Reloading presses

[pickax]

I'm reminded again on the expertise here in shooting sports. After suffering sticker shock from recent ammo prices, it's definately time to reload.

Looking for a progressive type setup that will handle 9mm pistol thru 30 cal. rifle cases. I guess ruggedness, reliability and powder accuracy would be the guiding factors here.

Also some shopping tips for supplies would be helpful. Thanks all.

 

[sonicspeed]

dillon

clicky

 

[USMC CWO]

Definitely go with Dillon if you have the money. If you want to go for cheap, RCBS and Lee have some decent models.

 

[TriggerT]

Dillon 550. It will reload almost every single caliber other than a .50 BMG. Their warranty is the best in the business.

I have had my Dillon pres for 15 years now, and have reloaded probably close to a million rounds without a single problem.

 

[jekirby]

+1 on the dillon altough I prefer the Hornaday L-N-L progressive for the powder measure. If you use extruded powders you do not tend to get cut sticks. I have shooting friends with Dillons and they comment on how changing charges is a pain. The culver type of measure is easier to change charges.The L-N-L is also self indexing...not a huge concern but for the same price.... Also you will like the Dillon catalog, The Blue Press. I just have a single stage Rock Chukker but when I get a progressive, either on would suit me...come to thinks of it one could put a Harrell Precision powder measure on the Hornady easier than the Dillon. Hornaday may still be running a deal that gives you free bullets with purchase. Good luck, good shooting.

 

[sonicspeed]

i used to be a competition shooter (ispc) and i had a dillon square deal. i loaded a many of .45's on that thing

 

[Toynut]

If you plan to load a ton of pistol loads or .223 for varmint shooting, go with a Dillon 550 or 650 with an electric case feeder (I have both with a small collection of die holder/powder measures already set up for pet loads). If you are loading for competition rifle or a couple of boxes for a hunting rifle, there are many excellent single stage turret head presses for that kind of work. Personally, it is easier to get a load worked up for accuracy with a good Harrell's Precision measure and/or a Pact powder dispenser/electronic scale than a Dillon powder scale on a progressive machine. Buy the optional electronic charge detector for it, too.

Be wary of using fast burning powders (easy to double charge) or certain ball powders W296 (non homogenous ball propellent size leads to charge weight creep) in a guillotine style powder dispenser. Charge creep and double charges are a very real possibility if you are not absolutely vigilant on the process.

You must take sample charge weight measurements regularly for safety /uniformity reasons.

 

[jekirby]

i used to be a competition shooter (ispc) and i had a dillon square deal. i loaded a many of .45's on that thing

Had a local (east coast anyway) dealer fill me in on the square deal. He convinced me on how much of a pain changing caliburs on the SD was. If you don't change caliburs ever he told me the square deal was the way to go. Your experiences/feed back.

 

[sgoat]

Long time Dillon 550 user. Can't say enough good things about it. I started 30 years ago with an RCBS rockchucker but quickly outgrew it. Save yourself that entry level step and get a 550. For the majority of us, it will handle your reloading needs for the rest of your life. Good luck and keep em' in the 10 ring!

 

[sonicspeed]

i used to be a competition shooter (ispc) and i had a dillon square deal. i loaded a many of .45's on that thing

Had a local (east coast anyway) dealer fill me in on the square deal. He convinced me on how much of a pain changing caliburs on the SD was. If you don't change caliburs ever he told me the square deal was the way to go. Your experiences/feed back.

all i shot at the time was .45 so i never changed the dies. was pretty simple in the setup if you take your time. once you get everything set, you can churn out a bunch of rounds quick. there for a couple of years i was turning out a couple thousand rounds a week and never had any trouble at all with my SD. if you only use 1 caliber and rarely change your load, it is the way to go

 

[El Gordo]

I haven't been shooting for a long time, but I used to reload...a lot.

I liked the Dillions for handgun and small rifle calibres but didn't like it for larger rifle rounds (like 7 mm Rem Mag). For those, I prefered the Metalic II progressive press.

If you are doing any volume, carbide dies are worth the extra money.

Round shaped (ball) powders go though powder measurers smoother and more accurately than rod shaped powders.

If you take your time and develop loads for specific firearms, you can shoot much better ammo for about a 1/4 of the cost.

