deciding on the right press

[Leo]

Anyone ever used a STAR press? That was an ammo building machine. No cast or bent metal, everything machined. They made Dillon, Redding and RCBS equipment look cheezy. Of course it cost as much as a Chevy, and were custom made for only one caliber. WHen you could still order them, they were a 4 to 5 month PREPAID wait. But they were fast, compact, easy to use and durable. I do not think you could wear one out, anything that slid had a machined brass guide. A fellow that recently died had one for .38spl, and one for .45acp. I was hoping the family would of at least gave me an opportunity to buy them.

 

[mlockhart]

I think I read somewhere that Dillon had bought out Star and made the the changes that became his first model?

 

[mlockhart]

I was wrong, He had a star and started converting them to different calibers.

 

[blkrifle]

as long as the press is blue you have made the right decision

 

[VERT]

as long as the press is blue you have made the right decision

So rattle can and a Lee turret and I am set right?

 

[blkrifle]

So rattle can and a Lee turret and I am set right?

sure...try it...you will know right away!

 

[red_zr24x4]

Thinking of setting up a tool head on the 550 for 223, this is where a single stage will come in handy. This way I can size/ de-prime on the single, tumble to remove the lube, then load on the Dillon.

 

[Kisada]

Also started with a Lee Classic Turret, used for about a year and a half, fantastic for the money. Recently upgraded to Hornady LNL, which has worked well so far, outside of needing a few tweaks here and there, but that can be said about any press. You should definitely take a lot of the poor reviews and gripes about various presses/brands out there with a grain of salt. I'm not the most mechanically inclined person in the world and with the help of a few forum posts and some youtube videos, there hasn't been anything I couldn't figure out. However, that's not to say you can't get a lemon from any company.

One thing I'll add... I see zero reason to purchase a single-stage only press, unless you just have a hard on for "X" company's products. The Classic Turret should handle just about anything you throw at it, as you can run it as a single stage, if you like.

edit: I'm not knocking anyone's choice of press, but don't necessarily be fooled into believing "blue" is the only color worth owning, because that would be a total load of s**t.

 

[John Galt]

Dillon 650. Awesome press. You won't regret it.

^^^^^ This^^^^^

 

[Goodcat]

Agreed on single stage press start. Why? It's cheap, only loses a few bucks to resell before your first big press, and teaches a lot. I started with a Lee classic turret press. While I've never had an issue with loads (other than below freezing steel shoot, thousands of rounds later), I believe there is a lot I could have learned, faster, if I had started single stage.

 

[Maximinus Thrax]

Agreed on single stage press start. Why? It's cheap, only loses a few bucks to resell before your first big press, and teaches a lot. I started with a Lee classic turret press. While I've never had an issue with loads (other than below freezing steel shoot, thousands of rounds later), I believe there is a lot I could have learned, faster, if I had started single stage.

On the idea of starting only on a single stage press I tend to disagree with you. While I agree that a progressive might be a bit much for a beginner because of the initial investment and how much is going on at the same time why would I want to invest money into a single stage when I can use a turret press in much the same way to learn on? I'll admit that I'm a little biased because because this is how I learned. I took the time to learn slow by going one stage at a time until I was ready to start adding the rest of the stages. Reloading is a game of patience but why spend unnecessary money?

 

[Gluemanz28]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]The press debate has always and will always bring out the die hard brand loyal fans (I know cause I was one of them). I now own Presses from different manufacturers and guess what they all make better ammo than most including me are capable of making.

Buy what you can afford, take a class if possible, read as much as you can about how to reload (not just from the inter web) and safely load some ammo. Be safe, be safe and be safe some more. Experience with good habits is your best approach to learning what works for you.[/FONT]

 

[gregkl]

Yup. I would not consider buying a single stage a mistake at most anytime. if you are into reloading, a single stage works well for load development and/or performing certain stages of a reload. plus, you can most always get your money back out of a SS if you never use it.

 

[MCgrease08]

I got a pretty killer deal on this earlier this week from another member. Merry Christmas to me.

 

[sapper]

I bought my rcbs pressed used. Rcbs warranty on their presses are like zippos warranty. If it breaks. They'll replace.