MattMo

Have no fear of buying them used. If (and that's a big IF!) they wear out, Dillon will make it good. The 550 is an excellent first loader, does rifle, and is pretty upgradeable. Yeah, I'm not worried at all. This guy takes care of his stuff and he says that the 550 is still in excellent condition. If I start with the 550, I'm really not going to miss all the bells and whistles of the LnL or 650, cause I've never used them! I'm sure I'll upgrade one day, but this one will last me quite a while.

I talked with a few people at the range last night about reloading and one guy is looking to upgrade to a 650, so looks like I'll be buying his used 550! He's gathering a list of all the goodies and determining a price for me. I'm pretty excited.

Yeah, looks like I'm going to do some research into the LnL, 550, & 650. They all look like great presses, but they are definitely pushing the top end of what I was hoping to spend. Any place that deals in used presses? I will be keeping an eye on my local Craigslist. Thanks for all the great info you all provided.

So, the main reason people recommend the 650 over the 550 is the auto-indexing? Looking at Brian's recommended first purchase, that's $300 for an auto turning plate.

Alright, my next dumb question: What is auto-indexing?

Very true. And good questions, here are my answers. 1. how many rounds will you load per month? 800 - 1000 per month would be my guess based on current ammo usage 2. how much time do you have per month to reload? I have a good evening or two per week and possibly a 4 or 5 hours on the weekend. 3. how many calibers will you reload? To start, I'm planning on reloading 9mm & .45ACP. Eventually, I may add .223. 4. How much money do you have? I don't mind paying for quality, if it's worth it. 5. how competent are you at following mechanical instructions. I'm an engineer, so I'm pretty decent understanding mechanical functions and following technical instructions.

Interesting. I have not looked at the turret presses. Are dies press/brand specific or are they universal?

I've recently started shooting USPSA and I've discovered that I really need to start reloading. I asked around at my club and half the guys recommended starting with a single stage press (like an RCBS Rock Chucker). The other half recommended jumping in with a Dillon 550 or Lee Loadmaster. I know the basics about reloading. I've never actually reloaded though. I have no clue what equipment I need to start, but before I can start researching, I'd like to know what you'd recommend: Single Stage or Progressive for a brand new reloader? Thanks!