Which Reloading Press?

Lets talk reloading presses for a moment. When it comes to a reloading press I've enjoyed, have come to love, and based on my experiences highly recommend the Dillon 550. However, the Dillon 550 in my possession is not mine. I've been borrowing it from my pistol coach/mentor for over a year now. Things are soon to change for me involving a move to a another state and I will be returning the Dillon 550 to it's owner. 

I will probably not have a great need for another reloading press in the future for quite some time but I would still like to have one of my own for my own personal use when the time calls for it. After looking into the cost of the Dillon presses and the accessories and attachments the cost is great. This of course only makes me appreciate the loan of the press I have that much more. But it also is a damper because I'm not about to spend that kind of money on a press that may not be used much so sadly I have to find a different rig. 

So for other options besides a Dillon... what's affordable that still manufactures ammunition in a relatively quick manner that doesn't have a bunch of quirks or issues?

Tell me your experiences good and bad. Thank you.

As I've mentioned before, if you want to shoot bullseye, just get the 650 w/ case feeder.  Yea, its a little expensive.  BUT you can't buy more time, so make the best use of what time you have.   

Load more than you clean.
Shoot more than you load.
Train more than you shoot.
Think more than you train.
Write it all down.

I prefer the Hornady AP.  Grafs is having a sale, you can get the basic press for $399 right now.  Buy the accessories you need as you go.

Suggestion: Since you're not in a rush, ask around and see if you can actually do some hands-on testing. I'm a Hornady guy but I know lot's of Dillon fans so I won't make a recommendation. If I could have tested both, I would have been able to make a more informed decision.

Check the resale value on Dillon 650's compared to other brands and you'll most likely see that it is not as bad as you might think to own one.

Mine was used, but still in the original box. I could sell it today for more than I paid for it, which wasn't too much less than a new one, but it was local and came with 16 lbs of Clay's and a few thousand .45 projectiles so I jumped on it.

My suggestion is buy extra components and load a years supply of ammo before you move.  Then save up for a new 650 or look for a used one.

- Dave

I think where Jason's going there will be plenty of ammo!

JKR wrote:I think where Jason's going there will be plenty of ammo!

+1, and also there will be plenty of 650s and 1050s at your disposal, Jason!
AP

JKR wrote:I think where Jason's going there will be plenty of ammo!

True but once attached to a press and losing it.. it's like walking out of the house without your wallet... I don't like it lol.

Well, if your heart is set on the 550 (which is what I use) you could start with the Dillon BL 550 Basic Loader, which is less than $300.  Over time, you can buy the accessories to upgrade it to a RL 550C.  They do make a case feeder for the 550C.  The disadvantages of this approach are 1) the basic loader requires you to manually seat the primer and pour powder through a funnel (until you buy the automatic primer and powder assembly accessories), 2) buying the individual accessories over time will cost more than buying the RL 550C to begin with, and 3) you cannot upgrade from a 550 to a 650 if the 650 is your long term goal.

The AMU doesn’t load pistol ammo, only rifle.  I don’t think they allow even soldiers assigned to the unit to load personal ammo on the AMU machines.,, but if you get an additional assignment to the loading room, you’ll learn a LOT.

Greetings,

Star would be my first choice.

Cheers,

Dave

be patient, and watch the local sale papers, estate sales, and gun shows.

used stuff comes on the market every so often 

if you are set on progressive, I drink the blue koolaid, (don't look down on a Square Deal B)

and since every reloader needs a single stage, at least once,  a Forster CoAx is about the best

Wobbley wrote:The AMU doesn’t load pistol ammo, only rifle.  I don’t think they allow even soldiers assigned to the unit to load personal ammo on the AMU machines.,, but if you get an additional assignment to the loading room, you’ll learn a LOT.

Oh I don’t plan on loading Ammo for job related guns, assignments or matches. I have my own personal set of guns currently as a civilian and I plan on keeping them even though they probably won’t get used much (if at all) and I want to be able to still feed the little devils when I please.

If you want a progressive press, Dillon is the way to go. And like you said, it's expensive. If you're really looking for a cheaper press, you'll have to go single-stage or turret... For $99, you can get the Lee Classic Cast Turret ($200 as a kit). It's a good press that works without quirks/issues, but only does 1 round at a time; expect 150 per hour. Go read the reviews on Amazon.

desben wrote:If you want a progressive press, Dillon is the way to go. And like you said, it's expensive. If you're really looking for a cheaper press, you'll have to go single-stage or turret... For $99, you can get the Lee Classic Cast Turret ($200 as a kit). It's a good press that works without quirks/issues, but only does 1 round at a time; expect 150 per hour. Go read the reviews on Amazon.

I have a Lee three hole and it's ok for my 38 special stuff because I don't shoot much of it but for 45 it's too slow. I shoot WAY more 45 and it's not fast enough to make what I shoot. 

