[IH8Rice]

tax return season is here among us and a reloader is tempting me more and more.
not looking to spend a ton really but can be swayed differently. i'll primarily be reloading 9mm's at first but will be getting a rifle soon.
I was looking at the Lee Loadmaster b/c of its cheap price point, plus it includes dies. ive heard mixed reviews about it, mainly about the priming issue.. but the price makes me want to try and overlook this.

there seems to be a gap b/w the Lee LM and anything else like the a , Hornady, RCBS or Dillon 550B. is the Dillon really all everyone makes it out to be? is it really worth to pony up the extra $250+ on top of a LM to get something fancy? auto indexing would be nice too


thoughts?
thanks!

 

[gonefirefightin]

do it right the first time by not wasting any money on other crap and buy the dillon right out of the gate.

 

[IH8Rice]

do it right the first time by not wasting any money on other crap and buy the dillon right out of the gate.

yeah, i dont like buying anything cheap really and like to buy right the first time, so figured id be buying the Dillon off the bat
is the Dillon really that much moar better over the RCBS or Hornday? what makes them that much better?

 

[gonefirefightin]

all of the additions you can purchase down the road, plus one machine will do it all

 

[Arkayne]

I got the 550b based on testimonials from my gun nut friends who have tried different brands. It was highly reocmmend due to reliability and customer support. One thing you don't want while in the 400-500rnd/hr zone, is a case going in crooked or something else getting out of whack.

So, that's what I use for my .45 ACP reloads.

 

[ultraNoob]

Had one of those Lee turret setups. Worked well for the first 5,000 rounds, but slowly started to malfunction. Problem was a plastic bushing they used to spin the turret. Each bushing only lasted about 5,000 rounds. Got fed up and went with a RCBS because the dies were interchangeable. Can't go wrong with a Dillon. Just make sure to keep it clean.

 

[IH8Rice]

so im looking at about $593 for 550B, 3 dies for 9mm, case gauge ($15..necessary?,) 4 small primer tubes($24..probably not really necessary) and a re-loading book. ill still need a grain scale and tumbler w/ media which ill scour the internets for the best price. anything else im missing besides bullets and powder? any one powder brand better then another?
can i use another brand's dies to save some money?

 

[ultraNoob]

So many different powders out there. There are forums dedicated to arguing which powder is best for what, etc... That being said, I have 4 powders that handle most of my loads

Unique
Red Dot
Blue Dot
IMR 4895

That reloading book is your best friend. I'd say, look at load tables and use the powder that appears the most for your caliber and any other caliber you plan to load. Back in the day, I used unique for 9mm, .357, and .44mag. Still use unique for .357mag. Pretty versatile.

If you're not using carbide dies, you'll need case lube and a lube mat.
A decent measuring caliper to measure case length.
A bullet puller for when you mess up.

If you plan reloading the shells for as long as possible:
Micrometer (measure thickness of shells after a few reloads)
Case trimmer

 

[Arkayne]

Don't forget your primers, I use CCI.

 

[IH8Rice]

So many different powders out there. There are forums dedicated to arguing which powder is best for what, etc... That being said, I have 4 powders that handle most of my loads

Unique
Red Dot
Blue Dot
IMR 4895

That reloading book is your best friend. I'd say, look at load tables and use the powder that appears the most for your caliber and any other caliber you plan to load. Back in the day, I used unique for 9mm, .357, and .44mag. Still use unique for .357mag. Pretty versatile.

If you're not using carbide dies, you'll need case lube and a lube mat.
A decent measuring caliper to measure case length.
A bullet puller for when you mess up.

If you plan reloading the shells for as long as possible:
Micrometer (measure thickness of shells after a few reloads)
Case trimmer

thats a good idea about looking which brand the book recommends for the loads i plan on reloading.
the Dillon does use carbide dies so i guess i wont need lube and a mat. the case tumbler that im looking at does include lube with the package its bundled with.

i do have measuring calipers but im guessing a case gauge help speed up the process...?
i forgot about a bullet puller too. im sure thatll come in handy until i get the hang of it all. ill add a case trimmer to the list as well.

how many times can you realistically reuse the same shell?

Don't forget your primers, I use CCI.

yeah, i saw i missed that from my list.

 

[TKCastle]

When I was shooting at the SSA gun club they had two 550 and a 650XL with case feeder. They are soo nice to reload on. Im getting one soon. Get the low powder indicator, alarm saved me once when I wasn't paying attention.

 

[psycle-on]

If you are not planning on loading rifle, look at the Dillon Square Deal-B. I run 2 of them with one set up for small primers (9mm & .38) and one set up for .45 acp. With everything set up to go, I can load 400-500 a hour. Something else to note is the Square Deal will advance automatically where as the 550 is a manual advance. I really don't shoot enough rifle to need to reload it.

Currently I load all of my .38/9mm/.45 with Clays.

