Progressive presses

[Handsome Rob]

Teach me about progressives. Not Dillons, I'm broke, but I'm also getting really muscular, loading bulk 5.56 & .300blk on my Forster co-ax. I've done around a thousand rounds this week & I have LOTS more to go!

I'm thinking about maybe a Hornady or Lee, but I have literally zero clue what I'm looking at, the different types & styles, even how they really work & how they're used! I've spent a few hours watching someone else cranking out 9s on a Dillon & I just assumed it was magic......

I'm thinking it's about time I added something a little faster to my bench. 

 

[221 Fireball]

Sell two rifles, buy a Dillon. It is magic.

Kidding aside ....... buy a Dillon.

One more try ... I've got an RCBS single stage for big rifles, a Lee turret press dedicated to .44 mag and .357 and a Dillon 550. For things I need mass quantities, I crank out on the Dillon. Every stroke of the handle pops out a finished round vs the three different stages on a single press (pistol) , two stages for rifle if you can get by without an expander, which you can't if you're doing cast. The Lee turret only helps that I don't have to screw in and out dies, but that don't save that much time. I continue to load on the RCBS singe my deer rifles, cuz I don't shoot those much and I hand weigh each round on top of that. The Dillon would be the bomb for 5.56 and .300. 

BTW, that Forster co-ax you have is a great single stage press. Forster makes some top quality stuff.

Buy the DIllon. 

[No_0ne]

You've just started a thread which will devolve into a Ford vs. Chevy, 9mm or 45ACP type of discussion.  Every brand of press has its fanboys as well as those who will happily tell you that brand ________ is the worst POS ever made.  As far as I can tell, all of them have their strengths and weaknesses, and all of them take some tinkering to set up and run properly.  I would recommend finding some people nearby who have examples of each and that will allow you to make a trial run or 2 on each brand and type you're interested in.  That's probably worth a lot more than most of the information you can get on the internet ...

Edited March 14, 2022 by No_0ne

[Snaveba]

So, what is the initial investment to start running a progressive press (not including the bullets, brass, powder and primers) if you were starting reloadingf from scratch?

[Mike1000]

That's a bit of a length of string question TBH. It depends on the brand, how many calibers you want to load, match or standard dies, etc. etc.

I have a Hornady LnL which was about $600 including a couple of die sets and shell plates, but that was a few years ago before prices of everything went nuts. 

My buddy bought a Dillon about 18 months ago and paid more than that for just the press. We both now load multiple calibers and multiple thousand rounds per year. Both presses are ultra reliable so it really comes down to preference on brands. I can see advantages and disadvantages to both. 

Apart from a Lee Loadall for 12 gauge, I don't really have experience of other brands so can't comment. 

[No_0ne]

32 minutes ago, Snaveba said:

So, what is the initial investment to start running a progressive press (not including the bullets, brass, powder and primers) if you were starting reloadingf from scratch?

Keep an eye on the classifieds, here and on other loading/gun sites.  Ebay also has a lot of both new and used loading equipment available, sometimes good deals can be found there (I bought my Hornady AP setup off Ebay a few years back).  Although probably not as common right now with all the shortages going on, I've found that once things settle down again (as inevitably happens during these periodic panic episodes) there are usually lots of folks who bought reloading setups who eventually decide that its not for them and post their slightly used equipment for sale ...

[Hozzie]

I have had the Hornady and I now have a Dillon 750.  For me Dillon wins hands down.  It's just less finicky than my Hornady was.  It just works.  

For better value, I would be looking for a 550C as Walt mentioned.  Even a used one will have their lifetime warranty.  I don't know anyone who has a Dillon that wouldn't buy one again.  There may be someone, but they are far and few between.

If cost is the main concern, I would probably just go with a Lee Pro 1000.  I don't have personal experience with them, but they also have a pretty big following and I think a lot of people are happy with them.

Edited March 14, 2022 by Hozzie

[Alleycat72]

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1019424530

[Handsome Rob]

7 hours ago, Alleycat72 said:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1019424530

Santa? That you?

[chances R]

I have the Hornady LNL as does one of my fellow shooters.  We each have loaded thousands of rounds over the past 7 or so years.  No big issues and Hornady has been right there for help if needed.

[deerslayer]

I would look at a Dillon 550.  It should be similar in price to a Hornady LnL.  The 550 is a 4 station non auto-indexing progressive press that is very straightforward and new user-friendly.  I have a friend who was new to reloading and I helped him set up his new LnL.  It's a good press, but after tinkering with it, I felt that it's a little more complicated than even a Dillon 650/750.  Some people throw rocks at the 550 because it doesn't auto index, but I can load 100 rounds in eight minutes with mine.  How fast do you need to go?  You still have case prep/cleaning before loading and gaging afterward.  

