Need to Upgrade from RockChucker - Suggestions?

[Hanzy4200]

Here it is. I've been hand loading for about 10 years on my RockChucker. It's a awesome press, but volume is a issue. I need to upgrade. Loading 2,000 rd. batches on a single stage is a bit ridiculous. I want something that is going to load faster, but I'd like to avoid a super complicated setup. It will be used mainly for my high volume calibers like .223, 9MM, and .308. I will leave the others to the RCBS. Money isn't a big issue, but I'd like to keep it under $1,000.

I have looked hardest at Dillon. If you suggest a Dillon, which model would be optimal and what extras should I be looking at? Who is the best dealer to buy from?

Something a little off topic that I was thinking on. How do you guys remove sizing lube from your loaded cases, as the brass does not leave the machine from de priming to bullet seating?

[shell70634]

Dillon 550. I have a 550, 650 and 1050. I have fewer problems with the 550 priming system. Less complicated that the others. My favorite supplier is Graf's but Dillon products are hard to find everywhere

[fredj338]

For a progressive, which is the logical step, I am a Dillon fan. I started with a 550, still have it, then added a 650. If you want something easy to setup & keep running, its a Dillon. If you want max volume, its a 750 w/ case feeder or find a nice clean used 650. I prefer the 650 priming system but that is personal pref.

[fc60]

Greetings,

Watch eBay for a good used Star. Make sure it has all the bits and pieces. Many sellers have no clue as to what they are selling.

Cheers,

Dave

[El Bibliotecario]

I've used a Dillion RL550B for a quarter of a century, but I sense progressive presses are like religions, in that each has its true believers. An outstanding thing about Dillon is their customer service. Ask ANY Dillon user about this.

[jakharath]

Keep an eye out for used Dillons, especially the 550. My favorite is the 550 for it's shear awesomeness. It's technically a semi-progressive, so you can run it as a single stage. Need a caliber conversion? The 550 uses the same conversions as the 450. So there's a lot of used ones out there. Not a lot to it, maintenance is pretty easy - keep it clean. For volume, I have Super 1050 with a Mark VII auto drive. But if I had to only have one press, it would be the 550.

BC (before children) the I would reload on the 550 and my wife would keep me in primers, powder, bullets and brass. We could sustain high 500's per hour in most pistol cartridges. For example, if we reloaded for two hours we would make over 1000 rounds. We'd reload a few times a week. Good times. Anyhoo, I've putzed with a few over the years - Lee 1000 and Load Master, RCBS Piggyback and Pro2000 and the Hornady Pro-Jector and L-N-L AP. Give me a 550 or a 1050 any day of the week.

[jsizemore]

I loaded on a RockChucker for years for competition shooting. My main competitor used a Dillon 550 to load for himself, his wife and a friend that provided components for him to load. He regularly kicked my butt with ammo that would fit 3 different guns. I now have a 550B and change between calibers easily (there is a learning curve). I use the latest era Dillon dies. I have a Star Universal that is fine for 38/357 but changing to another caliber costs enough in parts and pieces to buy another Dillon. You have to keep an eye on cleanliness and the priming on the Dillon but you can put out quality ammo a whole bunch quicker than a single stage.

[sukivel]

A Rockchukker and a Dillon 550 can do just about everything!

I love my 550 and wouldn’t trade it for anything.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[megasupermagnum]

This is only my choice and perspective, but I chose a Lee Pro 1000. Again, my opinion, but I need at least 5 stations of loading. Lots of people get away with 4 or even 3 stations, but I wont do it. Again lots of people want to dump fired brass in the top, and get loaded ammo out the other side, and I don't like doing that either. The Pro 1000 only has 3 stations, so I load in two steps. First is brass prep, then it's loading/crimping. To answer your question on how I clean off the case lube, I size, then I clean. Once you have clean/sized brass, the Pro 1000 is a great press. If you want to take dirty fired brass and have loaded ammo come out the other side, it is not. I looked at Dillon 550's and saw no advantage to them. I will admit the XL 750 has a lot going for it, and it is possible I may own one at some point.

