what press kit to get

First topic message reminder :

looking in to getting into reloading  not trying to break the bank looking  at a lee turret press kit  open to suggestion of what you guys think or any other press kit  just getting into bullseye shooting thanks

If time is a factor...  Put my 1050 on the clock with everything filled up.  Made 100 rounds in 6 minutes flat...  Would like to point out that in my early loading years the goal was to get ammo loaded so I could go shoot.  These days I enjoy loading easily as much as shooting.

A reloading manual should be your first purchase regarding reloading equipment. You really can't go wrong with a single-stage press as your first. I like RCBS and Lyman. I'm not a fan of Lee presses. Even if you end up with a progressive press, like a Dillon, you'll find the single-stage press useful for making small amounts of specialty ammo, like a box of hunting or self-defense ammo. Your biggest problem now is primers and it seems Alliant powder. I would chime in and caution against a Star press. They are sturdy, but complicated for a first-timer and are not as readily versatile as, say, a Dillon. I would suggest an O frame press over a C press, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-7726350-Brass-Victory-Single/dp/B07CWW5M3D?ref_=ast_sto_dp

Personally I think a progressive auto-indexing press is a much better option for a Bullseye (let alone practical) shooter than a single stage. You'd want to spend your time practicing and competing, not reloading or tinkering with your equipment (yeah, yeah, I know, look who's talking). There's no need for an ultimate precision here, you are not making any benchrest ammo, no need for sub-MOA groups at 1000 yards. And if there IS a need, many progressive presses can be converted to a single stage. I have a conversion kit for my Dillon 650 and loaded some pretty accurate 6.5 CM ammo. 
I also prefer Dillon because it's easy to change calibers if you shoot more than one - I reload .45 ACP, .38 Special and .32 ACP, and it takes less than 5 min to change the toolheads, shell plates and priming system. Also, case feeders and bullet feeders can definitely speed things up.
Strictly IMHO, of course.

I think some are approaching the inquiry from the perspective of experienced loaders.
I feel that the first thing a new reloader needs is a friend to help direct the effort.
Second they need to read some books.
Then they can address their budget and figure out if they can feed the press they buy.
I was lucky and started the loading trip guided by someone who was both pragmatic & frugal.

Very true. I reloaded for years, and it wasn't I started shooting a lot of pistols that I saw the need for a progressive press.

STEVE SAMELAK wrote:I think some are approaching the inquiry from the perspective of experienced loaders.
I feel that the first thing a new reloader needs is a friend to help direct the effort.
Second they need to read some books.
Then they can address their budget and figure out if they can feed the press they buy.
I was lucky and started the loading trip guided by someone who was both pragmatic & frugal.

I would agree that a mentor would be very helpful in flattening the learning curve.  The first press I ever bought was used from a retiring BE shooter.  He already had it set up and he showed me everything about using it.  Even came with all the components I would need and 30 years later I am still using the brass I got in that deal.  Once he explained the process and how things worked, reading books and articles made more sense to me because I could now speak that language.



by javaduke on Fri Jun 10, 2022 9:36 am
Personally I think a progressive auto-indexing press is a much better option for a Bullseye (let alone practical) shooter than a single stage.

  I also agree with this statement.  That first press was an old CH Mk4 and although it was quirky by today's standards, it produced good ammunition and allowed me to form my conclusions on what features I appreciated the most.  My second (and main press) is a Dillon 650 which fits all of those requirements learned from the first one.  I have been using that one since 1997 or so with no regrets. 
  Sometime after the last ammo crisis settled down I did in fact buy a single stage press with the thought that I would use it for load development and tasks like that.  To date, I have not used that press more than once or twice and never to fully load a round so the jury is still out for me as to whether one absolutely needs a single stage press.  I did get that one for a song so it's not the end of the world but at this point I know I could live without it.

Good luck.
John

I have a:

Lee Precision Breech Lock Challenger Press. It's a single stage press and was the first press I bought. The press came as a kit, and a similar kit is still sold today. Lee calls it the 50th Anniversary Breech Lock Challenger Kit. This is an affordable little single stage, perhaps not the strongest, but quite capable of making quality ammunition. For rifle ammunition it's wonderful. It works easily as well to make pistol ammunition. However, seeing as we shoot pistol ammunition in larger quantities, this single stage press will cost you a lot of time making the amount of pistol ammunition you might want for training/practicing. Great place to learn and start, but be mindful of your reloading needs. 

Lee Precision Classic Turret Press (but the older three hole/stage model). This press was the second press I acquired. I bought it used. It's how I started loading pistol ammunition when I began to shoot competitively. It's slow, manufacturing one cartridge at a time, but it's a solid little press and works well. Despite it's rate of production, it's faster than the single stage press. The biggest down fall it has however is that the auto index bushing is made of plastic and regularly wears out. You can purchase an ample supply of replacements, or just manually index the tool head. 

Dillon Precision 550 (of sorts). If you look on Dillon Precision's website, the current model is listed as a RL550C. When I began to shoot much more pistol, specifically 45 ACP, my mentor loaned me an older 550 model that I recently reacquired. This is a progressive press design with many features and the possibility of added features should the user choose so. It cranks out a completed cartridge with every pull of the lever once all stages are taken up with brass. It's a very versatile press, strong, and things operate smoothly without hang ups or glitches seen in some of the other more affordable competitors models, especially the plastic ones. 

