Progressive press??

So I have been reloading on a lee classic breech lock press for a little over a year trying to figure out the ins and outs of reloading. I have loaded a few thousand rounds in that time period including 223, 223ai, 9mm, and 38 special.

I like the single stage for precision but I would like a progressive press for bulk 9mm and 223 loading. I'm on a pretty tight budget here and would like to keep it at the 200 dollar mark. I understand this doesn't leave me a whole ton of options. I have seen the lee pro and loadmasters about this price, and have also seen the Dillon 450 around there too. Any suggestions would be appreciated and I thank you all in advance.

I believe for that price you might be better off looking towards a turret press as the only progressive in that price range is the Lee Pro 1000.

While I have no direct experience with it, I hear more bad than good. It can make good ammo but requires more attention/fiddling to keep everything operating smoothly.

A Redding T-7 or RCBS turret will allow you to speed up by having your dies mounted and set properly, requiring only a turn of the turret to complete the next step.

I don't believe you can go wrong with a Dillon. I have two 550s set up and only occasionally want the 650. I can load 100 rounds of .38 Special in about 20 minutes. It takes me far longer looking for split cases and ensuring I don't have .357 cases mixed in.

Like the Dillion 550 as well, once set up properly works VERY well

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Originally Posted by Balljoint

Like the Dillion 550 as well, once set up properly works VERY well

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I agree but set up the way he wants it you're looking at close to 800 dollars even used

Be patient and shop around. Gun shows, on-line, etc............... Sooner or later a good deal will come your way. I got a used 550 that way. The RCBS is also spoken well of.

Thanks for all of the advice! I'm in no real rush so shopping around is a viable option, and what I will most likely do

I had a Lee Pro 1000 in 357 mag.
I had reloaded rifle with a rock chucker for 10+ years before I bought the Lee, my 1st progressive.
I had a LOT of VERY frustrating reloading days with the Lee 1000.
I took a loss and sold it, then I reinvested it in a used Dillon 550 and I NEVER regretted it, it is at least 10x's the machine of the Lee IMO.
Some use the Lee 1000 and say they have no issues.
I recommend a used Dillon.
Good luck on however way you go !

I really like my 550

I bought my 550 new maybe five years ago and it only cost $325. Never regretted that. Great press and as caliber versatile as you could ever want.
I like lee's hand primer and thats about all the Lee's products that I have use for.
Save your money, buy once-cry once.............and don't pay $800 for a 550.

And a quick google search shows it might of bean 10 years ago as they seam to be selling around $500 now, proving two things: I must be getting old and the mighty dollar aint what it use to be.................still worth it.

I have to agree with the above comment about considering a Turret Press. I have a Lee 4-Hole and it works fine for most loading duties and really speeds up the process vs. a Single Stage press. With the interchangeable turrets being cheap enough it makes it real easy to swap out die sets in no time and off you go again. I also made my own powder dropper stand, so I can use a Lee rifle charging die and funnel (or the Lee pistol dies are setup for thru powder dropping) and use my powder dropper right over the press and so the empty brass goes in and comes out a loaded round.

I still use my Single Stage Press for my real precision work, but for pistol, plinking, or even just normal level hunting ammo my Lee Turret Press just keeps chucking out rounds with acceptable repeatability for those tasks and a good production rate.

JMHO's

I've had my Hornady progressive for about 5 years now and have loaded a lot of rounds that went into the .25"-.5" range. It is more than you stated but cheaper than buying the Lee, getting fed up, selling the Lee and then buying the Hornady.

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Originally Posted by drewaki9

So I have been reloading on a lee classic breech lock press for a little over a year trying to figure out the ins and outs of reloading. I have loaded a few thousand rounds in that time period including 223, 223ai, 9mm, and 38 special.

I like the single stage for precision but I would like a progressive press for bulk 9mm and 223 loading. I'm on a pretty tight budget here and would like to keep it at the 200 dollar mark. I understand this doesn't leave me a whole ton of options. I have seen the lee pro and loadmasters about this price, and have also seen the Dillon 450 around there too. Any suggestions would be appreciated and I thank you all in advance.

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I have a Lee Classic Cast Turret Press. Great press. Although it is not truly progressive, it is considered semi-progressive. You can put out 200 rounds of handgun ammo pretty easily in an hour once you get used to the press. I also like that you can remove the index rod and use it as a single stage press. This makes it nice for reloading 223 if you need to trim cases.