Going go reload for the first time

[Bill Steele]

...Your powder scale is your best friend! Know how to use it!
Have questions, no such thing as a dumb question when reloading!
We are here to help. Since we have probably made all the mistakes that your going to make.
Chief

On the scale subject. I believe the best value in an inexpensive scale is the Dillon Eliminator. I recently bought a much more expensive RCBS beam scale (almost 3x the price) and it was not as good a scale out of the box as my buddy's Eliminator.

If you are casting about for the right scale, look at the Eliminator.

[Chief-7700]

On the scale subject. I believe the best value in an inexpensive scale is the Dillon Eliminator. I recently bought a much more expensive RCBS beam scale (almost 3x the price) and it was not as good a scale out of the box as my buddy's Eliminator.

If you are casting about for the right scale, look at the Eliminator.

Bill, I use both Dillon scales (electronic and balance beam) to check each other. That how anal I am about powder scales.
Skee

[bumpo628]

On the scale subject. I believe the best value in an inexpensive scale is the Dillon Eliminator. I recently bought a much more expensive RCBS beam scale (almost 3x the price) and it was not as good a scale out of the box as my buddy's Eliminator.

If you are casting about for the right scale, look at the Eliminator.

+1 on the Eliminator
$56 at Grafs.com + $5 shipping

[XDRoX]

On the scale subject. I believe the best value in an inexpensive scale is the Dillon Eliminator. I recently bought a much more expensive RCBS beam scale (almost 3x the price) and it was not as good a scale out of the box as my buddy's Eliminator.

If you are casting about for the right scale, look at the Eliminator.

I agree. Made by Ohaus and a hell of a deal at $55. Their digital scale is also the best in its price range IMO.

[Chief-7700]

I agree. Made by Ohaus and a hell of a deal at $55. Their digital scale is also the best in its price range IMO.

That's why I have both.

[JaeOne3345]

Ask a veteran reloader to come by and help you out.

alex45auto on this forum came by and taught me a ton of stuff you just can't learn in books. Drove to my house, set up my Dillon 550B, showed me everything, all for a Starbucks iced coffee.

I just started reloading a week ago on the 550b. Use common sense and you will be fine on a progressive. Like Cowboy T said, You can always just load one round at a time and watch carefully as it goes through each station.

There is tons of useful load data at places like the brianenos.com forums.

Oh ya, watch Cowboy T's YouTube vids!

[Bill Steele]

I agree. Made by Ohaus and a hell of a deal at $55. Their digital scale is also the best in its price range IMO.

The irony is my RCBS 1010 is also an Ohaus design, but judging from the way it came to me, I believe it must be a license deal where RCBS now is probably getting them made by a third party, cuase it was screwed up royally. It works fine now, but I still chafe when I think I could have bought an Eliminator and saved all $100 and all that grief.

That's why I have both.

My garage is all flourescent lights, so I have steered away from digitals up til now, I have heard they can be trouble with that lighting setup.

[XDRoX]

My garage is all flourescent lights, so I have steered away from digitals up til now, I have heard they can be trouble with that lighting setup.

I also have heard that and I have fluorescents right above my bench and have never had any problems with Dillon's digital scale. May want to give it a try. I also use an RCBS 505 which has always worked flawlessly.

[Tweathers]

This is great keep it coming I just ordered primers and bullets can't wait

[Bill Steele]

I also have heard that and I have fluorescents right above my bench and have never had any problems with Dillon's digital scale. May want to give it a try. I also use an RCBS 505 which has always worked flawlessly.

With handgun loading on my Lee Classic Turret and with the powders I use, I have so much confidence in my Auto Disk powder drops, I only end up measuing more than a few times a batch when I am trying a new load/powder. The speed of the balance beam doesn't really impact my overall production with my current setup.

I have recently gotten back into some long gun bench shooting, so I will see how long I can hold out with the scoop and trickle method as I measure each and every charge on my 1010.

In reality, the flourescent lights are just the start of my EMI concerns using a digital scale. Due to a lighting control system in the house and a pot full of low voltage transformers and dimmer relays in cabinets in the garage, I am kind of surprised the car start in the morning.

