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What do you recommend?

  • SDB

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 550c

    Votes: 5 45.5%
  • xl650

    Votes: 4 36.4%
  • Lock n Load

    Votes: 1 9.1%
  • LNL Ammo Plant

    Votes: 1 9.1%

  • Total voters
    11

Metalliman27055

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Dec 18, 2016
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I'm in the market for a new progressive press. I've had my loadmaster for about 3 years. It has served me well over that time rolling a significant amount of ammunition in that time. However, as most know, the loadmaster can be frustrating at times with almost constant adjustments/tinkering. I used to be able to run 1k rounds through it without having more than a few stoppages due to either priming or casefeeding system. About a year ago, I started having consistent issues with the priming system and began priming off press and using my single stage to decap/size and LEE benchprime to prime my brass. Then I started having indexing issues. I've all but figured out the amount of adjustment/lubrication it requires to run almost consistently. Recently, I have been running it without the casefeeder, and priming off press. At this point, I may as well have a turret press.
BUT, I've got some pocket cash and would like to move to something of higher quality.

@Apache 4rank and I have been discussing his Hornady Lock and Load AP press. While not as popular as Dillon presses, from what I've researched on the interwebs, it seems like a quality piece of equipment, and I can get the whole "ammo plant" setup for a couple hundred dollars less than a Dillon 650 with case feeder.
The Blue Kool-aid followers are strong online, but I haven't seen a whole lot of definitive reasons that make Dillon a better option for me. I know @FatboyFlash is a big fan of the Loadmaster, and at the time it fit my budget and has served me well. But I am not very mechanically inclined, and only have a couple hours a week to dedicate to reloading.

I jokingly made the comparison of Frank's Hornady LnL ammo plant as the Springfield Xd of presses (Its a quality piece, but nobody is gonna show it off or talk about owning one) last week. While I am a huge proponent of the Springfield XD line, I quickly saw the lack of 3rd party support and have almost completely transitioned to Glock for my EDC needs. I would prefer to not invest a ton of money into a setup and 2 years later end up making the same or more investment into something different.

Here are my wants/needs:
-EVERYTHING I load is 9mm. I don't have an immediate need to make caliber conversions. Possibly in the future I will add .38, but don't have plans for rifle rounds in mind.
-Once again, I am not very mechanically inclined, and easily frustrated, so something I can "set and forget" and just feed components and perform semi-regular maintenance would be ideal.
-I am heavily interested in options for case/bullet feeders.
-I trend around 200-300 rounds fired a week (can dedicate about 1-2 hours a week to reload if needed)
-Currently load 1 9mm recipe that all my weapons like (124gr plated or coated rn, 3.8gr Bullseye, CCI or Winchester spp)
-Prefer to keep the whole setup under $1500

Based on Brian enos' forums, I literally could get by with ANY of the Dillon presses.
--I am not really that interested in the SDB mainly because of the lack of options and the fact that it retails at darn near the cost of a 550 or LnL without casefeeder.
--550c- I've not heard a single complaint about this press. It would serve my needs without getting too fancy and seems to be least likely to need adjustments (I wouldn't bother with the casefeeder on a manual index press tho)
--650- I really like the idea of casefeeder and bullet feeder. Add components and just crank the handle, Cost seems high esp when adding the Mr. Bulletfeeder. But I feel like if I am going to go with a 550, I may as well pay the extra $ for flexibility of bulletfeeder or powder check/lockout system
--1050- Definitely overkill for my needs. But The idea of cranking out a couple month's worth of ammo at one sitting is pretty sweet

Hornady LnL- realistically fits my needs out of the box. Will be somewhat similar to what I have now. Manually place case on press, can run my powder cop die, manually place bullet and realistically expect 400ish rounds per hour.

Hornady LnL AMMO PLANT- Same as above, but bullet and case feeders ship with it. In theory these are well worth the investment, but how well do they work? How often to you have to make adjustments to have them feed consistently?

I was almost ready to pull the trigger onthe Ammo Plant, but then saw the bulletfeeder shows this warning on Titan Reloading website: *Pistol Bullet Feeder does not work with lead or plated bullets. Bullet feeder dies sold separately. -- Thats a deal breaker for me. Anyone know how accurate this statement is? I have just under 1k coated lead bullets and several thousand Xtreme bullets(all round nose). Do either company really have a higher failure rate with cast or plated projectiles?


THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT!
 
I drink the Blue Koolade, but have no experience with the LnL. If I could go back and do it again, Id buy the Dillon to begin with and forego the Loadmaster.

I broke one spring on the 650, and they shipped a new one right away.Never had any issues with cast or coated projectiles.

