This kind of dovetails my previous thread about 9mm. However, I did not want to muddy the waters with this issue. I'm thinking about a progressive reloader specifically for 9mm. I've been working off a Rockchuker since 2000 for everything (over a dozen chamberings), and this is the first time I've really thought about another press.

I know up front the preferred answer is Dillon. However, the price of the Lee Loadmaster has me at least wanting to ask: is there any sense in contemplating anything other than a blue paint job?

I figure I want at least a 4-station press so that I can use a Lee Factory Crimp die to do a final resize. I currently do all my priming with a RCBS hand primer, and I like the ease of dumping the primers onto a tray and shoving it in. Filling tubes never impressed me. I'd like to be able to run off 200 rounds in an hour instead of taking a whole morning, and I'd love to do it without pulling a handle 800 times.

Besides 9mm, I might conceivably want to load other stuff like 357 Mag, 45 ACP, and 223 REM on this press in the future, but I'm in no big hurry on any of this. If I could get 9mm down pat for now, I'd be happy.

Dillon 550. Easy to change tool heads for your different calibers and taking your time you'll get 400 per hour.

Love mine for 357 magnum and I seat and crimp with one die.

Lee puts out some good stuff, but the Loadmaster is not some of it. I'd get a Dillon or Hornady.

I'd suggest a Dillon 550, also. Some prefer a 650 but 550 always did everything I might need.

I will have to second the Dillon 550B.

Forget that waste of time with a hand primer and use the primer tubes. Contrary to what many may say, you can still feel the primer seating with a press. Get the Dillon 650, it is twice as fast as the 550, you won't be sorry.

I have a Dillon, but it's a square deal B. Actually have 3 of them. For handgun cartridges where you have long runs, they work great.

I have been running the Hornady for years. It works well, has some of its own little quirks and at the time was at least 1/2 of the Dillon (finding a sale, using Cabelas bucks, free bullets).

I started loading handgun rounds with a Lee pro 1000. I loaded 1000s of 45s on that press. It certainly had its faults. Then I loaded 100s of rounds on a rockchucker. I really came to miss that Lee! Then I spent an evening loading on a Dillon 550. OMG so much better than the Lee. I started saving for one. Then at a yard sale an rcbs ammomaster fell into my lap. It isn't the Dillon, but it's miles ahead of that old Lee, and no comparison to the rockchucker.
Dillon first
Hornady second
Rcbs
Lee

The first step is genuinely assessing the loading rate you need - lots of guys spend too much for too much press chasing numbers.

Dillon offers great products, but you don't need one for 200 rounds per hour. Unless you commit to powder measures and tool heads for most of your cartridges a lot of Dillon's advantages are lost. Double the volume to 400 rounds, spend the money on tools heads and powder measures, and a Dillon 550 starts to make sense. Beyond 400 and the Dillon 650 comes into play.

If 200 is the goal, I would strongly consider a turret press.

Filling primer tubes is a lot less hassle than you make it out to be; it just isn't a big deal.

That 200 rounds you're looking for is 1/2 hour's work on a Dillon, including filling primer tubes. You wouldn't see so many recommendations for them if they weren't worth the money.

There is nothing to substitute for owning the best tools, but having the skill set to use them to their potential is a big factor in the process.

Priming on a single stage press is a bottleneck and a dedicated priming tool with tubes will speed that up a lot.

The turret press is handy, but still requires pulling of a handle for every step.

There is a learning curve with progressives and small errors that can be easily overlooked can cause big problems. I think that the majority of reported kabooms are caused by powder charging errors from ammo loaded on progressive presses.

I have several progressives, each is set up to load a specific caliber, and they are much faster, but when loading other calibers using my single stage press, using a bench primer, powder measure, loading blocks, cleaned brass and efficient use of the bench space, loading 200 rounds an hour on the single stage isn't a problem.

So if all you need is 200/hr, working on efficient loading technique would be another option.

I own a Dillon 550, but I don't load for 9mm--my time is worth more to me than that. It costs you about 16 cents/rd to reload 9mm ($8.00 per box of 50) plus the cost of acquiring brass. You can buy 1000 rounds of 9mm (in a brass case) delivered for $200 ($10 per box of 50).

So for $2 per box extra you don't have to do it yourself. Heck you can sell the 1000 pcs of brass and you come out practically even on the cost of reloading vs loaded ammo.

Buy the 550, but use it for the other rounds you mention! Have fun!

