Tired of my Single Stage...........what next?

[W.R.Buchanan]

Stopsign: You need to listen very carefully here. Buy a Dillon 550C! It will load everything you will ever want to do. Sure the price is a little more than a Lee machine but the machine is far superior to anything else on the market. It will pay you back many times over with nothing more than less frustration in use. Mine is my most valuable loading machine.

This comes under the heading of "Buy the best , only cry once!"

A turret press only speeds you up a little, and that little is all about not having to change out the dies for every operation. You just rotate the turret but you still run it like a single stage.

With the 550C you manually rotate the Turret for each pull of the handle. It is a Manual Progressive, and nearly as fast as a Automatic Progressive which indexes itself every time you pull the handle.

One thing you need to look at is that you are not buying a loading machine to just serve until you get tired of it. You already load enough different cartridges to justify a better machine, and the Dillon is an investment that won't go down in value. If you really do get sick of it and want a RL750 (Auto Index) you can easily get your money out of the 550.

Also, and this is a big one. You can find a used 550B and go with it. I did that 10 years ago and I load all my .223, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP on it. High volume, more than 200 rounds in a single sitting.

I load all my Rifle Rounds and Specialty Rounds on one of my Hand Presses which is essentially a Portable Single Stage Press (best one out there) because I seldom load more than 50 of a given rifle round at one time.

I am taking time to write this post in the hopes that you listen and save yourself a bunch of heartache. I have owned most of the decent loading presses out there. The Dillon is the best there is! And they last forever or Dillon will fix it for you..

Consider this.,, You are making an investment in your hobby, and it is one that will be with you for a long time. Like my Dad said. "Buy the best,,, only cry once!" A few hundred $ more is not going to be remembered in a year or so while you are smiling and enjoying working with your superior tool!

Otherwise you can buy one of my Lock n Load Hand Presses for $300 and have the best there is, and it fits in a Pistol Case, but it is slower than the Dillon. www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

Randy

[Stopsign32v]

You have not supplied enough information to give a good answer.

So I offer this advice. Keep checking the S&S forum for something faster than your single stage. Many people will be selling off stuff in the next year. Inflation, recession, lack/cost of primers, and plain old age means many here will be selling stuff off.

If you make the wrong choice, you will lose little or nothing when you upgrade.

Set up your most used calibers and leave the rest on your single stage.

I basically want this press for nothing but 9mm and .223 blasting steel output. When I want to go to the range, insert a few 30rd magazines, and have fun blasting all I can think about is "There went 2 days worth of 3 hour nights on the single stage" meanwhile my family is in the other part of the house. I do enjoy reloading but with a 11 year old, 5, 4 and another on the way with a wife that adores my presence I simply put shooting to the side because I don't want to invest the TIME it takes to bulk reload on my single stage. And I honestly don't think a turret would be much faster (in the sense that I'm expecting).

[45_Colt]

> I basically want this press for nothing but 9mm and .223 blasting steel output.

With this I agree with those that state to get the Dillon 550. Buy an additional tool head and set each up for the dies in 9mm and 223. Will require a conversion kit (shell plate, powder funnel, buttons) for each.

Can easily get away with a single powder dispensing unit. If the .223 is going to use the small powder bar get an extra of that. Then set one to drop powder for the 9 and the other for the 223.

Changing between calibers will take just a few minutes. And can easily crank out 400 rounds an hour.

45_Colt

[Soundguy]

Is claiming that the Dillion will last a long time really a selling point anymore?

Any of you have a Lyman spar-t turret? I have one..still as tight as the day it was new..like in the 1960's... You know about 60 years ago...

How many are using vintage lubricizers?
I have lee C style press that are extremely old and still cranking. My rcbs rock chucker will most definitely outlast me..and probably the next owner.

Lots of gear lasts...if it's metal. Plastic stuff...not impressed with.

[Stopsign32v]

Well Midsouth had 1 of the Lee Loadmasters left in 9mm. For $312 I think it was a deal and since it is discontinued I figured it was time to either s*** or get off the pot.

[414gates]

Your issue is the die changing.

Get a Lee breech lock classic cast, I recommend the original model with primer disposal down the ram.

Then get one bushing per die and never have to screw dies in again.

But then you want a progressive for bulk reloading. Hornady LnL. Or if you can find one, a Pro 2000 with primer tube and auto index upgrades is a fine example of rcbs precision engineering.

[Soundguy]

Overall, not a bad platform to start with. Should speed you up greatly.

[Three44s]

Congrats on your acquisition

There are several loadmaster vids out there to help you if some issue(s) arise.

I have a pretty mechanical serious friend who really likes his loadmaster. He’s convincing enough that I even toyed with snagging one if it was cheap enough just to fool with. Set it up for one caliber and leave it alone.

But I have enough unfinished projects and no cheap deals have arrived to entice me.

Three44s

[414gates]

IMHO, anyone who breaks ANY commercially available press is doing something badly wrong, they are all over-made for common reloading chores.

A notable exception is sizing of rifle brass on a progressive. No progressive press is designed for repeated tensile stress on the shell plate retaining bolt. These can and do break with 'normal' use.

[414gates]

Well Midsouth had 1 of the Lee Loadmasters left in 9mm. For $312 I think it was a deal and since it is discontinued I figured it was time to either s*** or get off the pot.

You may end up priming off press with this, unless you don't mind the odd sideways or upside down primer. Lee progressives are best known for their unreliable priming systems. The new 6000 may rectify that.