Thats all I got meow

Paging @Jerzsubbie for LnL input
 
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Lee has been awesome with their customer service as well. I popped a primer a couple years ago and needed a new priming assembly. They shipped one same day. I broke the casefeeder pusher assembly and sent them a photo via email and they directed me to where I could find a replacement on the website. I also have purchased some other replacement parts from their website, they only charge for shipping. From what I've heard, All three brands have excellent customer service in those regards.
 
Sounds like it is narrowed down to either a 550 or 650. Based on how much you shoot, the 550 would be fine. The 550 does have a case feed option, but you really need the extra station on the 650 to run a bullet feed. The other difference between the two is that the case feeder for the 650 will handle rifle, the 550 will not (except there are some mods that allow small rifle, like 223, on the 550). Manual index on the 550, auto-index on the 650.

I've had a 550 for several years and find it completely adequate for my needs. It can easily do 450 rounds per hour at a reasonable pace, I've done 500 rounds at a time with no problems, without any case feeder. You get in a rhythm and it goes quick. I can see where the case feed option on the 550 would speed things up, though. But, without it, a caliber swap only takes a couple of minutes.

If you are only going to do a couple calibers with it, don't rule out the SDB. Look closely at the price difference between it and the 550 and you will realize the SDB price includes dies. The SDB caliber conversions include dies, the 550 caliber conversions do NOT, so adding a new caliber to the SDB is actually cheaper. No case feed option, but the SDB does include auto-index. Of course, the SDB uses proprietary dies, so you are limited to the dies that Dillon makes for it.
 
I am indeed a huge fan of the loadmaster, especially for someone just starting out or anyone that is mechanically inclined. I tried the 650 and preferred the loadmaster.

Last year I ended up buying a 1050 and while it is fairly expensive, it is a very nice and well made press. I can load 1200 rounds an hour without even trying hard. It is a significant investment but not that much more than the 650 when you add the case feeder. The primer system is far superior to the 650 and military crimp issues are a thing of the past. The 1050 takes care of that for you. I also like that every function happens on the downstroke.

There is a major downside to the 1050 for anyone who enjoys reloading however. You will not spend nearly as much time actually reloading!

I have a fairly new loadmaster that you are welcome to use in the interim if you need. It’s missing a small primer slide I think but yours should work on it. Let me know.
 
The SDB is designed specifically to suit your volume and caliber.
No case feeder is available, but for the volume your wanting, it's just not needed.

The efficiency of the SDB comes from it's short stroke. It's a pistol only press, no need to travel enough to size a 30-06.
It's also a compact machine and caliber conversions are easily found used.
 
I'll toss my vote for the ammo plant. I've got the lnl and made my bullet feeder, so I can't speak for their bullet feeder, but as far as the bullet feeding die goes, the hornady is garbage compared to the mr bullet feeder die, so no matter which way you go, spend 25 on the mr. Bullet feeder die. Hornady customer service is top notch. I can feed cases by hand and load at about 750-800 per hour without a hiccup.
 
@FatboyFlash
One of the reasons I haven’t really considered the 1050 is it only covered by 1 yr mfg warranty to my understanding. And like I say. It seems to really be overkill for my needs.

@Butter
I appreciate that. I may take you up on that later. @Apache 4rank has offered the same. And I will be checking out his Hornady soon.

Mr. Bulletfeeder has been on my radar for a while. I may grab one and then be able to run it regardless of which press I end up with. I’ve seen some complaints of it not fitting well with Hornadys powder drop tho. Will have to figure that out.
Thanks guys!
 
From what you said about time, volume, and priorities, the 550 is the way to go. You can load 500/hr which is more than enough. You don’t need a powder check station for pistol cases if you have the discipline and light to look at every case for powder between the drop and putting the bullet on the case. It isn’t hard.

The 650 with case feeder is somewhat faster than a 550 without but for more $ and complexity (and you don’t want to be a mechanic). I have a 650 for 9mm now, but that is for loading a 1-2k at a sitting. I loaded many many thousands of 9 on my 550.

The point about the SDB being enough was valid but for the small price difference, the extra capabilities (which you may or may not use) and resale of the 550 and finger room to work in it are easily worth it to me.

No experience with the LNL or other presses except the Co-ax which I think is the opposite of what you are looking for.


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A bullet feeder is way overkill for your requirements, and is more to set up, adjust, and maintain. Just my opinion. If you think it’s $500 worth of cool, go for it. That an extra 2 cents per round on 25k rounds, which is 3.3 years at 150/wk.

It _might_ take an extra second per cycle to set the bullet on the case (you have the whole cycle to grab another one). So running at 600/hr you save maybe 10 min, or 17%. At 150/wk average it would save 2.5 minutes/wk. $500 will pay for 4000 reloads at 12.5 cents, or just over 6 months worth.

The case feeder is much more of a benefit but still not worth it at 150/wk unless the cool press is part of the goal.


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As you already know...My Vote is for the LNL. Just because you only run 9 now...doesn't mean you will always run only 9. Just wait ill have you cranking out .223 before too long. LOL.

