Help me choose a reloading setup

[anonymouscuban]

+1,000,000!

With the vibratory cleaner you contend with a lot of dust and lead in the air. If you have family/little ones, you really want to watch out for this. It works, but it doesn't get the brass as nice and shiny as the wet tumbling will do. It is a bit easier to use, as you toss in the brass, set it and forget it. Separate brass from the media and you're set.

Wet tumbling is a bit more work, but a LOT nicer looking. Any/all lead goes down the drain and not airborne. You do have to sort the stainless steel pins from the brass, but once you get a system down, it's no sweat. Then, you have to dry them. On a warm spring/summer day, no problem. But, during the fall and winter, you'll need Plan B (oven, dehydrator). The brass gets ridiculously clean! I'll post a pic in a few.

There's YT videos out there on both systems. I prefer the wet tumbling since I want/need the brass to be shiny so I can sort them (Large Primers vs Small Primers). My eyesight isn't the best anymore, so I need all the help I can get.

Anyways, let us know if you have any other questions.

PS-Where are you located? There's bound to be a reloading class or club near you. Or, perhaps a local Calgunner would be willing to show you the ropes.

Thanks for the replies guys. I didn't realize the one was a wet process. I would prefer that based on the lead going airborne with the other one. I don't mind spending the extra money for something like this.

Ok. So on to my next question...

I just found this setup for sale on Armslist.

Dillon 650XL setup for 9mm, includes Dillon dies (sizer, seater, crimp), it has strong mount, case feeder, bullet tray, low primer warning, and roller handle.

The guy is asking $900. Shipping would be another $50.

Is it worth jumping on this?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[XDJYo]

Thanks for the replies guys. I didn't realize the one was a wet process. I would prefer that based on the lead going airborne with the other one. I don't mind spending the extra money for something like this.

Ok. So on to my next question...

I just found this setup for sale on Armslist.



The guy is asking $900. Shipping would be another $50.

Is it worth jumping on this?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Looks like a winner to me!

[alexisjohnson]

tempting to get a wet tumbler but i'm going to stick with my frankfords for the time being. I too worried about the dust issue and thats why they go into the yard when they're on.

[sargenv]

The dust isn't so bad, using old dryer sheets in the mix appears to keep the dust down. I like the wet process, but the issue I have is now you are flushing those nasty chemicals (lead oxides for one) down the drain or dumping it somewhere that will eventually accumulate.. Not good either way really.

I use a Dillon tumbler and corn cob sand blast media. It's small enough not to stick in primer pockets or narrow cases (think 223 Rem/5.56). I bought a Midway Orange tumbler years ago and it is still chugging along. I started doing larger batches and use the Dillon tumbler for most of my volume stuff. I've had both tumblers for years with no issues (the Orange one now for over 20 years).

[Sir Toast]

I second the Hornady LNL. You can upgrade as you go. Mine ticks away and works great. Love it.

[bruce381]

price is 1-200 less than dillion.

also "I agree completely about trimming pistol brass, there is no need to"

yes you need to trim when you go to revolver loads that require a ROLL CRIMP like a 44 or 357 mag .

Then having brass same length will make way better laods with smoth even crimps with NO buckling.

roll crimp loads and rifle are all I trim for.

45 or 9mm use a TAPPER crimp which is more forgiving and does NOT need to be trimmed.

[NeilMo]

I second the Hornady LNL. You can upgrade as you go. Mine ticks away and works great. Love it.

I would agree. I'm fortunate enough to have run both the Dillon xl650 and Hornady LNL AP through their paces before I decided on which to purchase. Both were a joy to use but I ended up going with the LNL for several reasons.

-I liked the idea of switching calibers quickly and being able to store the dies/bushings back in their box and put them away in a drawer rather than having to make room for 6 different tool-heads on my bench.

-One powder drop is all I need and adjusting it for each caliber takes about a minute with the gauges that I made for different case lengths. Not my idea, I borrowed it from a friend. Anyone interested, I'd be happy to share the idea.

-Easier to remove/insert a case to occasionally verify a powder drop before seating a bullet.