Also, my experience with pistol brass is keep reloading it until it is damaged or lost.

 

[IH8Rice]

If you are not planning on loading rifle, look at the Dillon Square Deal-B.

right now all i have is a pistol (and a 10/22) but im sure that will change soon. id rather not invest in something that wont be able to load rounds for future purchases. the auto indexing is really nice though.

 

[psycle-on]

right now all i have is a pistol (and a 10/22) but im sure that will change soon. id rather not invest in something that wont be able to load rounds for future purchases. the auto indexing is really nice though.

Yeah, I keep thinking one day I may sell one of my SDB's and get a 650 so I can do rifle but that has not happened yet.
Something else to consider is looking for a used Dillon . On the off chance it is not 100%, for $25 I think you can send it to Dillon for a rebuild.
One other thing, if you think you are going to reload a lot look into a curio and relic license. $35 for 3 years and dealer prices at places like Midway, Brownells and Grafs (you can even use it on a press!).

 

[IH8Rice]

Something else to consider is looking for a used Dillon . On the off chance it is not 100%, for $25 I think you can send it to Dillon for a rebuild.
One other thing, if you think you are going to reload a lot look into a curio and relic license. $35 for 3 years and dealer prices at places like Midway, Brownells and Grafs (you can even use it on a press!).

i saw the prices of used 550B's arent that much cheaper then a new one. as bad as it might sound, i hate buying anything used (except maybe a car.) i know Dillon has a no questions asked warranty for anyone who owns one, but i just really prefer to buy new.
ill look into one of those licenses. from reading the ATF info, it seems fairly easy and could save me a bunch on things ill need. what type of discount would i see?
thanks!

 

[IH8Rice]

thoughts on sonic cleaners for the brass? i see there are a few cheap ones out there that purportedly clean anything up pretty damn good. are they really better then a tumbler when it comes to cleaning brass?

 

[Arkayne]

I've a sonic cleaner but I use it for misc parts. I never thought of using it for brass but I'm thinking the following against it:

-Capacity. When you say cheap, I'm thinking harbor freight under $100. Those won't hold much.
-Messy. Shaking the liquid out is going to make a mess. Plus, you may have cleaning solution in the primer pockets and I bet it'll be a beeyotch to dry out. Step one of your Dillon press is popping out the old primer, are you going to deprime each case prior to cleaning? It seems like you'll be doing double the work.

Invest in a good tumbler (or two) and stick with walnut or corn cob with a capful of flitz or auto polish.

 

[IH8Rice]

I've a sonic cleaner but I use it for misc parts. I never thought of using it for brass but I'm thinking the following against it:

-Capacity. When you say cheap, I'm thinking harbor freight under $100. Those won't hold much.
-Messy. Shaking the liquid out is going to make a mess. Plus, you may have cleaning solution in the primer pockets and I bet it'll be a beeyotch to dry out. Step one of your Dillon press is popping out the old primer, are you going to deprime each case prior to cleaning? It seems like you'll be doing double the work.

Invest in a good tumbler (or two) and stick with walnut or corn cob with a capful of flitz or auto polish.

Hornady makes a $100 one that holds 200 .223 cases or 100 .308 case, so im guessing itll hold a lot more 9mm cases.
yeah, of all the videos ive seen, i really havent seen anyone actually drying their brass out...that would probably take a while. i wasnt going to press the primers out first, i would just throw old brass in the cleaner.

this is the tumbler "kit" i was originally looking at. i know its not the best, but the price is the best part about it

 

[IH8Rice]

thoughts on lead cast bullets? i just got 1000 124gr for cheap and would ideally like to use these for when i spend a lot of time at the range.

 

[sstalder5]

thoughts on lead cast bullets? i just got 1000 124gr for cheap and would ideally like to use these for when i spend a lot of time at the range.

Last time I shot .357s we had a box of loose ammo that was plain lead and FMJ mixed. The only difference was that the FMJ made slightly bigger dents in the steel. Should be fine for the range.

 

[psycle-on]

I have both a ultrasonic cleaner and tumbler (both from harbor freight). For lots of pistol brass, the tumbler is fine. I'll use the ultrasonic for parts and and brass that I need to be particularly clean. I would still use the tumbler first, deprime then sonic clean.

For bulk shooting, cast lead is fine. It will tend to smoke more than jacked/plated/moly coated but is not so evident if you are outdoors. You will find that you can use a little less powder and get the same power compared to jacketed bullets. We just picked up a Smith and Wesson 625 and it will primarily see lead to keep the recoil and cost down a little.

BTW, did you get your C&R yet?

 

[IH8Rice]

I have both a ultrasonic cleaner and tumbler (both from harbor freight). For lots of pistol brass, the tumbler is fine. I'll use the ultrasonic for parts and and brass that I need to be particularly clean. I would still use the tumbler first, deprime then sonic clean.

