Reloading Press Advice

Sooo, I traded my brother in law a compound bow and accessories for all of his reloading supplies/equipment. I got the much better end of the deal imo but he thinks he is done reloading anyway. I got both an RCBS Rock Chucker and a Lee Classic Turret along with scales, powder, bullets, various brass, primers, powder feeders, dies, etc, etc. Anyway, my question since I'm still new to reloading is. Do I need both of these presses or would it be a better investment to sell one and get some dies or other accessories or keep both. I'm going to reload .45acp, 5.56, .30.30, and 6.5 creedmoor. The 6.5 creedmoor would be my only competition load.

I would for sure keep the Rock Chucker, it will serve you well.

If you do alot of pistol shooting you'd be better off with a progressive press and save the single stages for rifle loading. RockChucker is solid,not sure about the Lee.

The Rockchucker is a good single stage.
Gonna be hard to beat a Dillon for a progressive.

The more I read about both presses and you guys have just confirmed for me that both presses are solid and should be kept. Thanks for the advice. I agree sleepy I think the dillon 550b is my pipe dream for the distant future.

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As said - keep them both.

That LEE turret press will allow you to crank out some ammo for plinking and might just surprise you with accuracy.

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Originally Posted by Rick_W

As said - keep them both.

That LEE turret press will allow you to crank out some ammo for plinking and might just surprise you with accuracy.

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hi Rick, i agree the Lee press will surprise you, that new Lee classic with the cast iron base is one massive HD press

Chet
ps i have modded the Lee collet die, and i am thrilled with the constant neck tension and runout, i am getting run out under .002 and most are within .001

I got the rockchucker II on clearance a few years ago. It has served me well. I have reloaded ~2000 rounds off of it, it's still brand new lol. I have no experience with the Lee press.

I have the Lee turret and an RCBS Junior (from the 70's when I bought it) and the Lee is sloppy by comparison. I use it on occasion, but due to the extra play between the press and the plate, it is not as consistent. I will keep it because i have use for it, but if I were you I would surely use the Rockchucker for the rifle loads.

I'm still using my RCBS Rockchucker press I bought in 1973 when I got out of the service and its still going strong.

And I never thought about getting a progressive press.

If you read the story of the Tortoise and the Hare the Tortoise may take longer to load his ammo but he has better quality by loading slower.

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Originally Posted by bigedp51

I'm still using my RCBS Rockchucker press I bought in 1973 when I got out of the service and its still going strong.

And I never thought about getting a progressive press.

If you read the story of the Tortoise and the Hare the Tortoise may take longer to load his ammo but he has better quality by loading slower.

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Agreed... except. I do load all of my precision rounds "by hand" on a single stage. But, when it comes to high volume rounds like 223 for the AR, 45 ACP, or 9mm, nothing beats a good progressive press. Sitting down and taking an hour (or more) to load a hundred rounds realizing you'll probably burn through them in a matter of 10-15 minutes can be a serious bummer on the moral at the reloading bench.

I do plan on getting a progressive in the future for my 5.56 and 45. Based on the info I can find the dillon 550b looks to be a very good machine although a bit pricey. Any thoughts on something cheaper with same results?

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I have the Lee Classic Turret and it is a great press. I like the fact that I can install dies in the removable turrets and not have to constantly screw them in and out. Swapping turrets is fast just a slight twist and lift the old turret and drop the new turret in.

You've got me beat. I bought my Rockchucker in 1975 and my 550 around 1990.

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Originally Posted by bigedp51

I'm still using my RCBS Rockchucker press I bought in 1973 when I got out of the service and its still going strong.

And I never thought about getting a progressive press.

If you read the story of the Tortoise and the Hare the Tortoise may take longer to load his ammo but he has better quality by loading slower.

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Originally Posted by Cyber

Based on the info I can find the dillon 550b looks to be a very good machine although a bit pricey.

