Suggestions with first progressive

NY700

NY700

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 23, 2009
898
284
Dallas
#1
Ive been reloading for about 3 years with a RCBS rockchucker. 9mm, 223 and 6.5x284 primarily. I was looking at adding a progressive press for practice 9mm ammo. Im really looking entry level, as every dollar saved is more in the way of components to shoot. I know dillan would be hard to beet and last a long time but its really pushing the price point. The piggyback conversion for the rock chucker seems rather pricey for an add on. The Lee master set seems great for the price but I have read it can be rather touchy to set up, but once running well people seem happy with it and at half the price of competitors it seems doable. Any ideas and info would be great.
thanks
 
#2
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

It’s time vs. money. It cost more for you to spent the least amount of time and effort reloading. You can save hundreds, if not thousands, if you don’t mind spending all of the extra time. If you plan on reloading for many years to come buy the best that you can afford and it will repay you.
 
#3
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

Hornady Lock & Load or the Dillon 550B. One thing that give the Dillon the edge is their no BS warrenty. It really is a no BS warrenty. Now if the could only improve their powder measure design to drop consistant loads.
 
#4
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

i can certainly understand that. After dabbling in the shooting world for the last few years I can attest to buy once cry once. Time I have, well I could always use more but i dont mind taking my time. But I would like a little more production for my time spent. So for production per dollar I would not mind going with a slightly slower progressive. However having never really played with any of them i guess im looking for info as to what to avoid and why and what features are an absolute must or dont bother, and with those points which units to consider.
 
#6
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Santo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hornady Lock & Load or the Dillon 550B. One thing that give the Dillon the edge is their no BS warrenty. It really is a no BS warrenty. Now if the could only improve their powder measure design to drop consistant loads. </div></div>

I agree.
 
#7
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

If you buy the Hornady you get 500 free bullets, Dillon does have a great warrenty, but almost all the rest of the companies who sell reloading gear have the same, also the Lock N Load is a 5 station as is the Dillon 650, the 550 is a 4 staion press, CKA has the Hornady, ChadTRG42 has the Dillon 650, I'm tossed between the two, but leaning toward the 650, but I don't know why.
 
#8
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

A friend of mine has a 550B and a 650, I have the Hornady. I'm quite content with my Hornady and for someone that only has money and space (me) for 1 progressive I think the Hornady is a prefect fit.

I've loaded thousands of rounds on it in the past year, even precision rifle rounds (I just don't use the powder thrower on them) and I'm very happy with it.

The Hornady warranty is no BS either. I was on the phone with them this morning for a decapping stem that I turned into a pretzel, they're sending me an entire new stem, ball, pins, and support nut just to make sure nothing else was bent when I screwed it up.

I'm not knocking the Dillon's at all, they make a fantastic product. I'm simply trying to shed the light on Hornady's support and product clearly.

One thing that Dillon can't compete with the Hornady on is how quickly you can change calibers and the cost of having the capability for swapping calibers. A replacement tool head on the 550 or 650 is far more expensive than a set of bushings and a new shell plate in the Hornady
 
#9
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

The LnL is a closer match to the 650 not the 550. Some people are true blue and that's all well and good but for the average joe the LnL is hard to beat for the money spent.

No matter what anyone tells you, they ALL, have their quirks. Some good, some bad.

If money is no concern, well, you would be asking different questions.
 
#10
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

I have Hornady LNL and I have a friend who has the 650. I love my machine but the ability to use the case trimmer on the 650 is hard to beat. A few months ago I resized and trimmed 3000+ .223 cases in less than 3 hours! And yes they were extemely consistent in every way. I then take those case and load them on my LNL. If would have only one then it would prob. Be the 650 with the case trimmer but I would ditch the powder measure instantly. The Hornady powder measure is Johnny on the spot everytime with any ball powder I've used. And it will also throw RL15 +-.1 of a grain. I love them LNL for loading all pistol calibers (.40, .45acp, 45lc) and .223 for that matter. But if you shoot .223 like I do then the freaking trimmer is a must. Everything about the LNL is easy to do... smooth priming, seating, setup, caliber changes, etc.
 
