What press to buy

jcpal

jcpal

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I am new to reloading and want to get in to it i am wanting to reload pistol and rilfle just 223 and 308 for rilfe but would like to be able to produce a good amount of ammo in a quickly but still be good safe and accurate was thinking about the dillion 550b any help would be great. Thanks
 
jcpal said:
I am new to reloading and want to get in to it i am wanting to reload pistol and rilfle just 223 and 308 for rilfe but would like to be able to produce a good amount of ammo in a quickly but still be good safe and accurate was thinking about the dillion 550b any help would be great. Thanks
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for a first press, for rifle or pistol calibers, and doing up to 200 rounds a session, IMHO I would buy a good used single stage. I have a dillon xl650, but I often just use my Lee turret press for small numbers of rifle or pistol cartridges.

For rifle I like to hand prime with the lee hand tool for sensitivity and take time to clean primer pockets and trim, neck turn etc. I feel the single stage more useful at a lower initial cost for this type of thing.

Lots of people are willing to spend 2 grand on a 400 dollar gun to make it more accurate.. but few consider how you can make a HUGE difference at a low cost making your own custom "match" style ammo.. especially if you don't shoot a semi and you can just neck size your brass for the tightest chamber fit and least brass stretch.

For pistol I preferred the xl650 Dillon. I use my own dies from Lee, RCBS, etc..and pay less attention to case conformity and such than I do for rifle, as I shoot pistol more for fun than accuracy right now. I just tumble brass, and start loading. You can do a lot of rounds when you get her tweaked. Powder measure with Bullseye has been 100% every time.I like it.

:)
 
I am in the same boat as you. I was looking at the Lock-N-Load AP from Hornady, But the Dillon looks good too. I'm not to familiar with Dillon. I think progresive is the way to go. I was looking into some of the single stage kits, but I think I will shell out the extra cash so I can load faster.
 
For "quick" Dillon or Horn., for precision(single stage) Forster Co-ax, for Turret Redding or possibly Lyman......"A.B.L."(anything but Lee)
 
Hmmmmmmmmm....... so the Lee classic turret press kit isn't recommended? Why? It's priced attractively enough and for 200 here & 200 there of 223 & 308 it would sure make life easier. Less time reloading and more time shooting! Handle the brass once & voila, finished round! Allot easier than handling every piece of brass 3 or 4 times.

I'd be interested in actually personal experiences people have with the Lee turret press, not just ABL! I know the little plastic bushing is a weak spot but what else?
 
For pistol i would probley doing 500 to 100 rounds a session and mabye 200 rilfe and the rilfe ammo is both for semis
 
jcpal said:
For pistol i would probley doing 500 to 100 rounds a session and mabye 200 rilfe and the rilfe ammo is both for semis
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I would buy a Progressive (LNL or a Dillon) for the pistol...and a Forster Co-Ax for any Rifle you plan to shoot from the bench.

Buy once...
 
I have an RCBS Rockchucker, but I got it only because I could get it 2nd-hand cheaper than anything out there new. And boy is it good!

However, when I get a turret, I am going to be looking at Lee for sure. Why? Because I'm cheap and if it works, I don't care how ugly it is :D
 
i just recently got into reloading and debated a ton about getting quality or get a cheaper model to start out. Save yourself money in the longrun and save the headaches and get a quailty dillion. you won't regret it. I have the 550 and love it. It works the way it should, unlike the lee pro that needs constant tickering.
 
you dont want to be going in a big hurry when you just start into reloading! i say get a single stage press, and after about a year of working that, feel free to upgrade to a progressive reloading press set up! i cut my teeth about 20 years ago on a lee handloader, wich is a press that does not require a bench, it was a lever operated system that i could just use while sitting on the couch, and watching tv! i prepped and primed all my brass ahead of time, and then sat their using an rcbs digital powder trickler, measured out powder, poured into the cases, and then seated the bullets!

for just blasting/survival grade ammo, i can reload quickly using my hornady turret press setup with the auto indexing cartridge hopper, and crank out those rounds at a rate of 5 a minute, but for custom tailoring a load, for my precission rifles (we're talking sometimes using half grain measurments here) i use an rcbs rock chucker press, custom top of the line machined dies, and double checking each powder load on two different scales to ensure a consistent powder measurement!, and after each round is reloaded, going back over it with a set of calipers, to double check its specs!!!! all in all start small till you become acustomed to reloading! once you can reload fast, and accurately, without any misteps, you should be fine! but i allmost guarantee you will get bored with that, and will want to make your own snob cartridges, that you have completely tailored to the point of making any factory ammo look like it just thrown together by ignorant collective workers in some commie ammo gulag out in siberia lol!!!
 
boltonscouter said:
I know the little plastic bushing is a weak spot but what else?
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Oh yes, the turret press square ratchet (part # TF3567) for .50 cents retail. If this part worries folks, you can always buy 100 of them for 50 bucks. But you should get a deal for quantity. Then again, if you avoid doing partial strokes on your turret press, just one should last you for years.

It's not too hard to get up to 120 rounds per hour with pistol loads using this press once you get into the rhythm, and some people brag much higher productivity (over 200). And that's with watching and checking your loads and inspecting your casing as it goes around station-to-station.

I know a lot of people factor in the $$$ into their time spent to do reloading, and thus they justify the purchase of much more expensive progressive presses. But for some folks, reloading is part of the hobby and something we take pride in, and not a chore that should be metered with billable time. These same people wouldn't measure their time golfing with the amount of money they'd spend trading stocks for their investment firm. Doh!
 
I would recommend starting with the Lee 50th Anniversary kit, and order the Lee dies you want too. After learning with this single stage $84 kit, you can add a Dillon, Hornady, RCBS, Lyman, Lee or whatever type of turret or progressive you want to continue with for higher volume pistol.
 
First Buy ABC's of reloading and a good reloading manual. ok i have recently done the same research and it took me a long time to decide you should take a look at this thread if you haven't already http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=127691 if your looking at progressive for pistol i would suggest the dillon 650 or hornady LNL as IMO you want a auto indexing 5 station press which the 550 isn't. i chose the LNL for quicker cheaper caliber changes and i just really like the system although there are a lot of guys that will tell you Blue Kool Aid is better then red i think you can't go wrong with either. if you want a list of the things i finally decided to buy or anymore questions etc feel free to PM me.

Just my .02 cents
 
this site has alot of fellows with the blue flu if you check out some other fourms (the high road) the RCBS PRO 2000 with auto indexing is highly talked of ,i got it about a month ago and all i can say your not gettin it over my dead body. so yea it pays to do your research ,check prices with Henry on here he's great.
 
jcpal said:
I am new to reloading and want to get in to it i am wanting to reload pistol and rilfle just 223 and 308 for rilfe but would like to be able to produce a good amount of ammo in a quickly but still be good safe and accurate was thinking about the dillion 550b any help would be great. Thanks
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You can use the 550 as a single stage to learn the ropes, so it's not a bad pick.
 
in theory you can really use any progressive as a single or more similar to a turret. and if you decide to check with henry he is fighting the flu i beleive so he has put orders on hold till he gets better
 
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