I sitting thinking last night rather then a new rifle for christmas maybe a new press. Specifically a progressive press. I was looking at 2, a lee pro 1000 and a lee load master. Anyone with input into which would be the better choice I would appriciate.

loadmaster or better yet, hornady AP.

I use progressive only to load pistol calibers, so I bought a Dillon Square Deal.

I believe in investing the best/most robust equipment there is for the money I paid.
Reloading press did not go out of style and they will operate for many years.

Lee are great value for money, but IMHO, they are a bit on the flimsy side.

I bought a Hornady. They usually offer a bunch of bullets with it too.

I would highly recommend the Ponness/Warren Metallic II press.
The web site is www.reloaders.com I have copied the description below for you. My friend Dale purchased this back in 1971 and he/we still use it every week. A lot of guys automate the reloading process somehow and you have to be VERY careful if you buy one that has been modified because it stresses the table and wears it out. The bottom part that holds the cartridge moves up to the dies with a press of the handle. I am very impressed with the quality of construction, ease of use and speed of the reloading process. It is on my wish list, so if anyone out there would like to make a gift of one I will gladly accept.
Chimo
ITD

METALLIC II
$479.95
A Semi-Progressive Single-Stage
Rifle and Pistol Reloader

From the company whose reputation is quality and precision comes another fine loading tool -- the rugged Metallic II rifle/pistol press.

Ponsness/Warren has designed a totally unique and innovative loader capable of loading 150 rounds or more per hour with utmost precision.

The Metallic II has power to spare for:

re-forming brass
resizing cases
loading tough calibers
Built with the same high-quality castings as the shotshell line and the Metal-Matic P-200, the Metallic II is precision machined and coated with a silver vein black plastic applied electrostatically and baked on for durability.

The die head has five tapped 7/8-14 holes to accept standard dies, powder measure or other accessories.
Conversion from one caliber to another is accomplished in less than five minutes. Once the case is inserted into the shell holder, it is not removed until the case has been resized, new primer seated, powder dropped, and bullet seated and crimped.
A depriming tube removes spent primer and residue, keeping the priming area clean.
An automatic primer feed allows for control of the primers at all times, without touching or contaminating them.
Available optional features include:

Additional die heads (for additional caliber capacity)
A powder-measure extension tube to accommodate any standard powder measure
Metallic II comes complete with small and large primer seating tools and automatic primer feed. It is sold without dies, powder measure or shell-holder.

32 lb

I have owned a LEE 1000 and agree with Gelan...great value for money, but a bit flimsy. I think the only rifle cartridge the LEE 1000 will load is the .223 Rem.

I suppose it really comes down to how many rounds you are going to shoot, then reload, and how accurate/consistent you want them to be. Is there a real need for a progressive press mate? I use a single stage to reload 30.30 and .243 and although it does take longer, I believe I turn out a more consistent/accurate round.

I an not familiar with the Ponsness Warren press (I thought they only made shotshell presses) so I can't comment, but I do know that the Dillon and Hornady have a good reputation for their progressives. If you opt for a single stage, I reckon you would be hard pressed to find a better or more used press than the RCBS Rock Chucker. Its about as strong as they come and is easy to use. I have a RC Clone and have been using it since 1981 without so much as a hint of problems.

Before you decide on a press tlo, consider those points mate:

a. how many rounds will you be shooting/reloading,
b. how consistent/accurate do you want them to be,
c. what sort of warranty/customer service is available, and
d. is the price difference worth any extra you might pay?

Cheers, Vince

I have literally worn out two Lee 1000s after far more rounds than I care to count. I now have a Lee Loadmaster and couldn't be happier. It is a much sturdier unit than the 1000 and most of the glitches common to the 1000 have been eliminated making it a better overall buy even though the price is a bit more. It is far easier to switch shell-plates and much easier to fine-tune. I do only use it for handgun cartridges (.44 Magnum, .45 ACP and .45 Colt) but see no reason that rifle cartridges (within reason) couldn't be loaded also...but I personally prefer a single-stage press for my rifle cartridges. The Loadmaster offers enough stations to post-crimp your cartridges, which is really essential when loading lead bullets to prevent varying degrees of shaving. Besides, using the Lee Factory Crimp die you get the added benefit of post-sizing the finished product for absolutely reliable chambering.

Here's an objective comparison between the Lee, Hornady & Dillon presses: www.comrace.ca/cmfiles...arison.pdf

English Mike, thanks! That was a good write up. A buddy has a Dillon and it certainly works well. After trying it and doing some research on the Hornady I decided to try the Hornady. I'm happy with it, although it doesn't get used as much as I'd like!

+1 great article.

That was a great write up English Mike, but I'm still sticking with my old Pacific C press and Pacific 155 shotgun loader.

I love the article. That was quite helpful, I am very indecisive. I have very little need for a progressive press at this time but I was thinking I owuld get a head start on it. I will probably opt for the Hornady and wait another year. I am still fairly new to reloading and do not get guns all that often due to cost, I am in the market for a .223 and a pistol of some sort so in time I will want a progressive. I was mainly looking to reload for my .222 but I can do them and all other calibres I have on my turret or single stage for now. Still considering getting my turret press set up to work up my .222 loads but am not sure what I really should purchase to go with it. At any rate thanks for the info.

inthedark wrote:

I would highly recommend the Ponness/Warren Metallic II press.

I've looked at that press many of times !!!

That thing would be great for my lower volume handgun loads. Save ya a lot of money in conversion kits !!!

I think what kind of press to buy depends on how much ammunition you expect to load/shoot & how much time you have in which to do it.
If you are shooting 2-300 rounds of pistol & a couple of hundred rifle rounds a month, then a good single stage press will handle the job & cost less.
300 pistol & 200 rifle would take me about five hours in total from fired brass to completed ammunition on my Rockchucker - not including optional cleaning of the brass.
Last year I loaded 2,700 .45ACP on an RCBS junior over the course of a week; about 20 hours in total.
Real world time using say, a Dillon 550 would be a little under half that, as the theoretical 4-600 rounds per hour doesn't include the time taken to fill primer tubes, check every 20th load on a scale & replenish bullets, powder, etc.
The Hornady L-N-L progressive looks to me like the best all round press for volume loading if used for both rifle & pistol due to its ease of caliber change & less expensive set-up for each caliber.
I actually changed my Rockchucker over using the L-N-L conversion kit so all my dies are a two second click in & out with no worries over the lock ring moving.

I just found another very informative article on the Hornady press & think it is well worth reading:

www.realguns.com/archives/191.htm