Dillon in my future???

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hsiddall

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I currently run a lee aniversary kit(single stage) for my .308s and Loadmaster for my .45 and .223 I also have a Lee turret wehich is where I started with my .45s two years ago. Anyhoo, I loke the loadmaster after the learning curve but I think it is time to move to a dillon. I woulod love a super 1050 but it looks as if the xl650 is pushing it by the time I add the powder charge check, roller handle and strong mount not to mention the toolheads and conversions...

Planed usages...
.45 Bulk 1k per sitting (xd, and champion operator 1911)
.223 Bulk 1k per sitting (AR DUH!!!!!!!)

My .308(match Loads) for my Remy 700P I will probably keep at the single stage for now as wellas some match loaded .223 for my howa bolt gun...



What Input can u folks add about proper accessories etc for the new setup as well as where to get the best all around deal???
 
I have a 650. I have loaded on a Dillon SDB and Hornady LnL.

The roller handle and strong mount are an absolute must especially for large volume reloading like 1k sessions. There are two strong mounts to pick from, one is six inches high and one is eight inches high. You should take that into account when ordering. The case feeder is a must. You are shortchanging yourself without it.

Dillon rapes you on the accessories like the bullet tray and the wrench holder but they are just so handy and well integrated that I think it is worth it. Definitely get the spare parts kit and keep it filled. Every time you take something you can call Dillon and get a replacement. Dillon's new style primer pickup tubes suck IMO and I don't know of a better alternative right now. The Hornady tubes I had were OK.

You will not see a huge difference in volume between the 650 and the 1050 and caliber changes are cheaper on the 650.

Don't get the Dillon powder check. It is not the best one out there, I would go with the RCBS lock out die. I don't use a powder check and I instead opt to have an EGW undersize die in station 2. The Dillon sizer feeds well @ station one.

The LnL is also a good press that has worked for the four other local shooters that I know use it. I bought one but the LnL bushings wouldn't stay locked in. I read of a few other people with that issue who had sent it back and forth with no improvement so I returned it and got the 650.
 
adweisbe wrote:
Dillon rapes you on the accessories
Click to expand...
You nailed that one.

Trading in the LNL because of a bushing???????? Out Ragus!! :what:
When one of my bushings loosened, I simply and gently dimpled the top of each of the six locks of the bushing with a nail set. It worked, but replacing the 12 cent O ring will do too.

First of all, I have a 550 and regularly load on a friends 650, and if I had $ coming out my anterior orifice, the 1050 would be nice. I also have the LNL AP. and for a long laundry list of reasons, the LNL is the better press when compared to the 550 and 650.

If costs are a big factor, although the LNL is much less in price than either 550 or 650 (and additionally it is around $200 after considering the 1000 free bullets), look at the costs of quick changeovers, Grafs prices:

Costs are from Graphs
One changeover
550 - Quick Changeover (Toolhead, Powder Measure, Powder Die, Toolhead Stand, $91 ea) and Caliber Conversion Kit (Shellplate, powder funnel, and locator buttons; $45)
650 - Quick Changeover (Toolhead, TH Stand and Powder Measure
$95 ea) and Caliber Conversion Kit (Shellplate, locator buttons, powder funnel; $73)
LNL - Shellplate $30 – 2 Die bushings $7.40 (10 pack of QC bushings $37 ea no powder measure necessary) add an additional $3.70 for each 3 die conversion. Powder Thru Expander Die for PM $9

Three changeovers
550 - Total $136 x 3 = $408
650 - Total $168 x 3 = $504
LNL - Total $47 x 3 = $141

Five changeovers
550 - Total $136 x 5 = $680
650 - Total $168 x 5 = $840
LNL - Total $47 x 5 = $235

Now, is my math fuzzy or is the simple cost of 3 Dillon Changeover more than the cost of the press?????????????
 
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OH man the stong mount is a must I love it. Make sure to make room as that sucker has one big footprint. Roller handel I want one but for now I will stick to the 8ball. Get the cover too and a spare parts kit.
 
Is the lnl an autoindexer? Sorry for the ignorance, but I havent looked into it that much. Is there a case feeder availible?
 
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Well it only took 2 posts for this to degenerate into a bash dillon thread!

