Moving up to Blue...worth it?

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For me it would depend on how much I reload and how much money I want to invest (lose) when I sell my reloading gear. I quit reloading for trap about 6 years ago and had 2 MEC progressives just collecting dust. I put up a note on the cork board at the range (500 plus members) and about a year later I got a call on one of them. Sold it for about 30% of the cost new. That's about what anyone can expect to sell a reloading press for. Dillon maybe 50%.

If you shoot a lot and want a good press I don't see any reason not to buy one. People drive Cadillac's and I would own one if I drove 25K a year on long road trips. Nothing like a nice ride when you spend your life on the road. Reloading same deal. Make it easy on yourself.:D

I'm still loading on a single stage press but I drive a 60K pickup because I tow and I might be 6 hours on the road. It all depends.
 
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CoalTrain49 said:
For me it would depend on how much I reload and how much money I want to invest (lose) when I sell my reloading gear. I quit reloading for trap about 6 years ago and had 2 MEC progressives just collecting dust. I put up a note on the cork board at the range (500 plus members) and about a year later I got a call on one of them. Sold it for about 30% of the cost new. That's about what anyone can expect to sell a reloading press for. Dillon maybe 50%.
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Dillon's generally go for a minimum of 80% retail (no joke). The more rounds they've loaded and the more wore out they are the more people pay for them... that's how Dillon people role.
 
Nature Boy said:
......I’ve heard some folks say that you need an single stage or arbor press for high precision rifle rounds. I’ve proven to myself that’s not true. I also know that David Tub loads his ammo on a 550 and John Widden loads his on a 650. Both of those guys are repeat national high power rifle champions and hold several national records.
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Good point, and here's another point. I think those two could win nationals loading all their ammo on a Pro 1000......intelligence and talent is most of it.....intelligence to know how to make good ammo is not machine specific, except that personal annoyances are a big factor in anything. I'm annoyed by different things than you. Tubbs is annoyed by different things than Widden, we all will shoot better with the least annoyances.

AR-Bossman said:
Dillon's generally go for a minimum of 80% retail (no joke). The more rounds they've loaded and the more wore out they are the more people pay for them... that's how Dillon people role.
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Yup, and a 550 that David Tubbs owned will go for 200% over new. ;)
 
AR-Bossman said:
Dillon's generally go for a minimum of 80% retail (no joke). The more rounds they've loaded and the more wore out they are the more people pay for them... that's how Dillon people role.
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Anything below about 90% is objectively a good deal, given that Dillon will basically send you for free any parts that need replacing (except for the 1050's, which they don't warranty past a year - they assume that commercial outfits are the ones using those). I bought my 650XL 3rd hand, told Dillon that I had bought it 3rd hand - and they sent me parts for free.
 
ATLDave said:
Anything below about 90% is objectively a good deal, given that Dillon will basically send you for free any parts that need replacing (except for the 1050's, which they don't warranty past a year - they assume that commercial outfits are the ones using those). I bought my 650XL 3rd hand, told Dillon that I had bought it 3rd hand - and they sent me parts for free.
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I used to love the stories of Dillon presses being shot up in robberies, engulfed in fires totally destroyed, etc, etc, and all were either repaired or replaced at no charge, with no hassle or B.S. Sure made for great Blue Press advertising (plus easy on the eyes covers). I paid if I recall correctly, $265 in 1993/94 for my 550B, and it remains in very close to like new condition... How fast would it be gone at that selling price for a face-to-face today? I'm guessing right quick, and why I have no hesitation recommending them - Even if you HATE it, someone else will love it for almost what you paid. Try that with a car, gun, TV...

The "No B.S." warranty was an amazing thing for the time. Sure, some companies were very generous with taking care of the customer, some not so much. How many had a "Reloaders bill of rights" with such a wide breadth of customer centric policies and guarantees, especially circa 1990??? I read this back in the day, and was sold... Just so much more icing on the cake.

Annotation 2019-04-01 174617.jpg
 
GW Staar said:
Good point, and here's another point. I think those two could win nationals loading all their ammo on a Pro 1000......intelligence and talent is most of it.....intelligence to know how to make good ammo is not machine specific, except that personal annoyances are a big factor in anything. I'm annoyed by different things than you. Tubbs is annoyed by different things than Widden, we all will shoot better with the least annoyances.