So if the Pro 1000 doesn't work for you, my suggestion is the XL 750. I'm just not that impressed with the 550 for the price they ask.

[shootinfox2]

The Dillon 650/750 with the add ons and don’t look back. If money is not a problem, go 1050/1100. 550 if that is your budget. Keep the rock chucker for precision reloading, but for volume and warranty, the 650/750 can’t be beat.

[Hanzy4200]

Sounds like the 550 is getting the top vote.

[joe leadslinger]

I like my 550 and can produce more than enough ammo in a couple of evenings than I could possibly shoot in a weekend. Good enough for me.

[8mmFan]

I’ll cast a vote here for the Lee Classic Cast Turret Press. Titan Reloading has them for a nice price. I also have the Lee Loadmaster and I like it, but the Classic Turret Press is less complicated and will be a massive upgrade in speed for you. I know because I also use a Lee Challenger single-stage; it was my first press.

The Classic Cast Turret Press is very, very strong. It’s a four-hole turret arrangement. If you really want to make it sing, also get the Lee Auto Disk powder measure, the Lee priming system, and if you want to do rifle, get a powder measure riser.

I feel pretty confident in saying that you’ll really like it. That said, I’ve never owned a Dillon, so take this for what it’s worth.

8mmFan

[ABJ]

I am in the 550 camp also. I have two, one is set for large primers and used mostly for 45 ACP for Bullseye competition. The other is set for small primers and used mostly for 9mm for the kids and grandkids plinking ammo. I do have the 38 special tool head for the small primer machine.
All other handguns and rifles are loaded on a Lyman turret press. Over the years I have gotten a turret for each caliber. If I wasn't shooting Bullseye I would not have the 550 I use for 45's.
For the Lyman's I use the bench mounted RCBS priming system not the one on the press.
Tony

[ioon44]

I have the same Dillon 550 that I got in 1988 and it still works great after over 300,000 rounds. I still have a RockChucker I use for rifle loading.

[RydForLyf]

I did all the research and didn’t want to do what all the cool kids were doing. I looked at all the different colors and decided what was most important for me. All of them have pros and cons and I really liked the LnL.

In the end I went blue and have been very happy. The product support and lifetime free parts made the decision much easier.

[charlie b]

I use a Lee Loadmaster. Also had Lee turret and Auto Breech Lock Pro. They are all good but the Lee priming systems are the weak spot. Doesn't affect my processes as I like to prime in a single step. The Loadmaster takes some 'tuning' to work well. I've loaded 10's of thousands of rounds on mine. The Breech Lock was also a really nice press that worked perfectly out of the box. But, it is limited to .223 length stuff as a progressive. Sometimes I wish I had kept it for pistol ammo.

BUT.....as a 'beginner' I'd recommend the Dillon's. 550 is a solid package that works. FWIW, manual indexing is not that big a deal until you get into a unit that has auto bullet and case feed.

[sigep1764]

Dillon 550 for sure for me. The key to bottle neck rifle loading on the 550 is to size/deprime off the press. Then station one can be used with a Lee universal neck expander with an NOE insert or an M Die. Clean the lube off the brass in the tumbler before it makes it to the press.

[dverna]

Greetings,

Watch eBay for a good used Star. Make sure it has all the bits and pieces. Many sellers have no clue as to what they are selling.

Cheers,

Dave

Bad advice.....I have owned a Star...great machine for pistol but not for calibers the OP wants to load.

[dverna]

The Dillon 650/750 with the add ons and don’t look back. If money is not a problem, go 1050/1100. 550 if that is your budget. Keep the rock chucker for precision reloading, but for volume and warranty, the 650/750 can’t be beat.

This is my opinion too...and I have owned the Star and every flavor of Dillon.

If you have the money...the 1050 is hard to beat for productivity...I had three when I was competing. Plus it swages primer pockets. Priming is positive and not done by "feel".

The 650/750 is a great machine as well. But priming is on the up stroke and done by "feel plus it does not swage primer pockets.

