PDA

View Full Version : Post your reloading setups!



LittleLebowski
01-29-2016, 04:18 PM
Help folks learn how to configure their reloading rooms. Post pictures if you can.

#Dillon650 (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=Dillon650)

#Dillon550 (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=Dillon550)

#Dillon1050 (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=Dillon1050)

StraitR
01-29-2016, 04:19 PM
Words cannot express how happy this makes me. Tagged.

olstyn
01-29-2016, 04:53 PM
My setup:

Hornady L-n-L AP press (http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/00005095100/Lock-N-Load-AP-Auto-Progressive-Press)
Cheapo Lee balance beam powder scale; my understanding is that unless you want to go expensive, digital scales are not accurate or consistent enough to be worthwhile
Midsouth's tumbler/media separator kit, though just about any brand will do, and wet tumbling with stainless steel pins would be nicer
RCBS Dies, because that's what my father in law recommended way back when; if I had it to do over again, I'd get Hornady, because I like their lock rings better
Hornady Powder Cop die as a safety check
An empty gallon milk jug to catch the spent primers.

Small tools:
Primer pocket cleaner (this doesn't get much use, but it was very cheap, so whatever)
Primer pocket reamer for when I run into crimped (military) cases
Chamfer/deburr tool

I've got 4 small primer pickup tubes, and I probably should get some more. The more you have, the more you can load before you have to putz around loading primer tubes. I "customized" my primer pickup tubes by putting some closed-cell foam grip things that are intended for handicapped people to use on small implements on them. This made them much less painful to use. (I found my hand would cramp up trying to load primer tubes, and the larger grip makes the process much more comfortable.)

While lubing cases isn't strictly necessary for pistol rounds, I find that giving them a blast of Hornady One Shot case lube makes the press run smoother, which results in more consistent OALs.

I'd like at some point to get a powder-through expander die so that I can go to separate seat and crimp dies; while seating and crimping in one step works, it's much more fiddly to get set up properly than doing it in two separate steps.

I have not bothered with a case feeder or a bullet feeder. While they seem like they'd be really nice, the cost has been tough to justify at my loading volume. For someone loading thousands of rounds/month, they'd make perfect sense, as it would speed up and smooth out the process, in addition to reducing the amount of stuff you have to touch.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff here, but that's the basics; a press, a scale, a tumbler, and appropriate dies.

If I ever get into loading rifle rounds, I'll have to add a case trimmer, but for straight-wall pistol cases, it's not really needed.

JAD
01-29-2016, 06:32 PM
I need to rebuild it since moving from KC; I'll post pictures when I do. Standard deal is an 8' bench, 2' deep, 2" thick, on metal legs at 4' off the floor. RL550 is on a strong mount 18" from the left edge.

Bullets sit in a shallow dish to the left of the machine; brass is in a salad bowl to the right. A little pocket electronic scale is to the right of that. Primer tubes are in a coffee mug behind the bullets, and a can of compressed air is kept close at hand too. Under the bench is the tumbler, media, brass, and big boxes of bulk bullets and hoarded loaded ammo.

There is space for pack and inspect to the right of the scale with a towel. To the right of that is usually a cheap single stage for resizing rifle brass, a case trimmer, and an automatic scale for precision rifle loads. I will probably not set that up unless I find a good rifle range in Dallas.

Other than that you need a lot of shelves. Caliber conversion kits, dies, primers,powder, small lots of bullets and brass, empty boxes, and full boxes.

There is literally nothing in the world more satisfying than a five gallon bucket full of .45.

LittleLebowski
01-29-2016, 07:16 PM
Post pictures!

BN
01-29-2016, 09:04 PM
5701

A quick phone picture. :) I refuse to clean up my mess for a picture. ;)

I started with an old Lee Loader, then a Lyman single stage, then a C&H 444, I think, then a Dillon 550 and later I got a Dillon RL 1050. I should have skipped most of those and gone straight to the Dillon 550. I am a Dillon Blue fanboy. :)

I bought the 1050 when it cost $850. They are now twice that. I recently added a Mr Bulletfeeder. It is fantastic.

I load mostly 9mm on the 1050 and switch calibers on the 550 for smaller runs or to test ammo.

On the 1050 I usually load 500 or so rounds at a time. Takes about a half hour and is good for a practice session or 2.

I like that I can load the exact load I want, that usually isn't available commercially.

Spend the extra money on good equipment. You won't be sorry.

http://www.handloads.com/ Here is a place with a lot of load information. I only use the info from manufacturers, not guests. :)

olstyn
01-29-2016, 09:15 PM
Oh, in case anybody wanted to know about the foam grip things I put on my primer pickup tubes, here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Abilitations-AbiliGrip-Adapted-Foam-Grips/dp/B0042SWPKE. Those are the exact ones I'm using. They tend to slide a bit on small primer tubes; I need to find a way to keep them still and they'll be just right. I don't load anything that needs large primers, but I bet they'd slide less on the slightly larger tube.

taadski
01-30-2016, 01:16 AM
Another Big Blue fan here. My reloader is a Dillon XL650. I load almost exclusively volume 9mm. It's the only press I've owned. I took a bit of a chance when getting into the game and bought the press I thought I'd want down the road. 5 or so years later, I can say it was absolutely the best decision I could have made. The prospect of learning on a progressive wasn't nearly as hard as I'd envisioned and I haven't had to "buy twice". (Although I'm admittedly really tempted to invest in a super 1050 and then explore the auto drive world :p)

Buying the 650 was probably the best monetary investment to date I've made in my shooting. I have it set up with a case feeder and can't imagine loading without it now. If I had to do it again, I'd purchase the case feeder first thing with the machine. I'm thinking seriously about investing in a bullet feeder too, but I'll probably wait until I make the 1050 upgrade decision before going down that road. The fact of the matter is I can currently load a legit 900 to 1000 rounds an hour, taking my time (assuming brass is clean and ready and primer tubes are loaded; see below) and my shooting volume during the shooting season is only 2000k/month or so.

I also use a powder check die. I pay really close attention when I'm loading but this thing is worth it's weight in gold. EVERYBODY f*cks up occasionally. This potentially catches those botches, limiting the likelihood that you're gonna get a squib or a double charge and blow up your gun.

I bought an auto primer filler (Dillon RF 100) more recently. It's another addition I'd absolutely recommend. While it sounds kinda silly, it's SOOO nice not to have to use the flip tray and filler tubes. While kinda pricey, it's worth every penny and allows the actual loading process to be all that much more efficient. Highly recommend.

Other accessories:

-Roller handle (should just come standard)
-Large vibratory case cleaner
-Large case-media separator/tumbler
-Beam scale
-Caliper set
-Case sorting tray set (I use quite a bit of range brass)
-Corn media
-Case lube
-Inertia bullet puller
-3 or 4 5 gallon buckets for brass sorting, storage, etc…
-Copy of a Lyman Reloading Handbook or the like
-Chronograph



Some people claim to have a "man cave." Mine is complete with dirt floor and walls and was established old school-like solo with a jackhammer, a pick and a shovel over the course of a couple years. Makes me a lot less concerned with old primers spitting out onto the floor. :p Bench is hanging from the floor joists.

Here are a couple pics...



http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo324/taadski/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_1224_zpsvtrvqgbp.jpg



http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo324/taadski/Mobile%20Uploads/FullSizeRender_zpsewfcevow.jpg



http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo324/taadski/Mobile%20Uploads/FullSizeRender_zps342fwzqg.jpg




t

Sal Picante
01-30-2016, 03:19 AM
Panoramic of my office/reloading room/man-cave ...
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/731798/PF/reloading/IMG_2492.jpg

"Helpers"
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/731798/PF/reloading/IMG_2493.jpg

CasePro
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/731798/PF/reloading/IMG_2507.m4v

Forcht Automation (technical drive for the 1050)
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/731798/PF/reloading/2015-02-07%2020.28.49.m4v

Brass Prep - sorting saves a bunch of time...
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/731798/PF/reloading/2015-10-11%2012.10.23.jpg

Setup Notes
Forcht converted Dillon 1050 (http://www.forchtfirearms.com/dillondoc.html)
Dillon 550 - I use this for load development, loading 44 mag, 45 ACP, and 5.56
Mr Bullet bullet feeder
I like the Lee Sizing die
I like the Redding Comp seating die
I like the Lee Adjustable crimp die

I don't change my setup much: 4-ish gr of Titegroup under a 124gr Precision Delta JHP loaded to 1.100". CCI primer.
Seems to work well.

Edwin
01-30-2016, 05:14 AM
I built my own bench that is rock solid. I started off with a Square Deal B to reload 9mm in volume and upgraded everything with Inline Fabrication. I just got a 650 last weekend and was setting it up today. Next set of upgrades include a Mr. Bullet Feeder and a Mark VII autoloader.

Dillon XL 650
Inline Fabrication Ultra Mount
Inline Fabrication Ergonomic Roller Handle
Case Feeder
9mm Conversion kit
Small Primer conversion kit
Uniquetek tool head clamp kit
Powder check die
9mm Lee Factory Undersizer decapping die
9mm powder hopper and funnel
9mm Redding Competition bullet seating die
9mm Lee Factory Crimp die
Inline Fabrication LED lighting kit
Dillon Tool Set and Mount
Bullet Tray
Low powder alarm
Dillon D-Terminator Electronic Scale

http://i.imgur.com/OEB78FLl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/cIQv1oql.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HQfojixl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Jtfulx3l.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/y4fbCkml.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/tPjSdtHl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/0FXwKxFl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zV9IRW1l.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/dOvXStml.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MBKcBfhl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xeNSirll.jpg

SLG
01-30-2016, 06:43 AM
Taadski,

Do you keep women's skins down there too? :-)

223AI
01-30-2016, 08:35 AM
Taadski,

Do you keep women's skins down there too? :-)

Haha!


I primarily load precision rifle, with short dabbles into pistol. I keep threatening to buy a Dillon Square Deal to pump out 9mm, but can't get the economics to work when ammo is so cheap right now...

That said, here is my setup, in a decommissioned hot water heater closet in our laundry room:

http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv208/JLPipes/2013-01-01_10-59-01_892.jpg (http://s684.photobucket.com/user/JLPipes/media/2013-01-01_10-59-01_892.jpg.html)

Forster Co-Ax, Prometheus Gen 2 powder measure, and various other tools. Not pictured is a separate cabinet that houses my powder and primer stores. It's pretty efficient.

Assuming prepped brass, which is done separately via stainless tumbling media and a Giraud trimmer, I can load a rifle round...accurate to the kernel of powder...about every 8-12 seconds. The Prometheus is expensive, but amazingly efficient and accurate.

taadski
01-30-2016, 08:59 AM
Taadski,

Do you keep women's skins down there too? :-)


http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo324/taadski/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_1225_zps3h8cejc4.jpg (http://s388.photobucket.com/user/taadski/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_1225_zps3h8cejc4.jpg.html)

JM Campbell
01-30-2016, 09:15 AM
Just started setting mine up in the new house.

5705

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

wrmettler
01-30-2016, 12:49 PM
Here is my bench.
Set it up in 1989 when I first moved into my house. The Forster press was added in the early '90s after I started to shoot Palma.
The 550 has been removed only once, and that was when the frame broke last summer and Dillon replaced it for free, after 15+ years of constant use.
The beam scale was purchased from Scott Parker, and results in both 308 and 223 ammo, when carefully loaded, with a SD of less than 10.

http://i.imgur.com/cVcs4CN.jpg

SLG
01-30-2016, 08:19 PM
Taadski,

Actually, I'm very impressed that you carved it out yourself. Humor is just my way of dealing with feelings of inadequacy. :-)

LittleLebowski
01-31-2016, 08:50 AM
Just started setting mine up in the new house.


What is that as a base on your floor?

LittleLebowski
01-31-2016, 08:52 AM
Fixed wrmettler's picture of his bench.

JM Campbell
01-31-2016, 09:32 AM
What is that as a base on your floor?
7.5'x16' garage floor rubber matt that is dark grey diamond plate pattern.

Bought it at Costco for $164 out the door. It is not listed on the site, might be regional specific.

It tucked nicely under the floor boards and is tacked down by the transition borders to the carpet, which also tacks down the carpet.

I was going to use the 20x20 garage floor tiles found at Lowes/home depot but was out of the budget and was best utilized on more lighting and the new benches.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

mtnbkr
01-31-2016, 10:47 AM
No pics handy, but I've been reloading for nearly 20 years. Virtually all centerfire ammo I consume is handloaded. I currently load 32SWL, 32-20, 38special, 44mag, 308win, 6.5x55, and 35whelen. I've previously loaded 32acp, 357mag, 44special, and 300winmag.

Wherever possible, I use Lee equipment. Not because it's the best, but because it's the best bang for the buck (no pun intended). I only resort to other brands when Lee doesn't make a particular tool or die or when the Lee version isn't available (ex 35whelen dies). I keep hearing you can't load accurate ammo with Lee, but two of my 3 hunting rifles deliver sub-1" groups at 100yds consistently. If that's poor performance, I'll take it. :)

I use a Lee Classic Cast turret press, all Lee dies except for the RCBS 35whelen set (also have an RCBS full length set for the 6.5x55, but primary use the Lee collet die set).

I keep all my dies mounted on Lee turrets so I can swap calibers quickly. If I'm using the same bullet and loading for the same gun, I don't even have to reset the seating depth

Powder Measures: Lee Perfect on bench for rifle (provides gross loads that I trickle to the precise load using a scale), and Lee's die-mounted Pro and Standard measures for handgun and 308.

Powder Trickler: Just a cheap Hornady one that works well enough.

Scales: Hornady digital scale

Kinetic Pullet Puller: RCBS

Case Trimmer: Lyman

Tumbler: Vibratory model from Midway. I think it was their house brand. I only use it infrequently.

For you folks that live in an apartment and think you can't reload. I started out with my press attached to a board and C-clamped to my desk. I only loaded 38/357mag at the time, but it worked.

I also cast bullets for my handguns.
Lee 20lb bottom pour furnace
RCBS 250gr SWC .430 2-cav mould
Lee 125gr Truncated Cone .358 2-cav mould
Lee 300gr Truncated Cone GC .430 6-cav mould
MiHec 115-120gr Solid/HP .314 4-cav mould
Lee sizing dies for .427, .428, .430, .432. (need a .309 die to make the 32cal bullets work as 308win plinkers and a .313 die to fit the tighter chambers of my K32).

Because I've been accumulating powders, primers, bullets, brass, and raw lead since before 2008, I didn't notice the "ammo shortage" at all. :)

walker2713
01-31-2016, 01:46 PM
At first I thought.....well, I'd better clean everything up so it looks good, but then realized that I'd never post the pic or information up! So here it is...I have a couple of other work area for rifle tinkering, pistol cleaning, etc.


5721

The Forster Coax is for run of the mill rifle cartridges: .223, .204, 6X45, 6.8SPC, .260 etc...mostly prefer Redding dies.