I run primarily 9and 45 on my lnl. I feed bullets by hand but I run the case feeder for cases. I will be purchasing a bullet feeder soon.

I run 2 main variants of 9, one for target and another for comp. The ability to preset dies and switch up my dies quickly was what ultimately sold me. Switching between different dies literally takes seconds.

As another has said Hornadys support is awesome. Finally, even though you are not mechanically inclined, you have friends that you already see weekly that are.
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No votes for the new Lee breechlock progressive? Looks great in the videos I have seen esp for the money. Priming system is the same old safety prime, and probably the glaring weakness. But no exploding primer tubes either.
 
No votes for the new Lee breechlock progressive? Looks great in the videos I have seen esp for the money. Priming system is the same old safety prime, and probably the glaring weakness. But no exploding primer tubes either.

Nah. I looked into it when it launched. Seems more of the issues I’ve already experienced on the loadmaster but with even more polymer components. Just feels like a step in the wrong direction for me currently.

Thanks for offering something different tho


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I have both the SDB and the LnL ammo plant.

For reasons I can’t explain it took about 6 months to get the SDB working right. I bought it used and it and it had just been back to the mothership for a rebuild, but it flipped primers and didn’t advance correctly. I replaced some parts and for no good reason it just settled down and has been great ever since. It’s currently setup for 38special but I think I’m going to convert it back to 9mm and leave it there.

I’ve been thinking about replacing the LnL with a 650. Caliber conversions on the LnL take me a long time and I have an optimistic view of the process with the Dillon. Have been doing some reading and it turns out that most folks don’t think the convention on the 650 is any better, so I might skip it.

As for running the LnL it’s good, but it’s got it’s quirks. The combination of the design of Hornady powder through die and stainless tumbled brass makes that station a bit grabby, that’s the only thing about the press that isn’t smooth. I have had no problems with the Hornady bullet dies with plated bullets, haven’t tried with coated. The most irksome thing is the primer tube, for some reason it tends to get lifted up out of the socket and then the primers aren’t aligned correctly and you get cases without primers. On the Dillon the tube is held captive so can’t come lose.

There are a bunch of tweaks for the LnL online, things like putting felt under the case feeder v-block and shimming the sub plate. I haven’t done any of those, I’m mostly focused on how to quiet the bullet feeder, right now it’s lined in leather and that helps some but not enough.

All that said, if I was shooting a couple hundred 9mm a week I’d go for the simplicity of the SDB. They can be found used and seem to hold value well.
 
I've been running a LnL for a few years. Mostly for 9mm but also .38, .45 and .308. Lately, I've been considering adding the case feeder. Haven't had any problems that weren't fixed with a quick cleaning.
 
I started having consistent issues with the priming system and began priming off press
I solved that problem by doing the following for my 9mm setup:

1) Size/Decap on the loadmaster using a blank toolhead with size die only, and the casefeeder. It's amazing fast.
2) Swage primer pockets with a Dillon super-swage
3) Check all cases with a case-guage. I usually toss ~15% of range brass at this point.
4) Back off the size die on the loading toolhead so that it helps with alignment but doesn't re-re-size the already prepped brass.
5) Add a flare die to the priming station. Helps keep cases centered and aligned while seating a primer.

This bit of prep leaves me with near zero issues during production. and near 100% pass rate on my loaded ammo.

and yes @FatboyFlash 1200 rounds/hr with no hiccups would suck all the fun right out of reloading :)
 
I have an LnL with casefeeder and Mr. Bulletfeeder.
I guess I have 20k rounds thru it.
I haven't broken anything press related since the initial 10. The first 1000 or so required some tweaks to the pawls, when I added the casefeeder I learned I still didn't have them quite right, don't think I've touched them since. Hornady CS was super nice, quick, easy, completely cost free getting me replacements.
Just about the only hiccups I have are with the casefeeder or bullet feeder, they're pretty minor.

Pre casefeeder I think 400 an hour required me really getting in a rhythm and was not sustainable. I manage about 600 without trying very hard now, there's something goofy with my bullet and the feed die I haven't sorted out or I'd probably manage another 50-100. As long as quality is maintained there is no too fast.

Changing calibers was super easy and fast precase/bullet feeder, not so much now. I would not go back to handling brass and bullets unless I absolutely had to.

I went MBF because I load cast and coated oversize bullets. Going with just the die would have been much cheaper and I understand it works, but the Hornady collator is supposed to be obnoxiously loud and I do most of my loading while the rest of the house is asleep.

You're welcome to try my set-up.
 
the Hornady collator is supposed to be obnoxiously loud
I wear hearing protection when loading. Maybe I’ll try a mr. bullet feeder both for quiet and for loading coated bullets. Thanks!
 
