Though a bit slower in production than the author’s Dillon, his RCBS is easier when it comes to switching primer sizes. It gets used for most of the odd calibers.

Adjusting the powder measure can be tricky, but it doesn't have to be if you use a digital powder scale. They used to be expensive but now can be bought for about the same price as a beam balance scale.

With a digital scale you can "tare" (allow for) the weight of an empty cartridge case, throw a charge into it, and when it goes back on the scale you have an accurate reading of the charge weight. I keep a box with a batch of expanded but not deprimed cases on the bench just for that purpose.

When Dillon came out with a case feeder for the 550B, it was a match made in heaven. With it my production increased dramatically, easily reaching 500 rounds an hour.

The model numbers of Dillon's machines are loosely correlated to production, and I almost view the faster models--the XL-650 and Super 1050--as commercial machines. For someone who consumes large quantities of a single caliber, they can't be beat, but they're not as versatile when it comes to changing calibers as the 550-B.

A significant factor for high-volume loaders is the treatment and storage of brass. While it is unnecessary to have used brass look like new, it is important not to carry grit into the loading tool and dies.

After trying a number of different cleaning methods, I concluded that the system that works best for me is to use two of the smaller tumblers--mine happen to be RCBS--and clean the brass as soon as possible after it is fired.

I go back and forth on which cleaning media to use and frankly can't tell much difference between corncobs and walnut hulls.

I have mixed feelings about cleaning additives and don't use them very often. I change media regularly and will add a spoonful or two of mineral spirits when the media is new, just to cut down on dust.

I've also tried spraying dirty brass with one of the ammonia-free glass cleaners before tumbling. This does seem to loosen the normal soot on the case and may speed up the process a little. When it's clean enough I store it in three-pound coffee cans.

I keep two progressives permanently set up on the bench. I use the Dillon for .45 ACP, .44 Special and .45 Colt. The only drawback to the Dillon may be mostly laziness on my part, but changing primer sizes is a real chore.

The RCBS Pro 2000 that sits on the other side of the bench is used for most other handgun cartridges, from .32 S&W Long all the way up to .44-40. It takes no more than a minute to change from small to large primers. Cartridge production is slower than the Dillon but very serviceable.

I'm sure you've seen the dramatic increases in the price of ammo over that last year or so, and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. All the more reason to look into reloading if you don't already.

My final tip is to become a smart shopper. There have always been quantity discounts in loading components, and in the face of price increases in the future a few thousand bullets or an extra sleeve of primers may be a good investment.