Yup, horrible press!
For real I am new to this? I am hoping your are being sarcastic
My first press
- Thread starter Scott.C
- Start date
For real I am new to this? I am hoping your are being sarcastic
Because the assumption was the OP was looking for a single stage. You took another step towards progressive.....
The question was between a RCBS and Lee single stage press...and the Dillon 550B is none of those
If you think you got a good/fair price on your press (any pretty much any other from any other major company as well)...then you did well. To each their own and when it comes down to the press itself, IMO, it's really more of a question of what do you want to do and how do you intend on doing it. Some guys are just fine with producing 100's of rounds of pistol ammo on a single stange...others like their auto-indexing 1 pull=1 round setups. Some guys must have hand dies and an arbor press and others are just as happy with an old Lee kit that you deprime/resize cases by wacking it with a mallet. More than a few guys will use a single stage press to resize and prime and then put their primed cases through a progressive press to flare/charge/seat/crimp.
There's A LOT of different ways to go about things...IMO, the important thing is to understand what you're doing so you can be as safe as possible. If you're starting out...research from trusted sources, go slow, check often, start with safe loads and make small changes.
I think someone was just poking fun a bit at your worry that your purchase wasn't a good one. Sarcasm isn't always communicated as intended on forums.
If you think you got a good/fair price on your press (any pretty much any other from any other major company as well)...then you did well. To each their own and when it comes down to the press itself, IMO, it's really more of a question of what do you want to do and how do you intend on doing it. Some guys are just fine with producing 100's of rounds of pistol ammo on a single stange...others like their auto-indexing 1 pull=1 round setups. Some guys must have hand dies and an arbor press and others are just as happy with an old Lee kit that you deprime/resize cases by wacking it with a mallet. More than a few guys will use a single stage press to resize and prime and then put their primed cases through a progressive press to flare/charge/seat/crimp.
There's A LOT of different ways to go about things...IMO, the important thing is to understand what you're doing so you can be as safe as possible. If you're starting out...research from trusted sources, go slow, check often, start with safe loads and make small changes.
I think someone was just poking fun a bit at your worry that your purchase wasn't a good one. Sarcasm isn't always communicated as intended on forums.
The 550b isn't a single stage press like the original poster was talking about. No need to worry about your Dillon though, it is indeed an excellent press. I have one myself and love it for reloading in greater volumes.
I also have a Lee single stage as well and I use this when reloading precision ammo for my rifles. I can't really comment on the RCBS presses, but the Lee press has met my requirements without complaint. Only thing I didn't like was Lee's scale which I found incredibly annoying. So it was replaced pretty quickly with a digital scale.
The question was between a RCBS and Lee single stage press...and the Dillon 550B is none of those
If you think you got a good/fair price on your press (any pretty much any other from any other major company as well)...then you did well. To each their own and when it comes down to the press itself, IMO, it's really more of a question of what do you want to do and how do you intend on doing it. Some guys are just fine with producing 100's of rounds of pistol ammo on a single stange...others like their auto-indexing 1 pull=1 round setups. Some guys must have hand dies and an arbor press and others are just as happy with an old Lee kit that you deprime/resize cases by wacking it with a mallet. More than a few guys will use a single stage press to resize and prime and then put their primed cases through a progressive press to flare/charge/seat/crimp.
There's A LOT of different ways to go about things...IMO, the important thing is to understand what you're doing so you can be as safe as possible. If you're starting out...research from trusted sources, go slow, check often, start with safe loads and make small changes.
I think someone was just poking fun a bit at your worry that your purchase wasn't a good one. Sarcasm isn't always communicated as intended on forums.
It all comes down to several items.
- How much are you willing to spend? - The base press plus accessories, dies, verniers, scales, etc...
- How much time are you willing to spend reloading? - dependant on sheer time scale (a couple hours a week?), repeatable accuracy (press flex?)
- How much are you reloading and for what desired purpose? - a couple boxes a year per calibre type for acceptable hunting? Plinking? F-Class Long distance shooting?
- How long do you want the press to last? - Return on Investment, maintenance rates/upkeep, rebuilding/retuning
Once you have the above mapped out you can get a better idea of what you can get that will suit your needs. Lee presses are inexpensive, but may have more flex/tuning issues. RCBS presses are reknowned for durability (I have my uncle's old press which I still use for load development, it's easily 40 years old).
It all depends on what YOU want.
No trimming, no real powder measure, only good for a single calibre, but has been used successfully for eons. Stupidly cheap too @ $40 USD for rifle calibres.
A smaller RCBS kit can be used for nearly all calibres, but has no dies, calipers or trimming equipment. Roughly $250 USD
It becomes what you are willing to spend and your requirements...
Jarlath brings up a great point - People have been loading everything from plinking junk rounds, to hunting rounds, to ultra-precise competition grade match ammo for decades with that Lee Loader... And it's literally just a fancy, hollow metal stick!
This whole reloading bit is really not that massively complicated...
This whole reloading bit is really not that massively complicated...
Rory McCanuck
CGN Regular
- Location
- Middle of Manitoba
Oh, but it is, and the only way you could possibly make accurate ammo is with my latest do-dad, which I'm introducing for the low, low price of...
Reloaders also seem to be among the absolute worst for arguing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. Resize, replace the primer, powder and seat a bullet. It really is that simple.
We tend to obsess about presses, which might actually be the least important piece of the puzzle. The Lee Loader replaces the press with a hammer!
I inherited an old, 3/4 worn out aluminum Pacific C press. The stress from resizing my first case on it opened up a hidden crack. Gouged out the crack, took it to someone with an aluminum welder, and put it into service. Makes some pretty good ammo, and it's a neat press, it will work on the up or down stroke of the handle.
Other than what I've read about the Smart Reloader stuff, I really don't think there are any "bad" presses out there. My LGS has a Dillon set up that every time I go in I give a lecherous leer and the occasional fondle... I really wish I could justify enticing it into the car. My charm isn't working, only cold hard cash.
