Looking to go with a progressive press

[liber]

They did send me the powder reservoir, but ignored my request for the primer catch tray. At this point I was done with them and sold the press. They weren't super friendly and on the phone made me feel I was bothering them. I haven't added or deleted from these emails.

Quite honestly, you're in the minority of people that have problems dealing with Dillon, and by the sounds of it you were upset that they didn't just send you parts out.

I don't see how they would know what was cracked from the info you gave them.

Maybe you could have taken pics if you were too lazy to send it in so they could see what they needed to send you.

Do you find yourself in the minority of folks that have Dillon presses?

I rarely see stories like yours.

After it was damaged you let it sit for 2 or 3 years and then wanted parts. Fine, it's a decent warranty, all you had to do was tell them and/or show them what was wrong. What you did was say there's cracks in it.

[stilly]

Denile, it is not just a river anymore...













Double stuart! you know what THAT means, I aint joking...

[bubbala]

well as far as powder measures go; they all fill a cavity and measure by volume.
most rotate that cavity into place, dillon happens to slide it into place.
if you can visualize powder in a long thin cavity having to settle as apposed to one that is more spread out like a dillon, i would think the dillon style might have a better chance of being consistent.

[drkphibr]

I find the blue versus red (or any other color) discussions to be identical to car discussions...or any other thing that has more that one vendor selling it. Each will have its following of fan boys and each will not favor the competitor for some reason or another.

At the end of the day, every manufacture will have a product out there that is not the best example of how things should operate. Horror stories on both sides from product functionality to customer service. As well as amazing stories of product functionality and customer support/service.

With all the mechanical moving parts and the cycles a progressive press is put through, I would think it only natural to have adjustments over time, needing replacement parts and dealing with customer service. There is no utopia from any vendor. If you've had the most perfect personal experience, great. That doesn't mean everyone else has and is not reality when dealing with a mass produced product line. Stuff happens, regardless of color/mfg.

As a reloader, if you're expecting absolute perfection from any press you purchase out of the box and be trouble free for life, I think your expectations are simply unrealistic.

[Big Ben]

I started with a Lee turret, and moved on to the Dillon 650 with a case feeder.

For straight-walled pistol cartriges, I was producing about 200-250 rounds an hour on the Lee turret. On the Dillon, I cranked out 1000 rounds this weekend in less than 2 hours, including 10-15 minutes of initial set-up (checking charge weights, OAL, etc).

I still use the Lee turret for rifle rounds and pistol rounds that I shoot in much lower volumes (357 mag, 38 special), but the Dillon is great for high-volume production.

[Rango]

A couple of last comments...
I think expecting a company to clean and lube your press for FREE is an unreasonable expectation.

I've NEVER in 25 years of using a Dillon 550 had them charge me shipping for a replacement part.

OP - Good luck with what ever you choose.

[stilly]

Someone needs to come up with a press (hear that China?) that combines the best of EVERYTHING and then sell it for $1k and THAT is all...

7 station
flawless and bulletproof primer handling
case and bullet feeder
Hornady's spring retention and half indexing
Dillon's indexing lock
RCBS QC Uniflow w/QC dies for case activated linkage
Powderfunnels.com expander/PTX
Lee's quick change Turret Top with LNL Bushings
Custom AKRObin that has a plug that you can attach a hose to and rounds can slide down into a box or container
UV light that makes powder glow so you can see it easier
6 DIE station with built in primer pocket swager
Vegas ergonomic grip with lifted mount and extra brace if needed
And a partridge in a pear tree...

No bull**** "AS IT SHOULD BE" upgrades that double-triple the cost, none of that crap that shows it fully decked out and then when you get it you only have 35% of what you saw in the picture...

AND I think Lyman needs to make it. That way it will be gray or orange and they can get back into the market... No, better yet, it should be iridescent so if you look at it one way it is blue, another way it is red, another way it is purple, and another way it is pearl...

[John Browning]

Quite honestly, you're in the minority of people that have problems dealing with Dillon, and by the sounds of it you were upset that they didn't just send you parts out.

I don't see how they would know what was cracked from the info you gave them.

Maybe you could have taken pics if you were too lazy to send it in so they could see what they needed to send you.