I wear hearing protection when loading. Maybe I’ll try a mr. bullet feeder both for quiet and for loading coated bullets. Thanks!
Electric motor hum and a ray gun sound when bullets drop thru the spring. If you hear a tic tic tic, she's getting low.
 
I solved that problem by doing the following for my 9mm setup:

1) Size/Decap on the loadmaster using a blank toolhead with size die only, and the casefeeder. It's amazing fast.
2) Swage primer pockets with a Dillon super-swage
3) Check all cases with a case-guage. I usually toss ~15% of range brass at this point.
4) Back off the size die on the loading toolhead so that it helps with alignment but doesn't re-re-size the already prepped brass.
5) Add a flare die to the priming station. Helps keep cases centered and aligned while seating a primer.

This bit of prep leaves me with near zero issues during production. and near 100% pass rate on my loaded ammo.

and yes @FatboyFlash 1200 rounds/hr with no hiccups would suck all the fun right out of reloading :)
You swage 9mm primer pockets, wow.

Can I get some brass from you that failed the case gauge? I’d like to run it through the roll sizer and give it back to see if it works for you. Just curious.
 
Yes I do because a large % of them are crimped and I'm tired of crushing primers. This is your fault - you sold me the gizmo.

I'm about to do a run I'll save you some. I'll wager it works great because they fail the case guage either at the last 1/16" the die won't reach or from a burr on the rim. I've never found one that needed trimmed but I do find a few 380s this way.
 
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@Metalliman27055 what did you decide???

I used to wear earplugs, but found that not wearing them helps identify odd sounds when something goes wrong.

Ive become a big fan of roll sizing 9mm, it has helped the failure rate by alot
 
I have a LNL and a Dillon 650 and I will soon be selling the LNL with case feeder to get another 650
 
@Metalliman27055 what did you decide???

I used to wear earplugs, but found that not wearing them helps identify odd sounds when something goes wrong.

Ive become a big fan of roll sizing 9mm, it has helped the failure rate by alot

Leaning heavily toward the 650. Haven’t 100% made a decision yet. If I go blue you know where I’m buying it from tho!
 
I have a LNL and a Dillon 650 and I will soon be selling the LNL with case feeder to get another 650
I’ll probably have a LnL bullet feeder if your buyer wants to go all in, but I might could use an extra case feeder for the roll sizer.
 
@Butter got the ability to sell Dillon products through his company Outdoor Dynamics(?).

I’ll be Shoppin’ local and supporting our fine community’s vendors

He's 340 miles from me IMO that's not local I am glad you have someone local you want to support but please don't fault me for supporting Dillon directly when they are giving me a discount due to the injuries (disability) I received while doing 20+ years of military service
 
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He's 340 miles from me IMO that's not local

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We’ve got couriers in this family if you really wanted to make it happen. Willing to bet it wouldn’t take more than a couple hours to find somebody willing to transport some of Butter’s goods your way. Just sayin’ [emoji6]
 
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We’ve got couriers in this family if you really wanted to make it happen. Willing to bet it wouldn’t take more than a couple hours to find somebody willing to transport some of Butter’s goods your way. Just sayin’ [emoji6]
I'm closer to butters than you are @Metalliman27055

I'll pick it up for you...even tho it's against my better judgement to have that blue stuff in my car. lol
 
I got no problem making the drive. I was meaning for members on the coast that may want to partake in Butter’s Wares but feel like he’s too far away.
 
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We’ve got couriers in this family if you really wanted to make it happen. Willing to bet it wouldn’t take more than a couple hours to find somebody willing to transport some of Butter’s goods your way. Just sayin’ [emoji6]
Does he have a page with prices ??
 
I’ll probably have a LnL bullet feeder if your buyer wants to go all in, but I might could use an extra case feeder for the roll sizer.

How much are you shooting? I may be ignorant on the subject but only roll sizers I’ve heard of are automated and marketed to those that are remanufacturing? Like a few thousand plus cases an hour?
My understanding was they run between 700-1000$. If for personal use, especially on 9mm where is the roi or break even point? Once again just ignorance and curiosity on my part.
 
How much are you shooting? I may be ignorant on the subject but only roll sizers I’ve heard of are automated and marketed to those that are remanufacturing? Like a few thousand plus cases an hour?
My understanding was they run between 700-1000$. If for personal use, especially on 9mm where is the roi or break even point? Once again just ignorance and curiosity on my part.
I have a casepro and dies for 9mm, 45acp and .40. The machine is manually operated and I can roll size about as fast as the case feeder can drop them. The machine can be automated.

Hard to provide any info on the economics. I’ve stopped gauging rounds so I save time on making bad rounds and gauging all rounds. That said, I got the thing as part of a large deal so think of it as having been free, but otherwise can’t imagine buying it.
 
550b

While the 650 has more potential for higher output, it will also cost you significantly more to get setup and to change calibers. I love my 550b
 
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