If you only need 200 per hour, the Lee Classic Turret Press will fulfill your needs. The problem with Progressives is the need for tooling. You'll have a never ending need for toolheads for various calibers, etc. With the Turret Press, you just change dies like a single stage. The Classic has four stations so you can do your factory crimping. It isn't expensive either. I'd suggest getting one and seeing if it satisfies. If it doesn't, you won't be out much money and could probably sell it right here in the classifieds if you want money back out of it. I don't know if all the Lee Classic Turret Presses come with auto-indexing, but you want that feature.

Most of your time is spent changing dies, setting them, changing tool heads, shell plates, etc. and the Progressives take the most time of all when it comes to changing calibers.

3rd..

I can do it with Missouri bullets (hi-tek coated) for $115/thousand including brass. When you shoot around 2,000 rds per month, that $85/thousand savings (based on Waders price for factory loaded) is nice and well worth my time. With Montana Gold bullets, it's closer to $143/thousand, but still worth it when you go through a lot of rounds.

I paid for my equipment with the savings a long time ago.

Since my boys and I get out there and reload together, I enjoy it for that aspect and the conversations we have, even if I wasn't saving any money doing it.

But, not everyone is in the same boat, or shoots the same amount each month. If you don't shoot much, the investment in the equipment and materials will never be able to justify the cost savings because you won't save. So, do you do it just for savings, or because you enjoy it? Or because of other reasons. That's up to each person.

But, as Waders pointed out, sometimes it's not always worth it. Just something to think about.

FWIW, I use a Dillon 550B for all of my pistol and bulk 223 reloading. I have several single stages set up for rifle cartridges. Reloading pistol on a single stage is a pain in the butt.

Buy once and cry once, get the Dillon 650

I bought a Square deal B and wouldn't take for it but if I was starting from scratch, I would do like bea175 says and just start with a 650.

Thanks all for the responses.

I find it interesting that everyone I've seen chime in on threads like this over the past 20 years all point to the Dillon over anything and everything else.

My only experience with a progressive was 30-so0me years ago--my first time reloading-- and it was with a Dillon as well.

I went back and studied up some more. What I found was an awful lot of articles about how to modify the Lees to make them work and a few about them blowing up (Yikes!) I saw none of that with the Dillon.

OK. Dillon it is. My guess is I'll pull the trigger on it in July or August if all goes well. I first have to build a new reloading bench. The old one is not going to be sturdy enough.

Thanks again!

If you're willing to learn the idiosyncrasies, the Lee Pro 1000 is a good little machine. The Loadmaster is just a flawed design plain and simple. At one point I had 11 progressive loaders in my loading room, and one of them was a Loadmaster. I doubt it ever produced 1,000 rounds because it was always causing problems.

The Dillon SDB is a fantastic little machine but it uses proprietary dies. That's not as big of a deal as you might think because you'll probably find yourself buying a dedicated set of dies for your progressive machines anyhow; especially considering Dillon's tool heads are made extra thick so that other dies have problems on Dillons.

550B is a manually advanced progressive and it produces ammo faster than you would think and it's very versatile.

The XL650 is by far the most versatile machine that Dillon makes, and it's an absolutely wonderful machine. If you can afford it, the 650 is THE Dillon to have; I liked it more than my 1050.

Interesting, I've never had any issues using Redding or RCBS dies in Dillon tool heads.

I bought a Dillion Square Deal B about 25 years ago.

Mike Dillion himself put it together for me. What a GREAT guy he was. I'm glad I knew him.

It's been a GREAT machine.

But, as others have said, I think that I would go with a 550 or 650 and leaning towards the 650.

I've NEVER had an issue with the SDB. But, tooling is a little more expensive. Especially if you already have other dies. Plus you can use them (550/650) for rifle cartridges too.

Both are great presses. The speed difference is a matter of batch size and how often you switch load setups - it takes longer on the 650. Starting from a switch, the 650 won't pass the 550 until several hundred rounds are loaded. The 550 will be running while the 650 is still being setup.

If your batch sizes are less than 500 rounds you won't gain much from the 650.

Not to throw a wrench in the works but I had a Dillon 650 for awhile and sold it after I got a hornady lock n load. The hornady is way easier and cheaper to change calibers, just as quick and easier to use in my opinion. The guy I sold the 650 to used it for a year. Then used my hornady and switched to. Most of the guys that use a 650 never used a lock n load.

I've been very happy with my Square Deal B. Bought it used a couple of decades ago with 5 sets of dies. You do have to replace the plastic parts occasionally, think I've done that once and the prior owner might have once also.

