Getting back into reloading.

[Mike 53]

Well after about 20 or so years of being away from shooting, I am getting back into it and wanting again to start reloading. I will be starting from scratch as I no longer have any of what I was using years ago. Back then I had Dillon RL550 and die setups for my .45 and .38/.357 mag. I will be loading now for 9mm and .45ACP
Eventually I will want to reload for some rifle calibers as well, likely 5.56 and .308
Then I used an RCBS Rockchucker to load for 6mm Remington and .30/06 because I had it before getting the Dillon.
Having no equipment at all now, I wonder if I should consider a Square Deal B for the pistol rounds and a single-stage press for the rifle calibers? Or load everything on another RL550B? I'm sure at some point I will have an AR, and some other rifle(s)
I would be interested in hearing what others on the Forum are using and if they'd do it differently if starting over...
Thoughts?

 

[jasons]

The 550 is a much better press than the square deal. You could set up tool heads for each of those calibers and very easily swap back and forth.

 

[warwickben]

I just got a sq deal b in 45. Since they don't use normal dies your limited on the calibers you can reload on .
I know nothing about reloading at this point . But I was looking up and was disappointed to see of I pick up a glock I would have to get another press if I wanted to reload 50gi...(I wanted to have a glock for 10mm/45/50gi.

But since I only shoot 45 now this press will be more then enough for me .
Next year I think I'll look at reloading for 556.

 

[mac1911]

I torture myself and still load everything on a single stage.....but I have lots of time to do so.
Every time I have 500+ to spend I usually need bullets or powder.

 

[EddieCoyle]

How much do you plan to shoot?

How much time do you have available to spend reloading?

What is your budget?

 

[IPSC_DRL]

If you plan to load rifle calibers or something huge like 50AE, 500 Mag, then get a 550 or 650.

Good luck

 

[Fixxah]

Skip the 550. Get a progressive machine. 650, LNL AP, 1050 etc.

 

[josh2600]

Skip the 550. Get a progressive machine. 650, LNL AP, 1050 etc.

550 is a progressive.

 

[Mike 53]

How much do you plan to shoot?
I'll be shooting that .45 a LOT.

How much time do you have available to spend reloading?
Aye, there's the rub... I work lots, 5 1/2 days a week, so I will need to crank out a mess in a short period of time.

The budget is getting pretty strained and wouldn't handle anything over a 550.
I guess my real question should have been-
"What's it like to load rifle cartridges on a RL550B?"
Thanks, Mike

 

[josh2600]

I've been happy doing 223 on one, but case prep needs to be done outside the press. Also, I wouldn't depend on the included powder measure for very precise loading.

 

[mac1911]

How much do you plan to shoot?
I'll be shooting that .45 a LOT.

How much time do you have available to spend reloading?
Aye, there's the rub... I work lots, 5 1/2 days a week, so I will need to crank out a mess in a short period of time.

The budget is getting pretty strained and wouldn't handle anything over a 550.
I guess my real question should have been-
"What's it like to load rifle cartridges on a RL550B?"
Thanks, Mike

I find bottle neck case prep to be the most time consumption in reloading not the time @ the press.
I do marathon case prep sessions. You could automate case prep but that's even more into the budget.
I find it harder to find the time to run the tumbler,sort,trim than to actually load.
Pistol is a little easier but it has some additional steps that make a progressive appealing.
After 5 years of the single stage I'm still holding out on a progressive. Although as my time is slowly being consumed by my growing kids and I can no longer stay awake late with any ambition a,progressive is,looking better and better. I just need to stop buying bullets or guns for a while!

 

[EddieCoyle]

Go with the 550 unless you can save a little longer and get a 650. With the 650 and a case feeder, you'll be able to crank out pistol ammo very quickly. You could add a case feeder to a 550, but it won't help your output very much.

When you start doing bottleneck cartridges, you won't be able to do them in one whack on the progressive, but you can size on the press, then trim and deal with crimped primer pockets off the press, then complete loading back on the progressive.

 

[dcmdon]

I love my 650. It lets me crank out a nights worth of pistol ammo in 15 minutes, if I don't plan ahead. Lately I've been behind and had to work this way.

I have not yet reloaded rifle cartridges on the 650. I'm still doing that on a single stage. I find caseprep to be much more time consuming than actually reloading. With that said, I try to reload with a fair degree of precision. My last batch of .308s had a muzzle velocity standard deviation of 3 fps, so I'm achieving pretty good consistency, but it takes time.

For handguns, I pretty much just dump the cases from the tumbler into the 650 hopper. For long guns its a whole 'nother story.

I like to say that I manufacture handgun ammo and that I CRAFT my rifle ammo.

Don

 

[highscore]

I've loaded a lot of .223 for Highpower on the 550. Just as good for 200 and 300 yards as my single stage reloads. If I needed more .308 ammo, I wouldn't hesitate to load that also. My son was on the Junior Palma Team a few years back and one of his teammates was loading his ammo on a 550. That kid was a real good shooter and my son questioned why HE had to measure out all those charges.

Of course, pistol rounds are no problem. Maybe not as fast as a 650 but I've loaded enough ammo to wear one out over the years. Yes, they did replace it.

