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Getting ready to order reloading outfit, HELP!

760 views 22 replies 18 participants last post by  Dan in Alaska 
#1 ·
OK, I'm taking the plunge here. I'm getting ready to order a Lee Pro 1000 for .45ACP and 1000 bullets from Precision, since I like the idea of the moly coating for less $$$ than FMJ. What is the advantage of going with a 200RN grain over a 230RN grain bullet? Were talking about target practice/plinking here. No competetion, no defensive use. One of my .45's has the shorter barrel, so I was thinking about the 200 grain for less recoil. Your thoughts?? BTW, cannot afford to go with a Dillon 550, so it's going to be the Lee 1000.
 
#2 ·
Congratulations for joining the world of reloading. If you are only reloading .45 or only handgun cartridges, Might I suggest the Dillon Square deal B? It comes factory direct set up in the caliber you select ready to go. I started out with a Square deal and now have a 1050. My friends that have lee products have had nothing with headaches and heartaches. I have no personal knowlege with lee myself, and harbor no ill will to lee, I use quite a bit of their products. You will be able to sell the square deal on this website easily if you dont like it, either.
As for the bullets, I have used precision bullets and they are great. If you are punching holes in paper the 200 gr hg68 type swc will be the best, since it has sharp shoulders that will have a sharp edge when it hits the paper. Might I suggest a case gauge in your caliber that you are reloading so you will know that your rounds will chamber. This will save you some time and aggravation. Good luck in your endeavors. DC

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front sight is good, front sight is good!
 
#3 ·
Unfortunately, the Square deal is also out of my price range. I have a partial Lee 1000 a friend gave me from his reloading days years back. But it is missing too many parts, and is cheaper to buy another one from Midway for $121. I have figured out the mechanics of the Lee, and it doesn't seem to complicated to figure out. But then again, some of us have to learn the hard way.
 
#4 ·
I won't belabor the problems I have had with the Lee Pro 1000, other than to say I consider it dangerous. If you are interested, do a search for previous posts.

I would recommend a single stage press for a beginning reloader, but anything is better than the 1000.

The difference between the 200 grain and 230 grain bullets is not great. I use 200's because they are cheap and plentiful, but have used lots of 230's with satisfaction.

Moly coating is a matter of serious discussion among riflemen, but in .45 auto pistols, I don't think it offers either benefit or detriment. Most of us end up shooting plain old lead bullets, and getting the cheapest we can find. In the .45, it doesn't matter much, and cheaper means more shooting.
 
#5 ·
OK, Maybe I don't have to learn the hard way. I did notice in the instructions that they warn against using other brands of primere than CCI and Winchester. Maybe that should clue me in to something? If I hold out a few more weeks I guess I could go with a Dillon 550, since that was my first thinking. Now who has the best price on the 550? Should I go with Dillon direct? I heard something about warranty problems if it was bought through a dealer instead of them. Someone listed a dealer in NC that had them for for less than $300 delivered, but I tried a search and could not find anyone.
 
#6 ·
As a new Dillon Square Deal owner I must highly recommend it over the Lee. I love Lee Dies for my single-stage outfit and use them exclusively, but I would stay far away from their progressive presses. The bad part of buying a SDB from Dillon is the extra fifty bucks for the Strong Mount. I don't know what it's like to mount the SDB without the Strong Mount, but would be inclined to say that the extra bucks are really worth it. There is NO movement. It really makes everything ROCK solid.

That said, you'll have just over three bills in a SDB w/strong mount. That's a lot of money. There are so many positives though. Mike will buy it back within 30 days if you're not happy, complete lifetime "no BS" warranty, comes with pre-adjusted dies, easy set-up, etc, etc....

The 550B would be great, but I elected to get the SDB for .45 ACP. I will probably buy the 550 at a later time if other calibers nessecitate progressive reloading, so far it hasn't. I simply cannot recommend anything but Dillon for progressive reloading. As far as I'm concerned, there IS no other.

Callahan

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"I would like to see a restoration of a Constitutional Republic, with the federal government defanged, muzzled, shackled and cast back into its constitutional prison." - Noumenon (From FreeRepublic.com)
 
#10 ·
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Buy a Dillon. Wait if you have to, drink water and eat breadcrust if you have to, but get a Dillon. Personally, I would still recommend the 550B over the SDB, but if you shoot only moderately, and will only ever shoot that one caliber, then the SDB might be more economical.

I have NEVER had Dillon ask where I bought something from. You will have NO PROBLEMS getting warranty service from Dillon on their products no matter where you buy it.

I saw a thread in here just recently--someone selling a complete 550B setup for like $290 shipped! Do a search for the thread--that is a great deal. Maybe the For Sale forum?

Good Luck.
 
#12 ·
I went through this same process this past summer, What to get. Everyone will say get a Dillon, and I agree that the Dillon is the best progressive reloader made. I could not see spending that kind of money so I really looked at the Lee products including the Lee Pro1000. After hearing all of the warnings people were giving me, I became more questionable about the Lee products. I then heard about the Turret Press. Simple, effective, quick (150-250 rounds per hour), and CHEAP. I got my setup complete with AutoDisk powder measure update kit, carbide dies for both 9mm and .45ACP, taper crimp dies for both calibers, and powder scale for $180 from MidwayUSA. I have been very happy with everything. I am currently borrowing a friends Midway tumbler, but they are relatively inexpensive. My next step is to get into casting bullets using Lee dies. Before you buy anything, make sure you check out MidwayUSA.com

Mark
 
#13 ·
Bullets:
200gr bullets have less recoil and a little faster velocity. I shoot 200gr exclusively because I'm more accurate with the less recoil. I reload my rounds to match the recoil of 200gr Federal EFMJ +P's that shoot really nice with surprisingly little recoil. (950 FPS out of 4" barrel.)

