Basic value of once fired brass

[CSACANNONEER]

I appreciate that. Sometime I travel down for work if I do I will look you up.

So I am confusing myself, there are SO many different things out there. Doesnt anyone make a kick *** all inclusive starter kit that has everything?

Yes, but, you'll end up with things that you don't need and you'll still have to get or replace other items.

I believe every Dillon press comes with a VHS (possibly now a DVD). Mine never worked so, I can't tell you if it is good or not. Maybe, someone else could send you a working copy or at least chime in and say if it's worth ordering from Dillon.

For a press, a Dillon 550 or 650 along with a good single stage press would be perfect to start with.

When it comes to dies for production loading, I happen to be partial to Dillon carbide dies. Although, I have dies from just about every major manufacturer.

I will suggest getting a mechanical scale first. If you want an electronic one too, get a Denver Instrument! I know they're not cheap but, they don't fluctuate like a Pact or RCBS will.

As far as trimmers go, again, I'll suggest getting a simple hand trimmer first. This will be the most versitile and allow you to trim almost anything. Then, get a Guiard for the stuff that you're going to do in large quantities.

Of course, you'll need other things as well. Like a good set of calipers, possibly a swagger, primmer flip tray, etc.

Don't worry about things like inside or outside neck trimmers, flash hole uniformers or primmer pocket uniformers at first. You can alway get this stuff and learn to use it later.

If you continue having trouble finding someone local to show you the ropes, try hanging out in the reloading area of Sportsman's Warehouse and asking other customers reloading questions. Every reloader I've ever met tries to be as helpful as they can be.

[TonyM]

Yes, but, you'll end up with things that you don't need and you'll still have to get or replace other items.

I believe every Dillon press comes with a VHS (possibly now a DVD). Mine never worked so, I can't tell you if it is good or not. Maybe, someone else could send you a working copy or at least chime in and say if it's worth ordering from Dillon.

They don't come with them, but I got one for my XL650 when I bought it.

I had to dig up a VHS player from the garage and luckily it still worked.

The video was well worth the $6 or so, shows you just how to setup the press, and how to do caliber conversions the right way w/o any question.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, if so, then a video is worth a million.

[ar15barrels]

So I am confusing myself, there are SO many different things out there. Doesnt anyone make a kick *** all inclusive starter kit that has everything?

If you call Dillon and tell them exactly what you want to load for, they WILL get you all setup.
Be prepared for sticker shock though, but don't worry, you DO get what you pay for when it comes in a Dillon package.

The Dillon setup videos are not included, but they are WELL worth the $6 or whatever they cost now.

As for the details, CSACANNONEER said it really well above.
I reload for 40+ cartridges so I have dies from everybody too.
Dillon's carbide dies are the way to go for pistol cartrdiges.
For rifles, I like Forester and Redding dies.
I also own a LOT of RCBS dies, but the older ones are made better than the new ones.

[CSACANNONEER]

Randall,

On of the reasons that I like Dillon rifle dies is that they have a built in stuck case remover. Although, I hope to never need to use that feture again! For precission loading, I do like my Redding dies. Someday, I hope to have M2 dies for my 50s but, that's a whole nother ball game! I also like my inexpensive Lee dies for calibers that I don't use a lot like, .25 acp and .38S&W.

[ar15barrels]

On of the reasons that I like Dillon rifle dies is that they have a built in stuck case remover.

Lee and Hornady New Dimension also have built-in stuck case removers.
That's not an appealing enough reason to use those dies though.

I have a lathe.
The one time I did stick a case, It was easy to drill and tap it 1/4-20 and yank it right back out.
Since switching to Imperial a few years ago, I have not stuck another case.

[Allent]

I am in Rancho Cordova, I reload. I am by no means an expert like some on this forum. I am still using a single stage press. I mainly reload rifle cartridges. I have been reloading for myself for the last 4 or 5 years. I learned from my father. If you want some local help I can do this. I have never used a progressive press but I understand the fundamentals of reloading. PM me if you need any help.

