Reloading press

Wickedcoolname

Wickedcoolname

NES Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2016
Messages
5,807
Likes
12,729
Location
North Central Mass
Feedback: 1 / 0 / 0
I've been loading pistol ammo for about 30 years on a Dillon SDB but now I need to start loading for my 6.6x55 Swedish Mauser. I'm just looking for a single stage press and I'm looking for opinions on Lee vs everything else. I'm a frugal guy (raging skinflint) so the price of the Lee looks good to me.
And opinions?
 
Waiting for the "buy once, cry once" crowd.

You could wear out a cheap Lee single
You won't wear out any of the other manufacturers.
You can buy three Lee's for the price of one of the others.

If you want the utmost I'm accuracy, forget Lee and grab your checkbook

TLDR: buy a Lee, use it to make ammo, if you get good enough to outshoot what the Lee can make then buy a super expensive press
 
Look for a used RCBS Rock Chucker or JR-II. A couple of years ago, I bought a used JR-II for about $45 at a yard sale. It looked a bit "used" (ok, a lot used) but I stripped the old paint off, cleaned up whatever rust it had on it with 0000 steel wool, repainted it with as close to RCBS green paint I could find and it works like a dream. It looks almost new now. They are virtually indestructible as there isn't much that can go wrong on them.
 
84ta406 said:
I would say get a rock chucker or the Hornady Lock n load classic. Both are very sturdy presses The only downside with the Hornady is the bushings
Click to expand...
There always seem to be some pretty decent deals on Dillon RL-550B & C's on the classified ads here. I've been tempted a few times to grab a second one but so far I've been able to resist the temptation. Not sure what the OP's budget is though. If I remember correctly the Dillon SDB uses dies with non standard thread sizes so, if this is the case, whatever he ends up with will require new dies too.
 
Last edited:
84ta406 said:
The only downside with the Hornady is the bushings
Click to expand...
Only when using for precision/competition shooting ammunition though, right?
Or, is there something I'm missing?
Making range fodder is not an issue with the LNL bushings...
 
timbo said:
There always seem to be some pretty decent deals on Dillon RL-550B & C's on the classified ads here. I've been tempted a few times to grab a second one but so far I've been able to resist the temptation. Not sure what the OP's budget is though. If I remember correctly the Dillon SDB uses dies with non standard thread sizes so, if this is the case, whatever he ends up will require new dies too.
Click to expand...
Yeah I've been tempted a few times. I use a SDB and the single stage for all my reloading. Haven't taken the plunge into a 550 or 650 yet due to costs.
 
enbloc said:
Only when using for precision shooting ammunition though, right?
Or, is there something I'm missing?
Making range fodder is not an issue with the LNL bushings...
Click to expand...
The bushings aren't a issue with the ammo. The bushing gets expensive unless you keep wanting to change dies around. I have all mine set in their bushings so no die adjustments are needed.
 
Wickedcoolname said:
I'm a frugal guy (raging skinflint) so the price of the Lee looks good to me.
And opinions?
Click to expand...

There you go, answered your own question.

Get the cheapest enclosed frame set up you can find and cheap dies.
Nothing wrong with that either.
I'm assuming this is for 100 yd shoots or c.m.p. service rifle type qualifier shoots where all you need is minutes of shoebox.

Edit to add-
I have one of those lee single o-frames.
Worst priming setup ever, and its well documented. "You have to be mechanically inclined to get it to work right" is the typical battle cry. Wrong. Your Ikea furniture assembly skills won't trump my 28 yrs of turning wrenches.
Made by the lowest bidder. Not sure what grade of cast they're using these days. I'm pretty sure they assemble them, not actually machine anything.
Ram started to walk around after a year or so.
I use it strictly for de-priming and resizing.

