Newbie , progressive press brand help ?

nofai

nofai

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
Location
The Ultimate French City
HI Folks,
I am new into shooting. I shot 100 rounds on the weekend and I can feel the weight of my wallet is a lot light already. So i am in the market of reloading. I did some research over the weekend. I think i will go for a hand press progressive press.
Can anyone tell me which brand I should go after?

thanks
 
Most prices are equal, if your paying for shipping, the closest one.

Depending on how much you shoot, the biggest one you can afford.

I’m loading 750 a week for competition in 9mm now on a 650xl with a casefeeder.
Takes an honest 90m inbetween netflix and drinks.
I regret not buying a 1050 with the amount i shoot now. I would be much closer to a perfect autodrive setup.
 
You guys are going to scare the bejesus out of him when he checks out the price!
(I own a 650).
Guess I'm oldschool-----I believe you should start with a single stage press to learn what you're doing. Everything happens too fast for a novice on a progressive.
 
Before you consider buying conversion kits for every caliber, take into account your usage and
A single stage may meet those requirements.

I use a single stage for 200 rifle rounds a year. If i ever get into a heavier rifle use again, i would easily consider a conversion kit to use the progressive.
 
snooker said:
You guys are going to scare the bejesus out of him when he checks out the price!
(I own a 650).
Guess I'm oldschool-----I believe you should start with a single stage press to learn what you're doing. Everything happens too fast for a novice on a progressive.
Click to expand...

Yes. I almost #### my pant... my budget is about 1500 with tax.
but I am not a fan of old school. with the help of youtube. I usually learn thing pretty fast. I hate sometime I spend money on something basic and after a few days of youtube. and I will want one more advenced. I know myself pretty well in this one.

laker415 said:
Dillons are hard to beat. You didn't say what calibers you are reloading for. 100 rounds isn't much for a weekend outing unless you are shooting match grade or a bigger caliber
Click to expand...
To be honest . I have no clue what i am going into. I am a newbie . I will go buy a markiv light tmr. And i will buy a shadow 9mm next week. Thats why i am doing research of parts too. If want want to change caliber. How much part$ i need to spend.

snooze98k said:
Before you consider buying conversion kits for every caliber, take into account your usage and
A single stage may meet those requirements.
I use a single stage for 200 rifle rounds a year. If i ever get into a heavier rifle use again, i would easily consider a conversion kit to use the progressive.
Click to expand...

I am planning 200 rounds of 9mm and 100 round .22 per week . and I will upgrade 9mm either to .38 or .45 later on when i learn my basic ..

but thanks for you guys advise .. here is very helpful ..
 
nofai said:
HI Folks,
I am new into shooting. I shot 100 rounds on the weekend and I can feel the weight of my wallet is a lot light already. So i am in the market of reloading. I did some research over the weekend. I think i will go for a hand press progressive press.
Can anyone tell me which brand I should go after?

thanks
Click to expand...

Reloading will make your wallet even lighter. It will allow you to shoot a lot more for a lot lower cost per round. How much you actually save per round depends on the caliber you reload and how many rounds you shoot per month. Are you staying in the hobby long enough to recovehr the cost of a progressive setup? Perhaps give us more information.

Every shooter’s needs differ. Some need a fully automated Dillon 1050 although they only shoot 1000 rds a year. This type of shooter has way more money than reloading time. Some may shoot 1000 a year but need only a single stage; this type probably has more time than money or he just enjoys reloading the old school way, crafting every round with loving care. What type of shooter are you.

For example, my first progressive, actually it was also my first reloader. was a Lee 1000 back in 1989. Boy that was a difficult machine to learn reloading on. Bought a Hornady Projector after a couple months, then bought a couple of Dillon 550Bs, one small and the other for large primers. Long story short, by 2011, I’d sold all 3 progressives and bought 3 Lee presses. A Classic Single Stage, a Classic Turret and a Loadmaster. Reason for the regression, as some might view that move, is that my needs have changed.

So tell us what your needs are, then we can help you make an informed decision on your press, brass cleaner, powder scale, tumbler etc. How many rounds you want to burn per year, per caliber. Are you cash rich, poor, lots of spare time, patient tinkerer or instant gratification type of person etc?
 
Agree with easyrider604, if money is no object then a Dillon is for sure your best bet. If you're on a budget like I was you can get into it progressively :) pun intended. I started with a Lee hand press that I picked up for 60 bucks or so, then dies and shell plates. I also bought an RCBS hand primer which was not technically required (the hand press came with a priming ram) but the RCBS made the process a whole lot quicker and also didn't break the bank....I think around 40 bucks or so plus shipping off the EE. You will need a decent scale, recommend an RCBS 505 or better, again whatever best deal you can find, you can always sell and upgrade along the way. A powder measure also makes the process a lot quicker, a Lee Perfect Powder measure worked flawlessly for me, and again only like 30 or 40 bucks. Some incidentals like a loading tray and funnel etc. and your ready to start loading and learning. Dies will very likely be usable in any progressive you may upgrade to down the road as well. And even once you move to a progressive, the hand press is handy to have around for various little tasks.

Edit: Just saw your budget post, for 1500 you can get away with a barebones Dillon 650 and scale etc. that you will need. Then you can add on to the Dillon as you can afford. I think someone already mentioned x-reload usually has the best deals. Lots of places will price match as well so you may save on shipping if someone local will.

Edit edit: lol I see you are in Montreal so x-reload IS local. :)
 
Last edited:
I just bought a Lee Auto Breech Lock Pro and I am really impressed with it. I would really like a Dillon 650 but don’t want that kind of money sitting for most of the year on my bench. The amount of shooting I do won’t justify the $$$ and I already have Lee dies.

The Lee Auto will be a lot faster than my Redding T7 turret even though I will hand bomb primers and projectiles on the Lee. I may eventually buckle and get the safety prime and bullet feeder.

Check out the Lee.
 
thanks again

after another day of research. i will go for a dillon xl650. reason why? . if i am really into shooting. i can always buy another one 650 or 1050 for other calibers .
 
Dillon is for sure the top dog as far as presses go. But there is nothing wrong with a cheaper press such as a Lee loadmaster. I load 4 different calibers with it and it works just fine for my needs
If you need to reload 1000 rounds per hour then it's not gonna cut it and you would need something like a Dillon 650

Besides a cheaper ( but still decent ) press just leaves more $$$ for reloading components
I have been pondering the idea of getting a Dillion 650 for reloading my 8mm and 308 for my mg34, only to cut down on time spent behind the press
 
Eh try to find someone in your neck of the woods ...and see if they have a xl 650 or a 1050 ....ask to try see what’s involved...calibre change etc..etc..
A gift card to Tim Hortons or were ever will go a long way
That’s what I did .....then went out and bought a 650.....with out the bullet feeder and auto drive
 
Having both Dillon and Hornady on my bench, I'll interrupt the Dillon fan club to point out you might do well with Hornady LNL progressive. I have called Dillon for parts three times. Not once with either of my LNLs.

I'm loading 12 to 15k rounds a winter. All my precision rifles are fed from a single stage press.
 
Pocisk said:
Edit: Just saw your budget post, for 1500 you can get away with a barebones Dillon 650 and scale etc. that you will need. Then you can add on to the Dillon as you can afford. I t
Edit edit: lol I see you are in Montreal so x-reload IS local. :)
Click to expand...

thanks a lot. they have a new showroom 10 from where i work .. will go tmr to.check it out ..
today is ruger mark iv . tonight is shadow. tmr is dillon ...
money goes faster than bullet now . :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom