Researching the LNL and 650

[DaFadda]

Every year or so I start looking at the progressive presses and reading the written reviews. The Hornady people love their LNL, and the Dillon people love their 650's.

So, I start reading... "plastic tip shuts down 650. 5 cent part..." "Don't put a bullet feeder / case feeder on a Hornady"....... "The Dillon is smoother, but doesn't handle ball powder well".... and on and on and on... ad nauseum...

What I DID glean from this trip down the road was that the Dillon 650 is a superb pistol caliber machine, designed to make lots of rounds, with few caliber changes. The Hornady has tighter tolerances, cheaper to operate... and "MAY" not last as long, and /or "MAY" need more tinkering as it ages. BOTH machines seem to have quirks in their construction that can shut the machine down for maintainence and repairs.

So.... Once again, I'm just going to sit back and continue with my LEE 4 hole turret press, which can currently be purchased as a complete kit (without the dies of course) for $129 . I'm just going to continue loading in "batch mode" so that my primers don't jam (RCBS Hand priming tool), I can look in each shell in my loading trays (don't need a powder check die) and can switch to a new caliber in less than 30 seconds (and that includes looking for the right shell holder).

Maybe one day someone will make the PERFECT Progressive machine. But for now... I'll use the extra cash to buy more bullets and shoot more. Six months to a year from now... I'll still be having the same conversation in my head... and probably come to the same decision.

But... maybe not.

Da

[sdmc530]

If you or anyone needs any info on the famous "big blue" just ask. Love my Dillon and its a great machine. NO its not perfect it has its issues but its still a darn fine set up. Wouldn't change now for anything.

Only down size to any press like the 650 or the LNL is the upfront cost. My set up all done with case feeder and all the bells whistles is $1100.

[pitor]

I want to get into reloading so bad but it's confusing and at times cost-prohibitive. I definitely want a progressive, Dillon 650 seems the right choice, but as mentioned, $1,100 for the whole setup, yikes!

[DaFadda]

Thanks for the offer ! If I EVER go progressive, it will probably be a Dillon.

, You don't have to spend a lot to get into reloading. I'm not kidding... my Lee 4 hole turret press costs $129 for the entire kit, and is the one that I would recommend to anyone who is getting into the hobby. Why? #1, you may not enjoy reloading. Some do some don't. #2... it is incredibly important that you learn and understand the individual processes of reloading before you deal with a progressive press.

The best way to do that is on a single stage press. Most single stages have one threaded hole so you install and remove your dies based on the task you are doing. a. depriming and straigtening the case, b. flaring the case mouth, c. Priming, d. powder charging, e. bullet seating. The Lee 4 hole turret allows you to set up all three dies in one die turret, set their specifications, and then load in either auto index mode, or my preference... which is batch mode.

So you spend $130 or so... and you outgrow it in two years. Well... for me... and I do shoot a lot... I haven't outgrown mine in 5 years, and may never outgrow it. But if I do, I can sell it for what I can get, or I can leave it set up for rifle cartridges....

[skosh69]

Nothing in this world is perfect! Anything is prone to failure, humans and mechanics alike.

Originally Posted by pitor

I want to get into reloading so bad but it's confusing and at times cost-prohibitive. I definitely want a progressive, Dillon 650 seems the right choice, but as mentioned, $1,100 for the whole setup, yikes!

Pedro, I dropped over $600 (I don't have the receipts) a complete RCBS Rock Chucker single stage reloading setup. I bought everything that one would need, the carbide dies, electronic scale, powder thrower w/stand (lucking I bought that one used from ), etc. I went with the single stage because it was suggested that I get a single stage to begin with and that the cost of a Dillon set up freaked me out also.

In the beginning it was great. Woo hoo, making my own ammo, this is great. Saving money, ya buddy.

Guess what, years later that same set up sits idle and unused. I haven't used it in at least 2-3 yrs. Why? Because loading on a single stage sucks. It takes 5 separate steps to make 1 bullet. I timed it once, nearly an hour to make 100 rds from start to finish.

Now reloading is not about speed, but I'm a firm believer in working smart, not hard. And if you are shooting a lot or want to make a decent amount of ammo, a single stage is not the way to go.

That old saying "buy once, cry once" comes into play here.

You do not have to drop the whole $1100 on a Dillon set up at first. You buy the press, strong mount, tool head, dies, etc just to get you started. You can buy the case feeder, bullet feeder, roller handle, etc later. You can scour the forum sales areas for the press, parts and pieces also.

The padre's turret set up is similar to a single stage except there's no changing dies, they're all loaded on a turret, but you still do each step one by one. It works for him and my neighbor who has the same set up.
So my advice is to save your money and buy 1 press, 1 time. And since you are shooting IDPA and if you get into USPSA, you're going to want to reload with efficiency.

I've never heard ANYONE that bought a Dillon say, "damn I wish I would've saved money and bought a RCBS Rock Chucker".

After my son's wedding late this year, that green iron lump of crap that's attached to my work bench will find a new home and a blue ammo making powerhouse will take it's place. Oh yes, I can't wait.

This is just my 0.02

[sdmc530]

sorry, I should have been more clear. The basic 650 is around $600-650. Then you add:
Case feeder
feeder plate for different size cases
Strong mount
Roller handle
second die plate
bullet tray mount
extra primer tubes

you get the idea....you can use the basic step without dropping the extra $500 however you will want to after you get the basic set up....I did. now I can reload so dang fast is silly.

Started on a single stage Lee press that worked awesome but the speed was killing me. Took me all winter to load up my 45 alone, now a weekend and I am done.

[sdmc530]

Originally Posted by skosh69

I've never heard ANYONE that bought a Dillon say, "damn I wish I would've saved money and bought a RCBS Rock Chucker".


This is just my 0.02

THIS.....and one more thing their warranty is the BEST..no BS warranty to them is NO BS. No questions asked and the CS is so good.

[AFJuvat]

Another happy Lee Classic Turret Press user here.

No, it isn't the fastest, but it was inexpensive, and caliber changes cost about $50 for a new turret, shellholder, and dies.

[pitor]

Thank you guys, and thank you Padre for trying to steer me into a cost-saving direction . But I know that I'll want efficiency over control of the process. Understanding reloading is not as complicated nowadays. You can watch a couple of YouTube videos and have a pretty good idea of everything involved and the steps. I want to be able to spend an hour reloading and have all my reloads done for the month. So a progressive reloading system is what I need. Hence I'll be saving my money and waiting for when the time is right for a Dillon Progressive. Is Dillon the only brand that makes Progressive reloading presses?

[skosh69]

Originally Posted by pitor

Is Dillon the only brand that makes Progressive reloading presses?

No, just about everyone now offers a progressive, Hornady, RCBS, Lee.

Yes Pedro, save your money and wait, just like you did for your S/A 1911. You wanted a 1911, but you didn't just go out an buy whichever one you had the money for at the time. You waited and made an educated choice based on your needs.

Good luck.