Reloading basics/getting started

[Col Del Rio]

Greetings,

 

I need some advice on reloading equipment. I shoot mostly 38 special for SASS, but also use 45 colt & 45 acp for wild bunch. I am getting tired of paying factory prices for ammo!

 

What are the preferred reloading presses/systems that you all like to use?

Is there a particular brand that I should shy away from?

Is there something that is easily adapted to all 3 calibers?

 

Any inputs welcome.

 

Much obliged,

 

Colonel Del Rio

 

 

[Cofachique Dick]

You are going to get a hundred answers, most involving spending a lot of money. But for starting out, and for ease of changing calibers, I want to get my vote in for a Lee turret press. You can spend a lot more, but these will do the job.

[Goody, SASS #26190]

Dillon 550b

[Brasspounder]

Talk to Dillon.

[Fillmore Coffins, SASS #7884]

Dillon Square Deal B.

 

Fillmore

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

Before those who prefer, blue, green, red or orange get started, would you please tell us about how many rounds a year you will load and whether you will shoot black powder? I have a blue progressive and an orange turret press and they both crank out ammo good enough for action shooting. Single stage presses are very easy to switch calibers. Progressives are a little more work but not excessively so. You can find powders that will work in all three cartridges you will load simplifying your inventory.

[Duncan Disorderly]

presses in three types - single stage, turret and progressive.

Single stage is the cheapest, simplest and often rec to newbies as you learn the basics without any unneccessary complications. If you are not mechanically inclined, a nervous nelly, a perferctionist or just poor this is a good choice. Lee challenger, rockchucker (rcbs?) are two popular ones.

You do each step of reloading in a batch then move on to the next step - so deprime/size, then prime, then powder, the seat bullet and crimp. You can do 100-200 rounds an hour.

A turrett is the same idea but with all the stages mounted at one time, you turn the turret to do the next stage. lee turret, dillon 550. Some of these can be made progressive. 200-400 rounds an hour is what some folks say they get. $200-400 range.

A true progressive (dillon 650, loadmaster by lee, others) mount all the stage and each handle pull does them all at the same time then the cases are automatically moved to the next stage. A 650 can easily pump out 800+ rounds an hour. Figure upwards of $1000.

 

In addition to whatever press you buy you'll need a bench, good powder scale, tumbler of some kind to clean brass, dies (for each caliber and misc bits for your press like shell holder or case feeder), powder, primers, bullets and cases. And a book or two for recipes and 'how to load'. Lyman makes good books. Storage space for all your stuff.
And I rec a chronograph ($100) to double check what you've created.

 

So the press, the bits, and the components..you expect to spend $400 at a min to start. And like any hobby the sky is the limit...

My bench...on the left is my MEC600 for shotgun..that is a winter project, to start and reload shotgun.



ON the right (big blue thing) is a dillon 650. I load 38 and 9 on it...3k+ rounds a year. Behind it is the red lee challenger, used for 30-06 and one day 30-30 and misc other tasks.
I have a set of shelves behind the bench with brass, bullets, ammo, etc on it. Under this bench is powder and some loaded ammo that I dont' shoot often. On the shelves is a cover over a lyman automatic dispenser..handy for some powders, like 4895 that is an extruded powder (used for garand 30-06). it's a pita to dispense.

The lee and mec were under $100 each (used). Dies about $40/caliber. the 650 was a cool $1100+..., the lyman on sale with a coupon and gift cert won as a door prize set me back $250ish. Not cheap but it makes loading 4895 about as fast as you can move your hands.

[Sedalia Dave]

Dillon Square Deal B.

 

Fillmore

+10

If all you reload are pistol calibers it is hard to beat. You can get quick change heads to swap calibers in 10 to 15 minutes.

[J-BAR #18287]

Most of the folks you shoot with are reloaders. Take the time to find out what equipment they use, then arrange to visit and watch them use their equipment. That way you can get first hand observation of different presses in operation, and probably see what they feel like yourself. It's also a good idea to spend time with experienced reloaders.