#11
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

I vote this:
<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/I9wGVRGbQrU"></param> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/I9wGVRGbQrU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"> </embed></object>

Dillon super 1050
 
#12
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

Yes, that would definitely fall into the "If money were no concern" which progressive should I get category...
smile.gif


They say if you have to ask the price you can't afford it. Well, I already know I can't afford it but I would still like to know what a setup like that costs. That thing is sweet!!!
 
#13
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

yea i would definitely take one. but yea money definitely a concern. For the price any major issue or down fall with the lee. right now i think i am leaning towards the lock n load but i would love to swing the $200 sving in the lee into more components and trigger time.
 
#14
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

I had one of the Lee ones and it was a false economy, I'd say go for the Hornady.

The Lee can be made to work, and I made mine work, but the accuracy wasn't what I wanted out of the loaded ammo. I was loading for rifle. I went back to my RockChucker and it takes longer but is reliable and accurate.

edit - knowing what I know now, if I had a charge weigher I might have had better luck with the Lee and accuracy. I was using the powder thrower with H335 powder but it didn't seem to like it. It may be okay for pistol but I still say spring for the Hornady and you'll have a valuable and resaleable piece of gear.
 
#15
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If you buy the Hornady you get 500 free bullets </div></div>

When I picked up the LNL that I had they gave away 1000 bullets. When they are gone you can subtract the bullet price from the value of the press.
 
#16
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

The bullet deal, unless it has changed, isn't what it appears at first glance. It's not any 500 Hornady bullets you want. You get 500 bullets from a very narrow list of Hornady bullets.
 
#17
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yes, that would definitely fall into the "If money were no concern" which progressive should I get category...

They say if you have to ask the price you can't afford it. Well, I already know I can't afford it but I would still like to know what a setup like that costs. That thing is sweet!!!</div></div>

I have a bullet fed and auto drive 1050, I built the expensive part of the bullet feeder as well as the auto drive. If you just went out and bought everything and bolted it together you would come in around $3000.
 
#18
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

First off, I like (love) my Dillon 650. When you get it cranking out ammo, it flies. BUT- it takes time to do a caliber conversion, about 30-45 minutes for precise set-up. If you are going to crank out several thousand rounds a time, the Dillon 650 is a great option. If you only need a few hundred rounds a time and will change calibers often or want to change calibers quickly, I would consider the Hornady L-N-L. I've seen a full conversion in less than 3 minutes from 223 to 308 using the lock rings on the dies. So, consider the caliber change time, cost of caliber conversions, and how many rounds per set-up, and decide from there.
BTW- I just got the new RCBS Auto Bullet Feeder for my 650. I can't wait to get this rockin'! Should be about 1000 to 1400 rounds an hour, baby!
 
#19
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BPAWoodwalker</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Get a Dillon 550B. </div></div>

I started with that and that's what I'd recommend. Based on your desire to keep the price down.

I have a 650 now. There are used ones at a good price but you have to be <span style="font-weight: bold">patient</span> Because Dillon tends to have unreasonably high resale prices. Likely in part to warranty support.

I wouldn't sell the rockchucker either.
 
#20
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">BTW- I just got the new RCBS Auto Bullet Feeder for my 650. I can't wait to get this rockin'! </div></div>

For pistol loads I normally use small charges of fast powder and didn’t want to loose the powder check die. I went with the GSI feeders (and homemade collators) as they don’t take up an extra station, they feed and seat on #4.

The KISS (now mr. bullet feeder) is what I use to feed rifle bullets again with homemade collators.


650feeders.jpg

1050feeder.jpg
 
#21
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

One that hasn't been mentioned and is worth looking at is the Square Deal B press from Dillon. If you're not going to be swapping dies regularly its a good one for economy and still a great loader. I use mine in .45 Auto exclusively and all the ammo I get out of it is accurate. The only problems I've had have been my fault and is the same with any loader you buy. Running out of primers, not loading a bullet, letting the powder get low etc....
Its worth looking at especially for the 9mm and they seem to come up on ebay for reasonable prices too.

