Hello! I'm looking into getting a progressive reloader. I have a very basic single stage starter kit from RCBS I bought in 1993 or there abouts. It sucks for volume loading!

I want to be able to load everything from 17 Rem to 375 H&H.

I have looked at the Dillon 550B & 650, RCBS, Hornady, etc. What is your vote? Dillon seems to have the best reputation of any of them. Guess I'm kind of leaning towards the 550B.

P.S. Almost forgot to mention, I'm looking at buying a used setup.

[ 08-29-2002, 18:51: Message edited by: jcsabolt-2 ]

Dillon earned that "best reputation" by providing an excellent product and even better customer service.

You won't be sorry if you get a Dillon. Yes, it costs more. Yes, you could save a few bucks with some other brand. But why not just own the best to start with, and be done with it?

I will caution you though, that changing calibers with the 550 takes a few minutes (and probably with all brands of progressive press). It's not nearly as easy as with a single-stage press. Worst part is the powder dispenser. If you're changing between calibers a lot, you're going to want to buy several of them, and that will get expensive. I'd say five-ten minutes to do it right. Maybe less, depending on how quickly you can calibrate the powder measure.

I started with a Dillon 550, nearly ten years ago. That was my first press, and it was problem free-- though I did have one of those incidents with a minor broken part. Part of the "you're running out of primers" audible alarm broke, so that the thing wouldn't sound. Dillon mailed me a new one after a phone call, no questions asked. I second it: their reputation is earned.

Were I in the market for another progressive press, I wouldn't even look at another brand.

Pertinax

Bought my RL550B about 4 years ago, and that was 10 years too late. Have never had any problems with it. Now have four powder measures, because, as Pertinax pointed out, adjusting the measure is the most time-consuming part of the caliber change process. Reloading is no longer the chore that it used to be! I highly recommend it.

Best regards, Bill

P.S. Make sure that you get the $5.99 videotape, it does a very good job of showing set-up and the reloading process.

Another vote for the Dillon. I have (3) 550 & they are great for all of my pistol stuff. I still single load my rifle ammo as I shoot different loads/powders & far less volumn of rifle ammo. If you get a used Dillon in poor shape, you can send it to them & they'll refurbish for next to nothing.

Might also want to check out the RCBS Pro 2000.

Dillon. Good Equip and Great Company

I've had my Dillon 550B for about 7 years and have loaded thousands of rounds with it, with no wear or breakage, at all. With a little practice, I think you can change calibers in less than 10 minutes, including changing from large to small powder bars. When I single load some of my rifle loads, I will use the Dillon to size and reprime, simply because the primer feed works so well. When changing the press, you will need a few Allen type hex wrenches. I have found that if you use the ones with the screwdriver handle and the "ball" tip, setup time is cut in half. My set of these "ball" wrenchs sit in a stand, next to the press. Also, the lifetime warranty, is good for the life of the press, so if you buy a used press, Dillon will still cover it. My only problem with the Dillon is back trouble from hauling all the lead to keep it busy.

Nashcat

Can you use your standard dies with the 550 B Dillon ?? Are there any advantages to purchasing the top of the range Dillon press? is it called the 1000 B ??

Gon Huntin can you expand on your Aproval of the RCBS pro 2000 (all my gear is currently RCBS) Is it as good as the Dillon, it is only new and will take a while to get a reputation I suppose.

I would like to get a progressive press to load .44 rem mag, 45/70 (as my mate and I shoot heaps of these )and possibly .22 hornet so this thread interests me a lot. Also is your ammo of as good a quality as a single stage press

PC- Yes you can use all standard dies on the Dillon with the exception of the Seating dies that are Micrometer adjustable. The insert doesn't fit in the shell plate. but otherwise no problems. In fact Dillon only sells a hand full of dies for their own machine, but if you load for those calibers, especially handguns BUY THE DILLON DIES the are fantastic.

