progressive press which one would you choose..??????

[CRAZYLOCH]

For SURE LEE LOADMASTER!!! GREAT Value for around $350 full SET!! All dies all IN. IF on a Budget Lee 1000 Pro for $250! everything you need inside the BOX ready to Reload! AWESOME warranrty

Lee Load master 5 dies

Lee 1000 Pro 3 Dies

 

[eurovw]

I have no doubt Dillon is the best. Having said that, I have a Hornady LNL and have had no issues producing thousands of rounds of 32S&W L, 223 Rem and 45ACP. For some reason related to the shell plate, 9mm was problematic.

 

[Kryogen]

I have the loadmaster, and it works, but it's so much trouble to get it to feed and prime reliably.
I gave up on the case feeder (I feed by hand), and I have to hand prime my brass, or inspect every case by hand for proper primer position before I drop powder.

I dont shoot enough right now to justify buying another press.

 

[jjort]

I use the LnL ammo plant with no issues...I would have bought a Dillon but I load too many calibres and the LnL is cheaper to change. I use mostly lee dies on my LnL as I had them already
Once the LnL is set up properly it runs like a champ

 

[Steyr101]

There's not much that hasn't been said.

I used to sell presses (Dillon's) and they advice I gave then still applies.

If you know you will end up with a 1050 eventually, don't waste your time and buy it now (if you can afford it). No point in going through 2-3 presses just to end up with the Cadillac. If you are loading one or two calibers 98% of the time, either the 1050 or 650 will be great. I say that because the caliber conversion are more time consuming on these two machines, especially if you need to switch primer sizes. Also, the 1050 is the only Dillon press not covered by the lifetime warranty as they deem it a commercial machine.

If however, you are loading multiple calibers, and output isn't your biggest concern, a 550 may very well be all you need. No, it isn't auto-indexing but you can still easily
roll out 500+ rounds an hour. That's without the case feeder, which is more gimmicky for the 550 as the press was never designed for one.

No matter what press you buy, buy quick conversions as mentioned and lots of extra primer tubes. The strong mount is a nice to have, as is the bullet tray and roller handle.

Dillon's warranty is legendary. I had someone come into the store once with a mangled 20 year old Dillon they bought on Kijiji. It was beyond repair, but we sent the whole thing in to Dillon anyway. Not surprisingly, a brand spanking new Dillon 550 was sent free of charge as a replacement within a week.

I have a feeling you already know what you want to buy, you're just needing that extra little push to spend the money on a higher end Dillon

 

[hound2013]

There's not much that hasn't been said.

I used to sell presses (Dillon's) and they advice I gave then still applies.

If you know you will end up with a 1050 eventually, don't waste your time and buy it now (if you can afford it). No point in going through 2-3 presses just to end up with the Cadillac. If you are loading one or two calibers 98% of the time, either the 1050 or 650 will be great. I say that because the caliber conversion are more time consuming on these two machines, especially if you need to switch primer sizes. Also, the 1050 is the only Dillon press not covered by the lifetime warranty as they deem it a commercial machine.

If however, you are loading multiple calibers, and output isn't your biggest concern, a 550 may very well be all you need. No, it isn't auto-indexing but you can still easily
roll out 500+ rounds an hour. That's without the case feeder, which is more gimmicky for the 550 as the press was never designed for one.

No matter what press you buy, buy quick conversions as mentioned and lots of extra primer tubes. The strong mount is a nice to have, as is the bullet tray and roller handle.

Dillon's warranty is legendary. I had someone come into the store once with a mangled 20 year old Dillon they bought on Kijiji. It was beyond repair, but we sent the whole thing in to Dillon anyway. Not surprisingly, a brand spanking new Dillon 550 was sent free of charge as a replacement within a week.

I have a feeling you already know what you want to buy, you're just needing that extra little push to spend the money on a higher end Dillon

thanks for the info its a toss up between dillon and hornandy and the expense of all the conversion kits i need >>>> and the biggest thing is to run it past my wife later hound 13

 

[rumrunner64]

Thread like this are getting old, theres hundreds of them.

 

[ricohman]

Thread like this are getting old, theres hundreds of them.

