which press do i need?

[dakotasin]

i already reload for my guns, but find that the single stage press (rockchucker) i am working w/ isn't quite fast enough to keep up w/ my handguns. so, i am thinking of going progressive. i'll be loading 38/357, 9mm, 40, and 45 acp exclusively on the new press.

been hearing lot of good things about the dillon 550, and square deal b. remember, this will be for handguns only. which press works out better for this purpose? is there another i should consider?

i need it to be accurate, repeatable, and ideally, painless caliber conversions (so i don't have to set the dies up from scratch, again).

thanks.

 

[SDC]

If you're not going to be using any of the dies you use now, I'd go with the SDB; they use proprietary dies, but they're actually slightly faster to use than the 550. If you want to use your existing dies, you'll have to go with the 550. Both of these take about the same amount of time to swap from one calibre to another, and the 550 probably has slightly more resale value if you ever want to sell it. HTH.

 

[Cortland]

I'm a big fan of the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP. Costs less than a 550B but gives you 650 features (and then some). I've written a comparison (although I'm told it reads more like a rambling fever dream) of the 550B and the Hornady LnL if you're interested.

 

[Zak Smith]

I've had two SDB's and an XL650.

The XL650 with the automatic casefeeder is the fastest by far. All you do is place a bullet on the case in stage 4 and crank. Your right arm never leaves the crank. About a thousand rounds per hour is possible with the XL650.

The SDB is a fine loader for pistol calibers. It is auto-indexing but there is no case feeder. The best I've been able to do is about 400/hour.

The 550 should be slightly slower than the SDB because it does not auto-index. I consider auto-indexing to be a "must-have" because it helps to prevent double charges due to temporary brain failure.

The SDB does not have a powder check stage, which is another safeguard. The 650 has it. I'm not sure if the 550 does - I thought not.

-z

 

[efmoto]

I enjoyed you article cortland.
Maybe you can add some pictures?

 

[Cortland]

Thank you efmoto.

Yeah, I've got some photos of my LnL I've been meaning to post. Hopefully I'll get around to it this weekend. A breakdown on conversion costs would probably be interesting, too.

 

[HSMITH]

I have a 550 and another on the way, so you know how I feel.

 

[dakotasin]

once i get the dies set, i do not want to mess w/ them again... will the hornady l-n-l accomodate that? i know the dillon will.

i like the idea of auto indexing... will rcbs' system auto index, etc?

thanks for your help!

 

[Kruzr]

Read through the "Which Dillon" write up on this page: (scroll down a little)

http://www.brianenos.com/pages/dillon.html

When you're ready to buy the Dillon, Brian Enos or Chad at eguns.com have the lowest prices when you include shipping.

 

[Kcustom45]

I have to agree with everyone who recommended the 550. I have one and it is one of my best investments. I reload 45ACP, 40S&W, 44mag, and 10mm for handgun, and .22-250 and .308WIN for rifle with it.

The only complaint I have is that I don't like the way you switch from small to large primer. However, I don't think there is another press where I can switch from 45ACP to .22-250 or .308WIN in less than 10 seconds.

 

[Cortland]

once i get the dies set, i do not want to mess w/ them again... will the hornady l-n-l accomodate that?

Yes. The Hornady Lock-N-Load uses Lock-N-Load bushings. You'd start off with empty bushings in the press, thread the dies into the bushings and then adjust the dies as if it were in a Dillon or RCBS toolhead. The dies are left in the Lock-N-Load bushings, and the die/bushing can be removed or inserted into the press with 1/6 of a turn from this point on. So you'll have to buy a Lock-N-Load bushing for each die, but 5 bushings cost about the same as a Dillon toolhead. They're every bit as quick to change out as the Dillon toolheads (in my opinion quicker since you're not having to deal with retainer pins or a powder measure failsafe rod), but offer (arguably perhaps) more rigidity in the press.

See this photo.

 

[go8dalejr]

I have a 550 and 650 the 650 by far the fastest with the casefeeder but
the 550 is a lot faster than a rockchucker. I would get the 550 over the square deal I know you say you only want to reload handgun now but
what about 5 or ten years down the road? I would also have to give a
thumbs up to dillon on the warranty end.

