Which Progressive Press

[snert]

I think Hornady's warranty is every bit as good as Dillion so i would say that is a wash………. but with the Hornary you don't have to buy after market parts to load quality ammo, well the powder measures on both are not up to the task. You can't drop powder accurately with the vibration of the press cycling. jim

+1 on the variable of bouncing and jostling the measure. It is best to have the powder measure on it's own table, grounded and isolated. works very well in that manner. Not nearly as accurate mounted to a press.

 

[JarheadAZ]

I'm not a BR shooter, and have never gotten officially into the discipline in the years since my Daughter turned 18 in 1992, which marks my return to shooting. There's nothing I could say (or think) of a derogatory manner about the discipline, I just follow a different piper is all.

I started handloading by buying a used Dillon RL550B shortly after my return. Shortly after, the Dillon became the team reloader for a shooting team based around a Marine Corps League Detachment in Northern NJ. A LOT of ammo got made and remade on that press, being operated by well over a dozen shooters, some of whom were decidedly heavy handed. The ammunition was used for Highpower National Match Course and for ANJRPC Sniper Matches during the middle five years of the 1990's.

In 1998, I moved to Central NY and took up F Open after the turn of the Century, mostly at Bodines and one memorable trip to NM to shoot in the First SOA Match at Whittington.

Around 2007, I backed off due to the consequences of my heart attack in 2004, and my Wife's major illness in 2006. But I continue shooting in local club matches to this day.

The Dillon has held up magnificently, and made vast quantities of ammunition destined for SAAMI chambers in Factory Rifles. Again, nothing more is done beyond what a basic 2-Die set can manage, but when adjusted with care, and operated with consistency, those 2-Die sets can make some surprisingly satisfying ammo.

I use stick powders pretty exclusively, and using the Dillon measure usually requires weighing individual charges for match ammo. A couple of decades of this can get tedious, as well as eating up probably months of time in itself over those decades. I eventually tried a Hornady LNL Automated Powder Dispenser. I miss the $200 less than the time I wasted before I bought it.

I have never needed another press. I am not tempted to seek another at this time. While not BR quality, the ammunition it has made rivals Factory Match Ammo, and in some cases works even better due to targeted load development. The club matches I shoot in are open to BR rifles as well, and although I have no illusions about overshadowing those shooters, I can occasionally get rather pleasingly near to their scores in the end.

In a world where I have deliberately limited myself to SAAMI chambers and factory rifles, the Dillon empowers me to find those rifles' potentials with reasonable load development, 2-Die sets, and diligent attention to consistent press operation. I have never paid for a single replacement part, and have only needed to try this guarantee once. This is not a rebuttal; it's a simple commentary on my two decades' personal experience with a used Dillon RL550B.

The basic beauty of the RL550B is that it also operates very well in single stage mode as well as progressive; and my loading technique employs it in both modes.

Greg

 

[brian427cobra]

I plan on getting a 550 Basic Loader and putting my Gen 2 Prometheus on top of it for my 223 6.5creed and 308 precision ammo, for pistol I use a 650, since I set it up 3 years ago I have only adjusted the powder measure, nothing else, my friends have Red progressive presses and are always messing with something, none of them ever come close to the speed and reliability of my 650, buy once cry once.

 

[powderbrake]

I have been reloading on a RCBS Rock Chucker for about 15 years now. I reload for for 9mm, .223, and .308 mostly and would like to spend more time shooting than reloading. I don't know anything about a progressive and I'm looking for suggestions on which progressive press I should get started with. Any and all suggestions will be much appreciated. Thanks

SD

I suggest the Dillon 550, and keep your Rockcrusher for small volume and new load/caliber workups.

I have owned about 15 progressive loaders, C&H linear, Star, Berdon, and Dillon. The Star was generally the most precise loader, but a pain in the rear to clear jams. I bought a Dillon 550, and saw how they had considered all the conditions that appear with progressive loaders, and solved most all the problems. I sold my two active Stars, one with auto case feed and auto index, all 6 other tool heads for different calibers, and bought another 550. I now have one set up for large primers and one for small.

I load about 15 different calibers of pistol and rifle, and the Dillon does a great job on all of them.

Since you did not state that you were into benchrest or 1000yard or F-class, all the discussion about the tiny details of making a precision competition round that have been discussed are not really applicable. In the future you can do those things to help your precision after you have become familiar with the 550. As to precision, I have a friend who loads all his highpower competition ammo on a dillon and he is a President's 100 shooter. I am a prairie dog shooter, and have taken them at 700 yards with a 22-250 loaded on my 550, so Dillons do produce good ammo.

I can make one one suggestion as to powder measures on the Dillon. I have been using the Lee Pro Auto Disk measure on my pistol calibers. Much cheaper than Dillon's, MUCH more accurate, never changes , as the hole size doesn't change, you can modify the hole size to fine tune the load, and its is operated by the case just like the Dillon. I have not yet tried this for rifle but I plan on testing in the future.

Go with Dillon, you can't go wrong, and they are a great company to deal with.