Non-Dillon Options

[mizer67]

I had a Hornady LnL and it was always needing something adjusted and didn't have sufficient leverage to adequately prime cases in my example. Hornady could never make it right. I still use the powder measure though.

I sold that and moved to a Dillon XL 650 and it's been mostly trouble free. There are annoying little stoppages infrequently, but usually a new part here or there or a decent cleaning will fix things up. Fairly easy to do >700/hr. as long as I have primer tubes pre-loaded, but I also have a bullet feeder which helps.

I know I wouldn't go back to Hornady and it's about the only thing in the same price bracket as a 550/650/750 with similar production rates, so I think I'd be inclined to look at something like the 10-station X-10 Frankford Arsenal press that's supposedly coming out "soon".

[psalms144.1]

Based on the lack of any reasonable options that aren't an arm and a leg, and about 48 hours with little sleep prepping for a colonoscopy, I decided to stick with the 550 for the time being. In between sprints to the head, I found several very enticing after market places. I've got a couple of parts from Unique Tek coming in that may help the priming "shuttle" work more smoothly and a "bullet bin" for the left hand side of the mount. Also ordered several cheap eBay 3-d printed "extensions" for the primer catch cup, rather than going full on with a chute style (might still go that way, but not yet). Reset the depriming pins on my cheap ass Lee dies so they JUST BARELY pop the spent primers out - not an easy thing based on the design, but hopefully it'll help as well.

When all the parts come in, I'll strip the machine bare, detail clean it, and lube it per specifications, then see what happens.

I somehow managed to resist the pull of the Double Alpha case feeder. I figure if I want to go to that level of automation I'll sell the 550 and upgrade to something designed to be faster.

Thanks to all for the advice so far.

[SecondsCount]

I've had a little bit of experience with Lee, Hornady, and RCBS progressive presses, and none of them have really impressed me that much. The closest to a Dillon would be the Hornady LNL progressive. It's a decent press but my good friend has one and wished he bought a Dillon 650/750.

I've been running my 550B since 1991 and it has been solid. Like the others mentioned, the primer catch has required some adjustment to make the mechanism work smoothly but I have never had to adjust a decapping pin, and I am using dies from all the major manufacturers.

Something sounds out of spec on the powder measure. If anything, I would send that assembly back to Dillon and have them check it out. I have four Dillon powder measures, including the old style, and they all work reliably.

[jtcarm]

My only experience is with a Dillon SDB and LNL AP.

I’ve had the latter for several years now. I was about ready to throw in in the ocean (which is quite a ways off) till I finally determined it doesn’t like Winchester SPPs. Something about the cup shape.

So when a used SDB in the caliber I load the most (.38 spl) showed up locally, I pounced on it.

I’ve loaded thousands on the SDB, but it sits covered these days since I use a lot of specialty dies and need 5 stations (still not enough sometimes.). It’s probably going on the block soon.

The SDB is an odd duck that doesn’t really compare to anything else. The things I don’t like about it are the poor leverage for seating primers and the spent primer catcher. I’m constantly bumping it & end up with primers all over the floor. Also the expander seems extremely rough.

The Hornady is fine except a couple of things:
The die bushings are fine, I guess, but it’s a PITA to adjust the dies. Loosen the die lock ring, and the busing disengages first. The bushings are difficult to lock in place without the lock ring tightened down snug. They could greatly benefit from a wider flange with flats you could put a wrench on. The Dillon tool head looks like a much better arrangement for quick caliber changes.

What really irritates me is the Hornady primer seat rod. It has a pointed end that bears directly against the softer metal of the press body. After a couple thousand rounds, it’ll develop a nice divot in that spot and primers won’t seat completely. I keep an old plane iron taped on the spot for it to bear against, but that’s a significant design flaw, IMO. Hornady knows and their customer service will tell you to do exactly what I did. They need to put a hardened steel insert in that spot.

If I’d known then what I know now, I probably would’ve gone with a 650 or 750.

Right now the Frankfurt ten-holer looks mighty interesting.

[jtcarm]

Apex 10 = pricey!

FA X-10 is less than half money but I saw this over a year ago and it still says coming soon. Doesn't bode well, IMO.

There really isn't any other option, RCBS isn't a player and Hornady's LNL AP sent me running to Dillon. Their single stage stuff is fine, but I gave up on getting it to work. I was an experienced reloader and machinist when I tried to get the Hornady to work. It's just not up to the task.

About the same as a few-thousand primers nowadays.

