Thoughts on Progressive Reloading Machines

[jmorris]

Depending on how you refill one, mostly primer tubes, you can be in the 1000-1500 per hour range without difficulty.

[jmorris]

I have modified the Loadmaster using collated case and bullet feed too. If you can keep one running they will match the speed of any of the others.



I have lots of the Dillon’s, had a couple LNL’s, RCBS Pro 2000 and the Lee above. The Dillon’s are simply more reliable. Add in the swage station on the 1050’s and things just get better.

The pro chucker presses had priming issues (parts breakage) right from the start. The new owners had less than useful progressives because they couldn’t get replacement parts in a timely fashion, then those too broke. You only get one chance to make a first impression and that’s why you don’t see a huge following.

[dansedgli]

Those in the IPSC clubs I shoot with who started off on something other than a dillon have a dillon now.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive got two lnls. I call them the biggest mistake i ever made. I bought them when they were giving away a 1000 bullets with each press. Add to that they were still cheaper without the bullets then 650s were. Well the bullets were gone the first year and now im stuck with those headaches. Primer problems all the time and one goes out of time about every 1000 rounds you load on it. Seems even switching calibers many times requires tweaking of the timing. Case feeder? Pure junk. I bought them for both presses and havent used them in 5 years. A 650 was designed out of the box to run a case feeder and they work great. The lnl case feeder is more of an add on. Nothing but problems. I found that with all the troubles and stoppages im better off loading on my 550. Its slower but runs like the energizer bunny. Id bet in 8 hours of loading i can crank out more ammo on my 550 then a lnl. For the most part those presses today are reloading room decoration. Buck up and go with a 650 (750 now). If thats to much money get a 550. Dillons just work and are what the press the others are allways compared to. Even a square deal if you just load pistol rounds is a great press and with its shorter stroke can pump out ammo as fast as a 650 with a case feeder. But for 90 percent of the shooters out there a 550 is THE press to own.

[onelight]

I think the large number of upgrades available for Dillon equipment can be attributed to the quality and cost of the base machines it would be a hard pill to swallow to spend 2 to 3 times the cost of a Lee progressive to add a case feeder or other addition . I like Lee equipment and have had all the progressives they have offered and they are an option if you don't want to spend more money , and the output of the Lee progressives will meet your production needs . The Lee ABLP is the simplest and cheapest press in the Lee line to run with out a lot of tinkering but the output is only 3 to 400 per hour for me , the only thing I have to mess with to get running smooth is the case feeder and output serves my purpose.
All the machines have a setup learning and adjustment curve and this forum has members that can help with any of them. But the Lees are not the same quality machine as a Dillon If I only loaded a few different cartridges or had more disposable income I would buy a Dillon probably a 550.
Many here have and use multiple presses on a regular basis I use a single stage a turret and a progressive and have one of each permanently mounted I also have the new Lee app mounted . If you load a lot of different cartridges the cost of the press will be the smallest part of your investment .
Don't sell your single stage or turret if you add a progressive you will miss them

[Land Owner]

Wow! Just wow - in the presence of Xerxes of Persia and his Machines!

I, in my humble RCBS Piggyback II simplicity, have no response for this topic.

[375supermag]

Hi...
I run two LNLs...one set up for large primer and set up for small primers.
My son and I reload all of our semi auto pistol rounds and most of our .357Mag loads as well as .223 on our LNL presses.
We load rifle and .375 SuperMag on a RockChucker Supreme press.
All of our big bore revolver cartridges and .38Spl are reloaded on my RockChucker II. I just enjoy loading on that press and since I am retired time isn't much of an issue.

I have two Dillon 550s that I bought at auction that I just haven't gotten around to setting up...mostly because we are doing just fine with the LNLs.
FWIW...the Hornady's have run great for us. We decided the case feeder isn't worth the trouble and I sold the bullet feeder for the same reason. Just not worth the hassle...we still manage to run at 4-500 rounds per hour placing cases and bullets by hand.

[Slugster]

I have never learned to like the Dillon presses. Never needed that much ammo that quick. Have a Lee Pro 1000 (yeah, I'm that guy) that I bought in about 1990 or so. Still use it. Used to fire 200 to 400 .44 magnums per week and this press kept up with my voracious appetite for ammo. The only part that I have had to replace is the little plastic gizmo that turns the shell plate.
As others have said the Lee progressives are a bit fiddly to get started, but will turn out quality ammo. I have turned out tens of thousands of rounds on the Lee Pro 1000 and have never had a double charge or squib.

