Hi all,

Was thinking (again) about finally getting into reloading, and a co-worker offered this to me new-in-box for $188.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've "discovered" .38 Special and figured it'd be cheaper to reload than to buy, and was considering getting started with reloading only for that caliber, and likely for others in the future. Granted, the press in the link is NOT setup for .38 Special, but seems like a decent deal on the press. I know I'd have to buy different dies, etc...

Thoughts on this press? I've read many mixed reviews on it, and figured I'd get a consensus here before making a final decision. I had a Redding Big Boss II a while back but never even used it...ended up selling it and buying an upper with the sale funds. I'd not be reloading this time for super accurate rounds...just to save on plinking/target rounds.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Personally...I would shy away from LEE progressive presses...I've been Cowboy Action shooting for about 20 years and I have known many shooters start out with the LEE single stage or turret presses (which by the way, are good presses that won't break the bank) and then go to the LEE progressives and are disappointed as well as frustrated with issues...I still own and use many LEE products...but not their progressive presses...

If you are only going to load pistol ammo (no rifle) I will highly recommend the Dillon Square Deal B. It will come complete with everything (press wise) to start cranking out .38 Special (nothing else to shop for, everything is included and set up). It has the best warrantee and Dillon's customer service (along with RCBS) is the best in the industry, (I'm sill using a Dillon RL450 from 1985 and it is still going strong)...the Square Deal is a little more spendy than LEE...but buy once-cry once...

https://www.grafs.com/retail/c...oduct/productId/3089

The above link just one add for the Dillon...you might check around the internet and find better deals...one thing to remember is that Dillon's warrantee is on the product, no matter who bought it or when...a good used Square Deal in .38 Special might be found a little cheaper (but Dillon presses hold their value and used may not be much cheaper than new...that says a lot)...

There will always be a blue vs. red vs. green vs. a rainbow of colors debate...but my money is on blue (for progressive presses)...but that's just my two cents

Thanks for the input...I'll check out that Dillon press in the link you sent.

Part of me thinks I'd be fine with a single-stage, but again, I'm brand new at the reloading thing (as in, haven't ever done it and haven't started yet) so I'm trying to gather wisdom from those who have gone before.

If you've got the money, the Dillon press mentioned above is the way to go, so long as you only want to load pistol cartridges. If you want something more budget conscious, the Lee classic turret is a good press. I started on one, and still use it pretty frequently. It gives you the simplicity and reliability of a single stage, without having to change out and reset your dies every time you change stations or calibers. I've heard about all kinds of problems with the Lee progressives, bit my LCT has been a joy to use. I did have a part break, and Lee replaced it for the cost of shipping. Not quite RCBS or Dillon customer service, but they got my press up and running with minimal cost and fuss...and the price can't be beat.

https://www.amazon.com/LEE-PRE...-Press/dp/B003BWTF1E

I've loaded for over 50 years, the first 35-40 on a single stage press, then was given a Lee Loadmaster for Christmas. I have a strong mechanical backround, before you ask, but found the Loadmaster one of the most frustrating pieces of equipment I've ever used: primer feed mechanisms that frequently jammed or broke, case feed adjustments, the list goes on and on. I must have bought 5-7 of the primer feeds alone. Lee makes some good equipment, and I like their dies for instance, but the Loadmaster was a royal PITA.

I have a pair of 550B's now that I load on for all my pistol/revolver needs. After using one of my son's 550B's, I replaced it that miserable Loadmaster with a 550B, then bought another so I could keep each permanently set up for Large and Small primers. It's worked out well for me and allows me to load four 50-round boxes an hour at a leisurely pace.

Dillon's customer service is 2nd to none in my opinion. A call to their people and you're talking to an expert reloader who knows the product and how it works. I've never had to pay for any replacement parts either.

Others here may recommend the 650 press, but for me, the 550B does it all. I understand that the "C" press has some upgrades and is a bit more expensive but the "B" has been just fine for my needs. BTW, I shoot every day, cast my own bullets, and my round counts for a year's shooting run over 10,000 a year.

One indication of just how good Dillon's press is: try to buy one used...in my experience, they just don't come up for sale!

