Thinking of a Dillon
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
Thanks
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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. 0 -
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 [;)]0 -
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. 0 -
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. 0 -
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.0 -
oregunner, i shoot cast bullets,so the fifth station is for the M die, case mouth expander. 0 -
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. 0 -
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 long0 -
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.0 -
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.0 -
Get yourself a dillon press, and with a little patience you could change your screen name to 1/4 inch groups. 0 -
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.0 -
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 ?0 -
"why do you lube pistol cases ?"
Because I don't have carbide sizing dies.0 -
i dont use cabide dies
and have never lubed pistol brass0 -
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.0 -
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 try0 -
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. 0 -
dillon in the .38 super comp
RCBS for the .40 S&W
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and one shot case lube for all rifle brass [:D]0 -
Thanks! That's exactly what I have so it should work for me too. Dry sizing will simplify pistol re-loading considerably. 0 -
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!!!0
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