Making the leap

[BabaBlueJay]

Thanks to everyone for the insight on my earlier post this year. I've done some reading recommended from you, and my friend is currently teaching me on his Dillon. I've decided to save my remaining 1000 rounds of brass and when I get down to 250 I'll be ordering my own Dillion. Until then I'll be slowly accumulating the components so I'm ready to go when that time comes. I'm so excited to be more self reliant doing my own 357 magnum loads. While I can still find 357 magnum, it's becoming more niche and at a buck a round or close to it I just felt now was the time to start relying on myself for my favorite round. I look forward to learning more from you all as I look into powder options and primers soon.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Which model of Dillon? There is a long wait on certain models. You can call their CS and get an idea of the wait time. 1-800-223-4570.

I bought a 450 in 1984 and later updated it to a 550b around 2000. I bought it at a gun store for $189 and the next month they went customer direct for $169. The 550c is currently $619 and I expect a price increase at the first of the year!

I have friends with the Square Deal presses for each handgun cartridge they load. But there are conversion kits for them too.

My recommendation is to buy any conversion kits you might need, much sooner than later. When I bought my 450 I bought every shell plate except 8mm Lebel and 45 Auto Rim and most powder funnels in the next six months. They were around $15; they are now $70. 357 Sig/40 S&W/10mm didn't exist back then. In the last year I bought the plate kit and waited about a month and 357 Sig Carbide dies were a 16 or 17 month wait!

I know it's easy for me to spend your money, but the prices are climbing much faster than the official inflation rate!

By the way, My F-I-L has two 1050's (now $2299, he paid less than $900 each, when he bought in the 90's). Everything about them is fantastic, except for two things: The Price increases and the Conversion's prices!

When they came out with the 750 (now $814), I thought about replacing my 550. But I'm now at 21 conversion kits ($115 each). The new press and that many conversions would cost right about $3000! (the 650 had primer feed problems! I don't know if there is an update to make a used one into a 750)

As soon as you can start loading on any of them, you will be glad yor are!

Ivan

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Welcome to the crazy world of handloading/reloading. It seems you are jumping in with both feet going right for the Dillon progressive press.

As for brass, if you want to buy factory ammo for the brass buy the least expensive ammo you can find with a name brand brass case. No need to spend extra money for a high quality SD round just for the brass.

Unfortunately component prices are now prohibitive but at lease they are somewhat available unlike 9 months to a year ago. If you buy online be sure you check out the site first. There are many scam sites nowadays. Be careful of the site who has all the different primers in stock at a really good price. Like the old saying, if it sounds to good to be true.....

It's very good to have a mentor showing you how to load. Seeing it done and why is the best way to learn quickly. Safety first and don't forget to have fun...

Good luck!

 

[BabaBlueJay]

I am torn between the Square Deal B and the XL650, I see the benefits of both and my friend has a XL650 so that is what I am leaning towards. I do like the compact nature of the Square Deal B though.

Also, I only plan to reload 357 magnum so I will not be getting other templates for it. My wife is from China and is very anti-gun, she is open-minded enough to see why I want to do this but I only own my 686 and the only other gun I plan to own is a 12 gauge shotgun for hunting exclusively. We both like Duck so I convinced her on the 12 gauge being a useful tool which is cool, she is warming up to the idea of guns quickly which is good. Small victories for now, but in terms of reloading, 357 magnum is the only one worth it for me. If I did get a third gun it would be a 22 long rifle revolver or rifle to teach my daughter and that is so cheap I would just buy the ammo for that.

 

[Paul105]

Lot depends on how much you shoot, how time constrained you are and how much space you have.

Not much advantage to the 650.750 unless u get the case feeder and possibly the bullet feeder. It is also a much more complex/complicated machine.

The SDB lacks leverage, but I haven't found that to be a problem with 357s. It is also easy to work on.

FWIW,

Paul

 

[STORMINORMAN]

If you are anticipating routinely shooting more than 500 rounds of 357 Magnum ammo per month the Dillon may save you some time... But not much in the way of money.

A single stage or turret press is much more likely to suffice. And would probably make any load development a bit easier? Just an IMHO.

Cheers!

P.S. Where (when & how) do you plan to acquire your Small Pistol Magnum Primers?

 

[BabaBlueJay]

If you are anticipating routinely shooting more than 500 rounds of 357 Magnum ammo per month the Dillon may save you some time... But not much in the way of money.

A single stage or turret press is much more likely to suffice. And would probably make any load development a bit easier? Just an IMHO.

Cheers!

P.S. Where (when & how) do you plan to acquire your Small Pistol Magnum Primers?