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Yes, Dillon is pricey, but you get what you pay for... When it comes to progressives, I am an unabashed Dillon FanBoy. I bought my 650 roughly 20 years ago (my instructional video is on VHS) with all of the trimmings for not much more than the base press costs today, but knowing what I know, I'd willingly pay for it all over again. When I got my machine, I picked up the spare parts kit to go with it "just in case" something went out in the middle of loading... replace it, keep loading, and have them send me a replacement. 20 years on, many hundreds of thousands of rounds later, and I have yet to have to pull a single piece out of that kit....

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Originally Posted by Cyber

I do plan on getting a progressive in the future for my 5.56 and 45. Based on the info I can find the dillon 550b looks to be a very good machine although a bit pricey. Any thoughts on something cheaper with same results?

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The Dillon 550 is a semi-progressive press - you have to manually turn the turret after each stroke. To my knowledge, there's not another press similar to it. The closest would be to go with a turret.

Stepping up from the 550 would be the 650 - a full progressive press.

The only press I would even look at other than the Dillon for a progressive would be the Hornady Lock N' Load.

I use a 550 to crank out a couple hundred rounds of .38 Special every other weekend or so for Cowboy Action Shooting. Can't see where the 650 would speed things up enough for me to buy one: I put my clean brass in a loading tray and inspect each piece for a split case before loading. I have four loading trays so that's 200 rounds, two boxes of primers. Once I inspect the brass and load two primer tubes I can crank out those two hundred rounds in 15 - 20 minutes - taking my time.

Yeah I think I fat fingered the model number. Meant the 650.

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I'll check out the Hornady.

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I've done quite a bit on a lee turret and my dad's 550. Loaded once on my buddy's l-n-l ap..... It is now sitting in the back seat of my vehicle waiting to take it home. 650 or lnl would be my choice I just got a good deal on this thing. My main gripe with Dillon is the cost of swapping calibers

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I have the Lee Classic Turret and like it quite well. It allows me to easily use weighed charges from the RCBS Chargemaster with a turret workflow. I had a full progressive press and I think the priming system was always the drawback. I was always getting primers jammed up and having to take the machine apart to clear the stoppage and get the primers to flow again. The Lee Classic makes priming on the press the easiest I've found. Also, there were times with I just found too many things happening at once on a progressive to be able to watch each step on each cartridge, but loading single stage with having to move the cartridge in and out of the shell holder for each operation was just a little too slow. I think I make better ammunition on the Lee Cast Classic turret press and it's fast enough for the kind of shooting I do most.

I also have presses by RCBS, Ponsness Warren, Redding, Harrell and Hood, as well as arbor presses by Bald Eagle and Sinclair.

If I was going to shoot a benchrest match, I'd probably use a Harrell single stage press with a custom bushing die to size, prime with a separate precision tool, weigh each charge and seat with an inline seater like a Wilson.

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Originally Posted by 243LPR

If you do alot of pistol shooting you'd be better off with a progressive press and save the single stages for rifle loading. RockChucker is solid,not sure about the Lee.

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Agreed

Rockchucker man here, it has loaded thousands of rounds with out fail !!!!!

I managed to find a brand new Rockchucker on sale for $100. You'll be hard beat to surpass what the RockChucker will do for you.

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Originally Posted by Phranque

Yes, Dillon is pricey, but you get what you pay for... When it comes to progressives, I am an unabashed Dillon FanBoy. I bought my 650 roughly 20 years ago (my instructional video is on VHS) with all of the trimmings for not much more than the base press costs today, but knowing what I know, I'd willingly pay for it all over again. When I got my machine, I picked up the spare parts kit to go with it "just in case" something went out in the middle of loading... replace it, keep loading, and have them send me a replacement. 20 years on, many hundreds of thousands of rounds later, and I have yet to have to pull a single piece out of that kit....

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I actually had to break into my spare parts kit for my 650 (fully loaded). Only once and for one part. One of the "hitch pins" for the pickup tube end and that was only because I lost one.

I'd spend the money again without question. Dillon Customer Service is top shelf bar none.