3 Square Deal B’s or 1 XL650

[jmorris]

A bullet feeder alone is nothing like one with a collator as you still must handle each bullet by hand without one.

The collators I use now for bullets are not terribly difficult to make.

I didn't have a CNC mill back when I made them so I built some simple jigs to get the correct spacing on the wheels.



The wheel is driven by a roll pin in the motor shaft.



The key to correct orentation is the flipper, you want already base down bullets to continue to the drop tube.


If the nose of the bullet is down, you want it to catch in the slot.


So it will be layed flat with the tip towards the outside.


The ride back up the ramp, setting them base down.

[kweidner]

I just finished loading 8000 this week on 2 550s no case feeder. Do enough of it you get consistent solid and fast. I am elevated so I can see every case before the boolit is seated and load on average 450 an hour for 9,38,40 and 380. 45 goes a tad slower beacuse of the pressure involved. Matter of fact I have loaded 30000 since January on those 550s. I do have powder droppers on all tool heads and swap out takes less than 5 minutes. I could load faster but this speed is comfortable.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have 2 SDB's one set up for .40 S&W and the other set up for .45 ACP. Obviously either one could be changed to load a similar cartridge without having to change the priming system on that machine. I also have a 550B which came with 9mm, 38/357,45ACP and .308 tool heads set up for the previous owners loads. I don't do any of those cartridges on that machine, and so far I have only loaded .223's on it since I have the other machines already set up and running. No reason to change those.

For my .308's I use IMR4895 so that requires throwing the charges with an electronic PM, and so I assemble those on the front three stations of my C&H 444. 50 rounds in .5 hours.

I use my Rockchucker to break down bottle neck cases which then get tumbled and are ready to load when done.

I also have a PW MetalMatic II which can be set up for various things, but it doesn't get used much since I have the other simpler machines.

For shotguns I load for 12 ga and .410's .410's on a Pacific DL266 single stage, and 12's on a DL266, DL366 or Spolar. I can do 100 per hour on the 266's, 500 per hour on the DL366, and 900 per hour on the Spolar. So far I don't shoot enough to even justify having the Spolar but after I retire that may change.

The point of all this is you need to tailor your machinery to the amounts of different cartridges you need to load. No one machine will do it all with the highest efficiency. That's whey there is so many different types of machines out there.

To tell the truth I could get by nicely with just the Rockchucker, the and the 550B, and the two DL266's. I could load anything I ever wanted to with those machines, and probably in quantities large enough to suit my shooting needs. But it would be more work!

I tend to buy a machine based on what type of use I have for it. The Dillon 550B will load all of my brass cased ammo, but you have to change calibers and whereas this may not take that long, it still has to be done, and if you don't have a dedicated toolhead for each caliber then you run into having to changing dies, priming systems and powder measures etc., which puts right in the same category as my C&H.

I will not do it to load 100 .308's. or 50 .45-70's or cast boolit loads for my .30-06, .30-30 or .44's. It's pointless when I can be up and running in five minutes with a manual machine.

There is another factor here which though it may be considered intangible by some, actually means something to me or to any one who has pulled on handles for a living .

It is called "Tactile Gratification."

It is simply,,, how much gratification you get from the "feel" of the machine. If you are operating that machine for long periods of time this actually becomes a big deal.

Bridgeport Mills,,, "Feel better" than Chinese clones. Simple fact,,, and anyone who has operated both will readily agree with me.

As a result loading machines which you intend on spending hours in front of should also feel good to use. Some are better than others and that's a fact All machines need to have a buttery smooth feel to them when you pull the handle. All of the Dillon machines have a good feel to them. I especially like my C&H and when the lever cams over at the bottom of the stroke and hits the rubber bumper I installed on it,,, it feels really satisfying, nice and smooth with no metal to metal grinding going on.

In a perfect world we each would have the right machine all set up for every caliber we load and all you'd have to do is go to the loading room and start pulling handles on which ever machine you needed ammo from.

In the real world there are compromises that must be made and sometimes despite your best effort to learn everything there is to know about something before hand, we still end up buying some things that just don't cut it.

