I am thinking of selling my 550B and buying a 650. I really like my 550B, but I have a need for the fifth die station in the 650. Have any of you switched from one to the other?

If you load on a 650, do you use the case feeder? If not, what is it like to load on a 650 without one? I would like to get a 650, but the case feeder will have to wait. I am thinking that using a 650 without a case feeder would be like using a 550B, except it would have auto indexing and have a fifth die station.

How many calibers do you load on your 650? Does it take long to change from one to the next? One drawback to this whole thing is that I load for quite a few calibers.

Any help would be greatly appreciated....

RobertD

I cannot really help you as I have been using my 550 for 10 or 12 years now and do not have a 650.

But,

Mabee you can help me. Just what is the 5th die station for. I guess I could call Dillon and ask also but other things always seem to come up.

Just currious.

I use a 650 and never used a 550. A buddy who did suggested that for the extra die station I should have a 650, for which he lusted. I took his advice and am totally happy I did.

As for changing turrets, that part is fast and easy. What takes time is if you also have to change primer size, shell plates,and the stuff on the automatic feeder, but that's only relative. I've never noticed the time it takes but it's not very long, maybe 5-10 minutes after you get past the learning curve. I have the automatic case feeder so have no clue as to what it would be without one, but I can't imagine getting such a machine without one.

I'm completely happy with mine and find myself loading just for the sake of loading whether I need the ammo or not. Virtually every piece of pistol brass I have in several cartridges, which is in the thousands, is loaded. I have to go out and use it up just so I can reload!

The only cartridge I don't reload on the Dillon is the 44 Mag. I load those as I do rifles since I use mine basically as a short range rifle. I load 9X19, 9X21, 38, 357, and 41 Mag on mine.

I started with a 650 without a case feeder and bought one as fast as I could. It seemed to me the main reason for having it was the case feeder IMO. You can stack a few cases in the drop tube without it, but it's hard to get a good loading rythm without the case feeder. I load 9, 40S&W, 45ACP, 223, 308 and plan to add 22-250.
The thing that takes longest is to change over the primer from large to small, but I like to have it apart to clean it frequently anyway so it's not a problem. Changing from cartridges that use the same size primer is pretty fast.........DJ

I have owned a Dillon 650 with the case feeder option for 8 years and I love it. However, I have never used the fifth die station ..... actually, it's the third die station that is extra and is designed for an optional powder check device that beeps if you double charge a case. While this powder check is a neat idea, it fixes a problem that doesn't exist with the auto-indexing feature of the 650 and the Dillon powder measure.



Is it easy to change calibers with the 650 ?

Yes, it sure is ...... but bring your wallet !



To make changing calibers easy you need a dedicated tool head to mount the dies on. $15.00



Then you need a conversion kit that contains the proper shell holder and case feeder accessories. They sell the conversion kits for a mere $50.00 - $65.00.



Ah-Yes then you also need to purchase the actual dies. $30.00 for RCBS or $45.00 and up for Dillon.



Grand total ..... You are gong to spend $100.00 + every time you want to load a new caliber on your Dillon 650.



How much do you have to shoot to make up this difference in price?! The answer for me is only very high volume pistol calibers need apply.



If you want to do lower volume rifle cartridges you can buy a single stage press and accessories for nearly the same price as a single conversion.



My advice ..... unless you shoot pistol competition that requires a large volume of ammo to be made available on short notice. Stick to your 550 and live happily ever after.



Oh-Yes Calibers

22 hornet, 223, 243, 25-06, 308, 30-06, 300win, 9mm, 38/357, 40/10mm, 44mag, 45ACP



My previous advice comes from experience gained by spending a bunch of money while loading with my 650.

Blute,

Thanks for the info on the 5th (or rather 3rd station).

Should have mentioned that I load 9X19, 40S&W, 38 spl, and 45ACP right now. Used to fire on the order of 500+ plus round a month and then my wife got into pistol shooting too and we really shot up the rounds.

It is possible to double charge with a Dillon.

I have a friend who managed to double charge a round of 45 ACP using a 550. He is into maxium rounds per dollar when it comes to reloading. Thus he picks a powder that uses the least amount of powder for the velocity he wishes to attain. In some cases this means he can double charge without knowing. And as I mentioned he has. I guess the phone range and he went to get it and came back to loading later. Instead of "verifying" where he was at or "starting over" he just ran the press down and went on his way. After he fired that round and we all recovered from the blast and flying magazine and flying rounds hge said he thought he might of double charged one and he guesses he was right. He survived and so did the gun and he still uses the same load too. This was about 10 years ago or so.

At least now I know what the extra station is for on the 650.

Thanks for all the help guys. I appreciate the info.

Too bad no one posted who had switched over from the 550 to the 650. I would like to have heard his/her comments.

I did do have a buyer for the 550, now I think I will see what happens with the new ammo tax bill. At an extra 10 cents per primer can really impact my shooting. Gee, the cost of shooting trap alone will increase by 133%.

RobertD

RobertD - we're from NoCal escaping to Idaho. Better come along!

Gimpy,

I would move from this state in a second. But, there is this thing called "work". I tried to find work outside of CA, but no luck. The only states that were hiring were the ones with either terrible summers or terrible winters.

RobertD

I have both a 650 and a 550. (I had the 650 first). If you are doing high volume pistol or short rifle ammo, the 650 is the way to go. It is truely a progressive press. If you don't have a case feeder, you will have to stack the brass in the tube by hand; you'll want the feeder eventually. In my view the 650 is much safer than the 550 since the actions are automatic. I have the powder sensor in the 5th station but it is rarely triggered (usually after I have screwed up clearing a jam) I load .308 and .223 on the 650 as well. The 550 tends only to be used as a multi station single stage press (like size and bell brass before cleaning. I got it as a deal at a gunshow