Lee or Dillon??

[jboo37]

Hi guy's, I've been reading this forum everyday and you guy's are great! Seems like a great community.. My question is whether to fix my Lee pro 1000 or to buy a Dillon 550b. I started on a Lee single stage turret press, which I still use and have produced some great ammo over the years. The only problem with the single stage is time, it takes so long to make a lot of rounds. The pro 1000 also has many years on it, but very few being used. The press was fine at first then became problematic. It has sat on the bench for many years and collected dust. I pulled it apart the other day and found at least one spring missing and to be honest I don't know how many parts I'll have to buy to make it function again. I spoke with a friend of mine yesterday about whether he was still using his pro 1000, he said he switched over to Dillon and said it's night and day difference between Lee and Dillon. I thought I would get your opinions before I sunk $400 into a new press. Thanks, JB

[A-FIXER]

I can say that many people have and swear by the dillon, but I have a L&L hornady press the I have had some small issues with it but what I can say is that some of the attachments are less than the dillon. And now with the small glitchs are out of it it serves me well, shellplates 29.00 but the best cost saving maybe in the casefeeder which is appx 289.00 and the casefeeder plates are about the same cost where as the RCBS one as I read it you have to undergo major purchases for each pistol or rifle casefeeders so with this the hornady also you get 500 free bullets to bad when I got mine I think they were offering alot more. hope this helps

[312shooter]

Oooohhhhhh man just when i thought we buried the hatchet!

[polishshooter]

While I absolutely love Lee reloading stuff and have never had a problem with any of it, the only thing I would NEVER buy is their Progressive 1000...it first came on the market in the 1980s right about the time Dillon came out with their first progressive and it looked like a steal in comparison, but luckily before I bought mine (I too started my IPSC career loading on a Lee Turret press, and STILL have it and still load with it) I knew some guys who bought one and to a man they ALL had problems with theirs, so even though I didn't want to spend $400 on a Dillon (yeah, even back then, so $400 now doesn't seem so BAD) i bought a Pacific Pro-7 for $299.99 with dies, and even then used my Lee carbide dies and auto disc measure on it...

But to this day I have NEVER heard anyone with a Lee Progressive 1000 that is truly happy with it, and even though I am NOT a Dillon fan, (in the 1980s at IPSC shoots the joke was "How do you tell if a guy uses a Dillon?---It's the guy with his hand up on the line with his .45 with a stuck bullet in the other asking "Does anybody have a dowel rod and a hammer?") I begrudgingly admit the OTHER way on them...EVERYBODY who owns one becomes a "Big Blue Nut" even to the point of being annoying!

[Waldog]

I have loaded with a Dillon SDB, 550, 650 and 1050. I currently own a Dillon SDB and a Hornady LNL. I prefer the operation of the LNL by a WIDE MARGIN.

Dillon, Hornady and RCBS make fine progressive loaders. Each has it's quirks and each has it's benefits. They each operate a little differently. Your best bet is try and find samples of each and see what you like.

In spite of what Dillon owners claim, none of them, works flawlessly. All of them have to be "tweaked" to get to work smoothly.

[dksac2]

Dillon 550. I had a lee progressive and threw it right out the door of the shop, got the Dillon, have loaded thousands of rounds with it, fantastic press.
Good reloading equipment will last a lifetime. Get the dillon, far less frustration and you can pass it down to the next generation.

John K

P.S. the only thing I buy from Lee is their Factory Crimp Dies and they can't even make them right sometimes. Lee rifle dies start scratching the necks of the cartridges, even when the cartridges were tumbled and cleaned first, a couple thousand re sized and the necks were being badly scratched by the dies.
Buy quality.

[woolleyworm]

Originally Posted by 312shooter

Oooohhhhhh man just when i thought we buried the hatchet!

At least the hatchets don't fly very often !

Originally Posted by jboo37

Hi guy's, I've been reading this forum everyday and you guy's are great! he said he switched over to Dillon and said it's night and day difference between Lee and Dillon. I thought I would get your opinions before I sunk $400 into a new press. Thanks, JB

I will tell you the same thing, you'll have some adjustment tweaking and parts with any mechanical machine will wear over time. I just got my 550 last week, but I had a SDB for a few years before. The stoutness, ease of use and the support from Dillon makes it worth the money for me.

Originally Posted by Waldog

I have loaded with a Dillon SDB, 550, 650 and 1050. I currently own a Dillon SDB and a Hornady LNL. I prefer the operation of the LNL by a WIDE MARGIN.

Dillon, Hornady and RCBS make fine progressive loaders. Each has it's quirks and each has it's benefits. They each operate a little differently. Your best bet is try and find samples of each and see what you like.

