Lee Pro1000 vs Dillon 550/650

[thehouseproduct]

Despite the fact that I understand “buy once, cry once”. I seem to always learn the hard way. I have learned that many items are worth the extra pennies. Powder measures, scales, casting tools, etc. On some things I learned that Lee is more than adequate for the price, 6 bangers, collet dies, FCD, etc.

So I currently have a Lee Pro1000. I have come to the conclusion that I will have an aneurysm if I have to fix it jamming one more time. I began to look into Dillon and Hornady progressive presses. It was then that I realized that an auto indexing press with a case feeder from them would cost $700-$800 instead of $160. My question is, is it worth it? Have many of you switched and never looked back? Is the Dillon 550 with manual index frustrating after using an auto index? What about an auto indexing turret from lee? Does the Lee Loadmaster work much better than the Pro1000?

Opinions please.

[KYCaster]

If you're frustrated with the Pro 1000 then you'll probably hate the Loadmaster.

I've owned both and found it much easier to make the Pro 1000 run consistently. The Loadmaster is a nightmare.

Look on Youtube, you'll find lots of videos about how to set up and run Dillon and Hornady presses. You'll find lots of videos about how to FIX Lee presses, including after-market parts intended to address the problems with the Lee designs.

Jerry

[Recluse]

I have a Pro1000 and I've loaded tens of thousands of rounds on it.

Notice that I did not say "I've loaded tens of thousands of rounds on it trouble free."

I bought it when I was a young starving federal lawman shooting up a thousand rounds a week in IPSC and other gun sports. Couldn't afford a Dillon then.

Comparing a Lee Pro1000 and a Dillon 550/650 is like comparing. . . well. . . hmmmmm. There is no comparing. There just isn't.

Both will give you loaded ammo, and one will give you bouts of extremely high blood pressure as well.

Customer service from both Lee and Dillon is very good, but if there has ever been a finer press made than the Dillon 550B, I'd like to see it and try it.

With the trays for the brass on one side and boolits on the other, it doesn't take you long to forget about those four plastic tubes. Same with the manual indexing versus auto indexing.

Two different machines from two different worlds. Difference is, one of these days, I'll end up throwing that Pro1000 out. Can't imagine doing that to either Dillon.

And that's the bottom line.

[mike in co]

if you do not like the manual turning/indexing, then spend the extra bucks and get a dillon 650, if not get the 550. add the case feeder when funds are available.

mike in co

[Tom-ADC]

One more vote for the Dillon 550, I sold a hardly used Pro1000 a month or so ago for $30 just to get rid of it.

[NWFLYJ]

It would be cool if someone made a auto index add on for the 550. I love mine and do not mind advancing it by hand. I dream about a weak little pnematic plunger mounted to left side that is either foot operated or off of the arm. Somebody figure it all out and post it up! Mark

[Dale53]

I have had a Lee Pro 1000 for several years. I originally had it dedicated to the .32 H&R (and S&W Long). It pretty much requires a mechanic to keep it going.

I originally got a Dillon 450 (Dillon sent me one to try when I was shooting IPSC and I bought it rather than send it back. When the 550 came out I sold the 450 and bought a 550 then upgraded to the 550B. A couple of years ago, I bought another new 550B.

If you load for both rifle and pistol, then the 550B is the one for you. The tool heads are affordable as well as the caliber change overs. Mine is set up for eleven different calibers.

I wouldn't change ONE dern thing on my 550B's. I like them just as they are. Mine have loaded tens of thousands of rounds. I shot competitively for years with both pistol and rifle and my equipment was NEVER a cause for me losing an event.

I like Lee equipment and recommend their Lee Classic Turret press to anyone wanting to get started reloading. Their dies are just dandy and a great value, also. I like their Pro Disc powder measure for small charges (even use them on my Dillon from time to time).

I am NOT particularly enthused with their progressive presses. Dillon is WORLD'S better in every way.

FWIW
Dale53

[Springfield]

It's called a Dillon 650! I have 2 550's myself, one for 18 years. I have tried out friends 650 a couple of times, don't feel the need for one. I have also owned 3 Square Deals, didn't like the auto advance at all. Don't plan on buying the brass feeder for my 550 either.

[Houndog]

I hated the pro 1000 so bad it got the float test and i'm glad it failed! It now resides at the bottom of Patric Henry lake. It was so unreliable I wouldn't sell it to anyone. It HAD to be the WORST *** I've ever bought!

[geargnasher]

All of you who dislike your Lee Pro 1000s, PLEASE pm me and I'll gladly make you an offer to get out from under it. I have two and am looking to pick up one or two more if I can get a better deal than new. I don't need the dies.

Gear

[NWFLYJ]

It's called a Dillon 650! I have 2 550's myself, one for 18 years. I have tried out friends 650 a couple of times, don't feel the need for one. I have also owned 3 Square Deals, didn't like the auto advance at all. Don't plan on buying the brass feeder for my 550 either.