 

I did it this way, and was confident that the Dillon 550 was right for me as my first press. Many will recommend not starting on a progressive press, but I've had no problems doing it that way.

[Echeconnee Drifter]

Lots of folks here are likely to tell you to buy a progressive press from Dillon, but I would recommend you start with either a turret press or a single stage press. Really, before we can make recommendations on equipment though, we need to know how many rounds you expect to be loading and how often you expect to reload them.

 

When I reload, about once a week, I do anywhere from 100 to 200 rounds at a time. Compared to some people, that's not a lot, but it's plenty enough for you to shoot a match or long practice session every week. If you shoot one or two matches a month and rarely practice, spending a lot of money on a good progressive press from Dillon isn't going to be a good use of your money.

 

The first thing you absolutely need is a reloading manual. The Lyman and Hornady manuals IMHO are the best manuals to introduce a new reloader to the entire process. You can pick up one of these books for about $20. Before you buy anything else, buy one of those and read through it.

 

The reloading process boils down to several different steps, but there's lots of little things you're going to need and (in particular) the Lyman manual is good about making sure you know what those things are and even has check lists and such.

 

The bare basics necessary to reload are:

 

• Calipers, either dial or digital. I prefer dial.
• Powder scale
• Powder measure
• Case trim tool of some type - I love the Lee Quick Trim but there are other options
• Reloading press
• Set of dies for your caliber - The bare minimum is a resizing/decapping die and a bullet seating/crimp die, but a three or four die set will make things much easier for you
• Some way to prime the case - Many presses come with a primer built in, but some don't. And some people prefer hand primers anyway.
• Shell holder for your caliber

Other things you will find useful.

 

• Full set of dies for each caliber - Like I said above, a four die set makes reloading (particularly cast lead bullets) much easier. The Lee dies include a full-length resizing/decapping die, a case mouth belling/powder die (this expands the mouth of the case and makes seating the bullet much easier), a bullet seating die that can crimp as well, and a crimp die/post sizing die that will put a perfect crimp on your bullet and ensure the case is dimensioned properly after all other steps are completed.
• Tumbler of some sort. I prefer wet tumbling myself, but there are lots of folks who like vibratory tumblers. It isn't 100% necessary to clean your brass before reloading, but it is better to do so. I reloaded for two years before I started cleaning my brass. Clean brass doesn't shoot any better than dirty brass.
• A universal decapping die. This is particularly useful if you use a wet tumbler since it lets you quickly decap everything and then the tumbler will clean ever nook and cranny, including the primer pockets.
• Primer pocket reamer of swadger. This really isn't necessary for any of the loads you mentioned above, but if you reload .223 or some other calibers commonly used by the military, much of that brass has crimped primer pockets that have to be opened up to allow you to seat a new primer.

Shoot me a PM if you like and I'll make sure to take some time to go over all the different options you have and make sure you buy something you'll be happy with right from the beginning.

[Hoss]

I'm very pleased with my Lee Loadmaster. Probably 1/3 the cost of the Dillon 650. I'm not overly mechanically inclined, but I was able to figure it out. Reloading ain't rocket science! I've found that I really enjoy reloading. I don't "produce" anything at work, so making and then using my own bullets us very satisfying.

 

The Dillon fans with brag on the Dillon no BS guarantee. And from what I've heard, it's great. On the other hand, wouldn't it be better if your press did not break in the first place! I've only loaded about 6K rounds, so haven't really put my Lee thru the wringer yet, but my Pard has loaded 10s of thousands on his Lee with no issues.

 

Finding and adhering to good procedure is more important than what type press you use. I know, for me, I can't safely reload and watch TV, talk on the phone, chat with my wife or kids.

 

If you go with Lee, check out Titan Reloading. Best prices I've found.

