifle cases. Advantage over the Dillon SDB is of course initial price and the standard 7/8"X14 dies instead of the proprietary dies.

[JeepHammer]

For casting, you will need a swage/lube setup, and then a progressive reloading press.

Swage/lube presses are usually heavy built, while reloading only are lighter duty presses.

I'm with Mr. Morris on the Dillon SBD for pistol rounds, especially when you are starting from scratch and the dies aren't already existing on your bench.
An SBD won't swage or lube, no progressive I know of will do those jobs, but my SBDs load really reliably.

[tecdac]

In my own reloading room at home I have had a Dillon 650, 550 and 2 Square Deal B's.
I now have pared back to just the SDB. I have taken it with me on shooting trips with a portable reloading table.
It's awesome.

[HeavyMetal]

go with the 4 station Lee turret press, the 4 station can be empty or you can put a late model FCD Die in it.

Since you'll be casting thats a good idea, I like Dillon but the Square Deal dies don't cut it because of the proprietary nature, the advantage to the 7/8x14 dies is you can use any press and change them out as your fancy changes with the Square Deal your locked in period!

As a side note Lyman 429421, or a good clone, is the mold of choice.

I figure if you need more than 200 rounds an hour you really need a house, LOL!

Luck to ya!

HM

[onelight]

I keep thinking about a portable stand that could be used inside the RV and be small , light weight , easy and quick to setup and take down and sturdy enough to handle a press. If hand held is not the choice the stand will be the toughest part. A lot of this would be dictated by the design of the RV

[jmorris]

I can load up to 200 9mm an hour on a Lee 3-hole Turret. That is "progressive" enough for me.

How many strokes does it take you to load those 200 rounds?

If you start and finish with a full shell plate it takes 200 strokes to load 200 rounds on a progressive press. If it takes you more than that, like 300 and charge off the press or 400, it’s not a progressive.

My SD’s are not the fastest progressives I have but once ready to go, I can load 100 rounds in under 10 minutes.

[David2011]

The SDB does have a tiny footprint but the space to use it is only about 2" less than any other press. The "elbow room" required both for you and the press are about the same. I do believe the SDB will do anything you have laid out as a requirement. You could size on a single stage press but a dedicated sizer is smaller.

[str8wal]

How many strokes does it take you to load those 200 rounds?

If you start and finish with a full shell plate it takes 200 strokes to load 200 rounds on a progressive press. If it takes you more than that, like 300 and charge off the press or 400, it’s not a progressive.

My SD’s are not the fastest progressives I have but once ready to go, I can load 100 rounds in under 10 minutes.

It takes three strokes of the handle per round. Not a true progressive but if size is critical it serves well enough. As I said "progressive" enough for me, and doesn't take up much room and is fast to do a change-over.

[Gus Youmans]

clydesdalekevin,

I would also vote for the Lee four hole turret press. It may not be as fast as the SDB but it is more versatile and the foot print is not much more than the SDB. I reloaded on an old three hole Lee turret press for eight years while stationed in Germany and Fort Irwin, California. My Rockchucker was in storage but I never really missed it. I found that with the right case lube and proper technique I could even resize .308 brass to .243. The press was mounted on a piece of plywood that was clamped in the jaws of the Workmate when in use. For storage the plywood and press slid off the Workmate and both were stored in a corner of a closet. My old Workmate is a much better design with wider legs than the new Workmates and was very stable.

I gave the old three hole press to a nephew and have a newer four hole turret press on the bench. Admittedly, it does not get used much due to the four true progressive presses on the bench but it is convenient when I need to do just a few of something.

Gus Youmans

[stevo1911]

I have mostly Dillon presses: one 650, two 550's, and three SQB's and Lyman Turret 8(just starting rifle). I find that I rarely use the SQB's as they are small and awkward for me to operate compared to the 550 or 650. I also find it challenging to transition between calibers compared to the 550. I have removed the SQB's from my bench and gave them to my Dad. From a versatility POV the 550 is hard to beat. I will say that the SQB's do produce quality reloads. Since you are so crammed for space, maybe you can find couple used SQB's at a reasonable price.

