I think I want a Dillon SDB

[onegunred]

I want to combine a few steps in my reloading process. Currently I have 3 single stage presses set up to do different tasks. They are set at particular heights and angles to accommodate my needs. I use this method because it is easier on my arm and shoulder. I have only one arm that works. If I could combine deprime - size - prime - neck expand into one motion it would make things a whole bunch easier and of course faster. I would rather powder charge and boolit seat in a separate motion. I am choosing the SDB over the 550 because of the AUTO advance of the cases. I only load for 44. What do ya'll think? I don't want a turret, it would be worse than my setup I have now. Currently I can complete 100 rounds, size to boolit seat in about 65 to 70 minutes. I have followed Lefty Red's thread about his SDB and it got me to wondering about my upgrade. Thanks, Jerry

[EddieNFL]

IIRC the case and bullet are fed on opposite sides. You might consider the Hornady LNL Auto as both bullet and case feed from the left side.

[seagiant]

Hi,
Sadly it has been overpriced for what it is, IMO!

[BethelHntr]

I once had dreamed of a automated XL 650, Just to watch one operate I think would be the cats meow, As I have aged my dreams are pointing towards the RL 550 B due to the fact that It seems to be more my speed.

I like the ability of loading small caliber rifle on the 550, Hand loading .223 can be tedious by hand.

[onegunred]

What I should have said is that I would powder charge and bullet seat on my single stage. Doing the right hand thing is fine on case feeding but to go to the opposite side to place a boolit ain't gonna be easy.

[DrDogwood]

Any thing you buy that says Dillon is a good deal in my book. I bought an RL 450 used that was missing some parts I called Dillon up told them that I wanted to buy the missing parts and was surprised when the gent on the phone told me he couldn't "sell" me the parts but would be happy to send them to me. He then welcomed me into the Dillon family. I now also own an RL 550. They are very friendly people there and are always willing to do what they can to help you out. If your thinking about a Dillon I would call them and tell them your situation and see what they sugjest . oh and no I don't have any affiliation with them lol

[VHoward]

You place the bullet with your left hand. Unless your missing your left hand, it should be good for something. When I had a sdb, I pulled the handle and returned it upright with my right hand. Let go of the handle and place another case with my right hand and while my right hand is doing that, my left hand would place the bullet on the case that is ready for the bullet (station 3). Then with my right hand you pull the handle. Repeat untill you have loaded all your ammo. 400 per hour easy without hurrying. I sold my sdb when I bought the XL650. I have the collator for the case feeder that comes with the 650 and I have a Mr Bullet feeder to feed my bullets. Now I just operate the handle with my right hand and watch everything going on.

OK. I did not read the entire first post. His left arm is disfunctional. In that case then I would suggest a Dillon XL650 with a bullet feeder. Or a RCBS Pro 2000 with a bullet feeder and case feeder.

[W.R.Buchanan]

An SDB would do what you want with a minimum of effort on your part. If you are only going to load one caliber I don't think you could go wrong.

Randy

[rogerstg]

You place the bullet with your left hand. Unless your missing your left hand, it should be good for something. When I had a sdb, I pulled the handle and returned it upright with my right hand. Let go of the handle and place another case with my right hand and while my right hand is doing that, my left hand would place the bullet on the case that is ready for the bullet (station 3). Then with my right hand you pull the handle. Repeat untill you have loaded all your ammo.

That's what I do. I sit a bit to the left of the press for a clear view of station 3. Station 1 can be done mostly by feel.

[EddieNFL]

Critical reading is a requirement...even on the net.

[seagiant]

An SDB would do what you want with a minimum of effort on your part. If you are only going to load one caliber I don't think you could go wrong.

Randy

Hi,
Yea,we only load one caliber,right Randy?

I didn't say they were a bad loader but they have to have their own special dies they DO NOT take the regular 7/8X14 dies!

For about the same money you can buy a used Dillon RL-550 and hell for about $275 you can buy a RL-450 all day long!

I just think there are better ways to go and yea we all KNOW this stuff is addicting and living your life loading ONE caliber only,......

ain't going to happen!!!

[cajun shooter]