I have two and my first one was given to me by a friend whose father loaded .308 on it in the early 90s.  His father died and the 550 got neglected.  When I got it, it looked like it was retrieved from the Titanic and I figured it was worthless.  I knew about Dillon's supposedly lifetime warranty, so I called them and they told me to ship it to them.  I was hesitant because I figured a new one would be cheaper than what a refurb would cost.  Three weeks later I got it back and it looked almost new.  There was no charge.  After that, I bought a Dillon hat.  

I would comment on the Lee progressives, but my mama told me if I don't have anything nice to say...

 

ETA:  I would avoid a Dillon Square Deal B.  They are not as expensive and are competent presses, but they use proprietary dies and sooner or later, that will make you unhappy.  

Edited March 14, 2022 by deerslayer

[expendable]

I have a Dillon 550 and a 650 both are great they will both have a hiccup at times but if your paying attention it’s not an issue. 
 

I’ve never used a LNL but it seems they can be a little more hit or miss than the Dillon, I’ve read many posts about having to adjust the timing and fiddling with the primer feed on them. It seems you either get a good one or not.  
 

A lot of people will prime off of the LNL so they don’t have to deal with it, which takes away from the advantages of buying a progressive. 

[chances R]

The LNL has 5 stations, big advantage for a lock out die as well as separate seat and crimp process.  Autu index works just fine, as a progressive press should.  They all have idiosyncrasies, but in my opinion, superior to the 550. Compare apples to apples look at the 650.

Edited March 14, 2022 by chances R

[expendable]

Correct me if I’m wrong but as delivered the LNL bells and drops powder in separate stations, so really no advantage over the 4 station 550 in that respect. 
 

I think you need to buy special powder thru expanders to take advantage of that 5th station?

[chances R]

I do have the special expander, not an expensive item, that does it all in one station.  Most advocate seat and crimp as separate steps for best results as well.

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by chances R

[tnhawk]

I have a Dillon 550 but find myself using the RCBS single stage most of the time. I prefer to weigh every round even though it is time consuming.

[Beltfed]

The square deal will run nothing bigger than a .30 Carbine.  As far as pistol bullets go, it’s a ‘Mack Daddy’.  I also run a 550.  My big bitch with it is, I’m unsure the primer is seated correctly.  My 550 is old with many rounds through it (see my user name).  I have added several upgrade to the primer system, the best one being a roller bearing in back to keep the primer bar in alignment.

[expendable]

2 hours ago, Beltfed said:I also run a 550.  My big bitch with it is, I’m unsure the primer is seated correctly. 

What do you mean by this?

seating the primer on the 550 is no different than most other progressives except for the 1050 I guess. 

[oh58driver]

I've had my 650 for years. it loads everything from 38 to 308. I few times I've had issues, 5 minutes on the phone with Dillon and a new part is on it's way for free. While it was an expensive initial cost. I have never regretted. One advantage of the other brands, is you can generally go to the local store and buy parts, Dillon not so much.   I few times I've seen a Dillon for resale it's someone getting out of reloading or an estate sale. 

 

[Darrell]

On 3/13/2022 at 7:49 PM, Handsome Rob said:

Not Dillons, I'm broke,

Funny how you said "not Dillons", and half your responses tell you to go buy a Dillon.

I never wanted to spend that much on a press, either, but then I don't load thousands at a time. I generally use a Lee turret press, which works great, or a single stage press. But I also bought a Lee progressive that I  use for a couple of pistol rounds. It works fine, and I have no complaints with it.  You can buy a bullet-feeder for it, but I just manually place the bullet. I have no experience with the Dillons, and I don't doubt for a second that they're superior, but for those of us on a budge the Lee works pretty well.

Edited March 15, 2022 by Darrell

[Handsome Rob]

I've been looking really hard at the Lee Pro 4000 setup & although I'm a fan of their stuff, I just dunno.... the manual priming is off-putting  & the whole thing just looks a bit janky, for want of a better word. 

I know the Dillon is far more expensive, even used, but the Lee just doesn't look like it's going to last. I could be wrong, but the Dillon I've seen running seems like it'll be going long after I'm gone! 

I've got a 'want' ad going for a 550, just to see what, if anything, is it there. I'm 90% certain that I think that might be the way to go. 

Maybe. 

[Darrell]

My Lee Pro 1000 is 25 years old, I guess, and it still works well. But it sure won't still be running long after I'm gone!

[Handsome Rob]

31 minutes ago, Darrell said:

My Lee Pro 1000 is 25 years old, I guess, and it still works well. But it sure won't still be running long after I'm gone!

Lemme go look at that model.....

[gregintenn]

A wise man once said "buy once, cry once". I think that's a pretty good adage to live by. Having said that, I'll stick to my single stage as I don't trust my brain to work fast enough to keep up with a progressive press.

[Beltfed]

I’m am a big fan of Dillon.  I purchased mine used many years ago.  I boxed them and sent them to Dillon.  Brand new machines when I got them back.  My 550 is getting a little tired and needs a rebuild, but I hate to see the bare spot on my very cluttered loading bench.