Thinking of a Dillon

PSFD DONKEY · February 2006

Thinking of taking the plunge into the wallet for a Dillon, not sure of the 550 or the 650, what does the 650 offer over the 550 for the price differance. Any other progressive presses I should consider.
Thanks

brier-49 · February 2006

i have a 650 it's great, my son has a 550 it's great.650 has 5 die stations,550 4 stations 650 is auto index,takes a little getting used to.no real big difference in caliber change over. i have auto case feed , my son doesn't,but case feed is now availible for the 550. flip a coin.

shootlow · February 2006

get the Dillon
i have the 550 and have never regreated the purchase
550 or 650 take you pick
if the reloading fairy thinks you have been good get the 1050 [;)]

Oregunner · February 2006

I have an old Dillon 450 that I upgraded with auto powder dump (with a magnum powder bar) & auto primer feed & also a 550B. I love 'em both. I have no need for an auto case feed so these presses work great for me. I keep the belted magnum shell plate in the 450 & only have CCI LR magnum primers in it. I load for four magnum rifles & use that press for magnums only. I do the rest of my loading on the 550B. I've never felt a need for a fifth station like the 650 has but I suppose there must be folks that use it for something. All in all I'm very happy with both Dillon presses. Customer service is excellent.

Cubslover · February 2006

A dealer in my town has a Dillon "Square Deal" Progressive Loader that has been remanufactured, for $150 all you need are the dies. If it sounds like what you want, I'll get it for ya and ship it to you.

Throckmorton · February 2006

I've heard that caliber changeovers cost a bit more and take more time on the 650.the exrra die hole aloows for using a powder-check die,not a bad idea.
If ur bench is tall enough the strong mounts are unneccesary.I"ve done without them for over a dozen years.I bought the roller h andle but not so sure I'd do it again.Iffy on that one.
the new case feeder for the 550 is getting rave reviews from users,but I don't load a zillion at a setting so will forgoe that one.ymmv.
confused yet?

I"ve only seen a short movie of a 650 in action and it sure was slick.Faster than my 550b looked like.

brier-49 · February 2006

oregunner, i shoot cast bullets,so the fifth station is for the M die, case mouth expander.

Pinhead · February 2006

I have a 550, and a square deal which I load pistol and revolver ammo with. I never had a problem with them except with the priming system on the 550 and that was after many thousands of rounds of .45 acp, which I used in competition. A quick call to dillion and a good cleaning of the primer system fixed that. For my bolt action rifles I use a RCBS Rockchucker single stage press. For my rifles I want the last ounce of accuracy I can get and that means hand weighing each and every powder charge for rifles. Pistol powders lend themselves very well to powder measures but rifle powder(stick that is) do not. I use electronic or manual scales to weigh the stick rifle powders. My experience anyway.

half inch groups · February 2006

I too was looking at them. how many rounds an hour will the 550 spit out w the powder loader? what is the initial start up cost for the loaded model for .45 ACP dies, brass, bullets, powder... everything?

I have been shooting 230 grain dog doo for too long

Oregunner · February 2006

quote:Originally posted by half inch groups
I too was looking at them. how many rounds an hour will the 550 spit out w the powder loader? what is the initial start up cost for the loaded model for .45 ACP dies, brass, bullets, powder... everything?

I have been shooting 230 grain dog doo for too long

The new Blue Press lists the 550B at $369.95 set up for one caliber. That includes auto prime & auto powder dump. I bought a set of Dillon .45ACP dies a while back for $55. 100 bullets are anywhere from $8-$20 depending on what you want. A pound of powder is $15-$20. Since you've been shooting factory ammo you should already have brass. I'd say you're looking at $450-$475. Btw, I suggest you get Dillon dies, at least for pistol calibers, they work much better in a progressive press than dies that were designed for a single stage press.

half inch groups · February 2006

thank you for replying. I shoot at a lot of places where if the brass hits the floor, its theirs..
I wanted to set up for about 3000 rds. I shoot about 3-4 days weekly and If Im on, I'll go through almost a 1000 in a day.

Warbirds · February 2006

Get yourself a dillon press, and with a little patience you could change your screen name to 1/4 inch groups.

Oregunner · February 2006

FWIW: I loaded 100 rounds of .45 Colt this evening. The press was already set up, cases were ready to go, all I had to do was sit down & start pulling the handle. I didn't intend to time myself, but I glanced at my watch just before I started. It was 7:10. While I was pulling the handle I thought I'd see how long it actually took. When I was finished it was 7:34. I wasn't trying to load as fast as I possibly could, I was just plugging along at my normal old fart pace, smooth & steady like. I had to stop part way through & add more primers before I got all 100 done. That took a few minutes because I didn't have backup primer magazines pre-filled. If I had another primer tube all filled & ready to dump in it would have shaved off several minutes. I would say that a young guy in a hurry could probably cut my time by a third. Realistically I guess I load about 200, maybe 250 an hour on my 550B. That's fast enough for me. If I went any faster it would quit being fun & start being the dreaded *work*.

Btw, I had 50 cases already lubed with a shot of Tri-Flow sitting on the bench & another 50 I had just shot. I'd put in a lubed case or two then several dry ones & kept alternating. None even felt the least bit tight. Less cleanup before re-boxing too.

shootlow · February 2006

quote:Btw, I had 50 cases already lubed with a shot of Tri-Flow sitting on the bench & another 50 I had just shot. I'd put in a lubed case or two then several dry ones & kept alternating. None even felt the least bit tight. Less cleanup before re-boxing too.

why do you lube pistol cases ?

Oregunner · February 2006

"why do you lube pistol cases ?"

Because I don't have carbide sizing dies.

shootlow · February 2006

i dont use cabide dies
and have never lubed pistol brass

Oregunner · February 2006

quote:Originally posted by shootlow
i dont use cabide dies
and have never lubed pistol brass

Well if you can do it I can do it. I have a stuck case remover so I'll try sizing them dry next time. Ya' learn something every day, maybe I've been doing it the hard way for 35 years for no reason.

shootlow · February 2006

quote:Well if you can do it I can do it. I have a stuck case remover so I'll try sizing them dry next time. Ya' learn something every day, maybe I've been doing it the hard way for 35 years for no reason
i was just curious as to why you lube pistol brass
i reload 5000-8000 a year.38 super and have never (knock on wood)stuck one. give it a try

Oregunner · February 2006

What brand of dies do you use Shootlow? I switched to Dillon pistol dies but I still use RCBS dies for .357 & .44 because I already had 'em. I took both sizing dies to a machinist friend & had him flare the holes so they work better in the progressive press. They were a real pita to line up. They're much better now but Dillon dies are still much better suited to a progressive press, imo. I'm glad I never forked over the (rather substantial) bucks for carbide dies if they aren't really needed. I guess I've stuck enough rifle brass that I am overly cautious.

shootlow · February 2006

dillon in the .38 super comp
RCBS for the .40 S&W
,
and one shot case lube for all rifle brass [:D]

Oregunner · February 2006

Thanks! That's exactly what I have so it should work for me too. Dry sizing will simplify pistol re-loading considerably.

Throckmorton · March 2006

Why lube pistol brass? the sizer die is soooooooooooooooo much less work whan every 5th or 10th brass is lightly lubed.I just put a ring around the neck and don't bother wiping it off.I just use a smidge.
a LOT o folks give the whole batch a shot of Hornady OneShot,and the ease of reloading is amazing.Yes,even on a prgressive press.
Try it,you'll like it!!!

Thinking of a Dillon

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