With the 650/750/1050 you get a station to add a Powder Check die which is worth adding IMO.

I have the 550 and like it for its cheap caliber changeovers and simplicity but it about half the output (300-350/hr) of the 650/750/1050 with case feeders (600-700/hr). You cannot put a powder check die on it unless you seat and crimp in one operation.

With limited calibers, the 650/750/1050 are your better options. Many folks with 550's either cannot justify the faster machines due to lower volumes and/or load a lot of different calibers. Some simply cannot afford more than a 550.

It is common for people to recommend what works for them...but how many will load 2000 rounds at a sitting? I have 20 SP and 10 LP primer tubes. Most folks have a half dozen.

The machine getting the most "votes" is not the one you need if you load a large volume of limited calibers.

[rockrat]

First had a 450 to go with my RC. Tried a Lee1000 and finally gave it away. Ended up getting a 650 and later a used 1050 (for less than a new 650). I oft times use the 650 to size rifle brass, then clean the lube of the cases, trim, ect, before I run them thru the 650 to load them. Sometimes I process the brass and use the RC to load the cases
I only load for about an hour on my presses as much more than that, causes me shoulder pain (surgery there many years ago). 1050 is a good machine but if changing calibers much, the 650 is a lot easier to do such.
I would lean towards the 650.

[oldhenry]

Another vote for the Dillon 550. I have 2: one set up for small primers & one for large primers. I have 5 quick change for pistol calibers & one for .223.

When loading the .223 I size/deprime on my single stage trim & wet tumble before the other processes on the 550. The 550 powder measure works OK for me with H322, BL-C, RL-15 & H335. I load all other rifle calibers (very small volume) on the single stage.

I personally prefer the manual advance of the 550.

[lesharris]

I did the same upgrade a few years ago. My decision was the 650 Dillon. I haven't looked back at all. No regrets saved time.

[Gus Youmans]

Hanzy4200,

I own and use a Dillon 550 with case feeder, Hornady Lock N Load progressive with case feeder, RCBS Piggy back progressive, Lee Breechlock Pro progressive, and Lee 3 and 4 hole turret presses. When I was still loading large batches of ammo I used the Dillon 550 but without the case feeder. The case feeder is not designed for use with rifle cartridges but I have read that some users have been able to adapt the case feeder to feed .223. The Dillon case feeder is more reliable than the Hornady case feeder but the Dillon 550 case feeder is time consuming to install and makes it difficult to load rifle cartridges with the case feeder installed. The case feeder definitely increases production and if I were going to be loading large batches of rifle cartridges again I would seriously consider upgrading to a Dillon 650/750.

Some people love their Hornadys but my experience is that the Dillon 550 is much easier to setup and is much more trouble free in operation.

I no longer load large batches of ammo and have lately been using the Lee Breechlock Pro because of the ability to set dies and powder measures and quickly change calibers. However, I cannot recommend the press for your use because it has taken me a long time, with a lot of mistakes and broken parts, to learn all the quirks and limitations of the press. This case feeder and primer feeder are not nearly as reliable as the Dillon so the operator must give his undivided attention at all times to catch misfeeds when they occur.

Gus Youmans

[bluejay75]

Not one vote for the Redding T7?

[dverna]

Not one vote for the Redding T7?

Read the first post. He wants to do 2000 round batches. He can do that in 3 hours with a 650/750/1050 progressive without any heroics. How long would it take an a T7?

[Hanzy4200]

Thank you all. For the extras. What are the "must have" extra parts? Or am I missing something and all the essentials are included with the press?

I currently load 31 calibers. A good 2/3 of these are calibers I do not shoot in high numbers, ie: 8MM Nambu, .38 S&W, .25 acp, ect. Oddball stuff. What is required for a caliber change? The full caliber "conversion kit"?

[Bigslug]

Hanzy,

My father and I combined our resources to set up two Dillon 650s in his loading room - one left set up for large primer and the other small. They're great presses. As has been stated, the only minor weak point is the priming system, but that's still a far cry above that of the Lee Pro 1000 ********* we attempted to load on in the '80's. The 750 appears to have addressed any of the 650's weak points - as I recall, it may even offer a primer pocket swager. I would go that route in a second if not already committed.

