Choice of Reloading Press

[dariof]

I have a Dillon 550B wich I have been using for both pistol & rifle.

Should I get a single stage press for rifle.....IE will a single stage press resize and seat more accurately?

The Dillon press utilizes a shell plate system which keeps the shell off center, where a single stage press keeps the shell exactly on center.

I do not use the Dillon progressively when loading rifle, but the shells are still not directly under center.

 

[No1]

How can your cases not be on center with the Dillon? The case floats in the shell plate same as it floats in shell holder of a single stage press.
You can load really accurate ammo (if you set up the dies correctly) on the Dillon and you don't have to be screwing dies in and out all the time.
One trick I do with the Dillon is shim the tool head so there is no play. I don't know if it's necessary but when when I started doing it I thought it couldn't hurt. Then there are those that let their dies and tool head float anyway.
Next is to not use an expander button in the sizing operation.
Always lock your size die down with a case fully engaged.
Finally, what is your goal? Super accurate competition grade ammo?

 

[SWThomas]

I have a Dillon 550 and got a Forster Co-Ax for loading rifle. No screwing and unscrewing dies with the Co-Ax.

 

[SniperJoe]

I have a Dillon 550 and got a Forster Co-Ax for loading rifle. No screwing and unscrewing dies with the Co-Ax.

Is the Forster as good as they claim? I have a Lee single as was thinking of upgrading.

 

[kansas]

I use my dillon 550b for some parts of rifle reloading but,at least for me, a single stage press is easier and an important tool for Precision reloading. I think it is easier to resize on a single stage however I really like priming on my Dillon. For bullet seating its a toss up however I seat rifle bullets on my single stage.

 

[dariof]

My goal is precision rifle reloading.

I am using a Redding S bushing die for resizing and a Forester micrometer seating die.

I have loaded close to 500K pistol rounds through my dillon, BUT for rifles, both the shell plate moves (slightly compresses downward) and the tool head puhes up slightly.

I do not know if this will affect making precision rifle cartridges.

 

[dariof]

No it won't effect it at all. It's suppose to do that.

Okay...thanks. I have had my Dillon 30 years or so, and think it's a great press. I just wasn't sure about the floating compnents for rifle. I'll leave well enough alone.

 

[serater]

I have a redding t-7 turret press best of both worlds and wilson seaters in a arbor press perfectly straight every time

 

[Boogie]

The Co-ax is a good press but to listen to some ppl you'd think it had magical powers. It doesn't. My ammo was no straighter made in the coax compared to ammo made with the same dies in my rock chucker. For me, I found it uncomfortable to use. I couldn't get used to the overhead handle and relatively small work area. if you don't place the case in to the shell holder vertically it will catch on the edge. I spilled more powder out of cases in the 4 months I used it than I have in 30 years of reloading. So, I sold it and bought a Redding t7. About the same price and for me a much better match.

 

[AIdog]

Depends on all of ur steps in reloading, for me i would not benefit to reload on a progressive because i do extra steps after resizing, like chamfering, cleaning primer pockets, flash holes, etc. I also want to mention weighing powder: for my .308 i use a digital powder dispenser, and for my magnums i use a triple beam for even more consistency and accuracy. I do extra work in my reloading because i want the most accurate ammo possible AND i don't shoot 500+ rounds a week (wish i could). If u shoot ALOT then "progressive" by all means it makes sense.

 

[Fuzzball]

I've used a lot of presses over the last fourty years; the supposed value of a magic presss for accuracy is vastly over rated. Ammo is made in the dies, all a press does is push cases into and pull them out of dies - they all do that quite well. A user who knows what he's doing can load quality ammo with any press; if he doesn't know what he's doing throwing more money at a more expensive press isn't going to make him any better. Bottom line, buy a press for it's features or pay what you need to feel good about yourself but don't kid yourself it's going to affect the precision of your work.

 

[dariof]

Depends on all of ur steps in reloading, for me i would not benefit to reload on a progressive because i do extra steps after resizing, like chamfering, cleaning primer pockets, flash holes, etc. I also want to mention weighing powder: for my .308 i use a digital powder dispenser, and for my magnums i use a triple beam for even more consistency and accuracy. I do extra work in my reloading because i want the most accurate ammo possible AND i don't shoot 500+ rounds a week (wish i could). If u shoot ALOT then "progressive" by all means it makes sense.

Thanks for the detail. I do everything you mentioned, including annealing. In essence, I use The Dillon 550B as a single stage press for rifle, and as a progressive for pistol.

I was just wondering if the offset shell plate/die would affect the consistency of the loaded ammo-----in reading the responses here, the general consensus is it will not.

 

[AIdog]

Thanks for the detail. I do everything you mentioned, including annealing. In essence, I use The Dillon 550B as a single stage press for rifle, and as a progressive for pistol.

I was just wondering if the offset shell plate/die would affect the consistency of the loaded ammo-----in reading the responses here, the general consensus is it will not.

it probably won't but isn't it time consuming setting up the press for what ur loading? u got the powder measure, shell plates etc. to reset and the time it takes to do that will add up. u can get a rcbs single stage for around $100 if u shop around thats pretty cheap taking into account all the time it takes to reset ur progressive. correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[dariof]

it probably won't but isn't it time consuming setting up the press for what ur loading? u got the powder measure, shell plates etc. to reset and the time it takes to do that will add up. u can get a rcbs single stage for around $100 if u shop around thats pretty cheap taking into account all the time it takes to reset ur progressive. correct me if I'm wrong.

