Posted: 9/21/2016 11:38:13 AM EDT
| I feel like I need to purchase a progressive machine. Been on a Rock Chucker for 35 years or more. Do I go Red or Blue? |
Wow, I thought this was a political thread from the title. 
Dillon is one Blue Progressive Machine I don't mind supporting. Go with the 650 with case feeder. The 1050 is a lot more expensive and doesn't come with their No BS warranty, though it does allow you more stations for stuff like case trimming. I don't think there's anything really wrong with the Hornady stuff but you will find a lot more of a support community around the Dillon because so many people use them. |
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The main question is do you plan on getting a casefeeder?
If yes then XL650 if no then 550B or LNL AP. ETA: Unless you are loading thousands of rounds per month then the 1050 isn't worth it due to the lack of the lifetime warranty and expensive conversion kits and replacement parts. I sold mine and don't miss it. |
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If you just need pistol cases Dillon does a casefeeder for the 550 now. It works very well. Quoted:
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The main question is do you plan on getting a casefeeder? If yes then XL650 if no then 550B or LNL AP. If you just need pistol cases Dillon does a casefeeder for the 550 now. It works very well. But it's a fucking pain in the ass to take it off and put it back on. Works best if you have a dedicated 550 for one or two calibers. Otherwise you're either buying casefeeder kits for every caliber you load on it, or you are having to pull off the casefeeder bits when you swap over to something you don't have a casefeeder kit for. |
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Powder measures everywhere 
I seriously need to buy at least one more. Presently, I swap out powder bars for cartridge changes. A bit of a PITA |
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If you just need pistol cases Dillon does a casefeeder for the 550 now. It works very well. Quoted:
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The main question is do you plan on getting a casefeeder? If yes then XL650 if no then 550B or LNL AP. If you just need pistol cases Dillon does a casefeeder for the 550 now. It works very well. Adapters and tooling make it cost more than a 650. |
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But it's a fucking pain in the ass to take it off and put it back on. Works best if you have a dedicated 550 for one or two calibers. Otherwise you're either buying casefeeder kits for every caliber you load on it, or you are having to pull off the casefeeder bits when you swap over to something you don't have a casefeeder kit for. Quoted:
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The main question is do you plan on getting a casefeeder? If yes then XL650 if no then 550B or LNL AP. If you just need pistol cases Dillon does a casefeeder for the 550 now. It works very well. But it's a fucking pain in the ass to take it off and put it back on. Works best if you have a dedicated 550 for one or two calibers. Otherwise you're either buying casefeeder kits for every caliber you load on it, or you are having to pull off the casefeeder bits when you swap over to something you don't have a casefeeder kit for. I agree which is why I never bought it for my 550B. Honestly, the case feeder isn't really necessary with the press as 250rph of 223 and 350-400rph of handgun is plenty fast for my needs. |
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Adapters and tooling make it cost more than a 650. Quoted:
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The main question is do you plan on getting a casefeeder? If yes then XL650 if no then 550B or LNL AP. If you just need pistol cases Dillon does a casefeeder for the 550 now. It works very well. Adapters and tooling make it cost more than a 650. I dunno, I bought my 550 used and it was already installed.
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If you go red, the machine cost is drastically lower (for autoindexing), the customer service is on par with Blue (pretty impressive actually), and you can quickly and easily pop your dies out.
My only complaint with Red is that the primer feed system can get finicky, and you'll need some canned-air with you, to periodically blow things out, generally every hundred rounds or so. Sometimes you have to tweak the indexing adjustments - which takes about 2 seconds though - very easy. If any powder grains or metal shavings (and you will get metal shavings), get in the shuttle area, they'll cause the primer to misalign a little, causing stoppages and headaches. I don't know if Blue is more reliable in this area or not. Otherwise, Red is a reliable and solid little progressive machine. I've lost count how many 10's of thousands of rounds I've run through my Red. I particularly like how easy it is to pop off the powder drop in Red, so quickly and easily dump the powder back in the jug at the end of the session. To be honest, I'd give the Green progressive a second look, if you're in the market. The APS sticks sounds like a far better way of priming in a progressive, than what everyone else uses. The biggest slow-down I have in reloading is having to stop every hundred rounds and screw around with recharging primers - it's the same slow and tedious process with both Red and Blue. And then having to blow out the shuttle area. The APS system just sounds like a way better system. |
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But it's a fucking pain in the ass to take it off and put it back on. Works best if you have a dedicated 550 for one or two calibers. Otherwise you're either buying casefeeder kits for every caliber you load on it, or you are having to pull off the casefeeder bits when you swap over to something you don't have a casefeeder kit for. Quoted:
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The main question is do you plan on getting a casefeeder? If yes then XL650 if no then 550B or LNL AP. If you just need pistol cases Dillon does a casefeeder for the 550 now. It works very well. But it's a fucking pain in the ass to take it off and put it back on. Works best if you have a dedicated 550 for one or two calibers. Otherwise you're either buying casefeeder kits for every caliber you load on it, or you are having to pull off the casefeeder bits when you swap over to something you don't have a casefeeder kit for. I saw a thread once on the Brian Enos forums where a guy cobbled up his 550 casefeeder to feed .223 cases. |
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Some guy started a reloading press thread yesterday here in GD.
One of the points I made yesterday was that with a Dillon, it is going to hold its value. The second part to my point was that if Hillary wind or it looks like she is going to win, everytjing is going to be flying off the shelves. That Dillon 550 or 650 is going to triple in value. I'd say the Dillon has more name recognition than the Hornady Lock and Load AP progressive. |
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Blue. I've had my 550B since around 1993 or 4. Its a great machine. I've added most all their upgrades over the years, and there are also other after market upgrades you can get now too. Like micrometer powder feed adjustment, roller bearings for smoother operation, milled toolhead, etc.
It is capable of excellent repeatability and tight enough tolerances on my loaded ammo for CMP etc. |
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Blue. Fuck Yeah! <a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/galose/media/eBay/DSCF0108.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/galose/eBay/DSCF0108.jpg</a> That's impressive |