My dad has had a rock chucker for years and has done very little with it. I have reloaded around 20 .444 marlins or so a few years ago and they shot great but I want to be able to produce much more than 20 rounds in an hour. I have a bit of spent .223 brass but the thought of reloading that on that rock chucker is just painful (especially knowing the rate of fire in the ar-15). I am looking at the dillion 650 or the hornady lock and load set up. Both seem good and prices are close. I have not looked around much, any other options I should consider? Planned reloads will be from .38 pistol to probably .444 rifle rounds (hopefully bigger one day).
Looking to start reloading, could use some input
- Thread starter XDguy
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jimdana1942
oldtimer
I just started with my Lee single stage. They are slow but I am not a shooter, only want to build up some stock.
It looks to me like you will want a Progressive Press with the powder dropper, bullet feeder, primer feeder. I don't know much about them except they are for volume loaders and can cost a chunk. They can be quite complicated to set up and keep adjusted.
I can see where I could get me 3 more single stagers and set each one up with one of my dies and really turn out some stuff if I wanted. Wouldn't cost much and once you adjust your die settings they stay that way. Hmmmm.
It looks to me like you will want a Progressive Press with the powder dropper, bullet feeder, primer feeder. I don't know much about them except they are for volume loaders and can cost a chunk. They can be quite complicated to set up and keep adjusted.
I can see where I could get me 3 more single stagers and set each one up with one of my dies and really turn out some stuff if I wanted. Wouldn't cost much and once you adjust your die settings they stay that way. Hmmmm.
I just got through mounting my 650. My reloading experience is extremely limited and I am by no means an authority. All I know I've learned from here, other websites, and a few people showing me the ropes.
With that said, if you buy a 650 you must buy the casefeeder. If not you end up with an autoindexing 550. I have learned quickly that everything for the 650 is much more expensive than the 550 and the caliber changes are significantly more expensive without spending a lot of additonal funds.
Your round output will be higher with the 650 and the casefeeder. I'd wait for some input from some of the experience guys. Between your choices I would definitely go the Dillon route, but if you load more than one caliber you might want to factor in the cost of each of the caliber changes before you make a decision.
BayouSlide
See ya at the range
Don't be afraid of going with the 550B. I have one, and as TDH says, the caliber changes are cheaper, and quicker to boot. Primer feed's a little simpler, too. Lack of auto indexing is no biggie, and can actually be an advantage to a new reloader because it makes it easier to correct mistakes. Just make sure to have a light (I use a magnetic LED gooseneck attached to the press frame) to visually confirm powder in the case before you seat the bullet and advance the shellplate. Do that and you will never have a squib load.
Save enough with the 550 to buy a quick changeover kit so that you can have another toolhead set up and powder measure for your additional caliber.
I load around 10K per year 9mm on mine now, and plan to add 10mm and, before long, .223.
Brian Enos has some great info to help you make the decision of "which Dillon for me" on his Web site store at brianenos.com.
If a case feeder is important to you then the 650 or 1050 is in your future. Personally, I find I easily load 500 rounds in each 1 1/2 - 2 hour session on my 550B so the casefeeder wasn't worth the investment for me.
Good luck.
Save enough with the 550 to buy a quick changeover kit so that you can have another toolhead set up and powder measure for your additional caliber.
I load around 10K per year 9mm on mine now, and plan to add 10mm and, before long, .223.
Brian Enos has some great info to help you make the decision of "which Dillon for me" on his Web site store at brianenos.com.
If a case feeder is important to you then the 650 or 1050 is in your future. Personally, I find I easily load 500 rounds in each 1 1/2 - 2 hour session on my 550B so the casefeeder wasn't worth the investment for me.
Good luck.
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Just my opinion.
I started with a Dillon Square Deal B in .40 cal. Great little press. I had trouble keeping up with my shooting demands. 200-300 per hour. Seem to shoot more when I have more ammo. I do shoot monthly USPSA and steel matches along with intermittent weekly PPC matches. I had the SDB for 6 months and ordered the Dillon 650 with the case feeder and never looked back. I have no experience with a manual indexing machine. I know people that use and love 'em. Once the 650 is set up and adjusted, it keeps going and going and going.
I started with a Dillon Square Deal B in .40 cal. Great little press. I had trouble keeping up with my shooting demands. 200-300 per hour. Seem to shoot more when I have more ammo. I do shoot monthly USPSA and steel matches along with intermittent weekly PPC matches. I had the SDB for 6 months and ordered the Dillon 650 with the case feeder and never looked back. I have no experience with a manual indexing machine. I know people that use and love 'em. Once the 650 is set up and adjusted, it keeps going and going and going.
whbonney26
Well-Known Member
I got to play around on a 550 and a 650 before I bought my 650. Both are great machines. The 550 is much easier in the all around ease of doing things but the 650 was the route I went simply because I was afraid I would end up wanting an upgrade. I am mainly doing 45 Colt right now and im getting into cowboy action shooting where I figured I would end up shooting a bunch of .45. I just got it mounted last night but since I have had a chance to at least run one before im sure I will be very happy with it.
