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Thread: Buying a new Progressive

  1. #1
    Boolit Master omgb's Avatar
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    Buying a new Progressive

    It is time to buy a new progressive. 6 years ago I sold my two Hornady Ammo Plants when I moved. Now, I wish I hadn't. I need to replace them with one, good, hassle free progressive for loading pistol ammo. Here's what I am considering the following:

    Dillon SDB: Pros, its small, it is designed for pistol, it wont break the bank. Cons, it cant take a bullet feeder, it has only four stations and it uses proprietary dies which have a 26 week lead time right now.

    Dillon 550C: Pros, it can load pistol or rifle, it uses standard dies, it is fast enough it can use a bullet feeder. Cons, it is just four stations, can't run a powder check with a bullet feeder.

    Dillon XL750: Pros, it has 5 stations, takes upgrades, is auto advance, it's built to last. Cons, it is pricy at almost $1100, it has a case feeder which I'm not crazy about.

    Hornady LNL: Pros, It is very affordable, its built solid, it can be upgraded. Cons, the priming system can be fiddly, it's large, the shell plates are pricy.

    Lee Pro 6000: Pros, it's affordable, it has a good production rate, it is a fairly small foot print, it can load rifle calibers too. Cons, Lee stuff is very fragile, it may require a lot of "tuning"


    So guys, what's your opinion? I'm not likely to load more than 300 pistol rounds a month. I've had negative experiences with all of these maker's products at one time or another...who hasn't? I can spend $1200 but don't really want to if I can avoid it.
    R J Talley
    Teacher/James Madison Fellow

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    since you are already familiar with the lnl I would go with that. I saw one at buds last week for 549 online they might be less. I dont think the shell plates are much more expensive than Dillon, are they? unless you need one for not so common calibers that have been discontinued.

  3. #3
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    I got a new Hornady about 3 years ago and really like it.
    I'm not too keen on the LNL feature.
    It's a solution for a problem I don't have, but a little bit of JB weld fixed that.

    However; I'm sure someone from the Dillon cult will steer you in their direction.....
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  4. #4
    Boolit Master Half Dog's Avatar
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    I’ve got a LnL. I can’t complain about it other than the number of die bushings I had to buy. The customer service has been great. I haven’t needed the progressive feature in quite a while but when I need it, I’ll have it.
    The sooner I fall behind...the more time I have to catch up with

  5. #5
    Boolit Master


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    If you need two.....
    I have inherited/bought a Dillon 550. I've worked with a Hornady LnL. Both are good machines... Get one of each. Sometimes you can get a deal on ebay or Facebook mkt place on the Dillon. I haven't seen many Hornady's on resale, that may tell you something. If you go the Dillon rout, you can leave one set up for small primer and one for large. Powder system is unreliable with the Dillon, smaller drops under 10 grains its pretty good, however, it sucks with 15g of H110 and forget Rifle loads I had almost a grain variance with H110. I solved this with the Lee Auto Drum Powder measure, if you want the secrets to it, PM me. It works like a dream. I want to get one for each of my toolheads and do away with the Dillon powder measure.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    Since you are going to be loading pistol ammo, I'd go with the 550. They just work. Can take any industry standard dies, and placing a shell and boolit is not an issue. Easy: flip the star, place shell with right hand and a boolit with the left hand, run the lever down, back up and slight pressure at the top of the up stroke to seat a primer.

    Next.

    Way back I considered the SDB, but as you mention, proprietary dies and not so easy change over. Get the 550 and a light kit, no need for a powder check when you can see into the shell.

    45_Colt

  7. #7
    Boolit Master bruce381's Avatar
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    I would get the 750 without all the do dads. I loaded on my 650 for years without the case feeder do not need it just fill the tube.
    same for other crap NO strong mount, NO roller handle etc got up and running on stock machine added what i wanted over the years much cheaper this way.

    Or go as 45 colt says get a 550 not a real progressive but works very well. Plus can always sell a dillion for what you paid for it.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    Buying a new Progressive

    For what you describe…550c.

    300 pistol rounds per month, why do you need a case or bullet feeder?


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  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    How many different cartridges? Dunno with 300 a month one caliber progressive would be quick but different calibers, Redding, Lee, Lyman, Rcbs turret? Believe you me, I'm no Dillon fan, but from a versatility standpoint the 550 looks intriguing.
    "It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees" Looking for an RCBS Ammomaster and H&R shotgun barrels regardless of condition

  10. #10
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    I have and love the Dillon 650, so I am fully in the 750 camp. You will not regret it.

  11. #11
    Boolit Mold
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    I have the dillion 550 and the hornady lnl. I love both of these presses! I've had to fiddle a little more with the hornady to make it run as smooth as I like, but once I got it dialed in I haven't had to touch it. I have it set up for 9mm and that's all I load on it. I load a few calibers on the dillion, it just seems easier to change calibers. I wouldn't have a problem with either one of them if I could only have one press.

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master
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    300 rounds a month???

    Less than an hour on a 550 if in one caliber. You will spend more time doing caliber changesif shooting more than 3 calibers.
    Don Verna


  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    I liked having a SDB set up for a single caliber. I eventually sold it and now have a few 650’s. In between I had a LNL ammo plant which required fiddling, but the deal breaker was the constant noise from the bullet feeder so it went on down the road.

    What calibers are you planning to load, I’ll let you know if I have a set of SDB dies. My buyer didn’t want them all.
    If you’re not too far, I have a 650 that is excess to my needs. I hate to ship it though.

