Dillon square deal or no deal

[uncle joe]

I'm not sure. I only glanced at the surface of the box insides, but there is a plastic bag with some parts that had .38 .357 written on it, however the clerk said he thought it was a 45 colt setup.

[Lloyd Smale]

Heres my take on them. I own 5 of them so i guess id have to say i like them. Like was said with there short stroke theres not much a whole lot faster to load with. I can load with a square deal and produce as much ammo as a 650 with a case feeder. Down side to them is there not a stout as a 550 or 650 but ive got presses that have produced a million round so thats not a big deal. Ther more of a pain in the but to do a caliber coversion on but if you have to swap out primer assemblys they dont take any more time then a 650 and less then a 1050. Id say the biggest downfall to them is the dies. To swap calibers is expensive. But that really only applys if you dont allready have a set of standard dies in the caliber you want to go to. Your going to spend near 50 bucks just on a set of good carbide dies anymore. So if you compare that to a 550 that you have to buy a tool head for theres not much differnce. I think that there a great press for someone that only will ever load handguns and theres not a better set up then having a bunch like i do left in the caliber there going to be used in. I think though that if a guy is going to load rifles too progressively a 550 is the way to go. Now that been said if you pass on a square deal for 150 bucks you need your head examined!!

[imashooter2]

Now that been said if you pass on a square deal for 150 bucks you need your head examined!!

It's a price that's not going to come around very often, that's for sure! I have an SDB, a 550, a RockChucker and a couple more single stage presses. No need whatsoever for another SDB, but at that price I'd buy it even if it was just to resell.

[Ricochet]

I've been loading for over 30 years with a Lyman Spar-T turret press and won't likely change as it still works and does what I need it to do. But I learned early on that using it in a progressive way, rotating the turret to perform each step on a single cartridge till it's loaded, is far slower and more labor intensive than performing a single operation on each batch of cartridges and then rotating the turret. As already mentioned, once the dies are set up there's not a really big advantage to having a turret vs. a single station press. The turret is a handy place to have your powder measure, though. I like to throw the charge just before seating the bullet, doesn't allow me an opportunity to knock over the charged case and spill it. And there is some advantage to leaving all the dies for one caliber set up ready to load next time.

If I were getting into IDPA competition or something I'd look at a progressive loader.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Used to be, I'd agree with everything Richochet said. But since the Lee Classic Turret came out with it's auto advance mechanism for the turret, I can no longer agree.

I have found this to be one of the most efficient and inexpensive operations I've set up to date. Gets easy 200 rds/hour, more (as much as 300) depending on how hard I want to work, quick to change calibers, no problems whatsoever with priming or the auto advance, does great with rifle or pistol, takes standard dies, caliber conversions are the cheapest I've seen(10 buck turret, 30 buck powder measure, 8 dollar riser and a 30 buck die set), with only a single stage being cheaper and the basic press costs less than a hundred bucks. Pretty darn nice setup.

That said, if I had a pistol round I wanted to load a lot of, that SBD would be on my bench for $150.00. Especially since I know Dillon will replace anything that might be missing for free. Once setup though, I doubt I'd add any caliber conversions.

Dave

[2400]

Since you're going to pass on it, would you send me the guys contact info?

[Scrounger]

Dang it, Richocet Rabbit, you about got me convinced that a turret is the way to go. The part about mounting the powder measure on the turret appeals to me. Takes up less room on the bench and the vibrations from operating the press should make the powder measure more accurate. Good idea.

[Springfield]

Dillon WILL NOT replace anything that is missing for free. I know, I just bought a used 550 with some theings missing and they wouldn't. They did send me upgrade parts for free, but I still ended up buying about 35.00 worth of missing parts. Missing and broken are not the same thing. For what it's worth, I have owned 2 SD presses and sold both of them, just like my 550's better. They worked fine, just not enough room toe see what I am doing compared to the 550. Plus I hated the auto advance. Call me old fashioned.

[LazyJW]

.... Each set of dies is in its own toolhead and caliber changes are 10 minutes tops. I can't picture what would take Jack anywhere near 45 minutes to change a set up, but whatever....

Yup, 10 minutes IF YOU PRACTICE CHANGING REGULARLY! If not, plan on 45 minutes or more just trying to remember how it's done.

I found I didn't use mine enough to really warrant it, maybe someday I'll have more time for shooting but meanwhile the SDB is dismounted, under the bench, and awaiting further instructions.

Can't beat it for cranking out some serious pistol ammo though.
Joe

[imashooter2]

Yup, 10 minutes IF YOU PRACTICE CHANGING REGULARLY! If not, plan on 45 minutes or more just trying to remember how it's done.

I found I didn't use mine enough to really warrant it, maybe someday I'll have more time for shooting but meanwhile the SDB is dismounted, under the bench, and awaiting further instructions.

Can't beat it for cranking out some serious pistol ammo though.
Joe

If you can't remember how to convert an SDB after a couple iterations, there's a problem. It is not a complicated task.

[LazyJW]

The problem is waiting two years and can't remember where the other dies are after Mama cleaned up.

Naw, the ol' Rochchucker does most of what I need just fine, thanks.
Joe

[uncle joe]

thanks for all the info guys this thread has really taken off more than I thought. I can't decide if I want to get it or not. I may wind up fighting my BIL for it. It deserves a second look anyway. I will go back and get it out of the box and drill the guy about parts and accs.

