Reloder to srart with?

[SHARPPOINT]

Knowing -0- about reloading, what would be a good choice in reloaders? I will be reloading 100% 9mm..

[Sidinman]

I like my 4-hole Lee turret press. I load 100% handgun ammo, and it works fine.

[Dave Shooter]

Almost any press will work for 9mm. A good single stage is the simplest to learn on and entirely adequate if you're not going to load much more than a box of shells at a time. If you're going to want to crank out a couple hundred rounds at a time then turret, or better yet, a progressive press come into play. Progressives are a bit more complicated and you tend to get what you pay for. If you want to add other calibers at some time then I'd suggest a Dillon 550; they are very simple to swap calibers and very simple to operate, yet with good production.

BTW, I have a new in the box Hornady Lock-N-Load single stage that I'd be more than willing to sell; PM me if interested.

Merry Christmas!

[Guest TresOsos]

Single stage, RCBS Rockchucker.

Progressive for pistol only Dillion Square Deal B

Progressive Pistol and Rifle Dillion RL-550B.

Best all around press Dillion RL-5550B.

[Berettatn]

If you can buy that Hornady LNL for a good price, I would jump on it. I did a little reloading on a friends equipment many years ago and when I got back into it recently, I went with a single stage and my choice was that Hornady set-up. I think simple is a good way to start. Gotta take into account that a mistake in this hobby can be very costly. Start slow and take your time. I went with a better quality scale and also picked up a case tumbler. Do lots of reading and research. You might end up selling the single stage and going with a progressive later but the single stage will let you learn some things about quality before worrying about quantity.

[dlm37015]

most any press will get you started but i would start with a single stage press kit.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I've been pleased with Dillon SDB for pistol only. Would not fear dissapointment with any other Dillon press.

From user reports, it sounds like many brands of presses are great for the money. Lee progressives seem the main ones criticized, but dunno anything about it.

I probably won't get any other than the 10+ year old Dillon SDB in the forseeable future. It works fine for my use so far. But it is interesting to watch online instructional videos and read online manuals.

The hornady site has instructional videos on the LNL press. Looks can be deceiving, but watching the videos, that Hornady LNL press gives the impression of very high quality design and manufacturing. Dunno if it would be better than a Dillon. Dillon parts and assemblies seem real good quality as well. But the LNL parts and assemblies just look VERY solid and well machined. For instance the LNL shell holders look real impressively machined. As does the priming mechanism and the powder measure assembly.

Assuming a person would want to spend that kind of money.

The Hornady LNL progressive seems "in the same price ballpark" with Dillon stuff. Maybe a little less expensive, but maybe about the same after you buy every little accessory that catches yer fancy on a Dillon or Hornady.

If somebody wanted to spend a bit, that Lock'n'Load Ammo Plant kit sure is impressive for the money--

Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Reloading :: Metallic Reloading :: Presses and Kits :: Kits :: Lock-N-Load® Ammo Plant 220 VT

Its difficult to compare cost/benefit on gear. On one hand $1300 is a lot of money for a press, but on the other hand you would be lucky to stay below that price point on ONE semi-custom 1911 pistol. Starting from scratch, the press wouldn't be the only thing purchased of course. Every little thing adds up surprisingly quick. Kinda like building a real nice computer. None of the parts cost that much but the bottom line gets pricey.

Something fancy like that Hornady Ammo Plant looks perhaps most ideal for somebody that wants to churn out lots massive amounts of a single caliber? All the shiny gizmo's on the press might be too much trouble to adjust, for a person who wants to make 100 rounds of .45, then 100 rounds of .223, then 100 rounds of .357 or whatever?

But if a person wanted to make a steady supply of a single caliber, that Ammo Plant looks like you could flat-out trouble-free crank out LOTS of rounds without having to mess with it very much.

The less-expensive basic Hornady LNL, which looks to be in the price ballpark of a Dillon 550 or 650, would maybe be better for loading modest amounts of a wide variety of calibers? It would be slower operation manually feeding cases and bullets, but on the other hand there would not be so many shiny gizmo's to adjust when changing calibers?

