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TeddyTwoFire
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| Posted: January 13 2004 at 2:59pm | IP Logged
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In regaurds to "whats your favorite reloader". I own a Dillon 550b and have never tried any other. So my favorite is Dillon. (In my mind I think that I've made the right choice, But have no clue  ).How many of you own more than one reloader? Do you have two because one does a task better than the other? If so what are they?
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JohnK
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| Posted: January 13 2004 at 3:32pm | IP Logged
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According to a very old poll (at least 2 years old by now) about 75% had more than one. I think I'll change the poll on the front page to ask that again and see what the results are, linking to this thread.
http://www.handloads.com/misc/num_reloaders_poll.htm
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JJK
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| Posted: January 13 2004 at 3:33pm | IP Logged
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I have two - A Lee Anniversary single-stage & a Lee Pro 1000. I generally load small batches of ammo to try different recipes, but I can save a lot of time by processing brass in bulk. I clean a quantity of brass, then size, deprime & bell the case mouth on the progressive - doing just these operations I can really fly as all I have to do is keep the case feeder tubes full, I don't have to seat bullets or anything. I then prime some with a Lee Auto-Prime & keep 200 or so of each caliber on hand sized, primed, & belled. When I want to load 50 or so of a particular recipe I do so on the single-stage. If I had a Dillon or some other progressive with a better priming system I might not do the different steps seperately, but it hasn't been worth the money to me thus far. I bought the Anniversary new in the kit for about $70 & the Pro 1000 used for $100.
--JJK
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BigBlue
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| Posted: January 13 2004 at 5:09pm | IP Logged
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I still have my first and only press, a RCBS Rockchucker. It's funny, but the more precise I try to get with reloading, the more I appreciate the single stage loader. I've had this loader since the late 70's and never had a problem with it nor have I ever regreted buying it. I've gotten away from shooting semi-auto rifles, where I would use lots of ammo in a short period of time. So a progressive loader isn't in the wind for me.
Don
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RECURVE
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| Posted: January 13 2004 at 5:20pm | IP Logged
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I have 4 lee presses 2 4h turrets and 2 singles. Use the singles for bullet sizing or whatever. Thought about going progressive but i dont think i would enjoy loading as much. I guess i got that much money in it all ready but i only shoot about 2 or 300 rds a week. Ienjoy loading and casting very much. Guess if i shot alot more i would buy bigger lee oa dillon.
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HogRider
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| Posted: January 13 2004 at 7:57pm | IP Logged
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I have 4 Lee presses. The C press, the Challenger, the 4-hole turret and a Load Master. So far I have been lucky with Lee products - no problem whatsoever ( I don't use their built in priming system though ).
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mlspmk
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| Posted: January 14 2004 at 4:39am | IP Logged
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Do you Lee guys wish you had invested more and gotten a different press, or are you truly pleased with the Lee products. You hear that people generally love em or hate em - no in betweeners.
Teddy - what do you think about the Dillon 550 verses the 650? Does the 550 come with the case feeder tube? And what about the cheaper Square Deal pistol only press that is progressive? I think it HAS TO USE Dillon dies.
Edited by mlspmk on January 14 2004 at 7:07am
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joed
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| Posted: January 14 2004 at 5:46am | IP Logged
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I have 2 presses, an ancient Rock Chucker and a Dillon 550. I use the 550 for pistol and the Rock Chucker for rifle. You can't beat a progressive for making ammo fast. Did have a tough time choosing between the 650 and the 550 and I'm still not sure I made the right choice for me. That 550 will do 400 finished rounds in 1 hr.
Still I'm looking for another press to split the reloading as caliber changes take time. Not a lot of time but I'm lazy. Still don't know what the second progressive will be.
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Flint
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| Posted: January 14 2004 at 5:53am | IP Logged
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My primary press is the Dillon 550, do most of my handgun loading on it. I still have my old Lee Challenger mounted on the bench, and use it to deprime, resize tumblelube design bullets and occasionally load of box ammo on when I don't feel like changing out the Dillon. Never regretted buying either of these presses. They both have served me well.
