buying my first reloader - quick question

wayupnorth

wayupnorth

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after shooting for over 30 years ive come to the age and time in my life where im finding i need a quiet hobby to do out in my shop on the cold winter nights. ive always been interested in reloading and always knew that i would get into it and now seems like like the ideal time. ideal because i have a nice big shop where i can dedicate a section of counter space permanently to reloading and i have money squirreled away that i can spend without fear or angering the wife.

so im not a slow kid, i understand how reloading works and i have spent the last 2 months reading everything i can get my hands on and watching all the video's i can find about different presses and such. but now here i am on the verge of ordering my press and im stuck with a question that i cant answer.

so here is what i would like to ask the collective minds of the CGN reloading forum;
i dont know how 'big' ill end up getting into reloading - i dont anticipate getting into 3 gun or competitive shooting BUT i may or can or have the want that i might - so how big should i go with my press?
initially im just planning on loading hunting loads for my big rifles. 300 WSM and my 7mm mag, maybe some 243 - but the 300 WSM is the main one and the one im going to focus in on initially. now my dad in his retirement years has gotten into big handgun shooting and wants me to reload some of his odd ball stuff (stuff that i will inherit some day) so that would include 460 mag (45 long colt and 454 casull as well) and our new project the 460Rowland.
like i said, i dont plan on pumping out more then 100 of each a year if that, so i had thought of just getting a straight single press.
that was my plan going in.
but then my dad said that if i was going to go in and buy all this and i have money to kill why not look into getting a nice big progressive press.
so i looked into them.
very neat.
so now here im sitting with a couple quotes in front of me and wanting to pull the trigger on this and get it all ordered up.
but i thought i should check with people that actually DO this to make sure im doing this right.

as i sit right now this is what im looking at picking up - the Dillon RL 550B
my rational was that this from what ive been reading is a reliable high quality press.
but then i think if im gonna pick up the 550 why not kick in the extra couple hundred and get the XL650?
in case i or my kids ever do get into competitive shooting and want to kick out 5000 rounds a summer?
and then i start thinking that i may be going over board here.... i started wanting to reload my hunting rifle with a single press and now im here looking at starting my own factory, haha!

of course the pro's of picking up a 550 or 650 would be that i could use it for years and so could my kids and if i didnt get into it and they dont get into it i could always sell it off years later and recoup a good chunk back of my investment.

so should i go in with the 550?
or should i say hell with it and go for the 650 just in case i need the future expansion since i have the money right now?
or..... should i just dial down my pie in the sky dreams and go in cheap and pick up a single press?

i like the idea of the 550 that i can set up 1 caliber on that plate and lock everything in and leave it locked in on that plate.
then i can pull the pins and take out that plate and put in a plate for a different round and its all ready to go (after its been locked in with the initial set up) so i could pop out my 300WSM plate and slip in the plate with the 460 and away i go, then pop out that plate and put in the 9mm plate or whatever. i understand that you need to purchase these plates and dies and such after.

im on the ledge and need a push in a direction gentlemen, someone push me.
 
to add to this

my dad has already purchased a big sonic cleaner for the brass and a couple reloading books and he is sending them up.
he is or has already purchased brass for all the stuff he wants me to reload for (with) him and he is picking up primers and powders and such as he finds them.
he said he will be buying all the dies for the rounds he wants and will go halvers for the ones that we both want.
i told him about the 550 and its quick change caliber conversion plates and he will purchase the ones he needs for his rounds.

first world problems, eh?
who cares about the cost.

so like i said the money is in hand and not a problem i just need to decide how big i want to go.
single press, progressive press 550 or progressive press 650?
 
I have the 650 and never look back with quick changes for each high volume pistol caliber with case feeder
also have 2 single stage for precison rifleone lee classic cast with breech lock and one Redding big bossII
 
i have for handgun progressive press 650
hunting and target loads single press Forster CoAx Press
https://w w.youtube.com/watch?v=NEzVZe7f6G0
or redding turret
https://w w.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-zvk4_qr2s
 
ETN said:
i have for handgun progressive press 650
hunting and target loads single press Forster CoAx Press
https://w w.youtube.com/watch?v=NEzVZe7f6G0
or redding turret
https://w w.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-zvk4_qr2s
Click to expand...

+1 That's the combo I went with started with the Forster and very happy loading rifles on it and pistol on the Dillon.. the only thing I would say is I prefer SS stainless steel cleaning rather than a Sonic cleaner..
 
