Lee Loadmaster or Dillon Square Deal B?

B

bryco32

New member
I want to get away from my single stage press for pistol. I am loading a lot of 9mm ,38 sp and .40 s&w since I joined a Local gun range with my Family.

The options of the loadmaster ie bullet and case feeder have me most interested in it.

I am dealing with a semi bad left shoulder as well.

Any reason to get the square deal b over the loadmaster?

For now it will be USD only for pistol but one day I may want to run 223. The Dillon I don't think will do rifle cases will it?
 
bryco32 said:
I want to get away from my single stage press for pistol. I am loading a lot of 9mm ,38 sp and .40 s&w since I joined a Local gun range with my Family.



The options of the loadmaster ie bullet and case feeder have me most interested in it.



I am dealing with a semi bad left shoulder as well.



Any reason to get the square deal b over the loadmaster?



For now it will be USD only for pistol but one day I may want to run 223. The Dillon I don't think will do rifle cases will it?
Click to expand...



The Dillion will not do rifle cases and it uses proprietary dies. I do not have any experience with the loadmaster, but I do enjoy loading on my Dillion 550.


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The 550 is nice. I just do not have the budget for it at this point in my life. I could swing the square deal but it would be cutting it close.

I do have 5 sets of the 4 piece Lee dies. I wasn't aware the square deal couldn't use them. The Loadmaster looks like it will be the one to get considering the equipment I already have.
 
The Loadmaster is a royal PITA. While I like the Lee Pro1000 for what it is, the LM just had too many issues for me to be able to even suggest it. If you only want it for small pistol primer, the Pro1000 is a better option, alas there are better choices than that as well.
 
Dillon 550, no question, or even a XL650.

I have a Lee Loadmaster, never used anymore.
The most cantankerous piece of reloader I've ever used...
Virtually everything has issues, from primers feeding to cases dropping up side down to inconsistant powder charges to the indexing needing little plastic wear parts that fail regularly...
CONSTANT tuning required to keep it running.

Dillon, set it up and forget it, cranks out consistant rounds without wearing out parts or needing constant adjustments.
Anything quits, Dillon replaces it for free without hassles.
 
I've been using a Square Deal for decades.
But caliber conversions are expensive.
And it's for a limited number of handgun calibers only.
If you are planning to load for different calibers, best check Dillon first for what you're getting into.
They do not use normal dies.
But for the two calibers I use if for, it's a fine choice.
At least it was when it cost $130.
But it's nearly $400 these days.
Too many other choices.
A friend uses and praises the Hornady Lock and Load progressive at not too much more.
 
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I had one of the first loadmasters. It went back many times. I used it A LOT. the last time it went back they pretty much rebuilt it for free. I sold it and bought a used dillon 450 then upgraded it to a 550.

Dillion is FAR better machine.

David
 
Other than the Square deal b nothing else is a option.
I cannot afford anything else Dillon makes.

I though that was conveyed but I guess not.
 
That is why I said a used 450. Cheap....

Takes regular dies and does rifle calibers.

David

Get the loadmaster and beat your head against the wall. That is what I did first.

Maybe a used pro 1000 for around $100? Only does pistol as far as I know. Small pistol primers are a pain in the butt.

David
 
I have loaded 100 rounds in under 4 min with a Loadmaster and the same hundred takes me about 9:30 to load on one of my SD's.

That said I wouldn't take two loadmasters for one of my SD's. The Dillon is far more reliable and they only keep going up in value.
 
"...nothing else is a option..." Money's an issue for everybody. Your problem is that the Square B needs a different toolhead for each cartridge. At $87.95 each. $263.85 for the 3 you want.
Mind you, Dillon's warrantee is like RCBS'. They'll fix any issues with a phone call or e-mail. Not sure if it applies to used kit. RCBS' does. Used might be a viable option for you. Used isn't a bad thing either.
Lee's warrantee is limited to a year, I think. And if you need replacement pars you get to pay the shipping.
Been loading everything on a single stage press for eons. Speed is a matter of technique.
 
I've had 4 SDB's, and currently have a 550 and two 650s. I'm a Dillon man, through and through, from decades of great performance.

I always figured if you're VERY mechanically inclined and LIKE messing with stuff, a Lee progressive is a good option. I prefer to set and load, so I always went with Dillon.

My recommendation is to get the SDB. You want to load pistol now, and in the future load .223. When that time comes, load on your single stage or upgrade to a 550. That's one thing about Dillons, they hold their value. If you buy a used press, you'll be able to sell it for what you paid for it.