[Charlie Whiskers]

When I started reloading about 6 or so years ago a friend that reloads a LOT recommended the Dillon 550. That's what I bought along with the balance beam scale, caliper, primer tray (I call it a spinner), tumbler and separator as well polish and media and 3 caliber conversion plates for 44-40, 38/357 and 45 acp. I also bought the die set for 38/357. Total was right at $750 for all of that. The 550 will also load rifle where the SDB won't. Also bought extra primer tubes for both small and large primers. Dillon has a lifetime warranty on their presses some others don't. I've loaded as many as 400+ an hour, but when I first got started it was more like 200 per hour. After I got familiar with the press and process the number per hour went up. Another friend of mine will load 500 an hour on his 550. I don't have the patience for that. Now I do a hundred maybe 2 an hour then take a break and go back to it for a while. I started my annual reloading session in mid November. By Christmas I was done after 3900 rounds. With what I had left over from 2014 I have about 4800 loaded. Enough for most likely all this coming season.

[Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life]

Dillon advertizes NOT to load black powder!

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Dillon 550b

THIS can't be said enough

Lifetime no BS warranty, and they mean it.

Been run'n one since 1987.

Thou "D" sez don't load the 'black'. I can say that Goex 3F meters very well.

Dillon is a supporter of SASS and has been for years. LEE?? Never seen their booth at any event I have attended.

 

OLG

[Rye Miles #13621]

I would recommend getting a single stage press and start there. It will teach you the basics of reloading one stage at a time. Once you master that then you can move up to a progressive or turret. I like the Dillon 550B myself. Oh yea you will always have a need for that SS press regardless of what you end up with. You can buy a RCBS "rock chucker" either used or new for a minimal investment, you won't be sorry!

 

--Rye

[Capt. Wild Willy McDonald]

I'm new to CAS but NOT new to reloading. I'll skip the rhetoric about safety, manuals, using other folk's recipes, etc. and go right into your question.

 

You have to decide whether you're willing to pay for "learner" equipment first, and then tool up for heavier production equipment later. What I mean is that the BEST way to learn how to reload is on a single stage press. It takes FOREVER to load bulk ammo but you learn step by step what is going on by forcing you to focus on one stage/step at a time. The problem with progressive presses for new reloader is that there is a lot going on at the same time and if something "fails" in a cycle, it creates a cluster situation. IN ADDITION, you may accidendally double charge a round or create a squib load (i.e., no powder but the primer fires and causes the bullet to lodge in the barrel as it doesn't have enough energy to make it through the barrel). That is real bad if you don't recognize the sound and fire another round right behind it. In other words, you can really make a mistake that may hurt you/someone else or damage your guns. The "upside" for initially buying a single stage press and maybe later going with a progressive is that as you get into reloading, you may likely end up using the single stage if you want to load more accurate rifle rounds (say, if you're a hunter or a long range target shooter).

 

As far as presses. I use a Forster single stage for my hunting rifle loads and I have a Dillon 650 press for my "bulk" loading. I have some other presses not worth mentioning but those two are my workhorses. With the 650, you can have various toolheads set up with many different calibers (pistol and/or rifle) making caliber changes easy. The best thing about the 650 over the 550's is that it has automatic indexing. What that means is that every time you pull the handle, the shell plate rotates to the next station instead of having to move it yourself. It's one less thing you have to do (but then again for a newbie, the auto-indexing creates more problems). If you get the automatic shell feeder with the 650, all you basically have to do is place a bullet on a case and pull the handle. You also have to stop every now and again to feed the primer tube and add powder. Another benefit of the 650 over the 550 is that you get an extra "station" on your toolhead (6 vs 5). This may be nice for a powder check alarm which is another dummy-proof gadget to ensure that you don't either double charge or "no-charge" a case. I also think you can't add the auto case feeder to the 550. For a little over $130, I think these benefits of the 650 justify the cost over the 650. I've been reloading with a 650 for years. I went right to the 650. You can realistically load from 750-1000 rounds in one hour if everything is humming along.

 

Dillon has a monster 1050 press which is their super industrial strength press. It's like $1750 and only comes with a one year warranty whereas the 650 has a "lifetime no-BS" warranty (never understood that). I also believe that it makes marginally more bullets per hour and is huge! I've tried to justify upgrading to the 1050 but as creative as I can be in justifying this stuff, I haven't stepped up nor anticipate doing so.