Yes Shoney, your math is fuzzy. First you don't NEED a tool head stand. You don't need a powder measure for each tool head. You sometimes don't need a new shell plate, the one for .308 works for any shell with the same head size.(.243, 6mm, 7-08, 30-06,-----). Then you ignore the cost for another case activated powder measure die AND the powder measure for each of your LNL conversions. (Only fair because you included powder measures for each of the dillon conversions).

Then the fact that Hornady doesn't seem to be able to handle problems for the stuff they crank out. I have nothing against Hornady, they make great bullets, they should stick to making bullets. Whoever they have doing the machining for them must have a bunch of rubber rulers or micrometers. They sure can't hold tolerances. The LNL bushing is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Are we so lazy that we can't screw a die in and out when changing them?

As for the strong mount, decide if you're going to sit or stand. If you have a bench that's the right height for sitting, then you will stand to load with your dillon, you need the strong mount. If, however, you will sit to load, then you can mount the dillon directly to the bench. Also overhead clearance may be a consideration. My dillon stands 34 inches above the bench, to the top of the case feeder.

I ordered my 650 without a roller handle or a case feeder. A month later I got both, you'll find the difference between the ball and roller handle is like night and day.
 
650

I've owned a SDB (great if you are only going to load pistol calibers), a 550 (great press also) and currently have a 650. Love this press. Have some Dillon dies, some RCBS, some Lee..well, you get the picture. Big ++ on the RCBS Lockout Die, I have it on all my toolheads. You don't need extra tool heads, extra powder assemblies and other spares, but it makes the caliber change fast and sweet! I also have a spare primer assembly, one setup in LP and one setup in SP, so I remove 2 screws and swap them out. I've been drinking the Blue Cool Aid since the mid 1980's and have no complaints with Dillon. The stuff just works and if it doesn't they fix it or replace it at no charge. It may not be the cheapest, but then again you get what you pay for.
 
Snuffy: Sorry! My older LNL did not come equipped with the powder-thru expander, so I did not consider it in the price. That was entirely inadvertent. I will pull out my razor and shave that mat, and will add PTE and recalculate.

I prefer the term Digress to Degenerate, since my discussion was intended to be factual and academic not emotional.

Please also reconsider the term "quick changeover", as the idea is clear - quick. I do a 550 changeover in a manner very similar to yours. It burned my butt with a 3' high flame to consider Dillon$ $entuous Promotion$ for the quick changeover unit$. The mi$er in me refused to $pend tho$e exorbitant dollar$. So, like you, I have a slow changeover unit.

Now, the LNL has a very affordable “quick change system.” I also find the quick removal to be very handy since I am now loading most of my rifle cartridges on the LNL. Very handy when sizing, to remove all other fixtures, and equally quick and easy to reinstall them, sorta like a rapid fire single stage.

Good Shooting!
 
I find Dillon very hard to justify for the price... especially if I already have a progressive press that I like.

Not that they don't make top notch stuff, because they do.

But for a single caliber conversion, you will pay well over a hundred bucks!

With Lee, it's nearer to 40-50, with a new measure.

Hornady falls somewhere in between, and the LNL is great.
 
I don't pay $100 for a 550 conversion kit + toolhead. It's more like $35 + 12. I think you get what you pay for.

Let's be accurate here. You don't need a powder measure for each toolhead.
 
Yes, you do get what you pay for and more, when you buy the LnL. The Dillons are good too, but they're not quite as good as the LnL's for rifle cartridges. For pistol, it's about a tie. The Dillon is more expensive. Bottom line, the LnL is a better value and yes, I've owned Dillon 550 and load regularly on my buddy's 650.

Dave
 
There are a lot of conversions for either the 650 or 550 that are a matter of new funnel only, or a funnel and three indicator pins! So, that is a flagrant error! And, you sure do not need a tool head stand or a powder measure....so some reworking of the figures!

9mm conversion to 40SW/10mm takes a funnel and indicator pins.....
45ACP conversion to 308 takes a powder funnel!

The list goes on!

There are better places to buy Dillon from then Dillon.....

You want CS, Dillon refined it! Hornady has a lot to learn in that category! Redding and RCBS are in the same league as Dillon!

