caz41 Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 If you were reloading 9mm only and nothing else would the SDB be the way to go? I realize that the 550,650,or even 1050 have the option of adding case feeder and bullet feeder to them, but is it worth it for 5k per year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 It’s largely a question of time and $. At 5k/yr, you could probably load that in under 2hrs/month on an SDB. A 650 or 1050 will get it done faster, but for several times the $ in press costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddc Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 So 100 lever pulls per week? And you have to place a case and a bullet each time? It doesn't sound like all that much but when you are talking week after week it starts to add up. I upgraded from a Lee Classic Turret to a 650 at about that point although that was 4 lever pulls per loaded round so 400 lever pulls per week. For 200 rounds a week I would definitely suggest the 650. For 100... kind of on the edge there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stick Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 To answer your question...Yes a Square deal is the perfect press for 5k rounds a year. SDB's can be had for $400. Honestly for that few number of rounds, I would go with the SDB, it's more than enough press for your application if 9mm is all you are going to load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 6 hours ago, njl said: It’s largely a question of time and $. you could probably load that in under 2hrs/month on an SDB. ^^^^^ Very common sense. You could buy loaded ammo (100 boxes) for $900, or you could spend $1,000 for a 650 and then spend another $5/box for components and 10 minutes/week reloading the 5,000 rounds. Hmm, tough choice. $400 plus 30 minutes/month, or $1,000 plus 10 minutes/month. IFF it's worth $600 to save yourself 20 minutes/week, get a 650. Your first year's supply of 5,000 rounds will cost you * $ 900 for factory ammo, or * $ 900 for the SDB and components, or * $ 1,500 for the 650 and components. But, the best answer is the 1050. * $2,500 for the 5,000 rounds (50 cents/round). Depending on your specific situation, I'd be sorely tempted to just buy factory ammo or get some ammo loaded to USPSA specs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEH Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 If you are not looking for 9major, there are some great deals on factory ammo. May be just as cheap to buy new . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEH Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 (edited) Wow What Jack said,, buy factory. Edited October 12, 2018 by EEH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorfish Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 Don’t forget resale value. If you buy a press and some components and then decide hand loading isn’t your thing, you can recoup the majority of your investment. Seriously, if you think you might want to hand load just do it. If you do, I guarantee that 5000 rounds you estimate you need each year will more than double. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD45 Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 I totally agree. The SDB is perfect for you. But what is your time worth? Factory ammo is a smart choice if you don't need a ton of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonandMichelle Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 People have already said it, but factory ammo is cheap in 9mm these days. I load *primarily* 9mm, and about 10k rounds of it a year, but I’m still kitted our in a 650. Whichever press you get, consider opportunity cost. For instance, I wanted to hit the range yesterday but didn’t have any ammo. I could’ve swung by a store, but I decided to punch out a couple hundred rounds instead. Boom. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schaet Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 Everything said is true and accurate, however take into consideration where this hobby/sport is going to take you? Sure, you'r at 5000/year .. probably mostly plinking or punching holes? Maybe a match here or there? However, as well all know, that can quickly turn into a lot more, but again it depends where you would like to go from here. Just for occasional shooting; factory makes the most sense. Thoughts of competitive shooting; I'd start to consider a press. Also if you're shooting competitively, the press isn't about saving money on ammo (albeit you will), it's about load development etc. At least for me it is. Personally I'd think long and hard about it and base a decision with taking in what the near future of your shooting looks like. Basically what I'm saying is this: if it were me and I was looking at getting into or more into competitive shooting I would consider a press and be keeping my eyes open for good deal on one. I've seen some really nice package deals in the BE classifieds especially for 9mm. If it was the right price I would grab it. like razorfish mentioned, they hold their value pretty good, so if you were to sell it you probably could get most if not all your money back. If you just want to shoot non-competitively, or occasional match, then factory is the quick and easy way. I've seen some good deals on cases of factory for almost as cheap as I reload for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Watson Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 (edited) I am at present loading 9mm on a 550. A SDB would do as well, maybe better, but I traded mine off for the more flexible 550. Caveat, I am retired and can drop by the bench and crank out a hundred or two in short order. If I were having to fit reloading in a busy work and family schedule, I would pay for a higher production rate so I could make up a month's supply instead of one session of sofagating. I do have a 1050 .45 which was very nice when I was shooting mostly .45s but it is kind of a sideline now. Not so much that I plan to convert it to 9mm, though. I have had all this stuff for years and consider it fully amortized. I can reload cheaper than bulk econoball and things like 9mm subsonic and .45 midrange are a lot cheaper. Edited October 12, 2018 by Jim Watson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikieM Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 (edited) I'm like Jim. I'm retired with plenty of time to knock out a hundred or so, when the mood strikes, and I am currently using a 550C. Buy what suits your needs. You can always upgrade with another press at the other end of your loading bench. A 650XL would make a fine addition to your SDB when the need arose. Edited October 13, 2018 by MikieM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RudyVey Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 I started with a 9 mm SDB, then added another one for .45......then I started reloading .38 spl, and realized, it is time to upgrade. Now I have two 550's, one is set for large primer for .45; one for small primer and there I reload 9 mm and .38 spl. The latter one I do in batches of 500-800 a time, then re-set to 9 mm - takes less then 3 minutes.....as I have two complete set-ups with powder measure, dies etc. Just pop the connecting rod out, remove the tool head and put the other one in, change shell plate and pins, re-connect the rod, done.