 

[243_shooter]

I like my 550. However I don't think I'd even consider one of the 'square deal' setups, unless I intended to use it for only one caliber.

When you start running them off in 1000 round lots, the length of time a caliber change takes starts to be less important (IMHO). I find setting up my 550 very straightforward. I could easily go from one caliber to another including switching the powder measure, and changing from small to large primer in 15 minutes, max. That's taking my time and double checking everything. After that it's easy to crank out 300 rds / hour, at a normal, SAFE pace (occasionally checking charge weight, etc..).

With a little practice I'd say to set the press up and load 250 rounds would take me just about an hour. [this is assuming that I have a toohead / powder die for the caliber ready to go].

Leo

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

The Dillon and Hornady presses are both fine presses, but for the money the Hornady has some nice features. When/if my reloading volume gets high and budget expands enough I will be seriously considering the larger Dillons, but so far my max volume has been only about 1200/mo so the Hornady is the press of choice.

(Cortland has brought my attention to features of which I was not aware since I had encountered Dillons only while shopping for a press and not long term use.)

The Lock-N-Load bushings for dies has additional advantages that Cortland did not mention. You are able to trade individual dies in and out without disturbing settings on the rest of the dies or those being exchanged. I have used this to test roll vs. crimp and RCBS vs. Hornady depriming dies during a run.

Also I have instructions on how to add a case expander to the powder measure if desired. I may eventually do this as I am using an RCBS overload check die and may want to move the powder measure to the expander die position, move the powder check back one and free up a position for separate crimp and bullet seating operations.

Hornady support has been great. I bought an early production die and when I callled for information they pointed out that the "knuckle" (their term) that carries the handle had been upgraded and sent me one gratis. I am very sloppy about sending in registrations so I don't know whether they would have alerted me to the primer upgrade, but I will be checking that out. I understand where most of the issues on the priming come from so I may have sorted it out to the point the upgrade is not necessary.

 

[dakotasin]

i appreciate all the help, guys.

i think i'm going to go w/ the hornady system. i have some more questions about it, but from what i am reading here, it seems as though it is a good press.

i really like the idea of auto-indexing. seems like a good way to safeguard against double charges.

the thing that i am unclear about on the hornady: will standard dies work? how are die changes handled (ie, once set up, i realize i can easily swap dies out, but can i put the die back in and be assured it will still be at the setting it had when i pulled it)?

thanks for the help... i still want to do a little digging on the rcbs press, but it seems few people have one... as of now, the l-n-l is the front runner.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

The Hornady uses standard dies. First a special bushing is screwed into the press and then the die is screwed into the bushing. The die is then set up. From then on the bushing plus die are moved as a unit so that all settings are automatically maintained. You can interchange die-bushing units as much as you wish and all settings are maintained.

The powder measure is also great about maintaining adjustment and being able to go from one micrometer setting to another as you change powder. I do notice differences between volume and weight of different batches of powder, but for the most part once set up it is almost boringly consistent. I do due diligence and check each time I set up, but find I am just verifying the accuracy.

I have seen good remarks on the RCBS in the past. Though they had a couple of rough edges I would expect RCBS has worked to take care of those issues. A friend of mine had an RCBS, had enough problems with the strip fed primers that he went to a Hornady. Not long after that he found he needed higher volume as he was in competition almost every week so he went to one of the larger Dillons. If the strip feed has not been improved, I believe they also offer a 'standard' feed.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

Whoops. One exception to the standard dies is on the position where the completed round is ejected. A standard length die may interfere with the spring that ejects the round. When I was using an RCBS die I took the ejector spring off and pulled the completed round off by hand. Don't know that dies other than RCBS would have the problem.

 

[TooTaxed]

I like the progressives...have one...but just for grins I'd like to mention the "Poor man's Progressive".

I already had a good O tool...picked up a couple more used C-tools in good condition at a gunshow for $25 each. Set 'em all up side by side on my bench, each one set for a different operation...and turned out the ammo pretty quickly! Not bad for intermediate needs...