Selecting the Best Press for a Beginner Reloader

[barney88pdc]

I usually just lurk but I had a friend a while back that asked me to put together some information for him as to what I would recommend to buy to get started reloading. The information I contained is geared toward reloading for Pistol calibers in largerer volumes than say a benchrest rifleman would be looking for. Anyway here is an excerpt of what I sent him.

I know there is a lot of good information posted by the host but this may add something? Feel free to add informative information. Please remember that when starting out reloading a beginner will not have the "common knowledge" of some of the short hand that is used on forums. When I started out here I was just trying to figure out what OAL was and what it meant. LOL. Baby steps guys LOL.

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A RELOADING PROFESSIONAL NOR DO I STAND BEHIND ANY OF THESE VALUES, DATA, OF PROCEDURES. THIS IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND YOU NEED TO USE PUBLISED DATA AND CROSS REFERENCE ALL DATA WITH ESTABLISHED, CREDITED SOURCES BEFORE RELOADING. I AM I NO WAY HELD RESPONSIBLE IF YOU USE THIS INFORMATION AND INCUR ANY DAMAGES, INJURIES TO YOU, ANY BY STANDARD, OR PROPERTY. USE COMPLETELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.

The following are only what I use and there are a number of other reputable manufactures of presses, powder, dies, primers ect.

Press – Dillion 550B, this is what I would recommend. It is a 4 station press that is manually indexed. You could go with a 650 which is a 5 station auto indexing press but for just starting out and the amount that you will probably shoot the 550B would be a good choice. The quick change kits for the 650 are more expensive and obviously so is the press. Unless you really load a lot of ammo I would stick to the more versitale and more forgiving 550B.

Next are the MUST haves

Calipers – I got mine at Cabela’s and bought the electronic ones (Cabela’s brand). They are a little more than dial calipers but easier to read and IMO less likely to make a mistake due to the number being on the screen and you not being say a hundredth off because you read the dial wrong.

Scale – I got the Dillion electronic scale. Do yourself a favor and pay a little more for the convince of an electronic scale. It is much faster than the bars scales and you sliding the weights all the time.

Loading manuals – I have a Lyman 49th edition and a Hornady. This is to check loading specs obviously. There are several others out there, get as many as you can and always cross reference any data incase of errors. The values many not be exact, but should be close. IF THERE IS ANY DOUBT ABOUT VALUES STOP AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CORRECT INFORMATION BEFORE CONTINUING.

Dies – I would say the Dillion carbide dies in whatever caliber you plan to use. To me it only makes sense to use Dillion dies in their press and I have had very good luck with them. Any brand dies should fit because just about all die manufactures use the same threads. Many people suggest the EGW undersize die (for resizing brass and de-priming) if you are going to be reloading “glocked brass”. Glock factory barrels are not fully supported and the case will have a bulge near the bottom rim. The EGW which is a die made by Lee is .001 smaller than the standard Lee undersize die. This will take out the bulge of glocked brass. I have one that is still in the box. I set up the press and was loading 40 S&W with the Dillion sizing die before the EGW die arrived. I have not had any issues using the standard Dillion Die that I bought when I purchased my press. All of my rounds chamber check so I am just leaving well enough alone. The smaller EGW die would “work” the brass more and the less you work the brass the longer life it will have.

Case Vibrator and Media – You put your spent brass that you have picked up at the range into this and turn it on for a few hours and your brass vibrating with the media (most people use corn cob or walnut) it comes out shiny as new. I bought mine at Cabela’s and just got the Cabelas brand vibrator. It was a kit with the vibrator, media, and some polish. The general concenses is that corn cob media will give a more shinny finish than walnut media will. If you really want shinny add some ISSO case polish to the media.

Primer Flip Tray – This really could go below in the “nice to have” category but they are cheap and will really come in handy. I have the Dillon flip tray. It was $15 and heavy iron, not plastic others sell for $3 that is going to break. Buy this and it is good for life.

Case Lube – Get Hornady One Shot, it is in a red aerosol can. This is to lube the cases to make the press run a lot smoother. They say with carbide dies you don’t need lube well that might be true but trust me the press runs so much better IMO it is silly not to use it. The cans are not that expensive and go a long way.

Bullet Puller – It is like a plastic hammer that works off of inertial to “pull” or actually to cause the bullet to fly out the end of the case. If you have any questions of a loaded round not being right (slightest chance of it say being double charged) PULL IT. Also not only for mess ups but when you are adjusting the seating die for the OAL (over all length) of the bullet you are no doubt going to set the die too deep every now and again and will need to pull that bullet. It will pay for itself in the long run by pulling and reusing bullets and primed brass before long.

NICE things to have:

So with what is above and your reloading components (bullets, primers, powder, and brass) you can safely reload. With the products below it makes things nicer.

Buy the aluminum roller handle for the press. The press comes with a standard handle that has a big black ball on the end of it like a car shifter. The roller handle is much better.

Quick change kits (QCK) – This is basically extra Tool heads and Powder Dispensers so you can set the dies in one designated Tool head and NEVER have to reset anything again. Just pull the entire tool head out and swap them for different calibers. Swapping this along with the shell plate and buttons (the shell plate and buttons are not included in the QCK) takes about 5min if that and you are reloading a different caliber. Just starting out to keep cost down you may just get the dies for one caliber and load that but after setting everything up for your first caliber, it is nice to have a QCK for each caliber.

At the very least get yourself extra tool heads for each caliber so you do not have to adjust the dies in stations 1, 3, and 4. You can get an additional powder die for a few bucks for station 2 and now you have a complete tool head minus the powder thrower.