Yup.
And as a guy who is going to buy one of these I find them about the same as a good chevy vs ford thread.
I am moving up from my single stage as its to slow to reload for semi auto pistols. Its fine for rifles and revolvers though so I'm keeping it.
I think I am going to try the Hornady LNL AP.

 

[COREY]

I had a Lee Pro 1000; I got it cheap used and dumped 5 times what I paid for it into parts to get it running correctly (mostly my fault). The primer system was finicky, it leaked powder from the powder charger, which had a nasty habit of not charging 1 out of 10 cases (carried a squib rod everywhere), and spit out mediocre ammo.

I have friends with both Hornady LnL AP's and Dillon 650 XL's. The big seller was that one friend had one LnL for everything and the other, who has more money, had three 650XL's to avoid screwing around with caliber changes. I bought the Hornady as I could not afford the extra presses.

There is nothing wrong with the Dillon's; I do not think I would have looked back if I had bought one. The big thing for me was that Natchez had a big sale and I got the Hornady press for $350 US and most everything else was on sale too. By the time I was done pricing everything out (press, extra powder measure parts, PTX parts, case feeder, case feeder plates, shell plates, powder cop), I think I saved about $300 over the same in Dillon.

The press was finicky for the first 1000 rounds, but I kept at it and adjusted everything until it fed perfectly. I think you could probably switch from 9mm to 45 Colt in about 20 minutes without rushing.

 

[buckbrush]

I had a Dillon 550 for years. I could not come close to 500 rds per hour, 300 to 350 was my max .

 

[irish]

Thread like this are getting old, theres hundreds of them.

Yet you keep reading them

 

[Freedom Ventures]

Thread like this are getting old, theres hundreds of them.

True...they are pretty common. We are a bit.

Posts / Threads that don't exist...
Someone with a Lee Progressive got a Dillon or Hornady and regretted the move.
Someone with a Dillon or Hornady decided to get a Lee Progressive instead.

Posts / Threads plentiful:
Someone with a Lee Progressive that loves it; has never tried anything else.
Someone with a Lee Progressive that hated it and is now happy with something else.

Doesn't take long to figure this one out, does it?

 

[silverfoxdj]

tagged for interest and humour

 

[kingdarb]

I got a Dillon 550. I am happy with it and it is versatile. I generally load around 400 9mm/hr on it without rushing too much.

 

[kingdarb]

I don't necessarily agree with that. I have a 550 which manually indexes and has no case feeder. It was perfect to learn to reload on, and it has never let me down in terms of production quantity. I load 400/hour on it, which meets my needs. If I needed to load 600+ an hour, then I would consider a 650 with a case feeder.

Some people contend that they could get double charges or squibs on a 550 due to the manual indexing. I always look into station 3 before I seat the bullet and I have never had an issue with this.

No matter which manufacturer, buy a press that will A. Auto index and B. Can have a case feeder attached at some time.

 

[kingdarb]

Good lord! Some day I would love to have a 1050. That is a great machine. Until then I will hide in the corner with my 550.

I can do 2600 rounds in an hour on my 1050 if everything goes smoothly. Typically I load around 1600-1800 an hour. Good for a week or so of practice.

 

[Sharps '63]

Looking into the case works with short rds like the .45 ACP, but when I'm loading 44-40 or .45 Colt on my Dillon 550B, I need to remove the case to see inside. I only feel the need to do this if I get out of sequence or become distracted/interrupted. Regardless of the press, reloading is a heads up proposition.

To avoid fatigue or wandering focus, I take a break after 100 rds. I'm after quality, not quantity.

Some people contend that they could get double charges or squibs on a 550 due to the manual indexing. I always look into station 3 before I seat the bullet and I have never had an issue with this.

 

[kingdarb]

Thats a good point. I mostly load 9mm which is easy to see into. Sometimes I load 38spl, which is a bit harder to see into. Personally I stand when I reload anyhoo because it gives me a better view of whats going on.

Looking into the case works with short rds like the .45 ACP, but when I'm loading 44-40 or .45 Colt on my Dillon 550B, I need to remove the case to see inside. I only feel the need to do this if I get out of sequence or become distracted/interrupted. Regardless of the press, reloading is a heads up proposition.

To avoid fatigue or wandering focus, I take a break after 100 rds. I'm after quality, not quantity.