New press options. Is a dillion worth it?

[Open1215]

No worries Ron. You didn't hi jack it. I'm still getting the info I asked for :-)

[9x45]

I run a 550B w/ case and bullet feeder due to my hands. Best $1300+ (incl setups for 9mm, 38, 40 and 45) I've spent in a LONG time.

who makes this system? link to website?

[phecksel]

Brian Enos sells a kit... as it should be... it's worth the extra money.

I went from not reloading straight into the 650 and LOVE IT.

WRT powder spilling, get this kit.

http://hitfactorshooting.com/products/products.html

[buckaroo45]

The 550B and case feeder came from Dillon. The bullet feeder is a "Mini Mr Bullet Feeder" intended for the 550. Like anything it takes a bit of adjustment for the specific bullet but it stays rock solid once set. Like you'd expect it likes a bit more bell to get the bullet to sit correctly going to the seat / crimp station. I'd like it better if it was more sturdy construction, say aluminum instead of some injection molded resin. That aside, it hasn't been a problem and I really don't expect it to be a future problem. Time will tell. All I can say is the setup is working exactly as I planned and I'm one happy camper even including the second pass thru the Lee Factory Crimp die.

Further thoughts on the 550B ... I prefer the powder measure clanking because I believe it keeps the powder tower agitated for a more consistent drop. Lastly I had the bugaboo of powder flying out of the case because of the hard start / stop of the shell plate. I got the "Premium Shell Plate Bearing Kit" from Hit Factor Shooting Supply and it does an excellent job of stopping that issue. I managed to bust off one of the sprocket arms. I dropped them an e-mail for a replacement and got a response from Dave, the owner. He considered it under a warranty despite my claim I caused it. I wound up ordering an index sprocket and Dave added another on his dime. He's a working LEO and does this for extra income. He's top shelf in my book. BTW, I have zero connection to Hit Factor other than as a customer. I just think good products and business should get some attention whenever possible.

Ron

Certified American Voter and Gun Toter

Naval Aviator - Tonkin Gulf Boat Club

NRA Life

SoFla Pistol Club

[Kaskillo]

Get the 650 with case feeder and be happy!

[Bob DuBois]

If your shooting 38 Super comp I'd assume you own a pistol with a tight chamber. That puts the Square Deal out as it only uses Dillon Dies.

While Dillon makes the best hand operated equipment, Dillon dies have a large mouth to help the presses run faster. You have to rob from Peter to

pay Paul so Dillon dies don't size as close to the extractor groove as some other brands. Have both a 550 and loaded 650. Comes down to what you want

to spend. Either will load quality ammo and you can use your Lee dies on either. In fact either a standard Lee sizing die or Lee's U die is

in the first station on every pistol caliber I load. Lee's seating die good design and for a few bucks you can send Lee the bullet your shooting

and the will make an insert for you. Like the slight adjustment knob on Lee's seating die also. At present using Dillon's crimp die.

Dillon service is outstanding, my 550 is almost thirty years old and Dillon will still send replacement parts that are worn or broken.

[shel6977]

I reloaded on a RCBS Rock Chucker for about 8 years. This past spring I upgraded to the Dillon 550b and honestly I don't know how/why I used a single stage for so long. I still use the single stage to deprime my brass since I wet tumble my brass. I picked mine up used with extras for $400 shipped and it is the best shooting related purchase I have ever bought. I can easily reload 400-450 rounds of pistol ammunition an hour just going a nice steady pace. I could probably get up around 500 or more a hour but I would have to push myself alittle more and I don't see that being beneficial when reloading. The 550b makes good quality, consistent ammo, as I'm sure the 650 and 1050 do but I just cant justify that kind of purchase for my needs.

[CeeZer]

I run a 550B w/ case and bullet feeder due to my hands. Best $1300+ (incl setups for 9mm, 38, 40 and 45) I've spent in a LONG time.

who makes this system? link to website?

I dunno... Cabela's has Hornady LNL AP Ammo Plant for $1050, die sets are about $50 per caliber and shell plates are $35. I'd go Ammo Plant in $1300 range.

Good used D1050 is another option if one reloads a lot. Given, the press is in good shape and you know what's what as it has no lifetime warranty. LNL AP does

Edited December 4, 2014 by CeeZer

[Open1215]

Well I'm still looking to get a 650. It's going to be difficult to fit in my current reloading cabinet. I think I can make it work. It's going to be tight with a case feeder. I did find a lee pro 1000 for next to nothing That I may be picking up in a week. I figure for 60$ to my door I can at the least see if I like the progressive set up.

[dave33]

I dunno... Cabela's has Hornady LNL AP Ammo Plant for $1050, die sets are about $50 per caliber and shell plates are $35. I'd go Ammo Plant in $1300 range.

Both Midway and Grafs have the Hornady Ammo plant for $999, with free shipping I think, and Midway is throwing in a few extra goodies to sweeten up the deal.

[BeerBaron]

Well I'm still looking to get a 650. It's going to be difficult to fit in my current reloading cabinet. I think I can make it work. It's going to be tight with a case feeder. I did find a lee pro 1000 for next to nothing That I may be picking up in a week. I figure for 60$ to my door I can at the least see if I like the progressive set up.

Even at $60 the pro 1000 is a waste of my money. It's a 3 state press which means you must seat and crimp in one station. That doesn't give good results. Beyond that fact it's just cheap rubbish.

And I'm a lee fan. I have a lee classic turret and a lee loadmaster.

The liadmaste is actually a decent progressive if you're willing to spend the time to understand how it works and set it up right.

It comes with a rudimentary but effective case feeder, it has adjustable primer seat depth and seats on the down stroke. It has 5 stations so I run lee universal decapper, lee sizer (decapper removed), powder drop and flare, lee seat and crimp (crimper removed), lee factory crimp.

It produces great ammo for my open major gun and my 9mm guns too.

The 650 is a better quality press and the warranty is great. But it's aldo more than double the price of the loadmaster.

[Open1215]

Beerbaron. What is the diff with the pro and load master? I know the loadmaster has 5 stations over 3 but is it that big of a difference? I have a lee single stage and seat/ crimp in one step. I don't do a crimp really with my loads because I'm using lead for 40 and plated for 9/38. I just set it to remove the bell/flair and that's it. I've over crimped a few times when Ive messed up my depth and not noticed it but if I set it on one at a time it works fine. I take a piece of flaired brass and put it in the press the adjust the crimp till it's straight again then I put a loaded round in drop the seating spindle down and seat a new load, measure adjust, measure and that's it. I dont see doing Iit any different if I had more stations. Perhaps I'm doing it wrong? I've only been doing this about a year but it has worked well for any of my loads.

[BeerBaron]

There's a massive difference. I struggle to even articulate what is the same apart from they're both red and both branded lee. My suggestion is you NEED 4 stations in a progressive and 5 or 6 are even better. On phone atm so short reply but the pro1000 is not the press to be loading major pf 38 super on. The lee single stage and lee classic turret are good presses and the load master is good value if you're prepared to spend the time setting it up but the pro is junk.

[XxWoodsHunterxX]

650 with case feeder and never look back

Sent from my handheld oracle.

[Kwontanamo]

a lot of the initial posts say 650. But is it worth it to buy once and cry once with a 1050?

I'm planning on loading 9mm major

[safeactionjackson]

^maybe, but only if you will be dealing with brass that has a militar crimp.

~g

[billm67]

I loaded for many years on my Rockchuker. I resisted the progressive presses as I wanted to make "quality" ammo. I gave in a 10 years ago and bought a Lee 1000 press. I could load ammo on it...but it was a struggle. Then I bought a the Hornady progressive press and I had nothing but troubles. I didn't like the auto indexing as when you had a problem it was a pain to correct it and get the machine back on track. I returned that machine after two days and went and bought a Dillon 550b. It is a great machine and lets you make lots of ammo. It is a flexible machine but still has the simplicity to not be intimidating. I wouldn't trade mine for anything,

[mikeinctown]

I bought a 650 as my first press and I am so happy I have. I do not yet have the casefeeder and it does take more time to load because of it. I have to stop every 15-20 rounds when loading my .45 in order to refill the tube. Starts to get annoying when you get a flow going with the bullets. I'm sure I'll be adding the case feeder within the next two months. I also intend to add the Mr Bullet Feeder that does 100 rounds at a time. I can stop every 100 rounds, add cases to the feeder, primers to the press, and bullets to the feeder. Probably take 1 minute or two every 100 rounds.

I use a Lee FCD on the crimp station and Dillon dies at the rest of them. I just picked up a set of .40 Lee dies (4 piece) from Amazon for $29 that I'll use once I get that conversion kit. Wouldn't hesitate to get the 9mm die set should they do a sale on those, either. Plan on getting a couple Redding seating dies eventually and maybe some EGW U Dies if I find the need. Whatever works best will be in the press.

With the 650 once you set it up, it just works, and works right. the powder drop, primer feed, case feed, etc all work great and every round off the press so far has passed inspection spare one. (proud primer) I pulled the bullet, seated the primer all the way, put the powder back in and reseated the bullet. I do lust after the 1050, but only because I have seen how some people modify it to be automatic.

As to your question about the strongmount, yes buy it. It is amazing at the difference the mount makes. I still use the original ball handle, but will probably be buying the roller handle when I buy the casefeeder. After that it will be lighting then a few other press upgrades.

[nitrohuck]

Well I'm still looking to get a 650. It's going to be difficult to fit in my current reloading cabinet. I think I can make it work. It's going to be tight with a case feeder. I did find a lee pro 1000 for next to nothing That I may be picking up in a week. I figure for 60$ to my door I can at the least see if I like the progressive set up.

I have just about reached the 2,000 round mark with my new 650XL and can tell you that I am very, VERY happy that I bought this press. I load 9mm, 40SW, and 300BLK on my press, and caliber change is literally a 2 minute ordeal, the only thing that takes time is dialing in the powder measure for each caliber, but I plan on saving up to ultimately just have a dedicated measure for each caliber, rather than swapping out each time.

The casefeeder is, in my eyes, necessary for keeping your sanity. Maybe you are the truly patient type who can stand to drop cases into the tube every 20 rounds, more power to you if you are, but I will go nuts. For 300BLK it is more like every 15 cases you'd have to hand load the feed tube.

That said, I took a gamble bought the Budget Reloader Casefeeder rather than Dillon's and am actually very happy with the purchase (http://www.budgetreloader.com/). My main reason for getting the BR feeder was that it is a good bit cheaper ($189 delivered w/ both small pistol and small rifle feedplate vs. Dillon's $219 + expensive feed plates). So far the only time I've had a problem was with jams when I filled the hopper up way too much, which I figured would happen but was curious to see for myself.

*The nice thing about the BR casefeeder also is that it is smaller, and I saw in your posts that space is an issue for you.* Also, one plate feeding both pistol and rifle brass is awesome.

The previous press I was on was a Lee Loadmaster, and it definitely had its quirks. Primers were really my major problem (I have since sold it to a buddy who put in the work and now it works great for him). I can tell you right now that the Lee Pro 1000 will probably be a sub-par press for you if you plan to make quality ammo frequently and without headache. A crappy press can REALLY give you a headache man, let me tell you.

So toss me in as another vote for 650, it is more expensive but as they say, buy once cry once, you won't regret it. Hell within one year it will have MORE than paid for itself.

[nelly]

Open 1215, Dillon - Any Model, The BEST customer service I've ever experienced- been loading on a SDB for many years and if I had a problem I just call & they will guide you thru on the phone or just send you out the replacement part at no cost. I recently noticed a crack in my early warning primer system that houses the battery, it was a Sunday so I took a picture of it and attached it to an e-mail and the next day I received an e-mail stating "Received photo, sorry about the crack, new part in the mail" BTW I load 9mm Major and I don't have any powder flying out of my cases when my shell plate turns, just work at a normal pace and all your powder will stay where it's supposed to.

[jcc7x7]

550 one with small primer one with large.

I have never had a problem keeping up with production. Had a 650 and sold it after a year. Never felt like it made ammo faster because of all the little hic ups you consistently had to deal with. When it was running it humped a lot of ammo. Problem was it had those little hic ups and would stop or severely slow down production.

Get a 550 or 650! figure it out and make it work for you and keep pulling the handle and shooting.

By the way I think my first 550 which was before they did the B upgrade turned 30 this year or last! Can't remember for sure when I got it but its somewhere between 29 and 31

[accu9]

+1,000 for the Dillon 650 with Casefeeder, I can't stress how much I love this press. I was running a Hornady LNL Progressive before the Dillon and it was non-stop problems, even went back to the factory twice.

[beretta391]

Let me tell you why the answer to your question is YES!!!

Had a bolt break that holds the shell plate on my SDB in place. After getting the broken piece out, contacted Dillon, spoke with Dave and explained what had happened. This was tuesday afternoon 12/09/14. After giving him my customer ID number, he replied, no problem, sorry to hear about that, I'll drop a new one in the mail and get it right out.

12/11/14. Thursday, Package has arrived with new bolt and a spare. Parts installed, back up and running. Is a Dillon worth it??

YOU BETCHA !!!!!

Good Luck with yours.........

[Open1215]

I'm so glad to hear such rave reviews. I really want a 650 with case feed but if it's not in the budget I know I will get a SDB as my next press. Either way my next purchase will be a Dillon. :-)

[texasref]

Never heard of anyone regreting the Dillon, regardless of model. The SD will not be as versitle so I would go for the 550.

Bottom line buy the best you can afford (the one you want) and you'll always be happy with it.