dillon / lee / hornady progressive comparison

That was a terrific article!

Your efforts are much appreciate sir! And still very much after several years I might add.

Thank you for providing such a great resource, this has really helped me with the decision.
 
I moved from my lee turret to the lee loadmaster today. Where it would be nice to have a dillion or other high end this was in my price range. I watched videos and read many articles on the short comings and difficulties of the loadmaster. All are somewhat true. I spent the first couple of hours mounting and assembling and learning how the machine indexes. I encountered a few of the difficulties others list. But once you know how the machine operates, where to lube and clean it runs great. I ran off 100 308 at a slow pace in a hour as I got the hang of progressive. I can easily see it being 300-400 an hour once I'm use to it. This system gets a lot of haters but it works. There is a learning curve. But if your reloading your already use to mechanical operation. Don't be afraid of Lees they are alright for the price.
 
I know this is an old thread but I want to say thanks for the article all the same. I am setting out on the reloading trail and still researching my purchase. I shoot only 9 mm and am undecided between the Lee Pro 1000 at +/- $340 +/- or the Dillon Square Deal at $540 give or take a couple of dollars. I think I want the Square Deal but the price difference is nothing to sneeze at. The article, although about different presses lays out many of the considerations I am dealing with and was useful.
 
Walknby said:
I know this is an old thread but I want to say thanks for the article all the same. I am setting out on the reloading trail and still researching my purchase. I shoot only 9 mm and am undecided between the Lee Pro 1000 at +/- $340 +/- or the Dillon Square Deal at $540 give or take a couple of dollars. I think I want the Square Deal but the price difference is nothing to sneeze at. The article, although about different presses lays out many of the considerations I am dealing with and was useful.
Click to expand...

Get the Dillon. They come up used in the EE with a 9mm setup every so often for around $400-450. Buy once, cry once.
 
I've been leaning heavily towards the Loadmaster on recommendation of a dude at my range that reloads a lot, but after reading this it's really got me thinking again. The price difference is a little hard to swallow though, but it seems like it's probably worth it.
 
i have been thinking about reloading.. where do i go? CGN.... what do i find? this...

OP thanks!! i cant watch the videos right now, but that was an excellent write up. going to be shopping in a month or so for a progressive. pretty sure a hornady is going to end up on my work bench.

Before i buy anything though, i have talked to a couple guys and am going to head over with some components and get some hands on experience before i dive into it. Primary calibers will be 9mm and 3006. with the 500/hr rate. it sounds like i could likely crank out a years worth of ammo in a few days. i only shoot a couple thousand rnds of 9mm/ year right now and havent even got a chance to shoot the 3006.
 
Great thread. I watched the videos, very helpful. In terms of cost/benefit for my needs I want to reload so that I can make purchasing various caliber firearms (rifles and pistols) a little easier on the wallet. With that in mind am I correct in thinking the Hornady would be the best choice due to the performance and die costs?
 
I bought the Hornady LNL AP.....it's a p.o.s.

But I have also read the 650xl has had its issues as well.

I will be researching the 750xl as my next press I will use the Hornady to do brass prep.

Priming issues, spilt powder, the wire eject garbage,....Hornady charged me an upgrade to EZ eject.

Also the Hornadys tolerances are loose.

Multiple users on internet with sloppy linkage, primer dimple problem(Hornadys fix was to suggest gluing a dime underneath??)....Does not seat primers worth a damn....I could go on forever.
 
Good hints here. My Piggy Back was much more problematic.
LNL AP works great after a few tweaks. Primer stem nut should be adjusted for best fit after primer size change so there are no hangups. EZ ject is a good addition to the older presses along with the PTX Powder measure stop.

Check out 5:50 in this video about the dimple:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6BfPn5QaiA
 
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