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| One of Us |
Is there a listing on this site comparing the following progressive reloading presses: Dillon D-550 and d-650 Hornady T-N-T Lee 1000 Thanks. | ||
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| one of us |
....Remember that this is all supposed to be for fun!.................. | |||
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One of Us |
The Hornady and the Dillon are both great presses. Your best bet would be to find someone in your area that owns one and see if they will let you try it out or give you a demo. As far as warranty they both have a lifetime warranty and customer service is great for both. I decided on the Hornady because it was cheaper for an auto indexing press and I got 1000 free bullets, I haven't regretted my decision one bit, the only problem with the Hornady L-N-L is you run out of components to load way too quick. | |||
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I do alot of handgun (45 acp) shooting with a very active pistol group in my club. Almost everyone reloads and almost everyone uses one of the Dillon presses. They're customer service is great. The square deal is for handgun only, but the 550 and 650 load both handgun and rifle cartridges. I have a 550. It's a well made machine that has loaded thousands of rounds of ammo without a hitch. If you do buy a 550 or 650, make sure you get the Dillon dies. I tried using a set of RCBS dies I had with my 550 but had problems with cases entering the sizing die. Switched to the Dillon dies and everything was fine from that point. Tom Z NRA Life Member | |||
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Thank folks. O.K., scratch the Lee 1000. I have a number of die sets including 38/357, 45, 223, 270 shot mag, 30-06, 303, 308, etc and am not too keen on replacing each of these for the Dillon press. The problem is the Dillon press does seem to be more popular of the two. Has anyone else had problems with other brands of dies in the Dillon 550 or 650? | |||
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| One of Us |
I use RCBS or Redding dies for my 357, 44 and 45acp on my 550 My experience using non Dillon dies is that you need to pay more attention to the case placement for the sizing die, that is make sure the finger spring that holds the case in place is adjusted correctly. For bottle neck cases, there should not be an alignment problem. If you already have dies I wouldn't buy new ones. But I would buy a separate crimping die for any loads you want to crimp. This allows you to seat the bullet at one station and then crimp at the next one (one of the advantages of the Dillon dies in that they provide a separate crimp die). For pistol calibers the Lee taper crimp die works well for me | |||
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| One of Us |
Buy the Dillon. You will not be sorry. | |||
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| one of us |
Buy the Dillon dies. They are optimized for use on a progressive press and are good money spent. You will save yourself lots of little hassles by using them. I started off using my existing dies but promised myself I wouldn't do it again after seeing how much better the Dillon dies worked on a Progressive. Keep you current dies separate to use for small batches and load developement. You might want to do a search on progressive presses. Within the last 2 months there was a poster who talked about buying the previous model of Hornady press. He said it worked fine for a while but when a part broke he said that they told him they no longer made parts for it and now he owned a fancy boat anchor. Everyone that I've read has said that their current model Hornady press works quite well - I don't doubt it. What I would worry about is a few years down the line when they don't make the current model - are you going to be able to get parts? - I doubt it. This won't happen with a Dillon, the only people I've heard about who had an obsolete model were upgraded at no charge. A Dillon may cost more now but will end up costing less in the long run........................DJ ....Remember that this is all supposed to be for fun!.................. | |||
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| One of Us |
dillion and rcbs have the best customer service in the industry. both carry a no b/s warranty. you wont go wrong buying a dillion. i have a 550 and the only reason i wished i had a 650 is the 650 has auto index. i personnaly wont buy any other progressive than a dillion | |||
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| one of us |
The 650 also has an extra die station that can be used for a powder check die. It's also a good bit more expensive to change calibers for, the toolheads and quickchanges are more expensive. I think if you want to do a lot of different calibers you would want the 550 since it will be less expensive to do so with. If you want to load a lot of a fewer number of calibers or feel you must have the powdercheck station go with the 650. I went with the 650 but I'm not so sure I wouldn't be just as happy with a 550. I look into every case to check the powder visually so the powder check is less important than I originally thought. When I first bought it I thought the Case feed was the determining factor but since I bought my 650 they've come out with a case feeder for the 550 so that point is really moot. Both are excellent presses..................DJ ....Remember that this is all supposed to be for fun!.................. | |||
