Local source for Hornady or Dillon?

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Fitz

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G'evening,

I'm on the hunt for either a Dillon 550b or a Hornday AP. I was hoping to find one locally (southern NH) but haven't had much luck. Both Midway and Cabella's have the Hornady AP for $399+ shipping but they're also both on back order. I tried Riley's a few weekends ago as I would prefer to support the local guy but they didn't have one. I dropped them another email this afternoon.

Any other shops locally?

Thanks,
Fitz
 
And, low and behold, Kittery Trading Post started really promoting the Dillon line. It's about freaking time.

They have at least one of each model on display. I'm guessing that they might have one on hand for you.
 
Lots of dillon users wish they went red instead whereas the opposite is not true.

Ease of operation and setup are what I am most concerned with and dillons have way too many parts/pieces. I bet at least twice as many as LnL and the powder setup is a joke.
 
Fixxah said:
Lots of dillon users wish they went red instead whereas the opposite is not true.

Ease of operation and setup are what I am most concerned with and dillons have way too many parts/pieces. I bet at least twice as many as LnL and the powder setup is a joke.
Click to expand...

Oh great another Blue vs Red thread [rolleyes].

Personally I have a Dillon. I would have bought an LnL if I could have found one at the time I was ready to buy. It was right around the time that they redesigned the shell plates/ejector and they were back ordered for months. I don't think you can go wrong with either. The LnL's are cheaper as you add more calibers.
 
Not looking to make this into a red verse blue thread. I've heard great things about both. Appears that both brands have die hard loyals. In fact I have two great friends, both experienced reloaders with greater than 20 years under their belts and thousands of rounds; one prefers dillon and one hornady. I respect both of their technical opinions although they both differ substantially.

With Midway, Cabella's, and Kittery Trading Post all on back order for both brands, it will probably come down to which one is available first. Both Brian Enos and Dillon appear to have the 550b in stock however they're ~$50 + shipping more than the others. I also checked out North Shore Firearms. Appears they have discontinued stocking machines as of May 2010; at least that's what is on their website.

The hunt continues. Thanks for the help folks.

Fitz
 
Two different dealers have told me they stopped stocking Dillon products because there's almost no profit. Last I saw, Brian Enos offered free shipping with a minimum order of a few hundred bucks. I can't remember the exact figure, but it was in the neighborhood of the price of a 550B. For $259 Dillon is selling a turret-type press which uses the frame and toolheads of the 550. It can be upgraded later to a 550 progressive.
I've been loading with a 550 for over 20 years, and would recommend it and the Dillon customer service. In fairness, I've never laid eyes on the LnL, but I have other Hornady equipment, and it's all first-class.
 
I think the big problem is the Dillon Dealler requirements. I dont know how far you are willing to travel but C&F guns in middleboro mass has several dillon machines in his shop and I believe he also loads his ammo on them (he his a ammo manufacture now). Nice little shop. There are several other shops in the area if you want to do a gunshop day trip
 
anyone know the reason for the lack of availability on the LNL?

I was at Riley's and the only 550 I saw had a "demo" tag and was marked down a few bucks, I didn't ask about it though.
 
The Dillon 650 and Hornady are comparable true progressive machines. 550 has to be manually indexed but is fairly inexpensive when compared to those above.
If $ is the main issue, get a single stage kit. You won't set any volume records but will make excellent ammo.
 
I own a Dillon 550B and have no idea what, if any, drawbacks there are with the Hornady.
Nor do I know what the cost differential is. The 550B suffers from a really poor primer system.
It works, barely. While the powder adjustment is simple, and trial and error to adjust, it is very
repeatable and accurate. I have made tens of thousands of rounds on it and haven't been able
to justify getting a Hornady as the cost associated with replacing what I have would be too great,
although I have been sorely tempted when the primer system begins to screw up. The shame of
it is that Dillon could cure the primer system problems easily if they wanted to. It's just a bad design.
 
Patriot said:
The 550B suffers from a really poor primer system. It works, barely.
Click to expand...

What problems do you have with the primer system? The only problem I've had is when the primer catcher gets stuck open and throws spent primers on my floor. I've read that replacing the cotter pin with a safety pin cures that but haven't had a chance to test it.
 
I, on the other hand, have no issues, whatsoever, with the primer system on my 550b. I change it over from Large to Small a LOT! Never an issue.
Change out the shuttle. Change out the primer tube. Reload with primers, and reload like crazy!