The Lee 4-hole turret press on the right side of the table is for pistol loading: 9mm, .40 & .45....using Lee Carbide dies...very happy with them.

For precision rifle work (6.5X47 Lapua/6BR--600yd and 300yd matches) I used the 21st Century arbor press and Wilson neck dies and seater, with Redding Titanium bushings.

For primer seating, I can't say enough about 21st Century's hand primers....I have two and wouldn't want to use anything else.

5722

I use the RCBS Chargemaster electronic powder dispenser.....I've used a wide variety of methods over the last 30 years, and find it to be dependable and accurate.

As you can see, I"m not a high volume reloader, and since I'm retired I have the time to do it my way, and make it right.

SLG
01-31-2016, 02:35 PM
I'm glad to see Lee represented, especially the Classic Turret Press. I've just been singing it's praises to LL, and I think it is the best press for most people to start off with. Lee may not be the highest quality, but it's not the Lee of the 1980's either. Much of their stuff is well designed and available inexpensively.

I'm a gear snob, no doubt, but my Lee stuff makes .5 moa 308 loads for me just as well as my Redding Competition Micrometer dies and T-7. The redding stuff is really nice, high quality stuff, and slightly easier to dial in and return to, but once its set up right, the Lee stuff will definitely get 'er done. I use Lee a lot, as well as Redding, RCBS and Dillon. All have their pros and cons.

Has anyone tried the new Lee Pro drum measure? I just ordered one, and intend to try 300WM on the Turret Press with it.

mtnbkr
01-31-2016, 04:12 PM
Has anyone tried the new Lee Pro drum measure? I just ordered one, and intend to try 300WM on the Turret Press with it.

I'm considering one. I have to use two strokes for my 308 loads with the Lee Auto Disk measure and am not 100% confident in the Lee Auto Disk to consistently deliver very small charges of HP-38. The drum measure should solve both issues.

Chris

mmc45414
01-31-2016, 07:55 PM
5730
Right to Left:
- RCBS Rockchucker I have had since I was probably 15yo (1973)
- PW 800+ in 12g
- Dillon 900 in 20g
- Dillon 550 with case feeder

There is another bench along the wall to the right that has a secondary 550 and a Super Swage and a couple of those little Lee single stage presses on 2x4s that either get clamped onto the bench or clamped in a vise.

I built the benches by anchoring a 2x4 or 2x6 against the wall, and running boards out perpendicular to the wall. There is a rail under the front (set it back a little, the presses might need some clearance) that the top boards are screwed into. One advantage is if things move you can just switch the boards around. The PW dumps rounds out the back into a PVC pipe that puts them into a bucket on the floor. When I needed to move it when I got the Dillon 900 I just pulled up a couple of boards and moved them. The mounting holes and shell dump just moved where the press went.

In another thread I read that LL was admonished a bit for getting a single stage, I often urge people to start with one. You will not be happy with it for long but you will use it for something forever, IMO.

Edited to note the archery target under bench full of expensive equipment is about 14 yards away from the recliner, down through the basement door in the quad level house. Something I do, not something I recommend... :)

taadski
01-31-2016, 09:00 PM
Taadski,

Actually, I'm very impressed that you carved it out yourself. Humor is just my way of dealing with feelings of inadequacy. :-)



I'm just stubborn. Not much skill involved. But I needed somewhere to reload and I needed somewhere to store the Vstrom. Now I've got both! :cool: And I'm all about the joshing, if ya haven't noticed! ;)


t

Rich@CCC
02-01-2016, 11:31 AM
I'm glad to see Lee represented, ... Has anyone tried the new Lee Pro drum measure? I just ordered one, and intend to try 300WM on the Turret Press with it.

I am also a fan of Lee reloading gear. I would buy Dillon or Hornady in a heartbeat if I could justify the $ but the Lee gear just works well enough and is so much more affordable.

I see that FortuneCookie45LC is the only one other than Lee Precision with any youtube reviews up on the Lee Auto Drum(he can be hard to watch and is a bit long winded). He says the auto drum is consistent and smooth with extruded rod powders and did a couple charge consistency tests.

Going for a charge of 34.7 with H4831, He showed a min-max deviation of .3 grains and an average of exactly 34.7 over 50 throws. Going for 2.4gn charge of Unique, he saw a max deviation of .2 grains and an average of 2.4gn over 10 throws.

He also compared the operation of the auto drum to that of the RCBS Uniflow with the H4831 powder and the RCBS measure jammed consistently and had very erratic throws.

I'll be ordering an auto drum for my .223 set up as I'm not 100% satisfied with the Auto Disk/ double disk configuration for the larger charges.

LittleLebowski
02-01-2016, 02:10 PM
I'm glad to see Lee represented, especially the Classic Turret Press. I've just been singing it's praises to LL, and I think it is the best press for most people to start off with. Lee may not be the highest quality, but it's not the Lee of the 1980's either. Much of their stuff is well designed and available inexpensively.

I'm a gear snob, no doubt, but my Lee stuff makes .5 moa 308 loads for me just as well as my Redding Competition Micrometer dies and T-7. The redding stuff is really nice, high quality stuff, and slightly easier to dial in and return to, but once its set up right, the Lee stuff will definitely get 'er done. I use Lee a lot, as well as Redding, RCBS and Dillon. All have their pros and cons.

Has anyone tried the new Lee Pro drum measure? I just ordered one, and intend to try 300WM on the Turret Press with it.

I'm dying here, comparing prices between the Lee Classic and my RCBS starters kit :(

punkey71
02-01-2016, 07:35 PM
Nothing special but it serves me well.

Dillon 550B set up for 9mm.

Im trying to convince a friend to sell me his 1050 in 9mm with bullet and case feeders. If that happens the 550 turns into a 223 press.http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/02/01/158e889116d7a838d65d2e5fbd486aec.jpg

SLG
02-01-2016, 07:51 PM
I'm dying here, comparing prices between the Lee Classic and my RCBS starters kit :(

A single stage, as I've said before, is always worth having. You can use it for a universal decapping die, so that you can clean your cases well without messing up your resizing die. You can then use it to resize and trim your cases, when they need it. After that, you can then do everything else on the turret, and save a bit of time. If they likely won't need trimming, then you can go to resizing on the turret and crank em out. Lots of ways to reload, you just have to pick a safe way and see how it works for you. I like to clean my cases before I resize, and since I use an ultrasonic cleaner, I decap first. After resizing, I like to clean again to get all the lbe off. Then I worry about trimming or loading.

This is why I prefer to load pistol ammo! Much simpler and faster. Shoot, tumble, stick it on a progressive or the turret and do everything at once.

Slavex
02-01-2016, 10:54 PM
Love seeing that I'm not the only one with a tragedy of a mess around their reloading gear. I'll take a pic when I get the area cleaned up and the new gun bench installed. with 3 1050s on the floor and a bench covered in crap it's a good motivation to clean it up.

olstyn
02-02-2016, 12:40 AM
Love seeing that I'm not the only one with a tragedy of a mess around their reloading gear.

No joke; mine's in a cramped corner of a cramped garage. It's one of the few areas of the garage that's vaguely organized, but I have to pull other crap out of the way before I can use it. My wife and I would be better off with both a larger house and less stuff.

Hambo
02-02-2016, 01:52 PM
No joke; mine's in a cramped corner of a cramped garage. It's one of the few areas of the garage that's vaguely organized, but I have to pull other crap out of the way before I can use it. My wife and I would be better off with both a larger house and less stuff.

Just throw some useless stuff out of the living room and move your bench there. Life is all about priorities.

olstyn
02-02-2016, 02:46 PM
Hambo, you are a funny guy, and you can be the one to tell my wife that she has to put up with the tumbler running in the living room. :)

Hambo
02-02-2016, 03:11 PM
Hambo, you are a funny guy, and you can be the one to tell my wife that she has to put up with the tumbler running in the living room. :)

I'm there for you, brother. ;) My bench is now in the house proper, instead of the attached workshop. How did I sell that? My wife got the ex-reloading area for all her garden tools. She's happy, and while it's not in the living room, I went from window AC and a small TV to central air and College Game Day.

ETA-Tumbling is still better left in the garage.

olstyn
02-02-2016, 03:30 PM
ETA-Tumbling is still better left in the garage.

I know; that part was almost pure snark, as *I* wouldn't want it in the living room either. Too noisy, and toxic dust is much better limited to the garage vs actual living areas.

jh9
02-02-2016, 04:24 PM
I'm dying here, comparing prices between the Lee Classic and my RCBS starters kit :(

This is not how you do reloading. You pick a color and then defend it to the death from all corners. You do not regret your RCBS, you double down on its superiority. :p

But for serious, they all make bullets. I've never heard any meaningful complaints about an RCBS single stage. The only way you're going to "get it right" the first time is if you buy a Dillion progressive*, so there's no use worrying over how optimal your first purchase is. You'll eventually amortize the cost and wind up using it as a backup to a progressive anyway. In 5 years it won't matter.

*- I kid. Mostly.

mmc45414
02-02-2016, 08:07 PM
I'm glad to see Lee represented... Much of their stuff is well designed and available inexpensively.

I'm a gear snob, no doubt, but my Lee stuff makes .5 moa 308 loads for me just as well as my Redding Competition Micrometer dies and T-7.

Lee stuff will definitely get 'er done. I use Lee a lot, as well as Redding, RCBS and Dillon.

I use a lot of Lee dies, including for 308 and 223. I really tried to like the Loadmaster (I was planning to buy one in 9, 40 & 45) but finally caved and got a second 550.

Trigger
02-03-2016, 09:02 PM
Here is the reloading room:

5785

SLG
02-03-2016, 09:47 PM
I use a lot of Lee dies, including for 308 and 223. I really tried to like the Loadmaster (I was planning to buy one in 9, 40 & 45) but finally caved and got a second 550.

What didn't you like about the loadmaster? I have not used one myself, but they look good to me.

mmc45414
02-03-2016, 10:29 PM
What didn't you like about the loadmaster? I have not used one myself, but they look good to me.

They look awesome. Some of the issue might be the thousands of rounds I loaded on the 550 prior to trying the Loadmaster. When it was rocking it just rocked, but any little thing that went wrong took a bit to unravel. And little things would go wrong. There is lots of www info about little tweaks and if you want to put in the squeeze you will probably get the juice, but I bailed and went back to terra firma, the 550. If you have reloading experience and no Dillon experience you might live happily ever after. Some of my decision could have been just how conditioned I was to the feel of the stroke. I probably loaded on a 550 for thirty years before I tried, though...

BaiHu
02-03-2016, 11:33 PM
If you guys don't mind, can we get a ballpark figure while we're discussing this? I only shoot 9mm, and for me to get involved, it looks like I need to drop $2k to start and then $500-1000/yr to support a 1k rounds/month shooting habit? That sound right?

JAD
02-03-2016, 11:39 PM
If you guys don't mind, can we get a ballpark figure while we're discussing this? I only shoot 9mm, and for me to get involved, it looks like I need to drop $2k to start and then $500-1000/yr to support a 1k rounds/month shooting habit? That sound right?

Your cap cost is high and your running cost is low. Buy in is about $600 for a square-d and all the shizznat. 1k rounds costs about $100 to build so $1200 running cost -- but if you cut your ammo cost in half I will be surprised if you don't shoot twice as much.

BaiHu
02-03-2016, 11:48 PM
Your cap cost is high and your running cost is low. Buy in is about $600 for a square-d and all the shizznat. 1k rounds costs about $100 to build so $1200 running cost -- but if you cut your ammo cost in half I will be surprised if you don't shoot twice as much.
Mmm. I need to go find that build your reload set up thread. Thx!

olstyn
02-04-2016, 12:37 AM
If you guys don't mind, can we get a ballpark figure while we're discussing this? I only shoot 9mm, and for me to get involved, it looks like I need to drop $2k to start and then $500-1000/yr to support a 1k rounds/month shooting habit? That sound right?

I wish I still had the spreadsheet I used to add up the pricing when I was doing my research on what I needed to buy and where to buy it. I gave each needed item a row and then put prices from various vendors in the columns. The column with the smallest sum including shipping indicated where I should buy everything from (I was trying to save on shipping by using only one vendor if possible). IIRC it worked out to a little over $700 all told, and Midsouth was the winner in terms of the lowest pricing, but I already had the dies I needed for 9mm and .380, so those would have made it more like $800 if I needed them as well. It'd be easy to spend more on a nicer scale or a wet tumbling setup, etc, and there are a million small tools you can buy if you want. Realistically, though, you shouldn't have to spend more than $1000 even if you go with some more expensive stuff than I did unless you're going straight to a Dillon 1050 setup.

JAD has it right about continuing costs. 12K rounds/year is only going to get down in the $1000 range if you're using the cheapest bare lead bullets and the cheapest powder you can find and buying everything in pretty serious bulk amounts. That also assumes brass is free, which for 9mm, it usually mostly is. (I pick up more than I shoot at most every match I attend, and that's only picking brass after I help with teardown.) I'd expect reality to be more like $1300-1500/year, depending on what components you choose, and it might be more than that if you go with all premium stuff.

Slavex
02-04-2016, 04:12 AM
Just remember, you will not save any money reloading, in all likelihood you'll spend more. But you'll also shoot more for that money.

BN
02-04-2016, 06:39 AM
How old are you and how long will you be reloading?

I have been reloading since around 1975. I started with one of the pound them in, pound them out Lee Loaders. I moved up through the ranks until I now have a Dillon 550 and a Dillon RL1050. I bought the 1050 long enough ago that it cost $895. It was a good investment.

I have some sort of factory ammo cost phobia. Every time I open a box of factory, I think I am wasting money. :( If I have a big bag of countless reloads, I don't even think of the cost. ;)

I buy components in bulk and have a supply to keep me for a while. None of the shortages caused me to curtail shooting. :)

I like Dillon Blue.

mmc45414
02-04-2016, 06:48 AM
I have some sort of factory ammo cost phobia. Every time I open a box of factory, I think I am wasting money. :( If I have a big bag of countless reloads, I don't even think of the cost. ;)
I am wired the same way. I also think nothing of spending $20 on shells to shoot $20 worth of skeet targets, but if I lose a $7 arrow it drives me crazy.

SLG
02-04-2016, 07:05 AM
They look awesome. Some of the issue might be the thousands of rounds I loaded on the 550 prior to trying the Loadmaster. When it was rocking it just rocked, but any little thing that went wrong took a bit to unravel. And little things would go wrong. There is lots of www info about little tweaks and if you want to put in the squeeze you will probably get the juice, but I bailed and went back to terra firma, the 550. If you have reloading experience and no Dillon experience you might live happily ever after. Some of my decision could have been just how conditioned I was to the feel of the stroke. I probably loaded on a 550 for thirty years before I tried, though...