Presses:

I bought a Lee Turret press and have been extremely happy with it. For beginners and advanced reloaders, it offers control over every step in the reloading process. You can use it as a single stage, or a semi-progressive. Another big benefit is that you can switch out entire turrets seated with different caliber dies and save time when reloading multiple calibers. The turret press is what I recommend to every beginner because it is what I wish I would have started with.

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If you don't mind being where you are, you are not lost.
 
#14 ·
If you're able to save enough for a Dillon 550, may I suggest you look at the similarly priced Hornady Lock-n-Load AP? Search the archives in this forum and you'll see that quite a few people have been very happy with the Hornady. I am convinced I made the right decision by buying one. It's extremely well designed, less complicated than the 550, and has an extra station (like the 650). The powder measure is very consistent with the powders I've used (Bullseye, VV 310, AA #5, and Titegroup). The Lock-n-Load bushings make it super easy to remove & reinstall your dies for cleaning, or to change calibers. I was concerned about losing accuracy due to variations in OAL caused by "wobble" of the shell plate. (This is a common problem for turret & progressive presses. Careful setup and tweaking can minimize the problem, and some presses are inherently more accurate than others.) I can load 50 rounds and all of them will be within +-.002" of the desired OAL. I'm still working up my best load, but I'm already seeing standard deviations of less than 17 fps when I chrony my loads. My point is: the press is capable of producing very consistent, accurate ammo. I know Dillon has a reputation for their "No BS" warrantee, and I've read nothing but praise for their customer service. Hornady's warrantee is just as strong as Dillon's. My only experience with Hornady's customer service was pleasant. I bought a demo model via an Internet auction, and it was missing a piece when I got it. I called Hornady, and they sent it out that day, no charge. If I had to do it all over again, the Hornady LNL AP would STILL be my first choice.

- Steve
 
#15 ·
ScottsGT, been there and done that on a tight budget. If you do decide to get the LEE press DO NOT EVER use federal primers in it! I know two guys that are experienced reloaders and shooters that did not heed the warning and loaded federals. Both had the tray of primers go off and thankfully didnt loose their eyesight, but pulled fragments out of their face for weeks. Talked to another guy at a major match, great shooter, same thing, got a nasty scar on his face. Dont know if that model has the same priming system or not, if it has a tray that moves everytime you pull the handle Buy the really good hand primer that Lee makes. My friends also have to replace parts every year on their press due to breakage, wear, etc. Get what you can afford, but if you can afford to wait........Good luck, reloading is fun, why , I think I will go down and fire up the 1050, it is my day off of course! DC

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front sight is good, front sight is good!
 
#16 ·
I'll sell you my pro 1000.

Less than year old, @3500 rounds. Then I'll buy the Dillon. The Lee is Ok, but I had to shim it in a bunch of places to keep everything tight and centered.

Precision 200 gr SWC are great! Accurate, clean, easy to load. Can't go wrong there!
 
#17 ·
I live way out in the woods of N.C. and I can shoot my steel plate targets off my deck. I bought a Lee deluxe turret press and I am now reloading 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45's My favorite load for the .45 is 4.0 gr. of Bullseye and the 200 gr. SWC. I reload when I want to, shoot right off my deck, This works for me....Life is good!
 
#18 ·
Since I'm currently going through this decision, I have one addditional question for you Lee Turret Press users. Did you guys go with the four hole press in order to use the Factory Crimp die? Is it that important for 9mm? Anyone have issues depriming/priming on the Lee Turret press?

I'm leaning toward getting the turret press kit, I just want to buy the right thing the first time.

Thanks,

Vince
 
#19 ·
I got the 4 hole turret press and factory crimp die. Lee says that all of their dies manufactured after a certain date all have the factory crimp feature in them. But the big bonus of using the factory crimp die is that it resizes the round after the bullet is pressed in which depending on the type of bullet and condition of the brass can be fairly substantial. I have not had any FTF/FTE since purchasing the die. Prior to using the factory crimp die, I had a lot of FTF problems with reloads from a single stage press. I know that this equipment is not Dillon, but for the money I am VERY satisfied.

Mark
 
#21 ·
Gotta go with the dillon 550. I put off buying one for years because of the price then kicked myself in the ass when they went up a hundred bucks. I found one used in new condition for $225 and I love it. It's well worth the investment and their warranty is great.

I just tested a load today that I'm going to try in ppc. 185 gr lswc,3.8 gr clays,9lb recoil spring. They go pop pop pop and group tight tight tight. You can also use a 200 gr bullet if you want.

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Gun crontrol is being able to hit what you aim at
NRA Life Member
Hunter for life
Biker for life
 
#23 ·
Reloading pistol rounds one at a time is a chore. A Progressive press is the way to go. When it comes to progressive presses, the only choice one has to make is, "Which Dillon do I want?"

I have a 20+ year old Dillon I inherited from my father, and he originally bought it used. The folks at Dillon have NEVER hassled me or given me grief when I have had questions or problems. They simply ask where they need to send the parts. This kind of service is well worth the few extra bucks. Buy a Dillon. Period.
 
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