Do you find yourself in the minority of folks that have Dillon presses?

I rarely see stories like yours.

After it was damaged you let it sit for 2 or 3 years and then wanted parts. Fine, it's a decent warranty, all you had to do was tell them and/or show them what was wrong. What you did was say there's cracks in it.

Your fanboy is showing.

I did send them pictures. They wanted me to pay to ship parts to them to verify that the parts were indeed broken. Hornady only asks that you call. You can just tell them that you broke the part and they send it to you. I'm not saying that the Dillon warranty is terrible or unfair. It isn't unreasonable to expect me to strip and maintain my own press. However, the fanboys here tend to leave out that the No BS Warranty is full of BS. The salesmanship here doesn't meet with the reality of the company. It just isn't as good as their competitors.

I'm sorry that actual experience may have hurt some fanboy feelings.

[John Browning]

well as far as powder measures go; they all fill a cavity and measure by volume.
most rotate that cavity into place, dillon happens to slide it into place.
if you can visualize powder in a long thin cavity having to settle as apposed to one that is more spread out like a dillon, i would think the dillon style might have a better chance of being consistent.

You can think that, but you'd be wrong. Dillon is the only one who uses their weirdo arrangement. It is less consistent. Powder is the least important factor in extreme accuracy, but nonetheless, the Hornady drum style is much more consistent from throw to throw.

[stilly]

That is ONE thing that I really do like about the new Pro Chucker 7s that are out. They come with a HUGE hopper and it is better than the LNL in that it only needs ONE drum for pistol or rifle. And since it is a rotating drum and tube set just like the Hornady, I am a happy camper about it. The PC5 comes with one too, but not as big.

[liber]

Your fanboy is showing.

You think so, huh? I was seeing it the other way around, that your bitterness was showing because Dillon didn't ask how high to jump when you told them to jump.

Your experience is not the normal that most get, and I've had a pretty good experience dealing with Dillon myself. Not cheap product, but I've yet to see something else that will do for me what their product does.

I'm quite the opposite of this thread, I started out with a Dillon 650, and bought a single stage after the fact.

I'm sorry that actual experience may have hurt some fanboy feelings.

Whatever, your story has some holes in it, IMO, and I don't believe all of it. It doesn't match my experience dealing with Dillon, or others, and the fact that your bitter over their service shows. I've owned my own business before and I can say that not everyone is a worthwhile customer. I certainly wasn't looking for your approval to make me feel good, I'm perfectly happy with my Dillon equipment, and that's because of my experience with Dillon, not yours.

[GILMORE619]

How well does the LNL load bottle neck rifle cartridges? I have 2 Dillion 550s one for small primers the other large rifle primers. I've been loading 223 on the 550 with no problems at all. Been thinking it would be nice to have an auto indexing machine with a casing feeder for 223/308. A five station press with the ability for a powder check sounds interesting.

[stilly]

I want to Apologize for my previous Lee comments.

I took my pawl off my press today and Put a punch to about each corner of it and hammered in a hole or two and after I put it back, I am actually running smoother than before it seems. My pawl WAS worn out though. It was not only worn out but I could see that it really did move back and forth while sitting in the "square" so I guess punching it worked and now it is TIGHT, so tight that It is running about 75+ rds before I gotta tighten it up again... I am a happy camper. Once again, $150... I gotta find a better pawl material though, and maybe a locking washer of some sort might help, but DAMN... I am cranking out 9mm once again.

[cbright1]

drink the blue kool-aid man!!!!!

[GILMORE619]

I want to Apologize for my previous Lee comments.

I took my pawl off my press today and Put a punch to about each corner of it and hammered in a hole or two and after I put it back, I am actually running smoother than before it seems. My pawl WAS worn out though. It was not only worn out but I could see that it really did move back and forth while sitting in the "square" so I guess punching it worked and now it is TIGHT, so tight that It is running about 75+ rds before I gotta tighten it up again... I am a happy camper. Once again, $150... I gotta find a better pawl material though, and maybe a locking washer of some sort might help, but DAMN... I am cranking out 9mm once again.

Sounds like you had some tinkering to do Stilly