I dont know the difference between auto and manual indexing? We have at least 5 sets of dies but they are RCBS, will they work with the dillon? I dont need to put out 800 rounds and hour, with the amount we shoot it wouldnt be hard to keep up with my needs at all but my time is very limited so I dont want to spend a ton of time reloading. SO I guess at this point i need to really decide between the 550 and 650. I will be typically doing 4-5 different calibers, not back to back however. The hornady comes with 1000 free bullets...too bad I have heard so much good about dillon in the past.
S
suerto
Guest
XDguy,
Where are you located? I have a buddy who puts on a reloading class for $20.. Looks like you are attempting to jump in with both feet, could put your life in danger.. You may wanna start with a single stage and try pistol ammo first. That's what I did, the tried and true "work your way up" method. If you are wanting to "leapfrog" to the most complex aspect of reloading (rifle), then I would highly recommend you do ALOT of research on every aspect before even attempting.. Try castboolits, thehighroad, thefiringline, etc.. Now, they'll prolly tell you similiar things as I am mentioning.. A couple of reloading books would help as well.
To answer your last post, it is recommended to check case length EVERYTIME on rifles, and even magnum pistols!! Trim as needed.. Now there are some specific RCBS dies (I think the name is "x-dies") that crimp in a way as to minimize stretch..
It sounds to me though, that if you dont know the difference between auto and manual indexing, you may wanna slow down a bit and start from the beginning..
Also, you mention that you dont want to spend alot of time reloading.. That right there is the wrong attitude that will get you injured.. You should take as much time as it takes to do it correctly, incorrectly could get you or someone else hurt severely..
I can crank out roughly 300/hr .40 on my Lee master (I shoot XD's too), and still dont feel I am quite ready to jump into rifle (plus its a hassle with a few more steps in case prep)..
I also cast my own bullets..
I HIGHLY recommend you slow down and do alot more research prior to attempting to crank out ammo.. They are safe when made safely..
Another buddy of mine put it this way..
There are old reloaders and there are bold reloaders, but there arent any old bold reloaders..
Where are you located? I have a buddy who puts on a reloading class for $20.. Looks like you are attempting to jump in with both feet, could put your life in danger.. You may wanna start with a single stage and try pistol ammo first. That's what I did, the tried and true "work your way up" method. If you are wanting to "leapfrog" to the most complex aspect of reloading (rifle), then I would highly recommend you do ALOT of research on every aspect before even attempting.. Try castboolits, thehighroad, thefiringline, etc.. Now, they'll prolly tell you similiar things as I am mentioning.. A couple of reloading books would help as well.
To answer your last post, it is recommended to check case length EVERYTIME on rifles, and even magnum pistols!! Trim as needed.. Now there are some specific RCBS dies (I think the name is "x-dies") that crimp in a way as to minimize stretch..
It sounds to me though, that if you dont know the difference between auto and manual indexing, you may wanna slow down a bit and start from the beginning..
Also, you mention that you dont want to spend alot of time reloading.. That right there is the wrong attitude that will get you injured.. You should take as much time as it takes to do it correctly, incorrectly could get you or someone else hurt severely..
I can crank out roughly 300/hr .40 on my Lee master (I shoot XD's too), and still dont feel I am quite ready to jump into rifle (plus its a hassle with a few more steps in case prep)..
I also cast my own bullets..
I HIGHLY recommend you slow down and do alot more research prior to attempting to crank out ammo.. They are safe when made safely..
Another buddy of mine put it this way..
There are old reloaders and there are bold reloaders, but there arent any old bold reloaders..
I have reloaded before and know the process of it, I dont know a lot about the different reloaders as I have only used one. I have read a couple of books on it, know the dangers and did not want to insinuate that I wanted to rush the job but if I only have a few days a month to work with it I would rather churn out 1000 rounds than 100. Also as I stated in my post, I know you have to CHECK the length but am wondering how often they need to be trimmed. You feel because I dont the difference in manual vs. auto indexing that I am a complete newb? I strongly suggest you read a bit more before giving me the 3rd degree there cheif as lack of knowledge about the specifics of reloading machines I have never seen does not constitute a lack of knowledge in reloading in general.
I like the Hornady Lock N Load AP... but good luck finding one. In a month of searching, I have yet to see one in stock. In my research, it's very comparable to the Dillon 650 but a lot cheaper...caliber conversions are much cheaper too.
I found this comparison of the 550b, lnl, and a lee ap on the net that I thought was excellent... and it's written by someone that actually owns them has experience using
them all.
PDF: http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillonLeeHornadyComparison.pdf
All that said, I might end up going with a dillon 550b because I can't find the LNL and the caliber conversions are cheaper. Good luck
I found this comparison of the 550b, lnl, and a lee ap on the net that I thought was excellent... and it's written by someone that actually owns them has experience using
them all.