[tazman]

I need a certain amount of ammo ready to shoot each week. I am also in the group for maximizing time away from wife(at times anyway).
My Lee Classic Cast Turret gives me enough ammo and enough time away to keep me shooting and relatively sane.
It is also simple to operate and pretty foolproof.
Best compromise for me.

[Texas Gun]

Bottom line is you get what you pay for

[Land Owner]

I can make excellent, quality ammunition, one at a time, with a Lee Loader! I have done it. It takes a while. I may get tired. It is even sustainable in a "for as long as I live" mentality. Atlas rolled his burden uphill every day, only to have it roll down again at night, to start over again at dawn the next day. Would I do this on purpose and in the face of "automation"? Not hardly. NECESSITY drives purchasing - if one's personal finances allow. One can "make do" with a VW even though there are Porche's.

[onelight]

I can make excellent, quality ammunition, one at a time, with a Lee Loader! I have done it. It takes a while. I may get tired. It is even sustainable in a "for as long as I live" mentality. Atlas rolled his burden uphill every day, only to have it roll down again at night, to start over again at dawn the next day. Would I do this on purpose and in the face of "automation"? Not hardly. NECESSITY drives purchasing - if one's personal finances allow. One can "make do" with a VW even though there are Porche's.

That is exactly right , lots of good choices we choose how we want to spend our money and time.

[Kenstone]

Wow! Just wow - in the presence of Xerxes of Persia and his Machines!

I, in my humble RCBS Piggyback II simplicity, have no response for this topic.

Yep, I have 3 PBs and have Franken'pressed them all with a Lee Auto Disc and a tube fed Hornady bullet feeder.
So it's place a case-pull the lever, repeat...
I have other presses too, and have managed to get them all functioning reliably.
All on diy common mounts, as I only have 1 press on the bench at a time and the rest stored on a shelf:

works for me,

[rbuck351]

I have several different progressives. First you have to decide the volume of ammo you shoot. I don't shoot a lot of ammo but I don't like to spend a lot of time loading for rounds I have only one load for such as 45acp, 9mm, 38spl and such. I have a 550b with a few tool heads set up. The tool head is quick to set up but the shell plate and primer each take a couple of minutes to change. Hand setting bullets and cases and refilling primer tubes I can load around four hundred an hour at an easy pace, about five hundred if I push it.
I also have a star in 38spl ( no bullet feeder ) that will load faster than the dillon if there are no malfunctions. If a malfunction occurs it can take ten minutes to clear.
I have 3 pro 1000s. I don't have much good to say about them unless you like tinkering with them to keep them running. They have the worst priming system I've ever seen.
I've never ran a lnl or a rcbs progressive so no comment.
The Dillon came with very good set up instructions and was easy to set up. The only problem I have had is it will rarely spit a primer out of the primer cup on the way to the shellplate. Maybe 1 in 1000 with small primers. Doesn't happen with large primers. I prefer the manual index over the automatic. There are definitely faster presses but the 550b is actually faster than I need.
If you can only afford one progressive and don't shoot thousands of rounds a month, the 550 is my choice. Also you can save a few bucks by using lee dies and the lee disc powder measure if you want a powder measure for each tool head. With this you can swap a tool head with dies and powder measure in about ten seconds.
I understand Dillon has a no BS warranty but I don't know as in twenty years I haven't had to use it for anything.

[David2011]

Livin_cincy, there is one bit of confusion in your original post. You do not have to return parts to Dillon. You just give them a call with your problem. They will help diagnose and sometimes even send extra parts that they find tend to fail along with the primary part. This is not to say that there are lots of failures; just an example of their excellent service.

Accessories for the Dillons are like automotive accessories. The popular ones are the ones that have accessories available. Not too many for a Ford Fiesta.

[ascast]

good read - I would like a progressive for rifle, like 45-70, 30-06. Soiunds like the 550 or next gen is it. I have a pile of Stars and a Pro1000 for the pistol stuff. Having owned both, I would take the VW over the Porche about any day.

