Where is the best deal for a progessive?

DancesWithEmptyCasings

DancesWithEmptyCasings

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Hey folks, though a single stage guy myself. I friend's wife has put me to task to find her husband a progressive press for his Birthday. He is new to reloading so a package deal would be the best bet. He mainly shoots 9mm, 45ACP, and 357. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
How much money is there in the exchequer? Lee is the cheapest but seems to require a bit of fooling about to get it to run well up to a Dillon 1050 which is commercial equipment
 
"New to reloading" and "progressive press" usually aren't a good mix. I say "usually" because there are always exceptions. I would recommend the Lee Cast Turret instead. He can run it like a single stage at first, and then as a turret once he's got the feel of things.

If he really does want a progressive, I'd go for either a Dillon Square Deal B (for pistol calibers only) or a RL550 (useful for pistol or rifle). The 550 can also be used like a turret, since it is not auto indexing. If he only will have one press going forward, the RL550 makes more sense.
 
Bass Pro has some Lee turret press kits for $220 I think. I haven’t looked at them too closely but seems like a good way to get in the game.
Maybe my wife will see this post. Or maybe she is the wife in question.....
Who am I kidding, new BBQ tools for me again.
 
DancesWithEmptyCasings said:
Hey folks, though a single stage guy myself. I friend's wife has put me to task to find her husband a progressive press for his Birthday. He is new to reloading so a package deal would be the best bet. He mainly shoots 9mm, 45ACP, and 357. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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I would tend towards a Dillon 550 with that criteria in mind. Anvil tough, simple to setup, and it can grow with you as your needs change. Certainly works for new reloaders as there is not a lot of moving parts to go wrong.
 
I vote for the Dillon square deal B if he's mainly doing pistol loads. Best progressive for the money...and if he wants to upgrade later he will sell it easily for top dollar. Dillon customer care is awesome.
 
While I think Dillon makes good stuff the idea of a progressive (550) that doesn't auto index leaves me cold. I have two Lee Loadmasters which I am very happy with but I am not deterred by a little tinkering which they occasionally need. Discounting the 550 because of the non-indexing I would have a close look at the Hornady progressive. Cheaper than the Dillon 650 (great press but major $$$), well built and has the same features. Hornady also has good customer service.
 
I'd think a Dillon 550 would be the best for a progressive and a new reloader that wants to do 3 different calibers. Caliber swaps are quick and conversions kits/tool heads are readily available.

One can easily crank out 350 rounds per hour with the 550.

The lack of auto indexing isn't an issue for me and in my opinion, makes it a more versatile press. You can use it like a single stage, turret press, or progressive (w/manual indexing). Once I get into the rhythm with the 550 the indexing is so quick and second nature. It's also nice to have manual indexing for the odd hiccup like a bullet falling over and getting crushed by the seating die.
 
Ask around if there are people in your neck of the woods to see if someone has a progressive press to play with ..... think of o it as a try before you buy to see if you like it .......all depending how much you wanna crank out and what you wanna do to ......if your around Sudbury hit me up I have the 650 .... with many options
It’s a lot to throu a few $$$$$ at and then if you don’t like. Well..... it’s money lost cause you won’t get it back if you try to sell it
Ask around !!!people who reload are very helpful
Hope this helps
 
There are often good deals on Hornady presses on Amazon. Several sellers periodically drop prices as well.

Got my progressive with free shipping and total price with tax was well under the cheapest FLGS.

Right now there is a Hornady progressive auto indexing with free shipping on Amazon for $660 Canadian
 
I got my hornady LnL AP for 450$ including taxes and shipping from an amazon seller.

A progressive without auto-indexing isn't worth it imo. I think people who buy a 550 want dillon but can't a afford a real dillon so they get a 550 instead. Better get a 650 or go with a less expensive brand.
 
VinnyQC said:
I got my hornady LnL AP for 450$ including taxes and shipping from an amazon seller.

A progressive without auto-indexing isn't worth it imo. I think people who buy a 550 want dillon but can't a afford a real dillon so they get a 550 instead. Better get a 650 or go with a less expensive brand.
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I have seen one from the US that has the hornady listed at $459CAN and was wondering about shipping duties... it looks like a fantastic deal. Best I have seen in canada is Bass Pro at 599
 
DancesWithEmptyCasings said:
Hey folks, though a single stage guy myself. I friend's wife has put me to task to find her husband a progressive press for his Birthday. He is new to reloading so a package deal would be the best bet. He mainly shoots 9mm, 45ACP, and 357. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't like to be tasked with that decision. In fact I wouldn't do it. I'd tell her to get a gift certificate.

Picking out a progressive press is subjective, dependant on personal perception, taste, experience, etc. If it were me I'd tell the woman she'd do better to get a gift certificate from Tenda and let hubby decide what makes him happiest. If she doesn't understand that - just ask her if she would like her hubby to pick out new shoes for her as a surprise b'day gift, or if a gift certificate wouldn't be a better idea. Same thing.

If hubby doesn't know which progressive press he wants, then he isn't ready for it.
 
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This is definitely the sort of gift that requires end user input.

That said, a Dillon 550 is a good entry-level press that does well with moderate volumes of a variety of rifle and pistol cartridges. Manual indexing is not an issue unless you are using a case feeder: the left hand indexes the shellplate as the right hand picks a case from the bin.

Conversely, if you know you want a case feeder, the 650 would absolutely be the way to go, both because it is auto-indexing and because it isn't really meant to operate without a case feeder.
 
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