With the LNL AP I was up and running 6 calibers for about 1k, minus the value of the 1100 free bullets from Hornady so that brought the cost down to $750 or less. I reload an average of 1500 rounds per month, mostly 9mm, 45 auto, and 380 auto. Haven't had a single issue in over 10K rounds. The only problems I've had to correct initially were with the 380 shell plate and the powder measure bushing working loose. The shell plate needed a simple adjustment to prevent powder from jumping out of the cases when indexing and the powder measure bushing needed a shim to stop it from working loose after every 100 or so rounds. I called Hornady CS and had a pack of shims in two days. I can't comment on the priming system or case feeder as I don't use either but, a friend tells me they can be finicky at times.

[trackcage]

I still dry tumble brass, again 20k plus rounds a year. I don't think the dust is a problem at all. I use a cap of nu finish car polish per batch and it not only keeps dust down, but also makes the brass come out "almost" as shiny as wet tumbling. I personally don't need my brass to be brand new shiny, but I guess that's important to some people.

I got the Frankford tumbler you showed the pic of, except I also got their bucket and sorting combo. I think I paid about $70-80 for it all

[tanks]

One thing in regards to Hornady vs Dillon presses.

You will outgrow them eventually. Dillon has a much better resale value that can help fund your next press.

I sold my 1050 for 87% of what I paid for it.

[LTC-J]

I sold my 1050 for 87% of what I paid for it.

What did you upgrade to?

[tanks]

What did you upgrade to?

Mark 7 Revolution. Video on post # 54.

[alexisjohnson]

If i could go back...i'd buy a 650 for the auto rotation feature it has instead of the 550.

Am i unhappy with my purchase of the 550? No...not at all...its an amazing machine. Maybe in the future i'll pick up a 650 as well.

Would i purchase a 1050? No...i don't think i shoot enough to warrant it. For a 1050 you need to be shooting thousands of rounds a month....

Just be warned...once you get started in reloading...you won't save a dime...you will just shoot 2-3x what you normally would because its so ridiculously cheap.

[XDJYo]

If i could go back...i'd buy a 650 for the auto rotation feature it has instead of the 550.

Am i unhappy with my purchase of the 550? No...not at all...its an amazing machine. Maybe in the future i'll pick up a 650 as well.

Would i purchase a 1050? No...i don't think i shoot enough to warrant it. For a 1050 you need to be shooting thousands of rounds a month....

Just be warned...once you get started in reloading...you won't save a dime...you will just shoot 2-3x what you normally would because its so ridiculously cheap.

To piggyback off the above 650 recommendations, I would also say that at the very least, a case feeder is one of the best upgrades for that machine. Makes the process seamless. Just have a bunch of cases & let the feeder do its thing. All you need to do is keep the primers and bullets going. Having extra primer tubes is nice too. This way, you can have 500 or so primers ready to keep on going.

[Wheelsonly]

I love My Dillon 1050.

[jimmykan]

If i could go back...i'd buy a 650 for the auto rotation feature it has instead of the 550.

Am i unhappy with my purchase of the 550? No...not at all...its an amazing machine. Maybe in the future i'll pick up a 650 as well.

Would i purchase a 1050? No...i don't think i shoot enough to warrant it. For a 1050 you need to be shooting thousands of rounds a month....

Just be warned...once you get started in reloading...you won't save a dime...you will just shoot 2-3x what you normally would because its so ridiculously cheap.

To piggyback off the above 650 recommendations, I would also say that at the very least, a case feeder is one of the best upgrades for that machine. Makes the process seamless. Just have a bunch of cases & let the feeder do its thing. All you need to do is keep the primers and bullets going. Having extra primer tubes is nice too. This way, you can have 500 or so primers ready to keep on going.

Without the case feeder, the 650 isn't much faster than a 550, and sometimes slower overall if the primers aren't feeding right. No point in advancing the shell plate automatically if the press does not also load a new case automatically too.

If I could only have one progressive press, it would be the 550 because I load all kinds of calibers, and it is the easiest to switch shell plates and primer size.

If I could have 2 progressive presses, then it would be two 650s: one for large primer the other for small primer, because swapping the primer system sucks. The 1050 is even worse.