decideing on a press

[thebigdogg316]

I am looking at getting into reloading. i was looking at the dillon 650, the hornady lock and load progressive press and i have been looking at the lee pro 100 progressive press. i was looking at the lee press due to cost. what do you guys thinks?

[jmcmanis]

What caliber do you plan on reloading?

I first started reloading a couple years ago and went with the lee due to price. I used it for about a year because I had no other option. The Lee Pro 1000 is a 3 turret reloader. The first hole is deprime/resize, the second hole is prime/powder/flare, and the third hole is bullet seat/crimp. This doesn't work. I reloaded .38 super comp with my Lee reloader. After loading a case I could take it and push the bullets in with my fingers. Even if I adjusted the cases or dies in any way they would still not crimp correctly. I wrote Lee about the issue, and they said I could run all my rounds through the machine and then take out my dies and put in a factory crimp die and run all my rounds through it again. Forget that I purchased a Dillon 550. The Dillon 550 is a 4 turret press. Stage one is deprime/prime/resize, second is powder/flare, third is bullet seat, fourth is crimp. This works 100%. I have not used the Hornady Press, so, I'm not too sure about them. Hornady makes some pretty good cartridges so I would say they are better quality reloaders. The 650 was a little out of my price range that is why I went with the 550. If I would have gotten the 650 I would have also gotten the bullet and case feeder, and if I would have gotten those then I would have just gotten the 1050 with the autodrive, and I can't afford that. So, I got a 550.

[Tzygä]

Dillon have great realoading progressive presses. You can't go wrong with any og them 550, 650, 1050. I have 550 and 1050.

[CocoBolo]

If you are loading a lot of calibers and only a few hundred at a time get the LNL AP its a good press at a good price. If however you are going to be loading a thousand a month or thousands of the same caliber get the XL650. I load my primary competition ammo on a XL650 and do all my odds and ends small runs on the LNL, both make good ammo. What takes time in reloading is the exceptions, when a case falls over, when the primer punch gets dirty etc, the XL650 has very few exceptions, the Hornady has more.

I have not personally loaded any ammo on a Lee and I don't believe everything I read, but there is a preponderance of evidence that says there is more anguish than pleasure in reloading on that equipment.

[Tzygä]

Thats right if you are loading a lot of calibers Dillon 550 and 650 are great for that but I don't want to change caliber for my 1050 press because it not so easy and I have KISS bullet feeder installed for it also.

Edited December 11, 2010 by Tzygä

[Sarge]

The 650 was a little out of my price range that is why I went with the 550. If I would have gotten the 650 I would have also gotten the bullet and case feeder, and if I would have gotten those then I would have just gotten the 1050 with the autodrive, and I can't afford that. So, I got a 550.

Same here. The 550 is a great machine. It's simple yet refined and will load plenty fast enough to keep my ammo stockpiled. The conversions are cheaper as well.

[Mark R]

You can't beat the Dillon No BS warranty and support. That said...

550 is great machine (I've been using one for almost 15 years). If you want to change to multiple calibers it's fairly cheap per conversion, and only about 5 minutes to change/convert to other caliber. It is manual indexing on the shell plate with makes it easy to troubleshoot issues and backup if needed

650 is a little more cost per machine than the 550 (but worth the cost IMO), a little more cost per conversion kits, but a better machine in the long run. It also has auto indexing on the shell plate. Need to watch when issues pop up.

1050 is a great machine, but conversion kits are extremely pricey, and long time to convert to new caliber. Best if you only want one caliber to load mass quantity. Just remember, you don't get the no BS warranty with this machine since it's considered a commercial machine. I think you get a year.

I like my 550, but the older I get, the more I want a machine to do (case feed and bullet feed). I'm looking to upgrade to the 650 soon.

[RangerTrace]

I have been extremely happy with my 650 purchase from Brian Enos. It is my first press and with around 5k rounds loaded in the last few months it has been great. You do have to pay attention to what your doing for sure. But it's pretty darn fun to make your own ammo

[metalguy]

I have the Lee pro 1000, and it works well for me. I do not crimp my bullets on it however. As another poster mentioned, it is a three position press. I use the bullet seater, but have it backed out so as not to crimp. I use a single stage for this, and utilize a Lee factory crimp for this. It gives me a chance to handle every round, and check for flaws. I happen to like mt Lee Progressive, and feel it is hard to beat for the price. I know this is a heavily Dillon favored forum, and I am sure they are great presses, I just can't afford to try one out as yet! Maybe I will paint my Lee stuff blue so I fit in better.

