Thinking of upgrading to a 550B from a Lee Classic Turret

[JJP161]

I have been reloading for about 3 years with a Lee Classic Turret Press. Right now I load about 300-500 rounds of .40 S&W and .45 ACP a month and plan to add 9mm and .223 to that mix. I do actually enjoy reloading and I reload to so I can shoot more to keep my skills sharp (LEO) and do some competitions here and there. I want to be able to shoot more and while I am happy with my LCT it can give me some annoying variances on powder drops and OAL. As example if I am loading 4.9 of W231 I get anywhere from 4.7-5.1. As for OAL if I am set for 1.225 I will probably end up with 1.220-1.229. So while not bad it can get the OCD fired up. So anyways my real question is will I actually produce more consistent and more accurate ammo with the 550B over my LCT? Thank-you

Joe

[Sarge]

Right out of the box without becoming a true student of the machine and it's intricacies? No. Your numbers are not all that bad to be honest. Especially for keeping your skills sharp and informal shooting. Once you start working up competition loads that are accurate, feel right, and make a super reliable power factor each and every time you chrono them, even the Dillons need tweaking, massaging, special mods, experience, etc...

If you are used to your machine and it works reliably I would just buy more bullets, primer and powder and load on!

[aandabooks]

Your volume doesn't really warrant the cost of the upgrade. I too load on a LCT for 5 handgun and 3 rifle loads. Nothing wrong with the LCT at all. I don't get quite that much variance in my powder using AA#5.

I did move my 9mm over to a SDB. My son and I started shooting USPSA about a year ago and with practice and competition putting our consumption around 1200-1500 the LCT wasn't keeping up.

[Jakobi]

Seems like we just talked about this...

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=200759&page=1

It all boils down to how much you value your time.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Jakobi

[JJP161]

Honestly I am having less time to reload and less time to shoot so I need maximize my time and I am looking to get to a minimum of 500 rounds of .45 ACP, 500 of .40 S&W, 500 rounds of 9mm and then some .223.

[JJP161]

Thanks for the link to the very similar thread. I missed it and actually found that very helpful. They made a lot of good points. Ultimately on want consistent and accurate ammo in less time. Right now I barely find the time to load the 300-500 rounds of .45 and 300-500 rounds of .40. I would easily load more if I had the time.

[Jakobi]

Buy a 550 or 65O. You won't regret it.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Jakobi

[Roundguy]

I also load on a turret press for myself and if i have a big match coming up i go to my buddys and load on his 550 crank out about 1k rounds easy couple hours he is very well versed on his dillion. That gives me time to check/prep all my loads i like to drop fit and clean up my match ammo. That being said just today i finally ordered my own Dillion this will save me the time of going to his house last minute and rush load.

[JJP161]

I also load on a turret press for myself and if i have a big match coming up i go to my buddys and load on his 550 crank out about 1k rounds easy couple hours he is very well versed on his dillion. That gives me time to check/prep all my loads i like to drop fit and clean up my match ammo. That being said just today i finally ordered my own Dillion this will save me the time of going to his house last minute and rush load.

Hey Roundguy,

For your match ammo do find that the ammo produced on the 550 is more consistent and more accurate or do you notice any difference. Thank you

[MarkCO]

I am not sure that a Lee Pro1000 set up for 9mm and .40 would not be a better choice. Keep the LCT for large primer pistol and the .223.

If you are going to move into 2K a month or so, then sure, a 650 might be a good (and $1000+) option.

I am loading over 3K/month on a 650 (and about 200/month on a Rockchucker) and would never go back to a Lee Pro1000, or even a 550 at this point. But I did not have the knowledge or cash to sink into a 650 when I started out. The $99 (more now) I spent on the Lee Pro100 got me over 100K rounds loaded and let me shoot instead of just wish I could feed a 650.

As Sarge said, they all have a learning curve.

