What presses do you load (.38) on?

[Fishbreath]

I'm expecting to have some space in the budget soon to upgrade to a progressive press from my current turret press, which has been good to me but takes a long time. I can easily justify something in the Dillon 750+case feeder price range (either a 750, or maybe the Hornady LNL AP with case+bullet feeder). I could probably stretch a bit for a 1050, if I wait longer to make the buy.

 

I plan on shooting about 1,000 rounds a month once primers can be had for reasonable costs again, and I only have about 2,000 rounds of .38 Short Colt brass, so I don't know how much I'd gain from a 1050. On the other hand, five stations might be a bit limiting if I want to do a bullet feeder, and separate seat-crimp.

 

What do my fellow revolver guys recommend?

 

 

[tkheard]

I load on an S1050. For revolver, you really need to have the primers seated below flush. The 1050 has priming on the down stroke with depth as a settable (is that a word) depth that takes *all* of the guesswork out of it. 
I struggled on a 650 to get a decent depth with any repeatability. The RL1050 does, too. Check for used machines. You’ll be glad you did.

ETA: I loved my 650, but I love my S1050 more!

Edited July 2, 2021 by tkheard
Edit to add

[AHI]

1050 seating primers below flush is a necessary. Otherwise you're gonna be on hear complaining about light strikes.

[missed it by that much]

I'll say it. Lee loadmaster and proud of it 

[revoman]

Don’t know about the 750 but have 2 650’s and have never had a problem with seating below flush and I am talking over 25 years and 10 of thousands of rounds. 

[RePete]

1050 for 9mm, 38Sp, 40S&W and 45ACP.

 

No priming issues.

[PatJones]

I use a 550. 1k/month isn't that much to load on a 550.

[SnipTheDog]

Couple of 1050's.  Too lazy to change primers.

[Intel6]

I load my .38 mid on my 650 and then use a hand primer to make sure the primers are seated.  For my 929 I load the 9mm on the 1050 and don't have to mess with the primers.

[Distant Thunder]

2 hours ago, PatJones said:

I use a 550. 1k/month isn't that much to load on a 550.

 

+1

[RangerMcFadden]

I also load 550. I hand prime all my Revo ammo. I can do about a thousand during one episode of Star Trek. I found that between loading tubes, clearing the occasional jam, refilling, fixing seating depth issues, etc. hand priming is way faster.

 

Looking back I’d rather get a 650 for the case feeder and auto indexing. 
 

The real problem is 2k brass. If money is limited I’d buy less press to buy more brass. It’s so nice to a years worth loaded than to load multiple times a season.

[ysrracer]

7 hours ago, revoman said:

Don’t know about the 750 but have 2 650’s and have never had a problem with seating below flush and I am talking over 25 years and 10 of thousands of rounds. 

 

Survey says...

 

...YES!!

 

I load my .38 short colt on a 750 with a case feeder and bullet feeder. I can fully seat my primers without any issues.

 

I resize in station 1

Prime, flare, and powder in station 2

Bullet drop in station 3

Seat in station 4

Crimp in station 5

 

Easy peasy lemon squeezy

[old558]

I load on a LNL AP with case feeder with no issues.

[dannyd]

Well how many days a month do you want to load; if your going to make all Thousand rounds in one day a 650, 750 or 1050 would be best if not any progressive press will work.    Case feeder on the LNL works but does take some tweaking.

[pskys2]

650/750 Dillon has a lifetime warranty.  A SL1050/1100 only have a 2 yr warranty (? at least it's not lifetime) but can load 100 rounds in 5 minutes with a MBF, longer without, the priming system is adjustable, but there is little to no feel as in a 550.  

I was using a 550 and went straight to a SL1050 (due to finding a used one at a real good price) and wish I hadn't waited so long.  But I never have worked with a 650/750.

[Tom Freeman]

I have a few Dillons on the bench.  550s and 1100s.  My 550 does 45 AutoRim and my 1100 loads all my 38 Special and 357.

 

After switching to a 929, the 38 Special toolhead for my 1050/1100 is lonely.

[Dr. Phil]

I use a Lee turret (small/test loads and 357 Mag) 2 Lee Pro 1000 (1 in 9mm and 1 in 38 Mid) and a LnL ( 9mm and some 38 Mid).

The Lee has been tuned up twice as it has somewhere in the neighborhood of 200K rounds loaded on it in 35 years I have owned it.

As stated above any press will work if set up and kept up correctly. 

FWIW the Lee 1000 and LnL are both rated at 600 rounds/hr. 

The priming  (seating below flush) thing is a solution in search of a problem as I see it. Any (all) of my presses will seat below flush and I don't have any misfires with my revos. Of course that's only about 20K - 25K per year.

YMMV

[Fishbreath]

1 hour ago, Dr. Phil said:

The priming  (seating below flush) thing is a solution in search of a problem as I see it. Any (all) of my presses will seat below flush and I don't have any misfires with my revos. Of course that's only about 20K - 25K per year.

 

The Ruger I shoot is proving a little pickier than Smiths on account of the transfer bar. It's been tricky getting my Lee turret to seat primers consistently, so I'm a little nervous about other feel-based/on-the-upstroke priming systems.

[pskys2]

2 hours ago, Dr. Phil said:

I use a Lee turret (small/test loads and 357 Mag) 2 Lee Pro 1000 (1 in 9mm and 1 in 38 Mid) and a LnL ( 9mm and some 38 Mid).