Metalguy

[GrumpyOne]

The 550 for all the reasons listed above.

[G-ManBart]

I am looking at getting into reloading. i was looking at the dillon 650, the hornady lock and load progressive press and i have been looking at the lee pro 100 progressive press. i was looking at the lee press due to cost. what do you guys thinks?

Forget the Lee Pro 1000. My father bought one years ago, and it's still a POS. The Dillon SDB is way better, but limited to pistol cartridges. If you can manage it, a 650 is an awesome machine. I'm running a 1050 for my most used cartridge, and an SDB for #2. I load rifle, and low use stuff on a turret press. R,

[Bello]

listen you only cry "ONCE" with a dillon after that its the rest of your life smooooooooth sailing.

[thebigdogg316]

thanks for the info.

[jaggy13]

I was on my way to purchase a 550 and a friend gave me a lee 1000 to use.

I was new to loading and thought I would give it a try before I spent the $$ on a Dillon.

The only thing about the lee I don't like is the primer tray.

I load pistol rounds on it, and its great at it.

I plan to get a dillon later, but for now I'm actually pretty content on my free lee.

I would get the 4 die version though. I would like to use a factory crimp die.

Lee stuff is cheap, made cheap but it works.

[USN Mike]

Been reading the forum and BE advise - shooting about 400 rounds .40 and .45 a month - seems pretty unanimous, first timers with multi cal should go with the 550 - so bought a hand me down 550 Saturday, which should arrive via Santa and his helpers - never seen a forum so consistent and positive; looking forward to participating.

mike

[orangeman711]

You can"t beat the Big Blue. Dillon has the best support tech's ,best no BS Warranty,and in my opinion the best equipment made to last forever.

I've got two 650's,a 550, a SDB,and an old 450. I started with a Lee Progressive,hated it,soldit,and bought my first Dillon,the 550. I've never looked back. Good luck with whatever you decide on.

[M-Bear]

Which reloading press is right for you?

I have been asking experienced reloaders questions about their presses and their reloading habits. I find it interesting that the average person loads in short burst. They average 30 to 60 minutes at a time. This seems to hold true weather the person is a competition shooter or a plinker. That leads me to believe that the mast majority of reloaders buy way more press than they really need. As one person pointed out with a Dillon 550 you can load 250 rounds in half an hour and you did just that every day Monday through Friday that’s still 1250 rounds a week. Very few people shoot that many rounds a week on a regular basis. I have shot that many rounds in a weekend but only because I went to a class. I certainly don’t need that much out put every week. Even a Lee classic turret press will yield 500 round a week with that schedule. Am I suggesting that everyone buy a Lee classic turret press? NO But 75% or more of shooters could get by with one if they had to. There is a saying in the racing industry. Speed cost money haw fast do want to spend? The same is true in the reloading industry. The faster you want to go the more it is going to cost you. Thankfully the costs for reloading are tiny compared to racing. Also a quality reloading press can last you a lifetime. Spending $500 to $1000 dollars on a reloading machine doesn’t seem so expensive when you realize that in 10 years you only spent $50 To $100 dollars a year for that machine. Also in the case of Dillons they hold there value. If you decide to sell your reloader you can expect to get 75% to 90% of current market value back on your purchase.

Case feeders are something to think about even if you don’t want one when you first start to reload. A case feeder will greatly increases your hourly production. Not all Case feeders are made equal. The lee is the least expensive and versatile. The 550 Case feeder was an afterthought. It works on pistol cases only. The 650 1050 and LNL all have similar functioning units that load both pistol and rifle cartages. These case feeders can increases your output 40% or more. The new low cost Hornady bullet feeder has the potential to increases these press another 40% or more. While it can be installed on a four station press you have to give up something else to make it work. Both of these products are reasons to look harder at the 5 station press instead of the 4 station presses. The Hornady LNL and the Billon 650 should both be capable of production rate over 1000 rounds an hour with a case feeder and a bullet feeder.

The Presses

Lee Pro 1000

Some people have fairly good luck with them and swear by them. Most people just swear at them. If you want a cheap press and like to constantly tinker with a press then a Lee Pro 1000 might be right for you. There are more negatives than positives reviews on the web about them. I know one guy that swears by his. I have never used one myself.

.

Lee Classic turret press

If you are going to look at a Lee turret press only look at the Classic. It’s not a progressive press and you have to pull the handle 4 times for each round. It’s slow, it’s cheap, it works. If you are on a tight budget it will give you more production for the same price as a lot of single stage presses.