How much do you plan to shoot?
I'll be shooting that .45 a LOT.

How much time do you have available to spend reloading?
Aye, there's the rub... I work lots, 5 1/2 days a week, so I will need to crank out a mess in a short period of time.

The budget is getting pretty strained and wouldn't handle anything over a 550.
I guess my real question should have been-
"What's it like to load rifle cartridges on a RL550B?"
Thanks, Mike

 

[highscore]

3 FPS SD is the best I've ever heard of. What are you shooting and what are you shooting it out of?

I love my 650. It lets me crank out a nights worth of pistol ammo in 15 minutes, if I don't plan ahead. Lately I've been behind and had to work this way.

I have not yet reloaded rifle cartridges on the 650. I'm still doing that on a single stage. I find caseprep to be much more time consuming than actually reloading. With that said, I try to reload with a fair degree of precision. My last batch of .308s had a muzzle velocity standard deviation of 3 fps, so I'm achieving pretty good consistency, but it takes time.

For handguns, I pretty much just dump the cases from the tumbler into the 650 hopper. For long guns its a whole 'nother story.

I like to say that I manufacture handgun ammo and that I CRAFT my rifle ammo.

Don

 

[houdini]

buy a dillon

 

[Mike 53]

Just sitting here thinking back and remembering...I used a case lube pad, a trim die and file, and took out crimps from primer pockets with a reamer. I had one of those little brushes to clean out the primer pockets after the old primers were out. Had one of the Thumlers Tumblers to clean my cases with, using walnut shell media. The pistol cases came out ok, but my rifle cases never seemed to clean up worth a darn. Internally anyway. Back then I guess I wasn't shooting much rifle, and using the Rockchucker wasn't a big deal. I remember mostly using commercial cases after the crimped primer pocket experience. I won't be jumping into rifle anytime soon, but would like eventually to get or build an AR...I guess most 5.56, .308 and .30/06 cases are going to require one of those swaging tools, correct?
I'm pretty well set on getting the Dillon RL-550B in .45ACP to begin with. Seems like a safe decision for me at this point.
-Mike

 

[*chris*]

Skip the 550. Get a progressive machine. 650, LNL AP, 1050 etc.

This is the right answer, you want a true automatically indexing progressive press.

You are going to need a single stage for rifle brass prep IMO. Honestly in my less used calibers I load everything on a single stage .308, 44 mag, S&W 500, 460Mag etc.

When pushing the envelope of performance and safety I like to weigh every charge.

I made some SUPER hot 44 mag on a LNL AP using 800x since the large flake powder doesn't meter well at all in the Hornday powder measure. Last time I loaded full house magnums on a progressive press!

Chris

 

[inerlogic]

i do everything single stage... .223, .308, .38spl, 9x18, 9x19...
full time job and three babies, single stage makes more sense since i "load when i can"

i use the Hornady lock n load bushings in my rock chucker so i can set the dies and bayonet them in and out...

i've got the tumbler going now with .380, 9x18 and 9x19.... tomorrow i'll de-prime all of those...
at some point i'll go through and re-prime them.....
then bell 'em.....

eventually i want a 550 (or 650) for pistol..... i'll probably keep doing the bottle neck stuff on the single stage...

i've got about 1100 primed .223 cases waiting for powder and projectiles, and 400 more waiting to be hand primed the next time i put the kids to bed.....

 

[mistere]

Brian Enos has a very informative overview of all the Dillions you might be interested in called "Which Dillion?". He also includes option recommendations and complete system costs.

http://www.brianenos.com/pages/dillon.html#650/1050

 

[jasons]

The 650 is something like $125 bucks more than a 550 at list prices. If you can afford it, it's worth it. With that said, I loaded thousands of rounds on a 550 with no issues. Nothing wrong with a 550 - it just works, and the manual indexing isn't really a big deal to me. (It just becomes part of the rhythm.)

Another option is the Hornady Lock and Load. Five stations and auto-indexing for about the same price as a 550, maybe a little less if you find it on sale. I currently load most of my ammo on a Lock and Load and it's a love / hate relationship. It's finicky and annoying sometimes, especially the case feeder, but it makes good ammo and has served me well.

All things considered, if I had to buy a new press tomorrow I'd probably get a 650.

 

[Mike 53]

The 650 is something like $125 bucks more than a 550 at list prices. If you can afford it, it's worth it. With that said, I loaded thousands of rounds on a 550 with no issues. Nothing wrong with a 550 - it just works, and the manual indexing isn't really a big deal to me. (It just becomes part of the rhythm.)

Another option is the Hornady Lock and Load. Five stations and auto-indexing for about the same price as a 550, maybe a little less if you find it on sale. I currently load most of my ammo on a Lock and Load and it's a love / hate relationship. It's finicky and annoying sometimes, especially the case feeder, but it makes good ammo and has served me well.

All things considered, if I had to buy a new press tomorrow I'd probably get a 650.

