I'm looking into doing a reloading area in my basement and wanted some input or advice on what to avoid or look for. I think I have it narrowed down to dillon and want a progressive press and a single strange for my long guns. So please help any advice is appreciated.
- Thread starter Rowdyryno
- Start date
For handgun and semi auto rifles, I am running a Dillon 550 (I'll be upgrading to a 650 by the end of the year). Once you get your Dillon set up, it'll definitely crank out plenty of ammo for handgun and 223. For my precision rifles, I have an array of items and my single stage press is a Redding Big Boss.
I will say this, if you are serious about this hobby and have a true passion for it, then buy quality at the beginning instead of paying twice or thrice in the future. Instead of incrementally increasing the quality of your equipment, buy top shelf first so you only cry once and only pay once.
I will say this, if you are serious about this hobby and have a true passion for it, then buy quality at the beginning instead of paying twice or thrice in the future. Instead of incrementally increasing the quality of your equipment, buy top shelf first so you only cry once and only pay once.
Cactusbrew that's kind y I decided dillon cause I def didn't wanna get all set up and in the future need to upgrade. I haven't heard of anyone using the progressive for accuracy loads just mainly 223/handgun stuff is that due to the thrower not being consistent?
I have a dillon 550b and it is capable of accuracy rifle loads as long as the powder you use is a ball type. The powder drop will not meter extruded very well but I believe it's because of the powder funnel. The funnel is so small the extruded will get stuck in it. But it's like all powder drops though +/- .10 usually when it comes to ball powder. I load all of my match stuff on an rcbs rock chucker. I also drop powder from another powder drop then trickle in. You can pick up used ones sometimes on Craigslist or a new one will be 150. I run 223 through my 550 but I do all of my re sizing on a single stage. It's just easier because the next step is trim, chamfer clean primer pockets etc. Once I prep the 223 then it's off to the dillon. Usually takes me 30min to prep 50 pieces then 10 to run it through the 550.
A must have is a stout table that will not flex at all with a stroke of the press.
Comfortable chair w/o arms
Suggest good shelves for storage of supplies
A good sound system adds enjoyment
Comfortable chair w/o arms
Suggest good shelves for storage of supplies
A good sound system adds enjoyment
The sound system noted above is ok only after you have learned your reloading steps and put your safe guards in place. You do not want anything to hinder you in the powder dropping and bullet seating phase. I have found that to eliminate problems in the powder drop/bullet seating stage I prep all brass in lots of 100 clean and primed ready to load then I drop and trickle up my powder and seat the bullet one at a time. This will keep you from over charging a case or picking up the same case and putting a double charge in it. On my progressive set-up I run a powder check die. I have found that my hands and face are worth more to me then listening to music or for that matter having anything bother me while loading.
So let me ask you guys this out of the dillon line up I was thinking about doing a single stage setup and weighing out each load for my long range loads so I know there gonna be consistent, and going with a 1050 for all my 9/45/223 type stuff. Is anyone running this kind of setup or recommend it?
1050!? How much do you shoot? Goodness although I'd love to have a 1050. Only problem is that it cranks them out so fast ill run outta shit to load. Lol.
Unless you're going to shoot literal bucket loads of ammo, a 1050 is overkill. I've got an old 650 that I don't even bother using anymore since I rarely load more than 200 at a time. The setup is a pain, and I get anxious using it trying to keep track of everything, but that's probably just me. If it were me, I'd hold of on the progressive until you get the single stage worked out. That way you know what features are worth paying for and which ones just add complexity.
As DUSTIN said, a Dillon does awesome with ball powder but not so well with stick powder. I personally prefer a single stage for precision rifle so that I can control every single stage of the process. I know the exact powder charge, i control the pressure and force of priming, i manually seat each round, etc etc. Its really about control and uniformity, which is what accurate shooting is about.
Per your thoughts on the 1050, its a hell of a system and if you plan on loading lots of volume, its a great machine. When theres not an issue finding components, I shoot 10k to 12k of handgun a year and 5kish in my AR15 carbine. If you quantify this, you are looking at about 16 to 17 hours of reloading on the 1050, IF YOU HAVE ALL OF THE COMPONENTS. With the 650 you are looking at 22 hours total. With the 550 you are looking at 35 to 40 hours.