 

You can also get a turret press and treat it like a single stage but I think that's no substation for a progressive press when you want to start loading some serious quantities.

 

Don't forget that you also have to buy some other equipment as wells such as a vibratory case cleaner, powder scale, tumbler, measuring devices, etc.

 

Do the math. My "back of the envelope" calcs indicated that my cost to reload a .38 round is about $.08-.10 (that is just the primer, powder and bullet and using your own case). This is also not calculating the value of my time in not only the reloading process itself, but today some more effort is spent on gathering and buying your components (powder, primer, bullets, etc). Plus not to mention the "prep" time BEFORE you start reloading (cleaning/sorting cases, feeding primer tubes, setting up the press, etc.). 38 special is not the most expensive ammo to buy. Figure out how much you need to spend up front in reloading equipment and divide it by your per/round savings to calculate how many rounds you need to load to "break even".

 

After all that I mentioned above, even having the equipment, I don't reload (yet) for .38. The "cost" of an extra $100-$200/per month of buying bulk ammo over reloading it myself is worth it as far as time savings. If I end up shooting over 1000 rounds/month during matches and live fire practice, then I may consider it. For now, I'd rather spend the extra time with the family and/or actually shooting. Hmmmm, maybe that's a nice topic for another thread.

 

Sorry for the "brain dump"... hope it helps.

 

CWWM

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

So...reloading is complicated????

 

Really????

 

Dang...good thing I didn't know that when I bought my first Dillon 11 years ago.

 

Phantom

[Nickel City Dude]

I started reloading on a Lyman single stage press and quickly moved to the turret press model. When I was only shooting my Henry with black powder for N-SSA it was fine. I was also loading blanks for Civil War reenacting and again the Lyman was OK. But I have been known to shoot 690 blanks in one weekend reenactment so I spent a lot of time in my reloading room. I really didn’t mind to much as I kinda enjoy reloading. But then a reenactor friend of mine told me how he loads blanks for CW reenacting on a Dillon 650 and that started me thinking. I took a look at his set up and decided that this was for me and I got a Dillon 650. Then when I started into Cowboy shooting last summer the 650 really showed me what it could do. I now use my Dillon to make .44 Mag. reenacting blanks for my Henry and 44-40 cowboy pistol and rifle loads. I also load cut down .38 Spl. shells for blanks that I sell to cowboy reenactors and .45LC blanks for theatrical performances at a local amusement park. I love my Dillon and always get great technical assistance from them.

If you can afford the Dillon that is the way to go. Of course if money is tight and time is plentiful than a single stage press will serve you well. But you must have a scale either way you go. Here is what my Dillon looks like.

[J-BAR #18287]

Dillon advertizes NOT to load black powder!

 

 

...in their powder measure. But I know a lot of guys who do it.

 

I use dippers to throw the black powder charges in my cartridges. I place the primed belled cases in a tray of 50, charge with a dipper, then seat and crimp the bullet. It does not take much extra time and gives me a chance to inspect each cartridge before it's finished.

 

I do it this way to avoid having to change the charging bar in the Dillon powder measure from the one for small (smokeless) powder charges to the one for large (blackpowder) charges.

[Nickel City Dude]

 

 

I do it this way to avoid having to change the charging bar in the Dillon powder measure from the one for small (smokeless) powder charges to the one for large (blackpowder) charges.

Why not get a second powder measure then you will not have to change the charge bars?

[J-BAR #18287]

Why not get a second powder measure then you will not have to change the charge bars?

 

 

I'm cheap, and the bench is crowded!

 

Actually, when I am throwing smokeless powder through the Dillon measure, I still take the charged cases off at the 3rd station in trays of 50 and inspect each one for full powder charge and split rims after belling. So having a second measure would not change my procedure significantly.

 

I had a squib many years ago and promised myself I will not have another, especially since my son has started shooting with me and using my reloads. I will NOT take a chance on either of us having an out of battery discharge. So I inspect each case after throwing the powder, and then put each finished cartridge through a checking gauge before boxing them up for a match.

