Lee turret or dillon - Page 2

oneounceload · December 21, 2010, 09:19 PM

Quote:

True but the only problem with that for me is when you want you go faster you can't without buying another press.

Very true - but, IMO, it is better to crawl before walking, and to walk before running.....a single stage has many benefits for a lot of uses, and it can always be traded as you upgrade.

My point is this......do you start a new 16 y.o. driver with a Ferrari or something a little slower so they learn the basics first before making the leap?

I make 4 handle pulls to make one round, not 6.....but I do it in batches of fifty or 100, and I can look at every charged case to make sure there is nothing amiss...........something a newbie MIGHT want to consider and something they can't tell when making one complete round at a time on a turret

Better to be safe than sorry

CrustyFN · December 21, 2010, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Very true - but, IMO, it is better to crawl before walking, and to walk before running.....a single stage has many benefits for a lot of uses, and it can always be traded as you upgrade.

That's the great thing about the Lee classic turret. Take out the auto indexing rod and you have a single stage press. Add the rod when ready and you are loading around 200 rounds per hour without spending a dime.

gew98 · December 22, 2010, 01:12 AM

I started out with a brace of old Rock Chuckers. Then in '86 a buddy talked me into going for a 550 dillon, and he got one too. Never looked back. I still use my rock chucker for trimming brass with the motorized size/trimdie setup and pulling bullets with an old RCBS collet puller set. I prefer the manual index of the shellplate - and bullet , case placement. That's the kind of hands on that I have learned to be comfortable with and it's worked for me. I've never made an overpressure load or bad ammo with it.
Now I did one time load up a handfull of 45/70's using a 'smokeless equivalent' load with unique and the large volume and small charge of the case caused 'detonation' and it blew my sporterized trapdoor apart..the breechblock took the brim off my cap !. Took me awhile to figure out the cause with alot of reading - dismantled the 80+ rds I loaded like that and all were 16 gns of unique. Never again attempted nor will a smokeless equivalent loading in a BP rifle/pistol.
But I digress.... I like the Dill 550B , loathe the Lee presses from what I have seen of them and friends that have had them and the associated plastic parts breakage problems. Only parts I've had to replace on my 550 Bravo have been the plastic ball on the handle and the original die cast base the handle mounted in as it showed cracks and the later Dillon like part was baetter engineered and has not cracked in 20 years since.

Volucris · December 22, 2010, 01:16 AM

For loading straight-walled cartridges en masse it's hard to beat a Dillon or Hornady progressive.

IMO Lee equipment is built to just get the job done. Their stuff breaks all the time and it hasn't changed for a while. They're always happy to replace everything but they're like the Hi Point of the reloading world.

Go with the Dillon 550 and don't look back. It'll do everything a single-stage or turret press does but faster. 550s manually index but it's faster than a turret.

jmortimer · December 22, 2010, 01:26 AM

The Dillion Fan Boys are almost as bad as the Glock Fan Boys. Most every thread ends up as an exercise in bashing Lee Precision. Go to Cabelas or Midway USA and read the owner reviews and you find that the Lee Precision Classic Turret is the Highest rated turret press for a fraction of the price and the Lee Classic Cast/Breech Lock is the highest rated single stage press for a lot less $$$. I agree that if you get a progressive you should get either a Hornady Lock N Load or a Dillion but otherwise Lee makes the best turret press and the best single stage as determined by actual owners. There is a reason that Lee Precision is # 1 and it's not just price.

kalevatom · December 22, 2010, 11:21 AM

"Dillon Fan Boys", funny, coming from a Lee fanboy. Here something to think about on choosing a press. I use a Dillon 550B and found that the sizing dies don't size all the way down the brass on 40 cal and 9mm. If you use range brass, this can be a pain. You'll run into rounds that won't fit the gauges. Dillon dies have a deeper lead-in taper, for faster reloading. Dillon doesn't consider this a Dillon issue, rather a brass issue. A common fix is to use Lee sizing dies. Just food for thought

Doodlebugger45 · December 22, 2010, 11:27 AM

Ummm....

