Which Progressive Press is the best

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DavidPaul

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Howdy all,

I have been looking at progressive presses for some time. I kind of favor the RCBS Pro 2000. I have been reloading for years and currently have the RCBS Rock Chucker.

Is the Pro 2000 a good choice? Is it easy to setup and use? Is there any extra equipment I should purchase with it? Any info will be greatly appreciated.
 
DP,

First of all, Welcome the The High Road.
Which Progressive Press is the best
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This question has been beat to death, Mate. My best advise is to do your research because this is really a Ford vs Chevy question.

What is it that you like about the RCBS Pro 2000 that you favor it, if I may ask? if you have valid reasons, then buy it. It really is a good press.

LGB
 
I will tell you my experiences with reloading progressive presses. I have a Dillon for shotgun shells and a Hornady lock n load for metalic. I was set on having all Dillon and decided to try the Hornady and I am glad I did. Mine is the new ez eject model and it works perfect all the time. Both of these companies are first rate and there loaders carry a lifetime warranty with free replacement parts. I have never had an issue with either company. You call them up and the part is at your house in a couple a days free of charge,
 
My suggestion also is to question all your buddies at your range or club and hopefully get to use their progressive presses. While I do own three Dillon presses(2 550B's and a SL900), the Hornady and RCBS presses work equally as well. My only negative comment I could make is if you are going to load large quatities of ammo, and in different calibers, stay away from the Lee progrssives; they are not made as well as the other three and WILL break down much more often. I do speak from experience and have four friends who started out with Lee and switched to one of the top three within a year. I do expect some flak from my last comment. ;)
 
Which progressive is "BEST?"

Probably Dillon's Super 1050, especially if fitted with all the options. The base machine is under $1600. Of course, an automatic case trimmer and things like that will add substantially to that price.

Might be too much machine to start out with, though.

Still, "BEST!"

-Sam
 
Welcome.
loadedround said:
My suggestion also is to question all your buddies at your range or club and hopefully get to use their progressive presses.
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Can't agree more with this statement. There are several well made machines available, and they all have their unique quirks, strengths, and irritations.
 
Loadedround +1

See if you can get invited to your buddies' reloading sessions and pull the handle a few times yourself. I think it's personal opinion as to what's best.

If you like to tinker, then by all means, get a Lee Load All or Pro 1000. Many people have loaded tens of thousands of rounds on them and love them. I bought a used Pro 1000 about 3 yrs ago. I bolted it to the bench and played with it to see how it works. It's now sitting in a bucket in the corner of the room. Maybe when I get another bench built I'll set it back up and spend some time redesigning a few things on it. I bought a LNLAP this winter and haven't regreted it. Caliber changes are super easy, and I really like the new eze-ject, no wire to bend. It also helps that I live 90 miles from Grand Island and get there several times a month on business. Easy access to parts.

Another thing to consider, do you want a press that auto-indexes or won't it bother you to rotate the shell plate by hand every time you pull the handle?

Each machine has it's good and bad points. It all depends on what trips your trigger and what design flaws you are willing to put up with.

And, that's my personal opinion.
 
I only own one,and have never operated any others,but I"d buy the one I have again ...IF it ever needs replacing.
Dillon 550b
I like the fact that I have more control over it than it over me.Very simple to operate,even loading one round at a time if I want to with large rifle cases like 45-70's.
It costs a bit more for caliber change overs as you have to buy a 'changeover kit' for each die set,but I still like it...a lot.
 
I don't know if it's the best, but I bought a Dillon 550B after asking all the same questions you're asking, and talking to guys who had tons of experience with progressive loaders. I had tons of experience, but only with single stage loaders.
 
The comparison to Chevys, and Buicks is great. I would add Mercedes, Porsche and Toyotas to the mix too. All of them will get you to work, but you haven't told us how far away work is, how many years you expect to be driving, or what kind of comforts you need along the way !!

All we can really do friend, is tell you where to look. The answer to that question is: RCBS, Hornady, and Dillon.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome.
Thanks, your comments are a lot of help.

