Which Press?

[Rule3]

Gentlemen, thank you one and all.



I know nothing about progressives except that when set up properly you can load more in less time. That's what appeals to me.

I don't shoot as often and I used to. Maybe 100 rounds per gun/caliber per session.



Right now I am mainly interested in reloading 45ACP.

These are the $64K questions.

You say 100 rounds per session. Convert that to how many rounds do you need or want per WEEK or MONTH.

The main thing to consider is do you need to spend the money (over kill) on something you will not utilize?? Forget BRANDS for now. HOW much can you spend???? (no need to answer that).

My situation just for comparison. I shoot a lot of different calibers (pretty much every handgun and 4 rifles) I shoot every week but not competition so I do not need 500 rounds a week.

I can buy a Dillon or Hornady progressive but I do not need it nor do I have the room. Sure there are times I would like one but I am in no hurry to load, it's supposed to be a hobby.
I can slowly crank out 150 rounds an hour. Keeps me out of the Bars

Started on a Lee single stage (Breech Lock) still have it but then got the Lee Classic Turret. For the price of it and all the extra turrets and dies it is less than a big progressive and I can change over in a few minutes (important for me).

So chose wisely Grasshopper

 

[SMSgt]

Quantity needed sets the stage for the press needed. If you're going to "start out" with a progressive, have an experienced mentor available. Reloading isn't rocket science, but it does require attention to details. Too many noobies don't grasp the details.

 

[Moonman]

If you're basically interested in loading 45 ACP to start, the Dillon Square D will handle the deal.

It comes from Dillon set up and ready to go with DILLON NON-STANDARD DIES, but it's ready right off

to load you good 45 ACP ammo or whatever caliber you initally chose.

Later on you could choose to add calibers with SPECIAL DILLON DIES ONLY and their set-up,

or sell the unit for a GOOD % of investment and buy a 550 or even a 650.

The 550 is very versatile but it is NOT a full progressive.

You'll still need to make an investment in Manuals, Scales, Tumbler, Cleaning Media, Lube,

Bullet Puller for mistakes and there will be mistakes, Solid Bench, Cases, Bullets, Primers, Powder, maybe a Case Gage.

The sky's the limit, along with your bank account and enthusiasm.

 

[novalty]

I would strongly recommend against the Dillon Square Deal B. For 2 reasons: 1 it uses Dillon's proprietary dies, 2 you are planning on reloading rifle in the future--which means you are going to need to buy another press.

 

[uechikid]

If, when you say straight wall ammo you mean Handgun (I know handguns aren't the only straight wall Ammo) you should consider the Dillon Square Deal B. It only does handgun. The price is right and it comes with dies.

 

[Maximumbob54]

The Hornady / Inline Fabrication Ammo Factory nears completion...



But really for a first time loader I would always recommend the Lee Classic Turret as it can be used like a single stage press and you can add all the options to it to crank out upwards of 200 cartridges an hour if you are set up right.

But I loves my LNL AP and Inline Fabrication only continues to make it better...

 

[millisec]

Its mostly about how much money you want to spend but I highly recommend a progressive to start. There's already enough to do and think about w/o having to manually index the shell plate too which just makes it easier to double charge. For my two cents I would recommend a LNL AP or a 650+.

I started with a Hornady LNL AP and haven't regretted it. There were some kinks in the beginning (Hornady had had some outsourced parts manufacturing issues) but they replaced every part I had an issue with and its worked flawlessly the past couple years. Called them the other day for a new powder tube which had finally melted down from nitro exposure and had it a couple days later. Hornady service is impeccable no questions asked (better than the attitude I got from Dillon over issues with my scale).

 

[millisec]

I'm not a high volume loader and other than occasional 223 or 45 this is dedicated to 9mm match ammo. The shell feeder and bullet feeder are nice when they work but they are also noisy as hell. I sit down and load a few hundred rounds at a time and maybe 4-5k a year. This 9mm setup is the Redding comp pro set with added Redding expander die. I may yet add a case feeder but probably not a bullet feeder since its bullet die would compromise my setup. I would like to get a 1050 for volume 223 but that's about $2400 loaded with case trimmer.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I'M SO CONFUSED!!