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I have a Dillon 550 and have loaded on it for 10+ years and thousands of rounds. I like it because you can load big bore rifle through .470 on it. I do recommend the Dillon carbide pistol dies, well worth the money. I use Redding for everything else. Bill Member DSC,DRSS,NRA,TSRA A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way. -Mark Twain There ought to be one day - just one – when there is open season on Congressmen. ~Will Rogers~ | |||
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I have not broken anything on my Rock Chucker press in decades, so have no idea re their warranty. The free 1000 rounds is not available to Canadians so this was never a factor but equipment obsolescence is. O.K. Hornady is out all though it is probably a fine press. I will buy one of Dillon's presses. Is the 650 worth the extra money? Well it costs more, has more accessories available, provides auto indexing, provides for one more die, and there is the powder load check. Manual or auto indexing is not much of an issue for me. I have used an extra taper die on pistol loads with 38/357 for a long time and like the results, so another one for the 650. Powder load check is high on my list, so a big plus for the 650. Then I could spend twice as much on options that I don't need, so will ignore this factor. I have heard a few people express the wish that they had taken the 550 rather than the 650. Is this solely because it is easier to change calibers I wonder? Decisions, decisions, I think my new hobby is making decisions. Time to review all those extra options available to the 650, such as automatic case placement. | |||
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Having just made a final check on Dillon's website, I really can live without the 650 options. Since the 550 will allow the taper die use anyway, dj indicated a visual check for power in the case is what he does, and Bill's comment on large calibers is important to my older son, it looks as though the Dillion 650 is out. The Dillion 550 is the last press standing. Thanks again. | |||
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You'll be happy with the Dillon 550... I've had one for 15 years and I load dozens of calibers quickly and easily now... You can go as slowly and as "carefully" as you want (like for my 1000 yard target loads, I pull the cases out of the press after the powder charge gets added and I re-weigh/powder trickle where necessary; mostly with slower burning-extruded powders). Yet for handgun loads and military rifle loading (with ball powders) you can easily turnout 450-500 rounds per hour that are more accurate than commercially loaded ammo... Accurate ammo and a durable/long lasting press... | |||
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| One of Us |
It is a pure cheap shot that Hornady will not stand behind its product. Hornady, as a company, has been around a lot longer than Dillon, and is a much larger player in the reloading industry. The Hornady press has a superior powder system, and provides simpler cartridge changeover. It has the economic advantage for providing auto indexing when compared to the Dillons. Read here for some testimonials: https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2511043/m/806102108 | |||
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Dont drink the Blue Koolaid!! Hornady is a better machine for the money. Its auto indexing, far cheaper caliber conversions. Much faster to convert, It has 5 stations and works like a champ! As for service they have been around for years and will be around for many more. they have always treaten me well! Also Redding,RCBS,Hornady dies all work great in my press. | |||
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I'll admit to being prejudiced towards Dillon Precision, having owned a SDB and RL550B for over a decade. Unless the above 2 guys have changed your mind toward Hornady, have a look at this LINK. Industrywide, Dillon is accepted as the best there is. If you can't afford the best, then settle for Hornady or some other brand. Brian Enos has loads of information for making the right decision. There's no denying that Hornady has been in business longer and still run by someone with the Hornady name. Mike Dillon still runs his 2 companies; Dillon Precision and Dillon Aero. Both fill a niche market. Re: using Dillon dies versus RCBS or some other brand...Dillon's are made especially for progressive press use by having a greater bell at the bottom to accept imprecisely placed cases on the shell plate. They also come apart rather quickly if you happen to use cast lead bullets where the grease tends to clog up other dies. Good luck if you choose other than Dillon. If you choose Dillon, you won't need luck! | |||
