Lee Classic Turret Press vs Dillon

[Graham Smith]

This is a very old, oft discussed topic. Comparing a single stage or turret to a Dillon 650 is similar to comparing a Jeep to a Porsche. Completely different in almost every possible way.

A turret is good for low volume pistol loading, load development, precision rifle, general purpose everything. A 650 is a high volume press with most all the bells and whistles.

Determine what you need and how much time you have to do it and compare that to how much you are willing to spend. Cost/Benefit Analysis.

[jc3257]

jmorris, you are correct I was hoping I would be convinced to stick with my current setup. My reason for changing my mind is time. WhIle the 650 is a big investment I can probably save 4-5 hours a month loading. Looking at the cost/benefit As Graham mentions it will "pay for itself" in time in a year or less. So, more ammo and more time to shoot! How could I make any other decision?

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[Graham Smith]

Looking at the cost/benefit As Graham mentions it will "pay for itself" in time in a year or less. So, more ammo and more time to shoot! How could I make any other decision?

One reason this type of topic comes up so often is that it's difficult to look at it objectively because each persons circumstances are different.

It's quite possible to do a detailed analysis of the features, advantages, and benefits of each and weigh those as to how much benefit a particular individual may get from them. But when all is said and done, it almost always comes down to volume of ammunition loaded and time saved.

If you are loading a relatively small volume, then the amount of time you save per month by going with the faster setup is going to be relatively small. If you load a lot, it will be relatively large. The word relative is the key here because time saved has a different relative value to different people. How much time can you save and how important is that time to you.

[bowenbuilt]

Throughout this thread everyone has given you good solid advice. My thoughts are this; You are only going through this life one time, if you can afford it and you want it, BUY IT. The person with the most toys in the end is the winner.

[Goodwin]

I'm personally waiting (quite impatiently) for my 9mm setup 550 to come. Had a Lee turret and it's a great press to learn on but I'm was ready to upgrade. Lee sold to somebody starting off and it's a win win!

[Clipper]

I have a Lee turret and a RL550B, and I use the Turret about a fifth of the time for .223 and .380, mainly because I have a couple thousand empties of both calibers polished, sized and primed. It only takes me an hour at the most to load all of those two that I need when I do. The 550 is used for .38/.357, 9mm, .40 cal and .45 acp. If I spent as much time shooting the little rifle or the .380, I might switch that to the Dillon, but they are minor calibers for me at this time. It took me almost 20 years on my RockChucker for me to switch to a Turret, and only 5 years to move up to the Dillon. Heck, who cares about a "break even" point when it is a great hobby? I enjoy loading about as much as shooting, and at 79, I plan to do a lot of both in the years to come.

[mikeinctown]

jmorris, you are correct I was hoping I would be convinced to stick with my current setup. My reason for changing my mind is time. WhIle the 650 is a big investment I can probably save 4-5 hours a month loading. Looking at the cost/benefit As Graham mentions it will "pay for itself" in time in a year or less. So, more ammo and more time to shoot! How could I make any other decision?

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As they say, time is money. I had never looked at buying my 650 from a cost standpoint as far as time=x dollars, but rather two things. I have two boys and a new daughter and if I am sitting at a table for 6 hours a month loading ammo that is 6 less hours I can be doing something else. If I can load the same amount in an hour and a half or less on a 650 then it's allowing me to do stuff I wouldn't have been able to.

Originally I was going to load .40S&W. When I calculated cost of ammo at the beginning of the summer it would have taken me ~4,000 rounds to break even on my purchase. (vs store bought) Then 9mm and .40 started getting a lot cheaper and now I can get ammo from Freedom for only a couple bucks more per box, or even similar than it would cost me to load myself. However, the .45 is still pricey and I can save myself $10+ a box by doing it myself, even when I account for cost of brass. My payback is less than 3,000 rounds. PLUS, a caliber conversion is only a couple hundred, so i can then start loading the 9mm and .40 as it is easier to justify an expense of $250 than it is $600.

Though I must say, payback for me will be several years because of other needed items like digital scale, bench costs, press add-ons, tumbling/ cleaning equipment costs, etc. I'd rather buy once and spend more money than buy cheap and spend again a year later. This would even include opting for the Dillon 650 over another progressive press on the market at a decent cost upgrade.