Buckshot Bob

I started with a single stage, because when I started reloading the closet thing to a progressive for a hobbyist was a turret press. Dillon was the company that really made the progressive press affordable/available to the masses. Probably one of the reasons they’re so popular today. When I was a kid my dad had a RCBS for rifle/pistol, a Texan for shotgun shells and an old Pacific for swaging and sizing bullets. We did allot of casting. He just replaced the RCBS a couple years ago. He had it before I was born so he got over 60 years of use out of it. You can’t say that about too many possessions in life.

The “compromise” press would be the Dillon 550 . You can use it as a single stage or a progressive. It’s fairly affordable and if you decide it, or all of this was a mistake you’ll have no problem selling it. I own Dillon , RCBS, Redding and Lee . They all have their quirks. I used to look down on Lee until I used a couple of their presses “APP & Six pack”. There’s no denying they’re cheaper, but there’s no denying they have served many people well. As well as frustrating a few. But that being said I have met people that have had problems with just about every manufacturer, along with fans of every brand. There’s always going to be more complaints about progressive presses because there’s just more to go wrong. The more complicated the press is the more patience is needed to get it running correctly. The priming system is where most people have problems with a progressive from any manufacturer. If you are strictly looking to load handgun cartridges and want to do it as fast and cheaply as possible I have a hard time finding fault with your original choice of the six pack pro . There’s a FB group for the six pac along with some good information on the high road forum https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/best-practices-checklist-for-more-reliable-operation-of-six-pack-pro-pro-6000-kit.913577/. Welcome to reloading, do it safely have patience and enjoy the journey. And hoard primers and powder, lots of primers and powder

That’s where I decided to stop my collection. I got one from each manufacturer. Got 2 from the north store and 2 mail order. All service grades. I'm 3 hours from the north store, if you go on the CMP forum the south store always seems to have a far better selection. Living within a hour of that would probably be problematic for my bank account. I’d hate to guess how many some of the regulars on the CMP forum have.

You can buy six a year now . I believe last year it was 10 . I know the last time I went to the North store you were limited to 2 per visit, maybe month ?

Looks like $700 is as cheap as they get anymore. Generally the CMP is the cheapest place to get a working rifle. Here’s the current prices and what’s available https://thecmp.org/sales-and-service/m1-garand/