Set me up

jon said:
I have the oppurtunity to buy a 550b with strongmount, dies for 40 and 45 (I own a 40 and will soon own a 45), a case tumbler, spare parts kit, and some misc brass and bullet trays for $450

good deal or no?
Click to expand...
Sounds like a pretty good deal depending on the quality of the accessories. Does it have complete toolheads or just dies? How about an extra powder measure?
 
I just bought a Dillon 550 with the following: Dillon 550B Progressive Reloader, Included Die Sets:, 9mm/38 super, .45 acp (2 sets), 10mm/.40 auto, Brass Tumbler/Cleaner, Extra Cleaning media, Brass Primer Sorter, Powder Scale, 550B conversion kit for 10mm/.40 auto, 9mm / 38 Super, Spare Parts for Press, Extra Primer Tubes, Reloading Manual

this is my first press!!!!!!
 
jwilson said:
I just bought a Dillon 550 with the following: Dillon 550B Progressive Reloader, Included Die Sets:, 9mm/38 super, .45 acp (2 sets), 10mm/.40 auto, Brass Tumbler/Cleaner, Extra Cleaning media, Brass Primer Sorter, Powder Scale, 550B conversion kit for 10mm/.40 auto, 9mm / 38 Super, Spare Parts for Press, Extra Primer Tubes, Reloading Manual

this is my first press!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Congrats!!! YOu made a wise decision!!!
 
jwilson said:
I just bought a Dillon 550 with the following: Dillon 550B Progressive Reloader, Included Die Sets:, 9mm/38 super, .45 acp (2 sets), 10mm/.40 auto, Brass Tumbler/Cleaner, Extra Cleaning media, Brass Primer Sorter, Powder Scale, 550B conversion kit for 10mm/.40 auto, 9mm / 38 Super, Spare Parts for Press, Extra Primer Tubes, Reloading Manual

this is my first press!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Excellent choice as I have been very pleased as a first time reloader with the 550. As I have found the only draw back is the primer filling tube quantity- pick up some extras so you can sit down for a session of a couple hundred rounds without having to stop to fill the primer tube every 200.
 
Whitey627 said:
+1 Enjoy!

Pete- where have you been? Have not seen you at the last couple of matches.
Click to expand...

I actually haven't been shooting much at all this year. I switched jobs and things are much busier than I was before. We also put our house on the market and have been looking at building another so most of our Sundays are filled with going house shopping. I've been getting a lot of heat from everyone because I haven't been around but I'll still be shooting from time to time.
 
Pistol Pete???......I seem to vaguely remember that name....
Pete, I just figured you were still waiting for the backup gun!
 
Dan S said:
Pistol Pete???......I seem to vaguely remember that name....
Pete, I just figured you were still waiting for the backup gun!
Click to expand...


I'll never be able to live the back up gun topic down... I can't wait until Front Site prints an article regarding backup guns to get me off the hook. haha
 
After reading the review that EddieCoyle posted and his raving reviews of his LnL I've decided to purchase one. The problem is now getting all the correct parts I need from Midway. I went to the site and thankfully they are not on back order as of today. I knew I need dies for the different calibers that I want (9/40/45/223), but I'm at a loss for shell plates and case holders or more. It seems like a lot to put together to get started and I don't know the right combinations. I've followed what other items I need that are not part of the press, like the tumbler and the calipers and such, I'm just lost on the press parts.

Can someone tell me what I *need* (or recommended) to buy to make the LnL load the calibers that I'm interested in?

Thanks!
 
Dman said:
After reading the review that EddieCoyle posted and his raving reviews of his LnL I've decided to purchase one. The problem is now getting all the correct parts I need from Midway. I went to the site and thankfully they are not on back order as of today. I knew I need dies for the different calibers that I want (9/40/45/223), but I'm at a loss for shell plates and case holders or more. It seems like a lot to put together to get started and I don't know the right combinations. I've followed what other items I need that are not part of the press, like the tumbler and the calipers and such, I'm just lost on the press parts.

Can someone tell me what I *need* (or recommended) to buy to make the LnL load the calibers that I'm interested in?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I got my LnL a month or so ago, also based in large part on Jim's (EddieCoyle) reviews. I'm loading about 5 different cartridges on it. All you really need for each new caliber is the correct die set and shell plate, and in some cases (though not, I think, for the ones you listed) you may not need the shell plate as many will handle more than one cartridge. For some changes (e.g., .45 ACP/.45 AR) you may not need new dies, and in others (.38/.357) you likely won't need anything new.