I will never debate prices, cause we all have a budget to live with! But, when it comes a great product with a great history of CS dillon will get my money and recommendation!
 
I have had experience that wasn't particularly lovely with that Dillon customer service. It wasn''t any better nor was it as good as what I got with Hornady's customer service.

In today's world, most all reloading company's provide reasonably good customer service. The difference between the worst to the best isn't all that much. That's the lovely thing about competition, it provokes improvement.

Dave
 
I'm still looking for one of the guys that has the "junk" 550 to give the the price they want so they can unload it. I need another to go with the one I've got.
 
Scour craigslist and your local gun shops. I picked up my Dillon 450 for pocket change. Ask at the range. Lots of folks buy into it and never get into it.
 
If you have a Dollon in your future, you have a bright future. I have four Dillons, and love them all. I'm sure that there are some great presses out there, but if you get a Dillon, you will never look back. And I'm willing to bet, that you will always have a Dillon.;)
 
Snuffy and 38 Super Auto: What you guys are saying, and exactly what I do with my Dillon is pick and choose only a few parts to do a Caliber Conversion. However, in order to compare oranges to oranges, I am comparing a Dillon Quick Caliber Change (which consists of the Caliber Conversion Kit and a Quick Change Assembly) to what is necessary to do a Quick Caliber Change on the LNL. If you want me to compare what you choose to what I choose, then we are talking comparing apples to bananas, And as Yota would say, “Nucking Futs, drive you it will!”

One thing I didn’t cover in my post above was the use of the Rifle and Pistol Micro Inserts for the PM. These inserts go into the PM; can be inserted and removed in seconds; once a powder load has been determined, the reading on the micrometer dial can be recorded; then when a powder change and/or a weight change is needed, it can be dialed in less than a minute, and the change is both very accurate and repeatable. The inserts are a one time buy at $28 and $29. This is the reason no new powder measure is need for the LNL Quick Conversion.

Snuffy as I promised I looked up the cost of the powder thru case expanders, they are $9 each. I also saw that there was a $1 price increase on the 550 Quick Change Assembly. So If you go back up to my post #3 above, it will reflect these changes.
 
Have been reloading on my Dillon 450 since 1984,0 problems and I really like the press.I have added a 550 and 550b(picked up used).Dillons customer service is second to none.The only Lee presses I use and think are worth a darn are the Classic cast single stage and Classic turret press.

Yes Dillon prices have gone up over the years but you get what you pay for.I paid $185 freight paid in 1984 for the 450,the 550b costs more than double but it will last a life time.
 
ya DON'T 'have' to have the strong mount !

I"ve been using my 550b for a dozen years without having a strong mount,and if your bench is tall enough and stoutly built,it's not a 'must have' item,imho.

ymmv and your opinoin may vary,but this one is mine. :)
 
Hold on, now my fellow members.

The OP wanted info on the Dillon, Give the man info on the Dillon and lets have the end of it. You guys are acting like your getting commission on what he is going to buy.

We all have our favorites and even Shoney who is a well known Hornady User still 'loads regularly on the 650' so the 650 is a great press. If you really like it, buy it. Are there better presses than it out there?? Depends on who you ask. I know alot people who own Dillons and rarely do I hear that their press blows. I have 3 of em (2 x 650, 1 x 550b) and they work for me. But I won't bash another press, because that's not my style.

That is my opinion, FWIW.

Cheers...
 
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The OP wanted info on the Dillon, Give the man info on the Dillon and lets have the end of it.
Click to expand...

So, comparisons between Dillon and other progressive presses are not considered "info on the Dillon"? Are we only allowed to offer praise and glory for the Dillon press, but not anything that might possibly be considered as potentially negative comments?

Actually, the OP asked if it was time for a Dillon press. He also noted that the 650 and 1050 were at or above his financial limit.

If one can answer his first question with "no", then it seems to me that "maybe, but there are other alternatives" would also be a valid answer.

Others and I believe excellent progressive presses are available that are not made by Dillon (while not saying that the Dillon presses are not also excellent), and that perhaps there may be other alternatives to fit his needs.

In general, more information is better. If some folks don't want the extra information, they are free to ignore it.

Andy
 
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