I'm interested in a progressive press for reloading pistol cartridges.?

Dillon is good, maybe the best made, but RCBS lovers would argue with you. They are expensive, more expensive than RCBS; and RCBS isn't cheap. RCBS is very good equipment and the brand I would recommend. Dillon and RCBS have fantastic customer service, should you ever need it--and you may never need it. (Truth in advertising time: I own and use an RCBS progressive press.) Hornady is also good equipment, though it has been hard to find. It is my understanding that customer service is not as good as Dillon or RCBS.

I own and use Lee single stage presses (and I use Lee dies for almost anything); but I avoid Lee progressive presses like the plague. They are inexpensive and it is possible to "tune them up" so they function well, but it takes a while and some experience with repairing and adjusting precision machinery is a plus. I have a friend who uses Lee 1000 progressive presses exclusively, and he has one for each caliber. He never changes anything and still spends 20-30 minutes fiddling for ever hour he spends loading.

So: RCBS is my recommendation based on price and quality. Because of its cost I rate Dillon #2 (high quality but very high cost). Hornady if you're on a budget and Lee only if you're desperate.

I have been using a Dillon 550B since 1985. I have load heads for almost every handgun round and a couple rifles. I bought the machine when I started competing with handguns and rifles. While I never bothered to keep a formal count of what and how much I reloaded, I do know that I am right at, or a bit over, 100,000 rounds.

The Dillon is still in service. Right now I am reloading my .45 Long Colt stuff up for next year, that's another 1500 rounds. I will also load up another 1,000 .45ACP rounds as well. I usually make up 500 rounds of .40 cal. for the wife to practice with. I do the same for my 9mm and my .38 and .357 guns.

The Dillon is a fast and reliable machine. If pressed, I can produce 50 rounds in about 7 minutes. But, I do like "quality control", so pulling the occasional round and checking powder weight, seating depth, and crimp adds time. Generally, I like to load about 500 during a session. That takes me about two hours.

Here is the Dillon web site:

http://www.dillonprecision.com/#/Dillon_Reloading_...

Hornady Lock-n-load or the Dillon. Both are quality presses, although the Dillon is much more expensive.

What NOT to buy is the Lee Loadmaster-I think most will agree with me on this one. Right?

The Dillon 550. I had one for over 15 years. Nothing seems to ever b reak on this machine, and if it does, let Dillon know and they will replace the part for free, regardless of the age of the machine.

Watch all 4