Reloaders

[Tom Brannon]

for someone just starting out reloading ammo, what is the best reloader to start/learn on?

[Service Desk]

Dillon XL650 is probably the most versatile, useful and value for money.....

[Hi-Power Jack]

for someone just starting out reloading ammo, what is the best reloader to start/learn on?

Tom, it depends on:

1. how many of each caliber (how many calibers) are you reloading for?

2. how important is time and money to you?

3. how "handy" are you?

4. do you have access to "technical support" at the local level?

If you are planning on reloading 1,000 .38 special revolver rounds/year,

you can start with a single stage reloader (very inexpensive, but slow)

If you plan on reloading 5,000 9mm loads/year, you might want to consider

a Dillon Square Deal.

Planning on reloading 10,000 9mm loads & 3,000 .223 rounds/year, you

might think about a Dillon 550.

If you plan on reloading 20,000 9mm and 20,000 .223, and you are

pretty mechanically inclined, consider a Dillon 650 or 1050.

Depends on your situation...

Good luck, and welcome to reloading:)

Jack

[mcracco]

What Hi-Power Jack said.

Also, you have to keep in mind you have two challenges; learning to reload and learning a new machine. The more sophisticated the machine the more daunting the process will be.

[bgary]

lots of good info on Brian's "which dillon?" page: http://www.brianenos.com/pages/dillon.html

[Sarge]

lots of good info on Brian's "which dillon?" page: http://www.brianenos...ges/dillon.html

I'm as much a believer in Dillon as the next guy but a Dillon is not always the best first press for everybody.

[FLSlim]

Not knowing anything about your specifics, I would suggest you take a look at a single stage press. It minimizes your investment and, after a few months if you decide you don't want to spend your time at the bench, you haven't laid out as much money as you would have with most turrets or a progressive. It's also easier to learn the mechanics of reloading IMO. In the event you go all in with reloading you can move up the reloading ladder and you'll always find a use for your single stage.

For starters, get a reloading manual or two, maybe the ABCs or Reloading, and read up on your options and the advantages of each. Study the procedures involved in reloading and once you've digested all the information you can, make your decision (none of us can really make it for you).

[codemonkey001]

i vote for the Dillon 550b. here is my reasoning.

if you really think about it, the Dillon 550b is just like a turret press, but instead of indexing the dies, you index a shell plate. you have all the control of a turret or single stage press, but the ability to work more efficiently.

since the 550b doesn't auto-index, you can always stop and weigh your powder loads, seating depth, and crimp very easily.

Also the 550b has the advantage of easily changing out priming systems, cheaper conversion kits, and ease of installing the conversion kits.

a single stage press is great, and i would get one as a supplement b/c there are cool tools you can get for it like bullet pullers, swage adapters, etc. i quickly went from the kinetic bullet puller to the RCBS collet system on my Rock Chucker, i also use the Rock Chucker for swaging.

my setup is basically like this now:

RCBS Rock Chucker for processing

550B load development

and 650xl for high volume loading.

[mlmiller1]

If you can find someone to show you the basics, I highly suggest a 550. They are great for load development & for new folks while being versatile enough to be pretty fast after you get the hang of it. A single stage, with no history or experience can frustrate a person with the time spent just to get 100rs loaded. You can easily, with experience, load 300rds an hour with the 550 but it would take a 4 armed man with two sets of eyes to load much over 100rds/hr with a single stage. The 550 can be used just like a turret press as you learn. Very simple.

MLM

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: I would say the Dillon Square Deal B. It is self indexing so you are less likely to get a double charge. It is cheaper than the 550 and you can find good used ones. It does use non standard dies but if you start loading more than one caliber you can buy another SDB press

Thanks, Eric

[Youngeyes]

The BL-550 is a great learning press. I can't see any differance in skill level between it and say a single stage rock chucker. You can weigh out each charge and run each stage separately if you choose. There are no automatic priming and powder throws to fine tune. The best is that, when you're ready, you can convert to the 550b level. It's a win win. I have to respectfully disagree with Sarge when he says,"a Dillon is not always the best first press for everybody". I think there's a Dillon for all levels of reloader from beginner to pro. Best of luck on your choice. Read as much as you can here. Ton's of great stuff.

