top 3 reloading kit below $400

[ar15barrels]

Of all the manufacturers....which DIES are interchanageable?

The standard thread for dies is 7/8-14 so presses and dies are all made to the same standard.

There is an issue with some lee dies not being tall enough to work in Dillon presses.
In these cases, you can put the nut on the bottom of the toolhead instead of on the top like you would with correct dies.

[metalhead357]

Hmmmm, thanx ya' too AR.
Had a friend pass along some Lee Equipment including a couple of Dies.... I had always looked at the RCBS stuff as it was sooooooo common up in NorCal where the stuff is made, Dillon's stuff had always been just catlaogue pics so this is good info to have

[50ae]

I do believe they are making the newer Lee dies longer to solve that problem. FWIW, I never had problems with the lock nuts on the bottom before though.

[Glock22Fan]

I'm still using Lee, having upgraded from the Anniversary kit to the 4-hole turret press. I'dd add a digital scale of some sort, but (apart from that) I have no idea whatsoever why people spend more on other manufacturer's gear, unless it is to get a whizzbang progressive. Never seen the need to upgrade, haven't a clue what I would gain.

[ocabj]

I still use a single stage for rifle and pistol. I don't plan on switching to a progressive anytime soon. Even with all the high volume .223 I shoot because of High Power practice and competition, loading on a single stage isn't that time consuming. For me, the most time consuming and strenuous process is case prep, specifically trimming/chamfering/deburring, and the Giraud solved that issue for me.

If I were loading pistol only, I'd definitely go with a progressive. But with rifle, my case prep gets pretty meticulous which makes using a single stage more ideal. Although, there are other handloaders that have come up with very meticulous case prep procedures that mold to their progressive presses.

Here's one example: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/davida...andloading.htm

[ar15barrels]

One of my 650's is currently setup to lube, size and trim.
I'm working on a batch of about 4000 pieces of 223 right now.
I have about 5 hours into it and I think I will be done in another 1-2 hours.

My process is like this:
Pickup brass off the ground
tumble clean
put cases in 650 casefeeder
station 1 has an RCBS lube die that I modified for improved flow and capacity
The lube die also decaps
station 3 has a dillon trimmer
tumble clean again to remove lube and any loose brass trimmings
put cases in 1050 casefeeder
station 2 has a 22-250 neck sizing die set high in the press
this knocks out media from 2nd tumbling and neck expands DOWNWARDS like a lyman M die.
station 3 swages primer pockets
station 4 primes
station 5 charges powder
station 6 checks powder charge
station 7 seats the bullet
station 8 crimps the bullet

I am able to completely process and load ammo without actually handling every single case.

The inspection for damaged cases happens during the lube/size/trim as you get to feel when you have a hard-to-size case and cull these to the scrap bucket.
It's better to catch them early than wait until they are in the press being loaded.

Lube/Size/Trim goes at about 500 rounds per hour on the 650.
Swage/Prime/Charge/Seat/Crimp goes at about 800 rounds per hour on the 1050.

[supersonic]

my lee press and sizing die work just fine for me...I would buy them again

I agree. The Lee classis cast is great; ALL LEE dies (at least all the pistol&rifle ones I own) are fine, too. I also love my RCBS PRO200 progressive loader, too. I love my Redding dies. It's just what you like or want. All these companies stand behind their products 100% and will almost ALWAYS replace (even just send if you call them) parts,etc. One thing- though I'm sure they are just as good (I wanted to say "or better," but there really ISN'T "better" than what I listed above), Dillon is WAY overpriced. I can load almost as much volume w/ my PRO2000 than w/ a 550. Why spend tons more $$$ for something that does the same thing as most others do just as well? Food for thought.
S.S.:43d

[ar15barrels]

What about the Hornady Lock-N-Load progressive press? Also come with a coupon for 1,000 free bullets if purchased before the end of the year. Seems to be quite popular, and a better value than the Dillon, which is also, of course, quite popular.

A "better value" does not equate into "as good as".
It really just "costs less than".