Copy. The only progressive I have experience with i my 650, but I have to say, it can be a bit picky as well. Looks like a rube goldberg contraption to me, but it is genius, no question. Since the Loadmaster costs as much as a caliber change on the 650, I figured I'd try it one of these days.

http://www.mikesreloadingbench.com/mikes%20reloading%20bench_022.htm

SLG
02-04-2016, 07:17 AM
If you guys don't mind, can we get a ballpark figure while we're discussing this? I only shoot 9mm, and for me to get involved, it looks like I need to drop $2k to start and then $500-1000/yr to support a 1k rounds/month shooting habit? That sound right?

I know I'm in the minority, but having gone the expensive route right out of the gate, I do think there is another way.

Figure out exactly what you will reload. If it's only 9mm, and nothing else, and that 9mm is in real quantity, and you don't have a lot of time to devote to reloading, then a progressive is the way to go. A Lee Loadmaster with just about everything you need will run you $250 shipped. See posts above.
A Dillon 650 or 1050 might be a better way to go, but will cost you way more. The Lee will cost you one full caliber change on the 650, so its kind of money well spent to try things out and see what you like and if you stick with it (many people think they will but don't).

If you want to reload more calibers or smaller quantity, or change any other variable, there are other presses and setups that may work better for you, and often cost way less.

Hambo
02-04-2016, 07:26 AM
I'd expect reality to be more like $1300-1500/year, depending on what components you choose, and it might be more than that if you go with all premium stuff.

This is right on for that quantity, assuming you aren't buying brass, but it's still cheaper than factory. I bought a case of ammo for a class for about $200. If that's what you're paying for factory you can spend $900 on equipment and be even the first year.

JAD
02-04-2016, 07:34 AM
This is right on for that quantity, assuming you aren't buying brass, but it's still cheaper than factory. I bought a case of ammo for a class for about $200. If that's what you're paying for factory you can spend $900 on equipment and be even the first year.

There's also the factor that you get twice as many rounds per dollar invested in hoarding, and they're more versatile rounds. The more you hoard, the more immunity you have to the vicissitudes of the ammo market.

Andy in NH
02-04-2016, 07:52 AM
Very basic, nothing fancy:

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee212/adchesney/P6260177-1.jpg (http://s233.photobucket.com/user/adchesney/media/P6260177-1.jpg.html)

Rich@CCC
02-04-2016, 08:12 AM
SLG,
You're probably going load much more than I do on the Load Master so take that into consideration.

I load 9mm, .45 acp, .32 acp, .380 and .223 on my Load Master. I use the case feeder for the pistol cartridges but not the bullet feeder. No feeders at all for the .223

There are some fairly easy tweaks that can be done to the primer feed system to make it very reliable. It's all plastic and can have some mold lines and rough spots that need a fluff and buff. It's also particular about primer levels. You need to keep the chute at least 3/4 full or it starts to misfeed. Keeping a close eye on it is cheap and easy if you have the mind set. I built an IR eye to alarm when the tray is empty. It cost all of about $20.00 in parts for both large and small feeders. I have few if any issues with priming on the Load Master. In fact, with the exception of missing the occasional small primer .45 case I would say the primer system runs as near flawlessly :rolleyes: as can be expected. The priming system seems to be the number one complaint about any of the progressive presses.

I wouldn't spend the $20.00 on that book without getting a peek at the contents list at least. All of the tricks and tweaks are up on youtube from various sources.

The Load Master is never going to feel like a Dillon or Hornady press, but they can made to run reliably and reasonably smoothly with very little work.

Titan Reloading is my go to online resource for Lee and MEC parts and equipment.

Load Master, 9mm (http://www.titanreloading.com/presses/lee-load-master/lee-load-master-pistol-calibers/9mm-luger-lee-load-master-) Everything to reload 9mm including dies, shell plate and Auto Disk powder measure, though I may be switching over to the new Auto Drum for everything soon.

A complete pistol caliber change can be done for $75.00, not including a dedicated powder measure.

If you are going to load thousands of rounds/month then the extra initial cash out lay for a Dillon or Hornady is probably smart money considering their warranty and reputation for durability. If not, the Lee gear should last many, many years.

SLG
02-04-2016, 08:13 AM
So, how do you guys store your powder and primers? I try to follow the regs about that, but with any real quantity, it can get tough at times. Of course, having your house burn down or your kids hurt would be fairly disastrous.

SLG
02-04-2016, 08:20 AM
Rich,

Ive watched all the youtube videos on it, just thought id post the book for anyone interested.

Good to hear that youve had such a good experience with yours. Looks like all the fixes are very simple and a small amount of attention to detail can make the press work very well. I only load small quantities of ammo at a time, which is why i really like the classic turret. If I need to produce large quantities of something in the future, I'll likely use the 650, but for the price, its hard not to want a loadmaster dedicated to another caliber, with easier changes to boot.

Rich@CCC
02-04-2016, 08:40 AM
I store my primers in one cabinet and my powder in another a few feat away. Both are in an area where no work that can produce sparks is ever done. Always store the primers in the factory packaging, no loose primers in a can or box.

Make sure that your powder magazine is not air tight(air tight magazine = bomb). Metal is better than wood but face the facts, your powder will not spontaneously combust. It's not going to get hot enough in an un-insulated garage or outbuilding to ignite smokeless powder. If your powder catches fire odds are your structure is already pretty much done for so you just need to keep the flare up from the powder from spreading the fire to another, un-involved structure.

Slavex
02-04-2016, 06:44 PM
I cannot say enough bad things about Lee loaders, sorry, I've yet to meet one that wasn't total crap. I've known a few people who've liked them but they are certainly in the minority. I don't want to be Mr. Pissy Pants on this, but the level of frustration I've seen expressed on Lee machines far far outweighs the risk in getting one to me. The only Lee products I can recommend are the Factory Crimp die and their old hand primer. The time spent fixing and or fiddling with any of their presses will exceed the time spent doing a calibre change on just about any other machine short of a Camdex. Now don't get me wrong, I am not a Dillon lover, I think their presses need work too, especially the 1050s, but they are a massive improvement over the Lees in the progressive department. Single stage I'm an RCBS guy, and for dies I'm mostly RCBS or Redding Competition die guy. I even had a RCBS sizing die modified to take the Dillon decapping unit. Best die mod ever.

I store my powder in jugs, on the floor, or occasionally in a cabinet. Primers are stored in a cabinet though. Oh, and I have powder in boxes in my garage, 5lb boxes with the powder in a sealed bag (Tightgroup). I've seen a couple buddies houses after a fire and the reloading room isn't usually any worse off than anywhere else, unless they had blackpowder, then it can be bad. I wouldn't have wanted to stand by their primer cabinet when it went up, but damage to the room from it going up was minimal. Powder just burned really fast.

mmc45414
02-04-2016, 06:48 PM
Looks like a rube goldberg contraption to me, but it is genius, no question. Since the Loadmaster costs as much as a caliber change on the 650, I figured I'd try it one of these days.
I know what you are sayin, cause I was sayin the same thing a couple of years ago. I figured I would get one in 9 and 40 and 45, and rig them up so I could clamp them on the lip of the bench interchangeably, partially because I am getting tired of changing things over, and when you figure in a powder measure they are not that much more than a 550 conversion. I thought I would be golden for the primary three, and still use my 550 for things like, well like everything else. At the time I had not been loading 9, so I got one in 9. With auto indexing and a case feeder, when it got in a groove it just was smoking! And then something would come offa the rails and then the smoke would come outa my ears. In the end I started to question if maybe it was the old dog (I was probably 54...) and a new trick.

So I thought about getting a 650. But this was also about the time the case feeder for the 550 came along and I decided that was the best compromise. You can buy a 550 without a conversion for like $390, so I bought a second 550 and got a case feeder for it. Now I am sorta thinking about getting another one, it just seems like I drift around. Like right now 550 #1 (case feed) is setup in 9, and 550 #2 is getting ready for 5.56. But I just bought a new 44...

But I am not one of the jihadists, I really wish the Loadmaster had worked out, I would have two more by now, YMMV.

mmc45414
02-04-2016, 07:35 PM
The more you hoard, the more immunity you have to the vicissitudes of the ammo market.
Wow, had to look that up... :)

mmc45414
02-04-2016, 07:45 PM
Just an unsolicited opinion, but I think it is cool to start out with a single stage. Load maybe 500-1000 pistol rounds with it and you will have a great understanding of what is going on with the process. You will end up with a press and a powder measure that will not be utilized when you migrate to a progressive for straight wall pistol cartridges, but after you learn the process there will be SOMETHING else you will want to load and you will not want to disrupt your progressive setup.

I have two 550s (and a 900 and a PW800) and still have three single stage presses I use. You could end up with a 1050 and doubt the single stage will go on ebay.

If you really want to start with a progressive I like the 550, nothing stops you from doing one at a time, and you can back up any time you need to, and pull a button anytime you want to and pull out a round in progress.

BN
02-04-2016, 07:45 PM
Equipment survey from the 2015 IDPA World Championship: 221 out of 262 competitors who reload use a Dillon press.

Equipment survey from the 2015 USPSA Limited, L-10 and Open Nationals: 93% to 97% used a Dillon press.

It has been similar for as long as I can remember.

richiecotite
02-04-2016, 07:47 PM
My setup; the Lee turret is set up for 40, the 550b setup for 9mm

Bench came with the house. I need to replace one of the boards the presses are mounted to, as it moves about half an inch when I'm crankin'.

Pardon the mess #onlygodcanjudgeme

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj59/VSUslickrick/Mobile%20Uploads/A7341479-DDCF-432F-B742-A4CE6441C88E.jpg (http://s269.photobucket.com/user/VSUslickrick/media/Mobile%20Uploads/A7341479-DDCF-432F-B742-A4CE6441C88E.jpg.html)

I just got the 550 about 3 months ago, before that I loaded exclusively on the LCT. As mentioned before by a few Lee makes some of the best bang for your buck items.

I started reloading about 3 years ago. I bought the lee about 4 yrs ago. It sat in the box for a good year before I pulled it out. The sandy hook shortage is the reason I started reloading. When i couldn't find 9mm, I got rid of my 9mm pistols and bought 45. It took a minute to realize the cost difference between 9 and 45, but once I figured it out, I decided that week to get it together. Bought dies online, and found local deals for powder, primers and 100 bullets ($45 for a lb of WST and 1000 lg fed primers).

My initial costs for my first 1000 rounds wasn't much more than a case of ammo.
Press - $150 (press came with scale and auto disk kit)
Dies - $40 (Lee carbide 4 die set)
Brass - free
Powder - $15
Primers - $30
Bullets - $100 (local group buy on berrys plated)

I probably loaded about 15,000 rounds on the Lee before I got the Dillon. The Lee definitely has a few things in its favor:

Assuming you have die holders for each caliber you load, it's by far the easiest and simplest caliber changeover. Takes less than 30 seconds.

Once you get in a rhythm, and your turret changes positions properly, you can load a good 150 rounds an hour with the primer system.

Lee customer service is also top notch in my experience. So far, I've had a primer punch break. I sent it back, got a new one. I also have my 9mm resizing die back to them after I got brass stuck in it. They told me to send it in, and they should be able to turn it around in 2 or 3 days.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edwin
02-04-2016, 07:48 PM
If you guys don't mind, can we get a ballpark figure while we're discussing this? I only shoot 9mm, and for me to get involved, it looks like I need to drop $2k to start and then $500-1000/yr to support a 1k rounds/month shooting habit? That sound right?

If you bought everything new, this is about what you're looking at. This does not include costs of brass prepping equipment.

http://i.imgur.com/aVDgdUc.png

Add another $1,900 for a Mark VII autodrive (http://www.markvii-loading.com/Mark-7-650-Pro-Autodrive_p_39.html) if you go that route.

Slavex
02-04-2016, 07:55 PM
I paid a tad more than $1900 for my MKVII, but don't regret it for a moment

edited to add, I see the 1900 is for the 650 version, I paid the price they list for the 1050 one and now see there is an upgrade to a bigger, faster, motor. arrrgggg

SLG
02-04-2016, 08:29 PM
Holy cow! Does that thing automate the whole process?!


I totally get that there is a lot of Lee hate out there, and I'm not saying it isn't justified. No one's opinion here is going to offend me, and as I said before, I have no personal experience with the Lee Autoloader. I think that Lee stuff is not as high quality as the others, but that if you pick and choose wisely, you can get great performance out of some of the Lee stuff, for much less money than their competition. Maybe the cost between a 550 and a loadmaster is not worth it, and the 550 is the only logical way to go. I don't have a 550 either, so no experience there. The whole idea of manually rotated progressive is hard for me to wrap my mind around, but many friends have told me the 550 is the way to go for quick changes and versatility. Since I have a 650 though, I started looking for an alternative for the smaller batches of ammo that I like to load in many different calibers. Lee seems to fit the bill there. Maybe I should have gotten a 550. Not an apples to apples comparison, but since my 650 is fully hooked up, I never really saw the 550 as only $390. I saw it with the case feeder and every other widget you can buy for it. Probably not the best way to look at it.

Slavex
02-04-2016, 08:45 PM
the MK VIII is the shiznit dude. More money than sense, but I love every second of standing there. All I do is gauge ammo and top off components. If I could watch movies on the tablet that runs it I would probably just live down there lol.

I don't have a 650, but are they that hard to change calibres on? I thought they were almost as easy as the 550? I have an RCBS Pro2000, an old one with manual indexing, that I use for small batches of stuff, mainly 50 AE or 45. I also use it to prime my 308 brass as the 45 shellplate is the same. So much quicker than handpriming match brass. I am going to buy an auto indexing head for it when the Cambodian, I mean Canadian dollar, goes back up. If it ever does..

JAD
02-04-2016, 08:55 PM
He had written that it was a 9x19 setup with a planned volume of 1k/mo. That's totally the square b wheelhouse.

SLG
02-04-2016, 09:16 PM
I have a Square Deal as well. Can't figure out what to do with it for the life of me. Proprietary dies seem really dumb to me.

SLG
02-04-2016, 09:21 PM
I don't have a 650, but are they that hard to change calibres on? I thought they were almost as easy as the 550?

FWIW, all of the youtube videos on 550 conversions are one part. The shortest one is 2 minutes. All of the 650 videos are multi part mini series.

Part of it is that I have the casefeeder and stuff, and part is that I haven't messed with it enough to really understand it. When I set it up, a buddy came over and helped me. Meaning I watched while he did. That didn't really help me learn it.

mmc45414
02-04-2016, 09:50 PM
I never really saw the 550 as only $390. I saw it with the case feeder and every other widget you can buy for it. Probably not the best way to look at it.

The 550 would be more than that, they sell it without the cartridge conversion for $390, so your second one costs that. That is why I didn't upgrade to the 650 and instead added the case feed to the 550, because I would have wanted to set the 650 up for 9/40/45 and that is big $. I have been toying with the idea of a third 550, because for $390 they come with a tool head and powder drop die and powder measure that I do not need, and I might be able to ebay that stuff for $80-$90.