For me personally, I have have a 550 but am looking at upgrading to a 650 just becuase it can almost cut my reloading time in half. I think the 650 is the perfect progressive unless you are looking at shooting a shit ton of ammo. And hey, if you are, awesome. BUt I think the 650 is more then enough for most.
Per your thoughts on the 1050, its a hell of a system and if you plan on loading lots of volume, its a great machine. When theres not an issue finding components, I shoot 10k to 12k of handgun a year and 5kish in my AR15 carbine. If you quantify this, you are looking at about 16 to 17 hours of reloading on the 1050, IF YOU HAVE ALL OF THE COMPONENTS. With the 650 you are looking at 22 hours total. With the 550 you are looking at 35 to 40 hours.
For me personally, I have have a 550 but am looking at upgrading to a 650 just becuase it can almost cut my reloading time in half. I think the 650 is the perfect progressive unless you are looking at shooting a shit ton of ammo. And hey, if you are, awesome. BUt I think the 650 is more then enough for most.
Well I finally got through to dillon today after being on hold for 45 minutes. There we page just doesn't break it down enough and I can tell by pricing what's the best unit they sell. As of now I just reload 308 on my buddies single stage for my DTA and buy ammo for everything else. I have a 338 Norma conversion on the way for the DTA and talking to mark Gordon at SAC about a 223AI build so this is where wanting my own setup comes into play, and kinda throwing around the idea of wanting to get into some pistol comps. The only thing that I wanna figure out be for I purchase a unit is what's the best one for what I need and so I don't need to upgrade down the road. I'm getting great feedback from all you fellow SH members and others I have reached out to but getting answers across the board. Some say for accuracy loads don't use a powder dispenser weigh it out each one at a time, so do I go with a basic 550??? Or do I step up to a 650/1050 and just run it slower when I do my rifle rounds and then when I do pistol I can haul some serious ass??? So far I am thinking either a 650/1050 and just run all pistol dies and 223 in it and get a 550 for all my 308/223AI/338NM type stuff in it so I can go slower and more attention to detail. But once again thanks for all the helpful information.
Have you checked out any YouTube videos? They have tons on all the machines we are telling you about. You could watch someone load and see how fast they are going and base it on that. Usually the rounds per hour on the website show you that when all the bells and whistles are on it that's what it's going to do. For example the 550 says like 3 to 500 I think? That's with the case feeder set up. Me personally I don't have the case feeder but I average 15min to do 100 pistol rounds. What gets ya is picking up the primers. Of course you can buy more tubes but I roll with one. Load 100 and drop them in then pick up another 100 and go to work. Not blazing but for the amount I shoot it works. I usually have a week or two before I can get out so during the week ill knock 4 or 500.
Yeah I've watched a few videos def helps but still can't make up my mind on one. When I called dillon they acted like the 1050 was just just for mass production of basic calibers like 9/40/45/10mm/38 and so on but didn't do others like 308. I like how simple and fast it makes it though and that's y I still keep it as an option cause if I went that route 650/1050 I would just dedicate that as my 9/45/223 setup so I can haul ass on that and do a 550 for all my precision stuff cause you manually rotate the unit and can go slower and measure out each load. Am I over thinking this? If the 1050 did all cals it would be a no brainer but the thought of two presses is nice to keep things separate so chime in guys.
If you're going to weigh every charge, there isn't as much to gain from a progressive.There are some nice turret presses as well that bridge the gap between the progressives and the true single stage.
If you must have a progressive, a 650 will do well, and with all the doodads, can crank out some rounds. Changing calibers is not *that* big a deal, especially if you buy extra die holders (or whatever it is they call them). I certainly would not buy a 550 and a 650.
But honestly, get a Rockchucker or even a Partner, use that, and then decide. A Partner is like $80, and I've used one to load ammo that shot High Master level highpower scores at 600 yards out of a service rifle.
You may decide you want to stick with a single stage or get a turret. In either case, you will better understand what your'e getting with the 550 vs 650 vs 1050.
If you must have a progressive, a 650 will do well, and with all the doodads, can crank out some rounds. Changing calibers is not *that* big a deal, especially if you buy extra die holders (or whatever it is they call them). I certainly would not buy a 550 and a 650.