One Hour Production Rate 200

The Dillon Square Deal

The Dillon Square Deal is a pistol caliber only press... no bottle neck cartridges.. The Dillon Square Deal uses proprietary Dillon dies so you won't be able to use any dies you might already own. If you want to change calibers you have to buy more Square Deal proprietary dies for it. The Dillon Square Deal has a small footprint which is a benefit if you are limited on bench space but a detriment if you have big fingers. The Dillon Square Deal is the least expensive of the Dillon press line. If you are sure you are only going to load one or two pistol cartridge then this might be the press for you.

One Hour Production Rate 350

The Dillon RL550B

RL550B is manual-indexing four station progressive press. The Dillon RL550B is the workhorse Dillon press line. It can load almost any center fire rifle or pistol cartridge. It has 120 caliber conversions available for it. In the Dillon line the Dillon RL550B is the most economical add calibers to. It has less expensive caliber conversions than other Dillon presses. If you were buying just one Dillon press and wanted the most bang for the buck, it would be a Dillon RL550B. According to Dillon more RL550s have been sold than any other progressive machine in the world.

One Hour Production Rate 500

The Dillon XL650

The XL 650 is auto-indexing five station progressive press. The XL 650 was built from the ground up to be an auto-indexing press with a case feeder. The Dillon XL650 comes standard with a tube system for an automatic case feeder. The automatic case feeder is sold separately So the advertised starting price doesn’t accurately reflect the true price of a Dillon XL650. A fully set up Dillon XL650 cost twice what a Dillon RL550B cost but produces twice as much ammo an hour. The caliber conversions for the Dillon XL650 are noticeably more expensive than the RL550B and the LNL. For large volume reloading, versatility and ease of use a Dillon XL650 is hard to beat.

One Hour Production Rate 800

The Super 1050 B

The Super 1050 B is the king of the Dillon line. It is designed for commercial use and not normally in the running for what press should I buy. If you need it you know you need it.

One Hour Production Rate 1200

Hornady Lock N Load AP

The Lock-N-Load AP is an auto-indexing, 5-station progressive press that features the Lock-N-Load bushing system, which allows calibers to be changed very quickly. The Lock-N-Load is the cheapest press to equip with additional caliber conversions. During Automatic Indexing Each station moves 1/2 a stage on the upstroke and 1/2 a stage on the down stroke and the up stroke, making for a smoother function. This means less chance of flinging powder out of cases. The Lock-N-Load AP can be used with or without a case feeder. This allows you to start at a Dillon 550B price but to upgrade to a Dillon XL650 speed press at a later date. The earlier editions of this press were known to have issues and were more in line with Lee quality presses. With the new generation of presses Hornady is trying to go head to head with Dillon including matching their warranty.

One Hour Production Rate 500 with case feeder 800.

The Warranty

lee reloading products are guaranteed not to wear out or break from normal use for two full years or they will be repaired or replaced at no charge if returned to the factory. Any LEE product of current manufacture, regardless of age or condition, will be reconditioned to new—including a new guarantee—if returned to the factory with payment equal to half the current retail price.

Hornady Warranty “We guarantee every one of our reloading tools and accessories for Life” No-Risk, Lifetime Warranty. Hornady reloading tools and accessories are warranted against material defects and workmanship for the life of the products. Parts which by nature of their function are subject to normal wear such as springs, pins, bearings, etc… and, parts which have been altered, abused, or neglected are excluded for the warranty.

If the product is deemed defective by either workmanship or material, the reloading tool or accessory will either be repaired, reconditioned or replaced at Hornady Manufacturing Company’s option. If it breaks, we’ll repair it or replace it at no charge.

Dillon precision No warranty cards, registration or serial numbers are necessary. Whether you are the first owner, or the seventeenth, all our hobby-level reloading machines have a lifetime warranty. If you break, damage or wear out anything on them, it will be fixed or replaced – whatever is necessary to restore the machine to normal operating condition. If a minor part is all that is needed, contact us and we will ship the part. If something major is damaged or broken, contact us and we issue the customer a return merchandise authorization-RMA- to return the item to us for repair. The customer pays the shipping; we fix or replace as is warranted.

I rate the warrantees from worst to best Lee, Hornady, Dillon. Both the Hornady and Dillon have excellent warrantees. The difference is that Dillon will also warrantee consumables. Hornady has been doing this lately also but it isn’t in there written warrantee. Lastly Dillon will even completely rebuild a press to new condition for a small fee. They don’t care if you are the original owner or if you found it in a garbage can. They still honor their warrantee.

