Which Reloading Machine do you have???

[cab83_750]

There is so much talk about rifles, guns, ammos, prices, etc., no one ever inquired about the 'machine.'

Which reloading machine do you guys own?
Any pros and cons about it?
If you were to buy another machine, which would you rather buy?
What media do you use for your tumbler?

Thanks

[on2wheels52]

I use a 550 Dillon for handgun rounds (means it will produce a nominal 550 loads/hour). I have not used it for rifle rounds for a number of reasons but it will certainly do so. I still have the RCBS Rockchucker press I bought in the 70's. I would use it if I wished to load a box of rifle hunting shells. A single stage press would be a good choice for someone getting a start. There's considerably more tools involved besides a press though. You might look at someones setup to get an idea.
Jim

[Mo_Gearhead]

Dillon Square Deal. (I only reload for my handguns).

Dillon products have a LIFETIME warranty. Break it, send it in, they replace it.

Edit:

Unfortunately their catalogs feature some very homely women!

[jriera]

Dillon Square Deal and Dillon 1050

[JTO]

I have had a Dillon 550B since 1990. I have loaded handgun ammo from 9mm to 454 Casull and rifle ammo from .308 to .375 H&H and 45-70. It has been a good performer and very flexible. I highly recommend Dillon reloading equipment.

Troy

[2.7RACER]

Dillon Square Deal, reloads about 100 45 acp per hour. Very accurate. Been using it for 15 years.
Dillon is a first class company. Dillon is loyal to their customers and gets loyalty back.

[id10t]

Cheap Lee setup for 12gauge. Worked OK, haven't used it in years (haven't shot skeet either....)

[Joeaksa]

Dillon 650 and 550. Getting ready to sell the 550 if anyone is interested because I just bought a like new 650 from fellow Pelican Jim (on2wheels) above.

Dillon offers a lifetime guarantee. Send the press back and they will overhaul it for free, forever. Hard to beat their service and sales. Its simply the best.

[Jeff Higgins]

Plain Jane RCBS single stage press for everything. RCBS, Lyman, Lee, and Forester dies depending on caliber. Lyman #55 powder measures, one for smokeless (plastic hopper) and one for black (aluminum hopper). RCBS 2-0-2 balance beam scale. Lyman lubricator/sizer machine. Lyman, RCBS, Saeco, Paul Jones, LBT, and Hoch bullet molds. Lyman casting pot and RCBS dipper. RCBS hand-crank case trimmer. Pretty basic stuff, pretty slow to use, but I've been using it for 30 years now with great satisfaction. I'm never in a hurry, so all the manual equipment suits me just fine.

[Rob Channell]

Dillon 650. I've been thinking of selling it for the last few years because I just don't have enough time to maintain the car habit AND the shooting habit with a family. Get a Dillon. You'll love it. In your shoes, Joe's 550 would be the first one I'd check out.

I started with the Lee Hand Loader. It's inexpensive and slow, but if you are careful and actually weigh your powder loads instead of using the standard cup scooper you can build some nice rounds. We always joked about it being the thighmaster reloader.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Joeaksa

Dillon 650 and 550. Getting ready to sell the 550 if anyone is interested because I just bought a like new 650 from fellow Pelican Jim (on2wheels) above.

Dillon offers a lifetime guarantee. Send the press back and they will overhaul it for free, forever. Hard to beat their service and sales. Its simply the best.

How much you want for the Dillion? PM sent.

[Rick Lee]

I have the old green RCBS single one. I need to eBay it off, as it's very heavy and I'm moving. I'll get a Dillon when I get settled.

[red-beard]

didn't ebay change it's rules to nothing firearm related?

[snowman]

Dillon 650

Works great for .308, 30-06, similar and smaller rifles and handgun ammo. I don't know about the big Wetherby stuff. BIG problems with 45-70 though. If thats what your going to be reloading I would go with something else. The 650 constantly mis feeds primers, leading to 3 primer "events" so far and a lot of holes in my ceiling. Completely destroys the primer tube and most everything else if you have 50 plus primers in it when it goes off. Out of every twenty rounds it will load at least one primer sideways or upside down. The ones that go in sideways are the ones that sometimes explode as they are turned to the next station. I have loaded over 1,000 rounds of 45-70 with it and will not ever use it to load 45-70 primers again. The machine has been returned to Dillon for repair and inspection, all parts have been replaced three times (Dillon provided all parts at no cost, no problem there).