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Handgunr
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| Posted: January 14 2004 at 9:55am | IP Logged
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Ted,
Two Dillon 550B's, one Square Deal B, a Lyman T Mag, a Lyman Orange Crusher......." and a partridge in a pear tree"............oops, sorry guys...
I'm happy to see someone loading.......period. If they are using a Lee, and they're happy....good enough for me. But, me personnally, I (as you guys) like the choices I've made, and don't have any regrets, at all.
I think Lee had "targetted" and produced reloading components for the "budget minded" reloader, and successfully so. I'm not slamming any Lee loader's out there at all. In my opinion, there is "cheap", or low cost, and then there is "cheaply made", or junk. I feel that Lee equipment is a low cost alternative offered to the budget minded person who wishes to reload. It's kind of like getting from "point A", to "point B", driving a VW, or a Cadillac. Both will get you there safely, just one has more bells & whistles.
As long as the round is loaded safely, and performs just as safely when fired, all else remains pretty much equal at that point.
It's the bells & whistles, or maybe the longevity/durability of the equipment, that I feel makes a difference, or life easier here, in my opinion. "You get what you pay for", is a hard saying to ignore, as it is true more times than not. And, although I'm not a Lee fan, I think that the one's that do use their products, actually, "get more than what they pay for", initially. It's over the longrun that I'm not too certain of. Longevity, I guess.
I've used some of the Lee moulds, and a couple of their presses (including the one with the pull chain???). I came away with a poor design opinion, but not condeming, the overall press, or mould for it.
I just hate to see a guy buy something, only to go back and buy something else later because he wasn't happy.
I always tell newbies to reloading to go and try reloading on another's equipment. If they think they'd like to persue it further, then with their budget in mind, start doing some research. Then buy the best equipment they can afford, as it will last a lifetime if well chosen.
Moral of the story.....I'd rather see a guy loading with a Volkswagon, instead of a Cadillac, rather than not loading at all........ 
Just my 2 cents,
Bob
Edited by Handgunr on January 14 2004 at 10:03am
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JJK
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| Posted: January 14 2004 at 10:16am | IP Logged
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mlspmk, As a "Lee guy" I have no regrets about what I bought. My total investment in presses is maybe $200 or so. That doesn't even buy you a ticket into Dillon land. I am not going to even try to argue that the Lee stuff is great, but you can't deny that it's cheap & it loads ammo that is good enough for me. I don't shoot enough (100 rounds a week maybe) to justify getting anything else. If I were into IDPA or CAS or something & was shooting 1000 rounds a week it'd be a different story.
--JJK
Edited by JJK on January 14 2004 at 10:17am
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Handgunr
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| Posted: January 14 2004 at 10:34am | IP Logged
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JJK,
Sorry partner, but off the Dillon site:
Based on our time-proven RL550 B frame, the "Advanced Turret 500" sells for a low $193.95, is fully upgradeable to an RL 550B, and offers the convenience of an indexable shellplate and interchangeable toolheads!
Welcome to Dillonland
Just funnin'
Bob
Edited by Handgunr on January 14 2004 at 10:48am
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JJK
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| Posted: January 14 2004 at 11:20am | IP Logged
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I know, but my $200 includes a fully progressive press with auto-index & case feed! The primer system is useless, but like I said, for the price it works for me.
If I bought a Dillon I'd want every bell & whistle.
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Handgunr
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| Posted: January 14 2004 at 11:54am | IP Logged
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If I bought a Dillon I'd want every bell & whistle.
Me too, but I thought I was just being greedy, or that maybe I was having a "grandiose bi-polar" moment.
Plays hell on the credit card when you sober up 
Take care,
Bob
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RECURVE
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| Posted: January 14 2004 at 4:51pm | IP Logged
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Iam happy with my lee eqp. I dont think there would be as many realoaders out there if it were not the affordabilty of some of the other brands other than dillon. I would like to give there press atry but it seems i allways end up buying another gun instead. Maybe someday.
