Dillon 550 vs Hornady Lock'nLoad AP vs Lee Loadmaster vs Lee Classic Turret,GOT 550

Gents, I'm just starting out in reloading but I'm pretty handy with "figuring stuff out and tinkering" plus I have the resources of this board. The calibers I plan to reload for are 9mm, .300Blk, 5.56, and .308.

My budget really isn't at the Dillon 650 level. I can buy the LCT (Lee Classic Turret) complete kit for around $200 and it will serve me well, be easy to learn, albeit slow. I can buy the Lee Loadmaster for $255 and it will be much faster than the LCT but will need a bit of tinkering and upgrades (there is a forum dedicated to this) to get it running. The Hornady AP is at $424 but it looks like I will need to spend a bit more money on upgrades and parts. However, the Hornady AP is allegedly just as fast as a Dillon 650 once set up and running. The Dillon 550 is at the very upper edge of my budget but it is a "safe" choice.

Do I take a chance on the Hornady AP or Lee Loadmaster and just spend the time to get them up and running? Shall I just stay low with my ambitions for now and buy the LCT, see how it goes? Shall I just piecemeal the Dillon 550?

Please bear in mind that I have that gunshot elbow on my strong arm. The less turret pulls per round, the better. However, it's not huge priority, rather just something worth considering.

#Dillon550

How much shooting do you do? I have used the Lee Classic Turret for 8 years, loading around 12,000 rounds per year. I almost never sit down to a "dedicated" reloading session. I reload for the 10-15 minutes I am waiting for my wife or kids before we go out to eat or soccer practice. The thing I like about the LCT is that you can stop at anytime (after finishing the bullet you are currently working on) and not worrying about the 4-5 bullets loaded in the progressives, and whether they have powder, etc. There is virtually NO WAY to double charge a case on the LCT (and I use Titegroup). A couple of times that I did time the reloading session, I loaded just over 200 rounds per hour.

However, if I shot as much as the USPSA guys, I would definitely get one of the progressives. However, I only shoot 800-1000 rounds per month, and the Lee meets my needs fine without a lot of the added complexity of the progressives.

And Dillon wins with 100%. LOL

The big volume shooters who shoot in competition mostly use Dillon. I have a 550 and a 1050. They have served me well.

I have no experience with any other of the presses you mentioned. I have some Lee stuff (dies, old shotgun loader, old hand loader) and they have served me well also.

I have bought several presses over the years and have ended up with Dillon.

When I injured my shoulder, I had problems with pulling the press handle. I used my left hand to assist and sometimes just used my left arm, but it was a little awkward.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GNiner

The thing I like about the LCT is that you can stop at anytime (after finishing the bullet you are currently working on) and not worrying about the 4-5 bullets loaded in the progressives, and whether they have powder, etc.

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I have a Dillon 1050. If I want to stop, I just put an allen wrench in the case feeder slide (position 1) and finish out the remaining cases. The allen wrench prevents new cases from being fed in. It's only an extra 10 seconds to load out the remaining rounds that are mid-stage.

My first and only press was (and is) a Dillon 650. Unless you reload maybe 100 rounds a month and love tinkering save up for the 550 and call it done. I reload hundreds of rounds a month and every time the press jams up it's a whole lot of wasted time I could be doing something else. Reloading is work and a means to cheaper ammo, I don't enjoy sitting around doing it longer than I have to.

It depends on your level of BS acceptance but for me personally it is. not. worth. it. to run anything less than the Dillon ;)

FWIW I'm not financially loaded either, the cost still outweighs the disaster factor. As a beginning reloader I was happy with a modern machine too, I don't believe the crap about learning on a single stage or anything.

I have a Dillon 550 set up for 9mm and 223. If you decide that's the route you want to go shoot me a PM. I've been thinking about moving to a 650 and if I do there will be a 550 for sale with a PF discount.

LL,
I voted for the Load Master but that's based on you implying that you want to load all of those rounds on one press. The Load Master will be cheaper by nearly an order of magnitude over the Dillons or the Hornady progressives when factoring in multiple caliber changes.

The work involved with making the LM reliable is negligible and the expense is literal nil. No after market parts, just elbow grease and a bit of guidance. For a very minimal investment in parts and labor you can make several upgrades that drastically improve speed and ease of operation.

I really have a tough time believing the prices on some of the Dillon accessories that a lot of folks consider necessities. $300+ for a tool to fill the primer feed tubes! Really? It takes about 40 seconds to refill the primer tray on the Load Master by hand. That said, one of the best investments I have made in reloading gear was my Dillon Super Swage 600( I had to make mods to that as well).

I'd love to have an LnL Ammo Plant or a Dillon 1050 with all the bells and whistles set for every caliber and just walk by and pull the handles a couple times a day. If I had the extra money you can bet I'd do just that, but I don't. So, The Lee gear gets the vote today.

I tend to do all of my loading at one time. I schedule a day and do nothing but case prep or load cartridges all day. I may only load every other month this way. Sometimes I get enough done in a sitting to last 3 or 4 months, but I'm not a gamer nor do I attend any regular training. The only thing I load every week is my trap(my only scheduled shooting sport) ammo and that only requires an hour every Sunday evening.

YMMV

Enos has a couple good deals on 550's right meow.

I don't currently have a press, but have had a couple Lee Loadmasters in the past. They have their quirks for sure, but once you're aware of them and have a few spare parts on hand (for just in case), I found them to be more than good enough for my needs. When I used them I was probably loading 5-6k a year, so not a ton, but enough that it made sense to reload and not purchase factory ammo. Thinking about getting another one to start up again, so I'll be continuing to follow this thread too.

I've used a Lee turret press for over twenty five years. I keep tempting myself to move up to a progressive press, but hesitate to spend the money when the Lee has worked well without issue for so long. On the average I load around 500 to 800 rounds a month. Once you move up to progressives Lee's are crap, but the turret press is good to go.