Honestly that information is a bit dated. Over the years most die makers have made their dies a little bit longer and for most dies it's just not an issue anymore. But way back when Moby Dick as a minnow, you'd see guys using Dillon presses with whatever dies, and the lock rings for the dies were on the bottom rather than the top because the dies had to be seated so low you ran out of threads on the top. And it worked just fine, but it was just a slight annoyance.

Still, I tended to leave my tool heads fully set up, so I just bought dedicated dies for my Dillons.

I mostly gave up reloading because I just don't have the time. I sold all of my Dillon's except for the SDB. The reason I kept it is because it's faster than a 550, and it hardly takes up any bench space at all...wonderful little press...but mine is packed away and I'm not sure if I'll even use it ever again.

I have had mine about the same length f time.It's been back to Dillion twice for a rebuild free of charge except for shipping to them.. Probably have run about 30,000 rounds thru it. Not so much anymore.
I think I paid about $50 for each tool head equipped with a specific set of dies back then, I load .357/38,.45 and 9mmm. I have a tool head for 44 mag,but you really have to size the 44 mag brass first in another press or you wills crew the ram /handle up doing it on the SDB.

Since you bring a .223 into the mix,the SDB won't work for you

You intrigue me. You're the first guy to mention the Hornady. However, when I see a progressive in the stores, it's always a Hornady LNL. Somebody must be buying them. What's the scoop?

Dang! Now that's too funny.

I just checked the web. They've got the Hornady LNL AP for $449 and they're throwing in 500 bullets and a stool.

That might be too good a deal to pass up.

I have two Loadmaster's. There's a learning curve with them for sure. I've produced a couple of thousand rounds with the first one, used a lot of foul language in the process,

Now that I understand them they work just fine.

I have one dedicated for 223 and one for pistol ammo which I haven't even used yet...lol.

Dan

I don't have a progressive press but over the years I've never heard one Dillon owner say I wished I would have bought xxxxx instead. The most often complaint on other presses was conversion kits for presses. By the time the owners got them going they had the price of a real progressive press invested.

So, if you knew the information was dated and knew that dies other than Dillon's worked with the Dillon presses now, then why did you present it as if it was still an issue for the OP to consider making it appear that he would have to buy exclusive dies?

Dude...third post, this thread:

There are a bunch of YouTube videos on the LocknLoad.

My apologies, Mister Edwards. You are quite right.

I'm not myself lately. I've been pulling 12 hour days at work. The shaman's tarp is not quite shacked at the moment.

So what do you think: a LNL AP for $449, and they throw in 500 bullets and a stool. Is it a good deal?

Probably.

http://www.dillonprecision.com/xl650_8_1_23803.html

I didn't check to see how much you have to deck out the above Dillon to get it to where you can reliably produce ammo in the fashion you wish or if or how much more it needs to be comparable to the LocknLoad you mention.

Again, the Lee Turret Press or Classic Turret will produce ammo at the rate you wish and it will not cost nearly so much for setup. Your only expense for other calibers will be dies and shellholders.

I have had a LocknLoad for probably five or six years. Unfortunately, it is still packed up in the original packaging and setting behind me where I type this as opposed to bolted to my reloading bench. Almost everybody I've read about who has tried the LocknLoad likes it and from what one reads and sees on YouTube vids, it seems comparable to Dillon with possibly some savings initially and on down the road in setting up new calibers.

There is no doubt about the Dillon Products. They are quality, PROVEN reloading machines. I have never owned one but am confident that you would love your Dillon. You are looking at a lot of money though. The 550 would save you some but requires more motion of the operator. If I were going Dillon I'd almost certainly go with the higher-dollar 650.

Of the rest of current progressives, the RCBS seems to have its problems and few adherents. Lee is always listed at the bottom and is not well liked, especially the Loadmaster. I have owned a Pro1000 Lee and it did suck and I do not still own it. The Pro1000 and Loadmaster are the cheapest way to go but you most assuredly will have problems. Somebody mentioned having gotten 2000 rounds done with their Loadmaster...Once you get it set up, you'd probably do a couple thousand rounds in a couple of days on the Dillon if you were enjoying yourself.

If I were you I'd do more research and see exactly how much I'd save with the Hornady. I got a great buy on mine and had already seen all the videos. If I wasn't saving much, I'd probably go Dillon-this is all predicated on whether you REALLY want and need a progressive. Going with either of the two Lee Turret presses with the auto index feature will save you a ton of money and be much simpler to learn. The speed of manufacturing ammo comes with experience and secondly, with not having to change calibers or loads. The biggest problem with the Lee's will be getting the powder measures set right and for that you're gonna want Lee's Reloading Manual.