As for the Best Progressive the RL55oB is hard to beat and that is what I own. i have seen the RCBS and it has some nice features but the Dillon press is time proven and the Customer Service that stands behind for support and parts replacement is beyond excellent. I have never paid for a replacement part and only needed tehm because a friend lost or broke the pieces when he borrowed it. So let me now totally shill for Dillon...Buy it and be happy.

Kind regard to all.

PC

I don't own a Pro 2000 yet, but I will!

The Pro 2000 has a much better powder measure than the Dillon, no bridging of powder that can cause over/under charges. Also, on the 2000, the powder measure stays on the press, not on the tool head. This is an advantage because you only need one measure instead of one for each change over....I know you can swap measures between tool heads on the Dillon, but that is just one more thing to do when you change calibers. The RCBS measure is a rotating drum and comes with the micrometer adjustment so you can record settings for each cartridge, then, when you change cartridges, you can refer to your notes and reset the measure to the correct setting (some fine tuning may be required). I also consider the priming system on the RCBS much safer than the Dillon. Just ask a Dillon owner what happens when a primer goes off and detonates every primer in the tube!!! The RCBS system (which can be converted to the same type system the Dillon uses)also doesn't discourage use of certain brands of primers, Dillon says don't use a specific brand (can't remember which one). RCBS has the same warranty as Dillon, I have tried to pay for parts from RCBS and, so far, I have been unsuccessful....they just send the part at no charge even though I told them I bought the item used (lube sizers).

Hope this helps!

In regard to the last post, have any of the Dillon users reading this post ever had a primer detonate? I've loaded thousands, but never had a primer go off. If it did, the primer feed tube is an aluminum tube, surrounded by a fairly heavy steel tube, which should contain the primers, except for possibly blowing out the top of the tube. It never happened to me, so I'm just wondering how ofter this happens.
Nashcat

The Dillon 550b is the only way to go. I've loaded everything from 9mm to 30-06 and just about everything in between on mine. Don't make the mistake of jumping up to the 650 or the 1000. They're nice machines if you're going to load thousands and thousands of the same caliber, but too slow for switching over fast from one caliber to the next. The only real bitch that I've got with the dillon is the switching of large to small primers. It's kinda slow, but the rest of the package is great. I've probably loaded 20,000 rounds through mine over the last 8 years and I've yet to ever have a primer go off in the tube. I think that a little common sense will go a long way when it comes to being safe while you're reloading. The nicest thing about the Dillon reloading equipment is the quality. Being a CNC and manual machinist for over 17 years, I'm pretty damn picky when it comes to quality workmanship and these guys have got their act together. My latest addition was there automatic primer tube filler. It's a little tricky to get set up initially, but it is awesome. Worth every penny. Ohh, and you can't buy too many tool heads and stands too. There powder measures I don't see anyone improving on much. They drop within a tenth of a grain from start to finish, loading 500 rounds at a time. The only downer, like any other measure that I've seen, is that they don't drop the long cut powder, but there are so many good options in short cut and ball, who cares?

No matter what press you decide on,,,,Check your stuff and check it twice.If you make a mistake,,,you're going to "progessively" make it.I have a 550 and love it!Kind of like using a well lubed rockcrusher doing everything at once.I use redding,and forster micro-seating dies in mine for several rounds with no problems.I still use my rockcrusher to size all my rifle cases before going through the dillon.I like to clean off lube and trim after sizing.Good Luck!

Best for the money: The Dillon RL550B.

A little bit better is the 650, but I don't feel bad about not buying one. The things the 650 has going for it over the 550 are auto-indexing, a five station head, and the ability to use a casse feeder. If you don't plan to put on a case feeder, the 650 is no faster than the 550.

Regular 7/8-14 threaded dies such as RCBS dies work fine in the Dillon 550. For pistol calibers, I like the Dillon dies much better. They are designed so you can clean lead shavings and bullet lube out of them without changing the seating depth and crimp die adjustments.