 

Obviously I do not reload quickly. I will load for a couple of hours a day and then quit until I have enough ammo for a both of us for a few matches ahead. If it was necessary for me to reload thousands of rounds in a few hours I would get different equipment.

 

But I trust my reloads. It's aggravating to listen to some of my fellow shooters tolerate variations in powder charges from shot to shot, or squibs. or cartridges that won't chamber. One does not have to tolerate those problems in reloaded ammo.

[Capt. Wild Willy McDonald]

If you want to look into Dillon's a bit more, they publish a monthly catalog (called the Blue Press) that lists all of their products plus a decent comparison table for all of their presses. The cover has some decent eye candy as well.

[Charlie Whiskers]

I keep seeing folks talk about needing a powder check station so you don't double charge a case or not charge a case. I use a Dillon 550. I use 3 die sets. Position 1...place brass, pull handle...de-prime and resize brass, push handle forward and seat new primer. Move/ rotate that one to position 2. Place new brass in Pos 1...repeat process, at Pos 2 brass is being belled and charged with powder. Move charged brass to position 3, moving Pos 1 re-primed brass to Pos 2, place new brass in Pos 1, place bullet in belled brass in Pos 3. Pull handle, seat and crimp bullet and case . What I'm eventually getting at is it's almost impossible or highly unlikely you'll ever double charge a brass on the 550. UNLESS you re- seat an already seated and crimped cartridge, re-bell and re- charge an already belled and charged piece of brass and de-prime, re-size and re- prime the brass you already did in Pos 1. About the only way to screw up is if you're interrupted at some point for whatever. Then just leave everything the way it was when you were interrupted. When you get back to it just look at what's been done. Maybe I'm missing something here about needing a powder check station.

[Rance - SASS # 54090]

Well...

I started CAS like you only about 12 years earlier.. A newby like your sayin'...

I knew nothing much about guns.. Let alone reloadin'..

When I was ready ta start reloadin'.. I asked about 5 different CAShooters in the club..

I didn't get 5 different answers.. All I heard 1st. was Dillon.. and 2nd. was 550B..

I called Dillon and they got me set up..

I told them I was a newby and that I wanted a 550B..

I asked them what else I needed.. They led me down the correct path..

I got all the stuff they suggested..

I, myself.. Put the Dillon reloaded together..

I, myself.. Mounted the reloaded to the bench... (Actually built my bench)

I, myself.. Set up each stage so it was working correctly before goin' to the next stage..

After I was done.. I called a CAS reloadin' buddy over to check out what I had done..

He looked at it.. Pulled the handle a few times.. And said "Looks like yer ready ta go.."

Yeah.. I've fine tuned things after startin' but still... "It ain't Rocket Science "

Ya just need to pay a lot of undisturbed attention..

 

Dance

Thinkin' I did it.. So relax.. Get yer stuff and get it started..

This is just my Thinkin' tho..

 

 

Oh yeah.. About the only thing that Dillon recommended, I bought, and haven't used?

The spare parts kit.. Who knew??

[Nickel City Dude]

J-Bar

The powder check device that Dillon sells works great to make sure you get a powder charge and that you don’t over charge a shell. When I am loading black powder charges it is easy to see in the case if the charge is there or not but when I load small volume smokeless charges I depend on the powder check device to make sure of the powder charge.

[J-BAR #18287]

J-Bar

The powder check device that Dillon sells works great to make sure you get a powder charge and that you don’t over charge a shell. When I am loading black powder charges it is easy to see in the case if the charge is there or not but when I load small volume smokeless charges I depend on the powder check device to make sure of the powder charge.

 

 

It doesn't fit the 550; it only the fits the XL650 and RL1050/Super 1050 machines.

[Nickel City Dude]

 

 

It doesn't fit the 550; it only the fits the XL650 and RL1050/Super 1050 machines.

Sorry didn't know that. My only experience with Dillon has been the XL650. Maybe a good excuse to up grade!

