Beginner help

NathanM

NathanM

Member
Rating - 100%
4   0   0
I would like to get into reloading for 9mm 5.56 and .308.

Here is my question for 9mm and 5.56 i want to reload for bulk. Should i get a progressive reloader like the dillon xl750? Or start off with a single stage press kit?
.308 will be precision round so a single stage or could i use a progressive reloader?

I am all about buy once cry once
 
Last edited:
What sort of volume are we talking about? More rounds per hour costs in terms of equipment. If you only need to make maybe 150 rounds per hour for 9mm or 223 to feed your habit then a single stage will get you into reloading for cheaper. A fully set up Dillon 750 can produce between 500 to 600 rounds per hour on full progressive mode but the setup will cost you 15x what a nice single stage costs.

So it comes down to cost in dollars where you can buy the ability to make a lot of ammo in a hurry or cost in time where you go with a much less expensive single stage and put in more time at the loading bench to make the numbers you need. Both options make fine ammo. The real decision is money vs time.

A middle of the road option between the full fledged "almost commercial" setup of a 750 and a single stage may be a Dillon 550. It's a manual advance machine which allows the casings to be removed and re-inserted at any of the four positions. When I use mine progressively I can comfortably put out around 350 rounds an hour. And if I get moving a little closer to 400.

Now the interesting thing about the 550 is that it can easily be used as a full progressive, semi progressive or even a single stage "one pull for each operation" press. There's little buttons that retain the cases in each position which can be removed and allow me to remove or insert cases anywhere in the chain of operations.

I load .44-40 black powder rounds for my cowboy action fun. I don't have the right powder measure for doing this progressively. My Dillon allows me to easily interrupt the process and remove the casings after sizing, priming and flaring out to a block for powder dropping. Then once filled I can re-insert at the seating station and move the case on after seating to the crimping station.

For your .308 rifle rounds I'm thinking a universal decapping die to let you remove the primer for cleaning without messing up your sizing die. Clean cases fresh from the trimmer, if needed, would go into either a full length sizer or a neck only sizer then be removed for powdering. Then back into the seating position for seating the bullet and if needed a second step for crimping. This is very much using the press as a single stage that happens to have multiple die positions. A bit like a Lee four position auto stepping press but without the auto step around.

Then with a swap of a few parts you're back and ready to rock with full progressive on the other two calibers at 350 to 400 rounds per hour.

The downside cost wise to this is that you need a shell plate conversion kit for each size at around $50 currently plus a die plate at around $25. But it avoids the need for a separate single stage press.... And there's that little fact that a 550 is currently around $650 from what I've seen.

If you will be expanding into more precision rifle sizes at some point the cost of the shell plates and extra die plates might add up pretty quick to the cost of a nice single stage. That's something you'd need to consider. On the other hand if room is a bit tight then there's something nice about needing only one main machine.

The next step up from a 550 is the 650 at just under $900 without a case feeder and $1300 with feeder.

If you go onto You Tube you'll find lots of videos of folks using all three of 550, 650 and 750. You should be able to get a pretty good idea of how serious you want to get with your dollars.
 
If you're going to load bulk anything than get yourself a 650/750. You can use a progressive to load .308 but I think most will point you towards a single stage setup for precision rifle rounds.
 
So seems dillon 550 would be best?

I dont mind loading 300 rounds per hour of 9mm and 5.56 over the course of a week, i will be happy with that. Looking to have 2k of each on hand or more.

.308 i would be happy with just 200 rounds of it on hand.

I seem to lean towards the dillon for their warranty and ability to upgrade.

I saw Tenda has the dillon xl750 for $869 it comes with
Electric Casefeeder
Roller Handle
Strong Mount
Bullet Tray
Powdercheck Die
Low Powder Sensor
Die set
 
Last edited:
NathanM said:
So seems dillon 550 would be best?

I dont mind loading 300 rounds per hour of 9mm and 5.56 over the course of a week, i will be happy with that. Looking to have 2k of each on hand or more.

.308 i would be happy with just 200 rounds of it on hand.

I seem to lean towards the dillon for their warranty and ability to upgrade.

I saw Tenda has the dillon xl750 for $869 it comes with
Electric Casefeeder
Roller Handle
Strong Mount
Bullet Tray
Powdercheck Die
Low Powder Sensor
Die set
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure those items are not included and as such are extras.
 
NathanM said:
So seems dillon 550 would be best?

I dont mind loading 300 rounds per hour of 9mm and 5.56 over the course of a week, i will be happy with that. Looking to have 2k of each on hand or more.

.308 i would be happy with just 200 rounds of it on hand.

I seem to lean towards the dillon for their warranty and ability to upgrade.

I saw Tenda has the dillon xl750 for $869 it comes with
Electric Casefeeder
Roller Handle
Strong Mount
Bullet Tray
Powdercheck Die
Low Powder Sensor
Die set
Click to expand...

It will always depend on how much you shoot.