A full caliber change IDEALLY requires a shell plate and a complete toolhead set up with it's own dies, powder measure with expander adjusted for the load, and bushings to time the feeding of the cases. Depending on the degree of cartridge change, you may also have to change plates in your optional electric case feeder and reconfigure from large or small primers.

It's nice to be able to leave your tool heads set up and marked for your pre-conceived loads. If you don't have to change any of the primer or case feed hardware, changeover is pretty fast. The economy question then becomes one of whether or not it's worth it for your non-volume calibers. Your single stage will still have value to you - both in that regard and for load development before you finalize and go into mass production.

[sigep1764]

Caliber conversion kit gets you the shell plate, the buttons to hold the brass inside the shell plate, and the powder thru expander. Then there is the quick change kit. That will include the Die plate which is the insert that holds your three dies and the powderdrop/powder measure station. The Quick Changes for the 550 run about $160 and the Caliber Conversions are $50 or so. I just got one of each to do 38 Special. That does not include dies, but you already have those. Pick your most loaded calibers and set up for those first. Mine are in 38 Special, 380ACP, 9mm, and 223. Next are 270Win and 30-30.

[sigep1764]

The extras would be the case feed. I think it would be nice if I had multiple presses only. It adds complications to quickly change calibers. Quickly changing calibers on a 550 is the hallmark of this press. I chose to skip it and have not missed it, but I only have one 550 with 4 quick changes pre set for those 4 calibers. I load thousands of rounds this way and it works for me. If I buy another 550 in the future, Ill get a case feed for 9mm. Its my most loaded caliber.

[Pete44mag]

I have a Rockchucker and a Dillion 550B. I use the Dillion for pistol, .223 and .308 plinking ammo. The match grade rifle loads I use the Rockchucker. I shoot about 1500 to 2000 pistol rounds per month and have no problem feeding my habit on the 550B. On a good night I can load close to 400 rounds an hour. Get extra primer tubes that will allow you to speed up your loading.

[higgins]

If I wanted a Dillon I would wait until high-volume ammo is again readily available (we hope) because some people who went headlong into reloading without much thought in the last several months will realize there's a learning curve, mistakes will be made, and it's just not fun when you have to do it. Same will apply to components and tools.

[Jack Stanley]

As far as the press goes , I've had a 550 for about thirty-five years and it has done many different types of ammo from .38 to M-2 and M-72 match ammo . The only cartridge that slows it down is loading .308 ammo , that may just be a neck lube issue because pulling the case over the button is a pain .

There are faster presses than the 550 in the blue lineup and if there is money in the budget , you'd be ahead to look at them . They came along long after my need for high volume ceased to be an issue .

As for getting case lube off the loaded rounds ? ..... I bought an electric powered cement mixer and dedicated that for case work ONLY . Use a lot of attrition milled corn cob and run it about twenty minutes more or less time by your judgement . All of my .223 and M-2 , M-72 ammo went through that without issue .

Jack

[chumly2071]

I have 2 650's to load with (large primer/small primer), and a S1050 for processing brass on. Plus several single stage presses for various tasks.
I very much like the 650.

[W.R.Buchanan]

You'll note the operative word most used in this thread has been "Dillon?" I think that should answer your question?.

I have a D550B and do all my volume loading on it.

I also have a Rock Chucker and a C&H 444.

I primarily use my BPM LNL Hand Press for most of my short run loading right now. It is just more pleasant to sit at the kitchen table in the house and load ammo while watching TV.

Dillon makes some of the best Designed and Built Reloading Machinery out there. So do I? YMMV

Randy

[15meter]

I have several single stage presses for the low volume stuff, 20-100 rounds at a time or the varmint match stuff where I'm being particularly fussy about the loading trying to hit a 7/8" bullseye at 300 yards is challenging.