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisyoung Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 I'm loading 9mm on a SDB and I've loaded around 15,000 round so far this year so 5,000 per year is no problem. I try to load a few thousand at a time so I'm not having to do it every week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Go with what you can afford/ want to spend right now. If you decide the SDB isn’t for you, it’s pretty easy to get most of your money back out of it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnr88 Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 All are good choices and I've owned them. I believe the 605 is the best value out there. It can expand as far as you want. The chance of a double load are minimized. You can add a case feeder, bullet feeder and motor if your needs change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddc Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 (edited) On 10/11/2018 at 10:45 PM, stick said: To answer your question...Yes a Square deal is the perfect press for 5k rounds a year. SDB's can be had for $400. Honestly for that few number of rounds, I would go with the SDB, it's more than enough press for your application if 9mm is all you are going to load. stick, I was re-reading this thread and I had a thought: What is the number of persons in this country who would consider 5k rounds per year to be "that few number of rounds"? ha, ha, lol... Edited October 16, 2018 by ddc typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stick Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 1 hour ago, ddc said: stick, I was re-reading this thread and I had a thought: What is the number of persons in this country who would consider 5k rounds per year to be "that few number of rounds"? ha, ha, lol... When you're talking about competition shooters, shooting matches, training & practice, 5k is not that many rounds. 3-5k rounds is usually their minimum order. Why don't you start a poll to see how many rounds the average person shoots? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 5 hours ago, ddc said: What is the number of persons in this country who would consider 5k rounds per year to be "that few number of rounds"? Whatever the number of members here at BE happens to be …. 65,000? And, I doubt that there are actually 65,000 active members at the moment. You are absolutely right. When I was 19 and bought my first BHP, I also bought a case of 1,000 WWII 9mm ammo, and shot it for the next 20 years. Most people buy one or two boxes of ammo when they buy a pistol, fire off 25 - 50 rounds and put the gun back in the drawer with the remaining ammo, and there it sits for a LONG time. But, us BE'ers (that a word?) buy at least 1,000 of everything at a clip - my last order for bullets was a special that Manny was running for 6 cases of 124 gr MG JHP's (that's 20,000 bullets, folks). But, we're a breed apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jejb Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 2 hours ago, Hi-Power Jack said: But, us BE'ers (that a word?) buy at least 1,000 of everything at a clip - my last order for bullets was a special that Manny was running for 6 cases of 124 gr MG JHP's (that's 20,000 bullets, folks). But, we're a breed apart. Agreed. Most folks here probably shoot well over 5k a year. But a couple of questions. Who is Manny and why does he sell bullets in cases of 3,333? Seems an odd number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Manny Bragg is one of The Best Limited shooters on the planet, and he no longer has that deal - he worked out an arrangement about 5 years ago to sell MG bullets in lots of 6 cases, and he didn't charge sales tax, plus free shipping. And, I think there are actually 3,750 bullets in each case of MG 124 gr JHP's, not 3,333 (good math) so I guess it was actually 22,500 bullets in total (my mistake but it was pretty early in the morning). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJH Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 I remember way back when i first started reloading but before i shot competitively i bought 1000 primers and thought that would last for basically ever. Little did i know....... To the OP, i just bought an SDB myself, i bought it cause i got a very good deal. I was looking at it and a 550, but i really only load a couple of calibers in volume and am liking the SDB. I have loaded on the SDB and 550 before and like both. At a very relaxed but steady pace starting with the press full i did 100 rounds in just over 11 minutes on the SDB and think 350-400 an hour will be easy enough, although i usually reload in batches of 2-300 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddc Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 10 hours ago, stick said: When you're talking about competition shooters, shooting matches, training & practice, 5k is not that many rounds. Exactly my point. When I started reloading I had not yet started competitive shooting and assumed my first order of bullets/primer/powder would last "forever". Then USPSA came along and now I just placed my fourth/fifth?? (can't remember exactly) order of the year for 3k bullets. And this year started slow. OP: I apologize for the thread drift. My fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 On 10/12/2018 at 5:16 AM, razorfish said: Don’t forget resale value. If you buy a press and some components and then decide hand loading isn’t your thing, you can recoup the majority of your investment. Seriously, if you think you might want to hand load just do it. If you do, I guarantee that 5000 rounds you estimate you need each year will more than double. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Yes, my thoughts exactly! https://forums.brianenos.com/topic/267499-personal-financial-accounting/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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