I only complain that when I get running on like 9's and .40's, it seems like I have to stop every 10 minutes to reload primers. Wish the tube held more than just 100.

Other than that one small detail, I never have any primer issues with Dillon 550b.

Changing the subject: I did just bump into some Remington Large Rifle primers that my hammer on my .500 S&W Magnum WOULD NOT DENT enough to fire. They are like rock hard!! I have set that lot aside, and will contact Remington. In the meantime, I have gone back to my inventory of CCI Large Rifle primers.

Patriot said:
I own a Dillon 550B and have no idea what, if any, drawbacks there are with the Hornady.
Nor do I know what the cost differential is. The 550B suffers from a really poor primer system.
It works, barely. While the powder adjustment is simple, and trial and error to adjust, it is very
repeatable and accurate. I have made tens of thousands of rounds on it and haven't been able
to justify getting a Hornady as the cost associated with replacing what I have would be too great,
although I have been sorely tempted when the primer system begins to screw up. The shame of
it is that Dillon could cure the primer system problems easily if they wanted to. It's just a bad design.
Click to expand...
 
eisenhow said:
What problems do you have with the primer system? The only problem I've had is when the primer catcher gets stuck open and throws spent primers on my floor. I've read that replacing the cotter pin with a safety pin cures that but haven't had a chance to test it.
Click to expand...

I've tried every stupid 'cure' that the maestros of the interwebz have been able to conjure up.
Trust me, that pin thing doesn't work that well. Does it work better than the cotter pin? Yes,
marginally. If you haven't had your primer bar stuck open and screw up your reloading rhythm
you are truly fortunate. But, hang on, it will happen.
 
DukeInMaine said:
I, on the other hand, have no issues, whatsoever, with the primer system on my 550b. I change it over from Large to Small a LOT! Never an issue.
Change out the shuttle. Change out the primer tube. Reload with primers, and reload like crazy!

I only complain that when I get running on like 9's and .40's, it seems like I have to stop every 10 minutes to reload primers. Wish the tube held more than just 100.

Other than that one small detail, I never have any primer issues with Dillon 550b.

Changing the subject: I did just bump into some Remington Large Rifle primers that my hammer on my .500 S&W Magnum WOULD NOT DENT enough to fire. They are like rock hard!! I have set that lot aside, and will contact Remington. In the meantime, I have gone back to my inventory of CCI Large Rifle primers.
Click to expand...

Well, aren't you special!
 
I had a 550 for years,in fact I started with the 450. Bought one of the first when they went dealer direct. In my 25+ years with the 550 I thought that the primer system was the easiest to change over. Unbolt 2 allen screws change primer arm rebolt 2 screws change the feed tube from X to X and done. A lot easier than my 650.
 
I don't feel special. Perhaps just lucky. Like Highlander, I like the ease of the changeover on the 550, and just have never had any issues with the feeding and installing of primers.

BUT... having said that, one of the things that could go wrong with the primer system in the 550b relates to the plastic nib at the bottom of the primer feed tube on the machine. There's rectangular tab on the side that needs to be gently rotated until it lines up with the keyway in the fixture. If you aren't careful, you could partially crush the plastic that is supposed to hold onto the primer. If that plastic gripper fingers get mangled, it would cause a whole host of problems.

Someone specifically mentioned that to me a while ago, when I got the press, and I have always been careful to gently align that tab, and take great pains to protect that plastic part. You can buy replacements.
 
After loading about 10,000 rounds on my 550b, I started to get problems with primer system. Several times in 100 rounds, the primer would not fall into the primer bar, or would end up on the floor.

I seem to have solved that by:

1) polishing the bottom of the primer bar (not sure if that is the right name for the metal part with the primer cup) with 0000 steel wool.
2) gluing a 1/4" nut to the top of the primer tube follower.
3) lubricating the part of the press that the primer bar slides on with graphite.
4) cleaning that part of the press and the primer bar regularly with alcohol.

I've loaded the last 1500 rounds without any problems. I don't know if any of that will help you. I do agree that the primer system on the 550b is a weak point.
 
M1911 said:
After loading about 10,000 rounds on my 550b, I started to get problems with primer system. Several times in 100 rounds, the primer would not fall into the primer bar, or would end up on the floor.

I seem to have solved that by:

1) polishing the bottom of the primer bar (not sure if that is the right name for the metal part with the primer cup) with 0000 steel wool.
2) gluing a 1/4" nut to the top of the primer tube follower.
3) lubricating the part of the press that the primer bar slides on with graphite.
4) cleaning that part of the press and the primer bar regularly with alcohol.