I suspect that the problem is the shell plate, shape of the cartridge and primer allow primers to rotate easily. Also the 45-70 is just to big for the machine to handle, I do not think the 650 is precise and rugged enough for this monster shell. I would love to hear from someone with a 1050 that has reloaded 45-70s, whats your experience?

I have also loaded over 1,000 .308s without a single failure of any kind, smooth as silk. Same primers as 45-70. All pistol cartridges seem to work just as good.

The sizing dies and bullet seating dies are very important. I like the Redding Competition bullet seating die with micrometer adjustment. I also like to use a full length Dillon resizing die used in conjunction with a RCBS MIC. A good factory crimp die may be needed for some types of shells. Every step of reloading needs its own thread to discuss all the variables and ins and outs.

One point not mentioned enough is bullet seating depth. If you end up seating to close or into the lands you can easily overpressure the gun. This is especially a problem with compressed loads where a crimp is not used. Without a good crimp the bullet can actually work it way back out from say 0.020" off the lands to way INTO the lands. Usually a compressed load is also at or near maximum load, so it gets bad real quick. How do I know? Don't ask.

Progressive loaders also have another problem, You can't really use them they way you would want to use them. For example, one would like to decap and resize a shell, trim the shell to length, deburr the primer pocket, and CLEAN the shell, before proceeding to the next stage. You have to interrupt the loading sequence to do this.

[Jim Bremner]

how much will it cost to set up .45 acp, .308, 30/06 & 12 ga...and what system would you buy?



not that I would own anything that fires those rounds...guns are icky

[VINMAN]

Old RCBS Rockchucker. Gathering dust in the basement somewhere.. Havent reloaded in a while.

[snowman]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

how much will it cost to set up .45 acp, .308, 30/06 & 12 ga...and what system would you buy?



not that I would own anything that fires those rounds...guns are icky

Please go back to the Toyota or Honda Forum that you must have came from.

For the rest of us Porsche people, it would cost about $900 to set up for a single type of round, and about $200 for each additional type. I will qualify that with the following: For a Porsche type of quality setup. For a Chevy type it can be done for much less, say $200 to $400. I am not really sure because I try not to do things half asssed.

B4 I get a lot of crap from everyone who thinks they can do it for $1.98, remember, you must clean, thats at least $60 to $100, weigh powder $40 to $200, die set $30 to $250, press $50 to $1050, measure $20 to $400, Primer $20 to $??, Books $25 to $300, I am sure I missed something.

Bullets $25 per hundred, Brass $25 per 50, Powder $25 per 140, primers $22 per 1000, cleaning media $15 per bag, cleaning polish $8 per 500. Thats an approx. less for small stuff, more for big stuff.

Bottom line, if you want cheep, buy Wolf, if you want to reload, usually to get good consistent results for competitive shooting, you reload, but at almost the same or higher price than off the shelf ammo. For exotic ammo, like Weatherby at $50 to $120 per box of 20, then reloading makes sense. Or does it? If you are faced with a very mad Lion or water buffalo charging you, ready to eat you and or stomp you into the ground, do you want to use homemade ammo that might misfire or ammo that is extremely reliable and almost certainly will fire EVERY time.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by snowman

Please go back to the Toyota or Honda Forum that you must have came from.

Jack,

You are the only person who I have ever heard of who had a problem with any Dillon press. You already admitted that you were distracted when you had your last reloading "incident" but of course thats the press's fault.

How about you go back where you came from? Without a question Dillon is the industry leader and the best and safest product of its type. As I said months before when you had your last "incident," if you do not like or know how to operate the press, pls sell it and stop bad mouthing it.

[snowman]

I am reasonably good on a mechanical basis. I have built Porsche engines that survive 8500RPM without breaking, Chrysler, Chevy, Cadillac as well. I have built and used wire bonding equipment, die attach equipment that holds much much tighter tolerance than any reloading machine, not to mention are usually much finiker than any reloading machine. I have designed machines and devices that are very sophisticated, many used on such thngs as ICBMs, tanks, and ground support equipemnt.

My opionin is that the Dillon 650 is not safe to use to reload 45-70s. It has proven this to me many times. Even using extreem care it loads primers sideways. At least 1 out of 20. THis can NEVER be safe. The machine seems to work fine for smaller cartriges.

[Jim Bremner]

snojob,

satire ? I own a 1991a1, M1, M1a and a 870 along with some others