I have been reloading for many years on a single stage press. I want to move up. I don't intend to compete, or shoot thousands of rounds a month. I have turned over the thought of a turret press. The thought of 4000 pulls for 1000 rounds does not appeal to me. So, a progressive will be on my bench and I know my monthly round count will be far below justifying said press. That's okay. I have been flirting with the Hornady LNL but I can't find any in stock right now.

My questions are for Dillon owners.

1. Some complain about slop in the tool head. Have you had any trouble with this?
2. I have noticed in many posts about..."I started out with a 550 but moved up to the 650." Why? Is the 650 worth the extra 100 dollars?

hope i can help some - the slop in the head is fixed by just tightening up the screw holding in in place. I've had a 450,550 and now 650 and the operation of the 650 is much faster. You end up buying some extra stuff for it like the case fee, powder check etc. but you also have automatic case advance and an extra station should you want to taper crimp pistol rounds. Its a bit heavier than the 550 and quite a bit larger. also the die holder is removable in the 650, which means if you are using it for more that one thing the die changes are easy and preset. IMO i'd pay lots more for the 650 just to get the automatic case advance.

Hey Goose5, what are you loading? Caliber(s)? And how much ammo do you want to reload?

If you only load for one handgun, the Dillon Square D is a great press. Lots of reliable, accurate ammo. A cop I know loads 100,000 rd per year on his (replaced 3 times in several years by Dillon at no cost).

If you load more than one caliber of anything, the 550B or 650 are the way to go. 300-500 rd per hour on the 550 and 600-800 on the 650 (Dillon's advertised figures are much higher). One reason I think some people have moved to the 650 is the higher count. Until recently, the 650 was the only one with a case feeder - now there's one offered for the 550 as well. This speeds things up considerably.

Just about everything for the 650 costs more than stuff for the 550 - something to keep in mind.

If you decide to get either a 550 or 650, you'll need conversion kits for each cartridge, and also get extra tool heads and powder dies (1 for each die set), a couple extra powder measures and extra primer pickup tubes, and (650) get the case feeder with the appropriate casefeed plates.

Mike

I agree w/ Mike. I've load probably 60K+ on my 550B. It just works. You can leisurely load 350rds/hr or quickstep as much as 500rds/hr. I bought mine before the 650 came out & load for 8 pistol caliber. As stated earlier, everything cost more for the 650 so the more calibers you have the higher the cost. If I only loaded a bunch of one caliber & only occasionally changed over, then a 650 would be great. I have no problems w/ the SqDeal except you must use the Dillon dies. I think the Hornady LNL is the best bang for the buck in a auto indexing progressive.

I will load 9mm, .45acp, and .44mag. I intend one day to add 10mm and .223. I will be very lucky to shoot 300 rounds per month. I just like the fact that I can sit down for a half an hour and load what I need for one range trip. Mike I have been monitoring the Sportsmans Warehouse in your neck of the woods. They don't have any 550's in stock right now. They still have them for 340. I wonder when they get some if the price will jump.

Brian Enos

eguns.com

Both of these etailers offer Dillon products. Eguns includes free shipping. Brian Enos has LOTS of good info regards all Dillon products. Both state that the new year price increase was ~2.5% to 5%.

Personally, I wouldn't look any farther than Dillon. They have almost perfected progressive reloaders and their dies are superb for progressive use.

Their self-stated 'no BS' warranty is something you can count on, not just marketing ploy to buy the equipment. And don't discount the enjoyment of their monthly catalog! Ya gotta love Mike Dillon for having the guts to continually flaunt cute girls handling guns on the front cover! Dillon is NOT politically correct and I love them for it.

I own a SDB and 550B. Thousands of rounds of match grade ammo on both. No problems with the 550B toolhead. There is a little slop built in so it's easy to slip them in and out. But they are machined square to the frame and rise up to the same position round after round.

As others have posted RL 550 B is an excellent press for Rifle caliber as well as pistol , I purchased a 650 for Pistol reloading as I do it for friends as well so it's faster for that .

I really don't know off the top how many different calibers I reload for ( It keeps changing ) . My 550 is and has always been one of my BEST purchases . Changing calibers with preset tool heads and Powder charger is a Piece of Cake with Icing !.

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Have one of the first 650s, a great press.

Keith

Also watch Graf & Sons on the net for Dillon items. They also are currently out of 550s. Since Graf pays shipping and usually charges less than $5 for handling, the price would probably be less than Sportsmans Warehouse where you're paying tax.

Mike

The tool head on the Dillon 550B does have some slop (Up and down) to it but it has never caused me a problem. Once your dies are adjusted properly the free play or slop is taken care of. The free play is needed to be able to remove the tool head. I read somewhere one time that someone makes a kit that completely removes the free play if for some reason it does cause a problem.
From the amount that you say that you will be reloading, I’d go with a 550B. You can use the dies that you have now and save some bucks. The 650 requires Dillon dies. The 550B is a lot easier to swap calibers with. A jam is easier to clear on a 550. Folks that upgrade to the 650 from the 550 are (usually) shooting some type of competition and are going through an ungodly amount of ammo. Or they are unlike me and have lots of money to burn.
I too used a single stage press (RCBS Rock chucker) for all of my ammo needs up until just recently. I had the same thoughts as you and for pistol ammo wanted something that I could crank out quality ammo with a lot less effort. I did a lot of research on progressive presses before I settled on the Dillon 550B.

Some have mentioned Brian Enos to purchase from. I second that motion. Brian is who that I bought my Dillon press and parts through. The good thing about Brian is he will better help you to get only what you need to load the specific calibers that you will be loading. I did purchase his (The way it should be package) that upgrades the 550 with a strong mount, aluminum roller handle, empty cartridge and bullet trays.

I have an E-mail into the Enos site checking availability. Everyone might be out because of the Christmas rush. We'll see. I was considering the 650 because it compares the best to the LNL. Not in price but in function. I really like the options safety wise that you can set up on a five hole press. But, Down South I have seen many youtube videos and the 550 is pretty slick. When it comes time to stick a crow bar into my wallet the 550b is probably what I will get. That will leave a little left over for my first batch of bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by Down south:
The 650 requires Dillon dies. The 550B is a lot easier to swap calibers with.

No, they take any dies.

Thanks for all of your valuable information. I just got an E-Mail from Midway. They will not have the LNL for another 6 weeks. Looks like blue is going to sneak onto my bench.

Use a larger crowbar if you must but do not overlook the Dillon brand of dies when it comes time to buy. They work superb in the 500B.

FYI: Cabelas is showing the Hornady AP in stock.