H. C.

On the dillon/primer ignition thing,,,At least for the 550,,,I can see the op rod springing or bending before smashing a primer when picking up.When it is being seated,that primer is over 2" away from the rest of the stack,I can't really see it lighting off the rest of the stack like a roman candle

Looks like the consensus here is the Dillon RL550B and I have to agree. It may a little more expensive than the others, but you will only have to buy it once. I have made the mistake of trying to save a little money my first time out on things in the past and it never fails that I end up buying the one I really wanted to begin with and I wasted the money I "saved" buying the less expensive one.

I've heard of primer detonations in a Dillon, but don't know if it's rumor or not. I know Lee settle a lawsuit or two over the same thing. AFA not using certain brands of primers, I hadn't heard that one. I've used only CCI, Winchester, Federal and Remington so maybe it's one of the other brands (what's left?). Swapping the measure each time would be a hassle. I keep one on each toolhead. Problm solved.

The RCBS measures I own did not come with a micrometer insert. They are available seperately. My Hornady's did, and at a price less than the RCBS without.

Someone mentioned the hassle of swaping primer sizs on the 650; two sockethead screws; maybe 30 seconds.

I'll not knock RCBS because I own several pieces of their equipment. I've also had slighty better service from them than Dillon (measured in thick hairs). I think the 200 is a good press, but no bettr than the 650; just different.

Eddie

Can't comment on anything but Dillon, since that's the only one I've owned. It's a rather ancient 450 model, and has cranked out a ton of ammo. (Pistol, never used it for rifle). Had a minor problem with it, actually it's been so long I've forgotten what it was-anyway, it was promptly fixed by Dillon-no charge.
They are a bit slow to get set up (true of all progressives, I would think) which is why mine gets used for pistol ammo. I rarely make enough rifle ammo of one kind to make the setup time worthwhile. I suppose the new ones, with the interchangeable heads would be somewhat faster than mine, but it still works fine.

You might also consider a quality turret press like the Redding . I have a Dillion 550 and I while I will not knock the press , I find it kind of a pain to switch calibers . I disagree that any standard dies will work great in the Dillion . I have found that the locking rings on some of my old RCBS and Pacific dies are too wide and you cannot fit them side by side on the 550 . I think they really work the best with Dillion dies . I also dislike needing to spend nearly 40 bucks when you need a different shell plate size.

I really think the Redding turret would be more versitile . although I grant you , it wouldn't be as fast as a progressive for volume loading of one or two calibers .....

I think the primer ignition thing is a little over the top. It may have happened durring product development and some lawyer had Dillon add the caution so they wouldn't be sued. I am not too fond of that little belt feeder and all those little exposed primers on the RCBS, at least on the Dillon there is a steel tube between you and the primers should an accedent occur. While the powder measure may not be Mic-ed like the RCBS it does flow accurately to .1 g and I have had little trouble dialing in excellent charges. If if is so inaccurate why do so many benchrest shooters and competitive handgunners choose it for their competion ammo?

The 550 will crank out some ammo and with ball powder the measure is very consistent and reliable. I have only loaded a few thousand rounds with mine so far, but it has been problem free ( though the primer feed can get a little cranky when the parts are new).
That said the RCBS seems to have a slight ergonomic advantage since you place the cae and bullet with the left hand and operate the handle with the right.
That is the only feature I would change on my 550, one places the case in the press with the right hand and then has to reach for the operating handle then place the bullet with the left.

LouisB
Just an opinion of course

Will a 550B allow the use of Redding Competition seaters or Forster Ultra seaters?

Monte

Just a note from a devil's advocate. I would not fire a shot from a reload out of a progressive press. One friend blew up a S&W .357 with his load out of his Star. Another club member got a bullet stuck in the bbl and fired another round next to me and it blew the side of the barrel off! I almost got hit by that 4" long piece of steel!

I would like to see a comment here from someone who works in a large commercial ammunition company about what the loading machines are like there and in particular the safety devices.