But honestly, get a Rockchucker or even a Partner, use that, and then decide. A Partner is like $80, and I've used one to load ammo that shot High Master level highpower scores at 600 yards out of a service rifle.
You may decide you want to stick with a single stage or get a turret. In either case, you will better understand what your'e getting with the 550 vs 650 vs 1050.
Last edited:
Here's what you should do. Get the 650 for your pistol/223. Then buy a rock chucker for your match ammo. Save the money that you were going to spend on the 1050/550 setup and pour it into components. Whether it be tools, gauges, dies, tool heads, powder dies, case feeder, bullet feeder and just plain powder, bullets and primers. The 1050 was meant for the guy shooting competition for a living that burns thousands of rounds a month. The 650 will pump a ton of ammo out as well. Just have to spend a few hours on it.
Yeah Dustin I was thinking that at the same time and that's what I use of my buddy's is a rock chucker just thought the 550 would save some time even with weighing out each charge with the manual turret. Have you used a 650/1050 are they pretty complicated as far as usage goes?
I have a 550 and use it for handgun a .223 loads. I've recently just started loading .308 for precision, and ordered a uniquetek kit to make the press even more precise. I am anticipating the need to switch to a single stage, though. We'll see what the uniquetek stuff gets me.
As for powder - the Dillon PMs measure ball powder really well. Extruded, not so much. I drop all my .308 powder by hand. An RCBS ChargeMaster is your friend for this.
As for the 1050? Super sweet machine. My only gripe is that since it's aimed more at "commercial-type" reloaders, it does NOT carry the lifetime warranty like a 550 or a 650 does. IIRC, the warranty on a 1050 is only 1 year. That alone is enough reason to put me off of it.
All that said, I am plenty happy with my 550. I can crank out straight-walled pistol at about 500 an hour, and that's at a comfortable pace. .223 I can do about 400 an hour (assuming brass is fully prepped already), again, at a comfortable pace.
I don't like the 650 because of the auto-index. I want to be able to do things by hand. Easier to fix a mistake.
As for powder - the Dillon PMs measure ball powder really well. Extruded, not so much. I drop all my .308 powder by hand. An RCBS ChargeMaster is your friend for this.
As for the 1050? Super sweet machine. My only gripe is that since it's aimed more at "commercial-type" reloaders, it does NOT carry the lifetime warranty like a 550 or a 650 does. IIRC, the warranty on a 1050 is only 1 year. That alone is enough reason to put me off of it.
All that said, I am plenty happy with my 550. I can crank out straight-walled pistol at about 500 an hour, and that's at a comfortable pace. .223 I can do about 400 an hour (assuming brass is fully prepped already), again, at a comfortable pace.
I don't like the 650 because of the auto-index. I want to be able to do things by hand. Easier to fix a mistake.
Opinions vary, so I'll provide another one. If you start with a single stage, such as a "RockChucker" you will learn one heck of a lot that you can then apply to your purchase of a progressive. After learning the basics of reloading for bottle necked cases, setting up of dies, headspace, bumping shoulders, neck tension, etc. you can then consider loading your rifle cartridges on a progressive. For handgun loading a progressive cannot be compared to a single stage due to the consistent (enough) volume of ammo it can crank out. I run a Dilion 650 with most of the upgrades and can run more handgun cartridges in a couple of hours that most people shoot in a year. I now use the progressive to load my semi-auto loads, .556, some .308, etc. For bolt guns I still handload one at a time on the single stage looking for the utmost precision and consistency I can obtain. As always, just my $0.02 and YMMV.
I've got buddies that have 650's. I haven't used one. I use the 550 because I love manual index because if something goes haywire I can fix it on the spot and not have to worry about the thing auto indexing. I had a square deal b for awhile and it drove me nuts when the shell plate wouldn't center fully from stage 1 to stage 2 which is priming on the upstroke. I wish I could speak personally on the 650 but like I said the only auto index I had was the square deal b.
Yeah I like the thought of the 550 for doing my rifle stuff so I can go slower and be more involved and weigh out each load. Does anyone use a 650 with precision loads and pour each load one at a time from a scale? I know this kills the whole reason of a progressive but like the option of valine when need be.