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

I keep seeing folks talk about needing a powder check station so you don't double charge a case or not charge a case. I use a Dillon 550. I use 3 die sets. Position 1...place brass, pull handle...de-prime and resize brass, push handle forward and seat new primer. Move/ rotate that one to position 2. Place new brass in Pos 1...repeat process, at Pos 2 brass is being belled and charged with powder. Move charged brass to position 3, moving Pos 1 re-primed brass to Pos 2, place new brass in Pos 1, place bullet in belled brass in Pos 3. Pull handle, seat and crimp bullet and case . What I'm eventually getting at is it's almost impossible or highly unlikely you'll ever double charge a brass on the 550. UNLESS you re- seat an already seated and crimped cartridge, re-bell and re- charge an already belled and charged piece of brass and de-prime, re-size and re- prime the brass you already did in Pos 1. About the only way to screw up is if you're interrupted at some point for whatever. Then just leave everything the way it was when you were interrupted. When you get back to it just look at what's been done. Maybe I'm missing something here about needing a powder check station.

 

Pretty much says it all

My best friend showed me basics on a Rockchucker and said I should jump in with a progressive as it wasn't that hard and he foresaw my need for

more pistol ammo even back then.

I believed him and got that first 550 in 1982

Around these parts I am not a high volume shooter. typically about 12-15 thousand rounds a year.

Started SASS late 2006 - early 2007

Got my second a year or two ago (so I did not have to change small primer/large primer bar)

The next squib or double charge that I get will be my first in 32 years of reloading

My rifle hunting ammo and SASS long range stuff is loaded on my 550's and is considerably more accurate than I am.

Go blue progressive and don't look back

 

Regards

 

 

Gateway Kid

[Lefty Dude, SASS # 51223]

We, in our Family all have Dillon Square Deals, Four as of last count, all family members in Arizona and Kalifornia. Most of us also have RCBS Rock-Chuckers for our hunting Rifle needs.

 

Two weeks ago I taught a new SASS shooter how to use a Dillon SDB. He never reloaded before. We set up his press, I did the initial adjustments as he watched and made notes. In less than an Hour he was loading 38 specials. He shot his first CAS/SASS match with his reloaded ammo.

 

For a novice reloader the Dillon SDB is very hard to beat.

 

I bought my first Square deal when they first came out in the 1980's.

[Sedalia Dave]

My first progressive I loaded about 500 rounds 1 at a time. Put 1 case in and then do each step with that one case. Keep doing this until you fully understand what each station is doing and you are not making ANY mistakes along the way. Once you get the hang of it then you can start putting in a case every time.

 

A lot of people push Dillon and their warranty. RCBS, Hornady, and Lee will also replace failed parts free of charge and have excellent customer service. RCBS has replaced parts for me twice. One was a part lost in a move and the other was a failed deprimer stem in a die.

My advice is to pick up a couple of books on reloading and read up on the process and tools needed. the Lyman reloading manual is a good place to start and is a good addition to any reloading library. Read up, talk to people and take a look at their setups. Decide what you think you need, Then see how close you can get on your available budget. Kits are often a less expensive than buying a part at a time.

Take the time to figure out what it will cost in material for you to load a box of 50 rounds vs what you are currently paying. Decide if the time it takes to pay for all the equipment is acceptable to you. In my case reloading saves me about $8.00 per box of 50 rounds over buying factory smokeless loads. Given that the wife and I shoot a minimum of 500 upwards to 1000 rounds per month and we shoot year round, I have paid for all my equipment in about a year. Now the money I am saving pays for my time. Reloading has also allowed me to afford to venture over to the dark side with BP and subs.

 

One parting piece of advice, digital scales are very popular but can be tricky and will give erroneous weights if you are not careful. The manual balance beam powder scale is low tech and all but fool proof.

 

YMMV

[Houston CAS]

Thanks for this thread. I want to eventually start reloading as well. My challenge is space for the press, so I think a Dillon will be out based on those photos. One day.

 

I was thinking about getting one of those Lee hand presses that don't even need a table to work with, but I don't know if that would be too difficult. Having a reloading system that fits in a small box is appealing, though. Anyone use one of those?

