Dillon vs Hornady stalemate

Help me guys.

I had a tool shed built and had a place for reloading made. Y'all have got me hooked on USPSA and I see the need to reload.

I have studied the internet and read the books and looked at all fourteen pages of this forum and when I get down to it I think I want a Dillon 550. I have the EZ novice package all lined up from Brian Enos and just when I am ready to go I talk to some friends who are having trouble with theirs (mainly with the primer feed).

After being at Magnolia for the past year and listening it appears that Dillon is the way to go but I also see that Hornady LNL has a lot of fans as well. I know the LNL compares better to the 650 but the 550 is probably what I will get.

I am not trying to start a red vs blue war here I have seen that on the internet enough.
I just know that there is a very experienced group of shooters and reloaders on this forum and I just need some encouragement and guidance.

I may be overloaded with too much information and can't act because of it.

Here is my reloading area attached.

All I have is a bench, shelves, dirty brass and a fire extinguisher (God forbid I need it).

Any suggestions appreciated. Hopefully, I will not become more confused.

MK

Nice spot... I dont feel qualified to offer any suggestions ... I just started with a Dillion Square Deal. I like it ok, but I am ignorant of the pros of the others.

Hornady is still on my _____ list.. the get zero support from me...

Great lookin bench, I own a dillon RL550b. I have had it for 7 or 8 years. You will have issues with the primer system if you don't keep it clean. Biggest issue I had was of my doing. I over torqured the 2 screws that hold the magazine housing on to press. and this caused the aluminum to swell somewhat. Dillon service department sent new one to me . End of issues. When it starts to get dirty, it will start hanging up and jerking and thats when the problems start. Take it off ,clean with alcohol, re-install, don't overtorque the 2 screws and your back in business. Alot of people swear by the Dillon and alot lke the Hornady. Your choice. the Hornady is probably as good as the Dillon. Like i said it's your choice. I would like to try one myself, but can't afford 2 progressives. Once the Dillon is set up, it runs like a sewing machine. I see pros and cons for both machines. It's a shame a man can't try each one and see what his likes and dislike are for both machines. One good point on the Dillon is the No BS warranty. It doesn't matter if I sold you my Rl550b, you have the same warranty as i had., no matter he owns it 20 years from now. Hope I haven't confused you any. If you want to talk, send me a PM and I'll try to help you all I can.

Robert
Stonewall, Ms.

Dillon has a long term reputation for service after the sale. If you found a 20 year Dillon press at a garage sale..you could send it back for a full rebuild for free. If you break a part, they send you a new one no questions asked. The support the shooting sports and are good people to do business with. Been using Dillon products for over 25 years.

You may want to try loading on both styles of press before buying one..that being said...I am happy Dillon customer.

If you're on a tight budget, the Hornady LNL is the way to go. If money is no problem, then Dillon would satisfy an ego. The biggest difference is the paint job and the price you have to pay for caliber conversion. With the blue press, you pay an astronomical price to add what you need to convert to another caliber. You can convert to other calibers with the Hornady for about half the price as for the Dillon. All in all, they both do the same thing. I have the Hornady and love it. I have had very good service support from Hornady. I could have purchased the Blue but opted for the Red due to the cost of converting from one caliber to another plus the fact that I can change from one caliber to another in just a few minites. I also got about $300.00 worth of free bullets for buying the Red. I have owned both and both function very reliably. It's just a matter of whether you want to go on an ego trip or save money to be used for reloading supplies. The only problem that I see with both press is the primer feed systems on both presses leaves a lot to be desired.

Yes, you have to keep the Dillon 550 priming area clean. It is right under the de-prime station so crap does collect there. What I do is after each 100rds take a slightly oily rag, raise the ram, and wipe the area the primer arm slides in. Another priming issue to watch out for is don't tighten the knob on top of the primer shield AT ALL. Just screw it down to it stops then backoff 1/8 turn.



.

I agree with SGMjody, your're looking at a little over $100 per caliber change. Time you buy shell plate, toolhead, toolhead stand, powder die, powder funnel, plus the dies. It is expensive. Someone else will have to tell you about a change on a Hornady. Like I said, I would love to try the Hornady myself.

Robert
Stonewall, Ms.

I have had a Dillon Square Deal (.38 Special) since 1984. When it breaks, they fix it, period. I also have a Square Deal for the .45 ACP.

They works as well as they did when new.

Doug

rdinak wrote:Dillon has a long term reputation for service after the sale. If you found a 20 year Dillon press at a garage sale..you could send it back for a full rebuild for free. If you break a part, they send you a new one no questions asked. The support the shooting sports and are good people to do business with. Been using Dillon products for over 25 years.

You may want to try loading on both styles of press before buying one..that being said...I am happy Dillon customer.

I asked Dillon about refurbing the rusty 550B I acquired from a friend a few months ago. Here is what they said:

Can do. We charge $47.95 for clean and lube service, which includes return shipping in the 48 contiguous US.

We strip it down, clean it in the solvent tank, inspect it; replacing all worn or damaged parts (missing parts are not covered) and then re-lube and reassemble it. Typical In-house turnaround time is about 2 weeks.

I decided to clean it up as is, it works fine.

When I was looking at buying a new one, I was sold on the Hornandy. I think Hornandy's powder measure is better for short extruded rifle powder. For pistol powder it probably doesn't matter.

If you want a case feeder, get the Dillon 650.
If you don't need a case feeder, get the Hornady L-N-L AP.
It is that simply, although I would get the L-N-L any way.