[Steve RA]

You can probably get a PRO 1000 in each caliber you load and never have to mess with any changes for less than a 650. FSreloading has the best prices on Lee equipment than anywhere else I'm familiar with.

https://fsreloading.com/

[vinceislander]

I have been reloading for about 3 years with a Lee Classic Turret Press. Right now I load about 300-500 rounds of .40 S&W and .45 ACP a month and plan to add 9mm and .223 to that mix. I do actually enjoy reloading and I reload to so I can shoot more to keep my skills sharp (LEO) and do some competitions here and there. I want to be able to shoot more and while I am happy with my LCT it can give me some annoying variances on powder drops and OAL. As example if I am loading 4.9 of W231 I get anywhere from 4.7-5.1. As for OAL if I am set for 1.225 I will probably end up with 1.220-1.229. So while not bad it can get the OCD fired up. So anyways my real question is will I actually produce more consistent and more accurate ammo with the 550B over my LCT? Thank-you

Joe

The variation in powder drop is concerning. Based on Hodgon's site, starting and max load charges have a difference of 0.4 grains for many of their W231 9mm loads. That is ALL of your margin. Add to that COL margin of 0.009" in certain calibers may not be significant.

I load 9mm on a 550B and get variations of 0.1 grains of powder and COL of 0.002" even with shotgun powder. It took time and effort to dial it in just right.

If you want a blue press, my advice is to keep an eye out for people wanting to get out of reloading and pick up a used one. With prices of factory ammo dropping, the financial benefits are not as appealing which may cause some to dump their presses.

Good Luck.

[JJP161]

I have been reloading for about 3 years with a Lee Classic Turret Press. Right now I load about 300-500 rounds of .40 S&W and .45 ACP a month and plan to add 9mm and .223 to that mix. I do actually enjoy reloading and I reload to so I can shoot more to keep my skills sharp (LEO) and do some competitions here and there. I want to be able to shoot more and while I am happy with my LCT it can give me some annoying variances on powder drops and OAL. As example if I am loading 4.9 of W231 I get anywhere from 4.7-5.1. As for OAL if I am set for 1.225 I will probably end up with 1.220-1.229. So while not bad it can get the OCD fired up. So anyways my real question is will I actually produce more consistent and more accurate ammo with the 550B over my LCT? Thank-you

Joe

The variation in powder drop is concerning. Based on Hodgon's site, starting and max load charges have a difference of 0.4 grains for many of their W231 9mm loads. That is ALL of your margin. Add to that COL margin of 0.009" in certain calibers may not be significant.

I load 9mm on a 550B and get variations of 0.1 grains of powder and COL of 0.002" even with shotgun powder. It took time and effort to dial it in just right.

If you want a blue press, my advice is to keep an eye out for people wanting to get out of reloading and pick up a used one. With prices of factory ammo dropping, the financial benefits are not as appealing which may cause some to dump their presses.

Good Luck.

That is precisely my concern on some of my powder drops. Especially with some powders that can be really bad. Take for example the new CFE pistol, I haven't dialed a load in I really like with it just yet but for the most part it has only a 1 grain range. Now it meters great and very consistent but right now with the lack of pistol powder you have load what you can find. Might be W231 or maybe be power pistol. You go with what you find.

[Steve RA]

If you are using a Precision Lee measure you might try replacing it with a Lee Pro measure. The Pro has a few upgrades, especially the wiper. It's only about $41.00 cost.

[JJP161]

If you are using a Precision Lee measure you might try replacing it with a Lee Pro measure. The Pro has a few upgrades, especially the wiper. It's only about $41.00 cost.

Hey Steve,

I am using the Lee Pro and it does work great on certain powders but I still just don't hit the volume of reloads I am looking for.

[Steve RA]

Try a Pro 1000 press, they are considerably faster than a turret press. Loading rate similiar/identical to a SDB.

[Roundguy]

I also load on a turret press for myself and if i have a big match coming up i go to my buddys and load on his 550 crank out about 1k rounds easy couple hours he is very well versed on his dillion. That gives me time to check/prep all my loads i like to drop fit and clean up my match ammo. That being said just today i finally ordered my own Dillion this will save me the time of going to his house last minute and rush load.