My shopping list is so long and my concerns about the reliability of a digital scale in the environment I load in so great, it will likely be quite a while before I take the plunge. Now, a Dillon 550B, that may be a little sooner.

[bootcamp]

Unique will fill your case nicely but it's smokey at least with .45acp.

231 is my favorite powder for 9 or 45. Clean, not smokey and accurate. It does not fill the case but then again, I look into seater station right before i put a bullet on it to verify powder.

[XDRoX]

With handgun loading on my Lee Classic Turret and with the powders I use, I have so much confidence in my Auto Disk powder drops, I only end up measuing more than a few times a batch when I am trying a new load/powder. The speed of the balance beam doesn't really impact my overall production with my current setup.

I have recently gotten back into some long gun bench shooting, so I will see how long I can hold out with the scoop and trickle method as I measure each and every charge on my 1010.

In reality, the flourescent lights are just the start of my EMI concerns using a digital scale. Due to a lighting control system in the house and a pot full of low voltage transformers and dimmer relays in cabinets in the garage, I am kind of surprised the car start in the morning.

My shopping list is so long and my concerns about the reliability of a digital scale in the environment I load in so great, it will likely be quite a while before I take the plunge. Now, a Dillon 550B, that may be a little sooner.

550b is a good choice. So is the LCT

I actually had the 550b first. I just recently bought the LCT because I've heard so many good things about it. It's a really nice machine especially for the cost.

[Bill Steele]

550b is a good choice. So is the LCT

I actually had the 550b first. I just recently bought the LCT because I've heard so many good things about it. It's a really nice machine especially for the cost.

I have not regretted getting my Lee Classic Cast turret press. I was attracted to it because it offered a step up in volume while allowing me flexibility to load a lot of different cartridges at a low incremental cost per caliber and also speed of change over for given calibers, actually faster than switching rounds on my old single stage press.

What I have found since I started loading more calibers and hence shooting more of the guns that previously sat, I find due to cost and some convenience issues, I shoot my 9mm semi's about 80% of the time. Reloading has reduced my cost of shooting enough that I find myself shooting more, which means the volume of my favorite range round, the 9's, has gotten to a point that a progressive press is starting to make sense.

Some of my favorite range loads in 9 (6.2 gr VV-3N37 for instance) fill the case pretty full. Even with my LCT I find I have to be careful when bringing the full case down slow enough at the bottom of the stroke to avoid the inevitable "pop" when the indexing occurs, or I get a small shower of powder out of the case.

All of the above leads me to think the Dillon 550B might be the perfect choice for my volume 9mm needs. I get the hand indexing and the control over really full cases of powder that comes with it, I get a bump in volume over the LCT for these "volume" rounds. I have rationalized I can keep the cost of the buy in reasonable by using my existing Lee dies and Auto Disks and skip the "as it should be package" for now. Anyway, how is that for a rationaliztion?

So many toys to buy, so little time left.

[XDRoX]

All of the above leads me to think the Dillon 550B might be the perfect choice for my volume 9mm needs. I get the hand indexing and the control over really full cases of powder that comes with it, I get a bump in volume over the LCT for these "volume" rounds. I have rationalized I can keep the cost of the buy in reasonable by using my existing Lee dies and Auto Disks and skip the "as it should be package" for now. Anyway, how is that for a rationaliztion?

Sounds like you have a plan. One thing that I don't know if you realized is the 550b comes with a powder measure so you won't have to use your Lee auto disks with it.

Your Lee dies will work fine on the 550b, I prefer the Dillon ones if given the choice.

[Bill Steele]

Sounds like you have a plan. One thing that I don't know if you realized is the 550b comes with a powder measure so you won't have to use your Lee auto disks with it.

Your Lee dies will work fine on the 550b, I prefer the Dillon ones if given the choice.

Yeah, I was aware that a powder die and drop comes with the base system. I have gotten all my pet loads so dialed with the Auto Disks, it makes changing loads really fast. I just drop in the right disk, verify the charge on the scale and I am rolling.

I am very satisfied with my Lee dies, so changing to Dillon would be an expense that probably wouldn't make sense for me, at least at this time.