How do you decide which brand to go with for presses?

[Bkreutz]

Don't cheap out when buying tools, a lesson I learned long ago. It seems that the discussion always revolves around the price of a Dillon but you need to put it into perspective. How much more expensive is it really? Say it costs $1000.00 more than a Lee single stage. If you divide that by 365 (days in a year) you get $2.73 per day. Divide that by 20 years and you come up with $0.136 per day. So over 20 years it would cost you 1 extra round of 9mm per day. Of course if you load more ammo, and the difference is less than $1000. The calculation changes radically. I've always found that when I cheap out on tools of any kind, they end up at a yard sale, in a corner of the shop, or in the trash.

[bfalcon00]

Don't cheap out when buying tools, a lesson I learned long ago. It seems that the discussion always revolves around the price of a Dillon but you need to put it into perspective. How much more expensive is it really? Say it costs $1000.00 more than a Lee single stage. If you divide that by 365 (days in a year) you get $2.73 per day. Divide that by 20 years and you come up with $0.136 per day. So over 20 years it would cost you 1 extra round of 9mm per day. Of course if you load more ammo, and the difference is less than $1000. The calculation changes radically. I've always found that when I cheap out on tools of any kind, they end up at a yard sale, in a corner of the shop, or in the trash.

That is a good way of looking at it. That load master I bought first before my 650 seems to be an even dumber move haha.

[Sarge]

Interesting. Ya, it just seems like most everyone on here is telling me Dillon.

That is bound to happen on a forum that is hosted by a Dillon dealer. I came here initially for the shooting but once I bought my Dillon from Brian I found the Dillon reloading info to be just as good as the shooting.

[Nathanb]

Sarge is right. Have an issue with your press brianenos is one of the first topics found in a search

[johnson184]

What are your thoughts on RCBS? I'm leaning towards getting the Pro Chucker 7 and a AmmoMaster 2 for .50BMG and .338 Lapua loading.

There is a pretty in depth review of the Pro Chucker 5, which is the 5 station version of the 7, on AR15.com. It seems to be a great press in about every way except for the primer slider design. It seems to be designed to fail and breaks a lot. Other than that I really like many of the features on it. The big downside is they dont have a casefeeder for it right now, Im sure they will, but at what price? The Pro Chuckers are already pretty expensive.

Ya, just wish there was a bigger consensus on how it stacks against a Dillon 550 or 650.

[slavex]

I have Pro 2000 RCBS that I still use for 40 and 50AE plus some other stuff. It works great, love the primer strip, I'd say it's a good alternative to a 550. But probably not a 650, and my Pro is a manual index one too.

[BeerBaron]

No problem having different brands. I too would reccomend going dillon for the progressive. 650 or 1050. The hornady is cheaper for a reason. It'll do the job but over the long term nothing has the reliability of the dillon progressives. Lee or rcbs is fine for the single stage.

[jmorris]

Out of curiosity, what sort of non metallic press did you have ???

A lachmiller shotshell press. Still have it too, makes better shells than my MEC 600 jr but not as good as my 366's.

[Steve RA]

Ok, I didn't think of a shotshell press, was thinking of something being made of non metallic material.

[Bkreutz]

I think a walnut 650 would look cool.

[jmorris]

LOL, I am not sure if terms have changed over the years but the manuals I have are broken down to metallic and shotshell.

Edit: at least I am not loosing my mind Hornady still uses the same wording.

http://www.hornady.com/reloading/metallic-reloading

http://www.hornady.com/reloading/shotshell-reloading

Edited September 4, 2015 by jmorris

[jkrispies]

I think a walnut 650 would look cool.

I've heard of black walnut, but not blue walnut...?

[rtp]

Alright thanks guys. I'm actually sorta familiar with the Dillon 550B, but I've never seen the Hornady before in person. Would you say the Hornady is just as good? There's a rebate promotion running... and the Ammo Plant seems pretty affordable yet tempting compared to a Dillon 1050.

