Dillon's No BS Warranty (Long)

[MarkL]

The main thing I laughed at was calling the measure "antiquated" because it uses a sliding bar instead of a rotating drum. Who cares whether it slides or rotates? The other complaints do have at least some validity.

While the two screws on the powder measure aren't a big deal, it would be even better to not have to remove/replace the measure at all when changing calibers. If I remember right, another one of the claimed advantages of the Hornady was the micrometer-type powder adjustment that lets you quickly return to a given setting. I have one on a non-Dillon measure and agree it would be Really Nice to have on the measure on the progressive press. I think the real reason people buy additional measures for the Dillon is to avoid the trial-and-error method of setting the measure when changing loads. Or worse, having to change between large and small powder bars.

I do have some of the problems the guy describes, including primers not getting caught in the little cup every once in a while, and primer debris all over the place. The situation would be a lot more palatable if the primer bar didn't start jamming like crazy from all the "dirt" after a couple of hundred rounds. Apparently, not everyone has this problem, but I've seen many similar complaints. I can live with the other issues, but the jamming primer bar really sucks. A good cleaning solves the problem, but I wish it didn't have to be so often.

Most of the issues are moot if you rarely change calibers, especially if you don't have to change primer sizes. Also, a little extra time setting up is irrelevant if you're going to load thousands of rounds before changing the setup. You hear that 99% of top-rated IPSC own Dillons, but I suspect they only shoot one caliber, or dedicate a separate loader to each caliber, or use 650s instead of 550s. If you're only loading a few hundred rounds per setup, it becomes more annoying.

I thought the complaint about the tool heads was a bit bogus. Yes, the toolheads are annoyingly expensive, but you don't absolutely have to have one for each caliber. You could simply leave the toolhead in the press and spin the dies in and out individually. You would still have to remove the powder measure to replace the funnel and adjust for different length cartridges.

Still, the guy's main points were valid. No machine is perfect, including the Dillon, and the Dillon is not the only machine worthy of consideration. He's also one of the few people who have owned and used both the Dillon and the Hornady.