[Tom Brannon]

Thanks for all the information... I enjoy getting the advice from people who know, not just shooting from the hip ( no pun intended )

[sroe3]

I started this year with the Dillon Square Deal B. I never reloaded before a few months ago. It's perfect for a dependable low cost starter press provided you're only loading straight wall pistol ammo. I can make 400rds per hour. That's just press time, not setup or case gauging.

[BostonBullit]

I started reloading around this time last year on a Hornady Lock-N-Load AP and have around 4,500 rounds under my belt so far. As others have said if you plan on doing high volume you're best off going right to a progressive style press. if you're a lower volume or high precision type then a single stage will save you some cash and do the job just fine. The single stages are less daunting (I added a LNL Classic to do .308 and de-bulge .40) but I can't imagine trying to run a few hundred rounds in a weekend on one. yes I know people do it just fine, but that's not for me! there can be some nuances with the progressives but they are well documented around the innerwebs and easy to deal with once you know what to look out for.

the best advice I can give with the little experience I have so far is this:

1. whatever machine you're loading on take your time and make sure you understand every step of the process fully.
   
2. some calibers and powders are more forgiving than others with more margin for error, you might want to start with a 45ACP instead of a major power factor .40 in a "factory gun" COL for example
   
3. check, double check, then triple check what you're doing at first; better to spend extra time at the press instead of in the emergency room!
   
4. look around your area for an experienced reloader and see if he'll help you get started; we have classes at some local clubs up here that are a good way to get the basics down
   
5. keep putting money aside to spend on ammo; you won't save any money rolling your own you'll just shoot 2x as much
   

[noylj]

I know this will be a shock to many but:

1) There are other presses besides Dillon

2) Dillons are not best for all

Personally, except for my 1050s, my favorite press is the Hornady L-N-L.

For a beginner, I would start with a much smaller investment and recommend a Lee Challenger single-stage or the Lee Classic Turret.

For me, with the Hornady I never needed or wanted a case feeder. With the 650, you really must have a case feeder. Heck, from my time of a 550 (which I really did not like), I would need a case feeder on it also.

A beginner does not NEED a $576 press and a $255 case feeder (not to mention any additional caliber conversion kits for $78.

Even for an experienced reloader, that is a lot of money compared to the Hornady.

Buy a couple of manuals and determine for yourself what you need and want.

[hd2000fxdl]

I myself am new to reloading but I did go with a Dillon 650, it was a tossup between that and the Hornady L-n-L and final decision was based who was close to me that can help me through my learning. I don't think you can go wrong with either of the 2 machines I mentioned. That is if you are willing to lay out some coin for a progressive.

One thing that was mentioned, was a single stage, and I will still get a single stage for some rifle down the line so I can keep the caliber changes to a minimum on the progressive, plus as many people have been loading for some time will tell new people, you will learn more on a single stage, that and it will always have a place in a reloading setup anyway.

Another thing to do even before you get a press, pick up the latest additions of the Lyman's, Speer, ABC's and any other book you can pick up. While the web is great, you can never have too many hard copy manuals for reference.

Harry

[Riki]

I started with a used Dillion 550 bought it used. I was alittle overwhelmed it needed work. I ended up getting a single press I learned alot doing it this way. Not a big investment. The learning had helped me alot well worth it and I still use it. I finally got the Dillion running real well. Dillion the way to go but all of it has been a learning process.

[jeepgal]

I bought a 550b as my first press a couple of months ago. Trust me when I say that if I can set it up and make it work, anyone can:)

[MarkCO]

If you are only going to load small primer straight walled pistol cases, the cheapest (still good) set-up is the $175 Lee Pro-1000 (Don't even consider the Loadmaster). It is a progressive and will turn out ammo of good quality. It was my second press (after a RCBS rockchucker) and I used it for almost 10 years before I went to a Dillon 650XL. If your budget allows and you are also going to load bottle neck or large primer cases, then it is not a good choice. In that case, a good turret press is a good recomendation for a first press. I think the RCBS is the best of the bunch and it has an auto-prime. You can get one with 9mm dies for under $250. It is not progressive, but it makes bery high quality rifle and pistol rounds and can be used as a single station single stage.