Best of luck and you won't be disappointed. Rod

I was given one that was a “basket case”. It took a few days to figure out how to make it work smoothly and from what I’ve seen I built the worlds fastest Loadmaster at 100 rounds loaded in under 4 min.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9pjmuHAkBU

I personally wouldn’t buy one new but if I did it would be from Titan.

https://www.titanreloading.com...ad-master-press-only

In any case, they can be made to run but there are more better choices than worse ones.

no doubt dillion is favored. Lees are good but you have to constantly deal with it.
If you're not going to load thousands of rounds a week .... Is it worth the price ?
I load about 300 every coupe of weeks with a lee turret. Takes a couple of hrs, cases already clean. I'm happy with my small investment.
I enjoy fiddling with the press's primer thing and watching powder close. Making sure rotation completes .... Things like that.
Seems on a Dillon you just crank em out fast as you want ..... Idk, I own a lee turret.

I have a Lee Pro 1000 that I use for 9mm and it runs like a top!
Last summer, I decided to get a Loadmaster...
After fighting with it for 5 months and only making 250 rounds... I sold it and picked up a used Dillon 550B! 30 minuets to set it up and I been making perfect ammo ever since!
Highly suggest the 550B!

Hmm, that 550B seems like a good option. I understand that you get what you pay for. My Redding press was one hefty beast of a press, but I picked that one up with the intent to build precision cartridges, but I can see how a 550B or something similar would be handy for volume.

Any recommendations on where to pick one up?

 
A while ago I had a primer cook-off on my 13 year old 650. I don't know why, and Dillon could not figure out the reason either. I was not even seating primers, just using two primed cases to adjust my powder charge to a new one. But primers were still feeding through and just dumping onto the ski ramp. Needless to say, it scared the shit out of me, but no personal bodily damage. It did prompt me to buy a face shield to use while reloading (already wear safety glasses). And it did a nasty job on the primer system, plus otherwise knocked the press completely out of whack. I am lucky enough to live within about an hour of Dillon, so I took it in for replacing the damaged parts and a general tune-up. I was expecting to pay something. A week later, they called me to come pick it up. They handed me the press and an invoice that showed an extensive (and expensive) list of parts replaced. Down at the bottom, the total was $0.00. All this to say their warranty is superb!
 

I was lucky to find mine locally. Ebay prices are almost the cost of new. Titan reloading is now a Dillon dealer, always had good experiences with them!

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:
 
A while ago I had a primer cook-off on my 13 year old 650. I don't know why, and Dillon could not figure out the reason either. I was not even seating primers, just using two primed cases to adjust my powder charge to a new one. But primers were still feeding through and just dumping onto the ski ramp.
 

You might want to consider purchasing a primer shut off for when you are not loading/priming rounds. There is a fella from Alaska that makes, and sells them on Ebay. They are very well make, easy to install, work 100%, and not that expensive!! Just a thought......I love mine, and don't understand why I put it off for so long.

Dillon prices are going to pretty much the same wherever you buy...but you can save a few dollars on shipping costs compared to buying direct from Dillon...also if you find a bargain price on the 550 make sure it is not being priced without the conversion for the caliber you want to load (the conversion is for the shell plate, the locator buttons and the proper powder funnel for your chosen caliber)...I have seen this in the past from some online sellers...

The link I posted earlier from Graf's has a flat rate $7.95 shipping charge when compared to Dillon's shipping charge of $25.99 will save you around $18.00.

quote:

You might want to consider purchasing a primer shut off for when you are not loading/priming rounds.

If you have or know anyone with a 3D printer this design is a free download.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZDT63UZVVE

I have a Pro 1000 and I load hundreds at a time on mine.
I load 45acp and 9mm.

quote:

Originally posted by GT-40DOC:
You might want to consider purchasing a primer shut off for when you are not loading/priming rounds.

Email sent for more info.
 

Email answered.

quote:

Originally posted by ace73:
I was lucky to find mine locally. Ebay prices are almost the cost of new. Titan reloading is now a Dillon dealer, always had good experiences with them!

Whoah, that's the biggest avatar I've seen in awhile. Your avatar is this:



It should be this:

OMG...WTF...that photo is overbearing! ... "Run away, run away!"

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

At least it doesn’t have anything to do with guns or even reloading...much less the topic of reloading for a particular firearm.

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