New press opinions- Lee or Dillon

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breacher

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I've narrowed it down to just 2, the Lee Pro 1000 and the Dillon Square Deal B.

The goal: load 40 S&W quickly in high volume. No other calibers desired (been there, done that) I'm weaning myself off of 357 Sig and 9mm is still cheap to buy retail. I get all the 40 brass I can use for free. So 40 is all I will reload. (no interest in rifles)

Experience: I owned and reloaded pistol ammo on a Lee Turret for a few years about 15 or 20 yrs ago but I would like to move a bit faster than that this time. I don't think I even used a scale with that setup. I just went with medium loads from the auto powder disk dispenser charts in 45acp.

Anybody with experience on both? I realize auto case and bullet feeders are available for the Lee Pro 1000 but the output numbers I see quoted are very similar to the Dillon SDB (about 300 rds per hour?) Is this because of the unreliable primer feeding system on the Lee? I'm fairly mechanical but I don't want to spend as much time tweaking the machine as I do reloading!!!

TIA for any opinions being offered.
 
I have some Lee stuff. I think their collet dies and FCD dies are great.

Progressive presses are not among something I would own. I have a friend that had four Lee progressives. They were worse than awful. Always fiddling and piddling. I wouldn't take one for free if I had to use it. That is NOT an overstatement. Lee single stage and turrets seem fine.

I have a Dillon 550. Set it up and crank out ammo. He had so much trouble that I serious considered not getting into reloading. Had another guy talk me into it. Difference is night and day.

You might also consider the Hornady, though for what you want the SD seems perfect. One thing to consider is that die choices are limited. I use my 550 for rifle and pistol. If you're really looking for good quality ammo in a very reasonable time with absolutely minimum fuss for a single pistol caliber, the SD is your machine IMO.

YMMV
 
I've had a Lee Pro 1000 & currently have a Dillon 550.

There is no comparison. It's like a Chevy Aveo vs a Lincoln.
Yes, the Aveo will get you from point A to point B.
But the Lincoln does so in style & comfort.

I'm not trying to bash Lee. I have a Lee single stage & have had a Lee turret press.
Those are good presses.
 
Load ammo or Tweek a machine??

IMO, go with the Dillon if you want a loading machine. Go with the Lee if you enjoy the experience of constant adjustments..Bill..:uhoh:
 
I have 2 SDB's and they are great. Call and order direct from Dillon and tell them what caliber you want. It will come set up for that caliber and basically all you have to do is set the powder bar to throw the amount of powder you want and tweek the seating die to the depth you want the bullets. It even comes with a dummy round they actually loaded on your machine. With a SDB the dies come with the machine and you don't have to spend additional money on them. I would rather have a SDB than a 550 because it is automatically advances each time you pull the handle. The 550 is a manual index machine. Automatic advance feature makes it a lot less likely to double charge a case.
Did I mention Dillon customer service is the best in the business.
 
I have and like a lot of Lee stuff and I would not be without my Classic Turret. But all I know about Lee progressives is what I've read so keep that in mine.

I also have a SDB and if I was just going to load pistol ammo.....well, I'd get the Square Deal B.
:cool: Every day and twice on the weekends. Yep.

Seedtick

:)
 
thanks everyone. SD is what I was thinking but this confirms it from those with actual experience.

so all I will need to add is a powder scale to the SD?

I also planned on getting a tumbler/ media filter
 
Most Lee products are junk, a few are decent...choose carefully.
Get the Dillon and enjoy the lifetime warranty, you won't regret it.
Others here said Lee FCD (factory crimp dies) are good. NOT. Those things are ultra junk, they're a crutch for people that make bad ammunition (poor neck tension). Don't get on the Lee FCD bandwagon.
 
Dillon all the way. Customer service alone should be a selling point. and you get what you pay for.. except with any Dillon, it's almost like getting a free lunch.

