Press Advice

[2Bad4u]

thanks for the info and support. After reading more and watching more videos. I am decided with Dillon.

Now its just between the 550 and 650. is it worth the extra $200? I like the idea the 650 has more attachments/upgrades to speed things up. And that i can add their electronic case powder check.

The $200 value question is one that ONLY YOU can decide. But if you put into perspective, the press will provide years if not decades of service. When that's taken into consideration it becomes less of an issue, and possibly avoiding buyer's remorse.

Again, only you can make that decision.

 

[ThumperX]

But if you put into perspective, the press will provide years if not decades of service. When that's taken into consideration it becomes less of an issue, and possibly avoiding buyer's remorse.

Again, only you can make that decision.

ya when you look at it that way, its 650 all the way. Sometimes i forget about the long-term benefit, at look at short term cost (i think thats the wife, playing with my mind). N

Now i just call Epps make sure they have stock, and make the trip up from West GTA.

maybe we should plan a road trip!

 

[dead meat]

If you have decided on a Dillon i would likely go with the 650 if your going to load large numbers, as somebody said if you buy a smaller press you can always sell it and upgrade. I think these presses hold the resale value pretty good. The first purchase is alwasy tough, lots of second guessing and what if`s. Good luck which ever way you go.

 

[BCRider]

For handgun rounds a progressive is the only way to go. However I do agree that it's too easy to make mistakes until you really learn the steps. So to get around that simply use the progressive press as a single stage press for the time being.

I was lucky enough to be given a bunch of Lee and Lyman reloading equipment by an old time shooter in repayment for some work I did for him. I'm using the 6 position turret Lyman cast iron press for my rifle reloading where single stage work is fine. I did my first bit of progressive reloading on a Lee auto indexing press. I ran into enough troubles that I quickly disabled the auto indexing feature and turned it into a manual indexing press. That gave me more control over any issues.

I then came across a heck of a deal on a Dillon 550b. I'm sorry Lee fans but the Dillon is like a sharp handling new sports car compared to the loose feeling "old work truck" feel of the Lee progressive. Mind you these are the small 3 position Lee "classic" style and not the bigger version.

All in all I'd suggest you go for a Dillon. The Square Deal if you want to watch the pennys or the 550b if you'll be doing a lot of ammo. The Dillon is quick to switch over between calibers with a minimum of fuss. And I really like the primer feed which moves the primer being loaded well away from the stack of stored primers "just in case".

For rifle there's really no need for progressive loading unless you're shooting buckets of 5.56. For rifle I actually prefer a multi position plate to hold the dies but using the press in a single stage format. That's the best of both worlds. The multi position plate avoids having to set up the dies each time but I can still use the press in a single stage format.

 

[2Bad4u]

ya when you look at it that way, its 650 all the way. Sometimes i forget about the long-term benefit, at look at short term cost (i think thats the wife, playing with my mind). N

Now i just call Epps make sure they have stock, and make the trip up from West GTA.

maybe we should plan a road trip!

If you are interested in going to Epps I'm always willing to go. I'm retired now (early retirment ) so week days are the best for me. However if weekends are only possible for you, it would have to be a Sunday because I go to the gun club on Saturdays. This Sunday is not good because it's my daughter's birthday. Give it some thought and PM me if you are interested in going some time.

 

[kingdarb]

Don't get a 550 instead of a 650 based on cost alone. If you want the 650, then get it. I am a 550 owner and I am very happy with it, and I am also please about the progress I have made with the machine and how fast I can load with it now. It suits my needs perfectly and it is easy to switch calibres. I also like manually indexing. The 650 does churn ammo out faster though, and those guys that have them love them.

Whatever you get, just make sure to pay attention to what is going on in the beginning. Build 1 round at a time until you understand the machine and what it does and go slow at first and you will be fine!

 

[ripitup911]

Actually decapping your brass on a single stage press is slower than decapping on a progressive press. I decap all of my brass prior to cleaning them in stainless steal media. Decapping first allows the pins to clean the entire brass case, including the primer holes. The cases look like new when I'm done. They do not fire any better, but they sure look pretty.

Once the cases are cleaned, nothing ever gets dirty and it's easy to throughly inspect each one of them for any damage. Once you've tried cleaning with stainless steal media you will never go back to using dry media. But that's another thread.

Also, I would NEVER put dirty brass in the Dillon case feeder, and decap on the 650. All that crap that is on the brass would end up contaminating the entire case feeder and press. IMHO it's best to clean your brass prior to reloading on a progressive press. YMMV.

I also deprime before cleaning in ss and I have never had a problem running dirty brass through my case feeder I just clean it after but I never seem to Be decapping less then 1000 brass at a time so I could never imagine depriming on a single stage for 1000 cases or more

 

[2Bad4u]

I also deprime before cleaning in ss and I have never had a problem running dirty brass through my case feeder I just clean it after but I never seem to Be decapping less then 1000 brass at a time so I could never imagine depriming on a single stage for 1000 cases or more

There's no need to decap 1,000 cases at one sitting, just break the decapping processes over several sessions. I just cringe at the thought of all that dirt contaminating the case feeder, case feeder tube, shell plate, dies, etc. I just like to avoid all of that unnecessary cleaning by simply decapping everything first on my singe stage press, which is a snap to clean when done.

I'm definitely not saying my method is better because it does take longer.

Perhaps I'm just a clean freak.

 

[ripitup911]

There's no need to decap 1,000 cases at one sitting, just break the decapping processes over several sessions. I just cringe at the thought of all that dirt contaminating the case feeder, case feeder tube, shell plate, dies, etc. I just like to avoid all of that unnecessary cleaning by simply decapping everything first on my singe stage press, which is a snap to clean when done.

I'm definitely not saying my method is better because it does take longer.

Perhaps I'm just a clean freak.

Ya your method would definatly keep things cleaner. Unfortunately I shoot 2000-3000 rounds a month in summer and work 12 hours a day 7 days a week so when I do get a day off I really have to crank out the ammo. So I probably am sacrificing cleanliness for speed if I find more time I may give your method a try

 

[bluethunder]

I have years of experience with a Lee turret and Hornady Lock-n-Load AP. Stay away from Lee. Buy the best that you can afford. I have a Hornady LNL AP. It is a fantastic precision press that turns out high pistol and rifle (any rifle up to but not including 50 BMG) and is designed to last a life time.