Now, if you're doing the "powder through expander" thing (I'm not) you may need a new expander die. And if you want to take full advantage of the "lock 'n' load" feature you'll need more of the fittings (can't remember the right name at the moment) that allow the dies to bayonet into the press, but both of those aren't "necessary," strictly speaking. Depending on your brand of dies, you may have problems with the taper crimp die hitting the ejection wire - the solution is to use Hornady dies or simply don't use the wire.

I had to poke around a bit in the on-line reloading supplier catalogs to find the parts I wanted in stock - it seemed like shell plates were commonly on back-order for all but the most common cartridges, and some places didn't carry the LnL fittings in the 10-packs that I was looking for, but I eventually found what I wanted.

It took me a little while to get comfortable with a new system after handloading for some 30 years on a single-stage press, and there were some minor adjustments to the equipment needed along the way - like anything else. But now I'm humming along just fine, and I really like the LnL (so thanks for a good recommendation, Jim, if you're reading this).
 
Last edited:
case life and cleaning...

ok so I am hoping to soon start reloading. All i got at the moment is 9mm but plan on .45 and maybe some .30 cal rifle rounds (Man I really wanna try the 6.5mm Grendel Zingy lil round!) when I get a real gun. As for Cartridge cleaning this might seem a little overkill and or wierd, i know people use cob and other grainy stuff and tumble it is this for cleaning the outside or the inside or both? If its mainly the inside, crazy question here.... can one boil them? I am thinking a big pot o water bubbling away a sieve thingy and drop 500-750 rounds in there for a few minutes and them tumble them around in a towel for a bit. Maybe a quick blow in each case to get any drops out. Anyone ever try it or is this too "outside the box" or just ineffective? Oh and first part of the question, straight wall pistol ammo, reload life? 4x 6x 15x? anyone know I know brass varies widely and some is harder than others. So a real general number is ok until I start buying brass in bulk of a specific type so I can know how it behaves and its safe reloading tendencies of that brass. An EXCELLENT thread btw! Thanks all!
 
9000S said:
. . . i know people use cob and other grainy stuff and tumble it is this for cleaning the outside or the inside or both? If its mainly the inside, crazy question here.... can one boil them? I am thinking a big pot o water bubbling away a sieve thingy and drop 500-750 rounds in there for a few minutes and them tumble them around in a towel for a bit. Maybe a quick blow in each case to get any drops out. Anyone ever try it or is this too "outside the box" or just ineffective? Oh and first part of the question, straight wall pistol ammo, reload life? 4x 6x 15x? anyone know I know brass varies widely and some is harder than others. So a real general number is ok until I start buying brass in bulk of a specific type so I can know how it behaves and its safe reloading tendencies of that brass. An EXCELLENT thread btw! Thanks all!
Click to expand...

Cleaning your brass is mainly for the outside and is both for cosmetic reasons as as well as for functional ones. If the brass has been on the ground, it ensures that there's no lingering grit to damage your gun (or resizing die), but if it's only tarnished, you could reload tarnished and powder residue-coated brass for quite a while with no problems. However, most of us take a good deal of pride in our handloads and want them to look as good as the factory loads. Some handloaders like to decap before tumbling so that the primer pockets get cleaned - I've never bothered doing it that way. I don't think your water bath system would remove the tarnish and residue on the cases - you need some sort of mild abrasive for that.

Straight-sided pistol brass can last a long, long time, particularly if you don't overwork the case mouths by excessive belling and crimping. I have some Super Vel .357 cases from the 70s that have been reloaded so many times the nickel plating has started to wear off. I simply look my brass over carefully prior to reloading and discard any that have splits at the case mouth, which happens rarely in my experience. I might be inclined to be a bit more careful if I were turning out maximum pressure loads, but I don't often do that.

I'm much more particular with rifle brass where I typically am working at the max pressures (and of course those pressures are much higher than most pistol cartridges). Case head separation - which is a serious problem compared to a neck split - is an extreme rarity with straight-sided pistol cases (in fact I've never heard of it happening) but can happen with bottleneck rifle cases that have been reloaded and trimmed too many times. With rifle brass I keep track of loadings and trimmings and usually discard after the third trimming, sooner if I'm getting neck splits that indicate the brass is hardening.
 
