Progressive press; which one?

[wildwilly501]

I'm trying to fiqure out why an o-ring would make a difference.Mine spills from the jerkiness/quickness of moving to the next station.I don't have a problem buying a o-ring just trying to see how it could help

[Baltimoreed]

In the 70s I started on a Pacific ‘C’ press, then picked up a used rock chucker but then got a new Lyman T2 and a second T2. Then a pair of really good friends gave me Dillon 550b’s that they weren’t using. After a good cleaning I recently set up the second 550 for 300blkout only. I prime on press with both the Dillon and Lymans. Either would be ok for the op. It actually depends on your mindset, do you move the work to the tool or the tool to the work? If you are worried about spilling powder get a Lyman turret and move the dies, not the cases. I also like the 6 stations on the Lyman better than the 4 on the Dillon. I use Dillon 550 powder measures [the best] even on the Lymans . But have a micrometer RCBS measure for working up loads on the second Dillon currently.

[Carrier]

I'm trying to fiqure out why an o-ring would make a difference.Mine spills from the jerkiness/quickness of moving to the next station.I don't have a problem buying a o-ring just trying to see how it could help

Because it takes all the jerkiness out. I can load 9mm with 8 grains of #7 and not spill any at all. Read this and it will explain it. I had a bit of issues when first doing it but after getting the right lube and the right amount on the o-ring it works like a champ.
https://forums.brianenos.com/topic/2...wder-jump-fix/

[wildwilly501]

Because it takes all the jerkiness out. I can load 9mm with 8 grains of #7 and not spill any at all. Read this and it will explain it. I had a bit of issues when first doing it but after getting the right lube and the right amount on the o-ring it works like a champ.
https://forums.brianenos.com/topic/2...wder-jump-fix/

Thanks Next Mc-Master-carr order I be trying it

[Burnt Fingers]

I tried the Hornady AP, I've owned three of them. Sold them all. I'm a Dillon guy now. I have a pair of 650's bolted to the bench.

I could never get the Hornady primer system to run 100%. My 650's just run and run and run.

[Lloyd Smale]

if i was absolutely certain the only thing id ever reload is pistol id probably recommend a square deal. There as fast as a 650 with a case feeder and alot cheaper and a good press. If i someday might do some rifle progressive stuff it would be a 550 all the way. May not be the fastest but its WILL be the most reliable and versatile.

[wildwilly501]

Because it takes all the jerkiness out. I can load 9mm with 8 grains of #7 and not spill any at all. Read this and it will explain it. I had a bit of issues when first doing it but after getting the right lube and the right amount on the o-ring it works like a champ.
https://forums.brianenos.com/topic/2...wder-jump-fix/

Bought O-rings from Amazon 10 for 10 Tried it today I spilled a lot less powder in 100 rounds then I usually do in 10 and some of that might have been checking charge weights little harder to get the case in and out compared to the spring

[XDROB]

Bought O-rings from Amazon 10 for 10 Tried it today I spilled a lot less powder in 100 rounds then I usually do in 10 and some of that might have been checking charge weights little harder to get the case in and out compared to the spring

What did you lube it with? I don't have lanolin but have petroleum jelly. Or is that not good to use on rubber?

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[wildwilly501]

Hornady Unique case lube

[Carrier]

What did you lube it with? I don't have lanolin but have petroleum jelly. Or is that not good to use on rubber?

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The guy who wrote the article on using o-rings said not to use anything but lanolin or a case lube like Unique that I use.

[Petander]

Good friend had a Hornady LnL AP (he's a machinist, engineer, and had a manufacturing SOT FFL for a time), and he hated it enough he bought a 650 to replace it, and won't sell the LnL to anyone he knows.

LnL here. I got it for free 15 years ago, just used it today for 38 Special. A friend bought two Dillons.

I don't use the primer system,it works but you WILL charge an unprimed case,spill powder (from the primer hole) under the plate and disassemble everything every 100 rounds. Pain.

There's no way to tell how many primers are still in the tube. Count? Hah. And 100 primers? Once you just got going you have to stop,changing the tube (if you have a spare) is hard,the whole thing is hard to reach... filling the tubes is slow and hard...

But it works fine with sized/primed brass. It WILL throw some powder from a case,you need to put a finger on it after you charge,before the press gives that tiny "shake"... Doable for me. Ammo is pretty good even though the rubber rings for those stupid quick detach mounts turn quality dies into Lees...