I've loaded the last 1500 rounds without any problems. I don't know if any of that will help you. I do agree that the primer system on the 550b is a weak point.
Click to expand...

Mine has a .40 S&W case pressed onto it.
 
eisenhow said:
Oh great another Blue vs Red thread [rolleyes].

Personally I have a Dillon. I would have bought an LnL if I could have found one at the time I was ready to buy. It was right around the time that they redesigned the shell plates/ejector and they were back ordered for months. I don't think you can go wrong with either. The LnL's are cheaper as you add more calibers.
Click to expand...

I'll second this. I was in the same boat. LNL = forget about getting one unless you overpaid for it on the secondary market, or placed a backorder and prayed. At the time I got my 550, I was on a single stage and it was getting old, and I needed ammo badly. My 550B is dirt simple and I don't regret buying it.. IMO the measure on the LNL is better, but for what I use the 550 for, the measure on it works fine.

-Mike
 
I don't know why you don't buy a Lee Loadmaster for $240. You can get all the caliber conversions ( $25 for a shell plate and $11 for a turret then add dies)you need and you can have a few hundred $$$ left over for components. I've had mine since 98ish and loaded how many tens of thousands of rounds and had no issues...its a true progressive press, case feeder works great, 5 stations, shell plates and turrets are affordable. General wear parts are dirt cheap and rarely need attention. You can putz along and load 500 rounds+ of 9mm easily in an hour. With real effort 1000 rounds an hour is possible. Once it is set up and ready to roll it is just a matter of put a bullet in the case at the seating station and pull the handle. Every 100 rounds refill the primer tray, check the powder measure level, toss a couple handfulls of empty cases into the collator, and keep reloading.

Spending more money doesn't always get you higher quality, convenience, or performance. You have to load a lot of ammo to justify spending two thousand dollars or more on equipment. I'm not suggesting that you scrimp on anything. Just don't dismiss a brand because they don't cost as much as the others. Weigh all your options.
http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&brand=LE&prodID=LEE90937&prodTitle=Lee Load Master 380 ACP
 
Last edited:
Lee stuff always made me wonder. I suppose the ammo cant suck if they are still around. It's not like there is so much of a tolerance where the ammo can be off and still fire properly (safely). Lee seems up front like they are one of the last few companies around that dont intend to make so much profit where their machines are stupid expensive.

I wish it was more of a widely used brand on this fourm so I could get a better feel. In the end I usally go with the more expensive known brand rather then going with the cheaper unknown.
 
Fixxah said:
Lots of dillon users wish they went red instead whereas the opposite is not true.

Ease of operation and setup are what I am most concerned with and dillons have way too many parts/pieces. I bet at least twice as many as LnL and the powder setup is a joke.
Click to expand...

not to bdea stick in the mud, but your totally incorrect here. I don't know what other folks are doing, but my 650's powder measure is dead nuts
every time, and to change it is no problem. i can't speak to "too many parts"
i have never owned a LNL and i'm not knocking them. But i heard the casesffeder is not the best. ????
 
Patriot said:
I own a Dillon 550B and have no idea what, if any, drawbacks there are with the Hornady.
Nor do I know what the cost differential is. The 550B suffers from a really poor primer system.
It works, barely. While the powder adjustment is simple, and trial and error to adjust, it is very
repeatable and accurate. I have made tens of thousands of rounds on it and haven't been able
to justify getting a Hornady as the cost associated with replacing what I have would be too great,
although I have been sorely tempted when the primer system begins to screw up. The shame of
it is that Dillon could cure the primer system problems easily if they wanted to. It's just a bad design.
Click to expand...

I haven't had much problems with the priming on my 550. 95% of the problems I've had was as a direct result of forgetting to change out the insert tube to the appropriate sized one... what a f**king mess that makes. [laugh]

The only other thing I don't like is pieces of debris or brass get on the priming ram and dent the primers, but this is all depends on the brass in use, etc. Cleaning the press off quickly after every 100 rounds keeps this to a minimum.

-Mike
 
drgrant said:
I haven't had much problems with the priming on my 550. 95% of the problems I've had was as a direct result of forgetting to change out the insert tube to the appropriate sized one... what a f**king mess that makes. [laugh]
Click to expand...

When I first got mine I was having all kinds of problems. I was getting upside down and sideways primers. I was in a rush to set it up and failed to take the large primer tube out and put the small one in. [wink].
 

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