My buddy mentioned potentially starting with a single stage, does Dillon make those? I like their lifetime guarantee a lot, which is a big part of why I want one. I am slowly in the process of acquiring 2-3000 primers from various sources. The same goes for bullets and powder.

Would the 550B perhaps be closer to what I would need for single stage?

 

[STORMINORMAN]

Welcome to the crazy world of handloading/reloading. It seems you are jumping in with both feet going right for the Dillon progressive press.

As for brass, if you want to buy factory ammo for the brass buy the least expensive ammo you can find with a name brand brass case. No need to spend extra money for a high quality SD round just for the brass.

Unfortunately component prices are now prohibitive but at lease they are somewhat available unlike 9 months to a year ago. If you buy online be sure you check out the site first. There are many scam sites nowadays. Be careful of the site who has all the different primers in stock at a really good price. Like the old saying, if it sounds to good to be true.....

It's very good to have a mentor showing you how to load. Seeing it done and why is the best way to learn quickly. Safety first and don't forget to have fun...

Good luck!

Finding any 357 Magnum factory ammo in "name brand brass cases" at a rea$onable price is easier said than done now-a-days... Regrettably!

Capitol Cartridge seemed to have "washed & polished" 357 Magnum brass currently available: I have purchased from them before with no problems.

Good Luck!

P.S. It is also time to think about choosing the method one intends to use to reprocess the cases... Plenty of suggestions & threads on this forum.

P.P.S. RCBS also has a "lifetime warranty" and their Customer Service rivals Dillon's in the eyes of many... Including me, for what that's worth.

 

[Paul105]

I have two 550Bs and two Square Deals. Personally I prefer the 550s, and yes you can use the 550 as a single stage. What you have to remember is the the 550 is MANUAL advance when you use it as a progressive. It requires a bit more attention in that mode vs the Square Deal which is auto advance. Some say the 550 is more suseptable to a double charge or squib (no powder charge).

I've had a 550 since the early/mid 80s and wouldn't be without one.

You can substitude small RIFLE primers for small pistol MAGNUM primers if thats all you can find. Just use "Magnum" primer data and work up. Some have had ignition problems, but I haven't.

Also, you can use STANDARD small pistol primers.


FWIW,

Paul

 

[oink]

If she's used to liking nice fat domestic farm ducks she will be disappointed with any wild fowl.

A RCBS Rockchucker kit is hard to beat and always handy to have. It may well be enough depending on how much you shoot. How much do you shoot?

A Dillon 550 is also a great setup. I have a 450 converted to 550 and also a newer 550. One for large primers and the other for small primers.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

If she's used to liking nice fat domestic farm ducks she will be disappointed with any wild fowl.

A RCBS Rockchucker kit is hard to beat and always handy to have. It may well be enough depending on how much you shoot. How much do you shoot?

A Dillon 550 is also a great setup. I have a 450 converted to 550 and also a newer 550. One for large primers and the other for small primers.

I shoot anywhere between 200-500 rounds a month. I would like to consistently shoot 500 a month, which is about 6,000 a year.

 

[Paul105]

10 or 15 yrs ago, I shot 30,000 - 35,000 rounds in one yr (based on empty 5k primer sleeves) all loaded on my 550. Looking back, I would have never come close to that round count with a "single" stage press. I realize this is only a pittance compared to some of the professional shooters but stated here to show the 550s capabilities.

These days, I load 50 or 100 rnds before I go to the range and wouldn't even do that if I only had a single stage (I've had a Rockchucker since way before the first 550 an only use it sparingly for rifle cartridges). I tire easily both loading and shooting, so my "each session" range time is limited even though I go 3 times a week on average.

I find reloading to be boring and a chore, not recreation - I load so I can shoot. Some people find reloading cathardic - they are the ones that use single stage presses for large volume production (just my humble opinion of course - not a criticism).

FWIW,

Paul

 

[oink]

Yeah, at 500 a month I'd want a progressive press. Go for a Dillon 550. That said, if you feel absolutely sure you won't ever want to load other calibers (be advised this is a fantasy), the Square Deal might be the ticket. However, I have no experience with the Square Deal.

 

[Paul105]

These were the guns that consumed most of those 30-35K rnds
.
Freedom Arms 6".475 Linebaugh, Fredom Arms M97 4 1/4" .45 Colt, and three Smith & Wesson 4" M329s .44 Mag.

