i currently use the rcbs rockchuker which is fine for my rifles but it seems like it takes forever to do 50 pistol rounds want to be able to load from .380 acp up to 30.06 i load for those plus 9mm 38spl 40 s&w 45 acp 243 win 308 win and 30.06

I've had a Hornady Loc N Load AP for about six months..

very nice in my opinion.. fast, efficient and functional

fyi
LH

quote:

what is the best Progressive reloader ?

The big Dillon. What is it, a 1050 or something like that.

dillon 50 gets my attention

I've got an older Hornady pre lnl, the pluses are you can use any dies in them load from the .25acp to 45-70, even my old press can be upgraded for a shell feeder ( I talked to a tech and he said that the Lee bullet feeder could fit). When I got my press at a gun show (used) I needed some parts called Hornady and they sent me the parts ( plus spares ) for free not even shipping. Personaln I like the Hornady , but Dillon will replace a damaged press for free, A friend of mine lost his Dillon in a fire, they sent him a new press ( set up for his load also). Hope this helps....lost

I have an old Hornady Pro-Jector. I like it.

Dillon. Hands down the best customer service in the industry. If there is a problem they will fix it. Period! Wonderful behavior in a company.

I really like my dillon 550. Changing calibers is very fast when set-up in their own tool head with powder measure, probably takes about 5 minutes if you have to change primer size, only 30 seconds without primer change. Loads for my varmint rifles easily average sub 1/2 moa when loaded on this press.

no offense meant - the non-auto indexing presses don't even BEGIN to complete for "best"

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
no offense meant - the non-auto indexing presses don't even BEGIN to complete for "best"

+1
Auto indexing is both a time saver and a safety feature. I would consider 5 stages to be a minimum for using advanced reloading techniques as well. The Dillion 550 is a good press, but not even in the same class as the Hornady or the Dillon 650. On a side note, Hornady's customer service is great as well.

Wes

can you load all sizes with the hornandy ? their site says you can change from 45 acp to 223 in seconds but the pic looked like there might be height problems for 30.06 . also will my current dies work with this press they are rcbs ? the plates are more expensive than i thought they would be . but you do get 1000 free bullets

I can load 3.45" 500 Accrel's on it, no problem .. and 45 LC ..

i have the following dies setup for mine
500 AccRel
470 AccRel
458 AccRel
416 AccRel
375 steyr
358 win
300 win
708
257 roberts
45 LC

takes about 30 seconds to change dies sets, and they all go back to what i left them at .. takes a bit longer to adjust the powder thrower.. which i can put in any position

i've done 458 lott, but did the seating/crimping on the last station

well clearence wouldnt be an issue . will the rcbs dies work with it?

Yes sir .. lee, lyman, rcbs, custom and hornady dies

the Dillon 650 IS auto-indexing, and can be had with a case-feeder. It takes about five minutes (less if you're coordinated) to switch out the tool head and shell plate. The only hassle is switching primers.

That said, I see no real disadvantage to using the 550. Manually indexing gives you the chance to make sure everything went in as planned. I can load 400 rounds of 223/308 on mine in less than an hour if I have primers tubed.

Besides, nobody has a warranty like Dillon. A friend and I went in on an SDB for IPSC. We loaded over 200,000 rounds before we figured out how to break it. We sent it back, they fixed it and said "sorry, enjoy!".

Dillon and Leupold, no-hassle lifetime warranty on the product, not the original owner or any BS fine print. You can't beat that.

Rich

a 550 can allow a double charge .. auto indexing ONLY .. and it costs more than the hornady

if you BUY a bunch of tool heads, yes, you can change them quickly .. 25 bucks a tool head, and stuff that can be lost and stripped ..

with the free bullets, in fact, the hornady costs about 20% of the dillon .. that's right 1/5th

Xase feeder? same for the hornady, some costs .. so not a distingishing feature

most dillon fans haven't used a hornady....


I have both
and i HATE that I have to pay over 100 for changing to 45LC from 9mm on the SDB.,..

if your going to buy one get one that is auto index.

I have 2 Dillons a SDB and a 550 along with a RCBS RC I only use the 550 for small cal. rifle.

I use the RC and the SDB more then anything.

Hate the cost of the dies for the SDB

If I was buying right now I think it would be a Hornady LNL a friend has one and it's made very well and 1000 free bullets

To me it's a waste of time and $$$ to buy a turret press.

just ordered the hornandy from natchez for 399.99 the 1000 bullets and the good reviews here made my mind up ordered all the shell plates i need except .45 acp they was out but i was thinking that it uses the same shell holder as the 308 will have to check that thanks for the help now when i get it i have to set it up that should be fun.