Here's the comparison as I see it. Mind you this is not an informed fellow speaking. I'm the newbie asking the questions. I had some time to research more overnight

1) Dillon and Hornady make products of similar overall quality.
2) The service from both companies seems to be superlative.
3) Both systems have their quirks. I've definitely ruled out the Lee offerings. However, between Dillon and Hornady I hear good reports.
4) I can get a Dillon 550c for under $500 with the ability to reload 9mm. I can get the Hornady AP LNL for $449.
5) Adding the next chambering to the mix, the Hornady is about 2/3 the cost of the Dillon per chambering, and the Hornady is easier to change over.
6) Presently, I can order the LNL and get 500 bullets (about $140 value) and a free stool ($150 value) for the $449 price. If you buy into those values those reduce the $449 down to $159.


Bottom line: I think I'm going to order the Hornady LNL today at that price and if I don't like it, put it up on the classified and keep the stool and bullets.

I don't own a Dillon, but from what I understand the Hornady is more comparable to the Dillon 650 which is a big step up from the 550.

I would have to disagree here. With the Dillon, you can buy a separate tool head for each cartridge/die set. That way, you leave the dies set up and don't have to re-set them up each time you change calibers. You simply pull two pins and swap the tool heads out.

If you bought the quick change set up for each caliber, the powder measure stays with the tool head and you don't even have to adjust the powder. I have a quick change set up for each cartridge I load for on the Dillon.

Then, you swap the shell plate and locater pins. If you're going from large to small primer, you change that bar and a tube.

It takes about 1-2 minutes to swap between cartridge setups. Can't get much faster than that.

Edited to add that the Hornady seems to have a "quick" change setup for each die. So, swap outs appear to be easier than I first thought.

I don't understand the whole quick change thing. On my RCBS Ammomaster, once I set the dies the first time, and use the locking nuts that come with the dies, changing calibers can't take more than 15min if that. I've never timed it. While 15 min is certainly a lot longer than the minute or two that a Dillon apparently takes; it really doesn't seem excessive to me..... It seems to me that the whole cartridge change over speed is a little blown out of proportion. For what it's worth, that's my opinion.

For me, it's not really so much about being able to do a NASCAR style pit stop and switch everything quickly. It is just really nice being able to leave everything for that cartridge set and in place on the tool head. No moving the dies or adjusting the powder measure each time.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Dillon wins the engineering and simplicity contest, but at a price. However, that price has been so diluted over the many thousands of rounds it's a non-factor. A free stool ain't gonna be enough.

Well, as I said, I'm a newbie. I didn't say this was an expert opinion.

Changeout speed? Honestly, it won't be a big problem either way. What I'll probably do is perform 1-2 changes in a 90 period. I'll run a batch of a particular chambering and then let it sit for a while.

Starting about August, I'll pull the LNL off the bench and put the RockChucker on and load small runs of deer rifle ammo.

If a LNL is more like a 650 than a 550, that makes the deal I'm getting even sweeter.

The order is placed. I'll give updates as they come.

Thanks all for the input.

I got a Dillon 650 for Christmas. I about fell out of my chair when my lovely bride came dragging that box into the living room. I don't know the final price, but it was around $600.00. That's for the basic press. I bought the Auto Case Feed ($240.00) and a Mr. Bulletfeeder ($460.00). I also invested in another tool head along with an additional powder thrower and a powder check alarm that sits in the hole right after the case mouth is belled and the powder is dispensed. I also bought a Dillon 10mm die set. I forget how much it was...it was a blur of spending. I think I'm safe in assuming I have $2K wrapped up in the press now. However, with the Auto Case Feed, and the Mr. Bulletfeeder, running that press is very fast. Both the Auto Case Feed and the Mr. Bulletfeeder have micro circuitry that shuts down the machine until more cases/bullets are needed. One guy on the board with us has his Dillon XL 650. I set mine up like he has his set up. There is one BIG difference that I don't think I'll do until next year, IF then. He has a Ponsness Warren motorized lever that runs the press. He pre-primes all his brass so he doesn't need to worry about priming at the station after the full length sizer/decapper die. He has a Youtube video of it loading .308. It is a sight to see. I found out that there is an ammunition manufacturer that lives close, and he runs 10 XL 650s the same way our friend on this board runs his.