[Lloyd Smale]

lee isn't progressive so unless your talking a pro 1000 (god forbid) lees don't meet the criteria. Dillion square deals do use proprietary dies. But can be converted to different calibers just as quickly as you can change a lee turrent. Add to that you don't have to handle and place each tiny primer on a primer cup. Id about bet someone that can run a square deal can load a 1000 rounds in the time it takes you to do 300 on a turrent press. probably faster then you an do 200 if he has 10 primer tubes filled and ready to go. Me I like shooting. I reload to shoot. I don't shoot to get brass to reload. So if I can reload all I need for a week in an hour vs 4 hours and do that every week for 10 years that's 1500 hours of my life I have for other things. that's 63 days or if your days like mine and you do something constructive with it for say 12 that's a 120 days more you have to spend with your family, friends, shoot, fish, hunt ect. Square deal is a no brainer to me.

go with the 4 station Lee turret press, the 4 station can be empty or you can put a late model FCD Die in it.

Since you'll be casting thats a good idea, I like Dillon but the Square Deal dies don't cut it because of the proprietary nature, the advantage to the 7/8x14 dies is you can use any press and change them out as your fancy changes with the Square Deal your locked in period!

As a side note Lyman 429421, or a good clone, is the mold of choice.

I figure if you need more than 200 rounds an hour you really need a house, LOL!

Luck to ya!

HM

[onelight]

lee isn't progressive so unless your talking a pro 1000 (god forbid) lees don't meet the criteria. Dillion square deals do use proprietary dies. But can be converted to different calibers just as quickly as you can change a lee turrent. Add to that you don't have to handle and place each tiny primer on a primer cup. Id about bet someone that can run a square deal can load a 1000 rounds in the time it takes you to do 300 on a turrent press. probably faster then you an do 200 if he has 10 primer tubes filled and ready to go. Me I like shooting. I reload to shoot. I don't shoot to get brass to reload. So if I can reload all I need for a week in an hour vs 4 hours and do that every week for 10 years that's 1500 hours of my life I have for other things. that's 63 days or if your days like mine and you do something constructive with it for say 12 that's a 120 days more you have to spend with your family, friends, shoot, fish, hunt ect. Square deal is a no brainer to me.

What I hear about the square deal is nothing but good and it seems a lot of the guys that like them and have more than 1 and they are faster than the LCT (it does have a primer feed) but don't race the LCT loading 50 , 45s then 50 , 38s then 20 , 30/06 or 3030 you can't run that race and that is how a lot of people load. There is a reason people have multiple square deals . But you only need 1 LCT I would like to have a. Square Deal as another press but for me , not an only press.
Lee also has the auto breech lock pro , progressive (it has a primer feed to )

[Lloyd Smale]

Ya I guess if your loading 50 rounds of ammo a lee hand press would suffice. Not worth starting up my truck to go to the woods to shoot 50 rounds of ammo. Most of us out grew lee tools and even the quality slower tools because we because 50 rounds of 38s are a mild warmup. But I understand not everyone shoots like that. Some like to ride there Harleys some like to fish. I like to SHOOT. Not to bust your chops but to be honest if I had to go back to a single stage press or even a turrent press (by the way my first press was a lyman T) id be selling lots of guns. LOTS. Id probably have to work 8 hours a week just to keep up to my 9mms and I sure wouldn't go to the range with 500 556 shells to blast steel. Sell guns? Heck id probably be looking for a noose. I once dug and back filled a 2 bedroom septic system with nothing but a shovel. Doesn't make that shovel better then a back hoe in ANY way. Took me 5 LONG days for me and my buddy who helped some to do it. Ive got better things to do with 5 days. Im 63 now and don't have all that many more years and im not wasting it wading in mud at the reloading bench.

[onelight]

We are not about a your truck we were talking about a reloading kit to use in an RV .

[kmw1954]

Once again I think we are losing sight of the original question. What is the Best SMALL progressive?

No matter how you try to sell it or dress it a turret press, even the auto indexing Lee, is not a progressive press.

If one is to be honest about SMALL then there are only 3 choices. Dillon SDB, Lee Pro1000 or the Lee Auto Breech Lock Pro. All other progressive presses are not SMALL when set side by side with these three presses.

I am not going to interject my opinion as to which one is best because that opinion is only relative to me. I do not shoot as you do nor do I reload the same way you do it. It may come down to your favorite color or how you can position the handle. Could even be just because you are right handed and I am left handed!

My only input will be that of the 3 I believe the Auto Breech Lock Pro is the slowest of the bunch and that is because of the Safety Prime system. Other than that, they all work and make very accurate ammunition.