In my original post, I said I go through this LNL vs. Big Blue once a year or so... This, from 2016

http://www.cotep.org/forum/showthrea...ighlight=squib

The thread includes a very good commentary by Phil and others. I'm still not convinced that an extra $1000 is worth either the LNL or the Dillons. Phil, next time I come through SD, I'll buy dinner, and you can show me your reloading setup. That may change my mind!

But I promise, you'll enjoy the read.

DaFadda

Deal buddy!!

Actually all this reloading talk has me missing making boolits so I may run some 45 tomorrow and gopro the process.

Yes please do so, upload and post link, Pleeeease?

Will see how my week goes:

I have to get a new chain ring on my bicycle, hit the gym, and I am classroom helper this week for Kaden's Kindergarten class. Lisa is at Mayo Clinic with her brother so I will see what I can do.

Yes Phil we know you have Big Bucks,

Unless you have lots of brass and money just get a single stage to start with, get two or three reloading manuals, read and read again. Then take it slow, do one at a time, measure every single load.....Good luck
Clyde

I am still getting unpacked from vacation but one point I will make is that i have too much OCD to deprime and then load. I have seen some nasty junk in primer pockets and just jamming another primer in there before the pocket gets cleaned doesn't seem like a good practice. So I run the brass through the cleaner, deprive and resize. Then run it through the polish media. Then I can either bag it and pick up later or hand prime and flare. Charging and seating are pretty easy steps after that.

Actually, my first few "presses" were the Lee $9.99 kits, where you supplied your own wood block and hammer. I had a few back in the early '70's.

That Rockchucker was quite a step up!

That said, I used it for only a few months before I bought the Dillon.

No, Hornady, Lee, and RCBS also make progressive presses. Attached is a very well written article that outlines the pros and cons of Hornady, Lee and Dillon. Might help in your final selection.

http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillon...Comparison.pdf

Padre, I'm dead set on a Lee turret press. It fits my reloading needs perfectly.

My only 1 cent is that unless you shoot A LOT! (5-10,000?) rounds a month, it doesn't make sense (to me). You are relying on your attention for detail.

I tried it, froze, and never finished one round, sold the whole lot.

I have an Ammo Can full of commercial ammo. I'm fine. :)

Yep, I get that^^^and there is nothing with buying all your ammo, nothing wrong at all but saying its not worth it isn't completely true.

I shoot about 5-6K of .45 per year give or take. If you do the math on that alone you save enough to make it worth it.

Buying 45 230gr at a local store you pay someplace in the .40 cents range give or take a few cents. When I reload it costs me in the range of .18 cents assuming I didn't buy any new brass ( I never do ). So you save .22 cents(ish) per round fired. Now take that 5,000*$0.22=$1,100. I don't think I save quite this much but you get the idea. It is defiantly worth it. (to me) Now time, I can load about 2,000 rounds a session per day without getting really bored but in a wintery weekend I will do the 5K rounds I shoot in a year and be set. Now when you factor in the 10MM I also load and some other odd stuff for my FIL and stuff for myself its so worth the investment (to me).

I have a Dillon press, the higher end priced press. If you go a bit more conservative and nothing wrong with that at all and spend 30-40% less for your reloading set up you can make your saving pay off in one year. A press lasts decades so the savings is there.

I will say this, I never used to shoot thousands of rounds a year either, I simply couldn't afford it, reloading I can not afford it. I was shooting 1/5 of what I do now before a press, now I can shoot when ever how much I want and not worry so much about the ammo budget.

sorry this got long but reloading is worth the effort and investment.....

carry on

and it will serve you very well. I started on a Lee single stage and it was great. Just my needs made it difficult to use a single stage. I think Lee stuff is very nice. If I had gotten a Lee turret press to start with I might have kept it and not gone blue.....maybe...

To paraphrase Phil's comments.... reloading doesn't save you money, it only allows you to shoot more with the money you have.

DaFadda

Thanks guys, appreciate all the info and encouragement.

I said that? :D

yeah, that is what I was getting at