I'd never buy a LnL for any real price.

Hi end Dillons are real PROGRESSIVE presses.

[wildwilly501]

There is a way to tell how many primers left.Should have been a white rod with the press.Goes in the primer tube on top of the primers.Shows how many left and helps the primers feed

[Guardian]

Considering progressive press. I would appreciate your help since my knowledge about them is minuscule, experience zero.

My first question is, do you like the reloading process? Second is why do you think you want to go progressive?

I love the process of reloading! I like it as much as I do shooting. I made the jump to progressive because I am a tool junkie and already had several single stage presses and a nice turret press (Redding T7), but I thought I wanted more production. What I didn't realize prior to buying a progressive was:

1- a progressive press largely removes you from the operation. You are just a monitor and troubleshooter after the initial setup.
2- keeping a progressive fed requires an exponential increase in components if you are wanting to maintain the same amount of time per week playing with your reloading setup.

Both of these seem laughable, in retrospect, as it seems rather obvious. Neither of these items would be issues to those who view reloading as a chore and just want to get on to the next thing. Reloading was (and as often as I can make time for it anymore, is) a way to let the day's worries melt away while being productive. I don't "do nothing" very well.

A turret press allows the process to speed up a bit, but you are still very much engaged in each step. I particularly like not having to fiddle with dies, just change tool heads if the caliber I want is not in the current tool head. I can either load batches like is done on a single stage (if I know I have enough time for the whole batch) or I can choose to completely load one cartridge before beginning the next.

What is your tolerance level for tinkering and adjusting? If you want zero of either, I don't think a progressive is the tool for you. I don't care what brand/color it is, a progressive is a machine that requires adjustment and mechanical aptitude. What is easy to troubleshoot and adjust to me may be a nightmare to another, and vice versa.

Anyhow, here are my requirements and wishes:

- Reloading 357 Magnum only, so I need complete setup for that round (for 44 Magnum, 455 Webley and rifle rounds I have Rock Chucker)

I've never used a Dillon SDB, but I do have a dedicated progressive press (a CH MK IV) for 10mm. It stays set up for one load. If you know you are unlikely to get into other calibers that you'll want in volume or are willing to buy another dedicated machine later, that may be the way to go.

- Automatic indexing

I agree. I find manual indexing to be aggravating; however, it does offer the user a means of controlling the rotational speed to mitigate powder spillage. I don't own one, but I have used a Dillon 550. The Dillon 650 is jerkier than the Hornady LNL AP, in my opinion, but my understanding is that there are aftermarket parts to address this. I like the half step rotation of the LNL AP, but it did take some adjusting of the pawls to get it running exactly how I wanted it. That was a one time adjustment and I've not touched it since.

- Powder checking station

This is what got me to the Hornady LNL and Dillon 650 debate. I thought I had to have this feature. I never use it for that purpose. I tried the Hornady powder cop die and decided it didn't really do what I wanted. I ended up needing the 5th space so that I could expand and powder charge in separate stations, but that is due to a personal preference thing with cast boolits. I find the Hornady powder through expander system is adequate for jacketed, but not for cast; so I use the separate expanding die. Point is, you might not find as much utility with the powder checking as you think. Some folks swear by it, but I find sufficient lighting to look in every case to be more important.

- I do not need case feeder

One of the nice things about the Hornady LNL AP is that the brass and bullet are input on the same side, allowing one handed feeding of both. I grab a case between my left thumb and second finger and a bullet between the same thumb and index finger and load them into the press in the same order. I also cut the boss for the case feeder off the subplate for my LNL AP because it got in the way of my hand feeding, as I have no plans to put a case feeder on it.

On a Dillon 650/750, you will want the case feeder. The bullet and brass enter the shell plate on opposite sides. It is inconvenient, at best, to load the short tube with a few cases and then place bullets for a few pulls and repeat. I do this on my CH, so I know the aggravation of which I speak. About the time you get in a rhythm, its time to stop and put more cases in. Do yourself a favor if you get the Dillon 750, get the case feeder.

- Would like (but not necessary) if standard dies could be used

If you're ok with a dedicated press, the Dillon SDB comes with the dies, so who cares. Otherwise, most other presses meet this requirement.