In spite of what Dillon owners claim, none of them, works flawlessly. All of them have to be "tweaked" to get to work smoothly.

I still have yet to load on the LNL, but it's always got good reviews. It's a stout press and got a great company behind it to support it. I would like to try one if anyone has one in the central TX area. I would like to compare it to the 550.

Originally Posted by dksac2

Dillon 550. I had a lee progressive and threw it right out the door of the shop, got the Dillon, have loaded thousands of rounds with it, fantastic press.
Good reloading equipment will last a lifetime. Get the dillon, far less frustration and you can pass it down to the next generation.

John K

The frustration level is the same thing that drove me away from Lee presses, I found it much easier to adjust and get the machine set up smoothly with RCBS equipment which I started out on. I don't have the temperment to sit there and tweak on equipment half the day, it shortens my reloading time. The guy that started me into reloading has several single stage presses and has 2 Lee Pro 1000, a LoadMaster and 2 Turrets. They all work ok, except for the LoadMaster, it is a constant tweaking and plastic part replacing monster. The Pro1000's are ok but just not as "tight" and stout as I think a piece of precision equipment should be. I am picky about certain things and Lee hasn't been up to snuff for me.

This is one question that is certain to always get alot of different views; these are just mine; perfectly ok to think 180* out if you want too.

[LDBennett]

If you want to buy just one press and never HAVE TO buy another then buy the Dillon RL550B. Dillon service is superb. In fact until Dillon came along, service from reloading tool companies was a bad word. Dillon changed it all. The 550B is more versatile than other progressives BECAUSE it does NOT have auto advancing of the table. That allows easy single and turret press operation, as well as full progressive operation. Mine is over 20 years old and works great. I had a Square Deal and it did not serve my purposes anymore. Dillon took it back at full value and applied it to the RL550B cost. Hornady would not do that for me when I had one of their POS progressive shotgun presses that never worked. They had introduced a new "better" model that actually worked and felt no responsibility to owners of the previous model. I buy few Hornady reloading tools anymore.

But this is just my opinion.

LDBennett

[Insulation Tim]

Originally Posted by LDBennett

If you want to buy just one press and never HAVE TO buy another then buy the Dillon RL550B. Dillon service is superb. In fact until Dillon came along, service from reloading tool companies was a bad word. Dillon changed it all. The 550B is more versatile than other progressives BECAUSE it does NOT have auto advancing of the table. That allows easy single and turret press operation, as well as full progressive operation. Mine is over 20 years old and works great. I had a Square Deal and it did not serve my purposes anymore. Dillon took it back at full value and applied it to the RL550B cost. Hornady would not do that for me when I had one of their POS progressive shotgun presses that never worked. They had introduced a new "better" model that actually worked and felt no responsibility to owners of the previous model. I buy few Hornady reloading tools anymore.

But this is just my opinion.

LDBennett

I agree with everything that our resident reloading guru says.

From a personal experience, I too was reloading on a Lee Breach Lock Press quite satisfactorily. I wanted something that would speed the process and purchased the RL550B. I failed miserably, mainly because I didn't understand the machine and its setup (nor do I spend much time reading manuals). Through this forum, LD and others helped get me back on track and the Dillon churns out 45 ACP extremely fast.

I think that it would benefit you to purchase new Dillon Dies for your machine as they have some distinct advantages over the Lee dies (at least IMHO).

Good luck.

[jboo37]

Thanks for the replies. I have a ton of Lee die's, you really think Dillon's are that much better? Just from what I've read so far I think I'll go with the Dillon. Thanks again..

[woolleyworm]

Originally Posted by jboo37

Thanks for the replies. I have a ton of Lee die's, you really think Dillon's are that much better? Just from what I've read so far I think I'll go with the Dillon. Thanks again..

Without any doubt in my mind, Yes, Dillon dies are better. So are RCBS and the others out there too. You can still make good ammo with the Lee dies. I would suggest you try to find someone else that reloads in the area and see if you can "try before you buy". Not sure where you located, but if there's a gun range nearby, there are reloaders nearby.

[howlnmad]

Originally Posted by 312shooter

Oooohhhhhh man just when i thought we buried the hatchet!

My thoughts exactly. I wonder how many pages this will go on for?

Maybe buying the Dillon 1050 and painting it Lee red would quickly put this to rest.

[raysmithson1]

Have had my L N L now for 6 months,, this is the one to buy,,, I'm so happy with it I will buy one more ,, but not from Midway usa,,,, this is a useless co.

