Best beginner progressive reloading press?

[NETim]

9 hours ago, warpspeed said:

Every time this question gets asked, I have the same response.

 

Buy the most expensive Dillon press you can afford. 

Sound advice right there.   

[HesedTech]

3 hours ago, NETim said:

Sound advice right there.   

This

 

I've had both the 550 and the 650. If you are getting one press get the 750. Why, because of the indexing and ability to add brass and bullet feeders in the future.

 

As many have stated get the biggest Dillon press you can afford. 

 

These days I load for volume on an automated 1050 and for leisurely non-volume rounds on a 550. (sold my 650 to get a 1050 years ago)

[SnipTheDog]

On 9/22/2021 at 10:00 AM, HesedTech said:

These days I load for volume on an automated 1050 and for leisurely non-volume rounds on a 550. (sold my 650 to get a 1050 years ago)

 

What did you use for automation?

[MuayThaiJJ]

If you're a tinkerer like me - Lee Loadmaster!

[louu]

On 9/20/2021 at 10:07 AM, Obvious said:

Will soon be having hopefully a spare ~$750 to spend and want to get into reloading. I’ve always heard that the Dillon 550 is the best, but just wondering about the absolute basics here. Where should I start, what will I have to buy besides the press itself? I’m looking to load 40 for uspsa as light as possible. Any and all information is greatly appreciated! If there’s a thread already posted about this please point me in the right direction. 

$750 is a tight budget to get into reloading but it is possible. Your best bet would be to get a Lee classic turret press. It's a great press for beginners and its something you will use forever, even after you've masterd a progressive press. I still use mine to load PRS rifle ammo. Starting off on a progressive press can be a little overwhelming to some people. The Lee turret press is almost a cross between a single stage and a progressive. Watch some videos of the Lee classic turret and if it seems like something you're interested in let me know I can make a list of everything you would need to start reloading and it will probably be right at $750. There is a lot of other tools you need to reload besides a press and dies that really adds up. 

 

Do you know that there is a power factor to make major in uspsa? If you go with the turret press you will also have enough money to get a chronograph.

[HesedTech]

On 9/25/2021 at 12:07 PM, SnipTheDog said:

 

What did you use for automation?

I have an Ammobot for the 1050, but they aren't available right now. Years ago I had a 650 with the Mark 7 and truthfully I would never recommend it to anyone. It just didn't run well and caused a lot of plastic parts to break. 

[SnipTheDog]

7 hours ago, HesedTech said:

I have an Ammobot for the 1050, but they aren't available right now. Years ago I had a 650 with the Mark 7 and truthfully I would never recommend it to anyone. It just didn't run well and caused a lot of plastic parts to break. 

 

Cool.  Thanks for the information.

[assnolax]

I run the 550/1050 combo.   I didn't like the plastic parts on the 650 but I don't think they're an issue unless you try to automate it.  550 can't be beat for durability and ease of setup changes.  You can grab a used 550 fully setup for a single caliber under 500$ still then just fill in the caliber conversions you want.  I load 6 different calibers on the 550 but only do 9 and 40 on the 1050. 

[foxmeadow]

On 9/29/2021 at 9:05 PM, MuayThaiJJ said:

If you're a tinkerer like me - Lee Loadmaster!

I've probably loaded north of 50K rounds on a Loadmaster. We had a serious love/hate relationship. I'd load 500 or so rounds without a hiccup, stop for lunch and go back to every fifth primer upside down, or not at all, for no conceivable reason.

For years I accepted this as normal behavior. I acquired a Dillon 450 in a trade, and it sat in a box for a couple of years while I  tried to unravel the mysteries in my (probably) demon possessed Loadmaster . Finally, I dragged the box out from under my reloading bench and inspected the contents. A call to Dillon resulted in upgrades in every area but replacing the frame.

 

The Loathmaster is in a box under my loading bench.

 

Go Blue.....

Edited December 24, 2021 by foxmeadow
capitalization

[obsessiveshooter]

loathmaster, that's funny!

I have 4 Lee presses, and its no joke, they suck at priming. Lots of wasted components.  Besides priming, you can load excellent ammo.  With primers currently being precious, and me shooting less,  I decided to hand prime while watching TV or whatever.  Then, I can really crank out ammo on the press, never stopping to refill primers or deal with a priming issue.  

For the person on a serious budget, the Lee is a workable route if you prime off press.  If you can afford a 750, avoid a Lee press at all cost!  (Lee dies and powder measure are A+ though)

[Modoc]

To me, it all depends on what cartridges and what volume you are going to be loading.  I started out loading on a single stage back in High School, then bought my first Dillon 550 (used) when I had my first full time job.  I’m still running a pair of 550’s because of the variety of calibers that I’m loading. Cost of FULL conversions drove my decision.  A big positive about a 550 is that you have complete control over your speed of production and there is less trouble if something isn’t right.  I’ve had 357 get in the 38 specials along with 45 gap and 380 in the 45 ACP and 9mm (son sorting brass) and the hiccup is minor. 
 

I’m considering a used 650/new 750, but initial cost is a consideration. 
 

The Turret press is a great beginner’s compromise and is faster than the single stage.  My rifle loading would be much faster on the turret vs. the single stage.  Lyman, RCBS, Or Lee are all good options there (I’m partial to RCBS).  
 

The support equipment will put a good dent in your budget with scale, calipers, manuals, case gauges, etc.