- Decent quality, "best bang for the buck"

This is the highly subjective part. DISCALIMER: I do not have brand loyalty within the reloading market. I do have brands that I have negative opinions of through my own experiences (Lyman customer service is an example). I also am predisposed to pulling for the underdog, so if anyone does something better than a Dillon I would be inclined to make note of it. The only Dillon product I own at present is a Dillon 600 primer pocket swaging tool.....and I wasted a lot of money trying everything else that was on the market at the time prior to buying it. I hate to admit that, but it is what it is.

JMorris tried to tell me years ago that the crux of any progressive is the priming system, and he was/is absolutely correct. There are things that I prefer about the Hornady LNL press: the half step rotation described above, the same side brass/bullet feeding described above, the bushing system for the dies, and the powder measure. But the Hornady priming system on my press, as delivered, was not up to snuff. It is now working after the replacement of the subplate and appears to have been a manufacturing defect, but it took a while to sort it out and I bought the replacement parts due to an unrelated issue (rust during a period of storage between homes)....Hornady didn't "provide" them or acknowledge that they had an issue. They seem to have fixed it with later sub plates and this may not be an issue currently.

Considering my shooting, I will be reloading up to 6000 a year.

I have no idea how many rounds I shoot a year. I don't even know how many I load each year. I have the records, just never cared to go through and figure it out. The Hornady has met my needs, but if I were back at that point in the decision process with foresight instead of hindsight, I'd probably make a different decision and have more blue on my bench. At this point, I can't justify the switch as what I have is doing fine.

Now, there are peripherals that may also become "necessities" once you step into progressive reloading, though not so much with straight wall pistol cases. I had to figure out a way to trim cases faster when I began running rifle rounds on my progressive. I ended up with a Giroud trimmer, but there were intermediate steps that costed time and money. Dillon didn't have their press mounted trimmer out at that time.

I probably never would have gotten into bullet swaging and casting had it not been for the progressive....I didn't shoot near as much then because it took longer to produce it. Oh well, there are worse habits I could have....

Any brands/models not mentioned are left out due to lack of personal experience with them. Sorry that got long winded, but maybe it will help someone.

[Guardian]

There is a way to tell how many primers left.Should have been a white rod with the press.Goes in the primer tube on top of the primers.Shows how many left and helps the primers feed

Yep. Drop it into an empty magazine and make a mark on the rod with a sharpie and you'll know before it runs out. If you want a 5 primer heads-up and ain't good at spacial relations, put 5 primers in the magazine and draw another line. Repeat for as many indications as you want.

[Petander]

There is a way to tell how many primers left.Should have been a white rod with the press.Goes in the primer tube on top of the primers.Shows how many left and helps the primers feed

I see.

Never had one of those but I have borrowed long knitting pin from my wife for that purpose. It still takes lots of attention to follow the primers... and tube change is not a pleasant operation. Some primers will go everywhere.

The outer tube needed a support bracket right from the start so I built one. And the metal tubes sometimes make me feel a little uneasy... you know... IF the primers go off in that double metal tube...

LnL is not a complete failure. It's a solid press. But you tweak a lot and load 15 min, tweak again and load 15 min... it's not very relaxing reloading,watch that baseplate bolt turning loose etc....

Pre-sizing and priming makes LnL okay to me. But it's not "progressive" reloading.

[wc870]

another one here for the Dillon camp, 3 550's and a square deal, love em all. no complaints and great customer service.

[selmerfan]

Dillon. No questions asked. I use a Dillon 550 because I don't want the auto index and I have never wanted it. If you do want it, I know that there are 650s popping up in the used market because of the 750s popularity. I've never used the 650 or 750. It sounds like the 750 is the 650 with the 550 priming mechanism. I just LOVE my 550 and the only thing better would be two 550s.

[Big Wes]

I have three Dillons SDB, 550B, and a 650 great presses

[XDROB]

To WildWily,
There is a way to tell how many primers left.Should have been a white rod with the press.Goes in the primer tube on top of the primers.Shows how many left and helps the primers fee.

I either got a white rod or made one. I put a black mark on it to let me see when I was getting low.

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[farmbif]

unfortunately everything is out of stock and who know when you might be able to get anything at normal price. I'll just keep using the old presses that I have for now.
Dillon has not raised prices and its a 2 to 3 month wait right now. I did a search for a new Hornady and all I found available was one on amazon for $2300, that was a couple days ago, someone probably bought it to go along with the $1250 box of primers.