Dillon Vs Lee Loader's
- Thread starter blindman
- Start date
Lee is great for the money, but stuff works loose and adjustments are frequent will wear out eventually. Dillon is solid stuff that last and works and you will find you have easier time using the dillon. I have a 1050 and have loaded over 500000 rounds on it, had a 650 aswell and it worked well too. No comparison Dillon hands down.
Andy
Andy
acrashb said:
Nice read...
However I could write an article and make Lee the loser...
The long and short of is you get what you pay for... Lee is a cheaper press and in MY opinion less of a press...
And to be honest the loadmaster is more comparible to a 550 then a 650...
If you are interested in a L:ee Loadmaster for a good price.... (Shamless plug)
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85666
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85666
bear.23 said:
I agree it is a lesser press, but the Pro1000 suits my needs <5000/yr, 2 calibres on it. I have gleaned lots of tinkering info from folks on this board to make it run more smoothly. Sure, I'd prefer a dillon, but the economics just aren't there right now for me.
The Dillon is unquestionably better built, and nicer to use. However, both turn out great ammunition at about the same rate (albeit with more fiddling on the Lee).
Therefore, I'd consider the Dillon to be a luxury, and not actually necessary. From a purely pragmatic point of view, the Lee is a much better value. Like a Toyota vs a Lexus. Both do the same thing, and both will get you there, but the Lexus provides a better ride.
Therefore, I'd consider the Dillon to be a luxury, and not actually necessary. From a purely pragmatic point of view, the Lee is a much better value. Like a Toyota vs a Lexus. Both do the same thing, and both will get you there, but the Lexus provides a better ride.
bear.23 said:
Which is exactly what i said - that Lee was the loser taken as a whole on features and fit-and-finish - only I wasn't indulging in the luxury of opinions. I presented findings from which someone could judge for themselves. The 650 is mostly better (save for a few items described in the writeup). How much better? Not 3 times better, which reflects the price difference. A person who wants the best and can accept diminishing returns will go with a Dillon. In any event, I crank out good, error-free ammo from my Loadmaster on a regular basis, so I'm hard-pressed to justify the extra dollars.
bear.23 said:
I have to disagree, because the 550 does not have an auto-indexer or (until recently, and at almost the cost of an entire Lee Loadmaster) a case feeder.
I won't engage in the manual- vs auto-index argument, just that the 650 is the better baseline as it has a more similar feature set vis-a-vis the Loadmaster. The only substantive feature difference that I know of, and which I explicitly identified in the writeup, is that the 650 has one extra effective die station.
If I have made specific errors of fact in the writeup, please let me know and I'll make alterations to it as required.
i've been running a lee 1000 ( actually 3- 9mm, 45, and 223) since 1990 and aside from the primer feed being no good , been throughly satisfied- and i have a dillon 550 as well- i find the business about having to turn the star wheel for each station a pain in the tail- it's set for 308 and i don't use it nearly as much as the lee- the only other criticism i have is powder measure isn't big enough on the lee- you're only good for about 30 grains or so even with the double kit
stormbringer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- S.W. Ontario
I run a Lee 1000 as well.
I keep thinking of the 650 but I also like the Hornady Lock N Load AP unit.
I keep thinking of the 650 but I also like the Hornady Lock N Load AP unit.
You cna't beging to compare Dillon to Lee. To suggest they are comparable is just not correct. A 550 Dillon is a life time machine with a warranty that is absolutely the best in any industry. The Lee may do and it may suffice but is not a Dillon period.
Take Care
Take Care
acrashb said:
I don't understand how in one paragraph 'primer feel' you can say with the dillon, you have a better feel for primer seating, yet you state in another paragraph 'missed primers' you give the win to the Lee for ease of fixing this rare glitch
These two statements contradict each other. You can actually feel the primer not seating if it isn't there with the dillon, and that is the point.
You complain about the adjustments on the Dillon charge bar not being easy to set. If you are buying a progressive, automated press, what are the chances you want to crank out thousands of rounds without having to fiddle with it? I'm guessing most would agree, this feature is high on the list.
In my limited experience with the dillon I've had to set it once for my .40S&W load. In thousands of rounds it started at 3.7 grains and is still at 3.7 grains.
I find the following arguements / comparisons as complete non-starters:
- 10 minutes to change calibers?? Come on. Tools? big deal.
- Space as an arguement on which press is better?
The one at the end has me puzzled as well, 'longevity and service'
'Dillon has a no-questions asked service policy – you need parts, you call and get them. Lee has a two-year warranty.'
'One of my shooting buddies has two Loadmasters, one with nearly one million rounds through it and one closing in on six hundred thousand. He’s replaced a lot of wear parts, like the inexpensive wedge-lock bar (it advances and locks the shell plate). We’ve all heard similar stories about Dillon machinery.'
How can you say Dillon is 3 times more expensive when you have't factored in all of the additional costs for parts for the Lee, over the course of its' usable life? How about the extra costs to the Dillon owners that have parts fail? Oh that's right, we've all heard similar stories, except Dillon sends it free of charge, as part of the lifetime warranty.
You claim this was an un-biased comparison, but quite frankly, I think you have a warm spot for your Lee press. In no way did you see benefit to what Dillon offers. Not that there's anything wrong with that, to each his own.
Incidently, what came of the Dillon 650 you had? Did you sell it? How long did you load with it if it wasn't just for the summer?
Well I guess you can, it just happens you are talking about to products that are designed to do essntially the same thing only one has a reputation for lasting a lifetiime with outstanding manufacturers support while the other is well a Lee.
Take Care
Take Care
Canuck44 said:
This is the other thing about owning a Dillon. You become part of the elite, and can become an equipment snob. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but it often just is.
Like the Harley gus vs. Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki/etc guys.