So - you're pretty much asking this question on a Dillon forum...

Love my LnL, and wouldn't get a 550, period - lack of auto-advance and 4 stations vs 5 for the LnL or 650.

The LnL or the 650 are likely to make you happy, each wit their own potential quirks in initial setup. The Dillon case feeder is less fiddly to get running 99% vs the Hornady's, but either will work.

I would not, however, compare a 650 + case feeder or LnL Ammo Plant to a 1050 - the 1050 is in a class of it's own, IMO...and the $ to go with it.

The new RBCS presses are also interesting, although I'm not sure what pricing settled out at. They seem to have a sacrificial primer slide, which sometimes sacrifices itself needlessly (does that make it suicidal? ), but otherwise seems solid.

If you want to get in w/out a case feeder, possibly adding one later, maybe not - get the Hornady LnL AP. The 650 w/out feeder has you using both hands off the handle, with it's missing collator, but topping up the tubed on right hand, placing bullets with left.

If you know you 'need' a case feeder out of the gate - the Dillon feeder is a bit better, although my LnL case feeder (ignore anyone talking about having to re-clock them - Hornady's case feeder has seen several revisions) runs pretty well after some minor tweaking.

If you're really planning going 'all out' w/case and bullet feeders from day 1 - first I'd ask how much experience reloading you have, then I'd say get the 1050 if you're determined to go that route AND have experience already, or back to the LnL AP or 650 if not AND have actual patience and some level of mechanical understanding.

YMMV as always - if you have a local mentor, it may be worth just going with whatever they have, just to get going...assuming you're new to progressives.

ETA - I'm not anti-Dillon. I would have happily taken an XL650 but came across a solid deal on the LnL AP. I'm sure I'd be about as happy on a 650 - possibly happier w/casefeeder, less so on primer handling but close enough to a wash for the loading I do. I still wouldn't have gone with a 550.

Edited September 6, 2015 by rtp

[jkrispies]

Alright thanks guys. I'm actually sorta familiar with the Dillon 550B, but I've never seen the Hornady before in person. Would you say the Hornady is just as good? There's a rebate promotion running... and the Ammo Plant seems pretty affordable yet tempting compared to a Dillon 1050.

ETA - I'm not anti-Dillon. I would have happily taken an XL650 but came across a solid deal on the LnL AP. I'm sure I'd be about as happy on a 650 - possibly happier w/casefeeder, less so on primer handling but close enough to a wash for the loading I do. I still wouldn't have gone with a 550.

There's a Heathen in the house!!!!!!! (Just kidding. Wanted to be the first...)

I've been running a 550 for the past decade. At the time I bought it, I couldn't even afford the 550 but had just thrown my Lee Pro 1000 into the driveway and backed over it a couple of times, so I had no choice. If I were to do it again today, I'd go the 650 route... but I've been promoted and have a couple raises under my belt, so nowadays I can afford it. Saying that, the 550 works so well, I just can't convince myself to buy another loader when I already have one that works great. And I sure aint selling my 550!

I just looked at Brownells, and the Lock-N-Load Progressive is on sale, so you could probably get it for ballpark the same price as a 550 after you account for the dies that come with a 550; if I'm reading the ad correctly, no dies accompany the LNL at that price. I've never run a Hornady (just as Johnson184 isn't anti-Dillon, I'm not anti-Hornady) so I can't say I've compared one vs. the other, but I'd probably still choose a 550 if I couldn't afford a 650, if for no other reason than Dillon's customer service is enough to tip the scales their way.

Edited September 6, 2015 by jkrispies

[rustybayonet]

For me it was easy, Dillon for progressives and a RCBS Rock Chucker for single stage. I simply picked the presses with the best reviews. I have been happy with both choices. 50 BMG is out of my realm so I couldn't give a recommendation. I would check on forums that 50BMG shooters frequent.

