Danger Mouse

Did not know the turret could be turned counter clock wise. I will have to try that

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FearSheeple

Guess I also could consider a Lee classic press. I had no idea their turret press was so cheap! $150ish with dies for .40? hot damn. But sounds like only 100-200rds/hr are possible, vice 400-500 of the 550B.

Both load .223 as well which is nice, but I think the double production of the dillon makes for a better buy. You can run a dillon in single stage mode I believe.

But..>$150 vs $450-500, and dies are more expensive...hmmm

Tubby45

The Lee Classic Turret press kit is a great press and can be had for less than $200 all tricked out from Kempf's Gunshop.

The Dillon 550 is a manual index progressive. You can load one round at a time if you want to. I use my Dillon 550 to load both personal ammo and commercial ammo. My suggestion is get a Dillon 550. I can get you one for $385 shipped.

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rocky

Also you can use Lee dies in a Dillon press. I have a Lee .45 ACP die set in my Dillon right now.

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FearSheeple

The lee dies sure do seem a hell of a lot cheaper than the dillon dies, and I like the fact that if I want I can eventually add a case feeder to the dillon 550B if I wanted to speed up the process. Getting started I know I could do fine on a single stage or a turret...but I can see myself easily upgrading to a progressive, much sooner rather than later.

Tubby45

Lee dies are cheaper, but the Dillon powder measure system uses a powder die and funnel that expands the case mouth and drops the powder charge in the case at the same time, same as the Lee expander die. With a Lee three die set, you will have an empty hole in station four, unless you buy the Lee 4 die set.

If you buy the 4 die set, you will put the sizer die in station one, the Dillon powder die in station 2, the Lee seater die in station 3, and the Lee crimp die in station 4.

I like Lee dies for their seating and crimp adjustment. With the Dillon dies, you have to adjust the whole die in order to change the depth or crimp. With Lee, you just turn the adjustment screw up or down with either die. I started off with Lee dies but I am moving more towards the Redding Pro Series dies for pistol and revolver. I use them for 32 H&R and 357 Mags right now and they are a winner. I also prefer the Redding crimp die to the Lee FCD.

ETA: The 550 will take a casefeeder however changing out calibers is a PITA. My opinion is if you are looking at a case feeder the Hornady LNL is a better choice for a similar price as the 550 and the XL650 is worth it also, but at the additional expense of the press and caliber conversion kits. With the Hornady LNL you get 1000 free bullets, which is a hell of a deal and can justify the purchase of the Hornady press even more. It is also available with a case feeder.

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mousehunter

I started progressive and just got a single stage. Progressive is good for some things, but felt that a single stage has it's place as well.

When loading rifle for accuracy, progressive is no faster for me (plus the progressive requires shell plates rather than just shell holders).

FearSheeple

Interesting. Tubby I can't thank you enough for all of your help. not only in this thread but in the many other threads here you've posted in!

So the dillon dies are a bit more difficult to adjust, but how often do you really need to adjust when reloading? I plan to get an entire block for each caliber i load to prevent needing to re-adjust everything each time I set it up - I understand fine tuning may be needed and I'm fine with that!

What makes changing calibers on the casefeeder on the 550 a PITA? How much does it really speed up production. The thing that I think would bother me the most on the 550 is requiring both hands. I.E. Right hand puts the case in, left hand puts a bullet in, and then the right hand pulls the handle, repeat. I like the idea of my left hand only putting a bullet on and my right hand only pulling the lever.

i'm sure I could get used to it, but, having never reloaded I'm not sure how much of a problem that would be.

I've seen the hornady in a magazine and it does look attractive on both price and that free 1000 bullets offer, even though they don't have bullets in something i'd be reloading I could probbaly sell them on the forum.

Dillon still seems to be the most highly regarded press around, and their no BS warranty is certainly attractive to me as well. While I don't see many parts on the press that would break easily it's the peace of mind that seems well worth it.

I had ruled the 650 out since at this time I can't see myself reloading more than 1000 rounds per month, and based on Brian Enos's website (Dillon Precision Reloading Equipment - RL 550B, XL 650, Super 1050, SL 900) It would be too much press for me.
The Hornady case feeder appears to be a lot more pricey than the Dillon, how does it work better? I suppose looking at how much (or little) I'd be reloading I could do without a casefeeder. I just would like the option in the future if I need to expand to it. For the forseeable future anyways...i.e. next 3-5 years I won't be needing it.

alfack

Changing calibers on the Dillons can be a breeze, if you drop extra cash on the toolheads and get a powder drop for each one. This can get expensive very quick, though.

Tubby45

Every time you change bullets. If you only load one bullet and that is it and never switch from say, Winchester FMJs to Remington FMJs to Magtech, back to Win, etc then you are alright. With Dillon dies, you adjust the whole die (in or out) to control the depth of the bullet seating and amount of crimp. You have to loosen the lock ring, adjust a bit, set the lock ring, try it, loosen the lock ring, adjust a bit, set the lock ring, etc. until you get it right.

With Lee, RCBS, and Redding dies, you screw the die in til it hits the shell plate. Then all addjustments from there are done with the centrally located adustment stem. Just turn the stem and leave the die where it is. Much easier and quicker.


The press was designed without a case feeder ever being thought of for the press. The case feeder was engineered for a press that wasn't designed for a case feeder from the get go, like the XL650 was. There are a lot more parts for the 550 case feeder to change over. The 550 can load rifle rounds, but the 550 case feeder is for PISTOL only. The 650 can handle rifle, but not the 550. The 550 case feeder is more expensive than the 650 feeder. Adding the case feeder to the 550 will increase production by 20-25%. All you are doing is moving the handle and setting a bullet on the case, then index.

I load 500rds per hour like this and it isn't a big deal. The less the press does the more control you have over the loading sequence.

If you go this route, get XTP bullets in 10mm and I will buy them from you for half of retail.

Dillon is excellent at standing behind their products. I have a contact at Dillon that can pull some strings and has done so many times for me.

The Hornady feeder is very similar in design and operation as the Dillon XL650 case feeder. The Dillon feeder is cheaper but the press is more expensive.

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