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I just saw a 550 on eBay for only $20 more than a Square Deal. Only one left. Probably gone now, but the point is to keep your eyes peeled. Dillon Customer Service will help you if there are problems.
 
The Square Deal is probably 50 times better than anything Lee makes. You'll even be able to prime on the Dillon, the Lee not so much.
 
You will not be disappointed with the SDB. I have three. I load 400 rounds/hr easily. I just loaded 1200 rounds of .38 spl earlier this week, in two evenings about 90 minutes each. That included loading a dozen primer tubes.

Very reliable priming, fool proof powder drops, auto indexing. The fact that it doesn't do rifle doesn't matter. I have a single stage press for rifle.

T O'heir forgot that one set of dies is included in the press purchase price.
 
I am not going to perpetuate the Dillon vs. any other press debate as you can find that anywhere on your own. All I will say is yes the Dillon is top of the line and one pays a premium for it..

If you are on a very tight budget I suggest looking used. There are plenty out there.

Personally I have a Lee Pro 1000 that I purchased used. I also did a lot of research before I purchased to get familiar with what is out there. Single stage, turrets and progressives.

There are many Loadmaster fans out there that use'm and love'm. If you've never hand loaded before I would suggest to stay away from the Loadmaster and start with the Pro 1000. There are far fewer moving parts to adjust and worry about and the bullet feeder is very problematic.

When I was in the process of buying I chose to look at turret presses and the Pro 1000 because I didn't want to load in single stage for pistols. I also didn't want big headaches and I needed to keep cost down.

Anyways, I came across this used Pro 1000 and it was complete. Press, 38/357dies, powder measure and primer tray. Paid $90.00 for it. Have since added a shell plate and carrier and 9mm dies and now have about $160.00 invested. I couldn't find a complete turret press for what I paid for this Pro 1000.

It will do everything the Loadmaster will do with much fewer headaches. And yes I keep an eye out for a used Dillon 550 and if I can find one for the right price I'll add one.
 
Upgraded from LCT to RL550B

I have been using the Dillon RL550B for about 5 years now. I upgraded from the Lee Classic Turret press that I had tried to use for a few years earlier. The LCT was an exercise in frustration for me. I have been reloading since 1987 so experience was not an issue.

I like the RL550B because of it’s simplicity, quick and inexpensive caliber changes, ability to load rifle cases as well as pistol, and the fact that it is manually indexed. I easily load over 400 match quality rounds in about an 1.5 hours. Even if I am shooting two matches per week, that is more than enough rounds to cover the match and a couple of practice sessions. Automatic bullet/case feeders are not required or desired.

Dillon laps Lee when it comes to quality, engineering, and capability. Everyone in my league is using Dillon or saving their pennies to get one. All are using the RL550B. I took the old hands advice and went with the 550 over the 650. I load 9mm, 40S&W, 45 ACP, 38Sp/357 Mag (for my wife), and occasionally 5.56 and 300 BLK. The “Quick Change” kits make caliber change about a 10 minute affair.

WATCH THE VIDEO

{Edit: copyrighted image posted in violation of board rules.}
 
I went through my safe last night and took guns out I never shoot. I am going to start selling them off to see if I can finance a Dillon.

I hate selling off toys but I really want to get something that is going to work and be nice.
 
I went through my safe last night and took guns out I never shoot. I am going to start selling them off to see if I can finance a Dillon.

I hate selling off toys but I really want to get something that is going to work and be nice.
Click to expand...

Good for you. I did that a few years back but, I just sold off a bunch of mediocre guns that I never shot or that were duplicates of other. I did not sell any good stuff.

I don't have any experience with the Square Deal B but I can sing the praises of the RL550B. I shot a match with reloads from it last night. No misses, no malfunctions. Placed 4th. The guy in third beat me by .03 seconds.

I am sure the SQD is an awesome machine as well. Looks like it and the 550 are about the same price.
 
The SDB and the 550 are close in price, but the SDB comes with dies and is auto-indexing. I think auto-indexing is a big safety feature for a new reloader.

Also, the SDB comes from the factory with the dies set up to load the caliber on the box. All you need to do is set your powder charge, load primers, and start loading.

The 550 requires dies (get the Dillon dies, it took me 10+ years to figure this out) for another $65.

Don't worry about the fact that SDB's use proprietary dies. The dies are Dillon, and great quality. If/when you upgrade, sell the dies along with the press.
 
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