Actually I've narrowed it down to a Lee turret press. Maybe. I do know that it won't be Dillon because of the dies. I will be "inheriting" many Lee and RCBS dies.

 

[2hawk]

You know that other than the Square Deal, Dillon uses standard dies, right?.....Lee and RCBS will work just fine.

 

[novalty]

Dillon is only proprietary on the Square Deal B, but there is a big price change going up to the 550B. When you change calibers you still have to change the powder measure set up and primer set up. So unless you have bought extra powder measures you have to do some work in between caliber changes. That is why you'll see people's benches set up with a bunch of tool heads, set up for specific calibers--gets pretty pricey that way.

The Lee Classic Turret is a good press to consider and will make the work a little quicker.

I think you would probably be able to do what you need on a Single Stage press, and get a RCBS Automatic Bench Primer for priming your batches of brass. You can go through and primer your 100 rounds, then powder them on a raised powder measure checking every so many rounds on your scale. For me in Maine, I use the winters to get my brass all prepped for when I can get outside to shoot. Helps to have a good supply of brass. So when I am ready to go out for a range session, I take a night and prime my brass and put into trays. Then another night and powder and seat bullets. I shoot about as much as you do during a range session it seems, and I am still able to keep up with my demand on a single stage for rifle rounds, and a Redding Turret for pistol.

Yes, progressives will do the job quicker, but reloading isn't a one size fits all hobby. Plus I enjoy the time spent reloading.

 

[fredj338]

Dillon is only proprietary on the Square Deal B, but there is a big price change going up to the 550B. When you change calibers you still have to change the powder measure set up and primer set up. So unless you have bought extra powder measures you have to do some work in between caliber changes. That is why you'll see people's benches set up with a bunch of tool heads, set up for specific calibers--gets pretty pricey that way.
.

I have I think 12 diff setups for the 550, I only have two pwoder measures. Unless you use the identical load every time in every caliber, you still have to adjust the measure. So for me, buying an extra one is not saving much time but is costing me more $$. So I have one for psitol & one for rifle, all that is really needed.
The same can be said for any progressive press, SDB, LNL, 650, etc. The primer change is also sim for all progressives between large & small. The 550 being quite simple to change.

 

[novalty]

I have I think 12 diff setups for the 550, I only have two pwoder measures. Unless you use the identical load every time in every caliber, you still have to adjust the measure. So for me, buying an extra one is not saving much time but is costing me more $$. So I have one for psitol & one for rifle, all that is really needed.
The same can be said for any progressive press, SDB, LNL, 650, etc. The primer change is also sim for all progressives between large & small. The 550 being quite simple to change.

Well 12 different setups would not be sim for a single stage would it? Agree 2 powder measures is all you need if doing both rifle and handgun, but as I said in my comment you will see "people" (not specifically fredj338) post picture of their reloading bench setup with a powder measure in each toolhead. Even without, I don't believe Dillon gives the toolheads away--and that's "no BS".

The primer change setup on the RCBS Automatic Bench Primer is also quite simple.

I try to stay out of these posts, other than offering suggestions directly to the OP, as they turn into a peeing match on what setups are best. To be quite honest, it doesn't bother me which way anyone decides to go when they start purchasing reloading equipment. People have to research on their own what equipment is best for their budget and needs--yes in that order. As mentioned before, no one individual's press is best for everyone, it ain't a one size fits all. As a Dillon 550B, wouldn't be best for someone that only does bench rest matches with large caliber rifles, as the Redding Ultramag wouldn't be best for someone who shoots handgun matches every weekend.

Just don't tell someone the only press to get is a "insert name" without trying to find out what they are using it for.

 

[CMD-KY]

Lou, thank you for an excellent post. It ought to be a sticky. I would like to have read it years and dollars ago.

Thanks, again.

I've been reloading 30+ years, and own both a Rock Chucker (my first press) and a Dillon 550 (my 2nd press).