Hey Roundguy,

For your match ammo do find that the ammo produced on the 550 is more consistent and more accurate or do you notice any difference. Thank you

IMO i find my loads are more consistent when loaded on the Dillion over my turret loads plus the time saved is huge.

[rtp]

While I own a LnL AP and not a Dillon, I'd be surprised if the Dillon PM wouldn't improve on that powder drop variance.

I'm not so sure much of anything would improve significantly on that relatively small variance on the OAL, maybe slightly, but honestly - variance in the thousandths is more or less to be expected, and one of the reasons when measuring max OAL for a bullet/barrel/gun combination, the general rule is to find physical max, then reduce it by .01-.02...at that point, you're covered by the not atypical variations in the thousandths. Some bullets/ogives are also more consistent, some less so, but I wouldn't concern myself too much (other than possibly examining dies, once over on the press) with that one.

You could consider upgrading just the PM to a Dillon, Hornady, or RCBS, and keep the LCT.

I value my time quite a bit, and for me, 'the only answer' is progressive, but YMMV. I don't want to start yet another red vs blue vs green vs ... thread, but consider the used market, and I'd say at least consider the LnL AP, if looking at a 550 or 650. There are lots of people that love their 550s, and BE seems to push them, but I like having 5 stations and auto-indexing, so were it me (and I did make the exact same decision) I'd be looking at the 650 or LnL AP...too many negatives on other mfgr progressive presses for me to seriously consider them (I want to be loading ammo, not constant tweaking every session!), but I might have considered a Loadmaster or other, were one to pop up used and at a great price..

[freakshow10mm]

I used to load on a LCT and upgraded to a 550 at the time (2006). World of difference. It's a steep learning curve on the Dillon, you'll pick it up in the first few sessions. The manual index isn't as bad as some complain about, you just have to find a cadence to maximize speed. The LCT isn't a press for a 500rd loading session. I think it's better suited to small runs like 100rds of something you don't shoot a lot of. I loaded a lot of 10mm on my LCT when I had it.

The Dillon powder measure is much more consistent than the Lee. When I had the 550 and currently with my 1050, using W231 or similar shaped powder, I'm on the dot every time. Set it for 4.9gr and it's always 4.9gr.

Once you learn the way of the 550 you will get more accurate and better quality ammunition than the Lee, but it will take a bit of time to get to that point. With anything new, you just need to put your time in.

[JJP161]

I used to load on a LCT and upgraded to a 550 at the time (2006). World of difference. It's a steep learning curve on the Dillon, you'll pick it up in the first few sessions. The manual index isn't as bad as some complain about, you just have to find a cadence to maximize speed. The LCT isn't a press for a 500rd loading session. I think it's better suited to small runs like 100rds of something you don't shoot a lot of. I loaded a lot of 10mm on my LCT when I had it.

The Dillon powder measure is much more consistent than the Lee. When I had the 550 and currently with my 1050, using W231 or similar shaped powder, I'm on the dot every time. Set it for 4.9gr and it's always 4.9gr.

Once you learn the way of the 550 you will get more accurate and better quality ammunition than the Lee, but it will take a bit of time to get to that point. With anything new, you just need to put your time in.

Thank you for posting that is very helpful to hear about your experiences in going from the LCT to the 550. I really like my LCT and it has been a really nice machine so far just much better suited to working up loads or making runs of a hundred here and there. I'm to the point where I need to produce more ammo in the time I have to reload. My biggest hang up that has drawn me to consider the Hornady LNL or just not to chnge has been the manual index of the 550 but it truly sounds like a non issue when you get used to it.

