progressive press rates

roysha

I just finished loading a batch of 9mm using a progressive press. For years I have wondered what my actual, from setup to take down, rate was. This time I used a small timer and any time I did anything related to loading this batch I clicked on the timer and shut it off when I went to something else. This included setup, filling primer tubes, powder hopper, removing loaded ammo, clearing the occasional jam or powder spill, removing press, cleaning and putting away, etc. I have a progressive press dedicated to each centerfire handgun so I don't have to spend a lot of time on setup. Anyway, when all was said and done, I averaged 302.3 rounds per hour. On a "sprint" (full primer tube, powder hopper, everything ready to go), I could average a little better than 437 rds. per hour. What do you average? I know some of you with the miracle Dillon presses will be able to do about 8 kajillion rds. an hour but I would prefer to hear from just the mere mortals like me who have a slightly more realistic rate.

BEER IS PROOF THAT GOD LOVES US AND WANTS US TO BE HAPPY!

H.S. 10-X

I'm not sure, I've never timed myself, but I think I could get 150-200/hr on my lyman press.


"If I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know"- Kansas

Tailgunner1954

Reloading for speed is one of the best ways I can think of to loose money, blood and body parts.
If you need speed off your reloading press, invest in a Camdon (sp) machine. They make a Dillon 1050 look like a LEE Loader.

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Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.

Iconoclast

Speeds will vary enormously with the equipment, including peripheral items such as having a digital vs. balance scale or a tube filler, the individual, the set-up and the techniques employed. Personally, I just concentrate on operating as efficiently as possible while focusing on the task at hand. I figure I load between 100 - 200 rounds / hour using a single stage press and around 500 an hour using the Dillon. The Dillon advertises much higher operating levels and I'm sure there are many who achieve these, but I still like to stop and weigh charges, verify dimensions, and the like. Part of my lack of speed is pride in the end product (this does not imply yours is any less), another part safety concerns and not least, reloading is a relaxing hobby for me, so I don't push myself or the process. Where I have only the one press, my productivity would be less if I factored in set-up time, but I settled on the strategy of loading several thousand rounds in a given caliber per set up, so this is not much of a handicap. I do endorse Tailgunner's comment though, that concentrating on speed could lead to major problems. Many other activities where it is more appropriate.

"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the French." (Mark Twain) ". . . And DemoCraps" (me)

roysha

I'm curious as to who said anything about a NEED for speed or CONCENTRATING on speed. All I wanted to know was if my rates were in the average range of most progressive press users or not. If speed, with a consideration for quality, safety, etc., were not part of the equation then why buy a progressive press in the first place? And, yeah, I've heard about you guys that load thousands of rds. of 38, 9mm, 45 and weigh each powder charge. To my way of thinking, that is as nonsensical as racing full speed though the reloading process without a care or thought for the finished product. Reloading is pretty much a necessary evil so I can shoot as much as I want. Therefore, I like to make it as easy as I can within boundries of common sense.

BEER IS PROOF THAT GOD LOVES US AND WANTS US TO BE HAPPY!

mpolans

Back when I was a kid and my dad and I were heavy into IPSC (to the tune of around 700-1000 rounds per week), I once figured out how fast we were loading. We had a Dillon Square Deal, with a few primer tubes pre-loaded, and the machine all set up He would work the handle and put the bullets in and I would just load cases (in a pinch, a 12 year old can make a pretty good automatic casefeeder).

At one point, we averaged just under 1000 rounds per hour!!! [:0]

Iconoclast

roysha, in my own case, the caution about speed as a goal was generic. I agree, I find some of the claimed rates, including those published by Dillon, to be somewhat dubious. Your rate of 437 rounds / hour is comparable to my own results. I may be able to better both as I become more familiar with the Dillon, but I would expect these to be incremental improvements, not dramatic ones.

"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the French." (Mark Twain) ". . . And DemoCraps" (me)

shooter4

With this press (now its setup for .45) we can turn out 15 rds a minute (that's 1 every 4 seconds.

The nmumatics make the rounds as or more consitant than factory and they are loaded for bullseye competition.