why ?

[hntnnut]

Just some food for thought.
Months ago after 33 years of reloading I decided it was time to go progressive. So after lots of research I decided to burn my Scheels points and got a XL750 I get it home and ordered a case feeder and some other things for it. The Inline Fab mounts shows up, I get the bench extension built and last Sunday night finally get the press mounted to the bench then 2020 strikes with a vengeance at 0534 on Monday morning, Getting ready for work I fall walking out to my truck and sustain a partial dislocation plus broke all the bones that attach my leg to my ankle you might say I'm screwed.
Anyhow I've been sitting here looking up Dillon stuff to drain the rest of my credit card and it occurred to me that during my research all I kept hearing was how great Dillon is- better than the reds and greens, how indestructible they are, how good the warranty is, how they have excellent machining and all the other bologna I keep hearing.
Well back to looking for accessories, I keep running across suppliers selling all manner of parts to fix all kinds of problems and deficiencies with Dillon. I thought I was buying a top end machine kinda like Glock, oh wait you need to invest in a pile of aftermarket parts to make a Glock run right. Machining/finish look real good on the Dillon about the same as lee including the casting marks, which is ok but who doesn't like to pay 3 times as much for basically the same finish but in blue.
So why are there so many aftermarket parts for presses with a reputation like Dillon? I have no Idea but I do have orders out to no less than 3 different companies for parts to a press I haven't even used yet that I probably don't need and have a cart full of mrbulletfeeder parts, OOH the wife is going to be pissed, she is getting wise to the reloading saves money lie.
Please don't take this too seriously this is all coming from a stoved-up- juiced-up reloader that is stuck in a recliner waiting for his ankle to heel enough to get surgery.

[drewman]

I did not drink the blue Kool-Aid. That is why I went with a Hornady LNL press.

Sorry about your accident. Get well and start to reload.

[ScottsBad]

Sorry to hear about your injuries. Maybe you should just 'not'. I mean not look at the reloading stuff until you try it first.

This reminds me of guys who buy brand new complete ARs and then immediately start replacing parts before they even shoot the rifle.

That said, I'm just like you with other toys. I get obsessed with improvements and online research for my hobbies.

I'm not a reloader yet because we are moving out of state as soon as possible and I don't have room for reloading here. But I was thinking a blue machine, maybe I'll rethink that.

Get well soon

[JackEllis]

Bummer about your lower leg. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

It's the nature of the beast (meaning us) to be dissatisfied. Nothing is perfect. We're always looking for ways to make stuff work better, or get it to be more efficient. That's why there are aftermarket parts and accessories for all of the well known brands of reloading presses, like the infamous RCBS primer catcher. It's why people buy Remington rifles and then replace everything but the action.

Take some consolation from the fact that by spending all that money you're helping the economy get back on its feet.

[croue]

[bruce381]

Dillon is like a Glock lot of BS accessories you can add but not really needed.
a basic Dillon will run fine you do not need a case feeder I ran mine 20 years without one. You do not need a strong mount if your bench is the right or comfortable height already.

[ghideon]

I run a 650 with a case feeder, setup for 9, 38/357 and 223. Mostly Dillon dies, with some Redding and Lee thrown in (Redding comp seater, and Lee FCDs). It's been like that for 10yrs.

Last year I ordered some 'improvement'/quality of life aftermarket parts:
- On/off switch for the primer feed
- On/off switch for the case feed
- Some LED lights for the press
- Roller cam follower
- Roto cam actuator (this is actually now standard on a 750)
- Spent primer tubing and bottle
- Live primer catch bottle (I hate that little ski jump on the original)

Maybe, maybe, there was some improvement in 'smoothness.' I certainly didn't need any of these, but the primer adds alone were great. I can put everything back to stock in less than 10 minutes.

Needed? Nah. Happier? Yup.

[brix]

Do you need the extras.... No. Will the Dillon work fine without them.... Absolutely. These upgrades just enhance the experience making the Dillon or make processes efficient for end users. So it's not a knock on the Dillon rather a testament to its customizability.

Sent from my SM-T720 using Tapatalk

[BajaJames83]

I ran my 550 stock for years never saw the need to buy those upgrade parts.
Finally upgraded to a 750 and sold the 550.
This thing runs great no need for any "upgraded" parts.

Just like gun and cars people make aftermarket stuff because that's what people like to do is tinker..

Look at all the folks on here that change handguard on their ARs like underwear but never get out and actually shoot them...

Enjoy your new press as I enjoy mine. The 750 is great!

[GeeBee49]

Reloading was a hobby to me. It was relaxing and enjoyable and I had no problem doing one step at a time. I never approached it like a business where time was money and stepping up production was a priority. I tumbled my brass every time or at least every other time just because I liked clean shiny brass. I cleaned primer pockets with the proper wire brush.
I'm considering reloading again simply because I miss the hobby part of it.

[divingin]

I did not drink the blue Kool-Aid. That is why I went with a Hornady LNL press.

You and me both.

I'm not a Dillon hater, but I also don't believe all the hype about how good they are (yes, I did own one, way back when.)

That said, every machine has it's own set of problems/deficiencies. All you're looking for is something that will do what you want it to do, with a minimal amount of problems.

[tabascoz28]

I got the lee breech lock pro, have both hands and feet working like a drummer to make 400rds per hour. Much faster than 100/h on the turret press.

[FF90]

Dillon is like a Glock lot of BS accessories you can add but not really needed.
a basic Dillon will run fine you do not need a case feeder I ran mine 20 years without one. You do not need a strong mount if your bench is the right or comfortable height already.

How do you determine what is the right height for a bench? or if a strong mount is needed?

[Kevin2017]

I run a stock XL750 just fine, the only thing I added was a light. Use it before adding unnecessary parts.

[Citadelgrad87]

Dillon is like a Glock lot of BS accessories you can add but not really needed.
a basic Dillon will run fine you do not need a case feeder I ran mine 20 years without one. You do not need a strong mount if your bench is the right or comfortable height already.

Right here. Do small block chevy engines not run because you can buy anything you want to make it "better"?

Were VW engines crap because you could order one from JC Whitney?

I have two glocks, one has 1500 rounds through it exclusively in IDPA, the other maybe 500 rounds. ZERO issues, zero parts replaced except sights.

I have a 550, it doesn't need anything to run. I don't have a case feeder, I did add a light.

Sorry about your leg, speedy recovery.