Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Progressive loader

I'm partial to the Dillon SDB, mainly because I use one to load 9mm, 45acp & 44mag. But given the cost and speed, I'd recommend a Dillon 650xl. I don't recommend a 550 because it is not auto indexing, and brain farts cause double charges.

I've been using the same Dillon 550B for about 30 years and think it is a great press. But, I have to agree with deflave that loading 4 calibers, including different primer sizes, is going to result in multiple shell plate changes and at least 1 primer tube change (for .44 and large primer .45 cases) that is going to eat into the time savings unless you crank out higher volumes of each caliber. At some point I am going to get another one and keep one set up one for large and one for small primers.

The initial cost of the tool heads and shell plates are going to run up the initial cash outlay. Also pay attention to the pieces/parts of the shell plates and pins. Some work across different calibers if you just swap out the powder funnel and, sometimes, locator pins. A .45 ACP shell plate and pins also work with .308 and .30-06 class guns with just a powder funnel change. A .223 shell plate and pins work for .380 (edited to add: use the powder funnel for 9mm). They don't tell you that stuff, so you can wind up buying duplicates of the same stuff if you don't look at the individual parts list before ordering.

About a year and I/2 back I found a 5 cavity gang mold at the local gun show made Arsenal Molds used a Lee gang mold handle. Man alive that thing will turn out mega bullets in a hurry. MB

I have the XL 650 but if I just wanted to reload 38 Spl, 45 ACP & 9 mm, I'd get the SDB.

I think initially I’ll probably just get setup to load 38s. I have more revolvers chambered for it and shoot it the most anyway. All the tool heads and stuff will add up pretty quick. I have two single stage presses, need to get jr trained up and running one!

I feel your pain Thekid, I still load them one at a time too.

One of the Dillons. Look at their website and you can probably figure which will best serve your current and future needs.

Tag / bump

Haven't used any brand of progressive but Dillon. I used to shoot enough that I had a pair of 550's, one set up for small primer and one large, mainly because it's a PITA to change over the primer feed and get it running smoothly again. 300 rounds per hour is an easy relaxed pace on the 550, and the Dillon powder bar gets along with Unique pretty okay, though Universal meters better.

Cheyenne (and, as much as I hate to admit, 'Flave too) makes great points about caliber changes, it's not a drill I'd want to do for 4 different cartridges every Saturday. My large primer setup turned out 45 ACP on a continuous basis, with the small primer job filling an ammo can with 38 Special a few times a year. If you've got enough brass I'd go the ammo can route and stagger the caliber changes by week or month as needed.

My XL650 has made 9mm and 40 so much more enjoyable to load.......$$ well spent!

This or a 650 and source all small primer .45 brass to avoid swapping primer sizes. Or two 650's, one j. Small and one in large primer.

Get a Dillon 550 and don't look back.

For whatever reason, the shooting sports and reloading tends to attract cheapskates who will try to squeeze a two nickles and a penny out of every dime if they think they can get away with it. The smart play in the long run is to just get a Dillon 550, and not end up upgrading later.

I am a very long ways from wealthy. In fact with 3 kids (one who rodeos) a dog and a wife, I don't have a dollar to spare at the end of the month, but I learned early that reloading on Dillons was the only way to go if I wanted to shoot much at all.

Turret presses for precise rifle loading, and Dillons for volume pistol stuff and .223.

This.

You really do have to rethink how you load to get the most out of one of a progressive loader. Use any other type of press for working up loads, but once you find a keeper, get 5-10k pieces of brass and load all of them before you swap to another caliber and do the same. Otherwise, you'll spend more time converting/adjusting the press than you do loading.


Okie John

Kid, gonna go out on a limb and guess that you're using an RCBS Rockerchucker ATM.

I have and use an old RCBS Case Kicker that I bought decades ago. Unfortunately no longer made by them.Quite literally load as fast as you can pull the handle.Not too hard to cobble up a reasonable facsimile if you want.Love my Dillon Square Deal BTW just putting up an alternative that's inexpensive.



Or buy the current aftermarket version .

Had one. Didn't care for the non indexing.

YMMV.

How about the Square Deal if it's for handgun ammo?

The non indexing of the 550 is blown up on the internet to be a way bigger deal than it really is. It just doesn't make that much difference, except the non-indexing 550 is easier to deal with when something goes wrong.

Some of the guys in this thread are making a way bigger deal about caliber changes than it needs to be as well. It takes about 2 minutes to swap calibers if you have them already set up in toolheads; it's really no big deal. Swapping primer size is also pretty easy, and getting it lined up again is automatic if you think about what you're doing.

Interesting choice of words. The 550 is THE best 38spl revolver destroyer ever devised. And busted plenty of pretty 1911 grip panels, and sent many a Glock to the garbage bin.

I'm a big believer in auto indexing because machines don't have senior moments.

Certain people should just stay away from reloading.

This is absolutely true.

To the OP, Dillon 550.

Two if you can afford them.