progressive press, lube and riffle reloading

[BruniX]

hello !
i don't understand interest of progressive press when you reload riffle ammo.

brass must be lubrificated, before full resizing ....except carbide die for hand gun .... i think.
After resizing it's necessary to clean them, no ?
so we can't continue directly cycle with neck expander and powder tool, on a progressive press ... ?

BruniX

[220]

I think you will find most that reload rifle on a progressive resize as a separate operation and then feed cases that have already been resized into the progressive press.

[JEBar]

can't speak for anyone else, but that's what we do

[Flinch]

When I used a progressive press as the only means to load rifle ammunition. I treated the decapping/resizing step as a single stage press. I wiped the lube off the brass before proceeding on to the next step. I had an issue with case lube fouling the primer feeder on my Dillon RL550 which required me to disassemble the press and clean it often, so I picked up a single stage press that I now use for loading rifle ammunition.

Looking back, if I were to continue to use the RL550 to reload rifle ammunition, I would remove the primer feeder and set it aside while decapping/resizing.

[clovishound]

Some lubes are water based and are supposed to be safe for primers and powder. I trim my cases after sizing, so a progressive wouldn't work for my style of loading. I'm sure you could trim to minimum length, and then live with the change after sizing.

I can't imagine loading rifle ammo on a progressive, unless perhaps I was loading high volume AR fodder. Since I'm not into ARs that would not be an issue anyway.

[wingnut]

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10127 ... be-aerosol

No cleaning after sizing.

[BruniX]

All this confirms what I thought ...
a friend gave me his press, a dillon 550 .. nice tool but this type of press is not made to rifle reloading ...
it is very good for large quantities in revolver or pistol, ideally with tungsten carbide die ....

[Flinch]

You can use a RL550 to load rifle cartridges. Be careful where the case lube goes. Consider placing a piece of shim stock under the shell plate and over the primer feeder anvil to prevent the lube from gumming up the works.

The conversion kit, tool head and powder die can be pricey. If you are reloading 45-70, a single stage press may be more suitable than the RL550. On the RL550 it will be a little cramped for space when placing a bullet on top of the brass at the seating station.