Metalliman27055
Insert title here:
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!
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!