Did anyone notice that the original poster who started this announced that he already decided and bought his press a few days ago?

Yet, the debate rages on unabated...

Not surprising though, considering the topic. It seems mandatory to have the Great Debate about the best press going on all the time.

That's OK though, there's usually a few useful tidbits of new information in the debate.

dsv424 · December 22, 2010, 11:31 AM

+1 jmortimer. I too get frustrated with the Lee bashing just because of Lee progressives reliability issues or what people have heard about them. And then they simply assume the rest of Lee's products must be the same. They couldn't be farther from the truth. The Classic Cast and Classic Turret are by far the most popular and reliable presses in their class out there.
Remember now "Lee bashers" I am talking about single stage and turret presses so stop assuming because of what you hear about a Lee progressives then the rest must be bad also.

jmortimer · December 22, 2010, 02:12 PM

"Dillon Fan Boys", funny, coming from a Lee fanboy." The difference is I never ever see Lee Precision users bang on other brands and I always state, without exception, that if I were to get a progressive it would be a Dillion or the Hornady Lock N Load. That is the issue I have with the Dillionites. Yes I am a Lee Precision devotee or "Fan-Boy" for a few good reasons $$$ and Lee Classic Cast/Breech Lock and Lee Classic Turret and Lee Auto Prime and Lee Dippers and the Deluxe 4 die pistol sets ................

gew98 · December 22, 2010, 02:31 PM

JM ; I like and use alot of Lee dies , and they make the best crimp dies out there too. Otherwise I have a hoard of RCBS dies , an old but good RCBS beam scale. I don't mess with the handpriming toys - don't see the point in them nor the whole plastic powder dipper fiasco.
Only time I see lee fanboys bash other brands is when it comes to cost and or dies..... And they are right , you get what you pay for regarding presses and scales = less money less quality. The dies - quality for good prices.
Some guys are quite content with a single stage press , if that makes them happy that's great . If I want quantity with quality for the best investment I go blue , not green or red.

oneounceload · December 22, 2010, 02:58 PM

Quote:

There is a reason that Lee Precision is # 1 and it's not just price.

That is EXACTLY why it is........if you took all the makers and placed their equal type of press side by side and they were all priced the same, Lee would not be in the running. 95% of the people who reload, reload because of cost alone - we see all the time on this and similar forums of folks looking for the absolute cheapest gun, press, or other gizmo to do something.

If YOU like Lee, good for you, I hope it lasts forever and you enjoy it. The same holds true for all the other brands. I have owned Lee and Dillon - I now own neither. I prefer RCBS - that's just me.

Lost Sheep · December 23, 2010, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doodlebugger45

Ummm....

Did anyone notice that the original poster who started this announced that he already decided and bought his press a few days ago?

Yet, the debate rages on unabated...

Not surprising though, considering the topic. It seems mandatory to have the Great Debate about the best press going on all the time.

That's OK though, there's usually a few useful tidbits of new information in the debate.

The benefit is that the original poster is not the only one who wonders the question. For every one who posts a question, there are many who want to know the answer and to hear the debate.

For the same reason, going off-topic is often useful. It's a judgement call as to when one (a poster or a thread) has gone too far.

I made my choice this past summer, but still like to hear other's viewpoints. I'm not dead yet and may trade my press for another sometime in the future.

You are right in your observation:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doodlebugger45

Not surprising though, considering the topic. It seems mandatory to have the Great Debate about the best press going on all the time.

Keep on truckin'

Lost Sheep

Lost Sheep · December 23, 2010, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmortimer

"Dillon Fan Boys", funny, coming from a Lee fanboy." The difference is I never ever see Lee Precision users bang on other brands

I noticed that, too, but never put so fine a point to it in my mind.

