Dillon vs Lee vs others

[StakeOut]

There seems to be a misconception here about the main reason for choosing a Lee press and it's not the cost.
Most of us Lee users can afford the pricey alternatives and would gladly pay it if there was a need.
I "enjoy" using my Lee Classic 4 Hole Turret Press
.I only load .38spl on it now so the turrets set up for .44sp,44mag,45acp,45AR,and 357mag sit idle.
My range sessions are only 22LR,38spl and 32H&R now with less frequency than previously.

 

[oddshooter]

Hey OP, Goudy686

Tell us what state you're in and we might be able to find that Mentor for you.

Prescut

 

[GypsmJim]

Their bullet molds....UGH...don't get me started on those. My recommendation is buy an iron mold with better quality. But again, the Lee's are half or less of the cost of entry and that is attractive to get people started in casting.

I started casting 230 .452's in 1975. Being a Lee guy from before then, I naturally got a Lee mold.

Now I'm up to about 20 Lee aluminum molds and have casted tens of thousands of boolits. That .452 is used for ACP and "Long Colt" and my original mold is still in service.

On a rare occasion my second drop goes into the "good" pot. Usually the first round is good.

In contrast I once worked with a guy that used steel Lyman molds, and they took forever to heat up.

That's just my experience. All I ever did was follow the instructions and have not messed up a mold yet.

 

[Skeet 028]

I have had a few Lee molds...mostly ones I couldn't find in other mold varieties. Most of them didn't get used all that much. With a couple that was a good thing...they were junk. but most worked ok...and they weren't for large batches. In fact I happen to have a light 41 cal mold for making light bullet loads for my 41 mags. I think I would like to try one of Lee's buckshot molds though. I also used some Herter's molds in the past...but all I had were made by Lyman I think. I still have one around someplace. I've never had trouble getting steel molds up to temp. The molds I liked more than others were the H&G molds and a few Lachmillers

 

[first-model]

Lots of good advice here.

I used a single stage Lee press for almost 20 years. Loaded thousands upon thousands of rounds with it ... and other than regular oiling and wiping down, it never needed a single thing.

There's a lot of other great brands out there, of course. Reloading is an art that you can make as simple or as complex as you want to. I kept things on the simple side.

The best advice I can offer about reloading is to approach it with a calm and undistracted mindset. I reload in my "quiet time" ... cell phone is off, no music in the background, and I can give my work my undivided attention. I think that, more than the press or the dies or anything else you can throw money at, will yield the best results.

Mike

 

[Green Frog]

I own a Star Progressive and a Dillon 550 B. When provided with a minimum amount of maintenance and care they chug along steadily and churn out ammo by the boxful. OTOH, my shooting partner bought a pair of Lee Progressives when he was shooting a lot of ammo for Bullseye and PPC. Yes, he was able to produce large quantity of 45 ACP and 38 Spl respectively, but he was constantly fiddling with the presses due to their inherent slop… they never seemed to just settle in and work. Admittedly a limited sampling, but it's actual observation.

OTOH, I have other Lee products that I use with great success. It seems to be a matter of building to a price point. My very early Lee priming tools (with screw in shell holders) are my preference by a long shot. Other Lee tools accomplish their intended tasks well, BUUUT it appears that Lee often builds to a price point, and in this case, an "affordable" progressive press appears to have been to great a reach.
JMHO, YMMV.
Froggie

 

[Sevens]

Update:

This year, 370 prairie dogs down.

366 fell to .223 with 50gr V-Max
4 fell to .45 Auto with 200gr Xtreme

All fell to ammo crafted on Lee equipment.

Green Frog, the Star machines are phenomenal… I don't know how such a great product line didn't survive.

 

[rockquarry]

Update:

This year, 370 prairie dogs down.

366 fell to .223 with 50gr V-Max
4 fell to .45 Auto with 200gr Xtreme

All fell to ammo crafted on Lee equipment.

Green Frog, the Star machines are phenomenal… I don't know how such a great product line didn't survive.

The original Dillon was based on the Star. I would guess the Star would cost far more to build today than most would be willing to pay. Lots of steel, lots of machine work.

 

[StakeOut]

Green Frog,can you give an explanation to exactly what "inherent slop" is.
I'm not familiar with the term.
I never owned or used a Lee Progressive so I have no first hand knowledge but there may be more adjusting/tinkering required in getting a Lee Progressive operating correctly.I can't say one way or the other.
I can say because of years of 1st hand experience with a Lee Classic 4 Hole Turret Press that it is very well made and will make excellent ammo.
Adding a Lee Safety Prime and Pro Auto Disk adds more adjusting and tinkering to the setup process but the benefits and rewards are well worth the effort.
The Lee Hand Press is a great addition to any reloader's bench.
The Lee Hand Priming Tool is nothing to rave about but it does work.
The Lee Ram Primer is another nothing to rave about but it works as intended.
The Lee Aluminum Single Stage is great bang for the buck but not for everybody.
Lee Carbide Dies are excellent.
The Lee Bench Powder Measure is accurate but has a very small leakage out the side.
The Lee Pro Auto Disk powder measure with Riser mounted on top of the Expander Die works well for some powders but so so for other powders when used with the Classic Turret Press.