Dman said:
I knew I need dies for the different calibers that I want (9/40/45/223), but I'm at a loss for shell plates and case holders or more.

Can someone tell me what I *need* (or recommended) to buy to make the LnL load the calibers that I'm interested in?
Click to expand...

First you'll need bushings - one for each individual die. You leave these on the dies. The bushings allow you to set the height of the dies once, then not have to re-adjust when pull them in and out of the press. These "Lock-and-Load" bushings are what gives the press its name. They serve the equivalent purpose of the toolhead on a Dillon machine. Unlike the toolhead, the bushings allow you to pull one die at a time for cleaning, etc.

You'll need a shellplate for each caliber. Here's a link to a PDF that lists the shellplate for each caliber. The shellplate is bolted to the base of the press under the ejector wire. It has 5 "slots" under which the rims of the cases are held. The shellplate rotates 1/5 of a turn each time you pull the handle, rotating each case from station to station.

Like Dick, I don't use the powder-through expander (I load too many calibers, and there are not expanders in all of the calibers I load). I just use the expander die from the set.

I prefer to use a dedicated crimp die instead of crimping and seating in the same step. If you decide to do this, make sure you set up your seating die high enough so that it doesn't crimp, then screw the seating stem down to seat the bullet.

The dedicated crimp die goes in the 5th (last) station. As Dick indicated, one quirk of the machine is that some crimping dies (particularly Lee's Factory Crimp Dies) hit the ejection wire when they're set low enough to crimp. The Hornady crimp dies clear the wire, as do the Redding Profile Crimp dies. Do yourself a favor and get the Hornady 4-die set for your pistol calibers. They're more expensive than Lee, but in my experience, they're better dies. I'm in the process of replacing my Lee dies with either Redding or Hornady. I just got a set of Hornady dies for .45 ACP, I'll give you my Lee dies if you want to get started.

Speaking of which, I recommend you start with .45 ACP because it is more forgiving than the other calibers you're planning on loading.
 
Thanks Dick!

yeah theres something about some nice shiny brass, being ejected catching the sun with a shine. It could even sound "brassier" hitting the ground knowing that you cleaned it all up yourself. Yea I am definately get a progessive loader and start hoarding brass at places now if they will give them up to me.... never know when I will get the calibers, .38 .40 .45 .357 .44 or bigger but it could never hurt to have the brass ready! [smile]
 
If you're shooting regular brass such as .40 S&W, 9mm, and .45ACP you can buy once fired brass for next to nothing. YOu're looking at about $25 shipped per 1000 pieces. Ebay was a great source for this before they changed their liberal policies. Check out www.gunbroker.com for great sources of once fired brass.
 
You can get the bushings in a 10 pack from Midway. Get some extra shell retaining springs also. Their the round spring that go's around the shell plate.

Midway has a lot of the Hornady stuff and their a little cheaper than Hornady.
 
Can anyone calculate how much I will save for FMJ 9mm ammo, for my Glock? I would like to get into "reloading business" if it's worth it.
Thanks.
 
9mm is not going to save you as much as other calibers ... It all depends on how much your shooting. As I don't shoot 9mm I cannot give the cost breakdown.
 
CoolDaddy said:
Can anyone calculate how much I will save for FMJ 9mm ammo, for my Glock? I would like to get into "reloading business" if it's worth it.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

I'll tell you one thing - you will save the absolute least by loading FMJ 9mm than any other caliber or bullet type.

If you use "free" brass, get a good deal on FMJ bullets, and load by the 1000, you're still looking at over $100 per thousand rounds. If you wait for a sale and buy by the case at Dick's, you'll pay about $2 more per box.
 
Thanks to everyone who's helped me out here with plenty of reloading info.

Here is what I have in my shopping cart at Midway. I'm looking for input, should I be looking at some more items or swapping something. I have nothing now in the ways of reloading, so I need everything.


