daves_not_here Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 (edited) Give this a try. I was reading a book on the "quiet eye" for shooting and just applied some of the information to reloading. It has improved my reloading rate. Reloading this way basically reduces transitions between tasks. It occupies both hands and most importantly gaze. I look directly at the exact case or bullet I'm about to pick up before I move my hand. There is almost no fiddling with a case or bullet grabbed upside down. All stations are filled, left hand touching bullet tray and right hand on handle: Reloader ready... Set primer while looking directly at next case to be loaded and moving left hand up to indexing star. Index with left hand while picking up and inserting case. Eyes look directly at the bullet I'm going to pick up from the tray. Pick up bullet and place on case after visually checking for powder and saying "powder, bullet" in my head. Right hand is moving to handle. While cycling handle down keep left hand touching bullet tray. Periodically visually check for supplies bullet, powder, brass, time for dinner and leave handle down a stop is needed. Bring handle up and repeat process. Reloading goes a lot smoother for me now that I'm not fiddling with brass or bullets. Looking at them directly before I pick them up allows my brain to say, rotate wrist to pick up with base down. Anyone else out there consciously multi-taksing like this also? DNH Edited July 16, 2012 by daves_not_here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natgas Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 I've pretty much always kept my left hand on the bullet tray; just seems like a natural position for me. Now that I"ve got a bullet feeder, I find myself still resting my hand there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Been reloading on a 550 for years, thought everyone did it that way..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daves_not_here Posted July 16, 2012 Author Share Posted July 16, 2012 (edited) I must admit it was the fiddling with the bullets that cramped my hand that truly motivated me to get smoother. Now that I'm purposefully doing three things at once, right and left hand do something while I'm looking before picking something up, I am a lot more "coordinated". Yeah, I call it efficient or smooth but in reality it's not dropping every tenth bullet or case which is an improvement... I felt like a dork; pick up bullet, fiddle with fingers, put on case. Cycle handle and wonder if there was powder in the case. Take case with seated bullet and put in to-be-pulled bin. Shake cramp out of hand. I guess that's why it's a light bulb moment to me... Just like shooting, aiming at the exact spot will be more accurate. Instead of shoving my hand in the bullet tray I pick exactly which bullet to grab which is oriented in a way that's good to grab. Now, if I could only smooth out my shooting! DNH Edited July 16, 2012 by daves_not_here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 (edited) Try this; When you set the bullet on the case, go ahead and pick up another. When I turn the advance star, there is already a bullet head in my fingers, so set the bullet, set the case, pull the arm, and while pulling the arm, pick up another bullet head. Doing this eliminates the problem of orientation of the bullet head in the tray, as you have time while pulling the arm to get it right in your fingers. Edited July 16, 2012 by GrumpyOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppa Bear Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 I guess mine is more tactile. I feel with my fingers a bullet that has the proper orientation and pick it up as my right hand is pulling the handle down. After I seat the primer the left hand with the bullet indexes the plate and sets the bullet on top. While I am placing the bullet my right hand which already has a case in it from a quick glance at the case tray is inserting it into the shell plate. It seems slow but I figure I am cranking out about 10 rounds a minute without really trying. Visually I see the powder in the case, an empty primer cup (As long as I did not try to prime a 10mm case), and the case tray. The only thing that slows me down is when I feel a bit of a crunch as a primer seats. In most cases I might find a small sliver of brass in or by the primer cup. I push the handle forward again to bring the ram up and blow the offending piece out. If I ignore that little crunch it will always lead to primers not seating in the cup properly and they will start going in sideways which really screws things up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Try this; When you set the bullet on the case, go ahead and pick up another. When I turn the advance star, there is already a bullet head in my fingers, so set the bullet, set the case, pull the arm, and while pulling the arm, pick up another bullet head. Doing this eliminates the problem of orientation of the bullet head in the tray, as you have time while pulling the arm to get it right in your fingers. Yes, having a bullet in your hand already will give you even more RPM. I prefer to keep my eyes on the shell plate and use the force to orient cases and bullets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daves_not_here Posted July 16, 2012 Author Share Posted July 16, 2012 Bullet in hand is worth two in the tray! Having a bullet in the hand sounds like the trick! Pulling the handle down visually find bullet, grab with left hand. Raise handle, seat primer visually find