For the progressive 303 Savage shooter

[earlmck]

If you want to load 30/30's on your progressive loader you're going to have to pony up for another dang shellplate. But for the 303 Savage -- why you get to use the same shellplate you load your 44 magnums on. Isn't that nice? Kinda' makes up for the extra dollars we've had to invest in brass.

I hadn't used the progressive for loading 303 Savage before, but the grandkids and I shot up all the nice little 117 grainers the other day and I wanted to load up some more. My load for the 117 grain gas-check is 10 grains of Green Dot. I've posted here previously about using my new Hornady auto-scale for measuring out the "dots" which are not thrown near as nicely from powder measures as more civilized powders. The auto-scale is slow enough that it would drive you nuts to use it to measure out the powder for a batch of cases in a reloading tray, but it works out great when used with the progressive because by the time you prime a case, feed in a new case, place a bullet in a case neck and raise the ram into the dies the scale is just finishing up measuring out your charge.

Here's my set-up for today's 303 Savage loading: Station 1 has a 300 Savage size die that I use to neck-size a nice length of the 303 neck. Station 2 has a 30 cal Lyman "M" die set to give a bit of bell. Station 3 is a Lee universal charge die adjusted for the 303 length. Station 4 is vacant so I can look down into the case and see the powder sitting at the expected level. And Station 5 has a 300 Savage seating die adjusted to give a bit of crimp in the crimp groove of the 117 grain Ranch Dog 32/20 bullet which I size to .311 for the 303 Savage, though the same bullet needs to be sized .309 for my particular 30/30 and 30 Remington rifles (just the way the different rifles are throated).

303SavProg1.jpg

303SavProg2.jpg

[JohndeFresno]

1) Have you thought about a "Powder Cop" die to see if your load is correct? Its piston shows you if you are right on at a glance. I like mine.

2) How is that Hornady Progressive working for you? I have given serious thought to getting one to add to my stable, since it seems like its shell plate changeover and lock in dies seem to provide a much quicker way to switch setups than the RCBS or Dillon system.

3) Is that new mechanism of kicking out the filled cartridges reliable as claimed by Hornady?

[Bill in Oregon]

Earl, that is a very nice setup. Have you had the Hornady machine all along?
I was just looking at a 99 in .303 this afternoon, but fear the bore is much too rough for cast.

[earlmck]

1) Have you thought about a "Powder Cop" die to see if your load is correct? Its piston shows you if you are right on at a glance. I like mine.

I had resisted the "Powder Cop" for a while because I had heard they were prone to dribble a kernal or two of powder down onto the shell plate, which always head right for the primer slide in my setup. But I've got one on order now, as some cartridges are just too hard to see down into when using very small powder charges.

2) How is that Hornady Progressive working for you? I have given serious thought to getting one to add to my stable, since it seems like its shell plate changeover and lock in dies seem to provide a much quicker way to switch setups than the RCBS or Dillon system.

John, I wish I had experience on Dillon and RCBS so I could make a good comparison but I don't. I do know I can't turn out anywhere near the rate of production with this that some of the Dillon users talk about, but changing setup doesn't take all that long anymore, now that I have got some practice. I sure never got happy with the original powder measure as far as consistency of result, but with the pistol drum and the so-called "benchrest" drum I have have had acceptable results with anything other than the big sticks (like 4831, or the flakes such as Green Dot). Balls and small sticks like the ReLoader powders have been good. Also I have champfered the bejeesus out of some of my seating dies, kinda' like the Dillon dies. Unfortunately the way my Hornady seaters are made there is nothing to champfer. Lees and RCBS and Redding are all champferable, though.

3) Is that new mechanism of kicking out the filled cartridges reliable as claimed by Hornady?

Hmmm -- not really. Works great with 44 mag, works pretty good with 303 Savage, but some of the others occasionally hang and need a finger-assist to get out of the plate. Also I get the occasional cartridge missing the tray and going out onto the bench the press is mounted on. Haven't had them hit the floor, though.

Earl, that is a very nice setup. Have you had the Hornady machine all along?

I've had it for about 5 years Bill, but hadn't really go onto using it much until a few months ago when the new shoulder replacement kept me from using the right wing. That pretty much had my reloading at a standstill until I got serious about figuring out the progressive.

[JohndeFresno]

Thank you for the info, Earl.
I did not want to step on your thread, so I have incorporated some of your experience with Hornady into another thread about my search for a really dependable, easy to set up press:
"Revisiting Various Loading Presses"
http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... 55#p751155