The Lee has been tuned up twice as it has somewhere in the neighborhood of 200K rounds loaded on it in 35 years I have owned it.

As stated above any press will work if set up and kept up correctly. 

FWIW the Lee 1000 and LnL are both rated at 600 rounds/hr. 

The priming  (seating below flush) thing is a solution in search of a problem as I see it. Any (all) of my presses will seat below flush and I don't have any misfires with my revos. Of course that's only about 20K - 25K per year.

YMMV

It all depends, if you're a Revo Junkie that has their Revo set as light as they can and still be reliable with "FEDERAL Primers well seated below flush" it is a serious issue.  If one likes a more robust action they can be set up to fire anything, then just flush is fine.

Factory settings should light off everything, even hard primers not seated flush, but you also have an 11 lb action.

You are right any Press made by a reputable manufacturer can be set up to do it correctly.  The ease and speed of production do vary.

 

[Toolguy]

I have 4 550s and load everything on them. No problems with primer seating. Many tool heads with powder measure.

[Dr. Phil]

1 hour ago, pskys2 said:

It all depends, if you're a Revo Junkie that has their Revo set as light as they can and still be reliable with "FEDERAL Primers well seated below flush" it is a serious issue.  If one likes a more robust action they can be set up to fire anything, then just flush is fine.

Factory settings should light off everything, even hard primers not seated flush, but you also have an 11 lb action.

You are right any Press made by a reputable manufacturer can be set up to do it correctly.  The ease and speed of production do vary.

 

My competition revolvers all run in the 6 1/2lb range. Not because they won't go lighter but because I tend to short stroke any less weight than that.

My primers all go off, Any press that can't seat to .010 below flush has a problem. Usually it seems to be the person pulling the handle. My old Lee Turret will still push primers in far enough. I load all my SP cartridges with Federal SPM. 

I get a kick out of the "Federal primers well seated below flush" mantra. I have shot primers measured at from .007 to .012 and they all go bang. My presses will all push them till they are flat. I think that's too far. That by the way is Small Pistol Magnum which some believe are harder than SP.

It ain't brain surgery. It is finding what works and doing that 25,000 times a year. Or more.

 

[pskys2]

13 hours ago, Dr. Phil said:

My competition revolvers all run in the 6 1/2lb range. Not because they won't go lighter but because I tend to short stroke any less weight than that.

My primers all go off, Any press that can't seat to .010 below flush has a problem. Usually it seems to be the person pulling the handle. My old Lee Turret will still push primers in far enough. I load all my SP cartridges with Federal SPM. 

I get a kick out of the "Federal primers well seated below flush" mantra. I have shot primers measured at from .007 to .012 and they all go bang. My presses will all push them till they are flat. I think that's too far. That by the way is Small Pistol Magnum which some believe are harder than SP.

It ain't brain surgery. It is finding what works and doing that 25,000 times a year. Or more.

 

I agree KISS! (what I keep telling myself in most everything) and there is that point of over compressing the primer as you say.

I just recently, since March 2020, started even measuring the primer depth.  Always before as long as I felt a depression at the primer I was good.  With the 1050, started using it in March 2020, I can't "feel" the primer seating and if a primer flips and goes sideways or some other "issue" I can't feel it and the press will crush it.  Had it happen a couple of times and it didn't ignite the primer if it's sideways.  Now I set them for a specific depth, .009 is the current one, record it in my Ballistics Program, one I created with MS Access, and keep track if I have any that don't go off.

Very few can tell me what depth their press is seating primers, so you must be as detail oriented as myself!

I used to shoot actions at 5 1/2 lb and had no issues.  Recently I decided to try to get lower myself.  Long story short I'm down to 4 3/4 lbs.  I also used to short stroke at under 5 1/2 lbs, but the 4 3/4 lbs I'm using have a heavier rebound than necessary and haven't had any issues.

The SP Magnums & the SR Primers seem to be a bit harder cup, but the compound used by Federal in all three seems to be the same at ease of ignition.  I've used Fed SR Primers in my 38's with no issues at my current weights.

Now if I can just find enough primers to keep shooting 25K per year!!!!!

[ysrracer]

I'm confused. On my 750 I can seat the primers as deep as I want. I just push on the handle until it's seated, then give it a little shove.

 

Since the primer punch on the primer feed bar is smaller than the primer pocket, what's the issue?

[pskys2]

41 minutes ago, ysrracer said:

I'm confused. On my 750 I can seat the primers as deep as I want. I just push on the handle until it's seated, then give it a little shove.

 

Since the primer punch on the primer feed bar is smaller than the primer pocket, what's the issue?

With the 550/650/750 Primer System where you prime on the upstroke and one can feel the primer seating, and it's mostly just a matter of the pressure applied.  With the 1050/1100 the primer is seated on the down stroke and, at least for me, I can't feel the primer seating.  The upside is it is much easier, less work, to seat the primer to a pre-set depth, depending.  I've noticed a .003 difference in the depth of a lubed case vs a non-lubed case.

The only other issue I've found with the 550 type system is if a primer pocket is full of carbon, like a 45 acp with 15+ firings, it takes a lot more effort and at times I'll even rotate the case and hit it again.  But I can always feel that it's not where I want it.

Don't know if that's what you're confused about, but it's information I can share.

[ysrracer]

20 minutes ago, pskys2 said:

 

Don't know if that's what you're confused about, but it's information I can share.

 

I'm confused by the people that can't fully seat primers on 550/750. You and I seem to get it.