It ain't all flowers and sunshine though. There is a definite learning curve on the path to properly operating the 650. I loaded several hundred 9mm and 10mm rounds, but it was nowhere near the projected 500-600/hr. Addition of the case loader and bullet loader will greatly increase my speed. By far I spend more time setting the bullets in the case to be seated than any other single operation I do by hand. The Mr. Bulletfeeder comes with it's own powder funnel. It bells the case minimally, then when you reach the station the bullets feed into the cases, it drops in with about 5 or 6 other bullets on top of it to tap it in completely straight. I'm sure there is some run out there, but I can not see it.

I have the Hornady. When I load I usually load until I am out of bullets, primers or fill the ammo box. So swapping out the "tool head" really is not an issue. The Hornady has QD attachments called die bushings that you set your dies into and they snap in and out easily, no need to adjust them after the initial setting.

I am not saying it is better than a Dillon, but it was roughly $250 for me (with bargain shopping) when I bought it and the Dillon was $5-600

A good friend of mine has a Hornady press, but I believe it's a single stage, but it has the lock-n-load die system as well. He likes it and it loads great ammunition (not much run out).

Swapping out tool heads and shell plates when changing calibers for my 650 takes all of 5 minutes, plus, I can and do buy another powder thrower and empty/double charge alarm for each tool head.

It's not only a time saver, but a wise investment in one's health and well-being.

However, I still visually check powder level in each case before seating a bullet.

Wow! All sorts of Dillon endorsements and along comes a free stool and some bullets, bingo a sale is made. You were looking for a reloader and went for the stool, yikes.

I got a chuckle from the $150 stool too. I'd rather sit on a bucket in front of a Dillon, but that's just me.

A friend has the Hornady, and told me recently he wished he would've bought a Dillon.

Agreed on ALL points. I check powder level right after it comes off the powder station. I can't help it. I've been loading with two single stage presses side by side and an RCBS powder station where you punch in the weight you want and the powder well funnels powder to the brass powder cup that sits on a digital scale. I verify the accuracy of the scale with the check weights each time I start a reloading run. But all I've been handloading for are huge, overbore rifle cartridges. I tried reloading for a .45 I had one time on a single stage press. I loaded 50 rounds and felt like that was several hours of my time I could never get back. Now I pull every 10th case weigh it, zero the scale, throw the powder and weigh it again to get the grains of powder thrown. This Dillon powder bar system is remarkably consistent. I also bought two small powder bars (for handgun charges) that are micrometer adjusted. It's not quite as hit or miss as a nut and a wrench.

Some great info here, and the only thing I have to add is that a progressive press makes constant attention to detail and quality control even more important. You want to make sure your dies are adjusted properly and that those adjustments are locked down. I check the dies on my Dillons every 100 rounds (when I change primer tubes; I have witness marks on the dies and retaining rings so checking is quick) to make sure they haven't drifted up and down--loctite is useful here as well. I also clean the seating and crimp dies every few hundred rounds if loading cast bullets, because lead and lube shavings can build up and cause changes in overall length and crimp strength.

A progressive can allow you to load fast, but if you don't sweat the details you'll only be making bad ammunition in large quantities. I've been there, done that, and have the bullet puller to prove it

I have a mauled rounds, mangled rounds, crushed rounds, bullet seated sideway, rounds with no primer that scattered their damned powder from one side of the shell plate to the other, then the rest got loose in the finished round bin, and others I've missed. I have a quart size baggie filled with them - there is no hope for them. Fortunately, I've cut that down quite a bit. I need to find out who disposes of live ordnance. I can't throw live primers and powder in the trash. I don't want my garbage man being injured. I have one magnetic bowl that I throw primers I can't use in, and shells that are primed but mangled. Then I spray them down with a penetrating oil. Some have been soaking for a couple of months. Others were thrown in last night. I need to find a way to package them and place them in the garbage. Once that penetrating oil gets into the discards neither primers nor powder will detonate.

Well, in a way, you're right, but you also have to understand that the stools I've been using were picked out of the trash, and are getting wobbly, as is the second-hand bench. I'm building a new bench before the LNL gets mounted. As it is, I'll make a temporary mount on another bench and start to get it set up before the bench is finished-- probably July or so.

I agree, I did get a lot of Dillon endorsements, but in researching it further, I'm finding that a) the Hornady LNL IS closer to the Dillon 650 in function, and b) Few seem to have a bad thing to say about Hornady LNL. There's also a part I left out: my buddy has a Dillon 650. In discussing it with him, I found out he's only got a couple more years before he retires it and gives it to me. I'd end up with 2. I plan on using both before I start buying shellplates and what-all for other chamberings.

BTW: I did buy an Powder Cop die, as well as a 9mm shellplate, and a 9mm CTX die. I plan on putting the powder on station #2 and a Lee Factory Crimp on Station #5.