[Spartan1980]

What really irritates me is the Hornady primer seat rod. It has a pointed end that bears directly against the softer metal of the press body. After a couple thousand rounds, it’ll develop a nice divot in that spot and primers won’t seat completely. I keep an old plane iron taped on the spot for it to bear against, but that’s a significant design flaw, IMO. Hornady knows and their customer service will tell you to do exactly what I did. They need to put a hardened steel insert in that spot.

If I’d known then what I know now, I probably would’ve gone with a 650 or 750.

They also have a draft angle (that's casting terminology for slightly angled) right where the seating punch engages the frame which doesn't help. With my LNL taping a harder metal piece didn't even work. The real problem is the ram being so big it places the handle so far off center that it gives a huge amount of leverage and the entire ram assembly and it will just rotate when the seating punch engaged instead of applying force to seat the primer. Mine refused to seat large primers all the way home.

There are some nice things I really liked about the Hornady, but Dillon is just a much better mousetrap. Hornady CS tried to make it right but there was no real manufacturing defect other than design. I ordered a 650 and have loaded thousands of mostly trouble free rounds on it.

[mizer67]

They also have a draft angle (that's casting terminology for slightly angled) right where the seating punch engages the frame which doesn't help. With my LNL taping a harder metal piece didn't even work. The real problem is the ram being so big it places the handle so far off center that it gives a huge amount of leverage and the entire ram assembly and it will just rotate when the seating punch engaged instead of applying force to seat the primer. Mine refused to seat large primers all the way home.

There are some nice things I really liked about the Hornady, but Dillon is just a much better mousetrap. Hornady CS tried to make it right but there was no real manufacturing defect other than design. I ordered a 650 and have loaded thousands of mostly trouble free rounds on it.

I had the same issue with my LNL. It would not seat even small primers 100% reliably. I tried all types of fixes for the primer punch, but none worked.

I've had the same experience after switching to a 650. Never a click instead of a bang again.

[Shawn Dodson]

I've been handloading on an RCBS Pro-2000 for over 20 years.

The only problem I've had with it is an occasional spent primer sticking to the decapping pin, which then affixes itself back into the primer pocket during the down stroke and causes a jam at the APS priming station.

I wrote my own procedure to quickly re-configuring the press for caliber changes. I've loaded .380, 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .223, .25-45 Sharps, 6.8x43mm, and .308 on it.

I like the APS priming system's "primer strips". The strips are easy to load using the loading tool.

I also like the Uniflow Powder Measure - I have it setup with a micrometer adjust screw, and powder adjustments are quick and easy between caliber changes - I just dial it to the setting I've recorded for the powder charge, throw a few charges, weigh them, and make minor adjustments to tweak the final setting.

When I was shopping for a progressive press 20 some-odd years ago, I comparison shopped between Dillon, Hornady, and RCBS. Dillon seemed the most challenging, in its stock setup, to re-configure for caliber changes, and more expensive to set it up for QUICK caliber changes; Hornady had just come out with its Lock-N-Load progressive press and there were many user reports of problems with it; and the RCBS Pro-2000 had been out for a few years - I saw very few reports of problems from users, and it was the least expensive and easiest to do quick caliber changes, which compelled me to get the Pro-2000 press.

Prior to the Pro-2000, I'd been handloading on an old RCBS Reloader Special single stage press for years. (I still use it for some reloading operations.)

[Hambo]

Based on the lack of any reasonable options that aren't an arm and a leg, and about 48 hours with little sleep prepping for a colonoscopy, I decided to stick with the 550 for the time being. In between sprints to the head, I found several very enticing after market places. I've got a couple of parts from Unique Tek coming in that may help the priming "shuttle" work more smoothly and a "bullet bin" for the left hand side of the mount. Also ordered several cheap eBay 3-d printed "extensions" for the primer catch cup, rather than going full on with a chute style (might still go that way, but not yet). Reset the depriming pins on my cheap ass Lee dies so they JUST BARELY pop the spent primers out - not an easy thing based on the design, but hopefully it'll help as well.

When all the parts come in, I'll strip the machine bare, detail clean it, and lube it per specifications, then see what happens.

I somehow managed to resist the pull of the Double Alpha case feeder. I figure if I want to go to that level of automation I'll sell the 550 and upgrade to something designed to be faster.

Thanks to all for the advice so far.

Spent primer chute and brass primer tube tips (from a 650) help a lot of problems. Make sure the cotter pin allows free movement, and if you start spitting live primers check the primer cup height per the manual. I use VibraTite on die threads, too.

[cyberiad]

I had a 550 for several years and added a Dillon (not DA) case feeder. While it worked, I agree with you that if you want a machine with a case feeder it's better to get a machine designed to work with one. It took quite a while to set it up and get it adjusted correctly. I sold it and bought a 650.