[promod1385]

Lots of Dillon fan boys here on BEno's. I think they are without a doubt the most advanced and consistent presses on the market. I also feel they are some of the most complex. Like anything in life there is a learning curve. It really sucks to get a fancy new progressive and load up a bunch of rounds minus powder...

Get yourself a turret press. If you get serious about reloading you will get a progressive to load pistol and high volume rifle ammo on later. I loaded on a Lee Classic Turret to start out and you can still build a mess of ammo in a couple hours time. The self indexing feature of the Classic Turret is a big bonus in my eyes.

Everyone who is going go come along and say Lee is junk is obviously not a reloader or a realist. They are all machines! Red, blue, or green and they all have there nuances and require some tinkering to get them running right and they all require upkeep and maintenance to keep them running in perfect form.

The thing you need to do first is buy two or three manuals and read everything in them two or three times (excluding the load data), unless its a caliber you intend to load, in which case you should study the data and highlight the bullets and powders you are interested in. Then post the loads you are contemplating and everyone will give you positives/negatives associated with your potential combo's.

[sidnal]

for someone just starting out reloading ammo, what is the best reloader to start/learn on?

Dillon 550B. Very versatile press.

[blueeyedme]

for someone just starting out reloading ammo, what is the best reloader to start/learn on?

My first and still only press is a Dillon 650. Sure it was overkill to 'learn' on but I knew I wanted to shoot competitively and now run 2-3k rounds per month and I don't like to spend a lot of time behind the press. I have found that I really enjoy working up and testing new loads but the actual volume production phase of my chosen load is a bit tedious. By the way, I don't own a single printed loading manual as everything you ever wanted to know is on-line including load data published by the manufacturers. That along with having many expert users in forums like this has made the manuals obsolete. Of course that is only my opinion and YMMV.

[mpeltier]

My first press was a Lee-pro 1000, and it was a great first press. It was inexpensive, relatively easy to set up and maintain and not to big on my bench, which was important when I got it at as my place at the time was small. I tried for years to break that thing because I wanted to justify to my wife why I NEEDED a Dillon. It never happened, and I ended up acquiring a SDB and an RL550B in a business deal and finally sold the Lee. It is still making ammo today. I quickly formed the opinion the SDB is not the press for a high volume reloader. If you only crank out a few hundred rounds now and then it is OK but if you plan to load a few thousand at a sitting I found it a bit delicate. Mine broke more things in a year than my Lee did in the 15 years I owned it. Dillon always took care of it and I finally sent it in for a rebuild just before selling it. The 550 is definately a more robust press and served me well, however I very much dis-like the manual shellplate indexing. If you are not paying real close attention its easy to get in trouble there. I ended up selling it also and for the last few years have been using a XL650. This is the better and safer of the three in my opinion, and I will never have a machine again without a case feeder. I also had a single stage RCBSJr press, for about 30 seconds.........Merlin bought that from me.

[MGMorden]

Just to start out, I'd say to get a single stage. That'll get you at least started so you know if you can do this before you get too invested. Plus, most people are going to keep a single stage on their bench anyways so its not like its wasted money.

I'd say that if you're going to go ahead and get a decent cast iron press like the Lee Classic Cast, RCBS Ruckchucker, or Lyman Crusher. That said, I've been reloading for 8 years now on a pair of aluminum framed Lee single-stages and while I certainly am ready to upgrade, I have to say that they still get the job done just fine.

[59Bassman]

RCBS Rockchucker Supreme Master kit. Everything in the kit is top quality, and will last you for many, many years. The Rockchucker is one of the best single-stage presses ever made. Even if you ultimately go to a progressive down the road, you'll still keep the RC on your bench for other tasks, or for low-volume rifle loading.