[deerslayer]

If you are serious about getting into reloading, go ahead and get a Dillon 550. It's been around since the 80s and the bugs have been worked for a long time. I would avoid a Dillon Square Deal B--I believe it uses proprietary dies, where most other presses use standard dies. The 550 is fully manual, meaning that you can use it as a single stage press until you get the hang of things. Once at this point, you will quickly appreciate a progressive press if you shoot much at all.

[Jonnin]

I also love my lee turret press. I can make a box of 50 9mm in 15 min on it. Easy to use and fairly inexpensive, easily paid for itself 3-4 times over this past year. If that is too expensive, a single stage will do it but much slower per box, so if you shoot a LOT the turret is far better, if you shoot just a little, a single stage may suit you better. If you have an uzi or shoot daily, you might want to skip to the dillion or something. From the number of bullets I have bought, I would say the lee has loaded about 3000 9mms for me this past year (and probably that many 45s and 223s along with a few boxes of random other calibers).

[SHARPPOINT]

I am going with a Dillon 550. The price of the 550 is not all?? Right? I have a case tumbler and already have 1500 or so cleaned. When I order the 550 what should I add to the order? Do any of you size the entire case with a dedicated single stage setup? How much and what kind is the cheapest single stage can I get for a case sizer?

Thanks for all of your help

[lowery100]

I loaded on a Lee turret press for 15 years. It is a great press to learn on and is quite a bit faster than a single stage press. I have upgraded recently to a Dillon 550 and there is a learning curve to a progressive press, however the production rate is much higher.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I would avoid a Dillon Square Deal B--I believe it uses proprietary dies, where most other presses use standard dies. The 550 is fully manual, meaning that you can use it as a single stage press until you get the hang of things. Once at this point, you will quickly appreciate a progressive press if you shoot much at all.

I mostly agree. The SDB works fine if one just needs to load one or more common pistol calibers. It will do that til the cows come home.

I would get something else if the shop burned down and the SDB was gone. On the other hand, the SDB works too good for what I need to seriously think about buying something else as long as the SDB is working.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

If you know 9mm is it, I would buy that Square deal or the Hornady progressive. No use

spending the extra money when your shoulder falls off. I doubt the progressive press

would be any harder to learn. You can single step your way until you get going with

the Hornady and for the extra money spent on that single stage press, you could have

bought a lot more supplies. I'm sure the learning curve is about the same with the

Dillon. Square Deal for 9mm is probably perfect for you.

[tnhawk]

I've used an RCBS Rockchucker for over 30 years and it does everything I need. My Dillon 550 is faster, but for a few boxes at a time, the RCBS is adequate.

[dlm37015]

like i tell people all the time buy a good single stage reloading kit and you will use everything even if you get a progressive later i still think you should start with a single stage press and like tnhawk said you can load abything with it

[deerslayer]

SHARPPOINT,

Skip the additional single stage press. Most 9mm sizing dies will do all you need. Some folks also use a Lee Factory Crimp Die after seating a bullet when they are reloading slightly bulged brass, which comes from large chambered barrels like old Glocks. The Lee FCD re-sizes while crimping the bullet and works well. The Square Deal B can't use such a die, since it uses non-standard dies. With a 550 (and most other presses), yo can mix and match your dies. I would definitely recommend the Dillon seating die, though. I would also seat and crimp the bullet on two seperate stages.

In addition to the press, I would pick up a scale (~$50), a bullet puller (inertia hammer type, ~$20), a dial caliper for measuring overall length and crimp diameter (~$35), and a cartridge gage (~$15).

If you get a 550 and are really feeling frisky, I would get a strong mount, a bullet tray, and a case bin. None are a must, but man they are sweet.

Edited December 26, 2011 by deerslayer

[R1100R]

Knowing -0- about reloading, what would be a good choice in reloaders? I will be reloading 100% 9mm..

A good book to read is the ABC's of Reloading. I is available in PDF. The newer edition you have to pay for.

[Dave Shooter]

I am going with a Dillon 550. The price of the 550 is not all?? Right? I have a case tumbler and already have 1500 or so cleaned. When I order the 550 what should I add to the order? Do any of you size the entire case with a dedicated single stage setup? How much and what kind is the cheapest single stage can I get for a case sizer?

Thanks for all of your help

If you're going with a 550 then you don't need a single stage press to size the cases; you install the sizing die in the first station, powder drop/expander in the second station, bullet seater in the third and crimp die (if you'll be using one) in the fourth. BTW, Dillon owners manuals are outstanding, they give very good instruction on how to set up press.