Shoot a lot of pistol ammo, bulk rifle = 650/750
Shoot a medium amount of pistol ammo, some precision rifle = 550
Shoot a little amount of pistol ammo, some precision rifle = Turret/Single

If you want a self indexing progressive press look for a gently used 650 on the EE.
 
The most versatile is the Dillon 550. You can inspect at you leisure if you make mistake. Easy to change caliber and you can even use it as a single press if you want to do that. You can run 300 - 500 rounds an hour when YOU are dialed in and organized.
With a 550 - there is no need for a single stage press.

The 750 is less forgiving and the learning curve is more steep, but if you load a large bundle of ammo, it’s definitely faster.

But as a new reloader, the 550 is more for you than a 750.
 
NathanM said:
So seems dillon 550 would be best?

I dont mind loading 300 rounds per hour of 9mm and 5.56 over the course of a week, i will be happy with that. Looking to have 2k of each on hand or more.

.308 i would be happy with just 200 rounds of it on hand.

I seem to lean towards the dillon for their warranty and ability to upgrade.

I saw Tenda has the dillon xl750 for $869 it comes with
Electric Casefeeder
Roller Handle
Strong Mount
Bullet Tray
Powdercheck Die
Low Powder Sensor
Die set
Click to expand...

I can do 5-600 9mm or 3-400 .223 an hour on my 550.

Case prep time not included, of course.
 
The 550 is a solid choice. I do 45 and 223 on mine. Use a rcbs for precision rounds. I think the 750 and 650 are awesome but my volume doesn’t warrant the upgrade. I can crank out 4-500 rounds of 223 in an hour no problem
 
NathanM said:
How hard is to change the setup for 550?
Click to expand...

not hard at all.

I would suggest NOBODY buy a 650 or 750 who is green. that it to much machine to learn right away. by rights you should buy a single stage press and learn ea step of the way on it. however as has been said the 550 can be used as a single stage press aswell. 550 is a fantastic press in its own right and I have used one for many many years. I just this spring decided to step up and I bought a 750 with all the bells n whistles,case feeder and Mr bullet feeder. took me a couple days to get everything figured out and to work well together. if I had been green I can see it would be a recipie for frustration beyond compare
 
NathanM said:
How hard is to change the setup for 550?
Click to expand...

If you're staying with the same size primers, it's really easy. Assuming you have your different calibers setup on different toolheads.

Swap the toolhead and change the shell plate and buttons. Takes less than 5 minutes.
 
550 doesn't self-index. Kinda crappy. Go for the 650 or 750 if you want to make any kind of volume. Otherwise go for a Hornady AP. As good as a 650 but a bit less expensive. There's no problem starting with a progressive unless you're really considering yourself as not really smart.
 
I was a complete newb and bought a 650 a couple years ago. Didn't get help from anyone to setup. Go slow, watch lots of you-tube videos and read the manuals, invest in a powder check. Buy an inertia hammer to take apart mistakes or rounds that doesn't size check. Watch the Dillon Case Gauge video and explanation about the step on their gauge. Read Dillon's troubleshooting help and videos prior to anything - so you no what goes wrong and how to avoid it.

When you are starting out and making adjustments or tweaks to the press, check your rounds frequently. Check about every 5 out of 20 until you get a feel for what the is going on each time you make an adjustment. If you are a technically minded or, mechanically minded person you will be fine. Just put in the time to read and learn the basics, particularly safety. Once you get it figured out you don't need to check as often. I take the time to check a few every 100 rounds.

650 vs 550? I went with the 650 because of the 5th position. It allows you to use a powder check easily, and also grow into future add-ons, if you ever decide to get them (bullet feeder). With the 550, you don't have as much flexibility, but there is a way for additions.

If you haven't heard of them yet, check-out inline fabrication. They make some high quality mounts and press/tool change systems.

I splurged from day 1, recognizing that Dillon products seem to hold their value well on resale and have a lifetime warranty for most items.

Powder spill a warning: 9mm is a round that tends to be easier to spill powder out of on a progressive due to high fill level and no neck. If you spill, stop. completely clean the press. I found rushed powder clean-ups from a spill result in powder working its way into moving parts and causing more discrepancies in the overall lengths of rounds. Supposedly, +/- 0.003 inch is "typical" according to Dillon.
 
zader1 said:
Powder spill a warning: 9mm is a round that tends to be easier to spill powder out of on a progressive due to high fill level and no neck. If you spill, stop. completely clean the press. I found rushed powder clean-ups from a spill result in powder working its way into moving parts and causing more discrepancies in the overall lengths of rounds. Supposedly, +/- 0.003 inch is "typical" according to Dillon.
Click to expand...

There are several methods for reducing powder spillage (fast(er) powder, cut index ball spring, zip ties etc.) but stopping to clear powder immediately? That sounds time consuming. I disassemble and wipe underneath the shellplate and priming system every 10K or so. Compressed air does a nice job after a reloading session.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom