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Posted: 3/2/2010 9:06:26 PM EDT
| Well, I bought my first reloading component today... A load book; Ive been doing my research before I buy the big ticket items... I cant really find any reviews of the Hornaday Progressive... Ive decided I want to get a progressive because everything I read says Ill upgrade to one in less than a year so I just say go ahead and buy the thing. My other one im looking at is a Dillon 550 it seems to be the magical koolaide? why is it so great? why do people prefer it over everything else? Also im looking for 5.56 dies, and all I can come up with is .223 but 5.56 and .223 arent the same will this work for reloading to just use the .223 data? |
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Not to derail you thought pattern but, I have been loading since '71 and still use a single stage. I have upgraded to the RCBS autofeeding electronic scale and a digital instrument for case measurements. Not being old fashion
just like it better. I have a friend who loads with a Dillon and it is nice but not for me. |
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Even with a dillon 650, my single stages still get used a lot(more than the 650 actually). There are some things that a progressive just sucks for, like running off multiple batches of 5-10 rounds each with several different bullet types and charge weights. There is no 5.56x45 data(or 5.56 specific dies) available, which leaves only .223 Rem data. Buy .223 dies and use .223 data.
Look back a few pages in this forum...the hornady press gets asked about at least once a week. The last thread was maybe three days ago. |
| The amount of cash available to spend on equipment and your level of enthusiasm will be what motivates your buying decisions. Most enthusiasts will have at least one single stage press. The decision on which progressive press is usually determined on how hard you don't want to work at reloading. Dillon takes a lot of the work out of reloading when compared to the other brands. I still load with Lee Classic Turret. I can sit down to a box of 500 hundred 45acp, prepped brass and be happy for the weekend. If I had one of those big blue presses with a box of 500 I'd be done within 2 hours and looking for something else to load. What you decide is in reality a personal decision that your time restraints and checkbook will have to make. |
| I just went through the same thing you are going through now. I bought the dillion 550, why because I loaded on a lee and a hornady and the dillion, the dillion just seemed to be a better press for the money. It almost seems bullet proof. I think there all good but just what I prefered. Do your research and ask around and try to load as many presses as you can before you buy. |
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Quoted:
Well, I bought my first reloading component today... A load book; Ive been doing my research before I buy the big ticket items... I cant really find any reviews of the Hornaday Progressive... Ive decided I want to get a progressive because everything I read says Ill upgrade to one in less than a year so I just say go ahead and buy the thing. My other one im looking at is a Dillon 550 it seems to be the magical koolaide? why is it so great? why do people prefer it over everything else? Also im looking for 5.56 dies, and all I can come up with is .223 but 5.56 and .223 arent the same will this work for reloading to just use the .223 data? The Dillon 550. Why is it so great? Because it came out first? Geese, it only has 4 stations, and it is manual advance. It's not because of the case collator since that's a recent new accessory. The primer system and powder feed systems aren't revolutionary. Maybe because it's a status symbol. Don't get me wrong, it a great press for a manual feed, 4 station press. I did my research and buying a year ago and I didn't land on the 550. If I had chose Dillon it would have been the 650. I chose the RCBS Pro 2000 for, in my opinion, the same quality, better price (price based on buying the press plus 4 extra caliber change kits), and better powder feed, and primer system. I didn't choose Hornady only because I wanted an exchangeable tool head press. Quality-wise they're all the same. Feature-wise they are all different, and they fit different needs. Your needs ought to be determined by you not by the colored-kool aid groupies. BTW, if you start out with a progressive, I predict you will still buy a single station press within a short time, if you do a lot of rifle reloading. You can save money at that by looking at Craig's list and gun shows. |
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Quoted:
Well, I bought my first reloading component today... A load book; Ive been doing my research before I buy the big ticket items... I cant really find any reviews of the Hornaday Progressive... Ive decided I want to get a progressive because everything I read says Ill upgrade to one in less than a year so I just say go ahead and buy the thing. My other one im looking at is a Dillon 550 it seems to be the magical koolaide? why is it so great? why do people prefer it over everything else? Also im looking for 5.56 dies, and all I can come up with is .223 but 5.56 and .223 arent the same will this work for reloading to just use the .223 data? The Hornady progressive is a fine press. So is the Dillon 550. Can't go wrong with either. For 5.56 reloading, use .223 dies. Contrary to popular belief, the external dimensions of 5.56x45 and .223 Remington are the same. The only difference between 5.56x45 and .223 Remington is pressure. SAAMI limits commercial .223 ammunition to 55,000 PSI if I remember correctly, whereas military spec ammunition is usually loaded somewhere around 58,000 to 60,000 PSI. 223 Remington dies are the correct dies for your need. |
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The amount of cash available to spend on equipment and your level of enthusiasm will be what motivates your buying decisions. Most enthusiasts will have at least one single stage press. The decision on which progressive press is usually determined on how hard you don't want to work at reloading. Dillon takes a lot of the work out of reloading when compared to the other brands. I still load with Lee Classic Turret. I can sit down to a box of 500 hundred 45acp, prepped brass and be happy for the weekend. If I had one of those big blue presses with a box of 500 I'd be done within 2 hours and looking for something else to load. What you decide is in reality a personal decision that your time restraints and checkbook will have to make. I also have the Classic Turret but you and I think different. I don't mind reloading per se, but I prefer shooting to reloading. For me, reloading is more of a task I must complete in order to go shooting 
If I could run off 500 rounds of 45 ACP in 2 hours on my Lee Classic Turret, I wouldn't even be giving any thought at all to possibly going to a progressive. |
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www.ultimatereloader.com
Lots of really good info there. I have a LNL Classic, LNL AP, and T-7 now... The T-7 is a real beast. |
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I started with the LEE anniversary kit with just a few more odds and ends to make life easier. I load for 9mm, 38sp, 357Mag, 223 and 308. probably starting 45ACP pretty soon.
