Which progressive press?
- Thread starter skhunter
- Start date
My 2 cents:
I have a lee 1000 in .45acp. I am constantly dicking with the thing to make it work correctly. When it works, it works very fast, the problem is in the primer section. The case feeder and powder measure are fool proof and work great. If a primer gets lodged or hesitates coming down the ramp, you have problems. I usually reload enough 45acp to do me for awhile and then I put the press away. I am currently also shooting 38 357 and 44mag that I do on a single stage. So I am kind of at a crossroads at the present time. Do I buy a 550 and conversion kits for each calibre, which is a wack of cash, or do I buy conversion kits for the 1000. Everyone I talk to at the range says the 550 is the way to go (and on the board here) but for the amount of shooting I do, about 3000 rounds a year total is it worth it. If I bought all the conversion kits for the 1000, complete carriers etc. it would still be less than 1/2 the price of just buying the 550, hell you can buy a new 1000 in each calibre for nearly the price of a conversion kit for one calibre on the 550. The 550 is built strong and sounds like it is pritty much idiot proof but is expensive, the lee 1000 is cheap and you have to watch it/#### with it to work properly. How much you shoot I guess is the deciding factor.
I have a lee 1000 in .45acp. I am constantly dicking with the thing to make it work correctly. When it works, it works very fast, the problem is in the primer section. The case feeder and powder measure are fool proof and work great. If a primer gets lodged or hesitates coming down the ramp, you have problems. I usually reload enough 45acp to do me for awhile and then I put the press away. I am currently also shooting 38 357 and 44mag that I do on a single stage. So I am kind of at a crossroads at the present time. Do I buy a 550 and conversion kits for each calibre, which is a wack of cash, or do I buy conversion kits for the 1000. Everyone I talk to at the range says the 550 is the way to go (and on the board here) but for the amount of shooting I do, about 3000 rounds a year total is it worth it. If I bought all the conversion kits for the 1000, complete carriers etc. it would still be less than 1/2 the price of just buying the 550, hell you can buy a new 1000 in each calibre for nearly the price of a conversion kit for one calibre on the 550. The 550 is built strong and sounds like it is pritty much idiot proof but is expensive, the lee 1000 is cheap and you have to watch it/#### with it to work properly. How much you shoot I guess is the deciding factor.
have you tried building the 1000 up at the rear with washers and longer bolts?- mine has about a 15 degree forward tilt to it so that the primers flow more easily down the chute- i've also disabled that fool sensor thing that doesn't allow the primers to flow when there is no case- just watch what your doing and pluck the pimer out when it comes up - i've got a good inch inch and a half between the base and my bench so i can clean out dead primers and stuff that accumulate in there- i've drilled the holes in the bench thing too so the duds just drop through, but somehow some of them miss the holes- you are aware that you just need to buy the shellplate for the 44 and switch out the plate in the carrier- no need to buy that expensive assembly - the plate goes for about 30 bucks- the 357 takes the small pistol trough,but that's all you have to do for that one too- it's all on the lee site or in your manual- i've got a 550 as well, but i use it for the 308 win- because it came set that way: my set up currently goes like this- 44 mag- lee 1000,9mm-lee 1000, 308 - dillon 550, ( i got it when we still had the red threat going on and before y2k, ) 223- lee 1000( which i'm going to change over to 45 acp) and lee turret- with the auto- index removed - so i can do 338 win, 223, whatever- i've got the conversion for the dillon, but it's a pain to change shellplates for 50 rounds of ammo- which is about all i load for rifle at a time these days - so i'd say to sum it up, no, get the shellplates for the lee ( or the entire carrier if you don't want to switch out) and save the money on the dillon unless the priming thing really bothers you- a number of guys i know also do the priming with the hand held lee-auto prime and leave the primer cup empty- i keep 1 of each size( large and small) near at hand just in case i get a misfeed , upside down primer, or whatever- p/s they're cheap too- your 3000 rounds is only 30 sessions of 100 rounds each- very light for ANY progressive machine- most of us go at least 300-500 a session
Dillon 550 vs. 650
If I had to do it again it would be a 650 instead of a 550. The 550 press is a damn fine press and it would be the perfect choice for just about anybody. If you are pressed for time the 650 is probably a better choice. I am pressed for time. I would never consider any other brand. Again because of the customer support and service that Dillon provides. I have very few probllems with my press over 10 years and can verify the support and customer service is second to none. The other thing is they don't extend there hand anytime there is an issue. Just like the ad says "No BS Warranty".
Wade
If I had to do it again it would be a 650 instead of a 550. The 550 press is a damn fine press and it would be the perfect choice for just about anybody. If you are pressed for time the 650 is probably a better choice. I am pressed for time. I would never consider any other brand. Again because of the customer support and service that Dillon provides. I have very few probllems with my press over 10 years and can verify the support and customer service is second to none. The other thing is they don't extend there hand anytime there is an issue. Just like the ad says "No BS Warranty".
Wade
OK, I started out with a Lyman Spartan. It worked, and I learned the basics.
I bought a Hornady Projector from a friend getting out of shooting. He loaded maybe 2k on it, and I followed with about 100k. In the process, I sheared the operating handle, the indexing ratchet pin, learned to loath the powder system. It's a fine press for light pistol use, and it's great for rifle use. Think of it as an auto advancing 550. Actually, perhaps a 450 as the powder system sucks. I sold it to Snowdog, and he's still speaking to me, so I assume he likes it.
I upgraded to the Dillon 1050 since I was getting into loading more cases with crimped primers. The biggest downside is cost. It's an expensive whore to buy. It's also a pain in the ass to switch calibers. If you've got extra toolheads, powder measures, etc and can leave the toolhead alone, that solves a lot of problems. Sticking with the same primer size also helps. It needs a good brushing every 5k, and a light tear down every 10k to regrease. If you switch calibers often, this isn't the press for you. If you tend to load or process cases in 5-10k batches, you need this press. Once you get it, you'll never look back.
I bought a Hornady Projector from a friend getting out of shooting. He loaded maybe 2k on it, and I followed with about 100k. In the process, I sheared the operating handle, the indexing ratchet pin, learned to loath the powder system. It's a fine press for light pistol use, and it's great for rifle use. Think of it as an auto advancing 550. Actually, perhaps a 450 as the powder system sucks. I sold it to Snowdog, and he's still speaking to me, so I assume he likes it.
I upgraded to the Dillon 1050 since I was getting into loading more cases with crimped primers. The biggest downside is cost. It's an expensive whore to buy. It's also a pain in the ass to switch calibers. If you've got extra toolheads, powder measures, etc and can leave the toolhead alone, that solves a lot of problems. Sticking with the same primer size also helps. It needs a good brushing every 5k, and a light tear down every 10k to regrease. If you switch calibers often, this isn't the press for you. If you tend to load or process cases in 5-10k batches, you need this press. Once you get it, you'll never look back.