I used to own mostly RCBS equipment (and a couple of Lee progressives, Pro-1000s) until I decided to go with a Turret press. I researched around to find the best and found that Lee was the only auto-indexing turret currently made IN THE WORLD AT ANY PRICE (if I am wrong, someone please tell me, however disappointed I will be)

My bench now consists of almost 100% Lee equipment (except for my scale, which is still my dead reliable and easy to use 35 year-old RCBS 1010-Ohaus).

But I will NEVER begrudge Dillon (or Hornady or RCBS or any other) their due. If they fit another reloader's needs better than Lee (which they CERTAINLY do), then they are the best choice for that reloader. If I had different needs, I would have a Dillon 650, I think, or a Hornady Hock-n-Load. But for 200 to 500 rounds a session in a variety of different calibers (quick-switch is an advantage to me) and a non-permanent loading room, made the Classic Lee Turret the best FOR ME. For now.

I would LOVE to be able to leave a setup set up permanently and load a several hundred rounds of .45 ACP in an idle weekend hour, as one of my neighbors does. But that just isn't my situation. I don't shoot that much and don't have that much available workroom space. If I did, I would make different equipment choices.

Thanks for the observation. It might deserve a thread of its own. "What brand devotees are most denigrating of other brands?"

Lost Sheep

CrustyFN · December 23, 2010, 06:33 PM

Quote:

IMO Lee equipment is built to just get the job done. Their stuff breaks all the time and it hasn't changed for a while.

Volucris I'm just wondering what was wrong with your classic turret and what kept breaking all the time? I know a lot of people with classic turret presses and don't know anybody that has things break on the press all the time. As far as my experience I have had my classic turret five years. The safety prime has worked near flawless. The powder measure is very consistent. I have loaded thousands of rounds and have not had anything break yet, in fact I am still on the original plastic ratchet.

mikejonestkd · December 23, 2010, 07:57 PM

I am curious about Lee turrets breaking all the time too...
I have only had mine 6 weeks or so and have loaded at least 3000 45 ACP, 1000 38/357, and 500 each of 45 colt, 9mm, and 44 mag. Not to mention hundreds of 223, .243 and some .308...

Nothing has broken on mine yet....perhaps there is something wrong with it because it has not broken...

Lost Sheep · December 24, 2010, 01:33 AM

I will admit that I DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE, so those of you who are sticklers for hard evidence should stop reading right now, or prepare to stifle yourselves.

However, I have read others' testimonies.

It seems the most commonly broken part of the Lee Auto-indexing turrets is the square ratchet, a 50-cent item.

It is designed to break. Breaking protects the more expensive parts of the press.

If the operator makes a mistake and short-strokes the press, the 50 cent part breaks (thereby protecting the 6 dollar part, the auto-indexing arm, just like a fuse protects your wiring from burning your house down when you foolishly plug in a 40 amp appliance in a 20 amp circuit).

Seen like that, the ratchet breaking is a good thing. Operating you press correctly is a better thing.

A ratchet that pops apart (like a resettable circuit breaker) and can be snapped back together might be seen as a good idea, but undoubtedly more expensive. Besides, Lee would not be able to compile a list of Lee owners (repeatedly buying replacement ratchet squares) who habitually abuse their equipment. (Is Big Brother watching?) (Am I being paranoid?) (Am I rambling off on a questionable tangent?) (You bet!)

Everybody makes mistakes. Don't feel bad. Just buy a few spare fuses. And understand how to operate your house wiring and your reloading equipment and your firearms, too, for that matter.

Be safe, regards, Lost Sheep

wwmkwood · December 24, 2010, 08:44 AM

If stuff never broke the "blue" people wouldn't be so vocal about the great customer service.

CrustyFN · December 24, 2010, 12:22 PM

Lost Sheep,
Good post, I would say you summed it up pretty good. Why blame the press for operator error. Not just Lee but any brand.