They have a few drawbacks to the Dillon SD press and one of them has been pointed out. They will only take the special sized die from Dillon. Normal 7/8 by 14 will not work. Another very important thing to me is that they are small presses and I have a lot of trouble getting my hands in there to work.
I would recommend that you find a older 450, they are fixed stations and you have to remove the dies if you want to load another caliber. Each station is also manual and is done by hand.
To me the best way to get into the wonders of a Dillon press is the 550B press. It's just enough to allow most reloaders full control and yet with a simple tool head change and caliber plate, you are running a new batch of another caliber.
Reloading presses are just like fishing tackle boxes, you buy one that will surely meet all your needs only to find out it's too small. What I mean by this is that you say you only load one caliber, but that is in this current time. What may happen in a few months or years is not for us to see. Every reloader on this and all other forums, started out only loading for one caliber.
I still remember bringing home my Lee loading kit in small box, the one you use a hammer with. One can of Bullseye powder, 1 box of 100 primers(Who in the world would need more is what I thought at the time) one box of 158 gr. lead bullets for the 38 spl. and that was it.
After I had the third primer go off while seating it, my wife screamed at the top of her voice, Take that **** out to the garage before you blow us all up. Ha!! Ha!!
I can tell you this about Dillon, they will give you the best customer service you have ever had or seen in your life. I purchased a Dillon powder measure that was used and missing some parts. I called to purchase them and told the person I was not the original owner, no matter they sent the parts for free anyway. Best of Luck and choose wisely, David

[Firebricker]

Red, I am guessing your good arm is your right arm? So it sounds like the SDB my be just the ticket especially if you only load one caliber. As others noted it is easy to go from one caliber to ten in this addictive hobby. Even so the SDB can be converted just not as easily as a 550 but if you have an arm restriction you need to go with what works for you the best. The 550 is more versatile but it is designed for right hand case placement and left hand bullet placement. A 550 with a bullet feeder might be an option too. One more thing is if you buy a SDB and do not like it you can recover most of purchase price or if you go to e-bay you may even make a couple bucks. FB

[Walter Laich]

I own a SDB and enjoy using it. For the amount I load a month it's a nice machine.
The SDB specific dies aren't a problem for me. They work in the machine and as that's my only progressive I'm happy with them.
I do use a single stage for my 45-70 but were talking 50-100 per month.

Do I think about having one with all the bells and whistles? Yes--but the SDB is fine for my cowboy ammo needs.

p.s. my Dillon customer # is 56xx so I've been with them awhile. My first SDB cost $129.99 and is still going strong

[W.R.Buchanan]

Greg: Eva Green is just to hot for words! Just watched that movie last night.

The op stated he wanted more production with less work since he is physically handicapped and he also stated he only loads .44's.

Since I have two of these presses and consider them to be some of the best Reloading Engineering I have seen, I felt compelled to interject. I personally think these machines require the least amount of effort to load ammo of any system out there.

These presses can load literally hundreds of thousands of rounds and it costs $10 bucks to rebuild one. But Dillon won't let you send them the $10, they insist on doing it for free!

For Pistol Calibers only I see them as a no brainer. In fact there are so many available on Ebay and from Brian (Alverez) Kelly that you shouldn't even bother with change over kits. You just set up another press for each caliber.

I have all of mine mounted to aluminum plates and when I need to load Some .40's or .45's I go upstairs and bring one down and clamp it to a bench and start loading.

I have a 550B also which could do all of the above calibers and more as well as other presses so I have many ways to do this process.

I like the SDB's for the Auto Pistol rounds.

My .02

Randy

[shooterg]

On a strong mount angled a bit to give easier access to station 3 for you, the SDB would certainly suit.

[seagiant]

Hi Randy,
Just foolin with ya! I don't know how many calibers I reload for but it's a bunch! The Square Deal is a good press and I used one for a few years in 45ACP. The size though with my big hands and the propiatary (sp) dies, made me let it go!

Thats a nice press stand! You do some marvelous things with aluminum plate!:smile:

Yea between Eva Green and Kiera Knightly I'm pretty much shot! Classy women, in a not so classy world!

[Mk42gunner]

It has been more than twenty years since I last ran a Square Deal press, but I think it would work out for what you want it to do.

Robert

[Iowa Fox]

For straight wall pistol its pretty hard to beat a Square Deal. I looked down on them when they were first introduced but when I got one it changed my mind. Not quite as massive stury as its big brothers but I actually like its smaller foot print vs the next jump up the 450/550. Yup- dies can be pricey if you buy um new but I'm always on the look out for someone getting out of reloading, garage sales or estate sales and deals can be found usually when your not looking for them. Dillon has built a lot of stuff over the years and there are deals to be had on forgotten stashed away presses & parts. If you find a used press and its not complete, remember its just spare parts.

[AZ Pete]

I am a SDB fan, I currently load eight calipers with one. From your description, I understand that you would use the loader to size, prime and bell your cases. The SDB will do that in station 1 and 2 very handily. I use mine to do that when I am developing a new load, or for any small run of a caliber. With a little fiddling, I am sure there would be a way to kick the cases out of station 2 into a container such as they are ejected from station 4 as the press is designed. Best of luck to you

[runfiverun]

the 550 is open enough that you could set the boolit in place with your right hand [by reaching through the open frame] and with enough flair it will stay there through a smooth press stroke.
you can also place the new case in the holder and turn the shell plate with your right hand.
your production wouldn't be 400 per hour, but neither is mine, and I have a lot of practice with this type of set-up.
I'd think even with one hand you could turn out close to 100 [completed rounds] per hour with a good set up of the [don't have to have Dillon] dies and a little practice.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Another way to go would be to buy 3 little Lee presses and mount them side by side to a nice piece of Oak 1x4 so they could be clamped to your bench and removed for storage.