Over time more reloading tools were purchased to meet my needs. Next I upgraded to the LEE turret press. I like it a lot. With the priming system and the auto powder measure it's pretty fast. Fast enough for my needs. Will I go progressive at some point? Maybe. Undecided. |
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.... Also im looking for 5.56 dies, and all I can come up with is .223 but 5.56 and .223 arent the same will this work for reloading to just use the .223 data? The cases are identical. You can read about the differences in the chambers and operating pressures in the Ammo Oracle; there's a link in the Gateway thread, or you can find it in the ammunition forum. This is important information you should know. I'm glad to see you bought a reload manual to start. |
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i started with the lee 50th anniversary kit and a few other tools when i first started reloading over two years ago. i fully expected that i was going to upgrade to a dillon after a year but i never did actually. i found that i really don't shoot as much as i'd like to (3k rds with my ar & 3k with my handguns per year).
especially during the winter where everything really slows down, i find that i can reload way faster than i shoot them. like 1911smith, i get cabin fever/itchy hands when it's too cold outside to work on cars. reloading satisfies that need for me. oh, the only thing i really hate though is trimming brass by hand so figure in a powered case trimmer in your budget. it's the one thing that nearly caused me to quit reloading. made my 30 yr old hands feel like an 80 yr old after trimming just 50 brass manually. |
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Quoted:
Well, I bought my first reloading component today... A load book; I've been doing my research before I buy the big ticket items... I cant really find any reviews of the Hornady Progressive... I've decided I want to get a progressive because everything I read says Ill upgrade to one in less than a year so I just say go ahead and buy the thing. My other one I'm looking at is a Dillon 550 it seems to be the magical koolaid? why is it so great? why do people prefer it over everything else? Also I'm looking for 5.56 dies, and all I can come up with is .223 but 5.56 and .223 aren't the same will this work for reloading to just use the .223 data? The 550 is a proven press. Some of us have had them for some time. It's what we know and can recommend it with confidence. Dillon has built up customer loyalty that other brands are trying to match. Go to Dillon's website and read about their different presses. Some will want more and get the 650. I don't know the Hornady or RCBS progressives, so no comment. 5.56 dies? What you want is 223 dies. Same case, 5.56 is loaded hotter than 223. Top of the page, read the FAQ's, Tutorials, ect, you will glad you did. |
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oh, the only thing i really hate though is trimming brass by hand so figure in a powered case trimmer in your budget. it's the one thing that nearly caused me to quit reloading. made my 30 yr old hands feel like an 80 yr old after trimming just 50 brass manually. I hear ya!! I recently turned 60. I've been designing and building residential and commercial buildings since I was 24. I started using computer cad for designing in the early 70's. Result: I have carpel tunnel problems bad. You young guys have no idea how bad it can get to hand turn and trim 1000 cases.   I'm totally done with that.
I could buy a buy a Girard, but I would even have a hard time just gripping the little vibrating cases while it's trimming. So I have slightly "modified" my Forster Original trimmer.
(I'm preparing a post for next week with lots of pictures to share the idea with anybody who's interested). Now I only have to insert a case into my Forster (mounted vertically). An $80 drywall screw gun provides the power. The "mod" not only mounts the power source, it provides a pully-powered foot pedal to raise (automatically stopping blade rotation) and lower the trimmer. A simple micro-switch, light, and buzzer provides the automatic notification when the proper depth is cut. A big over-sized lever releases the case and it automatically flips into a bin, trimmed, deburred, and chamfered. Some of you may not know that Forster now has 3-way cutters, which was the source of my sudden interest in a Forster Mod! Happy Days... |
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The amount of cash available to spend on equipment and your level of enthusiasm will be what motivates your buying decisions. Most enthusiasts will have at least one single stage press. The decision on which progressive press is usually determined on how hard you don't want to work at reloading. Dillon takes a lot of the work out of reloading when compared to the other brands. I still load with Lee Classic Turret. I can sit down to a box of 500 hundred 45acp, prepped brass and be happy for the weekend. If I had one of those big blue presses with a box of 500 I'd be done within 2 hours and looking for something else to load. What you decide is in reality a personal decision that your time restraints and checkbook will have to make. I also have the Classic Turret but you and I think different. I don't mind reloading per se, but I prefer shooting to reloading. For me, reloading is more of a task I must complete in order to go shooting
If I could run off 500 rounds of 45 ACP in 2 hours on my Lee Classic Turret, I wouldn't even be giving any thought at all to possibly going to a progressive. Yep, your reading me right. Shooting is what I must do to reload. Reloading is a cold weather event. Gunsmithing in the spring, Shooting in the Summer and Fall months. My addictions come full circle. As to reloading kits. Those are a good value in my opinion. Have fun makng your choices. 
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