For rifle, my dies are set in the tool head. I simply rotate the shell plate to place the brass under a specific die.

BUT, after depriming only I remove the brass from the shell plate, then I tumble, anneal (coming soon), FL size, trim neck (out of shell plate).

Then back in shell plate to charge (using RCBS Chargemaster w/Dillon powder die and plastic funnel), rotate shell plate to seat bullet.

It's somewhere in between a single stage and progressive for speed.

 

[TruwarierQB]

Hornady LNL classic for rifle reloading. Also they are giving 500 free bullets.

 

[AIdog]

sorry I'm not familiar with the 550 only the 650

 

[flashhole]

What model Lee press do you have? If you have the Lee Classic Single Stage you have a strong, tight-tolerance press that does not need to be replaced. The Lee CCSS is a great product. Fuzzball's comments were spot on. Making high qualit ammo is more a function of paying attention to detail and learning to use the equipment you have more than anything else. Good quality sliding-sleeve seat dies like Forster or Redding are worth every penny to help keep runout in check.

 

[gt1_911]

I use a Harrell's precision turrent press with a 4 hole turrent. He also has single stage press and a combo press which u can use with the wilson dies. The press are pricey but for the protability of the press they cant be beat.

 

[Powermac]

The harrels precision presses are really nice and well made.
Have a 4 hole turret version too, and am very satisfied with it, i do not find the price terrible though.
The size and prtability is nice, but do come at a cost of leverage and limits in case length.

Use my single stage praeziress for FL sizing. Hydro arbor press for seating.
The harrels turret is used to, decap, bullet pointing, and neck size for some calibers.
It works very well for seating with normal dies and using a instant indicator too. But i have better tools for both operations so it does not get used for this anymore.

 

[Victor N TN]

I have used my Dillon 650 for 45acp and 223. But my bolt rifles are done single stage on an old RCBS RockChucker.

 

[Fuzzball]

Dariof, when people tell you "What I use is ....", all you can know is what they use, it doesn't tell you a thing about the value of what they use.

A press is a press. They all wok fine and personal preferences are often based on "conventional wisdom", aka web hype, price or "what my expert friend uses." Bench resters have long used small arbor presses and unthreaded hand dies to shoot tiny groups in competition. That doesn't 'prove' such rigs are more 'accurate' than conventional presses and dies, it simply 'proves' that arbor presses can be used anywhere without having to be bolted to a shooting bench top!

High precision ammo is usually crafted slowly and in limited volumes. It's a tad easier to be carefully precise with a rigid single stage press but even that advantage isn't massive or automatic. A lot of very small groups have been fired with ammo made on spongy turret and loosely assembled progressive presses as well as some inexpensive, small and loosely worn alum framed presses like Lee's and RCBS'. A Forster Co-Ax is a fine rig for those who like it's features (I don't, but so what?); so is Redding's UltraMag but both are quite costly and neither will do a thing towards producing "better ammo" than Lee's Classic Cast. If you want a new press buy whatever appeals to you and know the accuracy limits to what you obtain depends on YOU, not the press. I doubt you'll see a bit of difference with what you already have.

 

[dariof]

Dariof, when people tell you "What I use is ....", all you can know is what they use, it doesn't tell you a thing about the value of what they use.

A press is a press. They all wok fine and personal preferences are often based on "conventional wisdom", aka web hype, price or "what my expert friend uses." Bench resters have long used small arbor presses and unthreaded hand dies to shoot tiny groups in competition. That doesn't 'prove' such rigs are more 'accurate' than conventional presses and dies, it simply 'proves' that arbor presses can be used anywhere without having to be bolted to a shooting bench top!

High precision ammo is usually crafted slowly and in limited volumes. It's a tad easier to be carefully precise with a rigid single stage press but even that advantage isn't massive or automatic. A lot of very small groups have been fired with ammo made on spongy turret and loosely assembled progressive presses as well as some inexpensive, small and loosely worn alum framed presses like Lee's and RCBS'. A Forster Co-Ax is a fine rig for those who like it's features (I don't, but so what?); so is Redding's UltraMag but both are quite costly and neither will do a thing towards producing "better ammo" than Lee's Classic Cast. If you want a new press buy whatever appeals to you and know the accuracy limits to what you obtain depends on YOU, not the press. I doubt you'll see a bit of difference with what you already have.

Thank you for taking the time to post a detailed and logical response.

I do not want a new press.....I have been using my Dillon for 30 years or so. It has had parts replaced through Dillon's lifetime warranty. Recently Dillon is sending me a new crank set because the main shaft rotates more than 1/8 inch when operating the handle. This slop is due to wear and tear.

But, having said this, I do believe I am not properly making all the brass as consistent as possible. What I need is a seasoned rifle reloading veteran to sit down with me for a few hours and find the errors I am making.....much like I've done for those reloading pistol rounds. Now I have find someone that lives in my area!!!!!

 

[AIdog]

r u around vegas?

 

[dariof]

r u around vegas?

Yes. Henderson