If I had to get another, I'd get an rcbs or one of those single stage conversions for the 550
 
Last edited:
84ta406 said:
The bushings aren't a issue with the ammo. The bushing gets expensive unless you keep wanting to change dies around. I have all mine set in their bushings so no die adjustments are needed.
Click to expand...
Ah. I thought you meant there was a mechanical issue. And yes, they get pricy if you load lots of calibers...
Thanks,
~Enbloc
 
Start calling and emailing local gun shops. I’m sure several of them have used equipment someone dropped off to get rid of that you could get dirt cheap.
help yourself and throw a little cash to a local shop.
 
Last edited:
steve8140 said:
Start calling and emailing local gun shops. I’m sure several of them have used equipment someone dropped off to get rid of that you could get dirt cheap.
help yourself and throw a little cash to a local shop.
Click to expand...
Tall Devall shut down all the gun shops. There's a Redding press in the classifieds that would be top of my list if I were looking for a single stage now. If it were closer I'd be tempted to sell one my older ones and buy it. Redding gear is excellent.
 
Woodstock said:
Tall Devall shut down all the gun shops. There's a Redding press in the classifieds that would be top of my list if I were looking for a single stage now. If it were closer I'd be tempted to sell one my older ones and buy it. Redding gear is excellent.
Click to expand...
Doesn’t mean everyone is following the orders. I’d bet people would do what they could to stay afloat and make a little cash. No paperwork needed.
I’m sure some shop owners are still on site doing paperwork, inventory, reorganizing and taking in shipments they had on order.
 
Nothing wrong with being cheap BUT think of resale value for when its time to get rid of your equipment! I won't be a parrot and repeat the "get a rock chucker" as the 20 other people here have said. Even though they are not wrong when they say its just a more solid press. But I will say get a rock chucker because they hold their value. At the end of the day (or 30 years) you will be able to get a large portion of that original investment back with quality products suchs as RCBS/Dillon/Redding. Mostly, the only Lee products that hold value are the Lee Loader Sets (depending on the caliber/gauge).
 
I'm a new reloader, but it looks like the Lee Classic Cast and the Hornady Lock N Load single stage presses ONLY are about the same cost at $130 and the RCBS RC is $190. If you only need the press, it's not that bad. OP says he's been reloading for 30 yrs, so I assume he has all the other tools.
MidwayUSA Single Stage Presses
 
84ta406 said:
The bushings aren't a issue with the ammo. The bushing gets expensive unless you keep wanting to change dies around. I have all mine set in their bushings so no die adjustments are needed.
Click to expand...
I love the bushings. Makes die changing super easy and no fussing with the settings etc. I think it's worth the cost for the aggravation it saves. But that's just me.
 
I can’t personally comment on Lee presses. I use an RCBS Summit and a Dillon 550c. I do use many different Lee dies and I have had very good results with them.
 
I bought a Lee classic cast single stage press for resizing rifle brass and it's worked well so far. I then prime (charge with Lee perfect powder measure) and seat bullet on my Hornady progressive press. Can you reload rifle on the Dillon SDB? I'm not familiar with Dillon presses. I got inconsistent results resizing rifle brass on my Hornady LNL for some reason so the single stage fixed that issue.

The Lee works great for my needs. I'm not shooting PRS at 1000 yards so...But I can get half inch groups with my reloads in my Swiss K31 at 100 yards FWIW.
 
Last edited:
steve8140 said:
Start calling and emailing local gun shops. I’m sure several of them have used equipment someone dropped off to get rid of that you could get dirt cheap.
help yourself and throw a little cash to a local shop.
Click to expand...
i have never been in KTP and not seen at least a few rock chuckers used there.

that said. I used one for a while before upgrading to a 550. FWIW.. I am not a huge rock checker fan. The down time between setting up each stage was to me a too long and involved process. I much preferred the Dillon way of having all of the dies dialed in.
 

Similar threads

Headspace and reloading
Replies
28
Views
505
PatMcD
PatMcD
Reloading 223
2 3 4
Replies
100
Views
3K
DW357
DW357
Reloading accuracy
Replies
23
Views
564
peterk123
P
Recommendations for a primer 12G reloading
Replies
24
Views
942
MisterHappy
MisterHappy
Dillion reloading
Replies
28
Views
980
CLW42
C
Back
Top Bottom