 

[Skeet 028]

The SDB has a small "footprint" and is harder to use than the others esp with large hands. I do have one in 38 sp.. It is going down the road sometime soon. I also have 2 550C large and small primers. Then there are the 2 750s. slight upgrade over the 650s..also large and small primers. I have a case feeder that I switch from one to the other. Personally if you are learning on a 650...buy what you learned on. You may have a problem going from the full progressive 650/750 to the semi progressive 550. I do forget to turn the turret on the 550 when starting out on them. I also have a 1050 and it is fully progressive with casefeeder but only use it once a year to load a few 1000 45 autos. If and when you go to reloading rifle ammo the acquisition of a single stage(RCBS RC) or Turret press(Redding T7) would be advantageous. 223 loads fine on a 650....longer like 30-06 is ok but loses a bit of time due to case wobble. Understand that I like fully progressives and yes, they cost more but with a little cleaning and care you will never lose money on quality reloading presses. That SDB I have cost me about 130 dollars at auction a few months back. I should get double that when I sell it. It loads fine but there just isn't 'nuff room for my hands around the press.

I had one of the FA revolvers in 475. 30-40 rounds at a time shooting it was enough for me.LOL course 10 rounds of 45-70 in a Contender was way more than I needed too

 

[SMSgt]

When I get into the mood to reload, I have too many calibers to justify a progressive. The costs of conversions would eat me alive. My time is my money, and all I need to do to change caliber on my single-stage press is swap dies and shell holder. The plus side is I don't need large volumes of ammo, just small volumes of specialized ammo.

 

[N-frame-guy]

I have a SDB for 357. As mentioned above, the working space for placing cases and bullets is on the meager side, particularly if you have large hands and I do.
Knowing what I do now and with many years of loading various handgun and rifle cartridges behind me, I wish I'd gone with the 550. I view the manual advance as an asset at this point, having been with a good friend while he loaded on his 550.
The SDB will definitely get the job done, but remember it is for handgun cartridges only, you'll need a different press if you ever move in to rifle stuff. The 550 will do them both.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

These were the guns that consumed most of those 30-35K rnds
.
Freedom Arms 6".475 Linebaugh, Fredom Arms M97 4 1/4" .45 Colt, and three Smith & Wesson 4" M329s .44 Mag.

Freedom Arms revolvers are so cool I hear they are the cream of the crop of revolvers.

I think I'll either go 650 because that's what I'm learning to use now or the 550. Luckily I have a few months to learn while I accumulate components and learn even more from my friend.

 

[Skeet 028]

Paul 105...I really like that 45 Colt. One really nice looking right length revolver. Great caliber too. I have a 550 Conversion for the Colt round. My wife's shooting revolver is a Blackhawk 4 5/8 inch 45 Colt/ACP combo. I load some light ones for her with the 200 gr bullet. The house round is a standard Unique load with a 255 SWC.

 

[Paul in Nevada]

You say you want to shoot 500 rounds a month but how much time do you want to spend loading those 500? Once you get an XL750 dialed in you can load those 500 rounds in about an hour.
Like I say whenever this topic comes up, you will always find a use for a single stage press, even if you do most of your loading on a progressive. Progressives aren't all that great for load development. It's too easy to skip or repeat steps when trying to load a few cases each at different powder charges. You can also keep a single stage set up as a helper for the progressive with an extra sizing die with the decapper removed, or a collet bullet puller, a decapping die, etc.

Then again, you could do all this stuff with a good quality turret press.
My take on the XL750 vs the 550C: The 750 has a better primer feed system. It has a basic case feeder and can be upgraded with an automatic system. With five die stations it can run a three die pistol set plus the powder measure as well as an accessory like a powder cop or bullet feeder. It can load about 500 rounds an hour out of the box, maybe 800 rounds an hour with add-ons. It auto-indexes with every pull of the handle. When set up correctly, it is impossible to double charge a case.

The RL550C can easily keep up with your 500 rounds a month but it will load them a little slower. You have to feed the cases by hand and index the shell plate manually. There is the possibility of double charging a case with this system. The tool heads only hold four dies but the conversion kits and tool heads are much cheaper.
If you were going to load modest round counts of several cartridges the 550 is more economical. If you are loading larger quantities of a smaller number of cartridges the 750 starts to make more sense. I left out the RL1100 and Super 1050 from the comparison because they are much higher volume machines with much higher price tags.
I bought the 750 and to be honest it's always been a little more machine than I need, even when I used to shoot 600-800 rounds a month back before 2020. Now that components have become so expensive I shoot a lot less and only fire up the Dillon every few months. I load all my center-fire rifle except for 5.56 on a single stage Rockchucker. I also use it for a bunch of other tasks which is why I suggest having a single stage as well.