Never thought I'd be asking this ,but...

[Just another 22 shooter]

A couple, maybe three other fellow shooters want to get into reloading with a progressive and have asked for my help and want me to go in with them on cost of equipment. I've been reloading for 40+ years and use single stage presses for everything. I told the guys that if they want my money in on it, Dillon would be the only way to go. All I hear is good stuff about Dillon;Is there a down side to Dillon? We will probably be getting the 650. Loading 9mm, 45acp and 223 to start with.

 

[Redford]

Yes there is, the faster you can reload the faster you shoot them up. I got a 550 and can reload 3 times faster than on my single stage and shoot 3 times as mutch ammo

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[StakeOut]

How would the press be accessed by all investors.Where would it be set up?

If you only load 100 rounds a week and the others are loading 3000 a week....

Each member have their own powder,primers,brass and bullets?

What happens if one or 2 guys want out later?

This is not something to venture into without thinking it completely through.

I'd offer my help to the new reloaders until they had enough knowledge and experience to go it alone and not be an investor.

 

[Mistered]

This is not something to venture into without thinking it completely through.

I agree - 'communal' reloading does not sound like a good idea. Way too many potential issues. A press being accessed by three people means three times as many problems. Constant changes for different calibers, possibly access issues - I wouldn't consider it for a second. Maybe Father/Son or a couple family members but not just other 'fellow shooters'

 

[otisrush]

Anything to be concerned about re one of the investors making adjustments to equipment - and the others don't know about it? I don't know how this might manifest itself - but it would certainly stink if one walked up to the machine thinking it was set up or adjusted in some way - and it turns out another changed it without telling anyone.

"Oh yeah......I set the COL to be a bit shorter. I forgot to write it down."

 

[Mistered]

and it turns out another changed it without telling anyone.

Or broken and not telling anyone. Steer clear of this JustA!

 

[Rule3]

Would you go in with a group of "friends" and buy any tool(s)??

I sure wouldn't. Unfortunately they will not remain friends.

Never go into business with friends, it just does not work out.

 

[SLT223]

I havent found a downside yet. I started reloading with the 650 with case feed for .357 and .44 Mag. Since then I've added .45 Colt and .45 ACP. I can't complain about it. It makes piles of ammo pretty quickly without drama. I doubt I'll need another press. I also doubt you will want to share it.

 

[Arik]

How would the press be accessed by all investors.Where would it be set up?

If you only load 100 rounds a week and the others are loading 3000 a week....

Each member have their own powder,primers,brass and bullets?

What happens if one or 2 guys want out later?

This is not something to venture into without thinking it completely through.

I'd offer my help to the new reloaders until they had enough knowledge and experience to go it alone and not be an investor.

I did that with a friend. It's simple.

Press set up at his house

Doesn't matter how much who loads.

Split the powder bullets and whatnot so it's all the same

Eventually it was not interesting and no one cared what happened.

These is not much to think about if you're not petty. If you start counting each piece of brass.....well you're not really friends

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[tug700]

Disaster on the horizon. Each person has their own standard of care for equipment. Some believe in preventive maintenance all the way to the "don't fix it if ain't broke" group. Ain't broke, means the handle fell of the powder measure because someone did not tighten a loose screw, and the resulting wobble wore the equipment to major repair status (new rotor).

Friendly advice from 69 years of learning.

 

[Arik]

Would you go in with a group of "friends" and buy any tool(s)??

I sure wouldn't. Unfortunately they will not remain friends.

Never go into business with friends, it just does not work out.

I have. On many occasions. don't see a problem. I have never lost friends due to such unassuming, unimportant things

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[scattershot]

I personally wouldn't do it. Most of the problems have been suggested above, but the underlying assumption is that you like your single stage press, and have a boatload of experience reloading, while they might not.
As you have stated, if you do this, Dillon is the way to go.

