I am looking for a progressive press to load just two handgun calibers, 38 special for PPC shooting and 45acp for Bullseye.

Any thoughts on the Lee Loadmasters or the Lee Pro 1000?

Thanks in advance.

Get a Dillon.

Read a good comparison of Dillon, Hornady and Lee progressive presses here.

Andy

Dillon SDB

I have a Hornady LnL. It is a great press, plus if you buy it, Hornady will give you 1,000 free bullets. Hard to beat a deal like that, and if you have the need for some dies, they'll give you 100 free bullets per set you buy.

When you figure in the price of the 1,000 bullets, the press costs less than $100.

Their customer service is great, too.

So far, I have loaded 380Auto, 9mm, 40SW, 45ACP, 44 Mag and 45/70 Gov't. No problems.

Hack

Dillon, Dillon or a Dillon....................DJ

Unless you like to tinker, the Lee progressives are finicky. I have (2) 550Bs but for only (2) pistol calibers, a SDB makes sense. I would look hard at the Hornady LNL. With the free bullets, it's one of the best buys in a autoindexing progressive.

I had a Dillon and sold it. I got the
Hornady LNL AP and love it. Great machine.
The free bullets is a nice perk.

dxr

Dillon

Dave, I consider the Dillon Square Deal "B" of pistol ammo maker's to be on par with a Blaser R-93. Using anything less would be foolish.

quote:

I had a Dillon and sold it.

YA RIGHT

Hornady customer service> broke a die stem called Hornady they said send it back with proof of purchess and if covered they would mail me out another for $3.00 S&H. and Lee along with Lyman fall in the same boat.

If that was Dillon or RCBS it would be on the way before you hung up the phone N/C

Didn't say how much you wanted to load and/or shoot.

I started progressive reloading with a Pro1000 twenty-two years ago when I was in federal law enforcement and also shooting a lot of IPSC. Loaded 38 Special and 9mm. Loaded tens of thousands of rounds with no problems whatsoever. Still have the press and I still load all my 38 Special, 9mm and .380 ACP on it.

Bought a Dillon 550B about twelve years ago--haven't even got a thousand rounds out of it so far.

I wish I'd bought the 650--I got no use for the 550 and barely consider it even a progressive.

All depends on how much you want to spend and how much you want to load and shoot.

I have no experience with the Hornady.
I have no experience with Lee's presses. I do have experience with other Lee products and trash canned them all.
I have Dillon's 300, 3 Square Deals and a 650.
The only problem I've had with Dillon machines was me, not the machine.
Buy Dillon.
Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Hunt-ducks:

quote:

I had a Dillon and sold it.

YA RIGHT

Hornady customer service> broke a die stem called Hornady they said send it back with proof of purchess and if covered they would mail me out another for $3.00 S&H. and Lee along with Lyman fall in the same boat.

If that was Dillon or RCBS it would be on the way before you hung up the phone N/C

You pay for the broken parts (yours and everyone else's), etc. when you buy the Dillon press. With other manufacturers, you buy only the parts you break, when you break them. Funny how Dillon sells spare parts kits...

I've also heard a lot of differing stories about Hornady customer service. They have always been very courteous with me, and have replaced some parts for free. I wonder if the quality of their service has to do with the attitude of the customer? Some customers are worth keeping more than others.

Andy

+1 dillon

As I had and used nearly every one else's presses at one time or another over 40 years of sticking the little buggers together .

Dillon and never looked back 550 650 !.

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

I have a Dillon 650 and a 550. You do not pay for broken parts. They mean what they say about no BS guarentee. As far as buying a spare parts kit, Dillon sells it so you don't have any down time if something were to break.
In the mean time, if a part needs replacing, a new part is on the way, no expense to you or no postage to you. You can't beat Dillon. They have the best guarentee in the business. RCBS is not bad either. I've never had a problem with Hornady wanting proof of purchase but they may have changed their policy.