Here's what I recommend for you:
Unless you're ABSOLUTELY certain you will NEVER want to own a progressive press, get the Dillon 550.

Why? Because what folks sometimes fail to realize and mention is that YOU CAN OPERATE THE DILLON AS A SIMPLE TURRET PRESS when you're learning. Heck, you don't even have to use the Dillon automated powder measure if you don't want to, but it ain't rocket science to set up. The instructions are EXCELLENT, written in English (by Americans), and well illustrated!

To operate a Dillon 550 as a turret press, follow these instructions:
Put in a fired round, size/deprime and re-prime, then advance the shell plate to station 2, without putting another cartridge case in station 1.

Expand and charge, then turn the press to station 3 without putting another cartridge case in station 1.

Seat a bullet in station 3 without putting another cartridge case in station 1.

Advance the press to station 4 and crimp, without putting another cartridge case in station 1.

Advance the plate and dump your finished round into the blue box.

There, you've just used your Dillon 550 as a turret press!

If you decide to start off with a single stage, no problem, many of us have done that. I keep my Rock chucker because I prefer to resize and re-form rifle brass in my single stage vs. my Dillon.

Good luck,
Lou

 

[forestswin]

I'M SO CONFUSED!!

Actually I've narrowed it down to a Lee turret press. Maybe. I do know that it won't be Dillon because of the dies. I will be "inheriting" many Lee and RCBS dies.

Just like Rule said in post 7---information overload --its happened to me too every time researching a purchase.
Just post the new factors you've discovered like the supply of dies you have available and keep narrowing it down. Friend of mine was a big time Bullseye shooter and he did all his 45 acp on a Lee turret- but that was pretty much the only round he loaded.
You'll get there.

 

[Rule3]

I'M SO CONFUSED!!

Actually I've narrowed it down to a Lee turret press. Maybe. I do know that it won't be Dillon because of the dies. I will be "inheriting" many Lee and RCBS dies.

Real Guns - Lee Classic Turret, It's Not Just For Kids

 

[Kanewpadle]

I'm gettin edumacated here.

I stand corrected with the dies and Dillon. So I like the idea of a press that will load both pistol and rifle. The turret design appeals to me cause I can get more plates with dies. I do not want to keep adjusting dies.

Thanks again guys. I'd rather have too much info than none at all.

 

[Bkreutz]

I think you'll be well served with a turret press. I bought my Lee (3 hole, the 4 hole wasn't available then) in 1981 and it's never given me much problem. After I retired earlier this year I started shooting a bunch more than ever before (5 times a week plus matches 3 or 4 times a month) and I was spending too much time at the press. That's when I got the Dillon 650. Now I spend more time processing the brass than I do loading it. If it comes down to it, get the 4 hole turret rather than the 3 hole (both are still on the market). I've found that I'd like to have the 4th station available but too cheap to buy a 4 hole press. I still use my Lee turret for all my low volume calibers and the only problem that has developed after all these years is that the big roll pins that the ram pivots on will walk themselves out after a few hundred rounds, I suppose new roll pins are in order but again I'm too cheap so I just tap them back in with a hammer when they get to 1/4" out. , whichever way you go it will be a satisfying experience and a big money saver too. (I figure 9mm is costing me 25 to 30% of the cheapest "store bought" ammo I see).

 

[David Sinko]

The two that I use most often are a Dillon RL550B and Lee Challenger. I use the Dillon when I need to load hundreds at a time and the Lee when I need to load dozens at a time, or a few for testing. If you are a serious shooter and you want to reload, I think you will need at the very least a simple progressive that can easily be caliber converted (I prefer one without auto index, such as the 550) and a simple single stage press. I find that with the Lee I can use the dies as adjusted for the Dillon by not screwing them in all the way. This saves a lot of time and aggravation by not having to constantly adjust dies.

I also do high volume loading of .45 ACP (thousands of rounds at a time) and for that I have a Dillon XL650. This machine loads only .45 ACP for me, since that's the cartridge I shoot the most. I never had a need or desire to caliber convert it, so for me it's a great loader of a single cartridge.

Dave Sinko

 

[Rule3]

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