Good luck
Frank
 
#22
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

I run the Hornady L-N-L progressive press and it seems to work pretty well. I do on occasion have problems with the primer station picking up a loose grain of powder and not being able to seat a primer. Any sort of debris in the primer slide mechanism will stop production. Switching calibers takes absolutely no time at all...it is quick and easy. The powder thrower seems to be good and the press as a whole is very solid. Great for cranking out pistol rounds and 223. I will eventually get a forster coax for my bolt guns but for now I'm going to stick with the progressive for everything.
 
#23
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

For me it came down to Dillon 650 or Hornady LNL. I ended up with the Hornady and have been very satisfied with it, especially after I got the case feeder for it.
 
#24
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: NY700</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I was looking at adding a progressive press for practice 9mm ammo.
thanks </div></div>

I use the Lee Pro 1000 for practice 9mm. If I were doing anything other than 9mm, I would have went a different route.

The Pro 1000 has a learning curve associated with it and it's probably a lot more work than some of the others to keep humming happily along but I paid $106 with dies for it and once you know what to watch for it'll move right along and do what it's supposed to do.

I initially purchased it as a "how bad can it be?" experiment fully expecting to have to spend more to get something better; but, once I figured it out, and given the fact that I load 9mm about once every few months in batches of about 1000, I decided to just deal with it's idiosyncrasies and focus on better stuff for my rifle loading. The stuff I load with it works fine in both my Sig 226 and my wife's Glock 19.

I'm not saying it's the greatest thing ever but it was $106 and has been fine for what it is
 
#25
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

How many rounds a week will you be firing in practice?

A progressive can crank out rounds once they are set up and tuned up, but there is a learning curve too, and that all takes a lot of time and money, so unless you are shooting over 2k rounds a week a progressive is not really a big time saver.

Consider that here is the set up and maintenance time of the machine, and with the same level of quality and safety a progressive is only double what I can do on a single stage press, but crafting ammo is not where I am concerned about racing and being fast.

I'm more interested in loading high quality ammo, and I'm somewhat meticulous. I like to clean primer pockets at least every other loading. I don't like the priming systems on either single or progressive units and I prime on a separate dedicated unit...it's faster and easier.

I know that many progressive users think this extra step is a waste of time, but I also see a lot of jams and FTFs at matches from other competitors guns, and it seems to me that 90% of those are somehow ammo related.

Anyway, I like my progressives and they do save time for some tasks, so if you have the spare cash they are good tools to invest in, but for under 1000 rounds a week the time savings would not be a big deal to me.

If you do go progressive, I recommend to visually check the powder level in each round as a safety procedure.

TC
 
#26
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Nefariousd</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: NY700</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I was looking at adding a progressive press for practice 9mm ammo.
thanks </div></div>

I use the Lee Pro 1000 for practice 9mm. If I were doing anything other than 9mm, I would have went a different route.

The Pro 1000 has a learning curve associated with it and it's probably a lot more work than some of the others to keep humming happily along but I paid $106 with dies for it and once you know what to watch for it'll move right along and do what it's supposed to do.

I initially purchased it as a "how bad can it be?" experiment fully expecting to have to spend more to get something better; but, once I figured it out, and given the fact that I load 9mm about once every few months in batches of about 1000, I decided to just deal with it's idiosyncrasies and focus on better stuff for my rifle loading. The stuff I load with it works fine in both my Sig 226 and my wife's Glock 19.

I'm not saying it's the greatest thing ever but it was $106 and has been fine for what it is </div></div>

Couldn't have said it any better. I also have one of these dedicated to 9mm. I bought it used with a pound of unique, 500 HP bullets, 1000 pieces of brass, a few hundred primers and also 1000 shotgun primers and only paid $100. As mentioned above all presses have their quirks. These are finicky to set up (from what I've read) and primer feed tray design isn't the best IMO. However the powder measure that is included I've found to be really accurate. (I have the older model without the ceiling fan chain connected to the measurer). I'm not a really experience reloader (5 months or so) but this wasn't too difficult to get going. It is pretty fast and you can do around 300 rounds an hour which is perfect for me, because I don't shoot a lot of pistol.