You'll need a set of 9mm 7/8x14 dies. All brands work, the Dillon ones work very nicely, they are designed for progressive loading.

You MUST get a powder scale of some kind to weigh powder. Without this you'll have no idea how much powder your measure is throwing. You don't have to weigh every charge, but you do need to set the measure. I recently picked up a Hornady electronic scale the size of a pocket calculator for about $25.

Highly recommend a dial micrometer to check over all length and other cartridge dimesions.

Highly recommend you get some reloading manuals. Speer, Hodgon, Nosler, Sierra, Lyman, etc. They have a wealth of information on how to assemble safe ammunition. The only online source of load data I'd trust is from the powder manufacturers.

If you're ordering direct from Dillon on the phone tell them you're just getting started and they'll be quite helpful.

Good Luck!

[SHARPPOINT]

This is very helpful, Thank you, Everyone

[SHARPPOINT]

Oh, what is a "case bin"?

[deerslayer]

It's an extra plastic bin that adds on to your 550. It places empty cases right where you need them when you're loading:

Dillon Precision: Reloaders, Reloading Equipment, Bullet Reloading, Bullet Reloaders

ETA: I would also add a roller handle.

Edited December 26, 2011 by deerslayer

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I agree with deerslayer when he recommended (if money isn't tight)-- "If you get a 550 and are really feeling frisky, I would get a strong mount, a bullet tray, and a case bin. None are a must, but man they are sweet."

That is where you start getting nickel and dimed to death, though the parts are useful. I have a fairly tall bench, but the strong mount raises the press higher into what I consider a more ergonomic position. The bullet tray and case bin puts your empty components closer at hand to minimize hand movements while loading.

There is no convenient place to mount a case bin on my SDB, but lately have decided the minimum hand movements on the SDB-- I put 100 bullets and a handful of cases in the bullet tray. With my bigger bin of cleaned brass sitting under the bullet tray to the left of the press. So when I run out of cases in the small bullet tray I just reach down and grab another handful of cases and dump them in the bullet tray.

The minimum hand movements seem to be-- Operate the lever down with right hand while simultaneously picking up a bullet then a case with left hand. Then raise the lever and prime, release the lever, reach around a couple of inches with right hand and transfer case from left hand to right hand, insert new case with right hand while putting the bullet with left hand. Rinse and repeat until you run out of bullets and primers. For a long time I didn't think up the idea of mixing cases and bullets in the bullet tray, but the bullets are heavier and the cases tend to lay around the periphery of the pile of bullets, and it is easy to grab one of each quickly with the left hand.

Before that, the big container of empty cases would sit to the right of the press on the bench, and I'm not dextrous enough to operate the handle while holding several cases in my hand, so I would have to move the right hand about 12 inches from the lever down to the container of empty cases on every cycle, to pick up one measly case and insert it into the press every time, then grab the handle again for the next cycle.

That is where the feature creep and money creep takes hold. After gaining (slight) experience using what I've got over the years-- If I was gonna get another Dillon press, the 650 ain't THAT much more expensive than the 550, and I'd probably weep about it and also let go the cash for the XL650 case feeder. Loading would go MUCH faster if I only had to worry about placing a bullet on each cycle and I could keep my right hand on the lever at all times. It is middling annoying having to release the lever and mess with both bullet and case with both hands on each cycle. Lots faster than a single stage and lots cheaper than buying factory ammo, but it is still annoying.

There are many demo videos on youtube of people explaining and demoing their different presses. Yesterday was watching videos of people with Lee progressive presses. It is strange because some people demo the Lee progressive constantly malfunctioning and having to be messed-with, not getting much loading done. Then there are other video demos of people operating Lee progressive presses fast and smooth as glass. If I would happen to be one of the people getting smooth as glass performance, a Lee Loadmaster would arguably be better and cheaper than my SDB. The Pro 1000 doesn't look very interesting, however.

The priming mechanism "makes me nervous" on the Lee, but on the other hand assuming it works and is safe, would be quicker than dillon or hornady primer pickup tubes. The powder measure looks "dinky" but if it works then appearance wouldn't matter. The main thing I like is the Lee case feeder. It is very simple and dinky compared to the over-engineered motorized case feeders of more expensive brands, but even the youtube videos of people complaining about other "defects" of the Lee progressives, the case feeder assembly looked like it was working great in all videos.