OK, I got the Hornady LNL mainly due to the fact I had a bunch of Cabela bucks and could get it for "free".

Been setting it up and adjusting dies the past few nights. Man, have I gotten good at bullet pulling.

Got brave enough tonight to load in primers and adjust the powder measure--not as difficult as the seating die.

Now I'm at a logjam because I don't know which recipe to use.

I bought a small amount of primers and a pound of Titegroup and a pound of Clay's Universal and 100 Sierra RN FMJ bullets.

I have Lyman manuel and Hornady manuel and have searched the internet but can't decide on on OAL or amount of powder.

There is a lot of conflicting info and I can't find an exact recipe for the bullets and the powder I have. I don't have a Speer manuel and can't find it on the internet.

The OAL is all over the place from 1.125 to 1.169. I've about decided to split the difference and go at 1.145.

I think I will start at a lower powder range of 3.6 gr Titegroup.

Does this sound ok to y'all in a Glock 19?

Thanks,

MK

I bought a Dillon 550 back in '97 when I started shooting USPSA. I've probably loaded over 100,000 rounds of 45acp, 40sw, 223 combined with minimal issues. The company's support is OUTSTANDING and worth the modest price. My reloader is 14 years old now and still running. There are some hiccups but they are mostly user related. The bullet quality is also outstandingly very good even to this day. No regrets here, just that I don't have a job that supports my insatiable shooting addiction.

surgdog wrote:OK, I got the Hornady LNL mainly due to the fact I had a bunch of Cabela bucks and could get it for "free".

Been setting it up and adjusting dies the past few nights. Man, have I gotten good at bullet pulling.

Got brave enough tonight to load in primers and adjust the powder measure--not as difficult as the seating die.

Now I'm at a logjam because I don't know which recipe to use.

I bought a small amount of primers and a pound of Titegroup and a pound of Clay's Universal and 100 Sierra RN FMJ bullets.

I have Lyman manuel and Hornady manuel and have searched the internet but can't decide on on OAL or amount of powder.

There is a lot of conflicting info and I can't find an exact recipe for the bullets and the powder I have. I don't have a Speer manuel and can't find it on the internet.

The OAL is all over the place from 1.125 to 1.169. I've about decided to split the difference and go at 1.145.

I think I will start at a lower powder range of 3.6 gr Titegroup.

Does this sound ok to y'all in a Glock 19?

Thanks,

MK

Somehow I missed this post.

I use Tiregroup and .38s... so pretty close to your 9mm. The aol IS important as changes affect internal pressures. But with the 9mm being a modern round and gun, and titegroup being a modern powder, there is room margins.

In a .38 I "like" 3.5gr of titegroup, but the max is 3.8 to 4.0, so my load is very light. Semi-auto's do not like light loads ( wont cycle properly). My guess is that 3.6 sounds like a good place to start. Knowing that the 9mm is a shorter case and will "fill" with powder more quickly compared to the .38 which originally was designed for black powder. Sounds like your doing great! Keep us posted..


PS: all my comments are from a re-loading noob.. so if anyone disagrees take their opinoin over mine!

The Brian Enos forum is probably one of the best resources for USPSA specific load data online.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?s=07cfb1f6a1291baa93255f8a59397fef&showforum=4

There are sub categories for all the usual calibers.

Appreciate everyone's info.

Loaded 30 rounds of 9 mm Sunday with 4 gr of TG and 115 gr RN-FMJ.

Loaded to around 1.140". I have some variation in length from 1.133 to 1.142. I assume this is just from variation in pressure on pulling the handle.

I think this is ok. I have functioned the rounds through the pistol and they eject fine.

My daughter in law suggested I pay someone to shoot the first ones. (ha).

Will try to get out and shoot some this week but will probably plan on shooting "store bought" this weekend at the USPSA match until I get more experience and work up the right load.

My main reloading so far has been buying and reading manuals, gleaming info from the internet and spending 3 nights adjusting dies but the rubber will meet the road here shortly.

At some points I have thought I would have been better off just continuing to buy ammo but I know once everything is in place it will be worth it.

Any suggestions on where to buy bullets? Shooting a Glock 19.

Thanks,

mk

surgdog wrote:Appreciate everyone's info.

Loaded 30 rounds of 9 mm Sunday with 4 gr of TG and 115 gr RN-FMJ.

Loaded to around 1.140". I have some variation in length from 1.133 to 1.142. I assume this is just from variation in pressure on pulling the handle.

I think this is ok. I have functioned the rounds through the pistol and they eject fine.

My daughter in law suggested I pay someone to shoot the first ones. (ha).

Will try to get out and shoot some this week but will probably plan on shooting "store bought" this weekend at the USPSA match until I get more experience and work up the right load.

My main reloading so far has been buying and reading manuals, gleaming info from the internet and spending 3 nights adjusting dies but the rubber will meet the road here shortly.

At some points I have thought I would have been better off just continuing to buy ammo but I know once everything is in place it will be worth it.

Any suggestions on where to buy bullets? Shooting a Glock 19.

Thanks,

mk

I don't reload a lot of pistol but variations in how you pull the handle will not affect the overall length if the die is snug against the shell holder and everything is tight. Most likely your seater die isn't pressing on the nose, it's at some point back on the ogive of the bullet. The variation could just be the bullet's tolerance.

Like you, I wouldn't fret about .009" max spread in a pistol.

Have confidence in your work and shoot 'em up!