Originally Posted by
psalms144.1
Hey, all. I've been reloading exclusively on Dillon Machines since the late 80s when I started with an SDB. I've always been a Dillon Fanboi, and have loaded tens of thousands of rounds of handgun ammo mostly through 550Bs.
I bought a new 550 in 2019, and it has been a total nightmare. The "primer catch" gets about 1/3 or 1/5 primers in it - at the end of every loading session the floor and workbench in my reloading space looks like brass after a final protective fire. Today I was watching spent primers sprinkle all over the place - like an early Gen4 Glock 9mm erratic ejection. Terrible.
This causes no end of issues with the priming system, as, frequently, those spent primers end up in the workspace for the priming system - causing the moving "shuttle" to catch and have its movement impeded or stopped.
I've also had issues with the powder measure, specifically the small plastic "spacer" in the powder bar has fallen out during routine use at least a half dozen times. Earlier this week it jumped ship and disappeared into parts unknown, causing an "all stop" on loading. After conducting a crime scene examination of the reloading room, I eventually found it wedged into the "works" of the powder system, and was able to recover and re-install it.
With all of these issues, I've only been able to maintain about 200 rds/hour through the machine, constantly having to interrupt operations to unscrew this, that or the other.
"No problem!" I told myself. "Dillon has their awesome 'No BS' warranty. They'll fix me right up!" So I sent them an e-mail, which went un-answered for 72 hours. When they finally got back to me, they suggested I ship the press in it's entirety back to them, at my own expense, and give them a credit card number so they could charge me $80 for "clean and lube" service, during which they would replace/repair any other issues or parts - and charge me for those parts, of course. I'm thinking, conservatively, by the time I ship this hunkajunk to AZ, pay the "service fee" and any parts, and pay to have it shipped back to me, I'm going to be out $200 or more.
That's a VERY long way to start the question: If I want a new progressive system that's NOT made by Dillon, what are the best options? I was getting a hankering for something more "progressive" than the 550 anyway, and, rather than throw money at a problem, I'd rather start over with something better. All experiences and suggestions welcome - just looking for something that will be relatively trouble free.
Thanks!