[tiki]

I am in Rancho Cordova, I reload. I am by no means an expert like some on this forum. I am still using a single stage press. I mainly reload rifle cartridges. I have been reloading for myself for the last 4 or 5 years. I learned from my father. If you want some local help I can do this. I have never used a progressive press but I understand the fundamentals of reloading. PM me if you need any help.

I'm in Rancho Cordova also. I reload for .45 on a Dillon 550 right now so I would be willing to let you swing by to check out my setup if you want to. Send me a pm if interested.

Bottom line is you cant beat the cost of reloading. With the money you save on ammo, send the wife to a spa once a month and while she's there, go in your garage and load up your ammo for the month. You will both be happy.

[kstrongsyj]

I love this place Thanks guys, I will PM you when I get ready to do it!

So I like the Dillon ones I am looking at. Also this one caught my interest...any thoughts?

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/vertical-pod3.jsp;jsessionid=BATMXSUDA0RR3LAQBBJSCNNMCAEFIIWE?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/pod-link.jsp_A&_DAV=null-cat20847&rid=&indexId=cat20847&navAction=push&masterpathid=&navCount=0&parentType=index&parentId=cat20847&id=0031363&cmCat=netcon&cm_ven=netcon&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=complete%20progressive%20reloading%20kit&cm_ite=netcon&_requestid=57893

[mike100]

I have heard good things about the new l-n-l Hornady press, but dillon is an established product with a lot of parts at gunshows, etc, but most importantly, they have a western US presence that I can get stuff in the mail or UPS in 1 or 2 days depending on what time of day I call.

The hornady one might make a good second press, but I don't know if the dillon dies and whatnot will work with it.

[ar15barrels]

I love this place Thanks guys, I will PM you when I get ready to do it!

So I like the Dillon ones I am looking at. Also this one caught my interest...any thoughts?

Stay with the Dillon.
They are the "known good" solution.
Several other companies (hornady, lee) keep making progressive presses trying to bite into Dillon's market share, but there's a reason Dillon OWN's the progressive market.

Go read up on Dillon's customer service.
I bought a 450 off ebay which was missing many pieces and literally corroded and so rusty it would not move smoothly.
I sent is back to have it looked over and asked them to replace whatever was necessary.
I got an almost new press back, no charge.
That's the TYPICAL customer service, not the exception.

If you ever lose a spring, ball or pin into the far reaches of your workbench, one phone call gets replacements in the mail for free.
You won't ever have to pay for a replacement part on a dillon press, ever.

These are all reasons I own 8 Dillon presses.

[ChessRatz]

If you haven't checked out the Enos site already, he has a nice Dillon section with a lot of FAQ stuff as well as recommendations.

I also have a Dillon 650 and I did have to use their customer service for a bent part. It was in my mailbox 2 - 3 days later. No charge of course. They actually sent me an additional part just to make sure it wasn't part of the problem as well. Top notch service which makes spending that kind of money a lot easier. I wish everything I bought had that kind of warranty/service.

[rkt88edmo]

I'd say read up on Enos - if you want the "easiest" I would look at a Dillon SDB in .45ACP. Best if you can find a used one, if you can't even if new you will recver the cost quickly, and if you decide you want to keep reloading you can sell it for not much loss and invest in the 650 that you will want.

[randy]

Save it up and sell it for scrap and use the $$$ to offset the cost of ammo. A 55 gallon drum is worth at least a couple of thousand dollars. A five gallon bucket of 9mm has to be worth quite a bit.

[kstrongsyj]

OK, so as soon as I can sell my upper/rifle for sale I am going to get set up. I am decided on Dillon, but I am trying to figure out if I should go 550 or 650. Can anyone really tell me the advantage of the 650?

[ar15barrels]

I am trying to figure out if I should go 550 or 650. Can anyone really tell me the advantage of the 650?

There are a bunch of threads lately where I have detailed some differences, but here are the high points:

The extra station gets you the option of a powder-check alarm that sounds if you under or over charge a case.
Automatic indexing removes one of the steps from the process and does not let you double charge a case because the shellplate will not turn backwards.
650 accepts a casefeeder better than the 550 does.
Shorter stroke of the shellplate (72 degrees vs. 90 degrees means that cases that are loaded nearly FULL of powder will not shake their grains out of the mouth during indexing as easily on a 650.