If I had a similar simple cheap manual tube-fed case feeder on my SDB it would be wonderful. Maybe not as deluxe as a fancy motorized case feeder costing hundreds of dollars, but it would be a whole lot more convenient to only have to manually load up the simple cheap tube-fed case feeder every 25 rounds or whatever, compared to having to release the press lever every time and manually grab and insert a case every time. Even a simple cheap case feeder would be a whole lot better than no case feeder at all.

Lee also sells a simple dinky bullet feeder that appears to work OK at least for some folks.

All the presses have their own unique attractive features.

[dlm37015]

when loading 9mm with a progressive i usually use a camdex it loads about 5000 per hour with the primer feeder working .no mater what you get its what you want to put into it thakr the time to do it right dont get a progressive because its faster .it is faster for pistol ammo but not rifle ammo imo .i have several of just about any kind made if you want to try one out i dont like to change cals. on dillons the reloading store on 4th ave souyh carries dillon for about 10% off dillon price i dont work there or anything but butch is a buddy of mine he used to run nashville sporting arms

[leroy]

SHARP:____________

To add a bit to what the other posters have said; ya might want to think about these items:

First, if ya are in the load development stage with your 9 mm, its real handy to have a single stage press handy to make up 'trial recipe" rounds in small batches to see if they work for you. It's a headache and aggravation (...for me at least...) to redo seating depth, crimp, etc on a progressive (...ive got a 650xl...).

Once you have your load recipes worked out, a progressive cant be beat for ease of loading and consistency of ammo. I cant remember how a 550 works; but i believe that you can change the toolheads on them (...you can on the 650...). That allows you to set up a toolhead up with dies that are ready to start reloading with without fiddling with the crimp, belling die, seater die, etc... . That, to me at least, is the biggest selling point with the progressives. You set the dies up once and dont have to fool with them again.

Also, while im at it, if you have an extra empty station, make sure you install a powder check die or figure out a positive, fool proof way to check the powder charge in each case. I would never operate a progressive without one. I also like to develop loads that fill the case pretty well to make double sure a round doesnt "double charge". The "double charge" will spill out of a case with the bulkier powders. The "double charge" thing is real easy to do if you dont pay 100% attention or get side-tracked and pull the handle on the reloader more than once without advancing the shell plate. I just looked at a picture of a 550, and it's a 4 hole tool head. I would consider settin up a powder checker die in the third hold and use a combination seater-crimper in the fourth.

I may be a bit too cautious, but i simply dont like the somewhat limited way(s) to verify the powder charge on a progressive. I like to look into the case and see the powder or use a powder check die of some kind. Maybe some of our other reloading buddies will chime in on this. Double charges are the single most destructive problem you can have with reloading for pistols and revolvers. A double charge of powders like unique and especially bullseye and 231 will most likely blow up or at least wreck a 9 mm. I aint tryin to scare ya with this; but it is the root of why lots of folks recommend that new reloaders start out on a single stage press. That way ya learn each of the reloading steps thoroughly and its no big deal to look directly down in the cases after charging to verify the powder charge. This is, in fact, the most important step in the reloading process.

Hope this helps

leroy

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Hi Leroy. Yep if a progressive press is giving trouble it would be easy to get flustered and double-charge a case. Occasional hangups that really wouldn't be the fault of the press, operator error or a piece of bad brass getting hung up.

My load fills a 9mm case about halfway.

I always work wearing a headlamp. With a headlamp it is easy to see down in the charged case on the SDB, to eyeball the charge before seating the bullet. It is easy to judge by eye though occasionally the eye can be fooled. Looking into the case at an angle, sometimes the powder might slosh one way and appear too high or slosh the other way and appear too low.

If the level doesn't look right, tapping the case with a finger settles the powder to better judge.

Occasionally "it just don't look right" and I will pull the case off the press and weigh the charge. Virtually every time, the weight was OK even if the powder level "looked funny" sitting in that particular case.

The rare times that the powder level really was low-- Occasionally the auto-indexing can jerk and a small amount of powder gets tossed out of the case. Doesn't happen very often. So if the auto-indexing jerks I take a closer look just to make sure.