Progressive Press - Anyone using for competitive ammo?

[AR Shooter]

Am still using my two (2) single-stage presses for loading my ammo for 600-1000yd competitions. Am wondering if I'm in the minority these days and progressive presses have become good enough that folks are using them to load their ammo for F-Class and other long-range competition reloading?

 

[memilanuk]

Short answer, yes. Due to the amount of brass prep steps many people do for LR ammo, it's rarely a one pass setup, though.

Normally I'd say "Have you tried using the forum search?" but it's a bit on the retarded side lately. Terms like "F-class" and "550" get dropped because they are too short - which makes it somewhat useless.

So, instead, you can use an external search engine to find what you need: use tye search engine of your choice and enter "site:forum.accurateshooter.com" plus the desired search terms.

Here's a example.

Also, check out YT for F-class John and Erik Cortina, and how they use progressive presses for their match ammo.

 

[SteveOak]

The Dillon powder measure seems to be the weak link. The rest of the functions seem to able to be made to function adequately.

In the C version of the 550 the slot for the toolhead is machined.

 

[R.Morehouse]

I picked up an Area 419 Zero Press from a friend and set it up for 6 Dasher, 6ppc, and 30 Major. It has been as consistent, if not better, than my Hollywood Seniors, RFD, and Rockchucker. The guys at Area 419 will tell you that the Zero isn't set up to use like an arbor press. I bought their Bullet Seating Plate and use it to set my Arbor die on. Then, I ran an old WSM die body I had here down into the press for the seater to come up against. It works fine. The Zero is a space saver in my diminutive reloading room, and I am really liking setting up the sizing dies and a few of the seaters and just dialing back to them......I Have Evolved.....LOL

I guess this really isn't a "progressive" set-up. I never even considered a Dillon-type system for BR precision....If they are working out.....Have at it.....

Regards
Rick

 

[memilanuk]

The Dillon powder measure seems to be the weak link.

Pretty sure nobody shooting any kind of accuracy related 1k matches is throwing charges, so kind of a moot point.

 

[ShtrRdy]

I used a progressive press when I did pistol competitions.

 

[SeabeeKen]

I'll stick to my single stage press and arbor press. It allows me to pay closer attention to the details when working on my match ammo. Much better feel to it IMO

 

[SteveOak]

Pretty sure nobody shooting any kind of accuracy related 1k matches is throwing charges, so kind of a moot point.

Actually, that is precisely the point, that being, with the exception of the powder dispensing assembly, the Dillon 550C seems to be sufficient for 1,000 yard/F-Class stuff.

When using a Dillon 550C for this type of shooting, the powder charge is handled separately of the Dillon and there is a funnel at the powder dispensing stage through which to introduce the powder into the case.

 

[David Christian]

Lots of competitive shooters are using either a Dillon 750 on top of a Mark 7 autodrive or the new Apex 10. We all manually throw powder on separate scales. I personally have several scales and do everything but trimming on my 750’s. Here is a pic of me setting up the 2nd 750. One dedicated to brass prep, second dedicated to loading. I’ve been running this set up for 5 years now. Saves a ton of time.

 

[Hoser]

I load all of my long range ammo on a 550. The powder is thrown by a Prometheus.

The 338 Lapua ammo below was loaded a few days before an ELR Match in Raton NM. Close target was 800 yards and the far target was right around 2,200 yards. This match I won. When I have lost, it wasnt because of bad ammo. It was lost by me making a bad wind call.

 

[DiRTY DOG]

Short answer, yes. Due to the amount of brass prep steps many people do for LR ammo, it's rarely a one pass setup, though.

Normally I'd say "Have you tried using the forum search?" but it's a bit on the retarded side lately. Terms like "F-class" and "550" get dropped because they are too short - which makes it somewhat useless.

So, instead, you can use an external search engine to find what you need: use tye search engine of your choice and enter "site:forum.accurateshooter.com" plus the desired search terms.

Here's a example.

Also, check out YT for F-class John and Erik Cortina, and how they use progressive presses for their match ammo.

Well, they only sort of use progressive presses, just for decapping and sizing. At least Eric. Everything after that is done on entirely different machines, trimming, priming, charging, and a different arbor press for seating. So no, they don't really load match ammo on progressives, just process fired brass.

 

[memilanuk]

So no, they don't really load match ammo on progressives, just process fired brass.

...which is about 95% of the 'suck' during reloading metallic rifle cartridges. As I think @Jay Christopherson once put it, the fewer times I have to touch each case, the better. There are still other steps before (annealing) and after (trim/chamfer/debur, tumble the lube off & probably priming) that most precision shooters are going to do 'off press' .

If I'm dispensing charges on an AT4, or a Prometheus like @Hoser, the time difference between dumping charges into cases in a loading tray and seating with an arbor press, vs a powder funnel in one station of a progressive followed by a seater in another, is minimal. The limiting factor is waiting for the scale.