So which reloading press is right for you? That depends…

How much ammo you are going to make a month average?

What is your budget?

How much time do you have to reload?

How many different calibers do you want to reload?

Here is my personal picks.

Budget $300 or less…… Lee Classic turret press

Budget $300 to $600 …. Hornady Lock N Load AP

Budget over $600 with more than 5 calibers…. Hornady Lock N Load AP with bullet feeder.

Budget over $800 with 4 calibers…… Dillon XL650

Budget doesn’t matter with 1 caliber …. The Super 1050 B

You only want to buy one press to last for the rest of your life regardless of what you want to reload….. Dillon RL550B

http://www.leeprecision.com/

http://www.hornady.com/reloading

http://www.dillonprecision.com/

[G-ManBart]

Which reloading press is right for you?

The rounds per hour for the SDB and 550 are off. I know, they've used those figures for years, but they're wrong. I can load 100rds in 9:30 on an SDB without rushing. The 550 means manual indexing, which takes a tiny bit more time...not much when you get the technique down, but it's still a touch slower. I think they just don't want to publish that the more expensive (but obviously more versatile) press is actually slower. I haven't timed myself on the 1050 yet, but it's way faster than the SDB

Edited December 15, 2010 by G-ManBart

[MarkCO]

I am looking at getting into reloading. i was looking at the dillon 650, the hornady lock and load progressive press and i have been looking at the lee pro 100 progressive press. i was looking at the lee press due to cost. what do you guys thinks?

If you are sure you are going to stay in it and load for multiple calibers, I recomend a 550 or a 650 from Brian Enos. Dillon and Brian actively support our sport with sponsorship, they collectively know a boatload about shooting and reloading, their service is AWESOME and they are just good people. As I get older, I have less time to deal with substandard service. Add on top of that Dillon makes the best press. While I disagree with a several points in M-Bear's research results, some of his collection of data is accurate.

This http://dfuse.us/loading.html was written over 8 years ago and compares the Lee Pro-1000 to the Dillon 650XL. Feel free to read it, it's still valid today.

Edited December 15, 2010 by MarkCO

[M-Bear]

Which reloading press is right for you?

The rounds per hour for the SDB and 550 are off. I know, they've used those figures for years, but they're wrong. I can load 100rds in 9:30 on an SDB without rushing. The 550 means manual indexing, which takes a tiny bit more time...not much when you get the technique down, but it's still a touch slower. I think they just don't want to publish that the more expensive (but obviously more versatile) press is actually slower. I haven't timed myself on the 1050 yet, but it's way faster than the SDB

You are the second person that has said Dillon under estimates the square deal output. I have timed myself for a solid hour and was just a little over 400 rounds with my 550.

The problem is everyone wants to load a hundred and do the math (which gives an unrealistically high number). I wish I could get some people to load for a solid hour and give me accurate numbers.

[MarkCO]

I wish I could get some people to load for a solid hour and give me accurate numbers.

Just ask. It is 5:21 local. I'll go load for .40 S$W for 1 hour exactly. Back in about 70 minutes with a count.

[Panic Flinch]

Thats what I love about this forum....."you need answers?...I'm on it..be back in an hour." So much information, that would be otherwise so hard to gather! Thanks all for the input..can't stop reading the posts...my wife's gonna kill me if I don't turn off the computer! Cheers...G

[GrumpyOne]

I wish I could get some people to load for a solid hour and give me accurate numbers.

Just ask. It is 5:21 local. I'll go load for .40 S$W for 1 hour exactly. Back in about 70 minutes with a count.

It's been an hour....

[MarkCO]

Wow, that kicked my tail. I don't think I will be able to lift my arm tomorrow.

In exactly 1 hour, I loaded 1123 rounds.

Dillon 650XL with case feeder. I started with about 40 primers in the tube, what was already there. There was a tray of primers on top of the RF100 when I went inot the gunroom, so at exaclty zero time, I turned it over pulled the sleeve back and hit the button. First time I went for primers from the cabinet, I grabbed 1500 primers and the keg of powder. Had to get a new box of bullets and when I did, I grabbed a bag of brass. Drank 2 quarts of ice water and jammed out to Carrie Underwood. I'm hungry, I'm going to go eat dinner!

[M-Bear]

Thank you!

While I disagree with a several points in M-Bear's research results, some of his collection of data is accurate.

Please feel free to make suggestions for changes. I am not claiming to be an expert but I would like to have an accurate presentation. I am just trying to give a better answer than buy red or blue.

Edited December 16, 2010 by M-Bear