Of course, everyone that has a LNL will praise it, but it isn't even close to a Dillon 650. You are neglecting valuable points of a reloader for a little shine offered by a second or third place reloading system to get your business.

Waiting for a gift and buying a reloader that is a lesser reloader on all accounts, is like buying a Yugo because it has good tires. Ending up with 2 great loaders when you are gifted the 650 will be twice as good as owning one Dillon 650, and still head and shoulders above getting the friend's 650 to use along with the LNL.

Good luck, but it still isn't too late to cancel the LNL order, go to Craigslist and buy a cheap stool and get some bullets that you really need and in 2 months when you are reloading with the Dillon 650, you will thank me for helping you out.

My Dillon 550 RL has maybe 25,000 rounds through it and beside minor maintenance and tweaking, works well.

Is your buddy going to stop shooting just because he's retiring? Heck, I would think he'd be shooting more.

No, he's retiring from reloading. He's realizing his number may be up. We have a common friend who has been helping him with the 650 lately. It's just getting to be too much for him. I think he's planning his exit strategy.

I got word from KYHillChick that the press and stool arrived late yesterday. I'm down at turkey camp pestering the birds.

When I first started reloading, about 45 years ago, a fuzzy eared old timer told me that it was a great way to save money. I’m still waiting for that to happen…

Presently, I have 8 reloading presses set up, they are:
• Redding T-7 Turret
• Dillon Super 1050 Progressive
• RCBS Pro 2000 Progressive
• C-H Single Stage
• RCBS A-4 Single Stage
• RCBS Rock Chucker II Single Stage
• Hornady Lock-n-Load Single Stage
• RCBS Summit Arbor Type

They all work well for me. They all have great customer service.

With the progressives, it is very easy to load many rounds per hour, although I have never reached the as-advertised rate. Set up time is not an issue as I believe that that is part of the allure of reloading quality ammo. The Dillon really shines when loading for the 1919 A-4, .308 by the 5 gallon pail full. I have used it for the 9mm and it works well also. The RCBS Pro 2000 works well although it is limited to 5 stations.

With the single stage presses I can load hundreds of rounds in a day, and have from time to time just for the fun of it. The Hornady Lock-n-Load bushings are a neat addition to speedy die change out, and save time.

To me, reloading is something that I do during the long winters in Alaska, so that I can shoot during the summer season. I suppose that I could buy my ammo, but I just can’t get use to the current prices.

I hope that this is helpful.

John

You bastiges! I found a Dillon 550 at a garage sale so I will give it a go in contrast to the LNL. It may take a little while for me to figure it out. The ram is pretty stiff so a good cleaning is in order. An older model. Now correct me if I am wrong but these require manual advancing of the shell plate, not auto indexing like the LNL?

That is correct.

Turns out that I had to tear it down to the pieces, polish and relube everything. Now it moves like butter. Of course I need a special tool to align it.

Stick with Sellier & Bellot or Remington primers. All the rest are either not all shaped correctly/the same or are too sensitive leading to a primer detonation under the shell or in the wheel if one gets bound up and forced.

I have played with the Dillon a little and have a good feel for how it operates but I am unable to produce any ammo yet as I am missing a few pieces. I took a few photos and will make a few initial observations. I am trying to be objective, so the burden on the reader is you must attempt to be also.

I like the left hand feed of bullets and cases on the Hornady, my right hand never leaves the op handle. Arrow legend: blue is bullet, red is case.


The Dillon loads on both sides of the press, two blue arrows, first pic is case,2nd is bullet. Load case with right hand, load bullet with left, operate press, rotate shell holder 1 click by hand.



The Tool Head on the Dillon is a nice idea and once set, it is easy to switch calibers once set. This system would benefit from individual powder throwers for each tool head.

This is the vintage powder system that came with the press, manually activated. Unfortunately I only have the large powder bar so cannot load yet. This system bells the pistol case and acts as a powder funnel in one step, eliminates the need of a 5th hole.


One of the positives for the Hornady is the Case activated powder thrower, it performs well. I have added a micrometer adjust for pistol powders but the original is pretty easy to adjust. That and the auto indexing.


Dies fit into bushings, which easily interchange for caliber changes.


These are stored easily with aftermarket parts.
[img]http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/...B-46C6-BD30-C8DA6833F4F4_zpsjuerjcuw.jpg[/img]

A lot of good points made here, I've done a ton of reading for a month or so on reloading sites...and I'm stepping up to a progressive for pistol.