Don Martin29 ,
This is the reason that I use a Dillon 650 with a
powder check system,it is accurate enough to tell
if the charge is off by very much. I only load for pistol ammo such as 44mag,9mm,45acp,40S&W,357mag and 38spl using the 650 with auto case feed is very fast for what we shoot alot of. For all other loading I use a RCBS A-2 that I bought in the early 60's.

Best , Dyno

Dyno,

That's all it would take is a system to check for no or too much powder. I stand up and look into each case before seating but all I use is a single stage.

Back when we shot a lot of pistol a press like you have would have been nice but I think I was too cheap then even if a good one was made. It seems the Star does not have such a safety device.

I got a A2 also. It must have been in the early 60's too.

Milanuck,,Those are the ones I'm running in mine with no problems,It is a close fit though.

The comments below are re-posted from a similar question of almost a year ago, and I'm still just as pleased with my RCBS 2000 purchase today as I was then.

Abe

I've been loading on the RCBS 2K for a little over a year now and here's what I've come to like and dislike about the machine.
1. I like the 5 stations vs. the 4 of the 550b.
2. The powder measure system is a nicer/simpler design and easier to setup, I suspect.
3. The APS priming system is the winner hands down! It's faster, easier, and user friendly, unlike the tube priming system. I can load up 500 primers into the strips in less than 10 minutes, with no bitching about stuck primers. Further, it's a simple matter to see that all primers are facing the proper direction, unlike the tube system.
4. The APS primer strip loading tool as well as a goodly number of the plastic strips are included with the press. Where as the Dillon tube loading tool is an option and costs several hundred extra.
5. I like the spent primer "no spill catch cup" design, even though it's sort of a pain in the knee upon occasion.
6.Extra Die plates and the shell plates are less expensive than the Dillon.
7. I dislike the fact that your left hand is so very busy while the only tasks your right hand is able to perform is to pull the handle and index the shellplate. Where as the Dillon you can set the bullet with the right hand during the time the left is placing an empty casing in the shell plate (or is it the other way around?).
8. Both are very hardy machines built to last, both have the no BS lifetime warranty, both company's are extremely easy to deal with.
Were my RCBS 2k to disappear tomorrow and I had to make the progressive press purchase again I think I'd still go with the RCBS if only because of the APS system, I like it that much more than the tube system that Dillon uses.

Just My 2 cents worth,

Abe,

I have all RCBS stuff and want to add aprogressive press to load primarily 45/70 & 44 rem mag.

So do you think as a new comer to progressive presses I would be better suited to the RCBS 2K or the Dillon, for simplicity ??. Which of these two has the better workmanship ??

The problem with reloading press discussions is that they can get just a bit religious.

I have a bunch of presses bought over 35 years. From the tried and true RCBS Rock Chucker (still in use for short runs of large magnum rifle cartridges), a 550B, a C&H auto, a couple of MECs, and a Dillon 1050.

Have loaded hundreds of thousands of rounds on these presses. Many, many, many IPSC major Supers right at the max acceptable pressure.

Have had only one primer detonation ... on the C&H ... sent a hole primer tube up ... scared the hell out of me! Don't use that press any more.

Have worn out the priming device on the 550B ... several times. Broke a Dillon pwder measure (my fault). Wore out a large Dillon tumbler.

Dillon has always responded with new parts, shipped quickly, with no bills ... even though I was crystal clear in accepting the responsibility for a screwup.

Have used the 650 ... nice press! Would be better choice than 550B if you can afford it.

The test of time has left me using the Rock Chucker and the Dillons.

Mstarling,

If you bought the s 1050 Dillon, it would be the best wouldn't it. I mean it would do everything the XL 650 does and more as you become more advanced with your reloading. Would it pay just to get the S 1050 Dillon from the outset and have the best progressive press ??? Rather than say buying the 550 B or XL 650 and wanting to upgrade later ??