[427Cobra]

I highly recommend an auto progressive press, 650/750.  I have been at the range and seen 3 pistols blow up, 2 1911s,  and a Glock, all three had the same thing in common, all rounds loaded on a 550, auto progressive almost eliminates the possibility of no charge/double charge, and production rate is much higher. 

[IHAVEGAS]

18 hours ago, 427Cobra said:

I highly recommend an auto progressive press, 650/750.  I have been at the range and seen 3 pistols blow up, 2 1911s,  and a Glock, all three had the same thing in common, all rounds loaded on a 550, auto progressive almost eliminates the possibility of no charge/double charge, and production rate is much higher. 

I use a 1050 for what I shoot most (9mm) and a 550 for everything else. Personally I would not be comfortable loading with any press if I didn't stand while loading and look at the fill level of each and every round, and as another said previously "pay attention - , no tv no radios," . With the 1050 when I stop for an overfull round I find that the case has something left in it that didn't fall out when the cleaning media was tumbled out, with the 550 if you are visually verifying fill level with every round I don't know how you could double charge accidentally. 

[GrumpyOne]

5 minutes ago, IHAVEGAS said:

I use a 1050 for what I shoot most (9mm) and a 550 for everything else. Personally I would not be comfortable loading with any press if I didn't stand while loading and look at the fill level of each and every round, and as another said previously "pay attention - , no tv no radios," . With the 1050 when I stop for an overfull round I find that the case has something left in it that didn't fall out when the cleaning media was tumbled out, with the 550 if you are visually verifying fill level with every round I don't know how you could double charge accidentally. 

This. While it is possible to load a double on a 550, if you are paying attention (looking in every case), the possibility goes way down. While it is also possible to load a squib on a 550, it seems much more likely to load one on a 650 or other fully progressive press. 

I started on a 550, and that press that I started on is the one I still load on.

I've loaded probably close to 100k rounds on a 550 (9mm, 40s&w, 45acp, 38 super, 38/357) and haven't loaded a squib or double charge....yet.

[fostereast]

Hi,

 

I have been reloading on a 550 for 3-4 years.  If I could go back in time, I'd get the 650 or 750.  At some point I may make the change or add a 750.  I don't do as much shooting as I'd like, but look towards a time that I can do more.  I reload for 45 Colt, 45 ACP, 45/70, Ruger 375, .38 special and at some time in the future several more rifle and pistol calibers.

 

My two challenges with the 550 are a lack of available options to aid in automation, and the way the primers are installed in the cartridge.  750 solves both those issues and overall makes it a bit safer or more foolproof in my opinion.  With that said the 550 is a fine machine that I've been able to safely load north of 6,000 rounds on so far.

[JohnnyD]

My journey was Lee Classic Turret, 650 and then 550 (I still have and use them all).  I also have a Lee APP I use for decaping only before wet tumbling.

 

Lee Turret - Oddball low volume stuff.

650 - 9mm only, never changes highest volume caliber (80% of what I shoot)

550 - 223 and 45, probably will pick up a caliber change for 40 as I'm down to not much 40 loaded up and don't want to load it on turret.  I don't shoot a ton of all these calibers but more than I want to load on the Lee.

 

The 650/750 can't be beat if you just load high volume for one caliber or rarely change calibers (say load 10k of something then switch), I wouldn't want to switch every couple thousand of rounds caliber changes IMO on the 650/750 are a PITA.  Caliber changes on the 550 (even including primer size change) take literally a few minutes and don't have a ton of steps like the 650/750.  I wouldn't mind changing calibers even after 1000 rounds on the 550.

 

In your position I would look for 550 and accessories used if possible to stretch your budget, if you can scrape together a little extra the 750 will treat you well.

 

I'd keep an eye out on used gear, but until you have some primers and powder in hand I wouldn't spend any money on gear unless you find a deal way too go to pass up.

[corruptone]

Thread is a bit old now so my response may not be relevant any longer and if so, I'll gladly delete.

 

All of the recommendations I have read so far have been great.   Allow me to preface the following by stating I started with the SDB, upgraded to 550, then upgraded to the 650.  Along the way, I setup a Hornady LNL AP.  Currently, both the 650 and LNL AP are still in production at my place and I'm a huge fan of both of them.

 

Given that the 550 seemed to be the most recommended, I thought I'd throw another one out there for consideration and it is the Lee Pro 4000.  It can be purchased for sub $250 and would include shell plate for one caliber along with appropriate dies for this caliber.  It will also ship with a case feeder.  It can operate as full progressive or manually indexed like the 550.  I had one setup for a while and I actually really enjoyed loading on it.   The old Lee priming system woes one reads about often were non-existent on my 4000.  While it took just a tad longer to load primers, it made up time in other areas such as large/small primer swaps.  It is not built as robust as either the 650 or the LNL AP (a lot of plastics), but it functioned correctly and if a part were to break, they are super inexpensive to replace.  It ships with the Auto-drum measure and mine was easy to adjust and consistent with WSF, WST, and Clays.  

[Ryan67]

550 is definitely a great press but I'd go with the 750. Auto indexing is just too good to pass up and no way I'd want to load pistol rounds in bulk on a 550. If you have to wait to get the case feeder for your budget I'd still get the 750. Then down the line add a bullet feeder and you'll wonder how you ever did without.

[tbarker13]

As other have said, get a 750 - or a used 650. Though, I did start with the Square Deal B. It's not as versatile as its bigger brothers - and I think it's only good for pistol cartridges. But I loaded a ton of 9mm on that press before I upgraded. It's a nice way to get into progressive presses with a lower startup cost.