looking to getting into reloading my own 9mm and .223 for IPSC/Multigun, my biggest reluctance for getting into reloading has been being able to find time, but i've convinced myself that I can find the time if just wait until I'm ready to load up 10k "at a time" (yes I realize this would still be a few days) so now I'm trying to decide on a press/setup. obviously the dillion 650 seems to be extremely popular and easy to find, but my question is I notice theres a ton of options and add ons for these presses so what are the parts a guy would need to get to get a setup for the high volume loading I'm looking to get into. alternatively are there other suggestions for a press/setup that would suit my needs more that may be cheaper. I don't extacly have the money for a dillion 1050 with an autodrive pro, lol, although that would be sweet, just looking for the cheapest and most time efficient setup.
high volume begginer setup?
- Thread starter welder179
- Start date
I'm pretty new to reloading and also bought a progressive for loading bulk 9mm & 223
I bought a Dillon 650. They aren't cheap but I love it, seems well made and should last my lifetime. Please note I don't have any experience with any other progressive presses from any other brand but I looked into this pretty deep before I purchased and figured that the Dillon was the best all round setup for me.
A couple of links I found helpful (from this very forum) are:
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...691-dillon-lee-hornady-progressive-comparison
http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillonLeeHornadyComparison.pdf
For accessories the sky is the limit. The good news is you can start out basic and figure out what you want/need from there. I've already added a mount, bullet tray, 2 separate heads for 9mm & 223 (so I can swap between calibers quickly/easily and not mess up my die/powder setup), case feeder and a heap of other stuff I'm forgetting
I bought a Dillon 650. They aren't cheap but I love it, seems well made and should last my lifetime. Please note I don't have any experience with any other progressive presses from any other brand but I looked into this pretty deep before I purchased and figured that the Dillon was the best all round setup for me.
A couple of links I found helpful (from this very forum) are:
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...691-dillon-lee-hornady-progressive-comparison
http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillonLeeHornadyComparison.pdf
For accessories the sky is the limit. The good news is you can start out basic and figure out what you want/need from there. I've already added a mount, bullet tray, 2 separate heads for 9mm & 223 (so I can swap between calibers quickly/easily and not mess up my die/powder setup), case feeder and a heap of other stuff I'm forgetting
yeah I know enough about reloading to know that I want a progressive for sure no doubt. if I could just win the lottery and not ever have to worry about ammo and just buy match grade ammo by the thousands it would be nice, lol. but since that hasn't happened yet, I think ill just have to start getting into reloading.
you mention that rifle brass is a pain to reload? can you elaborate on that.
For the most part pistol brass goes from the tumbler to the press. Rifle brass may need (or you may choose to include) other steps such as primer-pocket cleaning, trim-chamfer-debur, or annealing, that will require off-press steps. Moving brass off the press negates many of the speed benefits of a progressive.
Alright, I see what you mean, most of what your talking about is news to me though. For my purpose of just reloading .223 range brass for blasting through an AR with a 5.56 chamber, I'm not exactly looking for 1/4 moa acuraccy. You know like poppers are 8" at 100yrds, so just gotta be close. So what exactly of those extra steps you speak of matter or not
If I may suggest something: don't reload 223. The savings on plinking 223 are minimal at best, and you still have to prep the brass which is a pita. If you have limited time, better spend all that time in a calibre that delivers more rounds per hour. And in that case, you'll happen to be more cost efficient too because you save more $$$ per round on 9mm than on 223.
Here's my post where I detail my 650 setup for doing 223. You can see my entire process including all the part I use. As I have said before in other posts, it's not a cheap setup but my time is worth more than the cost of all my equipment. 223 reloading is like a warm knife through butter for me now.
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...uto-rifles?p=14671226&viewfull=1#post14671226
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...uto-rifles?p=14671226&viewfull=1#post14671226
just having some fun
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
10k at a time = if you have a problem or want to change you load you could be pulling lots of bullets
Start small = 1 range visit
work up 2 range visits
what you would use in a month
I use a 650 and a 550. The 650 has a case feeder and dedicated to one calibr.
The 550 is used for many pistol and rifle calibers, with a tool head for each so the dies are all ready to go. Change over takes about 15 minutes.