PC,

Workmanship, quality of materials, warranty, customer satisfaction, corporate reputation, all these things are in my opinion equal when comparing Dillon to RCBS.
As regards the 2000 it�s a simpler/cleaner design, no pushrods, springs with set collars, the Dillon 550B design incorporates these to get the same job done.

The Dillon machines have been around for many years now, where as the RCBS 2K has been on the market about three years. More reloaders own the 550B. Why? Because Dillon has had no SERIOUS progressive press competition until the 2000 came on the market. Simply put, if the only choice for a hardy machine with a no BS warranty and excellent customer service is Dillon, then you�re a fool not to spend the extra dollars to buy Dillon. But, again, as of 3 years ago there is a second company that offers everything that Dillon has to offer, and for a �very few� dollars less.

Once again my opinion, if you are looking to buy a progressive press in the price/quality range of the 550B I believe the RCBS 2K to be the better choice for the reasons stated in my previous post. If however, you have in mind to crank out thousands of rounds of ammunition in an afternoon then Dillon will again be the only choice with their 650 or 1050 machines. As the RCBS 2000 is not comparable in price or it's capability to those fine presses. Dillon makes excellent machines, you'll get no argument from me on that point. However I think that the RCBS 2000 is the better of the two machines when choice is between the 550B and the 2K.

Regards,

PC,

The 1050 is a wonderful press ... and the 1050 Supers will load cases up to 308 Winchester in length.

I use mine for pistol calibers and .223 rifle. Has fed a registered M16 for years.

I bought it before the 650 was available.

I was just trying to be relatively rational about cost . The 650 is a good press and perfectly adequate unless you're feeding a might big range habit.

I have been researching this same question. I am basically cheap and I wanted to get the best Value as well. I am in line for the Hornaday, Lock and Load. I load a lot of different cals. the L&L seems to only need a few shell holders to do most of all my needs. The Dillon is great but the conversion kits can cost more than the press quickly. The RCBS is great as well, I've heard no complaints. The Shell plates and the ease to use as a single stage (i have been told) put the L&L at the top.
JBMauser.

Between the XL 650 & The S1050 Dillon presses which model can load more of the following calibres;

.22 Hornet
22/250
30/30
30/06
.44 rem mag
45/70
6.5x55 Swedish.

I am really interested in primarily going progressive for the .22 hornet, .44 rem mag, 6.5x55 & 45/70 as they represent my volume shooting. I will get into pistol shooting as well when I get a few things sorted out. So which of the above mentioned Dillon presses could possibly load all those calibres. A previous post mentioned case length of .308 as being the maximum length for the S1050 Dillon. Can the auto case feed be added on to either model 650/1050 at a later date.

Finally what about the 550B V 650XL what can the 650 XL do that the 550B can't. Can the 650XL accomadate more calibres ???

Sorry about all the questions but I am confuses about what can and canot be acheived on a progressive press. I will also purchase the best that I can afford. Can the S1050 be purchased without the case feed like the XL 650, as I do not think I will need that in the begginning.

Regards PC.

PC,

Calibers listed for the 1050 include .30'06 and .45/70. Although it isn't listed, the 650 will accommodate the .30'06. Distance between top of the shellplate and bottom of the size die is approximately 4.25 inches. You may want to check with Dillon on the availability of shellplates and other necessary parts. http://dillonprecision.com/ The 1050 comes with the auto casefeed. It is optional on the 650. The 550 doesn't have auto casefeed capability. I'm not sure what the maximum case length is on the 550. It's generally considered a "handgun press," but many do load small rifle cartridges on them. Personally, I'm not a 550 fan because you have to use right hand to insert a case and the left for the bullet. That's a personal quirk since so many others don't have a problem with it. IMO that's one advantage the Hornady has over the 550; both bullet and case are inserted on the left side. With a little practice you can pick up a bullet and case each time. Hornady has said they will introduce an auto casefeed for the LNL this fall. I'm hoping it will work with my Projector.

Hope this helps. I'm off to fire up the 650.

Eddie

[ 09-02-2002, 03:14: Message edited by: Eddie ]