I like tinkering on my truck or tractor, when it comes to my reloading equipment I want it to work. A guy I work with has a Dillion, I think he said 550, he loves his. I have used Lee dies for years but every time I have looked one of their presses I always shyed away. Just didn't feel like my Rock Chucker. I reload alot, my wife, daughter, son, we all shot and shot frequently. I don't reload for the assault rifles or shotguns but I do for our hunting and target rifles and pistols. So I need something that will take a lot of use.

I kind of favor RCBS because I have such good luck with their presses.

Sticking to RCBS, Hornady, and Dillion other than the press is there any extra things I should buy to go with the press?
 
In that case, I would find local shooting buddies with the 550 and 650 and compare them. Get a feel for the fundamental difference, especially the way they advance stations. Then go to Brian Enos web site, call Brian on the phone, and discuss the cost of press and accessories. Brian is very, very wise about what you need and what you don't need.

Armed with that info, compare them to the RCBS 2000 you mentioned, and the Hornady LNL. You will probably be able to make your decision.

[Prediction: I bet when he looks at the all the auto stuff on the XL650, and thinks about all the rounds his wife and kids shoot, he'll go with that one. He'll get several extra primer tubes and be set for life.]
 
+1 on Dillon 550B

I've used mine for nearly a decade and have put 10-12 thousand loads together per year in nearly two dozen calibers.

It's a great machine. No complaints.
 
Hard to go wrong with any of the top progressive companies......Dillon, Hornday, RCBS.

I think Lee probably makes very good presses (haven't used one myself).....but not on the progressive end. They work but you might spend as much time "tweaking it" as you do reloading with it.

I just went through this whole process myself. I decided upon the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP. Although I'm sure I would have been very happy with a Dillon 550B. Those were the top contenders at my price point. If you have more to spend then the Dillon 650 is nice (although it really does not offer anything over the Hornady) or if your really going to go big then the Dillon 1050 rules.
 
Fred40 said:
I decided upon the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP. Although I'm sure I would have been very happy with a Dillon 550B. Those were the top contenders at my price point.
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I have a 550B. The manual index works great for me, and has been ideal for the various situations that are normal when there's only one press on the bench. (Like rifle brass prep, primed brass, individual powder charge weighing, etc) If I were to get another, I think the bullet deal and attractive price point of the Hornady LNL would pull me in. Ultimately, I could see having 3 presses - 1 auto index, the 550B, and a single for rifle brass prep and other odd jobs.
 
I agree with LGB. I think you would be happy with Dillon, RCBS or Hornady, they are all quality presses. Look for the one that has the features that you are interested in and you should be happy with it. I don't remember talking to anybody that ownes any of those presses that isn't happy. Also search for problems with the three brands. You will find that all three have their own quirks but it is nothing major, just which ones you think you can deal with.
Rusty
 
I used an RCBS Rock Chucker for years reloading single stage. In the 90's RCBS went progressive with the Piggyback(PB) system that converted a Rock Chucker to a progressive press. Although the PB does have a consumable nylon washer to handle the auto-indexing, the press is quite durable.

I did some reloading on a friend's Dillon 550 and did not like manual indexing. After about 15 years of reloading this year I outfitted myself finally. I have always enjoyed reloading, but I enjoy shooting more. On that premise I bought a Dillon XL 650 with the case feeder.

The priming system is a bit of a pain to switch out, but I may go to the entire system switch at some point. I did spring for the Uniquetek micrometer for the powder measures. I am setup for 223 and 45 right now with quick change heads (a tool head with a powder measure system). I want to eventually setup for 308, 38/357, 9mm, 44 Mag, and 30-06.

I doubt I'll go with full quick changes for each, but the Dillon is pure joy to load on. The only drawback I have on the XL 650 is the priming system, I think they could have stayed with a primer seating system that used a sliding bar instead of a rotating disc.
 
I have blue and red. I love them both for different reasons. I have finally gotten my Lock and Load AP to the point where its extremely reliable and no longer frustrating. The issues were my mistakes and not a result of problems with the press.

I am going to convert my press to the new style EZ Eject because I hear it fixes all the problems that the old presses had with ejecting small brass. I want to start loading 9mm and 380 on it and I won't do that until I convert it over. If you buy a new Lock and Load AP, you won't need to convert it, the new ones have EZ Eject.

Assault weapons? Gad, what a crude way of describing large capacity semi-auto rifles. :)
 
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