SLG
02-04-2016, 09:53 PM
The 550 would be more than that, they sell it without the cartridge conversion for $390, so your second one costs that. That is why I didn't upgrade to the 650 and instead added the case feed to the 550, because I would have wanted to set the 650 up for 9/40/45 and that is big $. I have been toying with the idea of a third 550, because for $390 they come with a tool head and powder drop die and powder measure that I do not need, and I might be able to ebay that stuff for $80-$90.

Since they seem to change calibers pretty quickly, why have so many 550's?

mmc45414
02-04-2016, 09:55 PM
I probably loaded about 15,000 rounds on the Lee before I got the Dillon.
I have a LCT a buddy bought used and dropped off. I have thought about setting it up for something like 38 or maybe 380. Actually 44 might make a lot of sense...

mmc45414
02-04-2016, 10:13 PM
Since they seem to change calibers pretty quickly, why have so many 550's?
Wow, you are making me take a look in the mirror here!

I seem to have gravitated to setting up for something and kicking out thousands of rounds an hour or two at a time over the span of months. Then I will switch over to something else and create another stockpile. Like right now I have the primary set up in 9mm and I have plans to do about 7k-10k before I consider tampering with it. Then I will probably set up for 45. But in the meantime I am setting up the secondary (still tinkering with a few things) for 5.56 (the 550 case feeder doesn't seem to have a 5.56 option) and then I will do some load development for the long range prairie dog AR, and probably load up all of my miscellaneous casings with FMJ. This is just one of my hobbies so this might take most of the summer, might want to leave it setup and compile some over the next winter. But Good God, what if, in the middle of all these shenanigans, I run out of 45?!?!?!

But really, I am just a nerd for this stuff and am tempted by the fact that I could probably pull it off for $300, and what the hell, for $300 it might come in handy. I just got another 44 and realized I didn't have any loaded and am in the process of doing 300 with the single stage RockChucker I have had for over forty years, if I had 550 #3 I would probably set it up for 44.

But if you want a rational explanation of need, sorry.... :)

Edwin
02-05-2016, 12:25 AM
Holy cow! Does that thing automate the whole process?!

Pretty much. Just top off components while you case gauge ammo.


the MK VIII is the shiznit dude. More money than sense, but I love every second of standing there. All I do is gauge ammo and top off components. If I could watch movies on the tablet that runs it I would probably just live down there lol.

I don't have a 650, but are they that hard to change calibres on? I thought they were almost as easy as the 550? I have an RCBS Pro2000, an old one with manual indexing, that I use for small batches of stuff, mainly 50 AE or 45. I also use it to prime my 308 brass as the 45 shellplate is the same. So much quicker than handpriming match brass. I am going to buy an auto indexing head for it when the Cambodian, I mean Canadian dollar, goes back up. If it ever does..

Easier to change on the 650 than the 1050. It's such a pain that a buddy I shoot with bought a second 1050 rather than deal with the changing of calibers.

I was able to load about 100 rounds in about 15 minutes on the Square Deal B so it's totally do able. But since I upgraded to the 650 with the case feeder, I hate that I waited so long. That's why I'm not going to fuck around and will get the Mr. Bullet Feeder and the Mark VII.

olstyn
02-05-2016, 01:35 AM
http://i.imgur.com/aVDgdUc.png

If a person has $2K to burn, that's a really nice setup, but it would be reasonable to get started with just the press, the scale, a decent 3-die set from any of the major manufacturers, and a brass cleaning setup of some kind. The spare parts kit is a good idea, of course. Without a listing of what's in the "Dillon Tool Kit," it's hard to comment on that item. As far as the rest of that list goes, some of it makes the press faster to operate, some of it makes it (maybe) ergonomically better to operate, and some of it (maybe) helps you produce more consistent ammo, but there is $1000 in that list that falls under "nice" rather than "need," and all of that stuff can be bought as add-ons later if you decide you want it.

Edwin
02-05-2016, 01:52 AM
If a person has $2K to burn, that's a really nice setup, but it would be reasonable to get started with just the press, the scale, a decent 3-die set from any of the major manufacturers, and a brass cleaning setup of some kind. The spare parts kit is a good idea, of course. Without a listing of what's in the "Dillon Tool Kit," it's hard to comment on that item. As far as the rest of that list goes, some of it makes the press faster to operate, some of it makes it (maybe) ergonomically better to operate, and some of it (maybe) helps you produce more consistent ammo, but there is $1000 in that list that falls under "nice" rather than "need," and all of that stuff can be bought as add-ons later if you decide you want it.

Well yeah. This is the end goal so I listed it. You can easily start with just the 650 and the dies alone. It'll suck, but you can do it.

Hambo
02-05-2016, 08:03 AM
Since they seem to change calibers pretty quickly, why have so many 550's?

One for large primers, one for small. I bought my first 550 new and later stumbled on a a used 550 for a great price. Do you need two? Of course not. You don't need a Challenger SRT Hellcat either, but this is still 'Merica.

There is a risk that you will become a reloading geek. Symptoms include, but are not limited to: multiple presses, dies in calibers for which you have no firearm, you own a mini chop saw just to cut brass for wildcat calibers.

ravensfan87
02-05-2016, 08:51 AM
I have a LNL and a single stage Hornady press. This is when I cleaned it up a bit to replace the old Lee press I had for the LNL. I reload 38,357,9,45,45LC an soon 308. I store powder and primers in the house in a separate gun safe. Projectiles and everything else stays in the shed. I will try to get a better picture of the whole bench.
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff178/Brandonlewis87/IMG_1376_zpsh9u3v5ce.jpg (http://s238.photobucket.com/user/Brandonlewis87/media/IMG_1376_zpsh9u3v5ce.jpg.html)

Mitch
02-05-2016, 11:37 AM
Is the Dillon 650 with case feed worth the upgrade from a 550?

I recently moved and while I'm setting up my bench, I'm wondering if I want to make the jump now. It'd be a dedicated 9mm machine. I'm not unhappy with my 550 by any means, but if there's a big speed difference it may be worth it to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SLG
02-05-2016, 11:43 AM
Is the Dillon 650 with case feed worth the upgrade from a 550?

I recently moved and while I'm setting up my bench, I'm wondering if I want to make the jump now. It'd be a dedicated 9mm machine. I'm not unhappy with my 550 by any means, but if there's a big speed difference it may be worth it to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have that exact setup. Extremely fast.

LittleLebowski
02-05-2016, 01:06 PM
I have a LNL and a single stage Hornady press. This is when I cleaned it up a bit to replace the old Lee press I had for the LNL. I reload 38,357,9,45,45LC an soon 308. I store powder and primers in the house in a separate gun safe. Projectiles and everything else stays in the shed. I will try to get a better picture of the whole bench.


How do you like the LNL?

taadski
02-05-2016, 01:07 PM
I haven't been able to compare a 550 vs a 650 both with case feeders, but I've got a close buddy with a standard 550 who is routinely quite butt hurt my loading sessions are about 1/3 of his. ;)

olstyn
02-05-2016, 01:17 PM
How do you like the LNL?

I'm not ravensfan87, but I love mine. Like any other press, it has a few things that aren't perfect (primer slide can be a bit finicky, and mine's timing was *slightly* off from the factory), but once I got those minor things sorted out, it's been running smoothly and quickly for me. I've never had a Dillon, so I may just not know what I'm missing, but when I was doing research, it sure seemed like buying the Hornady meant you were basically getting the equivalent of a 650 for the price of a 550.

Edit: also, the L-n-L quick change bushings are REALLY nice; I can swap from loading 9mm to .380 really quickly. The longest part of the process is changing the powder charge; if I had two separate powder measures, it'd be under a minute.

olstyn
02-05-2016, 01:20 PM
I store powder and primers in the house in a separate gun safe.

I have heard some people say that storing powder inside a big metal box is not a good idea. The word "bomb" has been used. I'm no expert, but it was enough to scare me away from that idea.

LSP552
02-05-2016, 01:26 PM
I haven't been able to compare a 550 vs a 650 both with case feeders, but I've got a close buddy with a standard 550 who is routinely quite butt hurt my loading sessions are about 1/3 of his. ;)

I'm on the other side of that fence. I have a 550b without a case feeder and watching a buddy with the 650 just pisses me off. I really need a 650 with casefeeder!

Mitch
02-05-2016, 01:33 PM
Crap. Well there goes a few hundred bucks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

taadski
02-05-2016, 06:23 PM
Crap. Well there goes a few hundred bucks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I promise you won't be disappointed. ;)

Hambo
02-05-2016, 06:56 PM
I have heard some people say that storing powder inside a big metal box is not a good idea. The word "bomb" has been used. I'm no expert, but it was enough to scare me away from that idea.

Smokeless powder is a flammable solid, not an explosive. The idea of insulated storage is to not have it ignite.

JAD
02-05-2016, 07:23 PM
I loaded my first 20k rounds on a Lee Pro 1000. It makes fine ammo and was faster than my 550 since it has a case feeder and it ships ready to load 9 for $189. Caliber changes were easier than the 550.

Its weakness was priming. Jams were very frequent, and a jam on a progressive press demands a lot of discipline to prevent a squib or double charge.

punkey71
02-05-2016, 07:35 PM
Smokeless powder is a flammable solid, not an explosive. The idea of insulated storage is to not have it ignite.

Very true, however, when flammable solids are kept in a closed container and reach their ignition temperatures, they become "bombs".

If I'm in the vicinity of smokeless powder reaching its ignition temperature I'd much prefer it to be NOT contained in any sort of container capable of generating significant pressures before the container fails.

I guess the question is, under what circumstances do our powders become exposed to ignition temperatures?

We're not smoking in the room. We don't load in a room with any open flame ignition sources. Etc.

The likely scenario for powder being accidentally ignited is in an unintentional house fire, which could have numerous causes.

If that's the case I'd much prefer the powder to be in the absolute weakest container possible. Rapid burning beats violent container failure every day of the week, for me.

IMHO, it's not the flammability of the material, it's the ability for the burning material to release its energy in a non-violent a way as possible.

My powders sit in their plastic jugs on the floor. That's what I'm most comfortable with.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Rick_ICT
02-05-2016, 11:47 PM
I'm not ravensfan87, but I love mine. Like any other press, it has a few things that aren't perfect (primer slide can be a bit finicky, and mine's timing was *slightly* off from the factory), but once I got those minor things sorted out, it's been running smoothly and quickly for me. I've never had a Dillon, so I may just not know what I'm missing, but when I was doing research, it sure seemed like buying the Hornady meant you were basically getting the equivalent of a 650 for the price of a 550.

Edit: also, the L-n-L quick change bushings are REALLY nice; I can swap from loading 9mm to .380 really quickly. The longest part of the process is changing the powder charge; if I had two separate powder measures, it'd be under a minute.


I really like my Lock-n-Load AP as well, although I have only loaded a few thousand rounds on it so far. I was able to trade in my old (and long disused) Hornady Pro-Jector + $200 to get it, since the primer tube on the Pro-Jector became unusable and Hornady hasn't made them in a looooong time (and to be honest, it was never exactly a trouble-free press). But, like you, I've never had a Dillon machine so I don't know what I might be missing. I did look very hard at the Dillon before finding out about the Hornady trade-in program and they certainly looked well built. I would probably own one now based on my experience with the Pro-Jector had I not found out about the trade-in program.

Thus far the priming system on the LnL has worked flawlessly for me. However, like yours, my press was out of time from the factory and needed a little tweaking to get it just right. Fortunately, this is pretty straight forward on the LnL. Shortly after setting it up, I discovered Inline Fabrication (http://inlinefabrication.com/). Boy, that was an expensive discovery! But the quality of their products and the improvements they make to the basic press are impressive.

As to the hassle of switching powder charges for different calibers, have you considered just buying a dedicated metering insert (http://www.midwayusa.com/product/631849/hornady-lock-n-load-powder-measure-handgun-metering-assembly) for each caliber you load? Since they just pop out of the powder measure drum with the press of a button, you could have one set up for your favorite charge for a given caliber (mark the powder and charge setting right on the insert) and keep the dedicated metering insert with the dies for that caliber. If you are using the same powder for both calibers, you don't even need to empty the hopper to change the inserts. Just don't pull the insert and let the drum rotate to the downward position or you are going to empty the entire hopper onto the floor! In fact, Hornady makes a powder measure draining insert (http://www.midwayusa.com/product/662550/hornady-lock-n-load-powder-measure-drain-insert) that works on exactly that principal, but I haven't bought one.

So far I am just loading 9mm (have other dies and shell plates from the Projector for other calibers which I had converted to work on the LnL, but haven't reloaded anything else yet), but my plan is once I start loading other calibers I will just buy a dedicated metering insert for each caliber and keep that insert with the dies. I've been very impressed with the consistency of the charges thrown by the LnL powder measure, but they are fiddly to get dialed in initially. I would hate the thought of having to re-calibrate one every time I changed calibers.

ETA: Almost as soon as I hit post, I realized the problem with my suggestion. The difference in case lengths is probably enough to require re-setting the powder measure die-depth to fully actuate the measure with the shorter .380 cartridge. And if you are using a PTX expander, that would definitely not just transfer right over without adjusting the die seating depth. So, eh, I guess my suggestion on the metering insert may not be much help. It all hinges on whether or not the .380 case still actuates the measure far enough to drop a consistent charge at the same height as the 9mm setting and you are not using a PTX expander.

olstyn
02-06-2016, 12:16 AM
It all hinges on whether or not the .380 case still actuates the measure far enough to drop a consistent charge at the same height as the 9mm setting and you are not using a PTX expander.

It does; apparently the 2mm difference in case length isn't enough to screw it up, and I am not using a PTX, so your suggestion may well have merit. I'll have to look into it.

JM Campbell
02-06-2016, 07:21 AM
Haven't seen this posted yet,

Unitek Micrometer Powder Bar Kit
Best powder upgrade to my 550, adjustments are right on.
http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1231


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

JM Campbell
02-06-2016, 07:38 AM
Fogot to add this as well:

http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1389

Machined tool head and clamping system for 550/650.

Very solid and no wiggle/play in the tool head. I use it for 556 and 300blk

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

ravensfan87
02-06-2016, 08:45 AM
How do you like the LNL?

Love it. I have never really had to many issues execpt for the timing was off when I first got it. Other than that it has ran smooth. I have more than 10,000 rounds on it by now. I have only worn out one retainer spring so far. But the press comes with extra ones.

ravensfan87
02-06-2016, 08:51 AM
I have heard some people say that storing powder inside a big metal box is not a good idea. The word "bomb" has been used. I'm no expert, but it was enough to scare me away from that idea.

I have been doing it for 4-5 years. And the guy that taught me to reload has been doing it for 25+ years. Never had a house blow up yet. Any kind of powder can ignite in the right circumstances. But I feel confident about how I store it and never has failed me yet. Also I might need to point out it is not a small gun safe. It is about 9x10 roughly. I had it built in when we had the house built.

SLG
02-06-2016, 09:35 AM
I have been doing it for 4-5 years. And the guy that taught me to reload has been doing it for 25+ years. Never had a house blow up yet. Any kind of powder can ignite in the right circumstances. But I feel confident about how I store it and never has failed me yet. Also I might need to point out it is not a small gun safe. It is about 9x10 roughly. I had it built in when we had the house built.