Years ago a buddy and I went halves on a 550, I did most of the actual reloading but we used it for our .222 Rem, his 7mm Rem Mag, my .375 H&H and I loaded truckloads of .38 Special with it. Very versatile and trouble free.
 
Get a good single stage first and work with it. It will do everything you require except speed.
Then pick the Dillon that suits you. I could do without a progressive press but not the old Rock Chucker.
The single stage is a little more compact and unobtrusive as well.
Good luck.
 
I agree with bartlet33 - certainly for reloading rifles - not difficult at all to size, trim and prime 200 brass in an couple hours/evening with a single stage, and Lee trimmer system, hand primer. With carbide dies for your straight wall cases, even a bit faster. You will need a proper scale, but the Lyman auto powder dispenser is a real treat (an acquaintance has the RCBS version and has similar opinion). When you are working up loads (loading one of's, or three of's), the single stage is the best. I've never owned a center fire handgun or semi-auto rifle, so, in those instances, higher loading volume may be more important, but I would still think that you'd need a way to work up a few loads at a time for testing. Maybe the true first world solution is to plan to include a single stage press on your bench (for example, RCBS Partner works perfectly fine) along with a beam scale and trickler for those test batches.
 
I would agree, I would suggest go with a single stage press to work with all your hunting loads. They allow you to understand the intricacies of reloading without a big investment. I have made a couple of small blunders on my single stage press over the years and I am very thankful it was on a single stage because only 20 units were involved. When progressive and loading large amounts it does not take many minutes to exaggerate and make 100 units that you now cannot fire and have to rework.

I am in the same situation with the Dillon on which one to buy, I am currently using my single stage (co-ax) and I can comfortably make 100 pistol rounds in a sitting with it. I am glad I started with pistol on the single stage because it has allowed me to understand the differences between pistol and rifle reloading.
 
I don't think anybody here would recommend a brand new reloader get a top of line progressive press if they aren't loading high volume pistol.

I can understand the want to future-proof your reloading but to start, just get a single stage. Learn on it then go to the progressive when/if you feel you need one.
 
One more vote for getting a single stage at first. Learn to use it carefully and safely before you move on to a progressive IF you find you need it. You will always have a use for a second single stage press, even if you do go progressive later. I don't see a real need for a progressive unless you are loading several hundred rounds at a time for something.
 
bartlet33 said:
Get a good single stage first and work with it. It will do everything you require except speed.
Then pick the Dillon that suits you. I could do without a progressive press but not the old Rock Chucker.
The single stage is a little more compact and unobtrusive as well.
Good luck.
Click to expand...

Potashminer said:
I agree with bartlet33 - certainly for reloading rifles - not difficult at all to size, trim and prime 200 brass in an couple hours/evening with a single stage, and Lee trimmer system, hand primer. With carbide dies for your straight wall cases, even a bit faster. You will need a proper scale, but the Lyman auto powder dispenser is a real treat (an acquaintance has the RCBS version and has similar opinion). When you are working up loads (loading one of's, or three of's), the single stage is the best. I've never owned a center fire handgun or semi-auto rifle, so, in those instances, higher loading volume may be more important, but I would still think that you'd need a way to work up a few loads at a time for testing. Maybe the true first world solution is to plan to include a single stage press on your bench (for example, RCBS Partner works perfectly fine) along with a beam scale and trickler for those test batches.
Click to expand...

hillbros_96 said:
I would agree, I would suggest go with a single stage press to work with all your hunting loads. They allow you to understand the intricacies of reloading without a big investment. I have made a couple of small blunders on my single stage press over the years and I am very thankful it was on a single stage because only 20 units were involved. When progressive and loading large amounts it does not take many minutes to exaggerate and make 100 units that you now cannot fire and have to rework.

I am in the same situation with the Dillon on which one to buy, I am currently using my single stage (co-ax) and I can comfortably make 100 pistol rounds in a sitting with it. I am glad I started with pistol on the single stage because it has allowed me to understand the differences between pistol and rifle reloading.
Click to expand...

911alertme said:
I don't think anybody here would recommend a brand new reloader get a top of line progressive press if they aren't loading high volume pistol.

I can understand the want to future-proof your reloading but to start, just get a single stage. Learn on it then go to the progressive when/if you feel you need one.
Click to expand...

rral22 said:
One more vote for getting a single stage at first. Learn to use it carefully and safely before you move on to a progressive IF you find you need it. You will always have a use for a second single stage press, even if you do go progressive later. I don't see a real need for a progressive unless you are loading several hundred rounds at a time for something.
Click to expand...

