When I decided to start reloading, I looked at Lee, Hornady, and Dillon... for weeks and weeks, comparing features and reading posts by other owners. It was almost painful to force myself to choose SOMETHING, else spend the rest of my life just reading and debating. Some people always suggest to start on a single, as a progressive is too complex for beginners. I didn't, and have never regretted that decision.
The first decision I made was price. The Dillon 650 was out of that range for me.
The next decision was turret vs progressive. I don't want to pull a handle 4 times for every single shell. So that took my list to the Lee Loadmaster, Dillon SBD, Dillon 550, and Hornady LNL-AP.
The SDB was eliminated because it doesn't use standard dies.
I also evaluated auto-index vs manual. The Loadmaster and LNL do this, the 550 does not. I personally believe this is a very convenient feature, and can add to the safety factor. I don't believe any problems it has (ie, if you have to stop, and back up) are much of a negative factor at all. Raise the ram, and back the plate up - done.
Next was number of stations: i wanted 5, so I could use a powder check die if I wanted to, and still seat/crimp in 2 different stations. Again, that eliminated the Dillon.
Ergonomically, I did not want to have to take my right hand off that handle and pick things up for every round. The Dillon loads from both sides (bullet on one side, shell on the other), so that was a negative to me.
So from here, my choice was Lee or Hornady. I compared prices, and build materials/quality. Though I was impressed with Lee's pricing, there were elements of the machine that didn't appeal to me. With the LNL, the price was higher, but certain things - such as the rotary powder measure - seemed more like what I would be happy with. The Lee seemed a bit like a contraption, whereas the LNL seemed engineered.
So though the price was probably 40% or more, I bought the LNL. I've been extremely happy with it.
Everyone has different needs. You might not need 5 stations, or you might have less budget. All the presses above make good ammo. None of them are a BAD choice, but every one requires you give something up... either a particular feature, or some more money.
I also want to add this: my comments on the Lee gear aren't meant to be insulting. It just wasn't what I was looking for. I know they are popular, and people that are much more experienced reloaders than I am make great ammo with them. I personally don't care what machine anyone uses - to me, it's a machine - not my girlfriend or my child. People get too wrapped up in defending their brand, or knocking others' choices. The important thing to me is that we reload (and shoot), not what tools we use when we do it.
thorn