The 550 cranks out 9 rounds a minute. This is quite fast compared to a non-progressive.
The 550 is used for many pistol and rifle calibers, with a tool head for each so the dies are all ready to go. Change over takes about 15 minutes.
The 550 cranks out 9 rounds a minute. This is quite fast compared to a non-progressive.
You can check the SDB too. It only makes pistol rounds, but if you don't reload 223 like I suggest, it's a good option, and if you choose to have dedicated press per calibre, you'll have that one for 9mm.
650 with both case and bullet feeder is the way to go to reload 10k/month though. At 10k/month you might even want to check for a 1050.
650 with both case and bullet feeder is the way to go to reload 10k/month though. At 10k/month you might even want to check for a 1050.
I'm going to suggest you don't just pick up range brass and throw it through the tumbler then straight to the progressive.
Even if you don't worry about trimming, every piece of brass should be inspected before it's loaded. I've seen once fired brass with cracked necks (mostly that Norinco garbage) and you don't want to be blindly loading brass of unknown origin, for all you know that brass you picked up was my old brass that after 15 reloads I finally retired to the grass.
This is why I usually steer people new to reloading away from a progressive until they get the fundamentals down. I blew up a brand new HK USP tactical about a month after I bought my progressive. It was a definite wake up call that even with pistol rounds you're dealing with some extreme forces that could kill you or the people around you.
Even though the progressive speeds up the reloading process you can't just skip steps in your brass sorting and preparation or you'll likely end up with problems.
To speed things up rifle loading I bought an RCBS case prep center and recently upgraded to the Fulton Armoury case trim and prep center, I also bought an RCBS chargemaster combo.
For pistols I use my progressive but every piece of brass goes through my fingers for inspection after the tumbler before it goes into the brass hopper.
Progressive presses are a great tool but you still need to be part of the process, sober, no distractions, and organized. Every round that comes out of the back end of the press should also be inspected quickly before it's tossed in the bucket (I use empty large peanut butter jars to hold my pistol rounds).
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This is all solid advice. OP I'm going to make the same recommendation many do: start your reloading on a single stage, even a cheap one. It forces you to learn each step individually rather than try to learn all the steps at once on a progressive. Different tools and operations can have varying degrees of quirkiness that take a little experience to master. Getting those fundamentals down at each step will put you in a better position to get going on the progressive. Simply put, its a smoother learning curve. And that single stage press will always have a use in your reloading setup. Its really the hammer of any reloading kit. You can make do without one but for how often you'll want it, its best to have it sitting there.
I currently own a 450, 550, and 650 and I agree with the last couple post re starting with a single stage, however there is an alternative that can balance both your learning curve and the desire for a progressive: a dillon 550. I started with a 550 30 years ago and have had no problems with my learning curve because with a 550 you can use it like a single stage even though you set it up for progressive. how? because it doesn't auto advance. so you set up station #1 and learn how to set your sizing die and resize properly. you can then handle each piece and prime, again at station #1. you can then charge manually with a scale or use the powder measure n #2. etc for the rest of the station (I'm sure you get the point i am making). one things to consider is that you need all of the same secondary equipment e.g. scale whether you use a single stage or progressive, so the main cost difference is the press. All depends with you general abilities and comfort level with mechanical devices
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I would also add that you should be case gauging all of your bulk semi-auto reloads (preferable with JP or Sheridan Engineering case guages). Using range brass means that brass hardness (and spring back) will differ from case to case. So even using the same dies, your resized brass will have different length/diameter. Might cause intermittent ammo issues (depending on the work hardening of the brass).
Saw 3 reloaded ammo incidents while RO at a rifle match yesterday. Two were failure to extract and failure to chamber due to sizing issues. One was a case separation near the shoulder causing the next round to fail to chamber.
Remember that bulk/volume loading increases the probability of issues that would otherwise be rare. I'd invest in QA and also mitigate risks where I could. Just my 2 cents.
Saw 3 reloaded ammo incidents while RO at a rifle match yesterday. Two were failure to extract and failure to chamber due to sizing issues. One was a case separation near the shoulder causing the next round to fail to chamber.
Remember that bulk/volume loading increases the probability of issues that would otherwise be rare. I'd invest in QA and also mitigate risks where I could. Just my 2 cents.