For the high volume blaster pistol stuff, it goes on a Dillon Square Deal B.

The rifle goes on the Dillon 550B.

Sometimes it is with all 4 stations filled and a loaded round falls off with every pull of the lever.

Sometimes it is with less stations filled and the cartridge makes two trips around the carousel.

Station one resize/deprime and reprime. Empty station 2, belling die in station 3 and empty #4.

Off to the polisher to get rid of the case lube.

Next is case charging off the press with visual verification of powder level in each case.

Back to the press, empty station 1, insert case on station 2, seat boolit on station 2.

Station 3 or 4, crimp boolit.

Two pulls of the handle produces a loaded round that you visually inspected powder charge.

Works exceptionally well with crunchy, poor metering stick powder.

Ball bowder and jacketed bullets just follow the manual.

[wv109323]

One thing with the 550 you may want to consider. Your rifle brass will need to be trimmed at some point. There is no way to do that on the 550. I de-prime, resize and trim brass before I start to load rifle on a 550. You also mentioned cleaning your lubed brass which could be done.
So with rifle I use the 550 to prime on the first station. Second station is powder drop. Third station is bullet seat. Fourth is unused or crimp if you do that.
The more "progressive" the press is the less flexible it is with caliber conversion.

[Brokenbear]

RL550B ...11 calibers from 9mm to 8mm REM MAG I load ..I catch retiring or caliber jumping reloaders dumping Dillon "stuff" and buy caliber change over tool heads, powder dies and shell plate kits for chump change ..or at least I did and probably you can still get better prices than new and you just cannot kill the Dillon parts short of an idiot allowing rust to set in on the blued steel parts.

Good advice is 5ea primer tubes for the primer sizes you are going to load.

You can find tons of pre-owned caliber conversion kits, tool heads and powder dies for the 550 but not so much on it's bigger brothers and sisters ..case in point there is a like new 38/357 caliber conversion kit complete like new on fleabay for $39.95 with factory at $65 and tool head $21.52 new vs $32 +++Plus you can easily use your already owned standard 7/8" dies from your existing reloading set up (I am pretty sure some of the bigger Dillons have to have machine specific dies but others here will have to confirm that as it may no longer be a correct statement)

I will tell you honestly the cheapo dies from Lee ..especially the "factory crimp" series are respectable dies for all but bench type shooting

Bear

Go Dillon Blue

[Super Sneaky Steve]

Lee is hard to beat. You can change out calibers fast on either their turret or progressive press.

Usually I use the progressive in conjunction with a single stage. I use the single to de-prime and size. I wash. Prime with a bench primer, then load with my 4 station Lee progressive.

For pistol I do stage one with an expander powder die.

Stage two is empty for a visual powder check.

Three is for seating.

Four is for crimping.

You can size and prime on it, but priming takes some practice and I don't like to fumble with it.

For rifle you can't use a pass through die so I just add an extra universal expander then a separate powder die.

If I'm doing less than 200 rounds I'll use a Lee turret. It's even easier to change calibers and if you stop early you still have loaded ammo you can use.

[megasupermagnum]

Lee is hard to beat. You can change out calibers fast on either their turret or progressive press.

Usually I use the progressive in conjunction with a single stage. I use the single to de-prime and size. I wash. Prime with a bench primer, then load with my 4 station Lee progressive.

For pistol I do stage one with an expander powder die.

Stage two is empty for a visual powder check.

Three is for seating.

Four is for crimping.

You can size and prime on it, but priming takes some practice and I don't like to fumble with it.

For rifle you can't use a pass through die so I just add an extra universal expander then a separate powder die.

If I'm doing less than 200 rounds I'll use a Lee turret. It's even easier to change calibers and if you stop early you still have loaded ammo you can use.