That's what EBay is for!

Randy

[HATCH]

I owned 3 SDB and a 550b at the same time. The plan was to dedicated the SDB to do 38sp, 41 mag , & 45 acp. The 550 would do the remaining 13 calibers. I got a deal on a 650 and sold the 3 SDB. The 650 is a commercial quality loader when you use the case feeder (with collator). In fact my brother ray lives two hrs from me. It takes less time to drive round trip and load on the 650 then stay at home and load on the 550.

[bruce381]

keep the 550 for low volume stuff (45 acp)and get a case feed 650 for your high volume small primer stuff(9,380,40 etc).

[jmorris]

The point of all this is you need to tailor your machinery to the amounts of different cartridges you need to load. No one machine will do it all with the highest efficiency. That's whey there is so many different types of machines out there.

Worth reading that again. Each have pros and cons.

[btroj]

Color me cheap but no way would I spend over a thousand dollars because I was spending 13 hours every other month loading ammo. Heck, I wouldn't do it and I spend that much a month at times.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Color me cheap but no way would I spend over a thousand dollars because I was spending 13 hours every other month loading ammo. Heck, I wouldn't do it and I spend that much a month at times.

You would if you had something else you had to or wanted to do in most of those hours. Sometimes time is more valuable than money. For example: Time spent with your children while they're growing up. You never realize how valuable that is until they're five states away and you don't get to see them any more. If I could trade a thousand bucks for time spent with my children, I'd be all over it.

[warf73]

Color me cheap but no way would I spend over a thousand dollars because I was spending 13 hours every other month loading ammo. Heck, I wouldn't do it and I spend that much a month at times.

Funny you say that but, I made another purchase last month that increased my shooting and will take up some weekends traveling to shoots. Spent thousand dollars for all the goodies so I can do this.

I'm just lucky this gun collecting, shooting, casting, reloading hobby is so cheap................ LOL

[jmorris]

Color me cheap but no way would I spend over a thousand dollars because I was spending 13 hours every other month loading ammo. Heck, I wouldn't do it and I spend that much a month at times.

It's just different strokes for different folks. I know people that spend many thousands on things that, not only to they not save time, they take up your time. A boat is the first thing that I thought of, still trying to keep race cars out of my head.
Most new boats that you don't blow up with air cost more than I have in reloading equipment and I have a lot.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

It's just different strokes for different folks. I know people that spend many thousands on things that, not only to they not save time, they take up your time. A boat is the first thing that I thought of. Most new boats that you don't blow up with air cost more than I have in reloading equipment and I have a lot.

LOL, yes, yes, those boats do (B.O.A.T. - bring out another thousand) cost money and time. I'm into my 1986 aluminum bass boat restoration for about $3500.00 and it sits in the yard more than I would like. But when I get the chance to take a son or son in law or young grandson out fishing on Lake Lanier here in Atlanta, I sure do enjoy it.

[Moonman]

Boats, Airplanes, Automobiles, Cruses, Swimming Pools, Golf Vacations, Harley Davidson's.

My thoughts, Spend !/2 your money on GOOD BOOZE and WILD WOMEN, then just go

and WASTE THE OTHER 1/2.

[jmorris]

And that's the point, enjoy it.

It would make most men think a $1000 investment in reloading equipment that would last a life time is quite reasonable if they knew what the wife spends total on things like hair, nails, purses and shoes, continuously.

The $1000 investment for loading every other month would be a $167 investment each session the first year. By the end of the 2nd year it would be $83 a session.

After 10 years of loading on the $1000 machine saving you from the 13 hours of loading your at $8.33.

Funny the first SD my brother and I went in on together 29 years ago because it was so expensive ($130) would be like spending $4.48 a year for it. Not to mention it is worth more now than when we bought it.

[btroj]

My 550B does just fine. I don't need more speed than that. I reload for fun, I don't view it as work.