Case Gauges – This simulates a chamber of a gun for the given caliber and you just check to see that your loaded rounds go into them. The tolerances on these are tighter that most guns so even if a round is a little snug in the case gauge it probably will chamber and fire. But if the round does not go in the gauge then the sizing die may have not sized the case properly or there may be a problem with it like the case being cracked. If the case does not pass the chamber check pull the bullet and start over. DO NOT run that case in the sizing / depriming station, you have a LIVE primer in that case. YOU NEED TO KILL THAT PRIMER. Spray a little WD-40 in the case and it kills the primer. I usually just kill the primer then throw that case in the bad brass bucket instead of trying to resize it and have to get the WD-40 out of the case.

You have to inspect your loaded rounds for defects. You could take the barrel out of your gun and use it as a chamber gauge but I don’t want to dissemble my gun every time.

Extra primer pick up tubes are nice.

Some cheap automotive break cleaner. Get this at an auto parts store. After I load the rounds I put them on a towel, spray a light coat of this on them, then rub them around. This gets the Hornady Lube off of them. This step is supposedly not necessary, Hornady states you can leave it on and it will not cause any trouble but this IMO could build up in the case gauge and you will get “false negatives” if it does. Also I want to keep this lube from building up in my chamber and causing problems with my gun.

Isso Polish – If you put a few ounces of this in your media it will make the brass really shine. Some people use NuFinish car polish to do the same thing.

Media Separator – I bought a Dillon off of the Enos forum. After you tumble your brass you have to separate it from the corn cob media. The kit I bought had, basically a strainer, it was shaped like those pans they use to pan for gold but with large slots in the bottom to let the media fall though and retain the brass. Well you have to shake it and then flip the brass with your hand, dirty time consuming and not very effective. The Dillon (think of a bingo cage where you put the balls in but it has slots) separator is a cage that slits on all sides of the tub. You pour the cases and media out of the vibrator into the cage, close it up and crank the handle to spin it a few times the media falls out through the slots and now you have a tub with just shinny brass, a really nice time saver.

That’s all I can think of right now and with all that you would have a good start.

Where do I get stuff.

First and foremost what you need is information. Learn from others mistakes and do not try to reinvent the wheel. Best place to do this for me and my gun is on the Enos forums. They have a plethora of information about the Dillon presses, tricks, tips, excreta. And most of all if you get a load from where ever or whom ever FOLLOW IT EXACTLY. And keep in mind that a lot of the loads on that forum are for 1911/2011 style guns that can accept loads loaded longer than SAAMI specs. They may not even fit into a standard magazine for say a Glock or XD.

Here is a great link for load data.

http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

[Alan550]

Pretty good list!!

Alan~^~

Edited August 7, 2009 by Alan550

[Jeremiah C]

If he is just loading straight pistol rounds why not the Dillon square deal b press instead?

[Duane Thomas]

I agree. I would never go for a manual press when I could have a progressive. I'm very partial to the Square Deal B myself. I loaded on two of them for about 20 years. I do have to admit that, after recently getting a 650 from Brian, I am appreciating its smoother and easier operating stroke. But for a lower cost press for a beginning reloader, I still think it's just awfully hard to beat the Square Deal.

[Hi-Power Jack]

If he is just loading straight pistol rounds why not the Dillon square deal b press instead?

+2 on the SD if loading only pistol calibers.

Also, nice to have access to a chronograph.

Jack

[larry cazes]

A chronograph should be a neccessity, not an option.

[MemphisMechanic]

In my opinion (and it's contrary to popular advice)... Your first press SHOULD be an auto-indexing machine if you choose a progressive.

You have to really, REALLY, try to squib or double-charge a case on an auto-indexing machine. Squibs and doubles are much more common amongst 550 owners than SDB or 650 users (both advanced and beginners) from what I've seen. It simply takes a much more compounded series of mistakes to screw up a round.

[atbarr]

I don't understand this. I have a 550, when I pull the handle, I look in the case. If there is powder, I but a bullet on top. If there is no powder, (Not yet happened), I would pull the handle again.

Life is Good,

A.T.

[Justsomeguy]

I dunno... I had and still have a Square Deal B good for 3 calibers (guess which ones... LOL), but I bought a 650 with casefeeder and even got the vibrating primer tube loader thingie and I will NEVER go back. It's just too much better! If cost is the factor, then sure, get the Square Deal or the 550, but if it isn't... OH MAMA (smooches his 650!).

[boz1911]

A chronograph should be a neccessity, not an option.

Along with the case gauges.....

[barney88pdc]

He wanted to have the option of later on loading for .223 that is why I did not mention the SBD. The comment about loading for pistol was made due to the fact I excluded Case trimmers, other lubes such as Dillon Case Lube which seems to be a better option than Honrady One Shot for rifle cases, and a few other nice items for reloading rifle.

[DrawandDuck]

650 w/CASE FEEDER(not an option in my opinion), roller handle, Dies, scales, calipers, pick up tubes (more the better), case gauge (if reloading misc. range brass), flip trays, vibratory cleaner w/ media seperator. I don't own any reloading manuals, all data I found on the forum and verified at the chrono....

My first press was a 650 back in October 2005 and never thought about changing. I load 38 super comp and .223. I did not by the case feeder at first but after filling up the tube every 14 rounds I made the call after about 2 hours of this. I shoot a match almost every weekend so I load bout 200-300 rnds per week. I couldn't imagine loading on a non-indexing manual case fed machine.

Looking back I would skip a month or 2 of shooting matches to save money to step up to the 650 and case feeder.

Just my .02

Edited August 8, 2009 by DrawandDuck

[Joe4d]

I like the idea of the SDB, however I started getting alot of chamber check failures with Dillon dies, so much so I went back to my 20 year old Lee dies,