Yeah, Blue Dillons are popular for high volume shooters,
I have a single stage because 400 rounds a month is more than adequate for my needs and I like taking my time, although during times like these I’ll ramp up my output a bit more.
I find that shortages are a good opportunity to utilize stuff accumulated under speculation during past shortages—I’ve two pounds of 231 and a partial brick of Remington large pistol primers purchased because that was all that was available at the time of the past shortage, but neither are my “standard” components. I also have 300 pulled down 180gr JSP bullets in the odds n ends locker, so I’ll work up some range loads and use all this stuff up.
With the current shortage, who else here is hand loading?
I reload. I use progressive and single stage presses, depends on the number to be reloaded. Sure makes going to the range cheaper and more convenient. Pick up the brass and the costs drops some more.
Guilty as charged! Lol! I have a square deal b and a 550 . I started with a single press, and found that the 550 was just as good. Mine is an older model so it does not have automatic index. Yet the square deal dows.
I have a couple of tumblers and lots of media and polish for the cases. It would not be bad for you to get one of those brass pick up tools, helps save a lot of time and your back!
Good luck!
I have a Dillon 550 and a Lee Load-all. I have 9 mm, 45, 556 dies and the 12 gauge Lee Load-all. I love doing the precision loading with the 556. 69 grain bullets with 24.6 grains of powder. I got the most of my gear from a friend who did not use it. I bought it for $200.00. Finding supplies right now is pretty hard. I am looking for the large pistol primers and everyone is out of them right now.
I think over my training at the range a lot more since I do my own reloading. Makes me more cautious about just putting holes in paper.
I’ve been reloading for better than 30 years. My main go to is a Lee Turret press with the auto advance bits removed for volume ammo of any flavor simply due to the ease of swapping dies since I reload for about 20 different cartridges. I have a Dillon 650 sitting on the floor in the corner primarily because of the difficulty of set up (and cost) and the inability to do things in stages. For precision rifle I have a Redding Big Boss II.
I like to be able to do each step of the reloading process in “stages” and I uses the “right can” “left can” method in that I have an ammo can on either side and preform what ever task by taking a piece of brass from the left can and work it then toss it in the right can. Be it resize/deprime, prime, powder and seat. I learned this method back in the late 80’s when we would have “reloading parties” and make literally thousands of rounds in a weekend. Any one could sit down at any stage and pick up where the other had left off and if we had to stop just close the lid.
On pistol and other “bulk ammo” I gave up on the micro precision due to the vagaries of brass and use a powder and a volume that puts me dead square in the functional range. I doubt any of us are going to be able to tell the difference in a round that is doing 1125 fps vs one doing 1175 fps in a pistol. On precision rifle rounds my ES’s and SD’s are normally in single digits to low 10’s and rarely break 20’s.
I don’t think I can even begin to calculate the $$$$ saved in reloading vs buying ammo. Needless to say I have been making “free” ammo for a good many years.