I'm sure that the current LNL press works just fine. I imagine that right now Hornady would service it just fine. The problem is 10 years from now when Hornady has gone through 5 more models will you still be able to get parts for it? I got stuck for several hundred dollars for a press one of the major reloading companies just quit making parts for. I bought a Dillon and didn't look back.
The reason that you buy a Dillon is that they will service it just as good 10 years from now as they do today. I know for a fact that you can't say that about some other reloading companies...............................DJ

quote:

The reason that you buy a Dillon is that they will service it just as good 10 years from now as they do today. I know for a fact that you can't say that about some other reloading companies...............................DJ

Perhaps it's because Mike Dillon puts his money, and name, where his mouth is. Quite different than the big enormous companies who are under the umbrella of another huge corporation, etc, etc. When your name is on the equipment, you tend to give a shit a little more. Richard Lee of Lee Precision might be that way, too. I don't know. I only own a few of his products; the only press being his hand press. Lee makes inovative products but they're on the cheap side. Not so with Dillon. If Browning hadn't already taken the slogan, The Best There Is, it would fit for Mike Dillon's products, too.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by f224:
I am looking for a progressive press to load just two handgun calibers, 38 special for PPC shooting and 45acp for Bullseye.

I have this posted on another site... if you are interested the first I'll take it gets it. I will be posting to the main classifieds later today.
John

Here's a great little press to get started with. A Square Deal B with caliber conversions for 38 special, 45 ACP, 44 Mag and 9 mm. The 45, 44 and 9 do not appear to have been used.
In addition to the caliber conversions the press comes with the powder measure with small and large bars, low powder sensor, one additional tool head and some other parts and
wrenches (see picture).

I got this is in a trade and have never used it so I can make no guarantees. I have worked the handle and the shell plate does rotate. Everything seems to be in working order.
There is a plastic piece that is broken on the powder measure linkage (see the last picture).

$430 shipped and insured to the CONUS.

quote:

Originally posted by BigJakeJ1s:
With other manufacturers, you buy only the parts you break, when you break them. Funny how Dillon sells spare parts kits...

They sell parts kits so you can have extra parts at your disposal. Free parts are nice, but if it takes 3-4days to get them & you have a match the next.

We moved a few years back in the move a few parts where broken off my SDB called Dillon to buy new ones they asked what happened I told them they replaced for free NO BS.

I bought a early piggyback unit from RCBS had nothing but trouble with the primer feed 20 shells then would not work had to fix or adjust RCBS kept sending me 2 or 3 parts at a time replacement, one day got a letter offering to buy back the unit for what I paid for it including dies and powder measure or replace it with new upgraded unit free including shipping both ways I did not want the new unit as it was not progressive but hand turn so I sent all back and they sent me a check for full amount.

Lee IMHO only make several real good things there Collett dies and factory crimp and a some small hand tools, after that I buy BLUE OR GREEN. except Redding PM.

I have 5 Dillons a 450B, two 550s, and two 1050s.

Yes, the Hornaday is a great loader but the Dillon(s) are in a class of their own.

Don't waste your money on a Square deal 5 station is better than 4 and six stations is even better. Eight stations take the cake.

I bought my first 450 when they were $171.00 back in 1982. Dillon uograded it to a 450B without charge. It has loaded a million or more rounds. Dillon has replaced two primer feeder systems and two powder measures no questions asked. Their service and lifetime guarentee is their best advertisement in the loading market.

Even if they did not have a lifetime warranty I would buy another Dillon.

Longshot

TexasSkyhawk,

You have a PM

rudyc

Virtually all the serious IDPA and IPSC shooters (who are the real volume users of ammo) use a Dillon. I have a 550 and a 650. If you want to load hundreds of rounds get a 550, if you want to load thousands of rounds get a 650

If there's one thing I've noticed about reported progressive press preferences, it is that a majority of (but certainly not all) people who have actually used both Dillon's and Hornady's latest model presses, seem to prefer Hornady or rate them as equal (comparing LNLAP vs 550/650; the 1050 is in a league of its own).

Of course, the overwhelming majority of users of only one press prefer the one they have used. But that's true of most consumers of most products.

Andy

I have 2 550's from Dillion.

I have not tried any other progressives. Bought these back around 92 or so.

I guess in my case, once I found something that I really like, no use in changing over.

Dillion's customer service is second to none. That in itself is reason enough to buy their presses.

I've heard good things about the Hornady LNL but I don't have any experience with one. Me, I'm a proud Dillon RL 550B owner. It is one great machine.

Guys, thanks for the advice. I ordered a Lee Pro 1000 in 38spl. I have several thousand Federal small pistol primers here and will size and prime before I use the Lee for charging and bullet seating. I also bought it from Cabela's, so if I don't like it, I can return it post haste.