I have a Dillon 550b, but currently only load 9mm and .45. I've never loaded rifle.

The question is, is it better to load rifle on a single stage vs. progressive?
I'd like to load some precision loads rather than just plinking ammo.
Are you able to get that kind of quality out of a 550b?

Thanks
Marty

i like single stage. many different points of view on this topic. i like the control i have with the single stage. especially when it comes powder. i never liked the magnetic scales nor the powder dispenser... too much tinkering for me with trying to get that tenth of a grain...

Short answer is not easily.

I would suggest you look at a manual turret type press which is in between a progressive and single station.

If you have a 550b, you can always switch it out for your plinkers in rifle. If you don't like switching it out, then that's why I suggest the manual turret. It has fewer die changes/setups from one load out to another.

If you are trickling powder charges, the speed of a progressive is lost and it becomes an overpriced manual turret press.

Tj

I currently only have a single stage set up for all of my reloading but I can see the need for BOTH.
I am leaning towards the 550 series for my progressive unit when the time comes.
For precision or hunting loads hand trickled charges and a dedicated single stage is the way to go.
For knocking out large amounts of practice/plinking rounds progressive has to be the least time consuming way to get the job done.


eta: Welcome to the Armory, by the way.

This post has been edited by KENNYOHIOHUNTER: September 25th 2009 5:53 PM

Not to be typical gun board, but I actually have all of the types, progressive, manual turret, and single station.

Though the manual turret can do anything a single station can, mine only has six holes and I needed a seventh. The real advantage of the single station is its low cost. You can always add one.

The whole press debate is basically manufacturing techniques going from batch processing to single piece flow. The progressive leans more to single piece flow while a single station is all batch. The manual turret allows you to combine batch and single flow techniques. Like I posted somewhere in between the two.

Just as a sidebar its so ironic most loaders spend so much time talking on presses when actually preparation to get to use that press is half our time especially if we are prepping brass. Some of the kits blow my mind. For example, they'll have this great time saving press then match it up to the slowest preparation tools on the market. Who can figure?

Tj

There is a lot of Gold hanging in display cases won with 550's and 650's in the world. The US Palma Team uses them for their practice and match ammo. Precision ammo shot in a precision rifle will sing but precision ammo shot in a rifle that is only so so on its' best days will still shoot so so.

Precision demands vary so much. My IPSC upper A zone is about 1 1/2 X 3 inches and my rifles can hold that all day long at 200 with my 550 or 650 ammo. If I were shooting standard High Power I would not hesitate to use a 550.

If I am loading to shoot maybe fifty round at PD's like I shot at here in AZ then a single stage is good to go as it is a short run and I am too lazy to adjust the die set for the 650 for 50 rounds. I have lots of die set ups for my 550 with powder measures so I can just pull two pins and slide in the new tool head. I'm up and loading in five minutes for that 50 rounds. I use a Lyman AA Turret for very short development loads when I want to vary the powder charges for group shooting. I can auto trickle one as I seat a bullet and it speeds things up a great deal. I would hate to have to do load development on my progressive 650. The 550 can function as a single stage with out problem and would be my choice for that duty if forced to use another press.

Just my opinions.

Greg

I currently have a single stage press and have for years. I never wanted a progressive… just too paranoid about not having full control over every step.

Also I just don’t shoot enough (sadly) to need one.

Still for a rifle I would (and do) stick with a single stage… but I would get the best one I could afford… they last forever.

This post has been edited by temmi: September 28th 2009 6:55 PM

I've always wanted a Co AX press. The volumes I shot demand a progressive most of the time.

Greg

I do wish I shot enough to need a progressive... one day

'
I got into it in 76 shooting IHMSA and when I started with PPC the IPSC it was a have to deal. PPC would take 1000 rounds a day for practice when I was getting started. Shoot 1000 and then load them that night.

I use to shoot 300 rounds /week of 308 and 44 Mag in IHMSA and I used a Lyman AA Turret for that before I got my first Dillon 300. My first press was an RCBS JR and it was OK but way to slow when you needed to crank them out for a match the next day.

My 650 is often used to partially process my varmint brass. It works well for the scads of 223 based rounds I play with.

My 550 handles long run "other" cartridges. The 300's handle the pistol stuff like 9, 38 and 45. MY AA Turrets are my work horse for onsey twosey stuff.

Greg

Well stated. Power tools can sure move things along. Batch processing is a huge time saver and if you can do some things like prime and watch TV etc it helps to preprocess as much as you can. That is why I like big tumblers and lots of power screwdrivers and trimmers.

Greg

You do have full control over every step with a progressive. You just have to remember it is doing 4 steps at a time. When I had the Dillon 450 I reloaded many thousands of .308 that was more accurate than I could hold. We verified the accuracy in a bolt gun with a scope and it was consistently more accurate than the LC Match ammo. For service rifle we used a matching load to the LC and not a tailor made load.

most factory loaded precision ammo is loaded with progressive machines, not single stage.

anyone wanting a progressive machine should give serious consideration towards Dillon, and not for their pretty blue color but for their no BS warranty of service. on Monday i wanted to reload some 5.56mm rounds, but my 650's primer insertion op was out of it's timing, i called Dillon, talked to Mike told him my problem, he said he knew exactly what the problem was and would get the repair parts out to me ASAP, got the parts yesterday in my "Snail Mail" box late yesterday, today i will replace the worn parts, install the new parts today and load some rounds for tomorrows shooting session.

the new parts are NO CHARGE.., part of their very generous warranty. my 650 is about 5 y.o., has made 75,000 to 100,000 loaded rounds

That in itself says a lot for customer service right there.

I still feel the need for both presses and have been looking at the Dillon's and the Hornady as well as some others.
I may even get a couple more less expensive single stage units and leave them set up for dedicated usage.

I have the Hornady Lock N Load AP. I was decaping some Lake City brass and I ran the priming pin up into the crimped primer pocket. The pin stuck and when I pulled the handle to deprime the next case the pin came up with the case and several parts of the primer system were broken. I called Hornady to buy replacement parts and they wouldn't take payment. They mailed me all the parts to repair the problem even though I told them it was my fault the parts broke. I bought their press due to price and availibity and after this type of customer service I would recomend them to anyone.