Reloading 45 acp

by njbowman Thu Jan 27, 2022 4:27 pm

First topic message reminder :

What is the best progressive reloader for doing 45 acp?

by Lifesfordeath Thu May 04, 2023 8:06 pm

Thanks for this thread, looking for a progressive and been torn on what to buy myself.

by tovaert Thu May 04, 2023 10:17 pm

Rifle shooters put more emphasis into powder measurement because for long line loads (say, 600 yards+) it's important. I think most presses that are anchored properly and set up properly can produce match-quality pistol ammo with an accurate powder delivery system. I have a Lee Load Master, w/aftermarket turrets. A few other upgrades. IMHO, if the powder delivery system is +/- 0.2 grains instead of +/- 0.05 grains of the powder(s) you choose, you have a substandard system regardless of what you paid for it. I also have a Ponsness-Warren P200 which is a nice little press, but not fast. A pair of Lee PPMs deliver the powder very accurately.

by funski Fri May 05, 2023 6:07 am

I have a Dillon 550. It can generate enough ammo for me and is pretty simplistic. Best part it can be used as a single stage.

Jim

by jglenn21 Fri May 05, 2023 7:46 am

All together my family owns 6 dillons not including a retired 450. I own three 550s and a new 750 dedicated to 45. The oldest 550 is probably from the early 80s and the other two were too cheap to pass up over the years all have beem updated as we go. Its hard not to choose big Blue after the many years of service. Same goes for one the RCBS equipment i own. They originated the "dillon" service model a looong time ago.. my rock chucker from the 60s stil is in use.. buy quality, both equipment and the company behind it

by mbmshooter Fri May 05, 2023 4:18 pm

SteveT wrote:Assuming you mean a progressive press... Loading lots of ammo on a single stage gets old quickly.

Dillon SDB is the easiest to set up, but you can only load pistol calibers and can't use standard dies.

Lee 100 is the cheapest. Lee makes some amazing stuff for the price they charge, but it won't feel as refined as the other brand names

A Mark 7 or Dillon 1050 will be the best to crank out lots and lots of ammo. These are really small scale commercial machines. Once they are set up they are awesome, but there is a lot to do every time you make a change.

A turret press like the Dillon 550 or Redding T7 will be stiffer and probably have tighter tolerances than the progressive presses. Will it load better ammo in 45ACP? probably not that anyone will notice. You have to remember to move the turret each time or you risk double charges. If you really want to go overboard, then get one of the specialized rifle turret presses

A Star reloader will give you the most cred' on the shooting line. They are cool.

The best compromise in my opinion is Dillon 750 or Hornady LnL.

Steve,

Several decades ago I started with an RCBS RockChucker I received as a gift from my wife. As noted, that got old pretty quickly when loading several thousand round of .45.
I bought a Star over 40 years ago and am delighted I did. I bought two more Stars afterward thinking I could use different presses for different projectiles and loads. That never happened! It is so much easier to just change the seating die and the adjustable charger so the other two Stars have been gathering dust for years.
For the money, I think the Dillons produce a very good round and have the advantage over Star in that they can handle rifle rounds. That's my humble opinion.

Mike

by Colt711 Tue May 16, 2023 5:42 pm

I bought a 2nd Star w/ the same idea. It was cheap and only needed cleaning plus new springs. Came to the same conclusion as you. I can load 45, 38-357, or 9mm w/o much change time.

I sold the 38 and customer said the machine was OK after he locked it so it wouldn't run when he wasn't there!

Ron Habegger

by Colt711 Tue May 16, 2023 6:10 pm

71firebird400 wrote:
Ultimately all of that stuff is pretty minor but the one big thing is the increased leverage on the Dillon. It makes for a more pleasant loading experience, and I leave that machine set up for 9mm since that requires the most effort to size of the cartridges I load.

I've loaded on a Star for nearly all my shooting yrs. Excepting rifle. Recently I started loading 9mm's. Only 2k so far. I found they required extra effort to size also. Some so much I thought there was a physical blockage!! I soon saw the culprit to be badly bulged cases. With all the 9's laying around at the range it was hardly a surprise. I haven't decide whether to just pitch 'em or resize 'em on the rock chucker 1st. A comparison of primer costs w/ loaded ammo costs may result in buying 9's!

Ron Habegger

by **Wobbley** Tue May 16, 2023 9:37 pm

You could get a “roll sizer”. Fastest way to resize 9mm.

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