Lee Loadmaster vs Dillon 550b
 

Being a cheapskate and a pretty good mechanical engineer/DIY/tinkerer type, I am considering buying a Lee LoadMaster progressive reloader ($229 w/ 9mm die set) vs the better more expensive Dillon 550B (about $500 w/ 9mm die set).

I have read many reviews about the Lee and the non-mechanically inclined types seem to have many problems, while many apparently mechanical engineer types say it works great. I "think" I am more than capable of making improvements to the weak points of the Lee and would really like to order one, but everyone I know who reloads says I should stick with the pricier Dillon.

I know all about Dillon's fine reputation and life time warranty, but the tinkerer in me wants to give the Lee a go.

Anyone here ever try making a Lee Loadmaster (or even the cheaper Lee 1000) work reliably for thousands of rounds?

Lee Load-Master Progressive Press Kit 9mm Luger - MidwayUSA

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1262195143.jpg

I have the Lee Loadmaster. I use it for .223, but I think it's kind of overkill for 9mm (don't need that many die stations). I have the Lee Pro 1000 for 9mm "range" loads. I just picked up a Lee Classic Turret for my "competition loads".

The one weakness in my Loadmaster setup is the powder measure. The Lee Perfect Powder Measure allows small ball powders like BL-C2 to work it way out the side and you end up with a mess everywhere. I'm going to try to fit a Hornady powder measure to it. That said, it shouldn't be an issue for you with 9mm because you will be using a flake powder like Red Dot or Bullseye with the Autodisk powder measure.

I'd honestly start out with a single-stage press if I were you. You need to have a feel for what the press is doing to set it up properly and avoid mistakes. For example you must move fast through certain parts of the stroke and slow through other parts for it to consistenly work correctly. You will also gain an appreciation for what each die does and how to correct mistakes (or if a shell should just be tossed).

I appreciate the feedback Legion. I understand that there is some feel and nuances involved, but I am quite confident I can get the hang of it without first tinkering with a single stage press. I m a custom machine designer by day and am well versed in indentifying mechanical issues with simple to complex machinery. I intend to reload thousands of 9mm per year for IDPA practice and some day "may" reload other calibers including .223 depending on whether I start shooting the other calibers in mass quantities. From what I read, the main issues with the Loadmaster have to do with the primer feeding.... I am thinking I should be able to address those issues even if it requires reverse engineering some of the "plastic" components and making them out of 4140 pre-hard or tool steel.

I find the primer feeding is mostly fine on the Loadmaster [edit:] as long as I keep at least 20 primers in the chute. The Pro 1000 I have the most primer issues with as the screw that sets the tension on the shell detector also holds it in place. Set it too tight, no primers feed. Set it too loose, and it will eventually back its way out. I've been unable to find any setting between too tight and too loose.

Tim, if anyone can do it, it's you. No worries, I just wanted to pass on my thoughts. I know that I learned a lot by starting out with a single-stage.

Oh, and if you do happen to make some upgrades, can you make two copies of each piece? ;)

Oh, and another tip: if you decide to get a bullet feeder, you must use flat-backed bullets. Dished-back bullets will not feed.

fwiw I think the Dillion probably weighs twice as much as the Lee.
I went blue.
Jim

The LEE sounds alot like a British car...that always needs tinkering with..

If U are going to reload thousands of rounds U do not want to have to keep messing around with the machine you want to get the job done as smoothly and as quickly as possible.

If U buy the one that needs tinkering you will get tired of it sooner or later. At that time either you will lose interest or buy the better machine.

Can anyone tell me if this looks like a good deal?
DILLON RELOADING MACHINE-XL 650

When I first started reloading, I'll share the same advice I was given: Don't F around, get a Dillon.

So long as you are mindful of what you're doing, a progressive is just fine to start on. I started on a 550B myself.

GTC, if everything's with that 650, it's a smokin deal and should be grabbed without hesitation. Even if it doesn't work, you can send it back to Dillon and they'll fix it for free.

I can't add anything to the thread. And not to hijack but a reloading question. I used to reload. Going through my stuff I found a box of .44 mag reloaded in 89' 21.6 grains 2400, 210 grain JHC They never got wet. I heard if they never get wet and stored well they should be OK. Any thoughts?

Under those conditions we'll all be dead before they go bad.
Jim

Apparently you were right... :(

My wife's boss just told me he upgraded to a Dillon 650 and will sell me his 550b for $500 cash which is all set up for 9mm. It is in perfect shape and comes with some "spare" parts. It has about $80 worth of options which combined with the 9mm dies is an OK deal I guess.

Still.... The $229 Lee is making my decision difficult.

You know you want to develop (and sell me) a usable bullet feeder for .223 for the Loadmaster...

Buy a Dillon. You will have it for life...

BTW, if he has had the press for a bit, send it back to Dillon and they will make it new for free.... forever. Their warranty coverage is better than anyone elses.

Just wait for the "Big Fifty" to come out and get one of those...

Are you talkin 50 BMG....

Otherwise you don't know what you are talkin about with the BIG FIFTY.....LOL

When you say BIG FIFTY..that usually means 50 Caliber SHARPS...50/90 was a factory chamber and the 50/140 was a late chambering....That is 50 caliber and 140 grains of Black Powder....I have had both and have shot both....the 50/140 is akin to shooting a piece of artillery that your holding to yur shoulder....not a pleasant experience under ANY circumstances...you pull the trigger once and just the thought of pulling it again makes you wince and flinch....you actually close your eyes as you pull the trigger the second time. Then you put the rifle down and vow never to shoot it again...LOL...

With the 50/140 the bullet sounds like a howizer as you see it head for the target.

Yep, those things are like money in the bank. Take a 10-15% hit when you buy it then it doesn't lose any additional value.