That way you could easily move the cartridge from one station to the next with either hand as the front of these are wide open.

You would use one press to size and deprime and then tumble your cases, then set up the press on the left to expand and charge your cases then the center press to seat the boolits and the right press to crimp. It would work exactly like a C&H Pistol Champ in that you move each case from station to station and complete each round individually.

You could also just buy a C&H Pistol Champ which would take up less space and is the press I use to load my .
44's. I have a bunch of presses and I use all of them for certain things, however I load most of my short run ammo on the C&H, starting with preprocessed and cleaned brass.

Another way to go which might even work out better for you is either a Ponsness Warren Metal Matic II or a used PW Metal Matic P200 both of which have a shuttle that you put your case into and then move it between stations. This way you can place the case on the machine with either hand and then move the shuttle with either hand as well. These might be the easiest machines to operate with your limited dexterity.

more than one way to do this.

Randy

[Firebricker]

I just went and tried R5R suggestion of placing bullet through the from of a 550 with right hand. It does work and might be an even better option for the OP. FB

[Mike W1]

I love my SDB but if you're operating with just one arm I think it'd be a real pain in the butt so to speak. I find myself sitting to the left side of it which makes it fine to insert bullets with my left hand. So that part would be fine if your good one is the left one. However you'd really have to reach around to insert cases with your left hand. And vice versa if you good wing is your right one. I've never had one but seems like C-H had a rig years ago that was more of a straight line left to right (or R-L) that you wouldn't have to reach around anything to use. Might be worth looking into and then find a used one.

[VHoward]

http://www.ch4d.com/products/equipment/presses/444-x
New ch4d h press fully decked out is not that much more than a sdb.

[W.R.Buchanan]

The C&H Pistol Champ is a great press and I have one I use a lot.

The Ponsness Warren Metal Matic II is another great one.

Randy

[Lefty Red]

Even with one good arm, I think the SD is good.
As for the negatives that were pointed out on here:
1) Price-well buy once and forget it. I think its well worth it.
2) Dedicated dies-cost about the same as other dies. So what is the deal? I have two other tool heads and die set ups. After setting up the load for the round, it takes just as long to switch out as other presses. I think the Lee CT is the only one that take less time. But I never had to readjust my dies! The Lee dies would work out of adjustment many times over the reloading session.
3) Small/Cramp work area- I think that makes a differance when dealing with 9mm's, but not when using larger calibers like the 45ACP or 44 mag.
4) Its not my brand!-tuff titty!

I have been able to reload more in very less time than any other time with this machine. Its amazing. And yes, believe it or not, some of use just load one caliber. I load the 9mm. Buddy does the 45 ACP. I like to shoot more that reloading. And I can sit down and in a few hours over a weekend, load enough to last 6 months of shooting.

Jerry

[VHoward]

Nothing wrong with the sdb. Just pointing out other presses that might be a little easier for a one armed bandit to use.

[jmorris]

One arm loading at my house.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3hVi6PuduM

[jmorris]

and no arm loading/one arm loading.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-RxMulCqbQ

[onegunred]

I want to thank all of you for your ideas and comments. Mr. Morris what you have is just what I want, however, I am just a poor old "RIGHT WINGER" that lives in the desert, the SDB is more in my price range. I have thought about many of the ideas as suggested by all of you and the SDB keeps working its way back to the top of the list. So again I say thank you to you all. Jerry

[rogerstg]

It might work if you could mount the SDB 90 degrees to its normal orientation so that you face the left side. You would add brass to #1 by reaching around the press, add a bullet at #3 in front of you and work the lever, all with your right hand. You could use a 1x6 to create a ledge off the front of your bench to mount the press sideways.

It's too bad you're not closer to RI. You could come by and we could mess around with my SDB to find what works for you.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Jerry you can't go wrong with an SDB, and if you decide you did go wrong, you can always sell it for what you've got in it.

Really no way to lose on this one. All of those other suggestions can work for you as well and you probably wouldn't lose anything on them either.

The nice thing about good quality reloading equipment is that it will never wear out and it has really good resale value.

I have a bunch of it and I could do quite nicely with about 20% of what I've got. just haven't gotten around to thinning out the herd.

Randy

[fredj338]

I am not a fan of the SDB, but for your specific need, a good choice. With any progressive it's not just about being able to load faster but to load with less work. to load 100rds of pistol ammo, you have to pull the handle 300-400x, ss or turret. On a progressive, 103-104x. That is a lot less work.

[Lloyd Smale]

buy the square deal. you wont regret it. Probably the best pistol ammo loading press you can have period!