You don't have to use the Dillon as a Progressive press with its automatic powder system to load precision ammo. The Dillon excels at "single stage" precision reloading, too. All of my loaded ammo using the Dillon 550B has easily shot .25MOA at 100 yards and easily shot below 1/2MOA at longer distances. Every rifle that I have loaded for has shot in the .1s occasionally and few times in the .0s at 100 yards.
Single Stage Precision Reloading Equipment:
Dillon 550B
Unique Tek Floating Toolheads
Redding Competition and Hornady dies
Omega Powder Trickler
GemPro digital scale
I would start with the Dillon progressive press first, and then get the single later.. you would be amazed on how fast the reloading equipment bills will start stacking up just getting into reloading for the first time,,,,, especially if you're going to do it right from the get go. You might find that you don't even need the single stage press.
Im a big fan of these other items:
thumler tumbler b with #5lb of stainless steel pellets (get pellets and not pins, as pins get stuck in primers wayyyy to easy)
rcbs chargemaster
lyman case prep center
if you're doing a boat load of .223 and .308 brass, then world's finest trimmers
Im a big fan of these other items:
thumler tumbler b with #5lb of stainless steel pellets (get pellets and not pins, as pins get stuck in primers wayyyy to easy)
rcbs chargemaster
lyman case prep center
if you're doing a boat load of .223 and .308 brass, then world's finest trimmers
Isn't the 550B a manual though its doesn't rotate with a pull of the handle correct? I go all out on everything I do that's y the 1050 is so appealing to me. Like I said in a previous post is the 1050 just lacks the capabilities of doing all the calibers like the 550/650 systems can. With my 308 stuff I just like measuring out all the loads to guarantee consistency. I use hodgdon varget for my 308 and a lot of throwers do not like it so every throw is different. I don't mind slowing down when I reload it but want the Speed when I do others. This is where I get stuck with do I do two units and get a manual for all my precision and a progressing for handgun/223???
Last edited:
It sounds like you want a 650. The optional case feeder is very helpful otherwise your'e always stopping to load the case feeder tube. I've never tried, but I would think measuring every load on a 650 would be doable but a pain in the ass. Given that there are lots of reasons to use a single stage press anyhow (pullet pointing, etc), I would go that route if I were you: 650 + rockchucker (or turret like the 550 basic). It's kind of annoying to have to set up the 650 unless you buy multiples of everything (toolheads, powder measures, etc), so it's nice to have something ready without all the hassle.
The 550 basic is not a turret, it's still a progresive. It's just lacking a lot of the extra features. In a turret, you turn the die toolhead, but can only have one piece of brass on it at a time. On a progressive, the toolhead remains stationary, and multiple shells rotate around.
Short answer is a turret performs ONLY one operation at a time, while a progressive can perform multiple.
You should also consider all the tooling required for reloading. A method to measure headspace and OAL, bullet comparator, dies, caliper, brass prep, and other things I'm forgetting. I started bare bones and have acquired quite a few things I didn't realize I needed when I first started.
"...is that due to the thrower not being consistent? "
Depends on what range you're shooting. Inside 300 yards - at least - a few tenths one way or the other is meaningless.
Noobs agonize over precise powder charges much more than is meaningful. If the load is well develped and assembled the nomal differences in cases and primers make more difference on target than tiny charge variations.
Actually, any kind of powder measure is as consistant as such devices can be, the end results mostly depending on the grain size of the powder and the operator.
I hate putting a powder measure on any press, the various viberations of operation insures degraded consistancy in the charges. Rarely enough to matter for handgun ammo and short range rifle tho.
Depends on what range you're shooting. Inside 300 yards - at least - a few tenths one way or the other is meaningless.
Noobs agonize over precise powder charges much more than is meaningful. If the load is well develped and assembled the nomal differences in cases and primers make more difference on target than tiny charge variations.
Actually, any kind of powder measure is as consistant as such devices can be, the end results mostly depending on the grain size of the powder and the operator.
I hate putting a powder measure on any press, the various viberations of operation insures degraded consistancy in the charges. Rarely enough to matter for handgun ammo and short range rifle tho.