    For value on Dillon I generally think 75% of new.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master nueces5's Avatar
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    For the number of shots he does per month, I would go for a 550 dillon

  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by omgb View Post
    It is time to buy a new progressive. 6 years ago I sold my two Hornady Ammo Plants when I moved. Now, I wish I hadn't. I need to replace them with one, good, hassle free progressive for loading pistol ammo. Here's what I am considering the following:

    Dillon SDB: Pros, its small, it is designed for pistol, it wont break the bank. Cons, it cant take a bullet feeder, it has only four stations and it uses proprietary dies which have a 26 week lead time right now.

    Dillon 550C: Pros, it can load pistol or rifle, it uses standard dies, it is fast enough it can use a bullet feeder. Cons, it is just four stations, can't run a powder check with a bullet feeder.

    Dillon XL750: Pros, it has 5 stations, takes upgrades, is auto advance, it's built to last. Cons, it is pricy at almost $1100, it has a case feeder which I'm not crazy about.

    Hornady LNL: Pros, It is very affordable, its built solid, it can be upgraded. Cons, the priming system can be fiddly, it's large, the shell plates are pricy.

    Lee Pro 6000: Pros, it's affordable, it has a good production rate, it is a fairly small foot print, it can load rifle calibers too. Cons, Lee stuff is very fragile, it may require a lot of "tuning"


    So guys, what's your opinion? I'm not likely to load more than 300 pistol rounds a month. I've had negative experiences with all of these maker's products at one time or another...who hasn't? I can spend $1200 but don't really want to if I can avoid it.
    I'm not a fan of the Dillon SDB at all. To be fair, I've never owned one, but there's a reason for that. They have so many drawbacks to other progressives I don't know why anyone messes around with them anymore. Maybe at one point they were cost effective? Today they cost ballpark similar to a 550. Actually a quick check shows the SDB costs MORE than a 550.

    I think the Dillon 550 is a solid press, but it also seems outdated. With the stone simple primer tube, no auto indexing, no case feeder, no bullet feeder, just bare bones press, it is not fancy. The great thing is this old style press is time proven to work out of the box. While it's not fancy, nothing out there offers that turn-key ability like the Dillons. For $600 though, it doesn't come cheap.

    I think the Dillon 750XL is probably the best press Dillon has going right now for the average guy. A good solid modern press that you can upgrade as needed. I see no reason to buy the ultra-expensive bullet feeder for 300 rounds a month. The case feeder can be super nice, but I'm not sure I'd spend for the electric hopper. This is the press I'd buy if I were to get a Dillon.

    I don't know much about the Hornady LNL, but you do. I hear good things about them. For that price I'm not sure I'd buy them today. I swear they used to be much cheaper than Dillons.

    I've had nothing but perfect luck with my Lee 6000. I haven't fiddled with the press at all, it just worked out of the box. The press itself is as solid as anything else out there, maybe more than most. I've not broken anything yet, but I suspect the main wear parts are going to be the auto-index clutch, and I can see myself breaking the case ejector which you have to pop off to change shell plates. Plastic parts are dirt cheap though. It's perfectly suited to doing 300 rounds a month trouble free.

    It's really more a question of how much time you have. If you can spend 2-3 hours a month loading ammo, have you considered something like the Lee 4000? They currently cost the same as the 6000, but for your uses and concerns, I wonder if you may like the 4000's stupid simple priming system. It has the bulletproof 1000 frame/indexing, which I had and loved. Just a super simple all-manual press. You can use the case feeder or not, it comes with one though. It's definitely worth considering.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master

    rancher1913's Avatar
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    franklin arsenal finally released their new progressive and its worth look at, decent sale on them right now for the introduction. its a 10 station press so very versatile
    if you are ever being chased by a taxidermist, don't play dead

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by rancher1913 View Post
    franklin arsenal finally released their new progressive and its worth look at, decent sale on them right now for the introduction. its a 10 station press so very versatile
    Wow, that's a nice looking press. That's a lot of money, but it's also making improvements in good areas, unlike Dillon which hasn't tried to do much of anything in about 30 years.

    The ability to swage pockets, and trim brass on the same press, now that's one heck of a concept. Truly a press you can one and done even military 5.56 and 7.62 brass. And it comes already with a good case feeder for that price? Yeah, I'd pick this over any Dillon any day unless they turn out to be turds.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    300 pistol round a month! Get a Lee Classic turret, dies, powder measure and all the fixens! I crank out that many in one night! And do you almost have enough to buy another fire on with the money I have left over! I load 9x19, 9x18, 38 special, 357mag, 357 Max, 5.56, and 30-06 on my Lee turret with no issues what so ever. I don’t think I’ve got $1,000.00 in my set up. In fairness I’ve had it for quite a while and equipment has been added as needed. But still. 300 pistol rounds of one caliber a month is not a lot. I load that much for every caliber I shoot. I don’t feel that I load enough to warrant purchasing a Progressive! If I had to pick one it would probably be a Dillon but not one with proprietary dies. But that’s just me and my opinion for whatever it’s worth!
    Long, Wide, Deep, and Without Hesitation!

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by rancher1913 View Post
    franklin arsenal finally released their new progressive and its worth look at, decent sale on them right now for the introduction. its a 10 station press so very versatile
    It's actually Frankford Arsenal:
    https://www.frankfordarsenal.com/rel...r/1178469.html
    .
    Last edited by Kenstone; 05-05-2023 at 06:20 PM.
    Size/Prime a few cases when starting off with a progressive and put them aside. You can plug them back into the process when a bad/odd case screws up in the priming station and continue loading.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master deces's Avatar
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    With my limited & short usage with the Pro 6k, I would say it's a less of a headache than my LnL was. First I was always crushing the round spring that captured the cases to the shell plate, I would also have problems with powder binding up the primer cute and damaging parts on the press. Lee really simplified this press for the market and it works.
    These men and their hypnotized followers call this a new order. It is not new. It is not order.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check