Also as mentioned above if you are wanting to progressively do rifle rounds I'd opt for the 550. The 550 seems to be the "way to go" as that's the route I'm going to go unless I go for a better modeled Dillon.

But, as originally stated, a Lee Pro 1000 would be a perfect inexpensive starter for you to load 9mm. Hope this helps.
 
#27
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

I really want to thank everyone for the input. Based on price ease of availability versatility I think the hornady LnL is going to be the way to go for me. Total volume for me is going to be about 500 a week of 9mm and about 300 a week .223 and hopefully that will grow from there.
One question, no-one commented on the RCBS piggyback systems. Im curious they are rather expensive for an add on. About the same price as the hornaday system. any thoughts or user experience with them. and why so pricey?
 
#28
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

i've got a Hornaday LNL that's never had a single round run through it. Bought it and just haven't used it. I go back to my Rock Chucker every time. If you want it, i'll take $350 for plus shipping.

Bobby
 
#29
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

It all depends on what your time off of work situation is. I'm a road warrior who's only home on the weekends. Therefore my spare time is at a premium. I'd rather spend more time on the range and less at the loading bench. Thus, buying my Hornady AP makes a lot of sense to me. I wait until there is at least 500 rounds to be loaded before it's fired up. The cartridges I use less of are loaded on a single stage press. YMMV.
 
#30
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

I was in the same boat a couple of years ago. I just didn't want to drop the coin on a Dillon, but my rockchucker was taking forever.

I ended up going in 1/2's witha buddy of mine on a 650. Damn that thing can crank out rounds fast. We pretty much use it for pistol, and still load my highpower loads on the rockchucker. Thinking of trying to change that now and just manually dropping the power charges.

Maybe if you've got a friend you can trust to split the costs for you it'd be more affordable?

-Slice
 
#32
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I had one of the Lee ones and it was a false economy</div></div>

Yep, the cheapest is seldom the least expensive.
 
#34
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

So I was sold on the hornaday then I got an offer for a dillon square deal for $285. What are the thoughts on that. Again just for 9mm range ammo
 
#35
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

If you really are just going to use it for 9mm and nothing else the square deal should fit your needs well. I've seen used square deals go for a bit less than that or about that price with two sets of dies. Low range being about 170 with one die set.
 
#36
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

Bored is right if you want a caliber specific machine. The 550 is a little cheaper, but That extra station for the powder check will pay for itself the first time you need it...
 
#37
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

$285 is a pretty fair price for a Dillon SDB. Sounds like it would be a good match for what you are using as well. I use a Dillon 550 and am happy with it. Let us know if you get the Dillon SDB. I have only heard god things about it.
 
#39
Re: Suggestions with first progressive

I have a Lee progressive, it's entry level, but it's loaded 10s of thousands of rounds of 45ACP and 9mm. I hand prime (the primer system sux) and you need to make damned sure that if something goes wrong you check to see where you were with the powder drop and whether or not it's properly indexed. (No powder - bad, 2x powder - very bad)

It will make bullets, you can knock out several hundred rounds in an hour.

The next one I buy will be a Dillon, but if cost is really of high importance try the Lee, Oh yea, for loading for auto loaders get a Lee taper crimp die, makes feeding much more reliable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Pistol cartridge info
Replies
13
Views
442
John?
J
D
Beginner - need equipment recommendations and advice
Replies
104
Views
3K
SporterII
S
A
Dillon progressive purchase advice needed
Replies
150
Views
9K
Ape_Factory
A
Topstrap
Results Topstraps October Timed Rimfire Challenge
Replies
0
Views
62
Topstrap
Topstrap
Topstrap
September Topstraps Rimfire Challenge
Replies
0
Views
225
Topstrap
Topstrap
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Merch
Alerts