Dillon 550 vs Lee Classic Turret Press

[mattsbox99]

Yall fancy folks probably gonna want your water delivered inside you house next huh? I still use my Rock Chucker but then I am only 3000 rds ahead.

You mean for the 'in'house? I heard about them, but they gotta get to stinkin'.


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[Rick Courtright]

You mean for the 'in'house? I heard about them, but they gotta get to stinkin'.

Hi,

Eeewwww, Matt! You're not gonna try'n tell me folks do THAT inside their houses?

Rick C

 

[mattsbox99]

Well Rick, I'm not sure how cold it gets in Redlands, but it was -42 (that would be negative 42 degrees Fahrenheit) for a solid week here last winter. I'll let you draw the mental picture!

 

[clintsfolly]

Any one that get there first progressive press. please go slow for the first 1000 or 2000 rounds to get your safety steps well ingrained!!! like looking in EVERY case for powder. Rig a small light to be able to see if you have too!!! This was a very hard learned tip. Cost me a slide on a nice 1911 and pulling 800rd apart (and yes i found one more double charge) to be able to give you this!!!Clint

 

[Rick Courtright]

Well Rick, I'm not sure how cold it gets in Redlands, but it was -42 (that would be negative 42 degrees Fahrenheit) for a solid week here last winter. I'll let you draw the mental picture!

Hi,

Well, we've had the same numbers this week, Matt, but w/ a "+" sign instead of a "-" one... and, being a self-admitted SoCal wimp about cold weather, even that balmy temp's enough for me to consider digging out the parka (you can always tell "winter" around here: folks put on parkas, w/ their shorts!)

My parents were from Kansas. Although they were both "city kids," my mother's family included a few farmers, and she spent some time "out on the farm" now and then as a kid. She blames "indoor conveniences" for a fair amount of obesity.

"When it starts getting colder, you get a lot faster covering the distance between the back door and that one w/ the half moon carved in it. Burns off some calories!" This was during the Depression, and I guess her Grandma's chamber pot got broken and wasn't replaced for a while?

I've gotta erase a couple of mental pictures...

Rick C

 

[Rick Courtright]

Any one that get there first progressive press. please go slow for the first 1000 or 2000 rounds to get your safety steps well ingrained!!! like looking in EVERY case for powder. Rig a small light to be able to see if you have too!!! This was a very hard learned tip. Cost me a slide on a nice 1911 and pulling 800rd apart (and yes i found one more double charge) to be able to give you this!!!Clint

Hi,

Clint's story is a good one to reinforce the idea why starting w/ a single stage "approach," using either a dedicated single stage press, or a turret/progressive in "single stage mode," is such a good idea for a beginner!

And, when making the switch to progressive loading, it's not a bad idea even for an experienced loader until he understands the machine completely...

Rick C

 

[clintsfolly]

, it's not a bad idea even for an experienced loader until he understands the machine completely... Yes this was after 37yrs as a reloader/handloader and not having a sure safe system worked out!! Having a 45acp 1911 come apart in your hands will get your attention right KNOW and makes it real hard to shoot the next time!! Please use your head and get your safety system down before trying to race through making piles of ammo. This is the first time i have been able to talk of this happening and not get shaky and it was 3yrs ago Clint

 

[Lost Sheep]

Its definitely faster than the Lee, because the Lee only works on one cartridge at a time, priming is done manually, & powder drops are a seperate operation.
(edited for brevity)

It will definitely be faster than the Lee, for the reason stated, but the powder drops are not a separate operation if using the Lee Auto-Disk powder measure (or the Pro-Autodisk). The powder drop is performed atop the case-mouth belling die and is completely automatic. (Except for keeping the hopper filled)

 

[WESHOOT2]

I needed another 100 rds so I started at exactly 8:00pm.

-I got a 100-ct of CCI500 primers off the shelf;
-I dumped them in my brass Dillon flip tray and flipped 'em;
-I filled a tube and dumped 'em;
-I dropped some more clean R-P 9x19 cases in the feeder;
-I lot-numbered the load and recorded the data and components;
-I placed a Blue Bin of 125g LRN Penn Bullets in front of me;
-I sat down and started pumping;
-I measured and gauged some as they were made;
-I placed the finished rds in MTM 50-ct flip-top boxes.

It was 8:31pm.


I love my Dillon XL650

Yeah.

 

[Lost Sheep]

I needed another 100 rds so I started at exactly 8:00pm.

-I got a 100-ct of CCI500 primers off the shelf;
-I dumped them in my brass Dillon flip tray and flipped 'em;
-I filled a tube and dumped 'em;
-I dropped some more clean R-P 9x19 cases in the feeder;
-I lot-numbered the load and recorded the data and components;
-I placed a Blue Bin of 125g LRN Penn Bullets in front of me;
-I sat down and started pumping;
-I measured and gauged some as they were made;
-I placed the finished rds in MTM 50-ct flip-top boxes.

It was 8:31pm.


I love my Dillon XL650

Thanks, Weshoot2,

That sort of precise reporting is just what we need to compare apples with apples. Thanks for the detail.

I walked up to my Lee Classic Turret with a bowl of 100 .357 cases, a box of cast 158 grain SWC and a box of 100 primers (don't remember the brand). The Turret was already set up with a set of four dies and a filled Auto-disk powder measure already set to the correct powder drop weight and tested.

I started the clock as I put the box of bullets on the floor next to two empty boxes for the finished rounds.

I opened the primers and dumped them in the Lee "Pez dispenser" device, flipped the primers upright and put it on the press and started loading. When I ran out of primers, I took the turret out of the press and dumped the remaining powder back into the original container and reinstalled the turret, picked up the two (50 each) boxes of finished bullets from the floor, closed the lids and stopped the clock at 47 minutes.

I did not measure the rounds (as the dies were already set up) nor annotate the load data on the boxes (as my standard plinking load is the default value) as is my habit with these low-power loads.

I hope others using different techniques (but with comparable "Continuous Processing" parameters) will post their time benchmarks with such detail.

 

[Mohillbilly]

I started with a Lee hand press and a buddy loaned me his Lee 1000 to load 9mm . work well enough . I purchased a Dillon 550b . That is when I discovered the 550 worked better/faster and less fiddle'n with . That was 20 yrs or so ago . I would do it again , and did , got 2 setup , 1 to do small primers and 1 to do large primers . Now when I change over I just swap tool heads , and shell plates. ( Takes less than 5 mins ) I use mostly dedicate Lee dies and powder measures for pistols and Dillon for rifle measures . As far as output I reload in front of a TV at times and belive in the 50% powder density , so I loaf along at about 3-400 per Hr. I cannot say how much money it saved me cause I shoot all my saveings up. I did get a big castiron Lee single to do other things with but a hand press is good to start , and then strait to the 550b you can load one at a time and when you are sure , load up all the stations and do full progressive