I like the Hornaday option Zane mentioned to me after speaking with him. I've also been looking at a Lee Load Master. Has anyone have experience with a Lee Load Master?

No experience with the Lee, but I just purchased a Hornady AP. I was expecting more problems than I actually had. I needed to make a small pawl adjustment (one station on the shell plate wouldn't click fully into position), and that's it. I can make about 100 rounds in 20 minutes or so without a case or bullet feeder, which is plenty fast enough for me. One thing I like (which I think the Dillon doesn't do) is you can easily pull out a case at any station and reinsert it without removing anything else. Makes it easier to weigh charges, set charges, check primer depth, set dies stage by stage, etc.

Now I'm not the sharpest knife in the chandelier, but I have had good luck studying and sketching out what I thought I would need for target shooting, comparing prices, and then waiting to see what went on sale or came along.

Since you have some time before you really need a press, make a list of what you would like to have and see what shows up. Who knows where it will come at you from. A Star Universal would be great. A Dillon 1050 too. Who knows what will pop up and when but if you can recognize a good deal you can react at the right time. Sometimes someone has to sell one quick. Maybe you get lucky on Fleabay because you know the value and everyone else is trying to lowball. Maybe you bump into someone that is retiring from the sport.

Something you might also want to focus on is how many different calibers you will be loading.  I use a 550, and with separate tool heads it is pretty easy to switch calibers. Plus, lots of used parts available as well.

There are a few threads about reloading presses, and there are as many opiions as there are folks giving them. Reviews and comparisons I've read basically have the Hornady and Dillon pretty even in preference. The price difference did it for me.

I just bought the Hornady Lock-N-Load for $378.99 from Midsouth.

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/00005095100/lock-n-load-ap-auto-progressive-press

Jason, I have a Lee Classic Turret with reverse rotation setup and various upgrades.  It makes VERY accurate and repeatable ammo, but it does take four strokes to make one piece of ammo.

I do have a Lee Loadmaster.  I got sick and tired of trying to “make it work”.  The bullet loader was a nightmare, it did not make consistent ammo, but the quad tube case loader and hopper work well.  I have it set as a bulk deprimer and sizer.  It does excel at this single purpose.

I then prime off the press with a hand primer and move on to the Lee turret to finish the cartridge.

I often lust for a Dillon 650, but get by with the Lee, as I do not shoot tons of .45 and like the super fast changeover for loading other calibers.

I think what is going to happen is that you will second guess any press you get if it is not a 550 or 650, since you have grown accustomed to the Dillon system.  

You know that the volume you reload generates equivalent savings at the press.  You may as well jump in the deep end.  You know it will be repaid quickly and last a lifetime.  You are on the way to becoming a professional shooter and I doubt you will have any regret that you made the choice to purchase a press that reflects and operates at the highest level in order to match the quality of shooting you will be doing.

I also have a Load Master and a Lee Turret press (4 hole). I just use the turret press for oddball ammo like 44mag, 460, 41 mag, 38 special etc. The ammo I want to turn out a lot of like 45, 9, 38 Super, 38 special WC and 40cal I have a Turret set up for each caliber and swap real fast. I have it tuned and it works great. I watched a couple of videos and went to loading ammo. If you get one I will show you the trick I found for keeping the small primers from flipping over in the tray.  

Len   

 I have a turret for all the calibers for the Turret press also. Just adjust your dies once.

Len, I remember you posting about your Loadmaster before and having it work out well for you. I think a lot of problem with mine was with the bullet loader, but I was having some issues getting consistent ammo as well. I really do like the Lee stuff, as you get a lot of bang for the buck.

I was considering their new Auto Breech Lock press, but have not heard much about it. https://leeprecision.com/auto-breech-lock-pro.html

I used a Dillon Square Deal before becoming a military supported shooter on the USA All Reserve Pistol Team. Then I went to the AMU and got rid of all my reloading equipment; big mistake
I started with a Lee Pro 1000 and then a Lee Load Master. I liked both of them but you have to be mechanically inclined. The bullet feeder I was told to just stay away from it. Once I got my Star I was in heaven. So a couple more Stars magically showed up and I was even happier. So now I’m about to set my Load Master up for .44 Magnum. I bought a new primer feeder and was glad to see Lee improved it. I think all presses have their own idiosyncrasies we need to learn and deal with. If I was going to buy a new press today I’d probably get a Dillon. My Star buddies even have Dillons, so that’s got to mean something;)
Jon

IMO-- the Dillon 550 is the way to go. Although it is a progressive reloader it is not an auto indexing, meaning you have to index by hand,  with this setup you can use it as a single stage,  once you've got all your data correct you are good to go as a progressive. Personally like it better than my star.  Jim