Progressive Reloader...recommendations??

[ARog]

Looking at getting into reloading and I feel a progressive reloader would help save some time...need something that will do 9mm, 5.56/.223 and .308...what do you guys recommend?

[Dark Mod]

either a Hornady LNL, Dillon 550, or Dillon 650.

Personally i prefer the Hornady but you cant go wrong with any of the 3. If your trying to do this on a budget definately get the Hornady.

[John Browning]

I own a dillon 550 and a Hornady LNL. The LNL is the better machine and I will be selling the 550 soon. LNL is the way to go.

[Colt562]

Bleed blue!!!!!


Blue kool aid FTW!!!

[BigBronco]

In before Stilly calls a Lee turret a progressive.

[milotrain]

You'll find that bottle necked rifle cartridges won't be nearly as fast on a progressive as pistol rounds. You have to do so much prep off the press with a bottleneck that they don't benefit as much from multiple stations, they do benefit but it's not quite tumble + crank as 9mm will be.

I only know the 550 and I like it. I do 9mm .45acp .357 and .223 on it. A friend has an older Hornady, not the LNL but its precursor and he likes it very much. If you can play with someone else's machine you will learn what you like and don't like but you won't go far wrong with red or blue.

[Bumslie]

In before Stilly calls a Lee turret a progressive.

Lol

Oh. And go team red. Hornady.

[MrElectric03]

I tried a few brands before buying my first...only way to go was dillon 650 with a case feeder. Just ordered the rapid trim and .223 conversion.

Not to put a damper on your mood but you'll likely need more than one. I picked up an old rockchucker on ebay for precision rifle loads and prep. It makes the simple tasks a lot easier.

[Kmai24]

I use an lnl but like many others said, you can't go wrong with either.

Me personally, when loading rifle loads..it's so much of a process that a progressive really doesn't come into play. Now loading for pistol loads then yes a progressive will have its advantages.

[Germz]

Team Jacob....I mean Hornady

[RoadKing]

My first reloader , just starting myself, took a lot of research, granted a lot of it was done by Kodemonkey! but we both went with the Dillon 650 and so far I think it's great. I can't compare it to others because I haven't used them, but for quick and easy reloading this has to be hard to beat. I would suggest hitting up Brian enos' web site and doing a lot of reading. They are definitely Dillon-centric but there is a ton of great info. It is also a great place to order thru if you go with a Dillon. It's not cheap, but my buddy is a few thousand rounds from his paying for itself after about 1.5 years.
Good luck!

[lugee]

Honardy lnl AP for all three. 650XL if you only need to load one caliber...a lot of it. Loadmaster if you are handy and on a budget.

I have always been fond of the 550, but for the same price - get the Hornady.

[Rac97crawford]

I went with a used 650xl from eBay for my first press and entry into reloading. I don't have any experience with other presses. IMO, the 650 is awesome! Started with 45acp because it's a nice round for beginners. As the others mentions, necked cartridges have a few more steps to reload. I put the case feeder on it and mr bullet feeder and can easily do 1300 to 1500 rds an hour. In the learning process, I broke a couple small things and Dillion just send replacement parts right out for free. That no BS warranty is worth the extra money you spend on a Dillion. Caliber conversions are simple too. Just have a tool head already setup and some other small parts for your other calibers and you can switch in like 15min. I just bought a 550 that I want to set up for some of my necked calibers. I'm not saying go Dillion over the others cause I have no experience with them. But, for me, it's been a great machine and an awesome investment!

[at_liberty]

The 9mm runs on many machines, but I wonder what the rifle guys prefer for your 5.56/223 and 308. I have read that the 550B is well suited to rifle ammo loading. I like my Hornady LnL AP but would try a 650XL in a heartbeat, if the two (red and blue) were comparably equipped with case feeders, bringing them close enough in price to present real options for a given budget.

[CGT80]

Dillon 1050

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I use a 1050 for 9mm. It is built like a tank. I can do 100 rounds in 3 minutes with a bullet feeder. The best part is that it swages those stupid crimped primer pockets. The swage feature would be great for the 223 crimped pockets as well, but I don't have a tool head for it, so I use a 550 and dillon 600 swage tool.

The 550 is a very versatile machine. I load everything but 9mm on it. It beats using a single stage for rifle brass. I setup my casefeeder to feed rifle brass too, but it isn't perfect. I haven't used a 650, but it sounds like a great machine for what you want to do, if you can't swing the 1050. I really like dillon, but I wouldn't mind trying out the hornady that is similar to the 650, as I have heard many good reviews on it. I'm not sure I would buy one as I already have drunk the blue coolaid, but it would be worth seeing what all the hype is.