The Big Items.
----------------
Hornady Lock-N-Load AP Progressive Press

RCBS RangeMaster 750 Electronic Powder Scale 750 Grain Capacity 110 Volt

RCBS Vibratory Case Tumbler 110 Volt

RCBS Rotary Case and Media Separator


The Small Stuff
------------------
Hornady Custom Grade New Dimension Nitride 3-Die Set 40 S&W, 10mm Auto

Hornady Custom Grade New Dimension 2-Die Set 223 Remington

Hornady Lock-N-Load Powder Measure Handgun Rotor and Metering Assembly

Hornady Projector, Lock-N-Load AP Progressive Press Shellplate #1

Hornady Projector, Lock-N-Load AP Progressive Press Shellplate #10

Hornady Projector, Lock-N-Load AP Progressive Press Shellplate #16

Redding Universal Depriming and Decapping Die Kit

Frankford Arsenal Electronic Caliper 6" Stainless Steel

RCBS Pow'r Pull Impact Bullet Puller

Hornady Lock-N-Load Die Bushings Package of 10

*added*
Forster Original Case Trimmer Kit

Hornady Lock-N-Load Spring Case Retainer

Lyman Case Length Gage 223 Remington

Lee Case Length Gage and Shellholder 40 S&W

Lee Case Length Gage and Shellholder 45 ACP

-Thanks
 
Last edited:
Dman said:
Here is what I have in my shopping cart at Midway. I'm looking for input...
Click to expand...

If you have a selection of hand tools already, you probably don't need the Hornady wrench. You can buy walnut and/or corn cob media locally at Petsmart, Agway, or Walmart (pet department). And Nufinish car polish (in the orange bottle) is the only polishing stuff I've ever used.

You'll also need a set of Allen wrenches if you don't have them already.

EDIT: Get some extra case retainer springs.
 
Last edited:
Dman said:
Here is what I have in my shopping cart at Midway. I'm looking for input, . . .
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm missing it, but it looks like you've got only two die sets, but three shellplates. Should you have another set of dies (.45 ACP, maybe?) on the list?

Under real small stuff - a primer flipper. The CCI primers I use these days seem to be mostly packed in the same orientation, but I still need to flip them over to load them into the pickup tube.

Also, with a purchase of this size you may want to do a little comparison shopping. For example the LNL AP press at MidSouth is $30 cheaper (unfortunately, they're back-ordered, but if you're not in a hurry . . .). They may be higher on other things that I didn't check, so maybe there's no real difference on the whole order, but it's worth a look).

You may also want to look into getting your C&R FFL and setting up a dealer account at Midway prior to your purchase. It's $30 and a little waiting time, but may be worth it, particularly because the $30 can be amortized over three years and you'll find lots more ways to spend money once you get started. Unfortunately, the press doesn't have a dealer discount, but others of your items do.

I may have more for you later, but I really gotta find a little time to do some work today. [smile]
 
Dick,
EddiCoyle has offered me his old .45ACP dies so that's why they are missing from the order. The reason I'm ordering from Midway is exactly the reason you suggested, having the C&R FFL.


Thanks for the suggestion on the flipper and on the springs (midway's out of stock on them.. :( )
 
Also, instead of the tumbler/sifter kit, think about something like this:

RCBS Vibratory Case Tumbler 110 Volt
RCBS Rotary Case and Media Separator

1) the vibrating tumbler will be a LOT quieter and you can pull the cover to check progress without shutting the unit off.

2) the dust that can be kicked up sifting media can be quite harmful as lead from the primers will be mixed in. A closed system that keeps most of that dust inside and allowed to settle can limit your exposure. Yea, it's another $41, but this is something you buy once.
 
Chris said:
Also, instead of the tumbler/sifter kit, think about something like this:

RCBS Vibratory Case Tumbler 110 Volt
RCBS Rotary Case and Media Separator

1) the vibrating tumbler will be a LOT quieter and you can pull the cover to check progress without shutting the unit off.

2) the dust that can be kicked up sifting media can be quite harmful as lead from the primers will be mixed in. A closed system that keeps most of that dust inside and allowed to settle can limit your exposure. Yea, it's another $41, but this is something you buy once.
Click to expand...

D MAN I have one of these type separators. If you want it you can have it. It really sucks. You just need to come get it.
 

Similar threads

Makes me want to cry
Replies
10
Views
494
Love Machine
Love Machine
WTS Mec 12 gauge reloaders
Replies
3
Views
347
ddeck
ddeck
Maine Powder House Update
Replies
3
Views
747
45BPCR
45BPCR
I had a couple of primers blow up on me while reloading
2
Replies
39
Views
2K
Eric H
Eric H
media tumbling
Replies
5
Views
537
Fixxah
Fixxah
Back
Top Bottom