 

Initially, I'd be just reloading .38 Special, but long-term I want to be able to do 9mm, .25-06, and .223. Maybe .300 Savage and .300 Blackout.

 

I'd say 200-300 rounds of .38 Special per month and a box of twenty 25-06 rifle rounds for hunting in the fall. Anything else would be gravy.

[Blackey Cole]

I recommend a dillon press either the 550 or 650 depending on how your gonna reload and how often you plan to reload.

 

Case example 1)

You gonna reload as you shoot it so you need to be able to swap calibers frequently. Then get the 550 switch calibers that use the same primer ie 45 LC and 45 acp will take a couple of minutes to pull the two pins that hold the toolhead in place pop in another toolhead with the correct dies then swap out the shell plate and alignment pins. To switch to another primer size ie 45 (large primer) to 38 (small primer) takes about 5 minutes if you are familiar with the process. So switch calibers isn't that hard or time consuming once you set up each toolhead with the dies for each caliber which I recommend doing.

 

Case example 2)

Your gonna load a thousand or more pieces at a time of each caliber before swapping calibers. I would get the 650. Then like above get a tool head setup with powder measure and dies set for each caliber. I would either do the 38 and then swap to the 45s or vice versa that way your only swapinh the primer system once per 650 will take about twice as long to conver primer size setups. Like I said you need toolheads setup for each caliber with powder measure that way it is set from batch to batch and all you do is check the powder load from time to time and there chance of dropping a charge for 45 colt in a acp or an acp charge in the colt. Everything is set initially and stays set unless you change powder or decide you want to tweek your powder charge from one batch to the next. The 650 is for switching calibers every day. You can but you'll spend a lot of time adjusting it. That's why I say get it if your going load 1k or more at a time preferably five thousand per batch of each caliber.

 

Dillon has enough accessories that you can spend over a grand on the 650 for the press and everything for one caliber. Then a few hundred per caliber afterwards or you can buy the press setup for one caliber then quick change kits for the other two with either the 550 or 650 a digital or beam scale, bullet puller, micrometer and primer tools and be under the grand and if you go with the Lee four die sets for either press and the safety accessories you'll have what you need and a good setup. You can add the case feeder later if you desire for either press not that reliable for the 550 from my conversations with dillon as it was an after thought item but the 650 was designed to have it.

 

Now where to get it. I would look for a used setup with everything you need included. No need to worry if the dillon press works or not if it doesn't box it up send it in to dillon they will fix it or rebuild it if that's required and send it back. Normally at no charge except shipping. They have an outstanding warranty. I like the Lee dies like I said the four die set has the sizing die a powder and flaring die that you will not use if you get the powder die from dillon which I recommend if your going to use their powder measure which I also recommend. Then you'll use the seating die then the factory crimp die. That last die is very nice it puts the crimp you need for the tubal magazine rifles so the recoil doesn't push the bullet further in the case causing problems. If you go with the 550 it only has 4 positions for dies which is what I covered just now I use the low primer warning system and the low powder warning system when I reload on the 550 nice thing you only need one of each for the 550 and 650 as the powder warning system doubles as the measures cap on the resivor. If you go with the 650 you'll need to get a powder check die and warning system for each toolhead so it is setup for that calibers charge and it will warn you of a light or no charge condition or a double or heavy charge condition. I wish I could use it on the 550 but it would requir doing away with one of te primary dies. Another nice feature of the 650 beside the five die positions or stages is its an auto index press which means everytime you do a complete cycle of the operating lever it automatically indexes the case to the next stage or position so one less thing you need to do.

 

This is an example of what a 650 can do when fully decked out. You add a case feeder and a bullet feeder ( from a third party) and a electro ram of some sort all you will need to do is feed the primers, brass and bullets and step on the Rams actovater and after the first four cycles everytime you step on the activator you will kick out a fully loaded round if everything is setup correctly. But those setups run close to two grand or more and are normally setup fir one caliber only need to reload a second get another press setup. But you can easily run thousands of rounds in a few hours. Probably close to 1k per hour if you got primers in extra pickup tubes, bullets handy and brass just waiting to be tossed in the case feeder. That's the idea setup and to pay for it you can get a ffl ammo builder permit/license and can sell your excess ammo. But there a serious liability that goes with it.