[drac0nic]

I will say oddly I would not in the least thumb my nose at a Lee Classic Turret even though this is a proggy thread. I could be overall content with one.

[Pete44mag]

I learned how to reload on RCBS Rockchucker, moved up to a Dillon 550 after about a year. I shot USPSA, IDPA and Bullseye matches. I also load several rifle calibers for hunting, and have never been short on ammo. Dillon's no BS warranty is just as I says, when I have called with a problem they trouble shot to find the answer and have sent me replacement parts no question asked, no postage in two to three days. Would not think of buying another brand of press, only Dillon for me.

[osteodoc08]

Everybody has their preferences.

I had a LnL and I had frustration after frustration with it, mostly centering around the primer slide design and then the ezject design. Initially Hornady was easy getting repair parts from but when the repair parts are out of spec and don’t fix the problem, or they aren’t redisigned and you get the same pressed in wheel that pops off; it becomes aggravating. Once the rep told me I used my press too much and the part had a wear that was considered being “used too much” and a regular wear item (base plate integral to ezject) and they refused to send repair parts without overcharging for them. I found the Repair part cheaper online. I repaired the press and passed it off to a friend of mine. He’s been happy with it last I checked. That soured me on Hornady (along with out of spec dies, broken and inaccurate scales among others) and I placed an expensive order to big blue to replace all my set ups with their 650 lineup and haven’t looked back. I had a SDB and 550 prior to the 650 order so I knew what I was getting.

I swore off everything red and replaced most my dies, but as the years have gone by I’ve let them back into my life some and use their bullets, some loading tools and Concentricity gauge.

YMMV from mine but that was my experience with Hornady

[Lloyd Smale]

I can make excellent, quality ammunition, one at a time, with a Lee Loader! I have done it. It takes a while. I may get tired. It is even sustainable in a "for as long as I live" mentality. Atlas rolled his burden uphill every day, only to have it roll down again at night, to start over again at dawn the next day. Would I do this on purpose and in the face of "automation"? Not hardly. NECESSITY drives purchasing - if one's personal finances allow. One can "make do" with a VW even though there are Porche's.

I loaded many thousand rounds on a lee hand press. My first loads were made with lee loaders. I guess it comes down to how much you shoot and how much you value your time. I load to shoot. Shooting is my hobby and loading allows me to do it as much as i do. If i shot 50 rounds a month id be happy with a single stage. Then i agree that your budget has to allow for better tools. Some cant afford it. But most of the guys i know that say they cant afford it have 20 guns and for the price of one of those guns you could have a 550.


Many others say they cant afford it but have a nice camper, tractor, boat, motorcyle, atv ect ect. If shooting isnt your main hobby and you prefer motorcycles then thats great. But dont tell me you cant afford a 500 dollar press when you bought some chrome trinket for your bike that cost that much or a new leather jacket. Heck ive got friends that claim they could never have a loading room like mine but spend 200 dollars a month on beer and another 200 on cigarettes. Or they go on a vacation every yearShooting IS my hobby. IT COMES FIRST on my priority list. Yup I own atvs a sports car a new truck and a jeep but If it came down to it the other toys would go down the road before my loading gear and casting gear.

My idea of a day at the range is 300 or so rounds of ammo and in the summer probably do that at least twice a week many times much more. Id have to sit up all night to cast, coat and size bullets and then wade in mud on a single stage press or some progressive that i spend half the night tweaking to run right. It all comes down to how much time you spend on your loading bench. Me? id rather spend an hour and get 300-500 rounds without a headache dealing with inferior crap and the shoot for 3 hours then spend 3 hours on the bench getting a couple hundred rounds and only having a hour of spar time to shoot.

I guess for some even casting a one cavity mold using a sauce pan and a dipper makes sense. If a guy only needs 50 bullets for the month it might be just fine. But when i cast i usually run 20-40 lbs of lead. Im all about making that good quality ammo as fast as possible so i have more time for shooting. Yup like onelight said its all about how we want to spend our money. You go camping or riding your harley and ill stay home and shoot. I worked a hard physical job that paid enough to allow me to buy the loading gear i have and not compromise. heck my wife spends more money on shoes in a year then a 550 costs. If you ask me id hands down take 19 guns and a 550 over 20 guns and a pro 1000. It wouldnt even rate 30 seconds of thinking about it.