I'm still going to use my RCBS RC for rifle, but the Hornady LNL is my choice for the best fit for me. Pricing including delivery and free bullets only sweetens the deal, now time to build a new bench area and storage.

Hornady ammo plant with all the goodies is top notch

I far prefer the Dillon for that feature, because loading a case and then a bullet with the same hand is much slower than loading one with each hand at the same time. It wouldn't matter so much with a bullet feeder though.

Definitely upgrade that manual powder measure on the Dillon, that old one is kinda lame. (and is really old btw, they've been case activated for at least 20 years or more)

Personally, without rushing I can load at a rate of ~550 rounds per hour on the 550, if we don't count filling primer tubes. ~450 with filling tubes. That's a nice relaxed rythm, just eliminating wasted movement. I can't approach that speed at the same pace on the Hornady unless it has a case or bullet feeder. Can you? Just curious.

these are real numbers, Waders is making a ton of sense.

Sycamore

But as you move up the food chain to 40sw/45/44mag, the prices for factory ammo go up significantly.

agreed, although the number of people that want to shoot 1000 rounds goes down almost as quickly !

True, and that's the crux of the issue...reloading has to be patterned to individual needs(quantity & accuracy). I shoot as lot of calibers from multiple common cal guns, and multiple rifles...including an 5.56mm AR.

But rarely do I shoot 1000's of rounds in 1 range visit, usually hundreds of each caliber. For hardcore target/match shooters they may need a super fast progressive press, because they shoot tons of shots. I usually load 300-500 at a time in each caliber, then shoot casually till the supply is low. Depending on your diet, is whether you really save any money reloading.

One thing is for sure after 30 years of reloading, the more your load the more you shoot...and the "savings" gained are gone

You shoot what you can afford, when reloading you get more shots for the same money.

For the OP:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/679228/hornady-lock-n-load-ap-progressive-press

Yonder, I have never actually measured my production time. I will fill the primer tubes 2x (200 primers) load that, case gauge everthing, and do it again. It allows me less "white line fever", less errors. I am sure those 200 rounds ate 20-30 mins so probably similar production. I will time it next time.

Shooters Pro Shop currently has a deal going on their Dillon presses where a buyer will receive a coupon for 40% off an order from nosler.com on up to $500 of goods.

That's a powder measure setup from an RL450, the predecessor to the RL550B. The case-activated powder measure, auto priming, and removable toolhead were introduced on the RL550B, so comparing a Frankenpress to the Hornady doesn't have much merit.

I as well have really thought hard about a progressive press, the one thing that keeps me from pulling the trigger is that I load mostly 38 special HBWC Bullseye loads. 2.7g of Bullseye, I screwed up (I think) and had a squib load in my S&W Model 52, cost me a barrel.. Can one count on a progressive press to reliably load at that low of a powder level? It does get tiring to load one by one, however..

You might consider switching to Trail Boss powder. I load it in my 38spl HBWC loads and I find it cleaner burning than Bullseye; likely due to the greater load density. I haven't loaded those on a progressive press, but if you get a Dillon 550 or similar, you can install a powder-lockout die that will stop the press if it encounters a case without a powder charge in it.

As noted above I purchased the Auto case feeder for my Dillon XL 650, and I purchased the Alpha Mr. Bulletfeeder. Once I got the bulletfeeder adjusted where it was consistently dropping the bullets base down, my volume really increased. I finally filled the bullet feeder and case feeder full, and got my extra large primer tube filled I started cranking them out loaded, taper-crimped rounds at a pretty good pace. I can go faster, but I need to load several thousand more rounds before I can really run the press as fast as it is able to run. The Alpha instructions indicate that when I got the bullet feeder tuned to feed correctly the press would be capable of 800 rounds/hour. I have a empty case/double charge warning device right after the powder throw and case seating bell. I still want to look into the case to determine the powder is where it should be. I pulled every 10th round right after the powder was dumped. I had previously removed the case from the primer station and weighed it to control for its weight. I then put it back in the primer station and cycled the press, pushing the brass into the powder funnel which triggers a volume of powder to be dropped. I then grabbed that case and put it on the scale. I had set the powder throw of Hodgdon CFEpistol powder to 7.5 grains. The ten cases I weighed I the first were as follows, 7.5, 7.5, 7.4, 7.5, 7.5, 7.4, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5 and 7.5.. After that I just refilled the Auto case loader and the bullet feeder. I stopped at 400 rounds, which took an hour & 15 minutes to complete. I'm pretty happy with that. I've been working the bugs out of this press and learning when to push hard and when not to, and what the press feels like if there is really a stoppage...etc. I suspect I've got a way to go before I can crank out 800 rounds in an hour. I think I'd need at least 4 or 5 primer tubes to be pre-filled, and I'll need to keep a close eye on the powder, cases and bullets. I hand loaded everything on a Redding Ultramag before this, and loading pistol rounds on a big, heavy duty press like the Redding Ultramag was simply too mind-numbing for me. At the end of a couple of hours (maybe longer) I had just over 60 rounds loaded and was DONE. I went out to the range and loaded 4 Glock magazines with 15 rounds each (10mm). I burned through them in under 30 minutes. What a let down!

