New Press Advice

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Chef40

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Alright guys, I am coming to the group to get some advice on a new press.

What I have now is a Lee Pro 1000 setup for 9mm and 45 ACP with a bullet feeder, case collector and powder dropper. While the Lee is a half decent press its..... prone to ..... issues.

I am looking to get into the world of Dillon either Square B or 550B.

My question to you guys is what is better suited for making 9mm and .45ACP and what do exactly do I need to get going on Dillons (do I need new dies, do I need more dies). I shoot IDPA so I do need to pump out a few hundred rounds a sitting.

Should I look at RCBS or Hornady progressives.

Thanks,
Greg
 
Depending on your budget and how much you want to reload and which calibers you want to reload.
If you only want to reload pistol calibers the Square Deal is a good choice but you are limited by dies and only being able to reload pistol calibers.
The 550 is a better deal as you are able to reload both pistol and rifle calibers, you can use the dies you have with the 550 and 650 so that is a bonus, switching between large and small primers is a lot easier on the 550 than the 650, you can also get a case feeder from Dillon for the 550 but that is more or less if you are loading lots of rounds in a single day or just want it and changing between calibers is a simple swap of the tool head from 9mm to .45ACP. But the 550 is a manual progressive (in some terms) as you need to manually index the shell plate unlike the 650 and square deal.
The 650 is a fantastic press if you are going to load large volumes of ammo cause you can get a bullet feeder as well, its a little more expensive but people I know who have them say they wouldn't go back unless loading match ammo with a single stage press.
The Hornady Lock and Load progressive press is also another progressive press which you can look at as well, a little cheaper than a Dillon but its worth a look as well.
Personally, I like the 550 a little more than the 650 in terms of taking my time to load all my ammo, it takes up very little space and looks like some blue art piece attached to my table.
 
As 243pete says, 550 vs 650, versatility vs performance.
You probably already know about Brian Enos site. Hi is Dillon centric, but has good analysis of both machines.
 
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During the last 18 months, I have done about 200 hours of research on what would be a good press for me. I have a old Lee Turrent Press similar to your Lee 1000. I can pretty much afford whatever I want but I always seem to go back to the Dillon 550B. For the amount of ammo I load its a perfect press and can do rifle as well as pistol. It can do the long action stuff like 30.06 too which is a great option. Dillon's quality and service are second to nobody and in the more expensive presses, primer feed is really important in a progressive press, and Dillon seems to have the best and most reliable primer feed system out there.

I have reloaded thousands of rounds on my Lee Turrent, 3 strokes for each round created and now parts are getting in short supply for the auto indexing system, the metal parts are not available anymore so I have been looking to replace it. I may have a shiny new Dillon for Christmas :)
 
Chef40 said:
Ok, so what exactly is manual indexing?
Click to expand...

Manual indexing means that unlike in a progressive press like a Dillon 650 or the Super 1050 and the Hornady Lock and Load, with each pull of the ram/ arm of the press the shell plate moves one position (like from the depriming/ resizing die to the powder drop, from the powder drop to the bullet seating die and from the bullet seating die to the crimp die.) manual just means you need to move the shell plate with your finger or thumb instead of automatically moving for you.
 
manual indexing on a progressive is so retarded it should not exist.
to me, that defeats the purpose. Pay big bucks to hand index? really?
 
The manual indexing of the 550b is not a huge deal once you get into a groove, and you can pump out the loads much faster and with better consistency than using the Lee press. I can easily produce 300-400 rounds per hour without breaking a sweat and still checking the odd round for powder and OAL.

For the money the 550b is hands down the best press you can buy.
 
A point often overlooked when comparing the 550B to the 650 is the fact that the 650 has an extra hole for a case by case powder checker station. Makes the powder metering in the progressive press "idiot proof" and worth the extra $100 bucks alone.
 
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