nikelax73 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I've been getting into competition shooting and decided I want to start reloading as well. The huge selection of presses is overwhelming and i'm definitely lost in the sauce. Not looking at a high end dillon, but also not looking to get a $50 lee single stage either, looking for a nice medium. Thoughts for a newbie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butterpuc Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Square Deal B would be a great press to start with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan550 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Square Deal B would be a great press to start with. Depending upon caliber............I agree 100%. Alan~^~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Depends on what calibers you'll be reloading, and how many rounds per month. A good start is Dillon's website - it lists some criteria for selecting your first press. I love my Square Deal, but I can't reload rifle or use other dies - I would not use a SDB for reloading .40 major ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolffy1876 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I love my Square Deal, but I can't reload rifle or use other dies - I would not use a SDB for reloading .40 major ... Why not for .40 major? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJGary Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Lee classic turret. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gng4life Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I love my Square Deal, but I can't reload rifle or use other dies - I would not use a SDB for reloading .40 major ... Why not for .40 major? Same here, why not? My buddy has been reloading .40 Major for a while on his and never had an issue with his ammo. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerTrace Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I think the Square Deal is a great value and I know GMs who've loaded tens of thousands of rounds on them. Do what I did, sell a gun you aren't using and get a Dillon. You won't regret it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizz Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I started with a Dillon 550. Not sure of the difference between it and the Square Deal that's pretty easy to look up. I like Dillon because they have great tech support. And they replace broken parts. I really needed the tech support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayjay1 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 If you are only loading handgun cartridges, I would start with the SDB, as recommended above. If you want to load some rifle cartridges too, go with the 550. I would not start under those two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gng4life Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 The biggest difference (price wise) with the SDB and the 550 is that the SDB comes with dies and is $60 cheaper. If you add in dies, there is a difference of about $130, and that's not including if you want to get an special dies such as a U-die, etc. The bad thing about the SDB is it does not take standard dies. Overall the 550 is the most versatile of the Dillon consumer presses but for someone on a tight budget, the SDB is a perfect solution for the pistol reloader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glynnm45 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Dillon 550 if you have plans to load more than one caliber. And if you plan to do any 3 gun, definitely no to the SDB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoBell Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 The Lee turret press was my first choice when I started reloading. I've loaded about 15,000 rounds on it and it's still going strong. At some point, I'll buy a better press, but on a budget, it was a great choice. It's obviously slower than a progressive press but very easy to set up. I can load about 100 rounds an hour, which is fast enough for my taste for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan550 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 The biggest difference (price wise) with the SDB and the 550 is that the SDB comes with dies and is $60 cheaper. If you add in dies, there is a difference of about $130, and that's not including if you want to get an special dies such as a U-die, etc. The bad thing about the SDB is it does not take standard dies. Overall the 550 is the most versatile of the Dillon consumer presses but for someone on a tight budget, the SDB is a perfect solution for the pistol reloader. Another major difference is that the 550 is manually indexed but the SDB is auto-indexing. As others said, if youplan to load for rifles, then you have to move up to the 550, as the SDB won't do rifle rounds. Alan~^~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I love my Square Deal - I would not use a SDB for reloading .40 major ... Why not for .40 major? Same here, why not? My buddy has been reloading .40 Major for a while on his and never had an issue with his ammo. If I were to load .40 major, I'd use heavy bullets and fast powders, and couldn't take a chance on any bullet set back - so I'd be looking for a sizing die that would tighten up the grip on the bullet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtp Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Name the calibers and # of rounds to be loaded/month, and general budget.... Lee Classic Cast Turret, LnL AP or 650. Pick one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerTrace Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I love my Square Deal - I would not use a SDB for reloading .40 major ... Why not for .40 major? Same here, why not? My buddy has been reloading .40 Major for a while on his and never had an issue with his ammo. If I were to load .40 major, I'd use heavy bullets and fast powders, and couldn't take a chance on any bullet set back - so I'd be looking for a sizing die that would tighten up the grip on the bullet. I'm probably a rookie compared to you in the reloading department, but isn't the crimping die the one that determines the "grip" on the bullet? No matter what your resizing die does, the powder funnel bells the case to allow you to get the base of the bullet inserted, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youngeyes Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 The "grip" of the bullet is set by the sizing die. The powder funnel bells the bullet for easier insertion into the case .A semi auto bullet uses a taper crimp which is just to remove the flair. The only crimp die I know of that claims to grip the bullet better is the Lee factory crimp die. It acts as a collet and squeezes the case a bit tighter. I've created a set back problem by over crimping which caused the case to bulge away from the bullet. I've also had bad set back problems with a incorrectly made sizing die that was not fully resizing the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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