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Thread: Need help choosing progressive press

  1. #1
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    Need help choosing progressive press

    I've been loading for 5 years or so now, on a turret press and single stage. Calibers include 9mm, .45ACP, .223, and .308. I'm looking into getting a progressive, specifically a Dillon.

    Money is tight, so I don't need all the bells and whistles to start. I'd like a press that can crank out pistol rounds primarily, but have the option to load rifle as well. I'm pretty sure this rules out the Square Deal B...Dillon's site doesn't seem to list a 650 any more, is the 550 the one for me? I'm not opposed to buying used if the price is right....

  2. #2
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    I have a RL550B. I don't like to use it to resize and decap rifle brass, because I wind up with case lube in the primer feeder. A gummed up primer feeder makes it difficult to reload pistol ammunition. I loaded a lot of good .223 ammunition with brass that was already prepped before I reloaded it on the press.

    I bought a RCBS Rock Chucker press for reloading rifle ammunition. If I wanted to I guess I could resize and decap brass on the Rock Chucker, then finish the loading process on the RL500B, but I don't. I drop and weigh charges, then seat rifle bullets on the Rock Chucker after I prep the brass.

    I owned a Square Deal B press before I bought the RL550B and it worked well enough for me to reload a lot of pistol ammunition. If I had to do it all over again, I would have bought a Square Deal B, a Rock Chucker and a good powder drop system.
    Train 2 Win

  3. #3
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    Well the 550 is out, is not a progressive press.

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    The price of liberty is, always has been, and always will be blood: The person who is not willing to die for his liberty has already lost it to the first scoundrel who is willing to risk dying to violate that person's liberty! Are you free?
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    The 750 is the updated 650.

    If you can afford it, I would get the 1100 (which is the updated 1050).
    I bought the 650 and was in the same quandary. In retrospect, I should have gotten the 1050 and I will probably upgrade in the near future.

    If you are only doing one pistol caliber the 650/750 is fine.
    The 1050/1100 has built in swagging which to me is huge. Plus the head has more room and is easier to setup case prep and trimming for rifle calibers.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by CrowCommand View Post
    I've been loading for 5 years or so now, on a turret press and single stage. Calibers include 9mm, .45ACP, .223, and .308. I'm looking into getting a progressive, specifically a Dillon.

    ... is the 550 the one for me? I'm not opposed to buying used if the price is right....
    Basically, yes, buy a 550.

    Good luck finding one used... They hold their value well.



    Quote Originally Posted by T2C View Post
    If I wanted to I guess I could resize and decap brass on the Rock Chucker, then finish the loading process on the RL500B, but I don't.
    This seems to be the "normal" way to do this. I'm set up to do this.


    Quote Originally Posted by 223to45 View Post
    Well the 550 is out, is not a progressive press.
    Huh?

    I think you don't understand what "progressive" means in this context.



    Quote Originally Posted by fedupflyer View Post
    If you can afford it, I would get the 1100...
    Non-starter... He said money is tight.

    Also, an auto-indexing 750 or 1100 would be a much steeper learning curve than a manual-indexing Square Deal or 550.

  6. #6
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    Thanks fellas. So auto indexing is the shell plate advancing with each pull of the lever? I understand the 550 does not do this, and must be rotated manually after each function, correct me if I am wrong.

    Right now, I load all my rifle rounds on a Rock Chucker and pistol is loaded on a Lyman All American turret press. I'm only interested in the single stage for rifle at the moment, as I'm going for consistency and accuracy. Ideally, I would eventually load blaster/admin drill ammo on the progressive, once I find a decent load on the SS.

    223to45 - Can you elaborate? Is it because the 550 is not auto indexing?

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by CrowCommand View Post
    So auto indexing is the shell plate advancing with each pull of the lever? I understand the 550 does not do this, and must be rotated manually after each function, correct me if I am wrong.

    Right.

    My experience, and that of several other experienced reloaders I know: The 550 is waaay faster than a single-stage press and plenty fast for virtually all of us.

    Auto-indexing speeds things up even more, but unless you're loading a LOT of ammo, the returns diminish rapidly (more cost, less benefit).

    Also, if something goes wrong on an auto-indexing press, then it quickly becomes a real moose-mess...

    Perhaps it's because I'm simple-minded, but I find it verrrry easy to set up and trouble-shoot the 550 because I can do the same operation in the same station more than once WITHOUT the press advancing the shell plate. (My only press is a 550, and I use it for everything.)

  8. #8
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    The manual indexing of the 550 is awesome. It gives complete control of the process.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by CrowCommand View Post

    223to45 - Can you elaborate? Is it because the 550 is not auto indexing?
    Yeah, I was interchanging progressive as auto indexing.

    My bad.



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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by grizzman View Post
    The manual indexing of the 550 is awesome. It gives complete control of the process.
    I find that if I make a mistake, a primer misfeeds or there is another issue, the RL550B manual advance feature makes it easier to correct.
    Train 2 Win

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