[polishshooter]

Originally Posted by raysmithson1

Have had my L N L now for 6 months,, this is the one to buy,,, I'm so happy with it I will buy one more ,, but not from Midway usa,,,, this is a useless co.

What happened with your Midway experience?

I have had great dealings with them so far, my only complaint is paying the extra shipping on back ordered stuff.

[Kevin Rohrer]

Anything but a Lee.

[RustyFN]

Originally Posted by Kevin Rohrer

Anything but a Lee.

That was very informative, thanks for all the info.

[woolleyworm]

Originally Posted by RustyFN

That was very informative, thanks for all the info.

Short, simple and straight to the point is often best !

I could have summed it up in two words though; Go Blue !!

[JohnTheCalifornian]

I have used nothing but Lee equipment over the years I have been reloading. I can say I have had troubles with their loadmaster, but all is fine now with it, after making some minor adjustments. (Is there a progressive out there that doesnt require any adjustments?).

I recently purchased a set of Dillon Carbide dies for reloaidng 357 Sig. (Only becasue Lee doesnt offer them in carbide) Anyhow, I find die setup with the Lee dies much easier than the Dillon. The Dillon dies require the use of a 1" wrench to tighten the lock rings, whereas the Lee dies, just simply hand tighten the lock rings down. Cant say anything about a price difference because Lee doesnt offer those dies in carbide.

All in all, Im happy with my Lee equipment, been reloading with it for just over 10 years now. I am happy with my Dillon dies as well, but have been spoiled by the fact that Lee includes the powder through expanding die with their sets, which Dillon does not.

[American Leader]

I guess someone needs to stick up for old Richard Lee. I have 3 Lee presses, single basic, Challenger Breech Lock, and the LoadMaster. They all work great. Use all 3 all the time. Been usin the Loadmaster for over 11 years and loaded 10's of thousands of rounds. I can't say I have never had a problem, but if you can read and have a little patience everything is correctible. Like some of the guy's stated already, any press can give you a bug once an awhile. When you compare initial costs and accessory purchases the Lee blows all other companies out of the water. Huge cost savings. Now if you're a bull in a china shop the Lee may not be for you, the guy's are right, a lot of plastic/nylon is used in this press. By the way, I have never owned a Progressive 1000, but my brother who just joined here yesterday has owned one longer than I owned the Loadmaster and probably loaded an uncountable amount of rounds on it. He has told me he loves it. I guess it's different strokes for different folks! Good luck and welcome aboard jboo37, the folks on here are great!

[DGG!]

I have always used an indexing progressive reloader for shotshell reloading and after looking at the mechanics of the available reloaders I chose the Dillon 650. I like the station that does a powder check (double or none and it beeps). It is a very sturdy machine that keeps me well stocked. I can't compare the two since I have never used the Lee, but can only mention my experience with the reliable Dillon 650.

[Brisk44]

Hi all I'm American Leaders brother and as he says I have been using a LEE pro 1000 since the late 80's and loaded several hundred thousand rounds with it and have had no real problems. I have worn out a few small parts but they were easily replaced and I was up and running again in no time. As mentioned previously amsciliary parts are less expensive and well made. I would not call LEE equipment cheap it is inexpensive and well made equipment. I will not buy anything else.

[woolleyworm]

Originally Posted by Brisk44

Hi all I'm American Leaders brother and as he says I have been using a LEE pro 1000 since the late 80's and loaded several hundred thousand rounds with it and have had no real problems. I have worn out a few small parts but they were easily replaced and I was up and running again in no time. As mentioned previously amsciliary parts are less expensive and well made. I would not call LEE equipment cheap it is inexpensive and well made equipment. I will not buy anything else.

Welcome to the forum Brisk ! You will never hear me call it cheap and most others here are the same. We all have an investment into our equipment and respect each others choices as we all have different budgets and flavors of what we like.

Looking fwd to hearing more from ya; this is a great group here and we all get along rather amicably, even if we don't see eye to eye all the time. One big disfunctional family........... with lots of guns !!!

[Popgunner]

Welcome Brisk

There are some realy good videos on youtube showing presses in operation.
Lee, Dillon, RCBS, & a few others.

[BigJakeJ1s]

Here is a pretty good comparison between Dillon, Hornady and Lee progressive presses:

http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillon...Comparison.pdf

Andy

[woolleyworm]

Originally Posted by BigJakeJ1s

Here is a pretty good comparison between Dillon, Hornady and Lee progressive presses:

http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillon...Comparison.pdf

Andy

I think that's the best review and unbiased opinion that I've read. That was very informative and detailed. Gotta make that one a "must read" for anyone considering their options on a press.