Have you had any house fires? I haven't had my storage system fail either...

BN
02-06-2016, 09:49 AM
I have been doing it for 4-5 years. And the guy that taught me to reload has been doing it for 25+ years. Never had a house blow up yet. Any kind of powder can ignite in the right circumstances. But I feel confident about how I store it and never has failed me yet. Also I might need to point out it is not a small gun safe. It is about 9x10 roughly. I had it built in when we had the house built.

Take the amount of powder you usually put in a cartridge, put it on the driveway and light it. Then put the same amount in a a cartridge with a bullet on top and ignite it. See any difference.

taadski
02-06-2016, 09:57 AM
Fogot to add this as well:

http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1389

Machined tool head and clamping system for 550/650.

Very solid and no wiggle/play in the tool head. I use it for 556 and 300blk

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk



This primarily for fixing potential concentricity issues when loading precision rifle ammo? It doesn't look like they recommend it for pistol cartridges. Had you seen any issues with the stock Dillon tool heads?

JM Campbell
02-06-2016, 10:23 AM
It does align better and helps control the veriance of caol. Coal set to 2.25" and with stock head it will vary 2.25-2.28"+ with the flex in the stock tool head.

The Dillon tool head does flex, run the head to the top of the stroke and watch your tool head. It will bobble/flex. I use it with rifle ammo to keep the coal more precise between rounds. For plinking it does not matter, for precision it does. A single stage press has the die direct threaded to the top of the press, no flex period. Dillons tool head slide into the press and the have a retaining pin, this plate and kit actually are bolted into place and has no vertical/horizontal play. It is a solid mount just like the single stage presses ie rcbs, lee, forster.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

taadski
02-06-2016, 11:09 AM
It does align better and helps control the veriance of caol. Coal set to 2.25" and with stock head it will vary 2.25-2.28"+ with the flex in the stock tool head.

The Dillon tool head does flex, run the head to the top of the stroke and watch your tool head. It will bobble/flex. I use it with rifle ammo to keep the coal more precise between rounds. For plinking it does not matter, for precision it does. A single stage press has the die direct threaded to the top of the press, no flex period. Dillons tool head slide into the press and the have a retaining pin, this plate and kit actually are bolted into place and has no vertical/horizontal play. It is a solid mount just like the single stage presses ie rcbs, lee, forster.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk


3 100ths" of variance? Sure you don't mean thousandths? That seems HUGE. My pistol reload COALs only vary +/- 5 thousandths with all stock stuff. Am I missing something?

Anyway, copy re the tool plate mechanics. I've always kinda assumed that while there was some extra play, it was reasonably "consistent" play, meaning it still "bottomed out" in the same place each time. I get long range guys, Palma shooters, etc... might need more refinement. I am NO expert in the precision reloading game. ;) Just thought I'd ask.

Interestingly though, as an aside, a buddy was having some COAL issues with his 650 that, in the end, appear to being caused by a Redding seating die. He was getting up to 15 thousandths of variance that eventually was eliminated (or greatly reduced) by going back to the standard stock Dillon die. (shrug)


BTW, this is a good thread.

JM Campbell
02-06-2016, 11:17 AM
Yes that should have been 2.38"

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

SLG
02-06-2016, 12:56 PM
There certainly is some flex in all the tool head design presses. I have not yet ever loaded LR rifle ammo on one, so I have no experience to speak of. However, a buddy here on the forum who is a better LR shooter than I am uses his 650 for exactly that purpose, and he has no trouble producing extremely accurate ammo. I know other guys in the same boat as well. Benchrest? Not so much, but easily capable of .5 moa. Maybe their tool heads flex less than some other out there, who knows.

ravensfan87
02-06-2016, 02:16 PM
What digital scales is everyone using?

ravensfan87
02-06-2016, 02:17 PM
Have you had any house fires? I haven't had my storage system fail either...

Well if a house fire happens it wouldn't matter where the powder will be. Things happen that's why you have insurance.. Either way, as long as the wife and I are not in the house. Everything else is replaceable.

punkey71
02-06-2016, 02:43 PM
Well if a house fire happens it wouldn't matter where the powder will be. Things happen that's why you have insurance.. Either way, as long as the wife and I are not in the house. Everything else is replaceable.

Except the firemen. They're not replaceable.

They would much rather 5, 8, perhaps 20 or more lbs of powder ignite while in a, now malleable, heat weakened plastic jug as opposed to a steel container that will turn into tiny shards of extremely hot and extremely sharp projectiles moving at significant speed. Kinda like a bomb.

I hope you and your wife are out, but if your not someone is going to go get you.

Even if you ARE out someone is going in to go in in order to save your property, irreplaceable family treasures and memories.

Store it how you want, of course.

You're doing no one any favors sealing it in a steel container.

Besides, if a steel container is what saves you from accidentally igniting several pounds of powder, a LOT of bad decisions were made prior to that point.

Not trying to be a jerk, I assure you. Just something to think about.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

LittleLebowski
02-06-2016, 05:36 PM
Except the firemen. They're not replaceable.

They would much rather 5, 8, perhaps 20 or more lbs of powder ignite while in a, now malleable, heat weakened plastic jug as opposed to a steel container that will turn into tiny shards of extremely hot and extremely sharp projectiles moving at significant speed. Kinda like a bomb.

I hope you and your wife are out, but if your not someone is going to go get you.

Even if you ARE out someone is going in to go in in order to save your property, irreplaceable family treasures and memories.

Store it how you want, of course.

You're doing no one any favors sealing it in a steel container.

Besides, if a steel container is what saves you from accidentally igniting several pounds of powder, a LOT of bad decisions were made prior to that point.

Not trying to be a jerk, I assure you. Just something to think about.


Noted, my friend.

GMSweet
02-07-2016, 11:35 AM
Just to show a humbler side (and much slower), here's how I temp'rig my Lee Classic Turret Press when I need to reload. The press is mounted to a couple pieces of pine and then the whole thing is clamped to my desk. I don't shoot anywhere near the volume most seem to do on this board, and the roughly 150/hour in 9mm works for me. This morning I'm loading up mock defense loads to vet my new P320s. I'm using bulk Speer 124gr Gold Dots over 4.7gr of SR7625 loaded to the same COL (1.120") and crimp as my normal carry load at roughly half the price. I don't use these for carry, but just a way to ensure the function and feed. 4.7gr was the most accurate in my M&P, so I'm returning to that load as a starting point.

I've just started the setup to reload .223/5.56 and need to rummage around in my wood shop to find some longer screws for my powder drop. Lee ships the double disk set as part of the Classic Turret kit but without the two plastic runners and longer screws.

5850

GuanoLoco
02-07-2016, 12:17 PM
What digital scales is everyone using?

Upgraded from a MyBalance iWeigh 201 that seemed a bit erratic to a GemPro 250 and quite pleased with it.

5852

JAD
02-07-2016, 02:05 PM
This handles most of my tasks:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/175512/frankford-arsenal-ds-750-electronic-powder-scale-750-grain-capacity

An older version of this does the rest
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/496480/lyman-gen-5-touch-screen-powder-scale-and-dispenser-110-220-volt

JAD
02-07-2016, 02:10 PM
But this is my favorite reloading tool.
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000...1DL&ref=plSrch (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002FTZKY/)

GuanoLoco
02-07-2016, 03:32 PM
Not to change the subject, but you can reload and shoot in China?

GuanoLoco
02-07-2016, 03:45 PM
My shop, panorama view. Cabinet/laundry tub/wet vac on rear wall, Dillon 1050/Mr. Bullet Feeder/Mark 7 Autodrive on left wall. Back wall is custom super heavy duty storage, 9' wide. Single stage Lee press and Dillon 550 on right wall. A full set of kitchen cabinetry left over from a remodel is used for storage and holding up the "U" shaped bench arrangement. Bench top is 2 layers of 3/4" plywood.

5854

GuanoLoco
02-07-2016, 03:48 PM
Single Stage Lee Classic Cast back right wall.

5857

SLG
02-07-2016, 03:51 PM
For weighing charges, I prefer the RCBS Chargemaster. I did all of my precision rifle stuff on there for years, and quite a bit of 44 mag as well. It is slow, but tough to beat. At one point I had two of them running at the same time, but I've moved away from weighing every charge.

GuanoLoco
02-07-2016, 03:52 PM
Dillon 550 Right Front Wall:

5858

Toolheads for 1050 and 550. I can run 9 & 223 on the 1050/MBF/Mark 7 for volume, then lower volume on the 550: , 40S&W, 30 Carbine, 300 AAC Blackout, 30-30, 308 and 380. Note Dillon RT1200 size/trim on the back right for rifle calibers on the 1050 or 550.

5859

JAD
02-07-2016, 03:52 PM
Not to change the subject, but you can reload and shoot in China?

Well, yes, if you know the right people, but I'm back and hadn't updated my profile. Thanks for the reminder!

GuanoLoco
02-07-2016, 03:54 PM
Thumler-B Tumbler, Bras Sorter, 8 level 400 watt dehydrator.

5860

Harbor Freight 1 1/4 cu ft cement mixer for larger batches (30 lbs is all I can dry at the moment).

5861

SLG
02-07-2016, 04:03 PM
How much brass/water/media does that cement mixer handle?

Rich@CCC
02-07-2016, 05:57 PM
I gave up on finding a digital scale for under $200.00 that was reliable and repeatable. I use an Ohaus 10-10 for my precision rifle cartridges. I throw .4-.5 grains light and trickle up on the balance. The Ohaus is sensitive enough to see the difference from one particle of powder.

wrmettler
02-07-2016, 06:42 PM
speaking of house fires.

http://www.12news.com/story/news/local/valley/2016/02/07/fire-erupts-while-man-loads-gun-bullet-hits-firefighter/79968856/

punkey71
02-07-2016, 07:19 PM
speaking of house fires.

http://www.12news.com/story/news/local/valley/2016/02/07/fire-erupts-while-man-loads-gun-bullet-hits-firefighter/79968856/

I'd love to hear how he did it. Nothing surprises me but I'm definitely curious.

As for loose/boxed ammo, it's not horribly uncommon for it to rupture/burn. As long as it's not tightly contained it's far from the highest hazard in a house fire.

Here's a good video showing a LOT of ammo burning. At one point in the video (14:35) a fireman stands about 15-20 feet away and feels the harmless impacts of some of the 28,000 rounds burning/rupturing.

https://youtu.be/3SlOXowwC4c


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Slavex
02-07-2016, 08:32 PM
I do all my precision rifle stuff with the Chargemaster, unless I'm in a hurry then I use an RCBS Uniflow with micrometer metering screw. For stuff out to 600 I've yet to really notice a difference between the two (accuracy of shots wise). But beyond that I have. I seat my bullets while the next charge is weighing on the Chargemaster and then box it, which time the charge is usually ready for me.

GuanoLoco
02-07-2016, 08:39 PM
How much brass/water/media does that cement mixer handle?

I think its rated for 65 lbs, I've run it with 30 lbs spent primers as media, 25 lbs brass + water.

Currently running it with 30 lbs brass, < 2 gallons water, no media.

GuanoLoco
02-07-2016, 08:44 PM
I almost forgot the picture of my favorite toy: Dillon 1050 / Mr. Bullet Feeder and Mark 7 Autoloader:

5873

taadski
02-07-2016, 10:26 PM
I almost forgot the picture of my favorite toy: Dillon 1050 / Mr. Bullet Feeder and Mark 7 Autoloader:

5873


Is envy the same thing as "like"? :p

GuanoLoco
02-07-2016, 10:46 PM
Working with the cement mixer:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEjEQpHx1XU

GuanoLoco
02-07-2016, 10:57 PM
Loading 9mm, an early run:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4D1Q0y5IqM

BaiHu
02-07-2016, 11:36 PM
Loading 9mm, an early run:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4D1Q0y5IqM
If I may ask, what does a set up for 9mm like that cost in time and money to set up. I mean everything from the cement mixer to materials per year. And if you're willing to answer that, could you provide a list of all you've shown?

I'm very interested in reloading in the long run, but I have no illusions that I'm capable of making it work unless it was a set up like that.

TIA

SLG
02-07-2016, 11:44 PM
Watching that thing run is a weird mix of I, Robot and slave labor! Amazing.

GuanoLoco
02-07-2016, 11:48 PM
About $5K for that rig, other bits and pieces including the Cement Mixer are cheap by comparison.

I didn't start with that rig, I started with a 550 and built up a lot of experience before progressively buying the 1050/9mm, a 223 conversion, the Mr. Bullet Feeder (MBF) in 9mm, MBF in 223, and finally the Mark 7.

Geting the 1050 / Mr. Bullet Feeder running really smooth took some effort to tweak the machine and get my processes running smooth. Back when I was still pulling the lever I had a goal of being able to load 1000 9mm rounds in 30 minutes. Installing the Mark 7 Autodrive was easier than expected.

I have threads on other forums documenting some of my experiences.

BaiHu
02-07-2016, 11:53 PM
About $5K for that rig, other bits and pieces including the Cement Mixer are cheap by comparison.

I didn't start with that rig, I started with a 550 and built up a lot of experience before progressively buying the 1050/9mm, a 223 conversion, the Mr. Bullet Feeder (MBF) in 9mm, MBF in 223, and finally the Mark 7.

Geting the 1050 / Mr. Bullet Feeder running really smooth took some effort to tweak the machine and get my processes running smooth. Back when I was still pulling the lever I had a goal of being able to load 1000 9mm rounds in 30 minutes. Installing the Mark 7 Autodrive was easier than expected.

I have threads on other forums documenting some of my experiences.
Thanks. At the risk of being too bold, I feel like I'd reload more if I started with a system like you've shown. In my uneducated opinion, I'd rather save 5-6k over the next few years as I collect my own brass than spend a grand or two sooner on something that will collect dust.

Am I thinking about this wrong? Meaning, should I be hand pressing first in order to "get the process" or is waiting and saving in order to buy an efficient rig not the worst idea?

OnionsAndDragons
02-08-2016, 01:00 AM
Well, the 1050 itself is not unreasonable to start on from all the research I've done considering this. So, you could always go that route with the case feeder and plan to add a bullet feeder and then autodrive.

That Mark7 is baller, though.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Slavex
02-08-2016, 02:13 AM
MK VII is awesome, although since the new firmware/software upgrade it's not stopping when it tries to swage primers that get drawn back in. Not sure what the hell that's about. But even with that small amount of annoyance, I love the setup, wish they'd said they were coming out with the more powerful motor before I bought mine, because I would have bought that too. Oh well, next one will the Pro I guess.

Starting with the MKVII setup might be a bit much for someone just starting out, you need to pull the handle to get the feel of how the 1050 works, what it likes, what it doesn't and so on. Then once you've comfortable with that, get the VII. It only took me maybe 15 minutes to get mine setup, amazingly easy.