 

[evil_henchman]

With most of my stuff being semi auto and in NATO calibers most of my brass and ammo is military surplus because it's a lot cheaper and most often, better. The primers are crimped in on that stuff and have to be trimmed so using a progressive press of any kind isn't an option (for me). Besides I've always been anal about cleaning primer pockets so reloading has always been a slow and tedious process that kinda takes the fun out of shooting. It can also be a real money pit with all your "savings" being spent on gear. You might check here before you jump off the reloading cliff. The Lithuanian stuff is excellent. This place gives you a credit for your brass and their match ammo is as good as anything I can hand load.

 

[pickax]

Thanks for the links and advice eveyone. Especially the double charge warning. Looks like the 550 will work nicely with ball powders.

I have an old redding single stage I can use with a precision powder measure for accurate "06 and .308 loads. (if I ever get to shooting accurately)

I know getting set up can get expensive initially, but I used to enjoy just turning out 50 shells nightly and think it'll be fun again.

Got some reading and shopping to do

 

[Charlie Hoss]

Gunny on the Dillon RL550B, It is great for any caliber that you will be loading lots of. In my case, I have a cheap press, a Lee turret model that I use for some rifle ctgs that I would only load a box or two at a time.

The Dillon takes a while to set up for different ctgs, especially when you need to change the primer feed tube, the powder charge bar, shellholder and die holder. I try to load as many as practical of a given caliber once it's set up.

Its quite easy and fast to change calibers if the primers are the same and the charge bar doesn't neet to be changed out.

For pistol ctgs, I get better results by using a seperate crimping die from the seating die to get a better crimp. (Step 3-seat bullet, Step4-crimp case) Taper crimp dies can be purchased individually for auto pistol ctgs. The Dillon die sets can be a bit pricey. I sometimes buy a die set by Lee or RCBS and an extra crimp die. Most good gun shops have used die sets for cheap that work fine.

Ammo prices seem to be going thru the roof as are components, but you'll still save a bunch of money when you reload and often your reloads will be superior to factory stuff.

 

[Powerman]

I use the Dillon 550B with a strong mount and roller handle.

Separate taper crimp die.

I usually load 40cal and 10mm.

 

[Wingman]

Hard to recommend anything without knowing what caliber or calibers you intend to load and quanities involved. Rifle or pistol? A hundred rounds per month or thousands? I would recommend a beginner start of with a single stage press in most cases. Progressive presses are great if you have lots of rounds to load and limited time available, but are more complex and will take a lot longer to start saving money due to larger initial investment.

If you want to load rifle rounds (especially if accuracy is important) you will probably want a single stage press, with or without a turret top. If a mix of rifle and smaller quanities of pistol ammo, go for a single stage with turret.

If large quanties or many different calibers are in your future the dillon 550 or 650 with casefeeder would be my first chioce. Dillon's square deal is a good deal "if" you feel that you will only reload one caliber because the dies are not interchangable with other presses and changing calibers is a bit more involved than the 550 or 650.

Be aware that the progressive presses are a bit more complicated to set up and operate, with more chances for something to go wrong. For months there was a primer rod stuck in the ceiling of my brother's garage as a reminder to always treat those primers with the respect they deserve. :huh: If anything seems out of the ordinary, stop immediately and check it out. Safety glasses should be a must any time you are handling powder and/or primers.

The biggest contributor to accuracy is getting a consistent powder charge. I like the Vihtavouri powders, but they don't meter well in most powder dumps. The ball powders meter better than the extruded powders in most powder dumps. If you are looking to save money, Clays can be used to load pistol rounds if you choose bullet weights that will work with it. It does not fill the cases well and not the most consistent as a result, but will definitely save money.

David

 

[TriggerT]

Oh, by the way, You might want to check out the Enos shooting Forum (same kind of format as this forum) for data on reloads and more general loading and shooting information than you could absorb in a lifetime.

https://www.brianenos.com/forums/

I can't recommend the Enos Forum highly enough.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Oh, by the way, You might want to check out the Enos shooting Forum (same kind of format as this forum) for data on reloads and more general loading and shooting information than you could absorb in a lifetime.
https://www.brianenos.com/forums/

I can't recommend the Enos Forum highly enough.

Actually, on that note, there is a guy on the Enos forum RIGHT NOW who has a Dillon 550 with everything you need to load all the .45 you can handle. I think he only wants about $400. If you buy it, you will get Dillon's life-time warranty, so if anything EVER breaks, they will replace it. With the progressive loader, you can load about 4-5 hundred rounds an hour. I would not get anything other than a progressive.

 

[Grumpy]

Anyone have comments about Hornady progressive press?

jim