Pros&Cons: SDB & Pro-1000

[Kframe]

Hey all, I've been reading lots of the older threads, and it seems like everyone is putting the Lee Pro-1000 up against the Dillon 550.
That doesn't seem relative.
The 550 (with case feeder) costs about $500, and the Lee $125.
The 550 has five (?) stations, and the P1000 has 3.

Looks like the basic Lee progressive is the Pro-1000, but the Dillon 550 is more in the class of the Lee Loadmaster.
It seems like the actual comparison ought to be the Square Deal B and the Pro-1000.
I'm going to get one or the other, purely for .38 Special, and will load 500 or less rounds per month.
Here's what I came up with.

Square Deal B:
+Intended for moderate (1000 rds/month) use.
+Auto-Indexing
+Good name/reputation
+Comes with dies
+Decent price
+Excellent warranty
-Goofy dies=Expensive caliber conversion
-No case feeder
-Taper crimp only, won't accept factory crimp dies or roll
crimp dies


Pro-1000:
+Intended for light to moderate (500-1000/month) use.
+Very good price
+Auto-indexing
+Comes with dies
+Case feeder
+Good name, okay durability, great customer service
+Accepts standard dies=Cheap conversion
-Only three stations, no separate crimping (unless using a
separate single-stage for this)
-Dissed by all Dillon owners

So, I'm leaning toward the Pro-1000.
Comments?
-Kframe

[bfox]

I have the pro 1000 and I like it.
At first it ticked me off a lot the
primers were getting smashed and going
in sideways.But if you keep the primer trough full it works fine.I got some squibs at first but that was my fault
the chain was not tight enough.Now I like it fine
have been using it for 2 years.
Good luck and have fun with whatever you get

[LilJoe]

Just our 2 cents.

Pro1000, save the money.
Dillon, if you can go for the 550 or the 650.
See if you can find a Lee Loadmaster at a cheap price to hold you over till you get the Dillon. The loadmaster we can get less problems with than the 1000. But we have to tear down once in a while. The Dillon once we get it set up correctly for the load we are running the all we have to do is just run it. The only plroblem we run into with the dillon is running it till it shuts down. Dang primers, powder, and bullets just keep running out too fast.

Just our two cents.

Joe and Marci

[Joe Gulish]

Kframe

If you are looking to reload only 500 to 1000rds a
month And don't like the special dies of the SDB
and don't like the price of the 650 with the case
feeder. Take a look at the 550 it uses standard
dies. And not a tenth of the problems with the Lee
machines. A friend has a Lee (poor soul) when he has
a problem and calls Lee with it. They tell him what
it will cost him to BUY the part. Then he talks about
buying a Dillon instead. THEN they give him the part
for free! With Dillion I can't even offer to PAY for
them before thy tell me it's on the way for free.

[shiroikuma]

Not my experience. I just called Dillon about some pieces missing on my dillon. It's going to cost me.

shiro

[saands]

I e-mailed Lee about a die that was sizing smaller than I wanted ... in spec, just too small for my preferences. They sent me another and all it cost me was the $1.75 to mail them my original. They also offered a good (spelled scientific) explanation for why they chose the dimention that they did. I finally broke a casting on a press after 15 years of using Lee stuff. They immediately offered to replace it for free ... I have taken the opportunity to just apply the cost of the single stage press to a turret press. A Lee press is not a Porsche, but it's no Yugo either ;>)

Saands

[Johnny Guest]

Hi, Kframe--

I really hadn't noticed that, but I believe you're right--Proper comparison should be Lee 100 to Dillon SDB.

I am one of the great boosters of Dillon Precision and particularly their 550B, but you seem to have a couple of misconceptions about the 550.

I may have mis-read, but the 550B doesn't COME with case feeder. In my experience, in moderate to light-heavy use, it just doesn't NEED one for a nice level of production.

The 550B has FOUR stations, not five. Here is how I use mine for handgun cartridges:
Station 1: Size, deprime, reprime. (LOVE that armored primer magazine!)
Station 2: Expand case mouth and drop powder. (Note the excellent powder measure, easily switchable to other case heads without having to re-adjust case mouth belling.)
Station 3: Seat bullet.
Station 4: Crimp case mouth--either taper crimp or roll crimp, depending on the particular cartridge.

I have used several progressive presses, including the Lee 100. I far prefer the manual indexing of the 550B, for greater control and quality assurance.

The Square Deal B DOES have auto-indexing, but I can live with it. It is INTENDED to be left set up for a single caliber, though it is possible to change.

I have friends who load several thousand rounds per month on one single SDB. We loaded 2,000 rounds of 9 mm in two days for me alone.

If you intend the press purely for .38 Special, and will load 500 or less rounds per month, I really don't see the auto case feed as a factor, but that is personal preference.
You say, " -Taper crimp only, won't accept factory crimp dies or roll crimp dies."
I have never loaded revolver ctgs on an SDB, but I can't imagine this to be the case. Suggest you call the Dillon tech and product support line, toll free at 800-223-4570, and ask them about this. The people--men AND women answering there really know their stuff.
I'm not trying to talk you out of getting a Lee Pro-1000, but I hope you don't choose it because of getting some faulty information about the Dillon products.

Best regards,
Johnny

[Kframe]

Johnny, thanks for all that info.
Well, my mind isn't made up yet, but now I'm leaning toward the SDB.

You see, I shoot a lot of 38 Spl, a little .357, a little .223, even less .222, and a heckuvatona .22LR.

The single stage (Lee Annivesary kit) does just fine for the .222 and .223.

So, basically I'm looking for a volume loader for the .38s.

I had thought that a case feeder was necessary for speed/efficiency, but after reading alot here, and talking to a buddy with a Dillon, I guess I don't need it.

So, the remaining advantage of the Lee is cost.

I did have some misgivings about tube fed primers, but apparently there isn't much chance of chain-explosions.

Is that your experience?

Oh, I heard that some people disengage the autoindex on the SDB.

And, the crimp thing isn't too big of a deal to me, since I opine that crimp is most important on the rifle rounds for accuracy, and those would be loaded on my single stage anyhow.

So, leaning toward the Square Deal B.
(But I still like Lee stuff too.)


-Kframe

[Joe Gulish]

Kframe

Don't think baddley of roll crimping your handgun
rounds. I load my 357's hot and have to use a heave
roll crimp to get those 19grs of H110 to burn right.

[BAD_KARMA]

If you are a low volume reloader that loads differnt calibers there is no better press than the Lee non progressive turret press. Set the dies once and caliber conversion takes 30 seconds. Turrets run 7 dollers. I might look at a SDB IF it took standard size dies.