SDB, 550, or even 650.. no comparison.
 
dillon sq-d and get their scale and 4 extra primer filler tubes .prep and turn out 500 rounds in 75 minutes. the primer buzzer is useful; powder one ain't worth it even if free.
good luck to you. after a quater million rounds my frame cracked. they asked me to send it all ( not dies, etc) $15. what came back looked factory new--all of it and new primer assembly and plastic powder container... top that!
 
I have been happy with my Dillon SDB. I load 9x19 on mine. I plan cartridge changes to be "swap out the entire press with one set up for the other cartridge". Dillon's organizational sensitivity towards customers leaves something to be desired at times.

After looking at the Lee progressives, I don't think I would be happy with them. I have never had a desire to buy one.
 
I had the pro before i bought the loadmaster and my buddy has the sdb. The pro is much faster than the sdb as long as you remember to keep an eye on the primer level in the chute. Those that only load 300 an hour on the pro are those that wouldn't do over 200 on the sdb. Bullet placement sucks on both presses in my opinion. I would buy another pro if i needed another, but the only way i would have a sdb is if someone gave it to me. Those that worship blue or simply enjoy bragging rights will disagree, but between those two presses the pro is definitely faster and of course it uses much less expensive dies and caliber changes if you plan on loading different calibers. BTW my buddy has had priming issues with both his sdb's. If you still want blue and don't want to spend the arm and leg for a 650 you might consider the 550.
 
Tried a Lee progressive some years ago. Decided I wanted to load ammo, not constantly adjust/repair. Traded up to a different red and eventually added a couple blues.
 
Going will Dillon is actually less expensive in the long run for the following reasons:

1. It won't break, and if it does they fix it free.
2. If you manage to wear it out loading millions of rounds, Dillon will rebuilt it to "as new" condition for almost nothign
3. If you ever decide the sell the press, it will be worth 90% of what you paid. The Lee might be worth 25-50% of what you pay.

I would spend a bit extra and get a 550 over a SDB for the primer seating leverage alone. The SDB is weak on seating primers.
 
Thanks for asking

I upgraded from a Lee Pro-1000 to a Lee Classic Turret last year.

I am a fan of Lee's stuff, but the Lee Pro-1000, not so much. The price is nice, but I would go for the Dillon. The higher price will be the only thing you regret. With my Pro-1000s, I was always stopping to check the primer advance, and looking at all the alignments.

Maybe it was just that my Pro-1000s were acquired used, but now that I have used my turret, I am much happier, especially since the new primer feed is so much more reliable and caliber changes are MUCH easier. But those last two things do not apply to your situation so much as they do to mine.

Lost Sheep
 
the SDB can be a little quicker because of the automatic advance. I still recommend the manual index 550. It's a little bit more money, but has more "feel", more leverage and ability to not only use STANDARD dies from any manufacturer, but load ten times the calibers of the SDB, including rifles.

dillon products DONT BREAK.
if they wear out, they will replace free, including free shipping.

mike dillon is a real businessman.
dillon's also hold their value, so again, I can vouch from experience.. even my very expensive ponsness warren presses have lost their value..

when i almost decided to get out the reloading game.. nobody was interested in anything, except the dillon. and they were willing to pay almost retail for it, because of a few included accessories.
 
Tried to save money and bought a Loadmaster. Spent 3-4 days trying to get it to run. Boxed it up, sent it back and ordered a Dillon 550B. Had it set up and running in 3-4 HOURS. Never looked back.
I DO love Lee's other products, like the factory crimp die for rifle loads I use in my ARs. They make a lot of good stuff, I just don't recommend their progressives.
That said, I recommend Dillon over everything else progressive. I don't know about the square deal presses, but if they recommend the strong mount and have a roller handle for it, they're worth the extra cash over time.
 
I upgraded to a Loadmaster from a turret a few months ago. I've loaded 2,500 rounds in 9mm, .45, and .380. I thought the setup was pretty straightforward, once you understand it's operation. I haven't lost a single primer so far. Maybe I got lucky a good press.
 
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