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TeddyTwoFire
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| Posted: January 14 2004 at 5:15pm | IP Logged
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Well I got to be straight with you guys........I grew up shooting guns with my pops and I'd admit that I a crappy shooter but I love to shoot when I can.(usually when I get up to the cabin thats on 60 acres). I bought my dillon 550 and fancy electronic scale among a bunch of other reloading stuff when I was putting in 60-65 hours a week at work. I figured I'd save money in the long run and learn something new as well. I tell ya when I sqeezed that trigger the first time and my first reload shot out, OH YES!! It Worked!!  Man I was excited. I could have pressed a rock in the end of the brass cause I did'nt even hit the rings on the target.Ok Ok, maybe it was'nt that far off. But I sure love to shoot my reloads!I'm very happy with the dillon relaoder and the vidio tape helped me big time. Along with the relaoder I using the Lyman's 47 th relaoding handbook. 
Edited by TeddyTwoFire on January 14 2004 at 9:22pm
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HogRider
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| Posted: January 14 2004 at 5:35pm | IP Logged
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I'm perfectly happy with my Lee Equipment, specially with the Lee Load Master. No problems at all. I have meanwhile loaded at least 2000 rounds on it. My ammo is as good and as accurate as any other ammo made with a press five times the cost. That's all that counts for me.
I had a 550 once. Yeah it was a good press and it made good ammo too.
I am not a press enthusiast, it's just a tool that makes ammo. Just like an Electric toaster makes toast.
But not everybody is like that. I have seen posts in other forums where the question about what brand of presses people use have turned into religious flame wars.
Glad this forum has the maturity it needs and this stuff doesn't happen here.
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Deadeye
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| Posted: January 15 2004 at 12:56am | IP Logged
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I started my reloading career with MEC shotshell presses. My folks gave me a 600jr for Christmas when I was about 14 and I was the happiest kid alive! I thought I was big stuff making my own ammo. All was good until I spilled 25# of shot on the carpet....Mom eventually got over it. You can never-ever vacuum it all up! When I was @20 a buddy and I needed a way to create cheap 357 ammo so we pooled our money and bought a Dillon Square Deal B (1989?). We loaded a few hundred rounds then developed trouble with the primer feed. Having other interests and no experience we fell out of pistol reloading. Many years later I sent that Dillon back to the factory for some fine tuning. Dillon fixed it free of charge and since then I have loaded thousands of rounds trouble free. The only problem I have with the SDB is that it lacks sufficient leverage to EASILY load large cases such as the 45 Colt. I now resize the 45 Colt cases on my single stage and start them on station two of the Dillon. It works fine on smaller cases such as 357. I started reloading rifle cases on a buddies old Bair C-press @ 3 years ago and recently upgraded to a Redding Big Boss, great press! I now own 4 MEC shotshell presses, SDB, and the Redding. They all work great!
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mlspmk
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| Posted: January 15 2004 at 5:07am | IP Logged
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I have had an RCBS RockChucker since the early 80's that sat dormant for nearly 20 years and just this year I brushed the dust off of it. Called RCBS to buy some replacement parts that I had lost and they would not take my $$ - sent parts for free. After reading about the Dillon bent primer pin thread, I have rethought my potential Dillon purchase. See, I had been told that Dillon has the 'no BS' warranty - looks like they now have the 'BS warranty'. Sure, the guy did something dumb and broke the pin, but no BS is no BS and they didn't honor it. With the RCBS (#1 now) and Hornaday presses in the same price range, I can't see sending my hard earned $$ to Dillon. Only problem is that like Recurve, every time I get cclose to placing the order, that other pistola I want starts calling to me.
Hey Teddy - looks like you are having too much fun there !!
Edited by mlspmk on January 15 2004 at 5:11am
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tonyz
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| Posted: December 14 2004 at 7:44am | IP Logged
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The best press for the money is the Hornady L-N-L Progressive.
I had 2 Dillon's just sold the RL550, and replaced it with the Hornady. The hornady is equvalint to dillins 650 if you use the case feeder, but far cheaper.
The Hornady is less expensive for the press cheaper for accessory's and changing calibers. It is faster and more durable plus comes with a No Bullsh*t warranty. Like the Blue.
TonyZ
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Handloads.Com Forum : General Discussion
Topic: A poll about the poll