 

I told you about the two most popular dillon presses and what can be done with them. I'm sure there owners that only have one toolhead cand powder measure that prefer to setup the dies each time, weigh every bullet and charge but when you shoot a few hundred rounds every week that would take the whole week to do. Me I have a tool head for each caliber with a powder die from dillon not every caliber uses the dillon measure as I had a couple of Lee measures from my previous setups but the ones I use most use the dillon measure and die some I have to swap the measure some have its own measure and some have Lee measures. They all have Lee dies with a factory crimp die for the handgun calibers the rifle die setups are different.

 

To mount the press get what they call a strong mount and the bullet tray or bin and the brass bin setups so everything is right there. Grab a piece of brass and slide it in to station one, grab a bullet and set it on the brass in station three on the 550 four on the 650 and pull the lever down and raise it back up seating the bullet on the down stroke, and dropping the powder charge, sizing the brass and depriving it on station one and crimping the bullet on station four on the 550. On the up stroke you prime the brass in station one. Rotate and repeat. 650 is the same except between station two and three on the 550 the 650 has the powder charge check system normally so it take five pulls to get the first round instead of the four for the 550 but you know your charge is close to being correct. On the 550 you have to visually check each round.

[Ace_of_Hearts]

Thanks for this thread. I want to eventually start reloading as well. My challenge is space for the press, so I think a Dillon will be out based on those photos. One day.

 

I was thinking about getting one of those Lee hand presses that don't even need a table to work with, but I don't know if that would be too difficult. Having a reloading system that fits in a small box is appealing, though. Anyone use one of those?

 

Initially, I'd be just reloading .38 Special, but long-term I want to be able to do 9mm, .25-06, and .223. Maybe .300 Savage and .300 Blackout.

 

I'd say 200-300 rounds of .38 Special per month and a box of twenty 25-06 rifle rounds for hunting in the fall. Anything else would be gravy.

 

For the space challenged person.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/155024/frankford-arsenal-portable-reloading-stand

 

Add a TV tray, a tool box and a chair to sit on and you have more than enough to get you started.

[Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329]

I recommend you start out by reading The ABC's of reloading 6th edition by C. Rodney James.

When I started reloading, this book really helped a lot.

I found the previous editions by Dean Grennell not very helpful for the rank beginner.

I know they are now in the 9th editions, but I have not read any past the 6th -- it was just what I needed.

 

Dillons are great presses, but I'm not sure if they are best for a beginner.

But, I also don't know if you'll be learning alone or with a knowledgeable friend.

 

I would recommend a turret press to start, and once you are a veteran loader, a Dillon 550.

Then either keep the turret (I still use mine a lot) or sell it.

A Lee cast iron 4-hole turret press will retain a lot of its value, so if you sell it, you can recoup most of your investment.

 

A lot of folks come from shooting families and learn to reload early on.

I didn't and had to learn everything by myself.

You can gauge where you are in the mix.

--Dawg

[Slowhand Bob, 24229]

i agree, start with a LEE turrett, get your basics and then decide if something more is needed. Most of those who have elaborate multi-press set-ups are either into something very advanced, have more money (and space) than time and some just like to flex their need for bigger and more expensive toys than the other guy. If space is small and you have some spare time, the LEE might just be all the press you ever need, otherwise it could still always be a good second press. By the way, I moved on beyond the Dillon line to the top and now load on the Hornady LNL AP

For the shotgun, should you ever wish to try it, go with the MEC 600. Unless you get into shooting clays big time it will serve your needs well for a lifetime. It would seem unlikely that cowboy shooting alone would ever give a worthwhile return, loading shot shells, unless you go over to the addictive side and start loading black powder.

PS: Unless they have fixed the LEE auto presses, stay away from them. They look great in principle but come up way short in practice!