Your new press will also accept Forster, Redding and CH4D dies.

On your next order, you may want to pick up a spare shell plate retainer spring; they're easily damaged.

Congratulations on your choice.

Great Rick!
I have used a LNL extensively for a number off handgun cartridges. i find Midwayusa.com as a great alternate place to get the shellplates and I soundly recommend that you get the following when you get a chance:

1 - CASE ACTIVATED POWDER DROP LOWER ASSEMBLY (QUICK CHANGE POWDER DIE) per pistol cartridge. Lacking this you have to adjust allen screws and make sure the case neck expander is seated to the right depth with each cartridge you relaod. Its 23.34 from hornady

https://www.hornady.com/shop/?...e0a31d16d4a3e087c72d

2. One PISTOL ROTOR AND STANDARD METERING INSERT this will allow you to fill low volume pistol cases with just a couple grains of powder each rather than the large insert and rotor that comes with the LNL that works great for rifle cartidges.

3. a powder cop or other stop die that assures either visually or mechanically that you do not double charge. This hould be #1 on your list as a double charge can blow up the shooter with the gun. And this die is a extra measure of safety as the progressive seals off those cartidges without the needed visual inspection step.....before I got the powder cop die....I always sized, primed, expanded and charged in one run.....visually inspected the powder filled charges across a complete tray and then went through the two stops to seat bullets and crimp.

Rememeber - safety first!!!
one of the powder feed

get a can of compressed air .. not shop air .. and NEVER turn it upside down .. that will cause it to overcool air and make water collect. One grain of powder, give it a little jet of air.

order the shell plate spring, the primer return spring, and the primer cam for your spare parts kit. we are talking 20 bucks.

get a 10 pack of bushings .. or 2 ... and just set and forget your dies

order the LnL for your single press .. so you can just use your already set dies on your single press, if needs be, and not modify the settings ...

the only things I have to use my single press on now are 1" based dies ..

i'll get a case feeder for the hornady one day!
jeffe

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
Order the LnL for your single press .. so you can just use your already set dies on your single press, if needs be, and not modify the settings....

Seriously?

seriously
http://www.grafs.com/product/260053

I'm aware of the press conversion bushing. Are you suggesting that dies can be used interchangeably between a single-stage press and the AP w/o readjustment?

yes, sorta actually ..
shim the press bushing to set the depth, and NOT change the die bushing ...

yes, i know, changing the shell holder can make make .002 difference...

how did I ever get by all these years with Big Blue?

Rich

same way I got along with a rockchucker .. LOL.. you just didn't know better (hiding)

received the press today natchez ships very fast have never dealt with a faster company . the press has lots of parts but seems very well built was hoping it was better built than the lee i first bought .

Rick,
the only 2 things i had to adjust, out of the box, was the final timing of the shellplate and the travel of the primer slide ... if you ahve to adjust timing of the shellplate, do ONE side at a time.. i found it easer to set it for priming to know if i was on time or not ... and do it without dies

these are wicked cool..and you'll be going "this is so cool" very often

I have to agree Auto indexing is the way to go. My RL 550B is great but no auto index and yes it will most definitely allow a double charge to be thrown.
You need to pay attention when using it. or any other press for that matter

Let me share a little story about the 550. The old service manager at Dillon was a benchrest shooter of some renown. He built a range box and mounted a press in it. Powder measure, and all. You could clamp it to the bed of a pickup truck and load right there at the range. He set up a 550 for the 6PPC using Neil Jones dies. CPS company. He loaded on that thing at the Super Shoot and agg'ed less than .2moa for the entire match. 100/200 combined yards less than .2moa. It was a caution to see all those guys with their arbor presses and hand dies cussing Darryl that long weekend. He had one group at 200 that kept him out of the Top Twenty Grand Aggregate. I shot Alan Hall's 6PPC (built on a Hall action by Alan) that year (1994 IIRC) and finished 87th out of nearly four hundred Light Varmint (10.5lb rifle with scope) shooters. You got to shoot a group that measures .070" and have a dozen shooters out of a sixty-man relay beat you to believe it!
About double charging a 550, I saw a man break a cast-iron anvil once. I guess if you're absent-minded you should stay away from a 550. Or buy the powder checker that measures depth to beep! when you double charge.
I respect what you all have said about other choices, but I broke a Dillon 450 after loading 200,000+ rounds of IPSC loads on it. Sent it back and they sent me a new one with their sincere apologies.