That is just the feed back I need to keep those make it better ideas under control. Thanks!!!!!!!!!! Mark

[David2011]

I have a Square Deal B, a 550 and a 650. The SDB and 650 auto index. The 550 is faster with its manual indexing in my hands than the SDB which does auto index so I consider the auto indexing a non-event. The 650 is far superior to the 550, primarily in its primer handling. Again, just my opinion. I bought the 550 new in 1991 and have been using the 650 for 4 years. I've probably loaded 70,000 rounds on the 650 by now. No telling how much the 550 has loaded.

On the subject of primers in a Dillon, ever since Jimmy Mitchell talked me into using CCI primers I've found all of my Dillons to run smoother. I stuck with the softer Federal and Winchester primers for years simply because I had bad experiences with one revolver that had light springs and wouldn't ignite CCIs reliably. All of my 1911 pattern competition guns have stock weight mainsprings as do my other revolvers and all ignite the CCIs 100%. I get a few crunchy seatings from anything but CCIs every time I load and usually crush one or two primers beyond even plinking use. The CCIs seat much more smoothly. I have some older CCIs that seat about the same as Federal or Winchester but the new ones in the dark box are great.

David

[mroliver77]

I can make a pro 1000 run but it is a royal pain keeping it going. Clean, clean, clean is the word! I love my Dillon 550's as they are smooth! I use the Square Deal for pistol loading and would not trade it for anything out there.
Jay

[Firebricker]

I went from a loadmaster to a 550b and I don't miss the auto index at all. You get a rythem and the manual index just becomes second nature. The case feeder is nice but no big deal. The time I saved not having problems was well worth indexing and adding a case. FB

[chboats]

I bought a dillon 450 in 1983. I have made a few up grades to it. It has served me well through many thousands of rounds. I see no need to up grade to a 550B or the 650. Dillon customer service is second to none. If you can handle the cost of a Dillon over the Lee. It will pay for its self in the long run. I have never heard of anyone wearing out a Dillon.

Carl

[Johnch]

I own 2 550's
Only because I lucked into a second

And now I don't have to do the 1 thing I hate when changing cal's

That is changing the primer feed

I have no clue how many rounds my first one has had through it
But it is a lot


Last week I was loading 223 , the next night I changed to 454 / 45 colt

To load this falls hunting ammo

John

[hunter64]

All of you who dislike your Lee Pro 1000s, PLEASE pm me and I'll gladly make you an offer to get out from under it. I have two and am looking to pick up one or two more if I can get a better deal than new. I don't need the dies.

Gear

Funny, you always read these posts that have been asked 100's of times and it usually starts out with Lee 1000=****. When you offer to buy there Lee 1000 piece of **** miraculously there are none for sale. Funny also when was the last time you saw a used Lee Load master on fley bay, like hardly ever. Wonder what happens to all those crappy load masters out there.

I also will buy any Lee 1000 /load master machines that you have laying around, don't need the dies just the machine. I have 4 already and I need 3 more, cheaper to buy a dedicated machine than a caliber conversion kit for my 650.

Oh and talking about the 650, mine sits in the corner of the bench and I load 30-06 for my Garand and that is about all it does, great machine but I can crank out about 30% more on my crappy load master machine. I must have a knack for the Lee machines because I keep hearing these horror stories about them but haven't run into any more headaches than I did when I am using the 650.

So to reiterate the point that I will buy your piece of **** 1000/load masters that you have sitting gathering dust under the table. Wonder how many offers I will get, usually none. Funny how that works.

I average about 2500 rounds a month, wonder how many reloads I have done on the .45acp lee 1000 machine over the last 24 years that I have owned it.

My 2 cents.

[EDK]

Only thing I don't like about the 550B is changing the primeer feed. I bought the first one in 1991 IIRC and used the h*** out of it in 45 ACP and now 44 Magnum. I wanted to shoot 357 more, but changing the primer feed was a PITA! So...I worked overtime one Saturday and GRAFS' had another 550B with my name on it.

Now I'm looking at my STAR lubricator/sizer and thinking....

[C.F.Plinker]

The things that aggravated me about changing primer sizes on the 550B was the disassembly to change out the interior tube and then having to readjust that little allen head machine screw to get it to work right. I finally decided that I had enough of that so I ordered the additional parts needed to make up another complete feeder. Now all I have to do is unhook the spring, remove the two bolts on the underside, disengage the long arm, and put the other unit on. Everything stays adjusted and I am back in business before I know it.

[mike in co]

Oh and talking about the 650, mine sits in the corner of the bench and I load 30-06 for my Garand and that is about all it does, great machine but I can crank out about 30% more on my crappy load master machine.


My 2 cents.

so you are stating that you can do 840 plus rounds of 30-06 on your lee in one hour???(1.3x 650 = 845)
how many parts have you bought from lee to keep your machine rumming ??

where do you lve, maybe we could get someone over to watch you at work with your machines?