Quote:

If stuff never broke the "blue" people wouldn't be so vocal about the great customer service.

December 22, 2010, 01:16 AM	#29
Volucris Senior Member Join Date: January 30, 2009 Posts: 293	For loading straight-walled cartridges en masse it's hard to beat a Dillon or Hornady progressive. IMO Lee equipment is built to just get the job done. Their stuff breaks all the time and it hasn't changed for a while. They're always happy to replace everything but they're like the Hi Point of the reloading world. Go with the Dillon 550 and don't look back. It'll do everything a single-stage or turret press does but faster. 550s manually index but it's faster than a turret. __________________ "From my cold, dead hands!" - Charlton Heston

December 23, 2010, 07:57 PM	#40
mikejonestkd Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2006 Location: Brockport, NY Posts: 3,716	I am curious about Lee turrets breaking all the time too... I have only had mine 6 weeks or so and have loaded at least 3000 45 ACP, 1000 38/357, and 500 each of 45 colt, 9mm, and 44 mag. Not to mention hundreds of 223, .243 and some .308... Nothing has broken on mine yet....perhaps there is something wrong with it because it has not broken... __________________ You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

December 24, 2010, 01:33 AM	#41
Lost Sheep Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2009 Location: Anchorage Alaska Posts: 3,341	The most commonly broken piece on the Lee Turret I will admit that I DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE, so those of you who are sticklers for hard evidence should stop reading right now, or prepare to stifle yourselves. However, I have read others' testimonies. It seems the most commonly broken part of the Lee Auto-indexing turrets is the square ratchet, a 50-cent item. It is designed to break. Breaking protects the more expensive parts of the press. If the operator makes a mistake and short-strokes the press, the 50 cent part breaks (thereby protecting the 6 dollar part, the auto-indexing arm, just like a fuse protects your wiring from burning your house down when you foolishly plug in a 40 amp appliance in a 20 amp circuit). Seen like that, the ratchet breaking is a good thing. Operating you press correctly is a better thing. A ratchet that pops apart (like a resettable circuit breaker) and can be snapped back together might be seen as a good idea, but undoubtedly more expensive. Besides, Lee would not be able to compile a list of Lee owners (repeatedly buying replacement ratchet squares) who habitually abuse their equipment. (Is Big Brother watching?) (Am I being paranoid?) (Am I rambling off on a questionable tangent?) (You bet!) Everybody makes mistakes. Don't feel bad. Just buy a few spare fuses. And understand how to operate your house wiring and your reloading equipment and your firearms, too, for that matter. Be safe, regards, Lost Sheep Last edited by Lost Sheep; December 24, 2010 at 01:39 AM.

December 22, 2010, 01:12 AM	#28
gew98 Member Join Date: December 9, 2010 Location: Rural bluegrass abode Posts: 70	I started out with a brace of old Rock Chuckers. Then in '86 a buddy talked me into going for a 550 dillon, and he got one too. Never looked back. I still use my rock chucker for trimming brass with the motorized size/trimdie setup and pulling bullets with an old RCBS collet puller set. I prefer the manual index of the shellplate - and bullet , case placement. That's the kind of hands on that I have learned to be comfortable with and it's worked for me. I've never made an overpressure load or bad ammo with it. Now I did one time load up a handfull of 45/70's using a 'smokeless equivalent' load with unique and the large volume and small charge of the case caused 'detonation' and it blew my sporterized trapdoor apart..the breechblock took the brim off my cap !. Took me awhile to figure out the cause with alot of reading - dismantled the 80+ rds I loaded like that and all were 16 gns of unique. Never again attempted nor will a smokeless equivalent loading in a BP rifle/pistol. But I digress.... I like the Dill 550B , loathe the Lee presses from what I have seen of them and friends that have had them and the associated plastic parts breakage problems. Only parts I've had to replace on my 550 Bravo have been the plastic ball on the handle and the original die cast base the handle mounted in as it showed cracks and the later Dillon like part was baetter engineered and has not cracked in 20 years since.

