Greetings,

I got a wild hair across my butt and decided I’d like to purchase a Dillon Press for .223. I’ve been using my RCBS Progressive Press for everything and will continue to use it for a variety of pistol calibers.

I will still perform a lot of the .223 prep work with my Rockchucker and Hornady case prep center, but when it comes time to actually drop powder and seat projectiles, I’d like to have the secure precision and speed of a Dillon.

So with that said, would those in the know please tell me the pros/cons of the XL750 vs. the RL1100?? Or is there another model better suited for .223? Side note: I don’t mind spending the money to invest in the best platform.

Mucho appreciado!!!

From what I understand the RCBS is a nice system. Can't comment on the press you're considering, but I've had a 550b for about 15 years now. Love it.

Dillon automatic progressives have no more and no less precision and speed than any other automatic progressive press equipped the same (read casefeeder or no casefeeder).

So... I'm in total support of going Blue (ie Dillon).

I load 9mm and 223 on my 650 and love it. Also, prep 6.5 CM and 6 Dasher cases on it - ie deprime.

If you're looking for the best possible precision, a progressive is not the answer. There is too much play and variability to achieve repeatable precision. The progressive system needs the "looseness" to ensure that 5 stations can do their jobs without binding up.

Folks will swear they can get precise loading on a progressive. But I've never seen any claim to consistently single digit Standard Deviations (Gold Standard). I routinely get SDs <5 loading on a Rockchucker for 6 Dasher.

With that in mind, I'd go with the XL 750. It is similar to my 650. I can consistently crank out about 400 rnds per hour with minimal material loss (spilt powder, crushed primers, bad cases). The limiting factor will be keeping the primer tubes filled, cases in the hopper, and avail projectiles. So, in my opinion, the increased capacity of the 1100 is not exactly worth the expense. I've never though "gee, wish I had the 1100".

And changing calibers is a whole lot easier on the 650//750.

Just my thoughts

Andrew

The two big differences in the 750 and the 1100 are
1) the 750 primes on the upstroke and does not have the ability to swedge the primer pockets easily.
2) the 1100 primes on the down stoke and is set up to swedge .
Loading 5.56 I think that you might want to have the ability to swedge on the press cutting down on the steps needed.
The 750 has the same primer setup as the 550.
I have a 650 and an 1100 and I think that the primer setup on the 650 is much better than the 550.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jsjac,

I don't have one of the Blue presses you're considering. I have a 550B and, when I reload .223/5.56, I'll size & deprime on the 550B, hand prime, then use the 550B to bell the case. I use the RCBS ChargeMaster to throw a consistent load of powder and hand load the powder into each case. Then, back to the 550B to seat the bullet and crimp. Sounds like a lot of work, but for me, it really isn't.

Good luck with your choice!

I don't have a 750, but I have had my 650 for many years and 10s of thousands of rounds. At one time I thought about an 1100, but could not justify it. I load 13-14 different calibers and the 650/750 is a dream when it comes to changing calibers.....my $0.02

Check out gavintoobe on YouTube, has great detailed videos for damn near anything related to reloading.

Thanks for the respnses, y’all. When I used the word “precision” in my OP, I wasn’t indicating precision in terms of shooting and targeting. I guess the term “consistency” would have been a better term and what I should have written.

I would NOT be changing calibers with this Dillon press…it would be dedicated solely to .223/5.56. My RCBS is older…it’s not one of the new versions that came out about 3 or 4 years ago. Things to consider…thanks again!

And YES…Gavin knows his stuff! Watched MANY of his videos when I was getting back into reloading about 10 or so years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:
Thanks for the respnses, y’all. When I used the word “precision” in my OP, I wasn’t indicating precision in terms of shooting and targeting. I guess the term “consistency” would have been a better term and what I should have written.

Okay, the Dillon isn't any more or less consistent than any of the other progressive presses out there.

Buying presses is subjective, not objective and that's kind of what makes horse races isn't it?

Thanks Flash! I guess for whatever reason, those that touted Dillon/"Big Blue" as being superior over RCBS, Hornady, Lee, etc. were just voicing their opinion.

