All I'm going to say is
"Go blue or go home". The owners of said colored machines know what I'm talking about.
Don't any of you take this the wrong way, meaning the single stage users, but using a single stage to load for plinking or competition SUCKS. Doing every move 5 times is a royal pain in the ass and consumes sooooo much time.
If I had it to do all over again, I'd spend more and buy a progressive press.
1 PULL, 1 BULLET!!!!.
And before anyone jumps in with "but loading on a single stage is safer 'cause you won't miss a charge or even double charge a load", that's wrong also. Anyone here remember my first reloading fiasco? I ain't ashamed to admit it, I got side tracked and missed 3 loads in 50.
I hate working hard, when I can work smart. Doing each step (depriming/sizing, hand priming, powder dumping, setting the bullet in the case and finally crimping) a couple hundred times for a match or enough loads for a good day at the range in my book sucks. Guess that's why I haven't gone out much lately.
Call me lazy, but I've just come to realize that I do not enjoy reloading on a single stage anymore. My next major purchase will be a Dillon 550 RL or if the God's bless me, the 650 XL
The only thing that has made life easier for my single stage setup is the powder thrower/dumper that
sold me. That is it.
So, in closing, If you're retired or maybe have too much time on your hands or simply love to sit and spend hours doing just a few hundred bullets, great....buy a single stage. If not, I'd say look for a LEE Progressive 1000 press at a minimum or like I said in the beginning, "
Go blue or go home".
Just a pino's 0.02
Crap, in all my ranting....I totally lost sight of the OP, yes...you save by reloading. For me I save about 2/3 the cost of buying manufactured ammo.