For bulk shooting, cast lead is fine. It will tend to smoke more than jacked/plated/moly coated but is not so evident if you are outdoors. You will find that you can use a little less powder and get the same power compared to jacketed bullets. We just picked up a Smith and Wesson 625 and it will primarily see lead to keep the recoil and cost down a little.

BTW, did you get your C&R yet?

hmm, i figured the smokeyness from the shooting ive been doing was because of the Bullseye powder ive been using for reloads.
i figured the lead was okay to shot a lot of. the price was a huge selling point;1000 124gr for $55. i also just cleared Cabelas out of all their Federal small pistol primers since its cheaper to buy them in store then to pay a hazmat fee for shipping.

no C&R yet...they of course charged my card the day they got my application but im still waiting on the actual license.


ive been using my in-law's RCBS progressive loader. after i got into a groove, i did about 200 in about 40 mins. hes got two 650B's but they are setup for .223 and .38.

 

[psycle-on]

I have shot a lot of these: http://www.precisionbullets.com/products.html and use clays 99% of the time.
Not a bad compromise of cost vs cleanliness.

 

[IH8Rice]

1000 124gr round nose just showed up!

 

[IH8Rice]

so my FIL just gave me his RCBS progressive press that he no longer uses and im just waiting on another 1000 124gr bullets to show up.


i was looking for a reloading book of my own but couldnt find one at the store i was at which showed 124gr 9mm bullets and Bullseye powder. the two books showed Bullseye powder under the 115gr bullets but not the 124gr .
I am using a Lee Pro Auto Disk powder charging system and have been using the .43cc disc for my past 1000 rounds which my FIL had looked up in his book. does anyone have a reloading book that shows a Bullseye powder charge on 124gr round nose bullets? i just want to double check my charges

 

[psycle-on]

Congrats on the loader!
I actually use this for load data: http://sourceforge.net/projects/reloadersrfrnce/
I do not have it on my work computer so I can't see if it has the load you are looking for.
It lists most published loads (as well as where they came from) and also lets you keep track of your own loads. As always, start a little less than what may be published and work your way up to where you need/want to be.

 

[IH8Rice]

hmm after crashing several times i had to enable a security feature on the program to get it to work.


the load it gave me for the 124gr cast bullet is about what i have been using thankfully. i would like to still know the max charge i can go just in case

 

[DirtyMike]

hmm after crashing several times i had to enable a security feature on the program to get it to work.


the load it gave me for the 124gr cast bullet is about what i have been using thankfully. i would like to still know the max charge i can go just in case

I would never go with max load behind a soft lead projectile. I tried that a few times with the .357's and found they liked to actually melt a bit on the back side and lost the accuracy.

 

[ultraNoob]

The only rounds I load to max are hunting or "specialty" rounds. FMJ, JHP for target, I load as 90% charge. Cast I load at 80-85%. A while back I came up on a box of 1000 .38 WC cast bullets for $30. Even at 70% charge, the bbl on my S&W got fouled. Ended up melting the lead and using it to make fishing sinkers.

I had to dig into my old Hornady book to find the load charge table for the 124g lead.

9mm, 124gr LRN using Bullseye powder
900fps = 3.0gr
950fps = 3.2gr
1000fps = 3.5gr
1050fps = 3.8gr
1100fps = 4.1gr MAX

Hope this helps. I haven't loaded using CC measurements in a long time. Not sure what the conversion is.

 

[IH8Rice]

I would never go with max load behind a soft lead projectile.

i never said i wanted to max out the load, i just wanted to know what it is.

I had to dig into my old Hornady book to find the load charge table for the 124g lead.

9mm, 124gr LRN using Bullseye powder
900fps = 3.0gr
950fps = 3.2gr
1000fps = 3.5gr
1050fps = 3.8gr
1100fps = 4.1gr MAX

Hope this helps. I haven't loaded using CC measurements in a long time. Not sure what the conversion is.

i was looking through a Sierra (i think) book and it showed a max load of 4.4gr @ 1059fps. the loads ive been throwing have been around 4.1-4.2gr.

Lee has a conversion table for their measuring blocks for CC's-grains

 

[DirtyMike]

Well, if you do happen to decided to make a few max load hot rounds with the cast lead, one thing I did for a bit to help it out was to use small leather punch's and put a small piece of leather between the powder charge and the projectile to stop from melting the back of the projectile. It works, but it is time consuming.

 

[ultraNoob]

Well, if you do happen to decided to make a few max load hot rounds with the cast lead, one thing I did for a bit to help it out was to use small leather punch's and put a small piece of leather between the powder charge and the projectile to stop from melting the back of the projectile. It works, but it is time consuming.

As a practice when shooting lot's of cast rounds, I'll shoot at least 1 jacketed round for every 50 cast rounds. Not sure if it helps reduce fouling, but it makes me feel better.

 

[DirtyMike]

Same.... When i am out with the revolvers shooting cheap lead, I will always finish off with good brass..... Does it do anything.... who knows