To be honest, I have been THOROUGHLY satisfied with my RCBS progressive with regard to workmanship, reliability, function, and customer service. My thinking is that I'd like to have a dedicated system for .223/5.56, as that's the largest inventory of material I have on hand that I'll be reloading in the near future; material for THOUSANDS of rounds. That way, I don't have to worry about switching out the die plate for another caliber. I'd rather do that for all my pistol loading on the RCBS.

So thanks...you've given me something to consider. If Dillon is no more reliable than any of the other "major" brands, I might just stick with "Big Green" and get another RCBS press dedicated for .223/5.56.

Like I said, it's all subjective, not objective. There is no "best" press out there.

Case in point. My weekly rifle/handgun shooting group has 15 members. 14 of them reload and they average around 35 years of reloading experience each, going up to 66 years of experience. Some are knowledgeable, and some are just experienced and not knowledgeable. All of them are well off and can afford any gun or reloading press they want.

2 of them have Dillon presses and neither particularly likes them, but see no reason to replace them as they get the job done. One has a Hornady progressive and likes it and the rest all have Lee LoadMasters or the other Lee, the Auto Breech Lock. All are happy with them.

Also, almost every one of them has an RCBS Rock Chucker for doing miscellaneous tasks on the bench. It's the one press that just about every reloader I've ever met thinks is the best single stage out there.

Thanks again, Flash! I have an RCBS Pro 2000 Progressive. And agree 200% on the Rock Chucker...LOVE that thing! Might just start scouting eBay and Fakebook Marketplace for another RCBS.

I really like my Dillon 650 and 1100 presses. I much prefer the 1100 but it’s more difficult and more $ to change calibers. However, the built in swage, primer depth adjustment and priming on the downstroke makes it worth it to me.

If you search, I think offgrid uses a Dillon 650 as part of his reloading for precision bolt action rifle. I’ve seen articles where others do as well. Mostly to size and de-prime, though I’ve seen setups with with a funnel to add powder that’s been weighed out for each case.

I plan to reload bunches of factory equal or better .223 and I’ll most likely use the 1100. The built in swage and priming on the downstroke is much nicer and smoother than the 650. I’ve not loaded rifle yet though.

One of the big things that can help get better results with a progressive is to do two pass reloading. One pass to process: size, de-prime, swage and trim (on or off the press). Then switch tool heads and load. This works even better when automating the press.

I’m not there yet, either two pass or automation. When I’ve used pistol brass that has been processed, it so much smoother.

It’s the time vs. money vs. enjoyment of it. I enjoy being able to crank out 1,000rds of 9mm or 40 in an hour at cheaper than factory prices. Not counting my time or capital investment.

Another option is the Dillon CP2000. This is only for case processing, it can’t be used to load on and is slightly cheaper. Then

quote:

Originally posted by Riley:

One of the big things that can help get better results with a progressive is to do two pass reloading. One pass to process: size, de-prime, swage and trim (on or off the press). Then switch tool heads and load. This works even better when automating the press.

One of the guys I shoot with every week told me about the merits of two pass reloading, so I tried it with .223 because I like to trim every time I load each case.

It does seem to make things better, or at least it seemed that way to me. I turn the turret so that the resize/deprime die is right in front of me at the 7 o'clock position and use that as the start, feed brass in there and get them all sized. Then I trim and deburr and prime off the press. I then turn the turret back to its normal position and put the cases in at the 10 o'clock position (charging) and it's followed by bullet seating and factory crimping.

I like it.

Y'all are onto something here. I started loading everything in two stages some time ago. For pistol, stage one to resize/bell and prime the case, then stage two for powder drop, powder check, bullet drop, seat, and then crimp.

For rifle, it's pretty similar. I do most work on the Rock Chucker (deprime and size) and Hornady L-N-L Power Case Prep Center (trim/deburr/chamfer). Same as above, I'll prime all cases in stage one and then stage two consists of powder, bullet, seat, and crimp.

Thanks again for all the responses!!