Well, there's quite a bit I will need to get (scope for my pistol box, tumbler, etc etc) so it will be a little while before I need to decide which Dillon to get. Guess I will consider the 650 as well. I was fine loading my two pistol calibers on my old 550 back in the '90's and so that's why I've been pre-disposed to get another...looks like the new one has a nicer roller handle and the strong-mount looks to be a good idea. I seem to remember breaking something back then and Mike D was happy to make it right. And from all indications, the customer service hasn't suffered at all since then. I haven't seen any real complaints, people are happy with Dillon. That's what I will get. Be nice to find one used, but it would have to be from someone moving up (550-XL650 etc) otherwise they don't seem to come up for sale...
-Mike

 

[*chris*]

The 650 is something like $125 bucks more than a 550 at list prices. If you can afford it, it's worth it. With that said, I loaded thousands of rounds on a 550 with no issues. Nothing wrong with a 550 - it just works, and the manual indexing isn't really a big deal to me. (It just becomes part of the rhythm.)

Another option is the Hornady Lock and Load. Five stations and auto-indexing for about the same price as a 550, maybe a little less if you find it on sale. I currently load most of my ammo on a Lock and Load and it's a love / hate relationship. It's finicky and annoying sometimes, especially the case feeder, but it makes good ammo and has served me well.

All things considered, if I had to buy a new press tomorrow I'd probably get a 650.

Just to add fuel to the fire, Shooters Outpost in Hookset, NH has great prices on Dillon gear. I think I paid $525 for my 650 in .223 1.5 years ago.

Chris

 

[jtnf]

Just to add fuel to the fire, Shooters Outpost in Hookset, NH has great prices on Dillon gear. I think I paid $525 for my 650 in .223 1.5 years ago.

Chris

Something I never understood, since I "took the red pill (Hornady L-N-L-AP.)
Does the retail packaged Dillon presses that have an advertised caliber contain EVERYTHING needed to start in that caliber, or do you still need to buy dies (or anything else?)
I was under the impression that Dillon sells "conversion kits" that include shell plates but not dies... But then I read (here or elsewhere) that the Square Deal B presses contain everything INCLUDING dies?

 

[*chris*]

Something I never understood, since I "took the red pill (Hornady L-N-L-AP.)
Does the retail packaged Dillon presses that have an advertised caliber contain EVERYTHING needed to start in that caliber, or do you still need to buy dies (or anything else?)
I was under the impression that Dillon sells "conversion kits" that include shell plates but not dies... But then I read (here or elsewhere) that the Square Deal B presses contain everything INCLUDING dies?

The Dillion swaps a lot more little parts to do a caliber conversion than the Hornady. A Dillon caliber conversion includes:
Shell Plate
Brass locator plugs
2 case feeder parts
powder funnel

You do still need to buy dies when you buy a 650 setup for 9mm for example. From my little training in manufacturing process, it is a really silly idea since the dealer needs to stock many different SKUs. I am going to guess they do it to be equivalent to the LNL AP although the LNL AP needs a shellplate and dies to reload.

Caliber conversions on the Dillion are slightly more expensive since you need dies plus a ~$60 conversion kit instead of a ~$25 shellplate. That being said, all those extra Dillon parts lead to a smoother operating press.

A while back I wrote a review of the 650 versus LNL AP and we had great discussion in that thread, you can find it here:

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vb...rnady-Lock-N-Load-Auto-Progressive-comparison

Chris

 

[highlander]

If you decide on a 650 be aware of one sore spot at least to me. Changing the primer cup assembly is a royal pain. I coundn't
find a wrench that would fit in the space and using pliers ends up mangling the part. Ended up buying a 2nd 650,easier to change out the whole machine

 

[*chris*]

If you decide on a 650 be aware of one sore spot at least to me. Changing the primer cup assembly is a royal pain. I coundn't
find a wrench that would fit in the space and using pliers ends up mangling the part. Ended up buying a 2nd 650,easier to change out the whole machine

Do you mean the primer seating anvil?

Chris

 

[Mike 53]

The Dillion swaps a lot more little parts to do a caliber conversion than the Hornady. A Dillon caliber conversion includes:
Shell Plate
Brass locator plugs
2 case feeder parts
powder funnel

You do still need to buy dies when you buy a 650 setup for 9mm for example. From my little training in manufacturing process, it is a really silly idea since the dealer needs to stock many different SKUs. I am going to guess they do it to be equivalent to the LNL AP although the LNL AP needs a shellplate and dies to reload.

Caliber conversions on the Dillion are slightly more expensive since you need dies plus a ~$60 conversion kit instead of a ~$25 shellplate. That being said, all those extra Dillon parts lead to a smoother operating press.

A while back I wrote a review of the 650 versus LNL AP and we had great discussion in that thread, you can find it here:

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vb...rnady-Lock-N-Load-Auto-Progressive-comparison

Chris

Hi Chris,
Sat here and read the whole thread...thank you!
-Mike

 

[Mike 53]

Do you mean the primer seating anvil?

Chris and Highlander,
This changes between large and small primers?
-Thanks, Mike

 

[Fixxah]

If someone reamed and threaded a bare toolhead to except lnl bushings, I would get a 650 in a minute.

Although at the rate I have reloaded in the last two years the broom is used for cobwebs, not spilled powder.