That's exactly what I did when I put my 650 up for sale last year. What I paid minus 15% and sold it before the sun went down. On the competition shooting boards (Brian Enos), they sell in a matter of minutes after posting.

Still keeping my 550 even though I don't reload at the moment.

I was joking. The "Big Fifty" is Dillon's new progressive .50 BMG press.

http://www.gunblast.com/images/SHOT2...2/DSC04951.JPG

This thread made me go back and read that "other Dillon" thread.

That was such a tragically epic train wreck of a thread.

We should petition to let him back.

He was "entertaining" to say the least.

I have no doubt that Dillon stuff is top-notch. I'll probably own one one day, but for the price of one Dillon press (albeit a top of the line one), I own five Lee presses.

And for the quality of one Dillon, you will prolly wear five Lee presses out!

Its all what you want. I am still wearing the Rolex I bought in the PX in 1973/4 era. Its like new. I could have bought a Timex and tossed it hundreds of times. Would prefer to have something of quality.

Yeah, what he said. Trust me that, if you plan on using the press, you'll want to spring for the Dillon. I've loaded literally hundreds of thousands of rounds on my two and they just kept on working.

Oh, yeah, things break, on a rare occasion. If that happens, you call Dillon and they send you replacement parts for free, no questions asked. If you look at the results from USPSA's national championships, they show the equipment the top shooters used. Things like bullet manufacturer, bullet weight, powder, holster, and what model Dillon they load on. No, I didn't mis-type...there's not even a spot for press manufacturer....it's what Dillon they use.

Do what you want but you asked for advice and those of us who have pulled the handle a bunch are always glad to share.

I spoke with a fellow aircraft builder/IDPA master last night who owns several Dillon 650's and echoed you're sentiments about ALL the top rated folks he competes nationally with in IDPA..... they all use Dillons. That said, I am guessing that many guys go Dillon just because they see the top guys using them. I am going to do some more research, before making my decision (but will probably end up just buying the Dillon as it is set-up and ready to go).

I am thankful that no one here has tried to tell me that I CAN'T make a Lee work.... ;):D The challenge of re-engineering and /or developing new automated accesories for them is VERY tempting. :)

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

I've been researching progressive presses to replace my old Lyman Spar-T turret press, and I'm leaning towards the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP1000, but the Lee and Dillon are also nice equipment...

Tim, I don't think you can make a Lee work. ;) :D

Hey Tim,

I DO NOT think that you can BREAK a Dillon 550 or 650.

You are a pansy and doubt that you have the balls to prove me wrong! :)

Joe A

:D

I just was watching some video of the Loadmaster. I really like the collater/ 4 tube type case feeder and the accessory bullet feeder. It looks super fast compared to the Dillon 550 videos even without the bullet feeder. Are there any semi-auto case feeders for the Dillon besides the pricy electric feeder type they offer as an accessory? The Lee auto indexes also whereas the Dillon 550 must be manully indexed.

Hmmm, are you questioning my mechanical prowess? By god I might just have to prove you wrong. :D

The 550 is a manually indexed unit, while the 650 is full auto and does it everytime you pull the handle.

Not sure about accessories on the 550, have more experience on the 650. Call Dillon, sure that they will be glad to help.

So basically the Loadmaster at $229 does the same functions as a XL650 at a little over $600 with one set of dies. Man, this decision seemed easier when I thought the Dillon 550 and Lee Loadmaster functioned the same.

As long as they weren't stored in high humidity/temp, they should be fine.

Well sorta. A 1960's Chevy Corvair has a six cylinder air cooled engine in the back.

So does a 911 of various years.

Both will get you to and from work. Which one do you really want to drive? Which one will get you across the country non-stop with no problems? Which one will be worth the same or more in 25+ years?

Are Federal small pistol primers back in stock anywhere yet?

Buy the dillon. No question.
I've had mine for 15 years. Tens of thousands of rounds.

BTW, does the loadmaster use standard dies?

Yes, everything produced in the last 20 years does.

For most people the Dillon is better, but Tim is a master machinist. The normal rules do not really apply for him IMO.

I have a Load Master and and Pro 1000. They are O.K. but not great. Sorta like a bicycle who's chain comes off once per ride. Actually not "sorta" - EXACTLY like a bike whose chain comes off every ride at least once.

I use the Load master for 44mag and .45ACP

• Shell feeder GREAT. Just fill the hopper and give a few shakes .
• Primer feeder "magazine" GOOD. Just fill the hopper and give a few shakes and it turns them all right side up. It does get gummed up with loose powder sometime though.
• Primer seating BAD. It relies on the "miracle of friction" for its little arm linkage to operate. If you lube it with STP (a very thick oil) it works - kinda.

The most common mode of failure is upside down or sideways primers being seated. It's been a while but I'd say it fails me about 1 out of 50 times.

I'm surprised at the complexity of the Dillon case feed (mechanical vibrating hopper isn't it?). Given how well the simple Lee one works. I wonder if Lee has patented it or something? Same thing for the primer hopper.

Tim, If you are the kind of guy to get pissed off at poor design you might want to give the Lee a pass. If on the other hand, if raising your children has given you the patience of a saint, the Lee will work fine.

-Chris

Thats the problem here. Tim would be forever fussing with how to improve a Lee loader. Thats the last thing he needs to do. He should pull the handle and pump out rounds ready to shoot, not spend 80% of his time trying to re-engineer the puppy.

He would be simply reloading and moving ahead with the Dillon. Except for frigging Snowman, have never known of anyone having any issue with a Dillon.

I think Tim wants to fuss over how to make the Lee work better. He's a tinkerer. A machine that just works right out of the box is probably far less interesting to him.