I second the motion. My dillon should be here wensday, the rock chucker is over 25 years old and still going strong.

I do use a lee for shotguns.

[Butterpuc]

I started reloading about 6 years ago on a Lee press. I quickly switched to a Hornady LNL AP and really liked it, it ran well for the 5 years or so. After about a year I added a case feeder then found myself looking for a bullet feeder.... It still wasn't as nice as a Dillon. I switched to a Dillon 1050 this year, I have no plans to go backwards.

[johnson184]

Well shoot... I ordered a Dillon 1050.

But that still leaves me needing a press to load my precision rifle rounds (especially 338 Lapua which can't be loaded on a 1050)

Trying to decide if I should go with a Forster Co-Ax or a Dillon 550B just for 338 Lapua and 6.5 Creedmoor.

Still need a 50BMG press too. Looking at the Dillon BFR, but there's really no good reviews or videos of it out there in action. Wondering if anyone even bought one lol. Also considering the Hornady 50BMG press for the quick change die changes or a Lee Classic Cast. I'm wondering if I should just go this route since I could probably also load 338 Lapua and 6.5 Creedmoor on the Hornady or Lee press.

[jkrispies]

I love my 550 and won't speak ill about it, but if you're just going to use it like a single stage, then save money and get a single stage. I've never been in the same room as a Forster Co-Ax, but they look awesome. Having said all that... just look for a single stage that's used and big enough for your needs and call it good.

[RDA]

I have a Forster Co-Ax, I think it is one of the best single stage you can get. Just beware there are a couple of challenges, if you plan to pull bullets with it you can really only use their system and if you plan to swage bullets, it requires a work around. Otherwise, it is a great tool.

[johnson184]

So just so I'm understanding correctly.

Both the 550 and the Co-Ax make equally consistent rounds for precision shooting... but the Co-Ax saves a little money?

[jkrispies]

So just so I'm understanding correctly.

Both the 550 and the Co-Ax make equally consistent rounds for precision shooting... but the Co-Ax saves a little money?

The 550 as a press is great. BUT. If you're shooting .338 Lapua and the like, those are not high volume plinking rounds. You'll want to go with hand measured (or electronically measured) powder drops for the ultimate in consistency. You won't get that from any progressive powder measure, so you'll just und up taking them out at that stage anyway. You'll also want to clean and uniform the primer pockets... And probably hand seat them. Buying a progressive to load precision ammo is over complicating an already complicated process. Just my opinion.

[jmorris]

David Tubb loads precision rounds on a 550 but uses a Prometheus powder measure and manually drops the weighed charge into the case via a special die that has a funnel in it, replacing the powder measure.

[jkrispies]

David Tubb loads precision rounds on a 550 but uses a Prometheus powder measure and manually drops the weighed charge into the case via a special die that has a funnel in it, replacing the powder measure.

It's certainly possible, but if you're hand dropping the powder through a blank station, it would be too easy to forget to drop the charge and squib the round, vs batch method with a single stage. I wouldn't trust myself-- too much going on with the progressive. Lots of people are better than me though! Personally, when it comes to precision rifle I rarely load more than 30 at a time. Single staging 30 rounds beginning to end is no big deal.

[RDA]

So just so I'm understanding correctly.

Both the 550 and the Co-Ax make equally consistent rounds for precision shooting... but the Co-Ax saves a little money?

You are comparing apples and oranges though, you really can't compare a progressive press to a single stage. If you are talking about making very precise rifle rounds, I'd go single stage with a host of methods/efforts to create consistent rounds. If you want to make very good rounds more quickly, I'd go progressive.

[warpspeed]

I load 6.5 CM on a Redding Big Boss II. I consistently get run out less than 0.002" and much of the time it is under 0.001". I'm sure the CoAx would do the same.

It can take dies up to 1-1/4"-12 which means you can get Lee dies for it to load 50 BMG if you like.