A few thoughts on my intentions.
My concerns would not be about seating and crimping, 'cause the dies should adjust enough for that, but resizing the brass all the way down. My powder measure throws charges close enough that I no longer weigh each charge....but then, I don't load to max.
I can see how that may be an issue. On the Dillon the decapping, resizing, and priming all happen on station one. I would think that the entire case would get resized because it's the only way the decapping pin would knock the old primer out. However, the way the decapping die is designed, is there enough room for the long case to avoid buckling the case mouth? I think I will have to wait for Dillon on that answer unless someone pops in here with experience. I know I don't HAVE to use Dillon dies, but it seems logical that if Dillon sells a 460 conversion kit, their 454 dies would work. If not, they should be able to recommend an alternative die.
Also, my intention is not to load max load after max load. I want to load a range of practice ammo. I have noticed somewhat diminished or rather inconsistent accuracy when shooting 45 Colt in my gun, and it isn't that surprising since the cylinder jump is quite long. I want to load ammo of all different velocities, just to increase the economy of a gun I love to shoot, but shoot sparingly due to ammo costs.
I can't see anyone shooting that monster enough to justify the cost of the toolhead and conversion kit
Regarding the cost, I should clarify. I also have shot a lot of 45 Colt and 454 Casull out of my X frame, so I have a lot of brass from those two cartridges as well. However, I only own a 460 mag. So what I would likely do is set up my dies for 45 Colt, load and shoot 45 Colt for plinking ammo until my cases are all used up and unloadable and then do the same with 454 Casull. Eventually I'll have nothing left but 460 brass, and the tool head would become a 460 dedicated reloading setup. I have enough brass of all three lengths that this may take a few years to do. I'm just gathering my needed parts now.
If at some point I get a 454 revolver or a 45 Colt, I may invest in a different toolhead again, but that's a big if. I due know I will always have a 45 caliber revolver of some flavor. So the cost is justified in my mind. This is my hobby, and I'm willing to spend some money on it.
Loading .460 is more like loading for a rifle than for a handgun.
Yep, I get that, and that's how I intend to treat it.
First off, they are hard to resize. Even with lube and carbide dies, it takes quite a bit of oomph to resize the case. Don't know if a progressive would have the leverage needed to resize and do all the other operations simultaneously. The heavy crimp needed for the round takes a bot of oomph also. For me, unlike with .45ACP, the last thing on my list of priorities when reloading this caliber is getting the ammo done as fast as possible. Too much to go wrong. Cases don't last long and need to be carefully inspected. The long cases are also suspect to buckling when seating and crimping are rushed. Then this statement would tend to defeat the purpose of a progressive........
Again, yes, I get that it will require substantial effort to run these through a progressive, and I am guessing I will ruin several cases in the setup phase. I'm ok with that. I know a lot of folks view this as a single stage type operation, but I do not have a lot of space in my reloading room. I prefer to stay on one press if at all possible to avoid clutter, even if it costs me a little more money to make that happen. I would like to try progressive loading this round, but the wonderful part about the Dillon 550B is you do not HAVE to run it in a progressive way. It is simple enough to run a single case through all for stations if need be, and the locator pin on the powder station can easily be removed or left out entirely to facilitate charge weight checks. So even if it is a bear to run this progressively, I have the option of running it one case at a time. That may be what I end up doing, but in either case, I'd prefer to do all my loading on one press.
I have no intention of rushing either. I reload fairly slowly and so far have only loaded up to 150 rounds in one session. When reloading the 460, I suspect it would be lower volume. More like 25 to 50 at a time.
I don't feel that weighing each charge defeats the point of a progressive when that's what you are already invested in for loading high volumes. I already have the Dillon, so I intend to use it. If I see that the powder throw is consistent on this round, after I find a powder I like, then I'll likely stop measuring every charge.