December 22, 2010, 01:26 AM	#30
jmortimer Junior member Join Date: January 24, 2010 Location: South West Riverside County California Posts: 2,763	The Dillion Fan Boys are almost as bad as the Glock Fan Boys. Most every thread ends up as an exercise in bashing Lee Precision. Go to Cabelas or Midway USA and read the owner reviews and you find that the Lee Precision Classic Turret is the Highest rated turret press for a fraction of the price and the Lee Classic Cast/Breech Lock is the highest rated single stage press for a lot less $$$. I agree that if you get a progressive you should get either a Hornady Lock N Load or a Dillion but otherwise Lee makes the best turret press and the best single stage as determined by actual owners. There is a reason that Lee Precision is # 1 and it's not just price.

December 22, 2010, 11:21 AM	#31
kalevatom Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2010 Location: northwestern Michigan Posts: 198	"Dillon Fan Boys", funny, coming from a Lee fanboy. Here something to think about on choosing a press. I use a Dillon 550B and found that the sizing dies don't size all the way down the brass on 40 cal and 9mm. If you use range brass, this can be a pain. You'll run into rounds that won't fit the gauges. Dillon dies have a deeper lead-in taper, for faster reloading. Dillon doesn't consider this a Dillon issue, rather a brass issue. A common fix is to use Lee sizing dies. Just food for thought

December 22, 2010, 11:27 AM	#32
Doodlebugger45 Senior Member Join Date: April 15, 2009 Location: Wyoming Posts: 1,717	Ummm.... Did anyone notice that the original poster who started this announced that he already decided and bought his press a few days ago? Yet, the debate rages on unabated... Not surprising though, considering the topic. It seems mandatory to have the Great Debate about the best press going on all the time. That's OK though, there's usually a few useful tidbits of new information in the debate.

December 22, 2010, 11:31 AM	#33
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	+1 jmortimer. I too get frustrated with the Lee bashing just because of Lee progressives reliability issues or what people have heard about them. And then they simply assume the rest of Lee's products must be the same. They couldn't be farther from the truth. The Classic Cast and Classic Turret are by far the most popular and reliable presses in their class out there. Remember now "Lee bashers" I am talking about single stage and turret presses so stop assuming because of what you hear about a Lee progressives then the rest must be bad also.

December 22, 2010, 02:12 PM	#34
jmortimer Junior member Join Date: January 24, 2010 Location: South West Riverside County California Posts: 2,763	"Dillon Fan Boys", funny, coming from a Lee fanboy." The difference is I never ever see Lee Precision users bang on other brands and I always state, without exception, that if I were to get a progressive it would be a Dillion or the Hornady Lock N Load. That is the issue I have with the Dillionites. Yes I am a Lee Precision devotee or "Fan-Boy" for a few good reasons $$$ and Lee Classic Cast/Breech Lock and Lee Classic Turret and Lee Auto Prime and Lee Dippers and the Deluxe 4 die pistol sets ................

December 22, 2010, 02:31 PM	#35
gew98 Member Join Date: December 9, 2010 Location: Rural bluegrass abode Posts: 70	JM ; I like and use alot of Lee dies , and they make the best crimp dies out there too. Otherwise I have a hoard of RCBS dies , an old but good RCBS beam scale. I don't mess with the handpriming toys - don't see the point in them nor the whole plastic powder dipper fiasco. Only time I see lee fanboys bash other brands is when it comes to cost and or dies..... And they are right , you get what you pay for regarding presses and scales = less money less quality. The dies - quality for good prices. Some guys are quite content with a single stage press , if that makes them happy that's great . If I want quantity with quality for the best investment I go blue , not green or red.

December 24, 2010, 08:44 AM	#42
wwmkwood Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2008 Location: Kansas Posts: 110	If stuff never broke the "blue" people wouldn't be so vocal about the great customer service.