[Lloyd Smale]

im interested in it too if you pass.

[omgb]

I'm late to this party but here's my $.02. I have a Redding turret, a Rockchucker, two Hornady Lock-N-Loads with case feeders, and a very old Lachmiller. I load for 32-20, .357 mag, 38 SP, 45 auto and 40 S&W in pistol and 45-90, 3006, 308, 22-250, 30-30, 8mm, 7.62x54R and 12 bore in rifle.

The Redding turret is the way to go if one is loading several calibers of rifle and pistol and is not usually doing More than 300 or so rounds at a sitting or if one wants to load either BP or do something that requires 5 dies in sequence. It has seven holes, a huge 4" frontal opening, indexes perfectly, and has loads of leverage. I had an RCBS powder measure mounted in the turret and just rotated it around as I went from die to die. Later I swapped the RCBS measure for a Hornady one with a case activated powder drop. You just can't load a non-progressive press much faster or slicker than that. Oh, I almost forgot, I also added an RCBS Case-Kicker to it. When the ram comes down to the bottom, the case-kicker just shoves out the loaded round and I insert an empty. Slicker than snail snot.

The L-N-L presses are really fast. I have to make sure I have several primer tubes filled and waiting because cranking out almost 600 to 800 rounds an hour is not very difficult with the case feeder. That being said, the L-N-L is a lousy press for BP cartridges and changing over with the case feeder can be a hassle going from lets say 3006 to 32-20. Going from 32-20 to .357 takes only about 10 minutes tops.

I have played with an SD before and found it to be a great machine but..... I see it as a single caliber machine. Dies are special to that machine, change-over is not a simple one or two step process and you really can't customize the set up as freely or as readily as one can with the Redding or even a Lyman T. Nor does it handle cases such as the 30-30 or the 3006. It's a pistol machine first and foremost.

I can't speak to the new Lee progressives. I once owned a Lee Progressive 1000 and hated it. It required constant tweaking and would not go more than a couple of hundred rounds at a setting without major adjustments or foul ups. Too, the primer feed was a disaster. That experience was back in 85-87 though so I'm not too sure it's germane to this conversation.

If I were in your shoes, I'd pass on the Dillon and buy a good turret. Given the fairly limited runs of ammo you intend to do, a good turret will give you the flexibility and speed you want while not breaking the bank. You also get the advantage of being able to use the dies you already have. As to whether I'd go with the Lyman or the Redding T7, well, I thought and still do think, that the Redding is a better made machine. Not that it functions better, it just looks better finished and it has a tighter feel to it. Sort of like the difference between an ADL and a BDL from Remington. More a matter of aesthetic taste. If that isn't important then Go with cost as the deciding factor.

I can tell you this with certainty, many a man has decided to go to a progressive press thinking it would be the ultimate in reloading only to discover that it is a whole different ballgame that has it's own unique frustrations and dangers. Do not be lulled into dreams of huge piles of ammo falling flawlessly and effortlessly from your new uber progressive range-master ammo slinger press; there is no free lunch!

[eljefe]

I have one, it is a good unit. I would recommend it to anyone who is a seasoned reloader. Eventually, I plan to get another so that I can keep each set up for the two calibers I shoot most often.

If you are a beginning reloader, a single stage or turret is a better choice in my opinion.

We have a customer at our indoor range who is loading on a Lee 1000 and he routinely produces squib loads. It is partially the equipment, but mostly it is a lack of attention to detail that is causing the squibs. I have another gent who lodged for bullets in a row in his barrel. Talk about having a guardian angel...

[uncle joe]

I have another gent who lodged for bullets in a row in his barrel. Talk about having a guardian angel
sorry eljefe had to copy and past forgot to click quote
I caught my dad lodging a boolit in the barrel of a chiefs special one day while plinking some 38's. Flame came out the front side of the cylinder about a foot on each side. He was about to hammer another one behind but I hollered and stoped him. I guess I was his guardian that day. He never liked a powder measure only used small dippers he made from whatever he could find. I think this is why I am sceptical about a progressive press. I use a measure now but still weigh one out of every 10 or so I throw just to check, even more if loading something fast like bullseye. can't be to careful with fast small loads. A double charge is spooky but stacking them up is downright dancin with the reaper as Steve Vai says.

[Mumblypeg]

I'll buy it if you don't want it. I picked one up at a pawn shop a few years back and it was missing some parts... I called Dillion and they sent me the parts. When I asked how much I owed them they said,"It's good for life" I said "But I bought it used." They said, "We don't give a s__t, it's guaranteed for life." Now, unless they've changed.... it's no BS.

[Lloyd Smale]

as to the calber converting its not as tough as it put on to be if you set your dies up on an extra tool head. they all you have to do thats differnt from a 550 is remove 4 allen screws instead of pop out the two pins that hold the shell plate on.

[uncle joe]

OK
I guess I've made my mind up to not buy the press. After reading all the input
(thanks by the way) I have decided to buy a new Lee Classic cast press. I don't load enough at the time to justify a progressive loader and especially not one for pistol only. I will never load more than a hundred rounds at a time and after watching some videos of progressive loaders they look like they take most of the fun out of it for me. I will instead use my old C H up stroke press for pistol and use the new Lee CC for rifle.
Some of you asked for the contact info so here it is.

Deweese Gun-Pawn-Trophy Shop
(662) 323-5534
208 Highway 12 W
Starkville, MS 39759