I'll add my +1 to these responses. Start with a good single stage. If/when you do decide to go with a progressive press look at the cost of caliber conversions for the 550 vs 650. Much more affordable and simpler with the 550.
 
Your current situation just doesn't seem to support the idea of a 550b. The numbers and calibers you're listing can be EASILY done on a single stage press. And really for hunting and accuracy plinkers you'll want to weigh each charge instead of going with the slightly less consistent volume charges. And I've found that sort of reloading is just more easily done on a nice single stage.

Where the progressive press really shines is when you step up the volume because you're shooting in excess of 150 a month and where the consistency, and thus accuracy, is not held to bench rest standards.

So all in all unless there's part of the story I missed I'd say that your dad is suffering from a case of SOS (Shiney Object Syndrome) and his eyes are bigger than your combined needs. And besides, if things change and between the two of you there's an ammo hungry handgun or two in your collective future then buy a Dillon THEN. In any case I've found that having a nice single stage sitting alongside my own Dillon 550b has proven to be rather handy. It's nice to push some rifle brass through a universal decapper while leaving the Dillon set up for ongoing handgun ammo reloading. Otherwise it means a tear down.

Also a caliber conversion kit for some low volume and seldom loaded rifle caliber costs money to buy where the single casing button needed for a single stage comes with the dies.

So.... all in all I'd suggest that a nice single stage to get started sounds like a far better option both for learning the ropes and for your hunting cartridge reloading. And if you start loading gobs of handgun ammo per month THEN add on a progressive.

If you don't have room for two sitting permanently side by side then mount the presses on a plywood sub plate. The sub plate is then either clamped in place or you can do what I've done and drill the bench and install a pair of 5/16 tophat nuts under the bench so the plates just screw down with two bolts. Nice and neat and solid and you're not banging your knees on any clamps.
 
I use my 550b as a single press when loading rifle calibers and love the fact it goes progressive for pistol rounds.Why do you need two presses is beyond me.Learn one and be done with it.d:h:
 
love my 650.. esp for pistol rounds (and .223)

for rifle I go with my Lee single stage.. but if I had the dough I would definitely be using Forster Co-Ax for high precision... and a really good set of dies (Redding is my choice) with micrometer seating die if possible

*For apprx. a hundred bucks you can convert the 650 to a single stage. search ebay for:

ebay.ca/itm/Dillon-XL-650-Single-Stage-Conversion-Kit-/221597875663?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3398433dcf

best single stage for the money.. if it works
 
ah see it was a good thing i stopped in!

this is exactly what i had nagging me in the back of my mind!
i was going balls in too fast.

ok, think what ill do is take a step back and research single stage ones and find a nice one that meets my needs.
i MAY pick up the 550/650 and just leave it in the box just because i have the money and have nothing to do with it.

many thanks for the gentle push in the right direction!

now, what single stage press is good?
 
forster co-ax great single stage:

forsterproducts.com/store.asp?pid=24822

but you should really check out that 650 conversion to single stage if you are planning on getting that anyway:

ebay.ca/itm/Dillon-XL-650-Single-Stage-Conversion-Kit-/221597875663?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3398433dcf
 
now, what single stage press is good?
Click to expand...

Coax
Lee Classic cast
Rock chucker
Hornady

If your buying a starter kit the RCBS rock chucker kit and the Hornady kit are quite popular and complete, if your building a kit piece by piece the Coax or the Classic cast are both great presses IMHO...

The 550 and 650 compliment a single stage press, I don't find it annoying to swap the 650 from one caliber to the next but doing that will make you wish you had 500 cases to fill instead of just 50... At times a dedicated single stage press is invaluable especially if you want to use something like the RCBC collet bullet puller or a press mounted priming tool to prime single cases for load development.
 
I have used a Hornady for more than 30 years. It shows no sign of giving up. The Lee cast, Rock Chucker, and Hornady will all be OK, but if I was to do it over again I'd spring for the Forster co-ax. A very very nice machine that will do precision work and last several lifetimes. Another thing to consider - if you are doing this as a hobby to fill your time productively, why speed it up with a progressive? Reloading is its own reward. i do hundreds and hundreds of rounds each winter, and really wouldn't want it to go too much faster, i'd just end up watching more TV. ;-)
 
The Dillon 650 is excellent. I really like the extra stage for the powder checker, especially useful for low volume or double load pistol loads. Caliber changes are relatively simple if you get the "conversion plate" full setup; powder dispenser, primer tube, dies, etc.
 
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