Lee Precision Pro 4000. I purchased this press as a kit along with some extra parts because I wanted this press to be set up and readily changeable between two calibers. This is a progressive press that auto indexes but you can easily disable that feature if you wish. Where it is more affordable than the Dillon Precision 550 type, and produces ammunition with the same quality of performance and accuracy, the press has a lot of plastic involved in it's design. Because of this, you will need to learn this presses nuances, and behaviors. Being prepared for how it behaves will allow you to move along and make ammunition with little interruptions. In the beginning, I thought it was a piece of junk and that it didn't work right. Now that I am quite familiar with this press and it's workings, I make a lot of ammunition on it regularly and have little issues. So works good, more affordable, but not without some flaws. 

These are the presses I have acquired over the years. Using these different types have allowed me to learn a lot about reloading and the different ways to use a press. I currently loaded 45 ACP on the Dillon, 38 Special on the Lee Pro 4000, 45 Colt on the Lee Turret, and my hunting rifle ammunition on the Lee single stage. There are pricier options out there with different designs and options as to how they function. RCBS makes a great series of presses, Hornady does too. Look closely as what the manufacturer offers for options, and add ons. Watch videos of use. Many will recommend this over that. This will be based on their own experiences. I have had plenty good and bad with the tools I've used. Reloading is a relatively simple task but there is a learning curve to it all.

Javaduke wrote "I also prefer Dillon because it's easy to change calibers if you shoot more than one - I reload .45 ACP, .38 Special and .32 ACP, and it takes less than 5 min to change the toolheads, shell plates and priming system. Also, case feeders and bullet feeders can definitely speed things up.
Strictly IMHO, of course."


Hmmm - I must get you to pop round next time I want to change calibers on my 650 - takes me a good half hour, if not longer!


But, to comment on the OP question. I went through two Lee progressive presses (good value, but the plastic parts are very fragile and I am heavy handed), two Stars (experienced and patient souls can probably produce the most perfect ammo on a Star - but I am am not patient!) and then bought a new Dillon XL650 which turned out to be a lemon and required major replacement parts from Dillon (FoC of course - that is Dillon's policy) and a huge amount of frustration before I finally produced decent quality 32ACP ammo (the most tricky pistol caliber IMHO). I am now committed to Dillon 650's and understand them much better (they are not perfect, even when perfectly set-up and aligned, fortunately I now live just a short drive from the Dillon factory - they offer wonderful product support), but I also have the cheapest and simplest Lee single stage "Breech Lock" press which is excellent value for money and very useful for odd jobs.

How quick a Dillon can be changed depends on the Dillon model.  

The quickest is a 550.  But it’s also significantly slower than a 650/750 or 1050 in production.  It’s also less safe than the others due to the lack of auto-indexing.  

The 1050 is the slowest to swap out even if you have extra toolheads.  You also need to remove the toolhead to swap shellplates.  If you have to swap primer sizes that adds more.  Then you get to make all the adjustments.  It’s complex.  The 650/750 is reasonably quick, and is safer as it auto indexes.  

The Hornady LNL is pretty competitive with the Dillon 750.  

All of this said, if I was starting to load for the first time I’d opt for a used single stage and a set of dies.  Lee dies are as good as any.  Then I’d load 500 or 1000 in batches of 100-250 rounds just to learn the process.  It isn’t complex but there are nuances that can be perplexing and these are easily worked through a single stage while learning.

I would begin with a single stage O frame press until the basics are learned. Until 24 June Midway has the RCBS Reloader special on sale for $97 and it has a $35 rebate. A deal like that is hard to beat!

Now that's a deal!

A set of Lee dies. A little digital scale off eBay for $10. Good to go!

I bought the Lee Auto Breech lock Pro and REALLY like it. Bought off ebay from a guy that didnt know how to set it up. It came with a Lee powder measure that is very consistent.

Anyone else think its funny how we're 2 pages into good advice and we've been ghosted by a single poster. Maybe another newbie will find this via the search engine lol.

Read many books and watch many videos. I would start with a single stage press. Get two bullet trays for your rounds. 

Get a good hand primer. I still hand prime match ammo for revolver. 

Here is my single process its slow but safe.

Inspect 50 rounds at a time, check for cracks and case deformities. 

Decap and resize cases. 

Expand cases. 

Place ready brass in case tray primer side up. 

Weight powder charge , I trickle charge with scale. 

Once charged I place charged case in second tray. 

When 50 rounds are charged , I inspect and check for light charges and double charges. I never have any but I check for safety. 

I then seat and crimp the bullets. While I seat and crimp separately if you are just starting on a single stage I imagine you will save time by seating and crimping. 

I take a random sample of 5 rounds and check for COL and Diameter. I also plunk test bullets in a barrel removed from the gun. COL will never be exact unless its new brass, diameter should be. 

So for example, if I am reloading 45acp if my bullets are between 1.2435 and 1.2465 COL I am GTG. If my crimp is .4685 I am gtg. 

I used a turret my dad gave me, but a single stage will be almost as fast. 

If I where using a single stage I would reload once a week. The benefit of a progressive is I reload my caliber needs once a year for 45acp, and once every couple of years for 9mm and 38 special. 

All my loads are tested and I don't change much once I settle on a load. I do not do a bulk reload like that unless I am really sure the load it working best otherwise you waste reloading supplies. 

Out of my guns if the ammo is not holding  x ring , one hole groups from a bench at 25 yards it is not good enough reload in bulk.

Thats o-k  ! I picked up a few tricks as I'm fairly new at this.

Lee single stage kit.  Simple and cheap with rapid return on investment.

Learn fundamentals and progress if you like it to a Dillion progressive.