[freakshow10mm]

I used to load on a LCT and upgraded to a 550 at the time (2006). World of difference. It's a steep learning curve on the Dillon, you'll pick it up in the first few sessions. The manual index isn't as bad as some complain about, you just have to find a cadence to maximize speed. The LCT isn't a press for a 500rd loading session. I think it's better suited to small runs like 100rds of something you don't shoot a lot of. I loaded a lot of 10mm on my LCT when I had it.

The Dillon powder measure is much more consistent than the Lee. When I had the 550 and currently with my 1050, using W231 or similar shaped powder, I'm on the dot every time. Set it for 4.9gr and it's always 4.9gr.

Once you learn the way of the 550 you will get more accurate and better quality ammunition than the Lee, but it will take a bit of time to get to that point. With anything new, you just need to put your time in.

My biggest hang up that has drawn me to consider the Hornady LNL or just not to chnge has been the manual index of the 550 but it truly sounds like a non issue when you get used to it.

The way I loaded on the 550 for maximum speed is when pulling the handle to size, etc I would use my left hand to grab a bullet. When I bring the shellplate down and push forward to prime, I look at the charged case in station 2, then set the bullet on top. I advance (index) the shellplate once I get the bullet on there as my right hand grabs a case and sets it on the shellplate, then pull the handle to size, etc as my left hand grabs another bullet. That is the most efficient economy of motion for loading on the 550 that I have found. I started my commercial reloading business using a 550 and got fast real quick.

Basically when you are working the handle, your left hand is grabbing a bullet and when you aren't working the handle, your left hand is indexing the shellplate and right hand is grabbing a new case. The 550 does have a case feeder now, but it seems it's not as reliable as the 650 or 1050 feeder. Those presses were designed for a case feeder. The 550 feeder was an afterthought.

Really the progression to a progressive (no pun) press has to do with whether a case feeder will be utilized or not. If it's not in the cards then the 550 is the choice for you. It's also the best if you are going to load several hundred rounds at a time of a handful of cartridges, as the conversion kits are cheaper than the other Dillon presses. There is also interchangeability that suits a wide variety of cartridges. The 9mm and .40 plate and buttons are the same, so just buy one conversion kit and get a powder funnel for the other caliber. Now going from 9 to 40 is just a swap of the toolhead and no need to mess with the shellplate. 223 will have it's own and the 45 will too. If you want to add the .308 to your mix, it uses the same shellplate and buttons for the 45, so just get a 30 caliber powder funnel.

If you want a case feeder, then I'd look at the 650. You can start without the case feeder and add it later. With the case feeder, you can load twice as fast as the 550 so your loading time will be cut in half. Figure an hour to load 500rds on the 550 takes a half hour for the same on the 650 with case feeder. Another way is if you have that hour per caliber scheduled anyway, you can load 1,000 rounds of each caliber and load every other month.

[fmj3]

Strange that you are getting so much variance in the OAL with the LCT? There's no shell plate deflection or multiple processes/cases going on at once to affect that like on a progressive press. Maybe there's an issue with the bullet profile and the seating stem?

I get less than half that variance with a loadmaster and on my LCT it is even better.

[JJP161]

Hi freakshow.

That is exactly the kind of feedback that really helps me. Thank you for taking the time to give me a detailed response and it makes perfect sense when you lay it out that way.

It sounds like the 550 will definitey work out great and put me on the right path. I don't think I will adding a casefeeder anytime soon but if I do only for pistol rounds.

Now if I can only find powder. It seems like I find a pound here and there but rarely of my go to powder so I am always working up new loads. At least I will have experience with a wide variety of powders.

[Clipper]

I would still be loading on my Lee Classic turret if the kids hadn't gifted me with a RL 550B for Father's Day. I still use the turret for .380 and .223, don't load a lot of those calibers. I do enjoy using the Dillon, I just didn't see how I could justify the cost. Yes, I have GREAT kids!

[JJP161]

Hey Clipper,

Thanks for the feedback and yes I have held up for awhile on this because I was so torn between the LNL and Dillon and due to the cost. I will certainly keep my LCT and use it regularly and start off slowly with the caliber conversions. You do certainly have some great kids.