 

[H Richard]

The only way that works if it is an organized club with a clubhouse where the loader would be located, and a workable schedule as to when who would have how much tome with it. Locked lockers where each individual would keep their own primers powder etc. The only thing shared would be the loader. It will still be a disaster if any of the individuals is less meticulous than the others. Keep in mind that each time you use it you would have to re-adjust all the settings from any previous user, unless you can trust it has not been re-adjusted or powder/load changed etc.

This is not something you should do if you value the friendship of the others.

 

[Maddog 521]

Sharing is good but I don't share my reloading press, my guns or my Harley Davidson. Just sayin'

 

[Engineer1911]

Does any one of you KNOW how to adjust a Dillon 650 to run properly with 9 mm, 45 ACP, 223 Rem? A Dillon 550 is much more forgiving. Problems include crimped primers, tight primer pockets, small primer 45 brass when loading large primer brass, machine cleanliness (650 must be kept clean), and Berdan primed brass. I own a Dillon 450 and 550. I also load for a gun range using a optioned out 650. I will never buy a Dillon 650, even after loading a 100k rounds of ammunition on it. Too many critical adjustments, too many things to cause a problem, and that mythical "high production rate" requires perfection in brass, primers, bullets, and cleanliness.

A Dillon press set up for use by 3 or 4 different people is a recipe for disaster in my opinion. There is only one way this idea will be successful, and at least 10 ways there will be hard feelings after a short period of time.

 

[DRAINSMITH]

You are not going to find on any form a Dillon owner say anything bad about a Dillon except "Buy once cry once".
If you really want to find the true scoop on the Dillon, go to their web site there they have their own form. And that is where they let the dirt out. " thinking that the rest of us fools do not read it."

Now when I had 2 Hornady Ammo plants I had my three son-in-laws come over and load on mine. The best decision I ever made is buying them each their own Ammo plants for X-Mass two years ago.

You can take that for what it's worth.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

When I bought my 459 in 1984, I told my best friend to skip his next gun and buy one! He declined. In the 90's he asked to come over and load a batch of 45 ACP on mine. ASAP he found a used 450 on line, it came with 3 or 4 of the most common shell plates. And that is my advise to you, each buy your own press! I own almost all the shell plates and such. I will loan him an oddball. He borrowed a powder measurer for a year or so, but I own 4. I upgraded to the 550 then 550b over the years, You don't really need changeable tool heads. I have the case feeder, trust me, you don't need it on a 550, you do on a 1050!

My F-I-L has 2 Dillon 1050 presses, he loads 45 AcP on one and 38 Special on the other, Never changes, so no need to readjust! With 3 people running 2 presses we load well over 2000 rounds an hour. 3rd person loads primer tubes and keeps everything full. We take 20 to 30 minute shifts. But He is in charge! His presses his rules! As it should be!

Ivan

 

[SLT223]

Does any one of you KNOW how to adjust a Dillon 650 to run properly with 9 mm, 45 ACP, 223 Rem? A Dillon 550 is much more forgiving. Problems include crimped primers, tight primer pockets, small primer 45 brass when loading large primer brass, machine cleanliness (650 must be kept clean), and Berdan primed brass. I own a Dillon 450 and 550. I also load for a gun range using a optioned out 650. I will never buy a Dillon 650, even after loading a 100k rounds of ammunition on it. Too many critical adjustments, too many things to cause a problem, and that mythical "high production rate" requires perfection in brass, primers, bullets, and cleanliness.

I have no idea what you are talking about here. My 650 is rather simple to set up. Maybe that's subjective. Right now my press is far from clean and runs like a top. All of my 45 acp brass is range pick up. My experience with the 650 is polar opposite of yours.

 

[dave201]

Sharing anything never works in the long haul
Stay friends and each buy their own Dillon
Share your ideas, not your equipment

 

[rwsmith]

If I were....

You have what you want. I wouldn't get into it unless they take your advice. I think it would be good for everybody to work together during the familiarity period. I wonder if keeping a log of settings would help when people start working on their own.