"That's a powder measure setup from an RL450, the predecessor to the RL550B. The case-activated powder measure, auto priming, and removable toolhead were introduced on the RL550B, so comparing a Frankenpress to the Hornady doesn't have much merit."

The press is a RL 550, the powder hopper is vintage. You happen to be wrong.

Either way, it's not representative of a normal 550 Dillon press, so it's a poor comparison. The correct powder dispenser would be well worth the $82 to make that press work as intended. DILLON RL550/XL650 POWDER MEASURE

Also, you may have an old 450 press that's had the frame upgraded to a 550, but still using the rest of the 450 parts. Dillon sells that upgrade kit: https://www.dillonprecision.com/dillon-rl-450-rl550c-upgrade-frame-change-kit_8_6_23995.html

In my first post I said I had an open mind, you my friend are operating from the other end of the spectrum. It is operating as a Dillon 550 because it is one.

I have the invoice from 1992. Its a 550, not a 550b.

This and a small powder bar is all that dropper needs.

https://www.dillonprecision.com/powder-measure-failsafe-kit-for-rl550_8_120_25712.html

Nobody's being closed minded here, we're trying to help you out. No need to get defensive about it, but feel free to figure it out on your own if you don't want any input. It's sad when people here get more concerned about being right than about having useful discussion.

It should be obvious that the lack of case operated linkage on your old Dillon powder measure does not make a valid comparison between the Hornady and modern Dillon presses. That's all I or JOG were trying to tell you.

You act like I said something bad about the Dillon. The lack of a case operated linkage says nothing about the presses. I merely compared the two presses I now have bolted to my desk. I have admittedly more experience with the Hornady as it has loaded thousands of rounds for me. The Dillon has not loaded a single one for me...yet.

I am actually trying to help those who asked for help. I don't actually need your help.

Update: The Hornady press arrived from Grafs while I was out turkey hunting. I went through it briefly after I got back. Everything seems in order.

The stool also arrived. It will require assembly. However, it seems to be a fairly good spot to rest my butt for the next quarter-century or so.

[img]https://ll-us-i5.wal.co/asr/7c57f90...ht=450&odnWidth=450&odnBg=FFFFFF[/img]

One interesting note: I placed orders with Amazon for various odds and ends while I was gone. The shellplate for 9mm and the Powder Cop die were in there. When I was inventorying everything on Sunday afternoon, I found one shipment from Amazon was missing. The website showed it had been delivered Thursday to "the back porch." We don't have a back porch.

I called customer service Sunday after 1600 ET and without hesitation, the rep re-shipped everything. It was waiting for me when I got home last night (Tuesday).



I'm going to make sure everything is in working order and then put it away until summer. Meanwhile I have the receipt and the UPC from the box to mail in for the free bullets. I'm figuring 500 rounds of .308 150 grain Hornady SP

Get Loaded 2017 Promotion


Before installing the reloader, I need to build a new bench. The old one was second-hand and is starting to get wobbly.

"I can't approach that speed at the same pace on the Hornady unless it has a case or bullet feeder. Can you? Just curious."

Just pulling the handle I loaded 100 rounds in 12 minutes. Casual pace, not speeding.

I have a lee 1000 and I load 38/357 and 9mm and 40 as well. Once you use a progressive you will never go back to single stage.........Make sure you take the time to get everything set up perfectly from the beginning and you can cruise.

Finally got to use the 550. It makes ammo just fine. Takes a little repetition to get the flow down. Nice machine, but so is the Hornady.

Why would loading and shooting more cause you to lose your savings? In fact, most of the components can be purchased at a lesser price per component if you purchase a lot as opposed to a few. I don't understand your logic. It seems logical to me that if you shoot 5000 reloaded rounds using 1000 pieces of brass reloaded 5 times each, you would see a significant savings if you compared that to purchasing 5000 factory rounds.

As I mentioned earlier, you get to shoot more for the same money.