Men of good will and intelligence can agree to disagree...

Rich

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Let me share a little story about the 550. The old service manager at Dillon was a benchrest shooter of some renown. He built a range box and mounted a press in it. Powder measure, and all. You could clamp it to the bed of a pickup truck and load right there at the range. He set up a 550 for the 6PPC using Neil Jones dies. CPS company. He loaded on that thing at the Super Shoot and agg'ed less than .2moa for the entire match. 100/200 combined yards less than .2moa. It was a caution to see all those guys with their arbor presses and hand dies cussing Darryl that long weekend. He had one group at 200 that kept him out of the Top Twenty Grand Aggregate. I shot Alan Hall's 6PPC (built on a Hall action by Alan) that year (1994 IIRC) and finished 87th out of nearly four hundred Light Varmint (10.5lb rifle with scope) shooters. You got to shoot a group that measures .070" and have a dozen shooters out of a sixty-man relay beat you to believe it!
About double charging a 550, I saw a man break a cast-iron anvil once. I guess if you're absent-minded you should stay away from a 550. Or buy the powder checker that measures depth to beep! when you double charge.
I respect what you all have said about other choices, but I broke a Dillon 450 after loading 200,000+ rounds of IPSC loads on it. Sent it back and they sent me a new one with their sincere apologies.

Men of good will and intelligence can agree to disagree...

Rich

the dillion was in very close running to me but the 1000 free bullets and the sale price along with the fact that most of the suppliers i buy from dont carry dillion i am sure dillion is a great press but i like to be able to just add shell plates or spring to a current order that i may already be making

Rich,
remember, the 550 costs the same as the hornady, and the hornady has more stations (that's like displacement) auto indexing, and can take a case feeder, AND you get 1000 bullets, just pay shipping, with it ... its a list of bullets, sure, but it makes the hornady the cheapest progressive press to deliver 1000 rounds on the market .. and if you say, well, what can I do with that savings?

you can add the case feeder and a bullet feeder and have the equal to a $1,200 tricked out dillon, for about 8 hundred, out of pocket ..

buy 20 bucks of spare parts, and have a ball.

You KNOW i am cheap.. LOL, nearly as cheap as you .. I will get a dillon 650 in a couple years, sure ... but my LnL will have knocked out a zillion rounds by then.

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:


buy 20 bucks of spare parts, and have a ball.

jeffeosso,

I've loaded thousands upon thousands of .45ACP let alone all the other calibers I shoot on my Hornady without any problems or parts breakage and I've never had to adjust the timing (but keep the indexing system well greased).

I saw that you advised having a spare shell plate spring, primer return spring, and primer cam. Are there any other parts you would recommend?

Your spot on about the difference between a Hornady and the 550. There is no contest. I'm surprised that they can even sell 550's. As far as I can tell the Hornady is functionally a 650. It is too bad that Hornady didn't raise the bar and put in a 6th station.
Out of curiosity, why would you want to get a 650 in addition to the Hornady? I've played with the 650's, but never really done any reloading on them. Does the 650 have any advantages over the Hornady?

Wes

Wes,
my spare parts are sort of like the spare parts that used to be in teh tail of the m14 or sks .. you won't need them, but its nice to have.

this list is due to ME being a hamhanded bumbler, not hornady

what i want on hand, at all times, is
2x primer slide return spring
2x shellplate springs
2x primer cam
1x large primer "assembly"
1x small primer "assembly"
1x shellplate hex bolt .. because i can loose ANYTHING
can of compressed air and straw
that's it, and overkill for what you will need.

why the 650? so i can have and use that model, too, and have a reasonable basis for making future judgements.

anyone who's never used a progressive that WORKS over a single, the difference is like a giant wheeled bicycle from the 1910s and a 27 speed full suspension mountain bike, that is fully adjusted for you .. sure, they do the same things .. but once you get on the mt bike, you don't want to get off.

I bought mine, LITERALLY, because I was sick of single loading 45LC with mild loads .. it takes me about 70 seconds, per round, to single load pistol. and 5 pulls of a lever .. deprime/size, prime, powder, seating, and crimping ... vs 1 up, 1 down (once the first 5 are in) and about 2 seconds per round (with momma feeding the cases) ... and loading 300 rounds can be done in less than an hour, and that's NOT trying hard..

why 300? its easy to load up the primer tubes, but the powder thrower will only take about 3/4 of a #, and thats when I give up...

500 in 2 hours, vs about 120 in a single... I bet i could do 500 in an hour, if i tried REALLY hard .. but why?

jeffe