Rick_ICT
02-08-2016, 02:56 AM
About $5K for that rig, other bits and pieces including the Cement Mixer are cheap by comparison.

I didn't start with that rig, I started with a 550 and built up a lot of experience before progressively buying the 1050/9mm, a 223 conversion, the Mr. Bullet Feeder (MBF) in 9mm, MBF in 223, and finally the Mark 7.

Geting the 1050 / Mr. Bullet Feeder running really smooth took some effort to tweak the machine and get my processes running smooth. Back when I was still pulling the lever I had a goal of being able to load 1000 9mm rounds in 30 minutes. Installing the Mark 7 Autodrive was easier than expected.

I have threads on other forums documenting some of my experiences.

Mind linking to those other threads for those of us interested in learning more about your experience setting it up? That way we can go read it there without you having to reinvent the wheel here and then we can come back and ask any questions we might have.

That setup is amazing - until this thread, I hadn't even heard of the Mark7. Of course the WWW wasn't even really a thing back when I was reloading regularly until I restarted a couple of months ago.

JAD
02-08-2016, 07:40 AM
About $5K for that rig, other bits and pieces including the Cement Mixer are cheap by comparison..

GL, about how many rounds do you shoot a year of your main caliber?

GuanoLoco
02-08-2016, 07:54 AM
GL, about how many rounds do you shoot a year of your main caliber?

My goal is no less than 20,000/year of 9mm, hopefully more. I wanted my time to be the constraint on my shooting, not ammo availability. @$0.10 vs. $0.20/round to keep the math simple I save $2000/year and have a 2.5 year payback on the machine. I was (and still am) working on some serious elbow issues from a combination of dry fire, live fire practice, matches, classes and pulling the #$%^& lever with my left and right hands.

GuanoLoco
02-08-2016, 08:11 AM
Mind linking to those other threads for those of us interested in learning more about your experience setting it up? That way we can go read it there without you having to reinvent the wheel here and then we can come back and ask any questions we might have.

That setup is amazing - until this thread, I hadn't even heard of the Mark7. Of course the WWW wasn't even really a thing back when I was reloading regularly until I restarted a couple of months ago.

My descent into reloading madness begins ~2013.

My sum total experience with reloading was pulling the lever 5X on a fully set up Dillon 550 and producing 5 rounds of 44 Magnum at a friend's house in another state. I knew I wanted to compete in action pistol matches, shoot more and be in control of my ammo destiny. The ammo shortage was setting in. I was starting an outsourced home remodeling project and wanted to leverage that for a new shop. I had no mentor and am self-taught from books and the internet.

My goals and reloading sophistication steadily evolved over the last 3 years with a lot of time and $ invested.

Man Caves and Reloading - The Next Frontier
http://www.thektog.org/forum/f96/man-caves-reloading-next-frontier-257020/

Tuning up a 1050
http://www.doodieproject.com/index.php?/topic/2589-tuning-up-a-1050/

Mark 7 Hotness
http://www.doodieproject.com/index.php?/topic/4259-mark-7-hotness/

Brass Monkey that Funky Monkey
http://www.doodieproject.com/index.php?/topic/4421-brass-monkey-that-funky-monkey/

I'm sure there are others on more specialized topics but thes are the main ones.

There is a LOT of research, trial and error documented in those threads. Get comfortable and take your time. It will save you a lot of trouble and expense.

I think it is possible to start with a 1050, but I would absolutely get it running clean BEFORE installing the Mark 7. Mine took a fair amount of fiddling and learning - even things like brass processing and QC practices - before it was 'right'.

If I was starting with a high volume goal, had the $, time constraints (don't we all) and DIDN'T require a bunch of different calibers then starting with a 1050/MBF/Mark 7 definitely would have been a serious consideration.

BN
02-08-2016, 08:20 AM
I was getting "trigger finger" in a knuckle of my left hand from setting bullets on by hand. I got a Mr Bullet Feeder and the problem went away. I should have tried to get my medical insurance to pay for it. :)

ravensfan87
02-08-2016, 04:16 PM
My goal is no less than 20,000/year of 9mm, hopefully more. I wanted my time to be the constraint on my shooting, not ammo availability. @$0.10 vs. $0.20/round to keep the math simple I save $2000/year and have a 2.5 year payback on the machine. I was (and still am) working on some serious elbow issues from a combination of dry fire, live fire practice, matches, classes and pulling the #$%^& lever with my left and right hands.

Thats pretty good savings and shooting you have. Love the set up BTW.

GuanoLoco
02-08-2016, 06:15 PM
Thats pretty good savings and shooting you have. Love the set up BTW.

Thanks. Have I mentioned that I am very popular with my shooting buddies and that we load ammo, train together, swap favors, etc? Plus get together for bulk purchases on components?

48 lbs of pistol powder showed up the other day. That's getting cut up, but one hazmat fee and enough powder to load 100K rounds on 9mm. Sweet.

mmc45414
02-08-2016, 09:49 PM
There is a risk that you will become a reloading geek. Symptoms include, but are not limited to: multiple presses, dies in calibers for which you have no firearm, you own a mini chop saw just to cut brass for wildcat calibers.

This made me take a count, I have nine presses. And I am pretty sure I still have those 22-250 dies, but my mini chop saw is for cutting off arrows.

Just to help out those wonder why the hell somebody would have nine presses, they include a couple of these:
5883
that I use for stuff like running a priming tool or seating bullets. I think I snagged them back when they were less than $30.

And I have a couple extra 20g presses, one is something that was given to me that needs some work and another is the MEC I had before the Dillon that someday I plan to rig up to do 3" shells.

So nine is kind of an exaggeration. Reminds me of the time my mother asked me why I had (at the time) five motorcycles, and I explained that a couple were in transition, that I really only "need" three. Got the kind of incredulous look only your mother can give you :)

SLG
02-08-2016, 10:05 PM
I have 8 presses, not counting my Lee Classic Loaders. Presses are like guns to me, fun to try different ones, and each one excels in a different area. If I had to limit myself, the Lee Classic Turret and the Redding T-7 would be my last to go. If I needed to reload large quantities of ammo, then my 650 would take precedence, but as it is, the Lee and the T-7 can do everything I need doing right now.

Slavex
02-08-2016, 11:44 PM
I've got 6 right now, the Rockchucker (which is going to be replaced by a RC Supreme), a Pro 2000 and 4 1050s. Don't need a turret as I use the LnL bushings on the Rockchucker.

SLG
02-09-2016, 06:19 PM
I've got 6 right now, the Rockchucker (which is going to be replaced by a RC Supreme), a Pro 2000 and 4 1050s. Don't need a turret as I use the LnL bushings on the Rockchucker.

Everyone NEEDS a turret, have you bumped your head?;-)

Actually, my two turrets serve very different purposes. The T7 is my LR precision rifle press. As you said, a single stage can suffice, but imo, never equal the T7. My Lee Classic Turret is for moderate production of pistol ammo. 200 rds an hour is plenty for the oddball calibers I load for (I don't load for 9, 40, 45, 556, 308 - which are the calibers I shoot in quantity), and it provides a semi-progressive function compared to the T7. I mount them on Inline Fabrication's 9" mount with the quick change plate system, and they are beyond rock solid. Really a joy to use.

LSP552
02-09-2016, 06:41 PM
Everyone NEEDS a turret, have you bumped your head?;-)

Actually, my two turrets serve very different purposes. The T7 is my LR precision rifle press. As you said, a single stage can suffice, but imo, never equal the T7. My Lee Classic Turret is for moderate production of pistol ammo. 200 rds an hour is plenty for the oddball calibers I load for (I don't load for 9, 40, 45, 556, 308 - which are the calibers I shoot in quantity), and it provides a semi-progressive function compared to the T7. I mount them on Inline Fabrication's 9" mount with the quick change plate system, and they are beyond rock solid. Really a joy to use.

I've been thinking about adding a T7, appreciate the input. I'm not a long range guy, but own a couple of hunting rifles build by Terry Cross that deserve quality ammo.

http://www.kmwlrs.com

SLG
02-09-2016, 07:24 PM
I've been thinking about adding a T7, appreciate the input. I'm not a long range guy, but own a couple of hunting rifles build by Terry Cross that deserve quality ammo.

http://www.kmwlrs.com

I don't load 308, since I can get good LR ammo, but that's not true of 300WM, so I load it. If I had a Cross gun, I would definitely treat it to a T7. My 300 was built by Jared at American Precision Arms. Most accurate rifle I have ever owned.

I do love the T7, so if I can help in anyway, let me know.

What calibers are your Cross guns in?

LSP552
02-09-2016, 10:22 PM
I don't load 308, since I can get good LR ammo, but that's not true of 300WM, so I load it. If I had a Cross gun, I would definitely treat it to a T7. My 300 was built by Jared at American Precision Arms. Most accurate rifle I have ever owned.

I do love the T7, so if I can help in anyway, let me know.

What calibers are your Cross guns in?

Thanks SLG.

Terry is a friend, and back in the day would do custom hunting stuff as well as his LR/precision stuff. My favorite hunting rifle is a full custom model 70 .30-06 with Krieger match barrel in featherweight contour, McMillan model 70 Featherweight stock, and Williams bottom metal that Terry built in 2002. Terry also did a custom Sako in 7mm-08 with #3 Krieger in a McMillan Sako Hunter stock for me. I ended up giving this rifle to my niece's husband a few years ago as a Christmas present and started him on his critter slaying journey. I also have a old Sako AII in .308 that Terry tweaked.

I love to shoot, but hate to reload and my time always seems limited. I'm thinking about the T7 as the way to load precision ammo at a faster rate than I can do on my Rockchucker.

The model 70 likes everything I've put through it, but really shines with the Barnes 168 gr. TSX and TTSXs, 180 Accubonds and 180 Gamekings. The .308 loves Sierra 165 HP Gamekings.

LSP552
02-09-2016, 10:27 PM
SLG,

Have you swapped turrets on your T7? I see that Midway has Redding spare turrets that can be switched. Seems like it would be handy for different calibers, if it kept the precision.

SLG
02-09-2016, 11:17 PM
SLG,

Have you swapped turrets on your T7? I see that Midway has Redding spare turrets that can be switched. Seems like it would be handy for different calibers, if it kept the precision.

Don't be misled by silly advertising. The T-7 is a fantastic press, but speed is not what it does. There is almost no point, imo, to swapping turrets on it, and though it is faster than a single stage, the difference is miniscule. It is an extremely precise press, and it is more convenient than a single stage, since you can have two rifle calibers plus a universal decapping die set up all the time, but on a practical level, it turns out the same number of rds per hour that a single stage does.

How much precision do you need and want? a Dillon 550 may be a better option, if speed is a factor. However, I have found that if real precision is needed, it is hard to make that work with any kind of speed. There are just too many case prep steps to allow easy, multi stage work to occur. There are ways to get around that, but they involve steps I'm not as familiar with, as well as Dillon case trimmers. 00bullit, here on the forum, is a wealth of knowledge for speedier precision rifle reloading.

LSP552
02-10-2016, 12:05 AM
Don't be misled by silly advertising. The T-7 is a fantastic press, but speed is not what it does. There is almost no point, imo, to swapping turrets on it, and though it is faster than a single stage, the difference is miniscule. It is an extremely precise press, and it is more convenient than a single stage, since you can have two rifle calibers plus a universal decapping die set up all the time, but on a practical level, it turns out the same number of rds per hour that a single stage does.

How much precision do you need and want? a Dillon 550 may be a better option, if speed is a factor. However, I have found that if real precision is needed, it is hard to make that work with any kind of speed. There are just too many case prep steps to allow easy, multi stage work to occur. There are ways to get around that, but they involve steps I'm not as familiar with, as well as Dillon case trimmers. 00bullit, here on the forum, is a wealth of knowledge for speedier precision rifle reloading.

I was thinking about two turrets so I could keep 30-06 and .308 dies in one, then a 2nd for .45 Colt and .44 Special. Maybe I just need two T7..:D

For the rifles, I'm still anal enough to weight each charge on a RCBS Chargemaster. The speed would, I think be more from not having to change/adjust dies. Convenience is probably a better descriptor than speed. The rifles get Lapua brass and Redding Competition seating dies so I just can't bring myself to load them on my 550b. Using Lapua brass saved me a ton of time with brass prep, which I hate, but do religiously when using Win brass.

Thanks again!

mmc45414
02-10-2016, 06:55 AM
I use the LnL bushings on the Rockchucker.
Nice tip, I didn't know about that conversion kit.

Slavex
02-10-2016, 07:16 PM
Nice tip, I didn't know about that conversion kit.

when I found out about it I was very very happy lol, saved me a bunch of money on buying a Turret press.

JV_
02-10-2016, 07:19 PM
I use the conversion kit on my RC as well, it's awesome.

SLG
02-10-2016, 07:40 PM
I was thinking about two turrets so I could keep 30-06 and .308 dies in one, then a 2nd for .45 Colt and .44 Special. Maybe I just need two T7..:D

For the rifles, I'm still anal enough to weight each charge on a RCBS Chargemaster. The speed would, I think be more from not having to change/adjust dies. Convenience is probably a better descriptor than speed. The rifles get Lapua brass and Redding Competition seating dies so I just can't bring myself to load them on my 550b. Using Lapua brass saved me a ton of time with brass prep, which I hate, but do religiously when using Win brass.

Thanks again!
That would work fine as well. As you know, and as this thread perfectly illustrates, there are a bunch of ways to make this work, and all that really matters is which path appeals to you. I really like the t7 and don't prefer the lnl bushings, but not because of any quantifiable reason.

Slavex
02-10-2016, 09:38 PM
One thing I will note with the LnL bushings is you do need to make sure you lock stuff down properly, otherwise you may as well be using a single stage press the normal way, screwing the die in each time and testing it to make sure it's adjusted right. With a Turret, it's less of an issue as you're not touching the dies after they are adjusted.

Hambo
02-11-2016, 10:50 AM
Don't be misled by silly advertising. The T-7 is a fantastic press, but speed is not what it does. There is almost no point, imo, to swapping turrets on it, and though it is faster than a single stage, the difference is miniscule. It is an extremely precise press, and it is more convenient than a single stage, since you can have two rifle calibers plus a universal decapping die set up all the time, but on a practical level, it turns out the same number of rds per hour that a single stage does.


This ^^^. If you think about it you have two options with a turret press. 1-run it like a single stage and use the turret to switch dies for the next step. 2-try to run it like a manual progressive loading one round at a time. Option 2 takes a lot of time, because unlike a 550 that takes a flick of the thumb to move the shellplate, you have to reach up and move the turret. You're still pulling the handle the same number of times, but you're trading moving the case out of the ram for moving the turret. Just for the hell of it I tried option 2. Once.

I have a spare turret for my T7 but it's never been on the press. The truth of the matter is that I prefer my Co-Ax for rifle and load most pistol on my Dillons. The T7 just doesn't see a lot of use. I keep it because I'm a nerd for this stuff and it doesn't eat anything.

