progressive press/volume reloading

[country_boy]

Some time down the road I want to get into volume reloading.

Ive been looking at the dillion and the horandy lock n load. My biggest problem is $$$. Which would yall recommend? Im also looking at the rcbs trim pro power case trimmer. MidwayUSA - RCBS Trim Pro Power Case Trimmer Kit 110 Volt

 

[MadMo44Mag]

Both are good but Hornaday is my preference.
After 20+ years and well over 500k rounds I have just had to send my Hornaday back to the factory for a FREE overhaul and update. According to their senior press tech they just need to replace a few parts due to normal ware and tear.
I use to shoot over 800 rounds a weekend and did that for 10 years steady so there is over a quarter of a million rounds that came of my Hornaday Pro-Jector the forerunner of the Lock n Load.

 

[country_boy]

well thats what grabbed me was the lifetime warranty.

 

[Bullseye Shooter]

Dillon, as well, has a lifetime warranty and they don't care if you were the original owner or not, which the same I'm sure with Hornady. I sold a Square Deal a while back and when it had a problem, the new owner sent it to Dillon and they fixed it for free.

As to the relative differences between the Hornady and Dillon, I'll leave that to someone else to discuss. I've been using two Star Machine Works progressive presses for years for my .45 ACP and .38 Special loads and don't plan on switching any time soon.

 

[Okierifleman]

Dillon for me. I have 3 Square Deal B's, one for 9mm, 1 for 40, and 1 for 45. I can put out around 300 rounds an hour. You can convert one machine, but they are fairly inexpensive(I bought all 3 of them used) so I dont have to hassle with cal. changes and adjusting powder bars, etc....Not to mention the fact they have the best customer service in the business. If you have a problem with your machine, 9 times out of 10 they can walk you through it over the phone, if you need a new part, its free and will be there in 1-2 days. Cant say any more than that.

 

[country_boy]

that square b cant reload rifle rounds correct?

 

[Bullseye Shooter]

Correct. The SDB only loads pistol and the dies are proprietory, so they don't fit anything else. The Dillon 550, 650, etc. will load both rifle and pistol and they use std dies.

 

[MadMo44Mag]

The Dillon 550, 650 and the Hornaday Lock-n-Load are the most versatile press's again - IMO!!!

 

[Texas42]

I got a dillon 550b and love it. It is manually indexing, which I actually like. I'm not in a hurry, I just want to do things faster than with a single stage.

A 650 is fully progressive, and a 1050 is actually a commerical machine (no lifetime warrenty).

The thing that turned me off the square deal was that you had to buy caliber kits from dillon, and they were like 60 or 70 bucks. That and I though I might want to mass produce .223's at some point in time.

I don't know much about the hornady, but it looks nice. I think the start up was going to be a bit more expensive because it doesn't come with pistol powder charger (or something like that). I have seen parts for the lock-n-load at bass pro, and the bullet deal seemed like a good bonus. I think there is also some minor problems with some kinds of dies not fitting properly ( I think Lee dies were too long or something . . .just another set of dies this isn't personal experience, it was just something that MIGHT have been a problem. )

Long story, if you like one or the other and it is just a few dollars difference, don't sweat the money. These things will last a while : )

I can load something like 150-250 rounds an hour when I'm up and running, and I'm still pretty new at it.

 

[Okierifleman]

I agree that the 650 would be more diverse, but I dont need a progressive press for my rifle ammo(hence the SDB's) My rifle ammo gets a lot more precision and I run individual powder charges through my electronic dispensor/scale so the need for a progressive press for my rifle ammo isnt needed. I still buy my 223 for my AR's. If a guy wanted a progressive press for handgun calibers and mass producing 223 and 308, the 650 is definately the way to go.

 

[jasont]

Dillon 650 and Dillon Rapid Trim 1200. The rapid trim costs a little less than the RCBS case trimmer and doesn't require a separate step, it can be combined with sizing the cases.

My rifle reloading goes like this. Walnut tumble and then lube cases. Put them through the 650, Lee FL sizing die in station 1, Dillon Trimmer in station 3, RCBS Small Base X-die in station 5 which does a slight chamfer as well. Swage primer pockets that need it. Corn cob tumble to polish and remove lube. Run through 650 again with universal decapping die in station 1 to pop out any corncob media stuck in flash hole, powder drop station 2, powder check station 3, Redding competition seating die in station 4, and a Lee crimp die in station 5.

 

[jfrey]

Like Okierifleman, I load my .45 and 9mm ammo on a Dillon SDB (one for each caliber) and my rifle on a single stage press. The rifle ammo is a lot more precise and I weigh every charge. The Dillon is good for +-.1 grain which is plenty good for pistol ammo. If you really want one press for all, get the Dillon 550. You can't go wrong drinking the Blue Koolaid.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Okie's just a tightwad....

I'm running a 650 with full setups on the heads, including the powder thrower - so it takes me 5-10 minutes to switch out. Just converted the press from 40 to 45 while ago - gonna load me up a mess o' 45's this weekend. Loaded 3k rounds a while back, and expected I'd be good for 6 months, but guess not!

One thing I AM anal about, though - I tweak the powder throw, re-zero the scale and tweak again. Takes a minute longer, but well worth the peace of mind! I'm set up to load 45, 40, 357/38, an' 380.

 

[Okierifleman]

Okie's just a tightwad....

I'm running a 650 with full setups on the heads, including the powder thrower - so it takes me 5-10 minutes to switch out. Just converted the press from 40 to 45 while ago - gonna load me up a mess o' 45's this weekend. Loaded 3k rounds a while back, and expected I'd be good for 6 months, but guess not!

One thing I AM anal about, though - I tweak the powder throw, re-zero the scale and tweak again. Takes a minute longer, but well worth the peace of mind! I'm set up to load 45, 40, 357/38, an' 380.

Tightwad? While you are doing head changes, I just loaded 50 rounds! Actually, when I made the decision to move up to a progressive for my pistol ammo, I called Dillon to get their advice on the right machine for me, and they guy I talked to talked me into the SDB's.

 

[TexasRedneck]

ummm.....just remember that once changed, I can load 600+ rounds/hour.....heheheeeeee

 

[robocop10mm]

Dillon used to offer a stripped 550 (I cannot remember what they called it). You could upgrade with the auto primer feed, powder measure, etc to make it a 550 when you chose to or when you needed to. You could maybe find one of those.

 

[Bullseye Shooter]

IIRC it was a 450 but I may be having a senior moment.

I checked, it was the RL 450. Dillon still sells parts to upgrade it to a 550.

 

[ambidextrous1]

The best deal (if you can find it) would be a used Dillon 650. Reloading equipment has a rather low resale value, and if it needs a bit of "fluffing", Dillon will take care of it - free.

I've had a 650 for nearly 15 years, and want to find a used one, so I can set up one for large primers and one for small primers.

 

[Okierifleman]

ummm.....just remember that once changed, I can load 600+ rounds/hour.....heheheeeeee

Yes, TR, you will then lap me. But I can put out about 3-320 rds an hour on mine which is ok by me.

BTW, what about primer changes, large to small and vice versa?

 

[TexasRedneck]

Yes, TR, you will then lap me. But I can put out about 3-320 rds an hour on mine which is ok by me.

BTW, what about primer changes, large to small and vice versa?

Sure it is - we all know yer kinda a slow feller.....

Primer change? That's included in the 5-10 minute changeout.

Besides - I've got $300 in the 650 - got REAL lucky on the deal!