Yup, and a 550 that David Tubbs owned will go for 200% over new. ;)
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All absolutely true.

Widden makes special tool heads for the 650 that you and I can buy. I already use his dies. Maybe if I got that tool head too I could shoot like him?

Humm, probably not. When I used to play golf I had a set of Titlest clubs that didn’t make me Tiger Woods either
 
The OP merely needs to do a Search here or on any other reloading site, and there will be hundreds of similar threads w/ exactly the same answers.
 
I did a lot of slumming around before I got the blue. Now I’ve settled down. Slummin’ was fun at times. And exciting. All kinds of tinkering and fixin’. Replacin’ and cussin’. Now, when I need a thousand rounds of 9mm I just stock up the 650 and start ridin’ that handle. Nothin’ excitin’ happens. No fixin’. No cussin’. No terror waitin’ for me around the next turn of the shell plate. Just a thousand identical rounds in short order. Only excitement is the buzzers waking me up to fill up somethin’ else. Kind of boring, really. Terror or boring. Pick your poison.
 
For me it would depend on how much I reload and how much money I want to invest (lose) when I sell my reloading gear.
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If that is the measure, buy a Dillon.

My oldest ones are over 30 years old. Have been rebuild by them for free several times for just the cost of shipping them back, they covered return shipping.

I could list them in the classified section for more than twice what I paid for them new and they wouldn’t last two hours before someone “got a deal”.

Lost of stuff does go down in value Dillon equipment isn’t one of them.
 
O.K., Folks, I want you all to notice one thing. For the Hornady, it is always said you have to tinker or fiddle with it. But as in post #31 the Dillon you have to get it dialed in. Does anyone besides me see a problem with that?

Now, my fellow Hornady folks that are tinkering with you press...STOP IT. Just STOP. In the post "What clever little things have you "invented or discovered" that you can share?" I have posted how to make and use a timing kit. Once you get it timed perfectly you will not have to keep tinkering with it. On May 23, 2015, I timed all four of my Ammo-Plants and my buddies Dillon 650. At that time I let you all know that I would inform you which one needs adjusting first.

Some of you folks talk bad about the Hornady case feeder. Well, you Dillon folks would love to have my case feeder. It loads 6 more 30.06 cases an hour than a Dillon and 22 more 9mm.
 
DRAINSMITH said:
O.K., Folks, I want you all to notice one thing. For the Hornady, it is always said you have to tinker or fiddle with it. But as in post #31 the Dillon you have to get it dialed in. Does anyone besides me see a problem with that?

Now, my fellow Hornady folks that are tinkering with you press...STOP IT. Just STOP. In the post "What clever little things have you "invented or discovered" that you can share?" I have posted how to make and use a timing kit. Once you get it timed perfectly you will not have to keep tinkering with it. On May 23, 2015, I timed all four of my Ammo-Plants and my buddies Dillon 650. At that time I let you all know that I would inform you which one needs adjusting first.

Some of you folks talk bad about the Hornady case feeder. Well, you Dillon folks would love to have my case feeder. It loads 6 more 30.06 cases an hour than a Dillon and 22 more 9mm.
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Ok, I've done my due diligence searching for your thread on the timing kit. I found one place where you said post 1134 on page 54 of the what things have you invented thread. Nope, not there. I'm still very new with the LNL, and have loaded a few 9mm, .357 magnum, and 44 magnum to try it out. Priming is perfect, but when it snaps in to location, it would occasionally spill a grain or two in fairly full 2400 .357 cases. I was thinking I might need to take a die grinder and grind a short ramp to make the ball plunger drop less abrupt, but I'd rather not mod the plate unless it is the only option available.
So. Where do I find your timing tools thread? TIA
 
you Dillon folks would love to have my case feeder. It loads 6 more 30.06 cases an hour than a Dillon and 22 more 9mm.
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I would love to see it. I haven’t outran my Dillon collators even just doing case prep at over 4300/hr.



I’m not sure how many decades I have own my 650’s but I have never “timed” either of them, or my SD’s, 1050’s either. That said, I only had to time one of my LNL’s.

Anyone that says you never have to do anything to keep a press loading, either doesn’t load or is not being honest.
 