JM Campbell
02-19-2016, 05:35 PM
Dry erase board and pegboard wall mock up, not sure if I'm liking the set up yet before I lock it down.http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160219/5eb5d7e90ef8f3dd1742da27020c9c76.jpg

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

dbateman
02-20-2016, 04:48 AM
6034

This is me roughing it.

dbateman
02-21-2016, 07:07 AM
6061

Loading a little 348.

JAD
02-21-2016, 08:27 AM
Loading a little 348.

DBa, what's the throw on the coax? With the handle way up there it looks like it would come down >120 degrees? If so does that get awkward?

Man, would I love it if someone made a pistol- specific press with 30 degree throw and a compound action.

GuanoLoco
02-21-2016, 08:58 AM
I bolted my presses, super sage, etc. to boards and clamped them to my bench in case I changed my mind. Never really changed my mind, so most of the stuff is still clamped to the bench. I recently bolted down the mountng board for my 1050 to my bench so I guess I'm not 100% afraid of commitment.

dbateman
02-21-2016, 08:05 PM
Loading a bit of 450/400Ne.

6082

DBa, what's the throw on the coax? With the handle way up there it looks like it would come down >120 degrees? If so does that get awkward?

Man, would I love it if someone made a pistol- specific press with 30 degree throw and a compound action.


The throw would probably be around 120*

I don't mind it when loading standing, but I didn't like it when I was loading sitting.
But that probably had more to do with my bench height and my chair height.

They make a short handle for them, they're just a couple of inches long with a ball on them.
I thought about buying a shorter handle but haven't gotten around to it.

)ETA( why is my picture upside down ?

(ETA2) I fixed it.

Rick_ICT
02-22-2016, 12:17 AM
https://pistol-forum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6061&stc=1

Loading a little 348.


Good grief man, you could light a candle and double the amount of light you're working with! :D

How do you read your scale?



ETA: I see from your prior post there is a little more light in there than in this picture. I really couldn't figure out how that was working.

BehindBlueI's
03-06-2016, 06:05 PM
6359

In garage. Warm enough today to load some .38.

dbateman
03-27-2016, 10:38 PM
Good grief man, you could light a candle and double the amount of light you're working with! :D

How do you read your scale?



ETA: I see from your prior post there is a little more light in there than in this picture. I really couldn't figure out how that was working.
I'm not sure if I had the light in the room off or something, that light gets moved around a bit.
That picture does make it look very dark in there.

dbateman
03-27-2016, 10:44 PM
6796
Love my 1050s, 600 rounds of 125gr 38super while I'm waiting for my eggs to cook.

NRFJR
04-22-2016, 10:56 AM
Hello all new to the forum, thought this would be a good place to do my first post. I have been Hand-loading for about 30 years or so, and my equipment has not changed too much except the first thing I used was the old LEE Loader for a .30 Carbine and a 38. Now I load for somewhere around 20 firearms and 28 calibers ranging from the .17 Remington to the 416 Rigby. I do a lot of long range shooting with the .338 Lapua Magnum. My thoughts are that if the equipment makes good ammo then it does not mater what color it is. So here is my little corner of the world the blue press is an old Pacific for large rifle and long range rounds and the Lee classic cast turret for small rifle and pistol that I can load 100 rounds of 10 mm in about 30 mi. and that is plenty fast for me because I load for the enjoyment of assembling the ammo by hand. 74077408

Sal Picante
04-22-2016, 11:58 AM
6796
Love my 1050s, 600 rounds of 125gr 38super while I'm waiting for my eggs to cook.

WTF kinda eggs are you cooking that you can crank 600 rounds out?

Luke
04-22-2016, 02:06 PM
He's in Australia dude. They have ostrich eggs, they take a little longer.

dbateman
04-22-2016, 11:54 PM
WTF kinda eggs are you cooking that you can crank 600 rounds out?


I dunno what I was cooking, obviously not fried eggs thats for sure.

SecondsCount
04-23-2016, 04:15 PM
How I like to start a loading session. Nice and clean.

The Dillon 650 setup for 9mm.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/tightgroup/g/reload/650_bench2.jpg

Unfortunately life gets busy and things get piled up on the bench, and the other bench gets crowded. I am getting ready to put in a lower shelf which will help with organization.

From left- Forster Coax, Dillon 1050 setup for 223, Ponsness Warren setup for 12 gauge, and a couple MEC's

https://s3.amazonaws.com/tightgroup/g/reload/1050bench.jpg

jeep45238
04-30-2016, 08:56 PM
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Mobile%20Uploads/DF95749A-769A-435F-8D2B-F15E32DAABD3_zps8avmmyla.jpg

Progress made tonight. Cased gauged and boxed 14,050 rounds of ammo. Then opened up the gray tool box that's half full of lead bullets and tumbled lubed until I ran out of space. Bullets are 127 grain trunticated cones. I'm playing with crimp and velocities to find a sweet spot for accuracy vs. lead, but I have a good feeling I'll need to open up the mold cavaties to get a larger diameter. It's advertised as a 6 cavity .356, and drops in the .357-.358 range after tumble lubing, but I wouldn't be suprised if I need to lap the cavities to up the diameter a bit to ensure the lead is doing the holding work, not the lube.

Big plastic ammo can has polished 9mm brass in it, as does the .30 cal next to it. Wooden ammo box has manuals, scales, case gauge, calipers, etc. in it. Coffee can has sized/primed casings to put in the press to take the spots of ones I take off to measure the charge and keep rolling without making a mess. .30 cals on the left end will have sorted 9mm brass in it. .30 cal on top of the wooden one is my primer catcher. I added a quick disconnect plastic plumbing fitting to my press to take a length of vinal tubing, taped a heavy axle nut on it to keep it in the can, and no more missed primers or stopping to empty it out.

Drawers are filled with misc. supplies. A 5 gallon bucket with mixed casings is calling my name with a beer tonight.



Press has a thrust bearing and washer between the shell plate and shellplate bolt, a roller bearing on the end of the case cam pin, and a 7 grain detent ball (vs. the factory 54 grain). A plastic wheel was pushed over the adjusting bolt for the powder dump for easier and tool-less adjustments.

All said and done, this thing is amazing compared to my lock-n-load in terms of reliability/setup/consistency/output. This summer I'll be making a bullet collator for it.

That Guy
05-03-2016, 11:46 AM
7631

You bunch of rich bastids... [emoji12]

(Obviously, that was meant as a joke. I think it's awesome some of you guys have basically your own ammo factories. But sometimes, it can be a little difficult not to be a bit jealous...)

(And yeah, the plan is to one day own an actual press. Once life starts to co-operate a bit more...)

jeep45238
05-11-2016, 04:43 PM
My little homemade mount for my baby press. A kind soul donated a Lee classic press to me, and it just so happens that the front mounting bolt for the strongmount of my press mates up to the rearward most hole of the press and allows the ram to clear the table top.

I'm not sure if I"ll be keeping it there, I have a feeling this little cast press needs the load spread out a bit more for full on sizing. It did pretty well sizing without being mounted up to anything though.

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/Reloading/AD814E28-4472-4A3C-BB3A-6EA2FC2DF97B_zpspp3tfy2t.jpg


Tony, when the funds allow I'd like to upgrade to a more stout single stage for sizing my bullets. If you'd like the press when I'm done with it, let me know. It's yours.

That Guy
05-12-2016, 06:49 AM
Uh, wow. That is a very generous offer and I am grateful for it.

Unfortunately, overseas shipping for a press would probably be costly.

jeep45238
05-12-2016, 07:43 AM
Message me your country and I'll see what it would cost. Might be horrible, might not be. It's pretty small and lightweight.

Greg
06-12-2016, 06:36 PM
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--m_iNN1DAcU/V13wjs5RPWI/AAAAAAAADGU/jQZWM-v973cwZR_KvMqJ--Zyfvo5tDL1wCCo/s1000/DSC_0192.JPG

My bench in its usual state. I admire those who keep their bench looking like a surgery suite but I'm out there to 1) produce ammo 2) enjoy myself so it usually looks semi messy.
With the above setup I load everything from 9mm to .45-70.

On the other side of the garage is my all purpose workbench where gun cleaning/smithing and bullet casting occurs.

dbateman
06-14-2016, 07:23 AM
7631

You bunch of rich bastids... [emoji12]

(Obviously, that was meant as a joke. I think it's awesome some of you guys have basically your own ammo factories. But sometimes, it can be a little difficult not to be a bit jealous...)

(And yeah, the plan is to one day own an actual press. Once life starts to co-operate a bit more...)

What are you loading ? Do you load for more than one caliber ?

That Guy
06-14-2016, 09:13 AM
Mostly .45 Colt, a little .44 Magnum. Stuff I can't find in stores, like jacketed bullet ammo for the .45 or anything other than 240gr FMJ/SJSP magnum charges for the .44.

NRFJR
06-18-2016, 09:05 AM
7631

You bunch of rich bastids... [emoji12]

(Obviously, that was meant as a joke. I think it's awesome some of you guys have basically your own ammo factories. But sometimes, it can be a little difficult not to be a bit jealous...)

(And yeah, the plan is to one day own an actual press. Once life starts to co-operate a bit more...)

Looks like what I started with 30 or so years ago and I'm sure what a lot of us started out with. If it works for what you are loading that's the idea IMO. With time you will be just like the rest of us hopelessly hooked and always looking for the next new toy you can afford.

LittleLebowski
06-19-2016, 03:49 PM
I read this entire thread Friday. There are some really nice setups that some of you have. I'm lucky enough to live close to one reloading mentor but I wish more were nearby.

LittleLebowski
07-01-2016, 06:15 PM
I need drawers, how would you guys upgrade this on a budget with no care for aesthetics? 2' deep, 77" wide, bench is 39" high.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/Guns/025456A5-F744-4253-9044-13533B2CAB78_zps5jlfvpi8.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/baxshep/media/Guns/025456A5-F744-4253-9044-13533B2CAB78_zps5jlfvpi8.jpg.html)

SecondsCount
07-01-2016, 06:43 PM
I need drawers, how would you guys upgrade this on a budget with no care for aesthetics? 2' deep, 77" wide, bench is 39" high.



You need shelves.
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?19033-Post-your-reloading-setups!&p=436544&viewfull=1#post436544

H&KFanNC
07-01-2016, 06:52 PM
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160701/f582d9175215441fcb1c66d4e7e7f6ca.jpg

Here my reloading bench. I use a Lee Pro 1000 for all my reloading needs. I also have the Lee single stage that I learned on. I still use it on occasion, mostly for rifle that I am loading for accuracy.

I use the 2 tumblers, one to clean the freshly fired brass and the other to clean off my case lube from the finished rounds.

I love reloading. It is a hobby in and of itself. I hate rifle case prep though....


Be safe!

Steve


Sent from my iPhone 6S+ using Tapatalk

LittleLebowski
07-02-2016, 08:27 AM
You need shelves.
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?19033-Post-your-reloading-setups!&p=436544&viewfull=1#post436544

I know, I was just looking for a cheap solution. Also trying to avoid Plan A ("JV, HALP!") and Plan B ("SLG, HALP!").

SecondsCount
07-02-2016, 10:04 AM
Figure out what sizes you need, run to Home Depot or Lowes and get some plywood and 2x4's. They typically will slice it up for you for free to the size that you need.

SunTzu
07-02-2016, 12:56 PM
I need drawers, how would you guys upgrade this on a budget with no care for aesthetics? 2' deep, 77" wide, bench is 39" high.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/Guns/025456A5-F744-4253-9044-13533B2CAB78_zps5jlfvpi8.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/baxshep/media/Guns/025456A5-F744-4253-9044-13533B2CAB78_zps5jlfvpi8.jpg.html)

I wouldn't install drawers unless you're using plastic bins to sort material.



This is the easy security how to picture.

http://i.imgur.com/32zChuM.jpg



This is a top view of the wooden guides for the plywood security.

http://i.imgur.com/fYvJ3f4.jpg


This is a simple bench, using Home Depot for most cuts (use handsaw on 2x4 and to cut wedges out of plywood shelf for legs). You can use this detail to add onto your existing bench to give you more depth. Then just follow the directions for installing the security plywood guards. Let me know if you need clarification. These are rough sketches, obviously.

http://i.imgur.com/yGwRcgt.jpg

hiro
07-02-2016, 01:08 PM
I need drawers, how would you guys upgrade this on a budget with no care for aesthetics? 2' deep, 77" wide, bench is 39" high.

To do it cheap you could use stackable plastic storage boxes in sizes that'll fit the existing shelves.

No construction needed, easy to clean, off the shelf. Buy a combination of sizes that'll fit together to keep things organised...

Quick search found this (http://www.containerstore.com/s/storage/storage-boxes/store-it-all-totes/12d?productId=10027414)

JM Campbell
07-02-2016, 01:27 PM
I need drawers, how would you guys upgrade this on a budget with no care for aesthetics? 2' deep, 77" wide, bench is 39" high.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/Guns/025456A5-F744-4253-9044-13533B2CAB78_zps5jlfvpi8.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/baxshep/media/Guns/025456A5-F744-4253-9044-13533B2CAB78_zps5jlfvpi8.jpg.html)
Pegboard the wall under the bench. You can adjust to size height when you need. Never a fixed height, priority for storage changes with the shooting season.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

olstyn
07-02-2016, 03:48 PM
To do it cheap you could use stackable plastic storage boxes in sizes that'll fit the existing shelves.

No construction needed, easy to clean, off the shelf. Buy a combination of sizes that'll fit together to keep things organised...

Quick search found this (http://www.containerstore.com/s/storage/storage-boxes/store-it-all-totes/12d?productId=10027414)

This sounds like a fairly reasonable plan. That said, the first step is to clear out everything that's unneeded/unrelated to the purpose of the area. You'll probably find that you have more space than you previously thought if you do. I'd start by getting rid of that (broken?) printer/scanner/copier. (I should heed my own advice here; my garage, which is where my loading bench is, is an unholy mess.)

SecondsCount
07-02-2016, 06:39 PM
This sounds like a fairly reasonable plan. That said, the first step is to clear out everything that's unneeded/unrelated to the purpose of the area. You'll probably find that you have more space than you previously thought if you do. I'd start by getting rid of that (broken?) printer/scanner/copier. (I should heed my own advice here; my garage, which is where my loading bench is, is an unholy mess.)

I think that printer is an ultrasonic cleaner. ;)

dbateman
07-09-2016, 02:47 AM
I need drawers, how would you guys upgrade this on a budget with no care for aesthetics? 2' deep, 77" wide, bench is 39" high.



Is that all the room you have ?

mmc45414
07-09-2016, 07:25 AM
My Name is MMc45414, and I Have A Plastic Bin Fetish...
9000
Seriously, I think getting bins that are the same really helps, because they nest and stack. The ones I labeled "Cheap" are sold as shoe boxes for closet storage, and are very inexpensive, they can be great for fired cases and keeping batches segregated. I use the big ones under the bench, and the big ones are also relatively cheap, especially if you troll them after Christmas when people buy them for storing decorations. The shotgun hulls are bulky, and they are handy for segregating stuff. I have one that is all of my archery stuff, I have another that is all of my bicycle stuff, I have one that is all of the various electrical cables, I have another that is all of the old gun stuff I should get rid of or put on eBay or Karma. I think this takes up less space than drawers, and will probably be cheaper.