next case. Index with left thumb while grabbing next case. Visually check for powder while inserting case. Place bullet while grabbing handle with right hand. That eliminates a transition of the left hand: Before - index star, bullet tray, place bullet, bullet tray. Now - index star, place bullet, bullet tray 33% reduction of transition distance. I figure the first things to eliminate things that are done more than once a cycle. That back and forth with the left hand will definitely increase RPM! Thanks! DNH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98sr20ve Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 (edited) I grab the bullet and index with the bullet on the case. Bullet is seated directly as the toolhead is moving in the downward direction. Zero chance of a double charge if you seat the bullet just after dropping powder. I also find it faster as my hand seats the bullet and indexes at the same time. Less movement. I found indexing with a bullet in my hand was awkward. YMMV etc. etc. Edited July 16, 2012 by 98sr20ve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Reloading goes a lot smoother for me now that I'm not fiddling with brass or bullets. Looking at them directly before I pick them up allows my brain to say, rotate wrist to pick up with base down. Anyone else out there consciously multi-taksing like this also? DNH When I figured that out my speed and consistency went up huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98sr20ve Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 How fast you guys going. My fast but doable consistently is in the low 8 min range. Looking in every case. Not worried at all about them not being "right". Slower for me was 10mins per hundred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 How fast you guys going. My fast but doable consistently is in the low 8 min range. Looking in every case. Not worried at all about them not being "right". Slower for me was 10mins per hundred. It all depends on what caliber I'm loading. I started with .40, and .40 can be loaded fast, IMO. Around 7.5 minutes per 100. 38s is a good bit slower, too fast and the powder flies out of the case, 100 per 10 minutes. 9 mm is almost on par with .40, but just a bit slower for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Keep about 10 or 12 bullets in my hand and rotate them by feel..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98sr20ve Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 How fast you guys going. My fast but doable consistently is in the low 8 min range. Looking in every case. Not worried at all about them not being "right". Slower for me was 10mins per hundred. It all depends on what caliber I'm loading. I started with .40, and .40 can be loaded fast, IMO. Around 7.5 minutes per 100. 38s is a good bit slower, too fast and the powder flies out of the case, 100 per 10 minutes. 9 mm is almost on par with .40, but just a bit slower for me. I was referring to 9mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0099 Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I wish I could shoot as well as I reload with my 550 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wayne Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I just added two L E D's to the underside next to the toolhead and picked up a little speed. Absolutely love the additional light. It's like daytime inside the case. Speed on brother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taildraggerdave Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Try a case feeder on your 550. Talk about an increase in production. Imagine your right hand only moving the handle up and down. I grab a bullet between my thumb and forefinger, oriented correctly. I index the star with the palm of my hand and place the bullet at the same time. Move handle and repeat. I love my casefeeder. Makes it like a 650 but I like the option of managing the shell plate manually. Take care, Dave My 100 round runs are below 5 minutes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DickP3 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Try this; When you set the bullet on the case, go ahead and pick up another. When I turn the advance star, there is already a bullet head in my fingers, so set the bullet, set the case, pull the arm, and while pulling the arm, pick up another bullet head. Doing this eliminates the problem of orientation of the bullet head in the tray, as you have time while pulling the arm to get it right in your fingers. Just wanted to thank GrumpyOne, Sarge, daves_not_here and benos for their contributions to this discussion of 550 technique. I've only had my press for a few months and have struggled to get a smooth and fast operation. The ideas presented here really worked well for me today. I had the best reloading session ever. Thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 YW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaeOne3345 Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Older post, but thought this video may be useful for anyone curious about 550B work flow. I agree with all comments here. Gotta keep your hands in motion. Case feeder? Bullet feeder? Never heard of 'em. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james5m Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 This is how I do it http://s64.photobucket.com/user/james5m/media/Mobile%20Uploads/trim7DB951CD-7E0C-42CA-A2F7-36B2B9EB26CE_zpsb9d18bfd.mp4.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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