[Soundguy]

That's why it's always a good idea to have extra single stage press laying around on the bench. I have 3 lee C press, a rcbs rock chucker, a lee 4 hole classic cast, and a lyman 6 hole. I have a lee hand squeeze press up on a shelf to take to the range if working up loads.

The rock chucker handles all rifle sizing and bullet sizing.

[Soundguy]

You may end up priming off press with this, unless you don't mind the odd sideways or upside down primer. Lee progressives are best known for their unreliable priming systems. The new 6000 may rectify that.

as he found out.. many people use station #2 on a 5 hole for lining up the case for priming.

Me personally? I hand prime almost completely.

[Stopsign32v]

as he found out.. many people use station #2 on a 5 hole for lining up the case for priming.

Me personally? I hand prime almost completely.

I will probably duplicate exactly what that guy in the video did setup wise on his Loadmaster. It seems he has used it and upgraded what needed to be upgraded.

[414gates]

I will probably duplicate exactly what that guy in the video did setup wise on his Loadmaster. It seems he has used it and upgraded what needed to be upgraded.

Please share the link.

[dverna]

> I basically want this press for nothing but 9mm and .223 blasting steel output.

With this I agree with those that state to get the Dillon 550. Buy an additional tool head and set each up for the dies in 9mm and 223. Will require a conversion kit (shell plate, powder funnel, buttons) for each.

Can easily get away with a single powder dispensing unit. If the .223 is going to use the small powder bar get an extra of that. Then set one to drop powder for the 9 and the other for the 223.

Changing between calibers will take just a few minutes. And can easily crank out 400 rounds an hour.

45_Colt

Good post and advice. But might be too late.

To the OP, watch the videos of how to tweak the Loadmaster. IMO priming off the press is a deal killer but many folks do it...some because they have to...some because they are anal.

If the Loadmaster works for you, it will be a good buy. Just remember you are not married to it. I struggled with a *** Green Machine for a long time and should have sold it after the first 2 months. I bought it when I was newly married and could not afford to ditch it....in hind sight, it was a huge mistake to keep it.

[megasupermagnum]

I will probably duplicate exactly what that guy in the video did setup wise on his Loadmaster. It seems he has used it and upgraded what needed to be upgraded.

As everyone knows, priming is the bane of all progressives. All these people recommending the Dillon 550 I'm sure like theirs, but It's not perfect. It still primes on the downstroke, so it feels janky like every other press. With only 4 stations, you are limited on what you can do. The big one to me is they don't even come with a case feeder, and they aren't cheap. All these people that cry wolf at hand priming, are hand feeding cases into their 550. Also what they aren't telling you is that most, if not all Dillon priming systems requires you to load a primer tube.

The Lee pro1000 is a good press. I've had no real issues with it. The biggest problem is it only has 3 stations, which severely limits what you can do. It also primes on the downstroke. It comes with a case feeder. There is a newer pro4000, which is pretty much the same press, but with a 4th station.

The Lee Loadmaster has its good points. It also comes with a case feeder. The biggest advantage to this is that it primes on the upstroke. At 5 stations, you have some options on how you want to set it up. I'm not crazy about the big frame, I prefer the tiebars of the pro series, but it's fine. The biggest reason I never bought this press is at the time it was considerably more expensive than a pro1000, and not that much less than a Dillon. Today it appears the Loadmaster has hardly went up in price, but Dillon has gone way up, so they make more sense now than ever.

Lee is also coming out with an all new press, and I was told it should be available late this month. It is the Pro 6000 AKA the 6 pack. It is a big 6 station press. Nobody has used them yet, so it's up in the air what it will bring to the table besides a 6th station. It does look like they went back to priming on the downstroke, which I am truly baffled why manufacturers keep doing this? The amazing thing with this press is that it is likely only $250 from Titan when it comes in stock.

I personally prime off the press; single stage, progressive, or hand press. I've got a fairly sturdy bench, but priming on the downstroke with any press just isn't fun. You can rip out hundreds of cases on a hand primer in no time, and you can guarantee every single one of them is perfect just by feel. You want to say I'm wasting my time vs priming on a press? Fine. Just keep picking up your primers in your tube, and hand feeding cases. Or just prime on your Lee, and you may find they aren't nearly as bad as the internet says they are.

[Soundguy]

Ditto what MSM said. I love hand priming..and I know by feel that every case is correct

[AnthonyB]

The Dillon Square Deal B and 550 do not prime on the downward motion of the press handle. They both prime at the very top of the handle movement upwards. Don’t know about the 650/750 ‘cause I don’t have one. The RL1100 primes on the downstroke and is much smoother in operation for it.
Tony

[414gates]

As everyone knows, priming is the bane of all progressives.

Not all. I have the Hornady Pro-Jector, Hornady Lock-n-Load and a RCBS pro 2000.

I have them all priming reliably.

Priming is just the bane of Lee progressives.

When Lee said they created the APP because most of their users didn't prime on press, they missed the part where the users can't prime on press even if they wanted to - the priming doesn't work reliably.

[dverna]

The Dillon Square Deal B and 550 do not prime on the downward motion of the press handle. They both prime at the very top of the handle movement upwards. Don’t know about the 650/750 ‘cause I don’t have one. The RL1100 primes on the downstroke and is much smoother in operation for it.
Tony

You are correct. BTW, the 650 also primes on the upstroke.

The only presses I have owned that prime on the downstroke are the Dillon 1050 and Star. There is no need to “Prime by feel” on those machines....in fact it is not possible. But most folks cannot justify investing in them.