Dillon reloader

[RanchRoper]

This is the one I'm considering. Don't know yet, lots to think about. Lots of guys telling me it's a wash as far as saving money cuz you shoot more. And tinkering with mechanical stuff is not my thing. Have to think about it.

https://www.dillonprecision.com/dillon- ... 25237.html

[JEBar]

Dillon makes a good press .... they are a solid company .... we looked at them but decided to go with the Hornady Lock n Load press ===> https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-95100-Lo ... k+and+load .... both are solid presses, both from solid companies .... Hornady is cheaper

[Mistered]

This is the one I'm considering. Don't know yet, lots to think about.

I think its WAY more than you need and takes away some of the 'personal' procedures of reloading such as charging cases with a typical powder measure and some other things but do your research and pick what you think will be best for you.

[BigAl52]

RR I have 3 of them. I like Dillon alot. There a stand up company like Henry. But I to think its way more than you need for what you have. I have a scale an Ohaus grain scale I would give you to help you out. Its a great scale but I dont use it anymore. I think a rock chucker press by RCBS some dies tumber and a powder thrower would get you going.There is some other odds and ends we could help you with. Get some 45 colt carbide dies eliminates the need for lubing to resize. Im just making suggestions if you really want the dillon I dont want to chase you away. Just trying to help out. Al

[chuckcook]

Dillon and RCBS are both excellent companies. I bought an RCBS Rock Chucker when I was 18. It's 46 years old now and still going strong. I use it for black powder cartridge reloading and my Dillon for smokeless. Over the years I've replaced a few parts on the Rock Chucker. RCBS has never charged me a dime.

[JEBar]

as others have mentioned, when it comes to a single stage press, RCBS sets the standard .... ours has been going strong since the mid 60's .... the advantage of a single stage press is equipment cost .... the disadvantage is its a slow operation .... we still use it almost exclusively hunting level ammo of all kinds and for bottleneck cases .... multistage presses are more expensive .... we use ours on practice rounds with straightwall cases .... its major advantage is it turns out a large number of rounds in a relatively short time .... unless things change, you will not be reloading multiple calibers .... once you get yours setup, all you need to do is add powder, primers, have bullets on hand and feed it cases .... after all positions are filled, every time you pull the lever, a ready to go bullet fall into the catcher .... with the number of rounds you like to fire, that's really nice

[RanchRoper]

I am the least mechanical guy on the forum likely. If it doesn't have a mane and tail I lose interest. So SIMPLE is best for me.

[RanchRoper]

Is this the RCBS system mentioned?

http://rcbs.com/Products/Presses-and-Ki ... g-Kit.aspx

Looks pretty good and price is better for sure.

[CT_Shooter]

RR, you might also consider a Lee Single Stage Press.


https://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision-Br ... B003ISVWC6

I've been using mine for four years and I'm very happy with it. They stand behind their products with great CS, too.

[JEBar]

Is this the RCBS system mentioned?

http://rcbs.com/Products/Presses-and-Ki ... g-Kit.aspx

Looks pretty good and price is better for sure.

yep, that is their single stage press .... the one we've had since the mid 60's and still use for hunting ammo and bottleneck ammo

[Hitman]

I have a Dillon 650 with a case feeder.
You can't go wrong with Dillon. If you break something even if it's your fault they will send you a new one.
No BS lifetime warranty.

[RanchRoper]

This Lee classic turret press kit looks ok too; I like it that I don't have to change dies all the time.

What is trimming brass all about? Would I be doing that with 1 time fired 45 Colt? How many times do you reload the same brass?

[CT_Shooter]

What is trimming brass all about? Would I be doing that with 1 time fired 45 Colt? How many times do you reload the same brass?

If you have a large bag of mixed headstamp cases, they could have tiny variations in their lengths. That can be issue during the crimping process. I've always been careful to keep my brass in the same lots of fifty that came from the factory and I don't trim them; I just set the crimping die for each lot before I reload them. I do have a few boxes of mixed brass that I was given. I immediately trimmed all of them to insure uniformity, thereafter, I use and save them in the same lot of fifty and don't trim them again.

I'm rotating an inventory of about 1200 cases and have some that have been reloaded eight times. I check each one during the priming process and again after crimping for any signs of wear. (I prime my cases right after cleaning them, then box them to be reloaded later.) I'm also careful to use just enough of a flare to hold the bullet and keep it from falling off so that the brass doesn't get stretched any more than is necessary.

TxGunRunner has reloaded some of his brass with cowboy loads hundreds of times.

[JEBar]

This Lee classic turret press kit looks ok too; I like it that I don't have to change dies all the time.

that is most certainly a major plus with a turret press ... with you only loading 45 Colt, once the press is setup , you'd be all but ready to go at any second

What is trimming brass all about? Would I be doing that with 1 time fired 45 Colt?

over time, casings stretch and need to be trimmed back to standard length .... its one of those things I used to obsess over .... so long as the lip of the casing crimps in the crimping groove, I don's worry about it

How many times do you reload the same brass?

that varies and is influenced by several factors ..... among them are strength of charge, quality of the casing, material the casing is made of, type of crimping, amount of expansion allowed by the chamber from which it is fired .... I have some that have been around for decades .... having saved the casings you've fired, you should be good to go for a while

[RanchRoper]

I have to do some thinking on it. Realistically I shoot maybe 1200 rounds a year based on 7 months of ideal weather. 1500 tops. At about .80 cents a round need to think about it. Equipt, lead, powder, etc. Plus time.

[BigAl52]

Lets see here scoop snow off the roof or reload 45 colt for fun. There does that help any

[RanchRoper]

Haha...I hear ya. Thanks for all the input guys.

[JEBar]

I have to do some thinking on it. Realistically I shoot maybe 1200 rounds a year based on 7 months of ideal weather. 1500 tops. At about .80 cents a round need to think about it. Equipt, lead, powder, etc. Plus time.

I look at the equipment being a 1 time expense .... the same is true for the rifle .... on the other hand, consumables are reoccurring expenses .... looking at it from that viewpoint, reloading provides considerably more bang for the buck (sorry, couldn't resist) .... the longer a person intends to shoot, the stronger the case for loading your own

[Abnermal]

I've been hand loading ammo for over 45 years now. Started out on a Lee Loader hand tool set for 16 gauge. Slow process but made wonderful ammo. Got into pistol and rifle out of high school and purchased a Lyman Spartan single stage press for 20 bucks used. Still use that press today. Several years ago I got my first Dillon Square Deal. Best money I ever spent. To answer your question I would say YES to rolling your own ammo. Progressive outfits make a lot of rounds fast but beware! If you are careless or don't pay attention to detail you can make a lot of junk quickly also!

[RanchRoper]

I also saw a couple of youtube videos where guys seemed to be quite focused on "static electricity" while reloading. Ok I get it, it's gunpowder, but is this something that's an issue you think about when you reload? Just curious. If I blow myself up my wife will kill me.