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I didn't mean to stir up anyone. There is both a Hornady shotgun press and powder scales at my bench that has provided me with decades of flawless service. My decision was pro Dillion, not anti Hornady. Back in the early 1960's I had a true panoramic camera that used a bunch of interchangeable drive gears to time the rotation, depending on the subject distance, and number of people in the photographs. (Picture the long military group photos 8 or 10 inches high and up to 10 feet long. These are prints, not enlargements). One gear was damaged and the camera had been out of production for many years. I simply went to a tool and die shop and had a replacement gear made. Everything worked great. If something is broken or lost I will make a replacement part, or have someone else make it for me. Both companies seem great from my point of view. The Dillion press simply seems right for my application. | |||
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Quotes: from this thread: https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/...=583109108#583109108
Not a pure cheap shot, just advice. I got bitten by a RCBS progressive press. RCBS service is usually superb and there products very good but I was unable to ever load a single round of usable ammo with the press. When I called to get replacement parts that were defective on the new press they had discontinued the model and didn't have the parts. It was a few hundred dollars worth of mistake. RCBS is at least as good a reloading products company as Hornady but I wouldn't buy a Progressive press from either. Progressives are complicated enough that I think it is smart money in the long run to buy one from a company that specializes in them................................DJ ....Remember that this is all supposed to be for fun!.................. | |||
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There is a reason why Dillon is the most popular progressive press -they work! I once owned a Hornady/Pacific 366 and it was a fine press, but it's not a Dillon. The few extra dollars spent on a Dillon will pay off handsomely in extra rounds produced, time saved, and plain old reliability. My old 450 is over 25 years old, and it's still going strong after 10s of thousands of rounds reloaded. Yes you can break them, but with a modicum of care you can't wear 'em out. If you need any more convincing look at e-Bay. There is a reason used Dillon equipment sells for almost new prices -Their support!!!!! | |||
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I think you are right in chousing the Dillon. I like the manual advance because you can reverse it if you need to. I have never felt the need on my Dillon to check each case for powder. I have 2 springs on the powder bar. The case moves the bar on the up stroke and the springs move it back. Lucky you they now have a positive link set up to be sure the bar moves. Bill Member DSC,DRSS,NRA,TSRA A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way. -Mark Twain There ought to be one day - just one – when there is open season on Congressmen. ~Will Rogers~ | |||
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I have 1 Dillon 450B, two 550s and two 1050s. I have owned Camdex, and AmmoLoader machines. For the money Dillon takes the cake. The Hornaday is a more rigid machine. Dillons are like Remington 870s, 1911s, there are many aftermarket accessories available. Also anybodys dies will work on a Dillon. Longshot | |||
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| One of Us |
As a Dillon 550B owner, I wouldn't describe the Hornady as a "bad" press either, but I have had exceptional luck with the Dillon... It really is built like a brick-chicken house... As I said above, I load a TON of calibers with my 550B and I have never had a problem using any other manufacturers dies in it. While I admit that most of my handgun caliber dies ARE the Dillon ones (save .40S&W which are actually Hornady dies and .454 Casull which RCBS was the only maker of when I got them), besides .223 and .308, just about all of my rifle dies are Reddings and they work fine in the Dillon press from my experience... Personally, I wouldn't buy the candy bar from RCBS, let alone a press, but that is an admittedly totally biased and judgemental call on my part... With the way RCBS screwed me around on my .454 dies, I will NEVER buy even a plastic powder funnel with their name on it... Who needs them... (your mileage may vary; LOL...). Now, I also load .50BMG caliber and when I recommend a press to a newcomer to that caliber, I usually recommend a Hornady single stage with their conversion plate for the BIG dies (Hornady make a decent .50BMG die set too BTW)... While my personal .50BMG press is a Hollywood, if you don't have the $1000 to spend on a good Hollywood, then the Hornady conversion is definitely the way to go... Hornady came out with a .50BMG "progressive" press design a few years back. i saw the prototype for that one and it looked VERY nice/well built, but I don't think they ever got it past the developmental stage (as far as I know)... I think the drawback to that sucker was that they expected it to MSRP for about $2000!!! A bit pricey, even for a sport where the "cheap/good" match-rifles are $5000... | |||
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