Non Lee:
RCBS 10-10 scale = Very Good
RCBS Primer Flipper Tray = Not So Good
RCBS Primer Flipper Tray 2 = Better than original
RCBS Bench Primer = Excellent

 

[Skeet 028]

Inherent slop. in fact the Lee progressives do have enough leeway that it takes an awful lot of adjusting to get them to work right. I have had about every kind of progressive and the Lee for some odd reason are not consistently perfect. Esp priming...which in a progressive metallic press can be the dangerous part. Even RCBS has made a few items not well thought out. I've run the Star's and CH Marks and they worked pretty well . Another Lee quirk is the o rings on the dies...easily replaced but they tend to not stay adjusted as they should esp on a progressive. Too much going on. The reason people like the Dillon's and even the Hornady progs is they usually can be depended on to work consistently with very little adjustment needed. For those who use the Lee's and like them most are very detail oriented(and some OCD). I sold and worked on Mec Dillon P-W and Hornady/Pacific presses. But never Lee. Most of the problems they had were user generated... Lee does make some neat innovative stuff...but because of price points use too much plastic which DOES wear and degrade over a shorter period of time than most others.If you can get a Lee Loadmaster to work consistently day after day week after week. Congratulations. Life is too short for most of us. I have a Lee Classic Cast Turret. Also have T-7s. BTW the average Lee user did buy the Lee because of the price of their stuff. Not because it was as good...but was just good enough for them. And that IS the truth. We all have our cheap ideas...a few actually work

 

[BabaBlueJay]

Hey OP, Goudy686

Tell us what state you're in and we might be able to find that Mentor for you.

Prescut

Northeast Ohio in Ashtabula County. Furthest Northeast you can get until PA.

 

[Forrest r]

Hello from an Ashtabula city resident. Perhaps we could get together and meet somewhere.

The 38spl/357mag's are my favorite cartridges that I've reloaded since the mid 80's. While not an expert by any means I have cast, swaged & bought bullets for reloading both calibers.

Send me a pm if you're interested in meeting and I'll pm you back with my phone number.

 

[Green Frog]

StakeOut, brother Skeet 028 pretty much summed it up. Loose tolerances make it possible to get everything to line up because they can be moved around. They don't seem to stay in adjustment long for the same reason… loose tolerances. The plastic and aluminum parts also introduce a wear factor.

BTW SO, which Lee Hand Priming Tool gets a "meh" from you? I've been less than impressed with anything called "Auto Prime" but the original hand priming tool from the old Lee Custom days is a personal favorite. I collect priming tools and other than the so-called Pope Style re- and decappers for loading at the bench during Schuetzen matches, the original Lee tool is "da bomb" and for loading off of a progressive press, it gets the nod virtually all the time.

Friend Sevens, the Star presses are not quite dead! Bruce Williams in NJ is now the owner of the name, intellectual properties, and literally tractor trailer loads of parts. He's not making any new presses (yet) but can rebuild virtually any Star press you send him. Of course Magma has taken over the Star luber/sizer department. I currently have an early Star Progressive (available in 38 Spl only) but am dreaming of a Universal to load my beloved 32s.

Your Phriendly 'Phibian

 

[John Patrick]

A Dillon 550 can be operated with one piece of brass at a time (other 3 stations empty) while learning the ropes.
….
…..
…...

A couple of thoughts from a former but now newly restarted reloader:

Other than a couple of die sets from a couple of decades ago, I had no equipment.

Minconrevo is correct. The Dillon 550 can be operated one case at a time, one station at a time if you wish. It's how I re-learned how each die worked.

Unless you have a local mentor who can put his hands on your equipment, buy new if your buying a progressive press. My Dillon, and I'm sure all progressive presses, came with everything needed (except three dies) plus set up directions that assume you have no experience and are invaluable to a new to the program reloader. "This part that does x here, that part which does y there…" just reading the manual and looking at all of the (required) unassembled parts was really helpful.

The opposite was the case when I looked at second hand presses. Damn if I could tell if they were complete or in proper working condition. If I'd had a local mentor to walk me through the equipment and process, my choice might have been different.

Buy what you'll want eventually first.

 

[Stewdo]

Reloaders

Bought a 550B Dillon when they first came out...like throwing good money down a rabbit hole. Sold it as soon as I could and bought a RCBS and Lee.and that was almost 40 years and I haven't looked back.

 

[whistlepig]

I have been reloading for 57 years. I have a RCBS Jr press, Redding T7 press, and a Dillon 550C. The 550C was purchased new about 4 years ago. I have no experience with Lee products. My Dillon 550 is a pretty remarkable press. I waited a long time to get it and was well worth the wait.

 

[BE Mike]

Bought a 550B Dillon when they first came out...like throwing good money down a rabbit hole. Sold it as soon as I could and bought a RCBS and Lee.and that was almost 40 years and I haven't looked back.

Looks like you got something for your Dillon, so it wasn't a total waste of money. Progressive presses aren't for those who don't shoot a lot. They are great for those who want to load a lot of the same ammo. I shoot a couple hundred of pistol rounds each week. I can sit down and pump out 500-1,000 rounds in a few hours.

 

[CH4]

For loading the occasional 20 to 100 handgun or rifle, my RCBS Rockchucker is perfect, be it slow. It's at least 50+ years old and will easily last another 50+.

 

[oink]

Dillon 550 is the way to go. I think the 550C is the latest model.

That said the RCBS Rockchucker can be a handy thing to have around. I've had one for years. Other than for loading some rifle I use it mainly for bulk depriming and sizing range brass. I do use it sometimes for working up maximum loads. That way I'm careful, slow and deliberate and weigh each charge.

For that matter a Lee Hand Press is a great tool for certain occasions. I just checked and the Hand Press has gone up in price. They're not $15 bucks or so anymore.

My only other experience with lee presses is one of their progressives, which IMHO was trash. But that was quite a few years ago. It would crank out ammo like lightning, when you weren't working on it, which was most of the time.

I have a Dillon 450 and a 550. I've had the 450 since about 1982. Both are great but you want the 550 unless you get a real steal on the 450.