Chuck59 said:
Ok, I've done my due diligence searching for your thread on the timing kit. I found one place where you said post 1134 on page 54 of the what things have you invented thread. Nope, not there. I'm still very new with the LNL, and have loaded a few 9mm, .357 magnum, and 44 magnum to try it out. Priming is perfect, but when it snaps in to location, it would occasionally spill a grain or two in fairly full 2400 .357 cases. I was thinking I might need to take a die grinder and grind a short ramp to make the ball plunger drop less abrupt, but I'd rather not mod the plate unless it is the only option available.
So. Where do I find your timing tools thread? TIA
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The detents on the shell plate can be adj to weaken the snap, their just pressed in. Use a punch and tap them back a little makes a huge difference.

The Dillons also have this issue, so it't not all Hornady. It's more of a function of how full the cartridge is and type of powder being used.
 
Chuck59 said:
Ok, I've done my due diligence searching for your thread on the timing kit. I found one place where you said post 1134 on page 54 of the what things have you invented thread. Nope, not there. I'm still very new with the LNL, and have loaded a few 9mm, .357 magnum, and 44 magnum to try it out. Priming is perfect, but when it snaps in to location, it would occasionally spill a grain or two in fairly full 2400 .357 cases. I was thinking I might need to take a die grinder and grind a short ramp to make the ball plunger drop less abrupt, but I'd rather not mod the plate unless it is the only option available.
So. Where do I find your timing tools thread? TIA
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It's post #1334 in in the clever little thing invented. Drainsmith starts by talking about priming issues and fix and then goes into his homade timing kit that includes a #16 shell plate, a 380 case, a .223 case, a .45 seater die and a tub of play-do. It was posted June 11, 2016.
 
Ahh, I did the old people thing and transposed a couple of numbers. :) Thanks, HD.
 
um... to add a link to a post in another thread, just right click on the post number, in this case #1334 in the "clever" thread, and click "copy link" in the drop down menu.

Click in the reply window in the thread you want to add the link, right click, pick "paste" to put the link into your reply:
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...at-you-can-share.218188/page-54#post-10283639

That's how it's done
Try it, use it,
:thumbup:
edit: have both threads open, in separate widows or tabs, and toggle between the 2 to post the link.
 
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Tilos said:
um... to add a link to a post in another thread, just right click on the post number, in this case #1334 in the "clever" thread, and click copy link in the drop down menu.

Click in the reply window in the thread you want to add the link, right click, pick paste to put the link into your reply:
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...at-you-can-share.218188/page-54#post-10283639

That's how it's done
Try it, use it,
:thumbup:
edit: have both threads open, in separate widows or tabs, and toggle between the 2 to post the link.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I found the post and was trying to copy a link for it, to no avail. Always glad to learn something new.

Dave
 
The last Dillon I sold was my 45 ACP, 650. I put it on eBay after Obama’s re-election and Sandyhook, it went for over $1800 and I had a new 45 ACP 1050 a few weeks later ;)

That said people were paying $100 for an $8 Pmag....
 
jmorris said:
The last Dillon I sold was my 45 ACP, 650. I put it on eBay after Obama’s re-election and Sandyhook, it went for over $1800 and I had a new 45 ACP 1050 a few weeks later ;)

That said people were paying $100 for an $8 Pmag....
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I saw every AR disappear from a rather well stocked gun store in less than a week. Mags were gone in a few days. I'm not sure why that scare would have affected loaders but I did buy 8 lbs of powder just in case.:D
 
Everything dried up. I have always been well stocked, since before Clinton’s AWB. I “loaned” out components to a number of folks in my club back then.

I told them up front that I didn’t want any money, just replenishment. Kind of a gamble for them back then because everything was nuts.

You would have threads back then like, “I just bought 16 lbs of Titegroup what’s a good .223 load for this powder?... figured there would have been a lot of good deals on used equipment by now.
 
That all reminds me of when I bought my first progressive, the Pro 2000. I was investigating what products fit me best in October, made up my mind.....decided to wait for Christmas (kill two birds)......then Obama got elected the first time! All hell broke loose......there was nothing in stock anywhere for Christmas. Then in January I found a manual version of the Pro 2000 at a normal price....bought it.....then went looking on the internet for the conversion kit to make it into the auto advance version......What a nightmare.

Also noticed all the black rifles disappear in that first aftermath November weekend.....did not expect that either.
 
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