Nothing in this world is perfect! Anything is prone to failure, humans and mechanics alike.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pitor
I want to get into reloading so bad but it's confusing and at times cost-prohibitive. I definitely want a progressive, Dillon 650 seems the right choice, but as  mentioned, $1,100 for the whole setup, yikes! |
Pedro, I dropped over $600 (I don't have the receipts) a complete RCBS Rock Chucker single stage reloading setup. I bought everything that one would need, the carbide dies, electronic scale, powder thrower w/stand (lucking I bought that one used from
), etc. I went with the single stage because it was suggested that I get a single stage to begin with and that the cost of a Dillon set up freaked me out also.
In the beginning it was great. Woo hoo, making my own ammo, this is great. Saving money, ya buddy.
Guess what, years later that same set up sits idle and unused. I haven't used it in at least 2-3 yrs. Why?
Because loading on a single stage sucks. It takes 5 separate steps to make 1 bullet. I timed it once, nearly an hour to make 100 rds from start to finish.
Now reloading is not about speed, but I'm a firm believer in working smart, not hard. And if you are shooting a lot or want to make a decent amount of ammo, a single stage is not the way to go.
That old saying "buy once, cry once" comes into play here.
You do not have to drop the whole $1100 on a Dillon set up at first. You buy the press, strong mount, tool head, dies, etc just to get you started. You can buy the case feeder, bullet feeder, roller handle, etc later. You can scour the forum sales areas for the press, parts and pieces also.
The padre's turret set up is similar to a single stage except there's no changing dies, they're all loaded on a turret, but you still do each step one by one. It works for him and my neighbor who has the same set up.
So my advice is to save your money and buy 1 press, 1 time. And since you are shooting IDPA and if you get into USPSA, you're going to want to reload with efficiency.
I've never heard ANYONE that bought a Dillon say, "damn I wish I would've saved money and bought a RCBS Rock Chucker". 
After my son's wedding late this year, that green iron lump of crap that's attached to my work bench will find a new home and a blue ammo making powerhouse will take it's place. Oh yes, I can't wait.
This is just my 0.02