PDF: http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillonLeeHornadyComparison.pdf
All that said, I might end up going with a dillon 550b because I can't find the LNL and the caliber conversions are cheaper. Good luck
Hadn't thought of ebay... looking at that seller's history shows them ending around 500$...about 100 above retail.
100% agree. I'd be interested to hear what you decide... and the reasons
.
S
suerto
Guest
XD,
I was not giving you the 3rd degree, and was attempting to be as cordial and disarming about my recommendations as possible.. I know the written word can sometimes come across the wrong way at times, so I took your advise and re-read all of your posts, so lets break it down...
You say you've read a couple of books on it, well, those books (if reloading books) would have, in the very first chapter, explained different relaoding mechanisms out there available to you.. and explained the difference between "auto" and "manual" indexing. By the way, "auto" is when the loading machine indexes for you, and "manual" is when you have to do it yourself.
You ask about case trimming, although you know you need to measure.. There is a max and min case spec that you are measuring for, if it is too long, then you have to trim. It just struck me as "odd" that you knew you had to measure, yet were asking as to "how often" trim.. When the objective of measuring is to dictate "how often" you need to trim. If its too long, then you must trim. Every case is different, dictated by usage, brass integrity, powder load, ammo type, etc, etc..
Dont get so defensive, I was not insinuating you were a complete newb. Although, some of your questions would indicate that you had spotty knowledge of the systems and procedures for rifle reloading.. Hence my recommendation on some reloading manuals for reading.
Backup a step and be prepared to thoroughly explain your situation and self because alot of the old time vastly experienced reloaders wont take kindly to the defensive attitude and therefore wont be as willing to share the knowledge that you seek..
I do not mean to be degrading on your intelligence or knowledge in this post..
I was not giving you the 3rd degree, and was attempting to be as cordial and disarming about my recommendations as possible.. I know the written word can sometimes come across the wrong way at times, so I took your advise and re-read all of your posts, so lets break it down...
You say you've read a couple of books on it, well, those books (if reloading books) would have, in the very first chapter, explained different relaoding mechanisms out there available to you.. and explained the difference between "auto" and "manual" indexing. By the way, "auto" is when the loading machine indexes for you, and "manual" is when you have to do it yourself.
You ask about case trimming, although you know you need to measure.. There is a max and min case spec that you are measuring for, if it is too long, then you have to trim. It just struck me as "odd" that you knew you had to measure, yet were asking as to "how often" trim.. When the objective of measuring is to dictate "how often" you need to trim. If its too long, then you must trim. Every case is different, dictated by usage, brass integrity, powder load, ammo type, etc, etc..
Dont get so defensive, I was not insinuating you were a complete newb. Although, some of your questions would indicate that you had spotty knowledge of the systems and procedures for rifle reloading.. Hence my recommendation on some reloading manuals for reading.
Backup a step and be prepared to thoroughly explain your situation and self because alot of the old time vastly experienced reloaders wont take kindly to the defensive attitude and therefore wont be as willing to share the knowledge that you seek..
I do not mean to be degrading on your intelligence or knowledge in this post..
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My point was just this, I have reloaded before, .444 only and the rounds I did were fine. I inspected them before and after and all was fine. If you have never been around anything but a single stage press how would you know the fine details? I have set up and changed dies , cleaned cases, primer pockets, deprimed, and reprimed (this more than anything, I have a bunch of clean and primed .444 cases). My saying that I dont want to have to spend a ton of time reloading was taken out of context, if I wanted to spend days on end to reload a box of .45's I would keep the rock chucker. The books I have read were more of the actual loading books with the powder charges for each caliber. I know what can happen and what the signs are of an overloaded round, under loaded, etc. While the higher volume loaders may have some things I dont know about the principals are the same. I was tired and I am sorry for the attitude, I should have made my knowledge level a bit clearer from the start as I can see where you are coming from.
Also on the case trimming, if I am going to reload 1000 rnds of .223 I was just curios how many do you typically need to trim? Not having a case trimmer is why I have never attempted to reload any of them.
Also on the case trimming, if I am going to reload 1000 rnds of .223 I was just curios how many do you typically need to trim? Not having a case trimmer is why I have never attempted to reload any of them.
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+1. I like my lock n load as well. Having troble fining dies and shell plates right now. One bent piece on it when I set it up, and hornady sent out replacement lighting fast. SO...great customer service as well. they have a funny voice mail too.
http://www.reloadersnest.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3584&whichpage=1
Jbonnett, here is a good thread of normal people discussing it from both sides (there are articles but I like to hear what people have to say). It seems to me like it will be another ford vs chevy thing. I am leaning a bit more toward the hornady.
Jbonnett, here is a good thread of normal people discussing it from both sides (there are articles but I like to hear what people have to say). It seems to me like it will be another ford vs chevy thing. I am leaning a bit more toward the hornady.