Hambo
07-09-2016, 10:29 AM
I need drawers, how would you guys upgrade this on a budget with no care for aesthetics? 2' deep, 77" wide, bench is 39" high.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/Guns/025456A5-F744-4253-9044-13533B2CAB78_zps5jlfvpi8.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/baxshep/media/Guns/025456A5-F744-4253-9044-13533B2CAB78_zps5jlfvpi8.jpg.html)

First, I'd throw out all the shit under the bench that has nothing to do with reloading. Then I'd organize the shelf with plastic shoes boxes, and if necessary I'd use 5 gallon bucket on the floor for large quantities of brass.

LittleLebowski
09-12-2016, 07:30 AM
First, I'd throw out all the shit under the bench that has nothing to do with reloading. Then I'd organize the shelf with plastic shoes boxes, and if necessary I'd use 5 gallon bucket on the floor for large quantities of brass.

All of those buckets, etc under the bench were full of brass. However, I relocated the reloading room to the utility room in the basement, and bought this table from Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/60-inch-workbench-93454.html?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=workbench-041814) and now am setting up the new reloading room. Crappy pic below. The table is very solid and also mounted to the wall behind it. I need to take a better picture.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/Guns/D78B0EAB-5F97-4A60-9CB3-7D10252F946B_zpsx7a90yf6.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/baxshep/media/Guns/D78B0EAB-5F97-4A60-9CB3-7D10252F946B_zpsx7a90yf6.jpg.html)

Rich@CCC
09-12-2016, 11:39 AM
When on sale, that bench is one of the best values HF has to offer! You may want to add a 2x4 or 1x4 as a back edge to keep stuff from rolling off.
$0.02

mmc45414
09-12-2016, 12:05 PM
All of those buckets, etc under the bench were full of brass. However, I relocated the reloading room to the utility room in the basement, and bought this table from Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/60-inch-workbench-93454.html?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=workbench-041814) and now am setting up the new reloading room. Crappy pic below. The table is very solid and also mounted to the wall behind it. I need to take a better picture.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/Guns/D78B0EAB-5F97-4A60-9CB3-7D10252F946B_zpsx7a90yf6.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/baxshep/media/Guns/D78B0EAB-5F97-4A60-9CB3-7D10252F946B_zpsx7a90yf6.jpg.html)
Glad to see you decided to keep the single stage. Even if you do not use it a lot I think you will use it enough to be glad you have it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

JAD
09-12-2016, 12:12 PM
When on sale, that bench is one of the best values HF has to offer! You may want to add a 2x4 or 1x4 as a back edge to keep stuff from rolling off.
$0.02
Or screw pegboard to the studs and tie that to the back of the bench with a little quarter round.

JM Campbell
09-12-2016, 12:14 PM
I'd do peg board and a dry erase board for load notes you are currently using on the press.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

LittleLebowski
01-22-2017, 10:36 AM
v3.0. The dry erase board is behind me as I face the bench.

SeriousStudent
01-22-2017, 10:41 AM
Good idea. Put those brass monkey's to work.

SecondsCount
01-22-2017, 10:56 AM
v3.0. The dry erase board is behind me as I face the bench.

Who makes the primer tube rack?

LittleLebowski
01-22-2017, 05:00 PM
Who makes the primer tube rack?

Inline Fabrication (https://www.midwayusa.com/product/206415/inline-fabrication-primer-tube-rack-black). I wish I had a gift card strictly for InlineFab, love his products.

JM Campbell
01-22-2017, 06:37 PM
I love dry erase boards. I keep track of my current load set up on the press and label my heads 1-2-3 for easy identification for how it was set up before I did a caliber change. No guessing, it's right there in front of me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hambo
01-22-2017, 09:20 PM
Teach those kids to deprime and trim brass!

JAD
01-22-2017, 09:24 PM
Teach those kids to deprime and trim brass!

Dude, it's like a Vietnamese Nike factory in there.

SeriousStudent
01-22-2017, 10:25 PM
Those insoles aren't gonna glue themselves.

LittleLebowski
01-23-2017, 07:34 AM
Teach those kids to deprime and trim brass!

They deprime with gusto, other detail-oriented stuff...not so much.

Hambo
01-23-2017, 09:03 AM
They deprime with gusto, other detailed oriented stuff...not so much.

Sweet. How much to rent them for a weekend?

LittleLebowski
01-23-2017, 09:12 AM
Sweet. How much to rent them for a weekend?

1 Dillon 650, no caliber conversions needed. Cash accepted, wire to the usual Swiss account.

Mikey
03-28-2017, 02:43 PM
15147

My Happy Place

Chuteur
05-29-2017, 12:56 PM
Working with the cement mixer:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEjEQpHx1XU

Friend of mine used to wait till his wife went out to use the washing machine for his case's. He would double bag the brass inside two nylon mesh dive gear bags then dump it in the machine for an hour.

GuanoLoco
05-29-2017, 07:32 PM
Friend of mine used to wait till his wife went out to use the washing machine for his case's. He would double bag the brass inside two nylon mesh dive gear bags then dump it in the machine for an hour.

I'd prefer to get a mixer and stay married.

LittleLebowski
05-29-2017, 07:33 PM
I'd prefer to get a mixer and stay married.

Yup, the custody battle over the MK7 equipped 1050 could get ugly.

Chuteur
05-29-2017, 07:41 PM
I'd prefer to get a mixer and stay married.

I know exactly what you mean. I had a single friend who stripped a Ducati and put all the parts in his dishwasher to degrease - it was a long time before I had a coffee at his place after that.

Saw some nice home sized cement mixers in Lowes this weekend, plastic barrel, under $200 I think. I don't do mega thousand at the moment but I'm looking at buying some weight of Govt once fired brass as buying a couple of hundred pounds of Govt brass is cheaper than buying a few thousand from a dealer who bought them from the Govt anyway. I had intended to do that with my 650, but my experience of aftermarket de-crimping units for the 650 is that they are dog poop, a waste of good $ and good steel. So after my move I am getting a 1050 with all its benefits.

Chuteur
05-29-2017, 07:42 PM
Yup, the custody battle over the MK7 equipped 1050 could get ugly.

Seen video of the Mk 7 and want to stroke and prod one. I reckon it could be on a xmas or birthday pressie list if it is as good as it looks to be.

GuanoLoco
05-29-2017, 08:47 PM
Seen video of the Mk 7 and want to stroke and prod one. I reckon it could be on a xmas or birthday pressie list if it is as good as it looks to be.

It is good stuff and I like all the bells and whistles inluding the new sensors. I need to do a video with the SwageSense and especially the BulletSense.

holmes168
06-10-2018, 07:51 AM
26963
My not nearly good enough reloading setup. Definitely need to start cranking out the rounds!
Read through this thread again this morning and hope to see it getting going again. I’d really like to see any updates.

GuanoLoco
06-10-2018, 08:27 AM
I loaded and QC’d about 3500 9mm at 2100 RPH Sat AM on my Mark 7/1050, Dillon Primer Filler and Hundo Case Gauge. Couldn’t understand why I was getting little marks on the primers when the tip of the small primer punch was clean. Finally had a jam where the tip of the ram got caught in the shell plate. When unjamming it I realized that the ram tip had broken off and was probably rorating freely on a slightly uneven break. I am also thinking that the screw holding in the primer rocker assembly had started to back out, which probably led to the ram tip breaking.

Sigh, first world problems.

Eugene
06-30-2018, 10:44 PM
This is my little bench with a Lee turret and the 400 9mm rounds I did this evening.
27631

CDR_Glock
09-02-2018, 11:24 PM
Single stage to the right. Hornady LNL

454 Casull, 460 and 500 S&W.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180903/19ff20cf8db717ef434a124f8963adfc.jpg

4 Dillon progressive presses for 44 MAGNUM , 45 ACP, 9 mm and 357 Magnum

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180903/b74d03026089e62938cd7c170e1de5f7.jpg

Today I mounted the RCBS Turret for rifle reloading. I have been busy reloading for load development of 9 mm 147 grain hence all of the extra components.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180903/83d9e19585d1c99239b4cc878063df00.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180903/574ba1bbb357188fa8cd269ddb29d492.jpg


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

EricP
09-03-2018, 07:10 PM
I cleaned my bench last week, so that deserves a couple of pics. Dillon 650 is permanently mounted in place. The 550 and the MEC 9000 fit into T-slots in the table and can be swapped out for other presses or tooling.

29820

29821

29822

DDTSGM
10-16-2018, 11:59 PM
Working with the cement mixer:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEjEQpHx1XU

I have a bad habit of posting in old threads without completely reading through - notice the clamp on the harbor freight mixer - pretty important part. I learned the hard way about the clamp when I was making some concrete and walked into the house for a moment.

I throw a five gal bucket of brass and about 10 pounds of petco lizard media in mine. I don't use stainless media. I put a piece of blue tarp that I cut to size over the end and use bungees to hold it over the end to keep down dust. I run it on a plug in timer for couple hours. I lube the mixer every load.

I roll it out of my shed into the backyard and tumble away.

I run it on a plug in timer for couple hours. I lube the mixer every load.

GuanoLoco
10-17-2018, 12:24 AM
I’ll refer you to another thread (http://www.doodieproject.com/index.php?/topic/4421-brass-monkey-that-funky-monkey/?hl=%20funky%20%20monkey).

mmc45414
08-28-2019, 09:49 AM
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?87-The-Obligatory-Show-Off-Thread&p=922067&viewfull=1#post922067
I guess I felt like showing off :cool:

41834

Russ856
12-02-2019, 09:00 PM
Nothing in blue, but love my Redding Turret. .44spl/Mag and .38/357m mostly here.

SecondsCount
12-02-2019, 09:34 PM
Nothing in blue, but love my Redding Turret. .44spl/Mag and .38/357m mostly here.

I have some blue but I want a Redding Turret. A good friend has one and they are great presses.

LittleLebowski
12-02-2019, 10:06 PM
I have some blue but I want a Redding Turret. A good friend has one and they are great presses.

#MeToo (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=MeToo)

I keep thinking that I need a turret for precision reloading.

mmc45414
12-03-2019, 06:59 PM
#MeToo (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=MeToo)

I keep thinking that I need a turret for precision reloading.I am Co-Axial curious myself...

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Clusterfrack
12-03-2019, 07:55 PM
Dillon Super 1050
Mr. Bulletfeeder
Needle bearing kit (https://reloadinginnovations.com/products/premium-shell-plate-bearing-kit-for-dillon-1050)
Level10 primer support die (https://lvl10i.com/collections/dillon-upgrades/products/priming-system-support-die-for-super-1050)
TNT Burly Shellplate (https://www.tntmunitions.com/reloading/burly-1050-shellplate.html)
Lee U sizing die with Squirrel Daddy decapping pin (https://www.amazon.com/Squirrel-Daddy-Hardened-Decapping-Upgrade/dp/B018V7L3C2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=WMW026DOBBFW&dchild=1&keywords=squirrel+daddy+decapping+pin&qid=1576763099&sprefix=squirrel+daddy,aps,139&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=ratio07-20&linkId=405816518a762de19945dbd9b52a3ed0&language=en_US)
RCBS Lockout powder check die
Hornady taper crimp seating die
Lee Factory Crimp die

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191204/b490df043e9c26b4df68f2c67432edcb.jpg

Clusterfrack
12-18-2019, 03:41 PM
7000 rounds. Almost halfway there, but I would be a lot farther along if some asshole didn't keep shooting them up.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191218/68b9ceaa9c89476dc16ad925337a6b32.jpg

Hambo
12-19-2019, 08:30 AM
7000 rounds. Almost halfway there, but I would be a lot farther along if some asshole didn't keep shooting them up.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191218/68b9ceaa9c89476dc16ad925337a6b32.jpg

Beautiful, man.

Clusterfrack
12-28-2019, 07:49 PM
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191229/9dd3c5b91c83ac6842da47a513dbb6f5.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191229/2ef93a11bda44e73ae4f292fa904236b.jpg

olstyn
12-28-2019, 09:16 PM
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191229/2ef93a11bda44e73ae4f292fa904236b.jpg

Heh, we all feel your pain on that one. It's even worse when it's primers. :mad:

Clusterfrack
12-28-2019, 09:28 PM
Heh, we all feel your pain on that one. It's even worse when it's primers. :mad:

Yeah, primer spills are the worst. Even worse is spilling a pound of H4350 because I forgot to close the powder drain on the ChargeMaster.

This Bluebullets spill wasn't my fault. It was a defective bag that split when I took it out of the box.

RancidSumo
09-08-2020, 10:40 PM
Ammo shortages call for drastic measures - it was time for an upgrade.

60116

Hambo
09-09-2020, 05:03 AM
Ammo shortages call for drastic measures - it was time for an upgrade.

60116

Way to level up. :cool:

LittleLebowski
09-09-2020, 08:09 AM
#FlexinOnThePoors (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=FlexinOnThePoors)


Ammo shortages call for drastic measures - it was time for an upgrade.

60116

Sal Picante
09-09-2020, 03:10 PM
Someone liked an old post in there thread... New reloading setup is WAY better...

p/BuH-o4mHpaK

p/B1SMHl4AT-H

Still running the Forcht Conversion on the 1050...

mmc45414
09-10-2020, 06:53 PM
Even worse is spilling a pound of H4350 because I forgot to close the powder drain on the ChargeMaster.
I did that once doing an oil change, back when Mobil-1 was a new deal and cost what seemed like an outrageous amount. Probably poured 5% of my weeks pay right out onto the floor... :cool:

EricP
09-20-2020, 06:39 PM
My early Covid lock down home improvement was turning my reloading corner into a reloading room. The bench with the presses and the plywood wall behind it were there, as was the safe. Everything else, to include the wall with sliding barn door, the structure around the safe, the bench next to it, and the drop ceiling are new.

Teamsterjohn
02-21-2021, 11:55 AM
Another question. I want to reload 9mm ammo for my Ruger9mm carbine and my Glock 19. Could anyone recommend a powder brand and any Details to help me get started thanks again

olstyn
02-21-2021, 12:17 PM
Another question. I want to reload 9mm ammo for my Ruger9mm carbine and my Glock 19. Could anyone recommend a powder brand and any Details to help me get started thanks again

Check out the sticky thread in this subforum on known good pistol loads:

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?19034-Known-good-pistol-loads

You're going to find availability of components and equipment to be difficult right now, though.

BKS
03-14-2021, 09:17 PM
Built this with the Eastwood Shop Table kit and cedar lumber. The bench top is a solid wood door from Lowe's and the shelves are 2x12s mounted on 1" iron pipe stands. The bottom shelve holds 8- "Fat Fifty" on each side. It is a mixture or Redding and RCBS.