TheOriginally Posted by 1776United
heart of the matter is auto-indexing, which the 650 does and the 550 doesn't. That makes the 650 faster and more sure, but also increases the difficulty of caliber changes and rifle reloading.
The
heart of the matter is auto-indexing, which the 650 does and the 550 doesn't. That makes the 650 faster and more sure, but also increases the difficulty of caliber changes and rifle reloading.
I'm definitely leaning 550. I don't really care about auto indexing. I think manually advancing the rounds would give me more time to pay attention to what is going on.
“If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything." - Miyamoto Musashi
650 also has an additional station to put in a powder check die which is a very nice safety feature.
Think of it as manual v automatic transmission. With the 650 you're less likely to make a mistake. With the 550 correcting a mistake is a lot easier.
Ignore Alien Orders
That was a great review/comparison and validates what I have always thought myself. I say thought because I have never owned either a Dillon or a Hornady press. I have used both(very limited use) a bit, but I have many thousands of rounds through Lee presses.
Before reading this, I had already decided to go to the L-N-L if/when I get new gear, but for now my Load Master does everything I ask of it with minimal coercion. The new Lee Auto Drum powder measure makes it just a little bit better than before and still cheap, Cheap CHEAP by comparison.
TANSTAAFL
Managing Partner, Custom Carry Concepts, LLC
Another angle is if your dad has a 550 you could probably share conversions for some of the stuff neither of you do frequently.
I went from a Rockchucker, to one 550, to two 550s with a case feed on one, to now have the 550 w/o the feeder and a 650 with a feeder and this is a pretty sweet setup. Of course the Rock Chucker never went anywhere.
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Last edited by mmc45414; 11-07-2016 at 10:00 PM.
FWIW I only reload 9mm and 45 (never plan to reload rifle but I never know). I bought a Dillon 650 as my first reloader and have no plans to get rid of it. All the other brand/cheaper loaders weren't really worth it in the end to me. I like something that works, and I don't like tinkering with a machine that I consider a chore to use.
Buy once cry once, YOLO, and all that.
Last edited by Peally; 11-07-2016 at 10:31 PM.
Semper Gumby, Always Flexible
My Hornady LnL has not been perfect. The primer slide, while it works really nicely most of the time, is something you have to keep an eye on; if a few grains of powder get in its channel, its operation can become erratic. It also pays to keep the primer slide clean and lubed (dry film lube). My press was *slightly* out of time from the factory; it was easy to adjust, but that doesn't negate that it had to be adjusted. IMO that stuff is pretty minor, and given that it's feature-wise a 650 for the price of a 550, I have no regrets. The LnL die bushings are GREAT, too. I can switch from loading 9mm for me to loading .380 for my wife in a very short amount of time; by far the longest part of the process is monkeying with the powder measure setting. If I loaded .380 more frequently, I'd just get a second powder measure, and then that part would be done in no time as well. Even if I had the budget for a 1050, which by all accounts is the bees' knees, I'm pretty sure I'd miss the LnL bushings.
I love the 1050 in a lot of ways but changing calibers on the LNL AP is a snap. Having to remove the tool head every time to change calibers is a giant PITA. I miss some times being able to just swap the shell plate with the turn of 1 Allen wrench. Additionally the cost of the tool heads if you just want to be able to swap the tool head out is retarded. I do dig the auto swage for primer pockets tough. Especially because I spend a crap ton of time converting 556 mil brass to 300 blk now. I still miss my LNL AP some times, is still a pretty good press IMO.My Hornady LnL has not been perfect. The primer slide, while it works really nicely most of the time, is something you have to keep an eye on; if a few grains of powder get in its channel, its operation can become erratic. It also pays to keep the primer slide clean and lubed (dry film lube). My press was *slightly* out of time from the factory; it was easy to adjust, but that doesn't negate that it had to be adjusted. IMO that stuff is pretty minor, and given that it's feature-wise a 650 for the price of a 550, I have no regrets. The LnL die bushings are GREAT, too. I can switch from loading 9mm for me to loading .380 for my wife in a very short amount of time; by far the longest part of the process is monkeying with the powder measure setting. If I loaded .380 more frequently, I'd just get a second powder measure, and then that part would be done in no time as well. Even if I had the budget for a 1050, which by all accounts is the bees' knees, I'm pretty sure I'd miss the LnL bushings.
Last edited by Mike C; 11-08-2016 at 08:35 AM.
I've ran all the machines in this comparison for several years. I will never, ever, ever recommend a loadmaster, and it isn't due to the finicky nature of Lee products.
The loadmaster can be made to run through a several hour long session with minimal fidgeting if lubricated properly before every run, and you actually understand the adjustments you're making. The reason why I will NEVER recommend them is due to the priming system. The Lee primes the cases while every other operation is happening through a lever arm. This means it's impossible to detect if there's a problem with the primer over the force needed to size/seat/crimp/expand as it's all the same motion of the operating lever. While it makes excellent repeatability and quality ammo, it's damn dangerous. It becomes more dangerous when you realize that the primers sit in a plastic 'chute' with 7 or so in there, and then directly to the primer flipper tray (also holds the primers in the Lee). There is NO physical separation between 100 primers except for a piece of plastic less than 1/16th of an inch or so in thickness. This can lead to daisy chain primer explosions with your hand in close proximity, and turn those 100 primers into a mini gernade. There is no protective shroud like the Hornady or Dillon machines.
I know - it happened to me. I was loading .45ACP like I had been doing for months without adjustment, and showing my friend how it operates. He was standing to the left of the machine (primer tray faces to the left), and it exploded. His face caught shrapnel, thankfully no eye damage - my hand throbbed like I just punched a stud in a wall full force. I don't know if a primer was sideways, if two fed instead of one, or if it was one of those small-primer .45's that I missed. Either way - there's a reason Lee sells a primer tray explosion sheild for this thing. If you decide to operate one of these, buy the damn primer sheild. The $5 is worth it in the event you get a primer gernade.
I moved on to the Hornady. Great little machine, very smooth - I got lucky and never had primer feed issues, although that is a common thing with them. I did have COAL issues that would vary by .050 that couldn't ever get resolved, just lessened to .025 (that's more than triple my Dillon). The reason I sold it was Hornady's crazy prices for parts/accessories that are usually just after thoughts, and their refusal to sell some parts at all. I wanted to make a case collator but didn't feel like making the feed part, and they flat out refused to sell the feeder parts. No if/ands/buts. I've been less than impressed with their support for dies as well, and am slowly transitioning away from them. The primer system is second only to the RCBS strip system in terms of safety, although some would argue the Hornady is better by a bit.
I do recommend this press if you don't care about a case feeder or bullet feeder. The Hornady versions of these accessories are shoddy at best, which is a shame because with very minor tinkering it has the potential to be one of the best 5 station progressives out there.
I now run the Dillon 650XL, with a bullet feeder and case feeder. All work superbly. COAL variation is less than .008". Dillon has never told me I can't buy a part, never asked why I wanted to buy (never needed to, just was curious if they would sell). Aftermarket parts are everywhere if there's something you don't like about the Dillon machine.
In summery - if Hornady is too much, skip the Lee Loadmaster and get the Pro 1000, as it seats primers in a different movement of the lever, thus serpating priming from everything else. You give up a die station, but for safety's sake, it's worth it.
If you don't care about the case/bullet feeders, get the Hornady. It's an excellent press.
If you just want the best support, both factory and aftermarket, without the constant need to tinker get the Dillon.
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