Oh, I also don't own a boat, ATF, jet ski, motorcycle, or any of that. I do have a nice retirement account however

[HATCH]

I could buy all the ammo I personally need for my lifetime for what I paid for equipment, powder, brass, lead, and primers. Its more then just money. Every piece of equipment I buy only loses at most 25% of its value over the period which I own it and that's if I bought it new. The biggest thing for me is that the actions I took to get all this gear and reloading supplies ensures that my children will enjoy shooting long after I am gone regardless of what some moron in the white house says.

[Petrol & Powder]

I've owned a 550 for many years and I'm happy with that machine. I've used both the 650 and the SDB and I have a favorable opinion of those as well. There's been lots of input on this thread with much thought. In the pure sense of economy and future expansion, I'd have to vote for the 650 over multiple SDB's However, the need to switch between large/small primers changes that just a bit. You have to weigh the cost in money and bench space with the convenience of a dedicated machine.
My 550 is set up for small primers and I frequently switch between 9mm/38 spl. with zero issues and minimal thought. I will reluctantly set it up for large primers when I load 45ACP and when I do, I load huge batches and convert it back to small primers when finished. I've often considered a second machine dedicated to large primers but the idea of multiple SDB's seemed convenient but not practical.

[Moonman]

Choices, Choices, Choices.

Isn't a complete EXTRA primer assembly for a 650 about $90, a 2 screw swap-out Morris should know.

Also, you could DUMP all your large primer 45's and stock up on small primer 45's only.

Looks like more and more manufactures are switching into small primers. UGH! More problems.

[Echd]

I probably don't shoot enough to justify my 650 but I love it. I'd imagine if you split your shooting between 3 calibers fairly evenly and can just supplement the rest on your 550 you'd be out ahead going with 3 SDBs. I only do 45 on my 650 but load everything else on my 550.

That said, if you've never loaded with a case feeder, it's an INCREDIBLE speed increase. A bullet feeder too.

[W.R.Buchanan]

OK guys my other vice is Jeeps. (Just Empty Every Pocket) For what I've got in my project, I could have bought a new one and modified it any way I wanted. But you can't buy one like mine unless you buy mine. Going to be very few takers at $125K when done. (My time is worth $75/hour.)

But since I designed and built it from scratch, I got a tremendous amount of "Tactile Gratification" from building it. Also the satisfaction of having something unique is worth something to many.

I will have to drive it for many years to recoup my investment thru use, and I have had to swallow the fact that may never happen. In effect, using Morris' method of amortization, I will have simply paid more per hour of use.

I can live with that, simply because I value my "Tactile Gratification" highly. (I've been known to take longer completing a job because it felt so good drilling the holes on my mill.)

Point here is that we all do this hobby because we are trying to do something different than what is readily available to the general public. All the reasons why are evident to most of us, and everyone's reasons are unique to them, but the one thing that is common to all is that it is FUN to do it,,, or else we wouldn't do it.

I mentioned above that lots of times there is trial and error involved when tooling up for anything. (I've built 5 different Jeeps) The good thing about Reloading Equipment is that it has good resale value,,, (unless you leave it uncovered in the wet garage for 20 years,) so you can always sell off what you don't like. In the case of lots of this stuff you can get what you paid for it back, and sometimes even more. That makes it a good investment as well.

What I would recommend to the OP is to buy some machines and see if they do what you want. If they don't then sell off some and buy other stuff until you get it right. Just buy popular machines so you can resell with little or no loss.

Only you will know when that is. All we can do is give you our considered opinions.

You'll notice there is no shortage of that here!

Randy

[garym1a2]

After 10 years of loading on that 650 you could sell it for almost what a new one costs.
Time has a value, when you work 50+hours a week and have kids your off time has a lot of value.

And that's the point, enjoy it.

It would make most men think a $1000 investment in reloading equipment that would last a life time is quite reasonable if they knew what the wife spends total on things like hair, nails, purses and shoes, continuously.

The $1000 investment for loading every other month would be a $167 investment each session the first year. By the end of the 2nd year it would be $83 a session.

After 10 years of loading on the $1000 machine saving you from the 13 hours of loading your at $8.33.

Funny the first SD my brother and I went in on together 29 years ago because it was so expensive ($130) would be like spending $4.48 a year for it. Not to mention it is worth more now than when we bought it.