This is what I do, except I don't use a powder check die. I don't remember which I tried, either the RCBS or Hornady. All it was, was a rod that moved up. I didn't like it. Instead I bought a cheap USB plug in endoscope, and plug it into my laptop. I then use my computer screen as a visual check for powder. It also doubles as a music player.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

If I were still shooting IDPA I would have a Dillion square deal for 9mm and .45 acp. Currently using a Lee classic turret. I size my handgun calibers on the Lee processing press and then use a hand primer. Then I run them through the turret to bell and charge, seat and crimp. I took off the auto index feature and turn the turret by hand. I use my Rock chucker for rifle calibers becauseI don't shoot much of that compared to pistol rounds. I don't have a auto powder measure for rifle.

[charlie b]

When using any progressive just remember that you don't have to use it with all the stations full or as a 'one shot' loading setup.

I like to clean my brass after depriming. I use my progressive for depriming. Just use a universal decap die, dump the brass in the 'sorting' bin and go.

I also like to prime only with some cases. I like the feel of it. Again, the progressive is fast. Dump in the cases and go.

Every now and then I will resize only as well. Usually if I am putting the cases away in storage (I like them to be ready to load up).

Then the clean and primed cases can be run through the stages. Resize, flare (if needed), powder, bullet, crimp (if needed). For some rifles this is only a powder charge and bullet seat.

FWIW, I like using Hornady One Shot case lube. It works nicely as well as lubing the inside case necks with no extra effort. Doesn't mess up primers when used correctly. I've never had to clean it off the cases either. Doesn't get sticky at all.

[tuckerdog]

CH4D 444H press.http://www.ch4d.com/

[SoonerEd]

The dillon 550. Had mine since 1996. They are cheaper on die and caliber change out and are easy to learn with manual indexing. I can average 250 rounds an hour from the time I walk out into the garage until I'm back in the house and this is at a relaxing speed. I shoot 5,000-10,000 rounds a year loaded from my 550. Then you'll have some money left over to buy either carbide 556 dies or a dedicated trimmer for the 556 brass.

If you shoot competitions regularly and struggle to find an hour or two prior to a match to load ammo, then consider the 650 or 750. Most competitive shooters I know don't even consider moving up to a 650 or 750 until they hit 15,000 - 20,000 rounds a year. Or, when competitions are a struggle with their time and any time reloading is difficult. Having loaded on a single stage for years prior to switching to a 550...it was the difference in hating to shoot as I could only load 50 rds / hr to loading ammo being a non-issue. If you ever decide you want a 650 or 750, the 550 are easy to sell and will easily sell close to 75% current retail if not abused or overly used...by overly I'm talking 500,000 plus rounds. Even then, dillon can rework them. The 650 and 750 are little more difficult to sell because of cost and the complexity/intimidation factor also limits the resale market.

[dh2]

I am loading .223 Rem. and 9mm on a Dillion 750, about $700 from Dillion I don't have a bullet feeder I set them in by hand , but getting over 200 round per hour is no problem. I am using dies that I have had for years because Dillion is way behind on dies at this time

[georgerkahn]

I, as are many other replies to your press query, am in the Dillon 550 camp, having a model 550b. I have a bevy of other presses, too, which include three (old) Lyman 4-station All-American Turrets. While I do 99% of my pistol calibre loading on the Dillon, for the same percentage of rifle calibres I use other presses. To wit, for "precision" (minimal run-out on bottleneck) work it's a toss-up between a Foster Co-Ax and a MEC Target -- but these are both single-stage presses.
The four-station turret offers strength to tackle, at least, all rifle calibres I load; and, it is perhaps a minuscule "slower" than the Dillon, if at all. The "best feature"? If you can find one, the total cost is significantly less than a Dillon!
Re your "remove sizing lube" question, I'd suggest there be different answers based upon the brand/type of bullet lub is employed! In *my* case, I use nothing other than Imperial Die Wax (now purveyed by Redding), and my "final" step in reloading is to give each case a twirl or two with a paper towel as I inspect for, say, any irregularities in the case before placement in the range-ready box. A friend sprays his cases with a white, dry lub and does ZERO "cleaning" or wiping... claiming this "helps" the loads (???) And, I understand some spray-can lubes boast similar no follow-up requirement. Again, it depends upon the lube you employ.
BEST!
geo