Dillon for a newbie

[CrashDodson]

I use this bullet tray

https://www.dillonprecision.com/dillon-rl-1050-super-1050-bullet-tray_8_3_23911.html

The 550 ammo bin does fit and I use it sometimes.  The big 1050 bin is a pain at times.  

The bullet tray has been fine for me.  I can load pretty quick.  Not sure I could get much faster with a bullet feeder.  Maybe 10-15%

[safeactionjackson]

Started with the aluminum bullet tray for the s1050 (also use it on my 550/650), now it sits on the press unused and tends to get tools or parts stored in it since I added the MBF 'er.


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[36873687]

You can do it just don't try to load 1200 an hr. 

[mikeinctown]

Wondering what the OP decided on?

 

If no decision yet, I'd go with the 650 with casefeeder. the 1050 may be awesome but it is a bunch of money compared to the other presses. (min. 2x the price) As mentioned though, you should be mechanically inclined as there are a lot of moving parts that work in concert with each other. Set up properly, it makes reloading more of a joy and less of a chore. Also go on YouTube and look up all the videos you can about the presses. i think that if you watch a 650 video and a 550 video you will quickly understand why people do recommend a 650 over a 550. If you get a 650, plan on spending about $300 on "upgrades" like a roller handle, strong mount, press light, and other things that make the press easier and safer to use.

[IHAVEGAS]

After 2000 rounds, really happy with my new 1050. Actually price versus 650 with the common upgrades (case feeder. strong mount, handle) was "only" + - $600 more. 

 

Adding multiple calibers is going to hurt more though. 

[CrashDodson]

Nice!  Ya the 1050 is excellent.  I only run one caliber, and for that its perfect.  I have never tried a caliber change but have heard it can take 30 minutes or so.  

Only thing that is annoying about the 1050 is if you get an upside down primer or something happens in the primer system its a PITA to disassemble and clear out the malfunction.  

[Kletus]

On ‎8‎/‎18‎/‎2016 at 2:48 AM, BeerBaron said:

That's about 375 an hour which is pretty dedicated output on a SDB. A bullet fed 650 does 1200/hr just loading at a steady comfortable pace (that's 100/5min). If you take it real easy and go 100/6min that's still 1000 an hour and close to double the pace of a SDB. it's also more than double the price.

It depends what that time is worth to the individual. The SDB is a good press for a purpose. if all I loaded was say 9mm plinking ammo I'd be happy with it. but beyond that I want to be able to chose which dies I run. I want a sizing die which is adjustable. I also want to be able to use an auto casefeeder at a minimum and preferably a bullet feeder too. 

For a newbie I'd suggest as the other guys have said if you have a mentor, OR if you are willing to spend some time trawling this forum and youtube and if you have enough patience to really take time on the setup then a 650 is a great choice. The SDB will basically run ammo out of the box. the 650 will need some serious time spent initially on setup and tuning it. Once that's done it's the much faster and more flexible machine. But you do need to be a little patient in the beginning. As someone mentioned don't just expect to sit down on day 1 and bang out 1000 rounds.

I get 600 - 800 per hour out of my 650 with case feed but no bullet feed.  I always have 10 to 12 primer tubes filled and ready to go, so I don't have to do anything but drop them in the press during a loading session.  I may eventually move to a 1050, but right now I'm really happy with the 650.  I like the idea of an auto index press just because it's much harder to double charge a case.  I think a beginner would be fine on a 650 as long as they don't plan to do a ton of caliber changes and they take their time learning how the press works.  Load development on a 650 can be a bit of a pain... especially if you are trying different bullets as well as different powders or powder charges.  Even with this though... you are quickly forced to learn how your press works when trying to figure out how to stop the primer system from indexing, or how to get a case not to feed when you need it.

 

I will also say though that it is great to have a Lee Classic Press sitting on the next bench over, ready to do any tasks that I don't want to mess with the Dillon for.

 

[IHAVEGAS]

One of the things I didn't think about much was the warranty stuff.

With my 550 whenever I had a problem a quick call to Dillon got things figured out and/or a replacement part headed my way. My buddy with a 650 has had the same experience.

Since they consider the 1050 to be an industrial machine you get a 1 year pain in the fanny warranty instead of a lifetime no hassle warranty.

So far;

1. Received new machine from Graf & Sons (Enos was already out of the Dilllon business) 2 weeks ago.

2. Motor would not turn on brass feeder. Called Dillon & tried a couple things then they said to send it back (at my cost) and they would try to have it back to me in a couple weeks. I didn't like the idea of waiting two more weeks so I took things apart & found that their was a small bit of something between rotor and stator which had the rotor bound up. Easy fix.

3. 2000 rounds later the collar in the sizing die stuck to a piece of brass and came out of the die. Called Dillon & they told me to call Graf's since the machine was so new. Called Graf's and they told me to call Dillon since it was their die that broke. Called Dillon and they told me to send it back (at my cost) and they would repair or replace the die in a couple weeks. 

Eventually teething issues should be lined out, and part of the hassle could be more related to new personnel at Dillon rather than the different warranty policies. But, for what it is worth. 

 

 

[BeerBaron]

Sadly the sizing insert pulling out of dillon dies is not unheard of. A friend of mine has been through 3 x 38 super dies alone. Yes they replace them but if you're out of pocket (and time) shipping them each time that's not ideal. Dillon is the press to have but while their dies have some good ideas on them I prefer the lee dies.

[IHAVEGAS]

2 hours ago, BeerBaron said:

I prefer the lee dies.

I think you have a point, the lee crimp dies I have seem like a better mousetrap. Will give their sizing die a shot when what I have is out of warranty. Thanks for the idea. 

 

[BeerBaron]

On 6/26/2016 at 4:01 AM, IHAVEGAS said:

rounds

The lee sizing die is great. I'm a dillon fan like most of us but in this case the lee die (in my opinion) does a better job for what we want.

The sizing die does not have the chamfer on the entry so it sizes lower down to the extractor groove (a good thing). Some argue this may cause issues with brass not entering the die smoothly but it's quite literally NEVER been an issue for me in a bunch of calibres on the 650. I'd say if your brass isn't lining up dead square at station 1 you have another problem that needs fixing.

Instead of retaining the decap pin with a E clip it uses a collet. if you come across something like a berdan flash hole(s) it will overcome the hold of the collect before it breaks or (usually) before it bends the pin. you simply loosen off the collet, push pin back down, re-tighten. it's a simple idea but works well. They also seem to size slightly tighter than the dillon but it's very close (if you want smaller you can buy the lee undersize die).

The seating die is easier to adjust as you adjust the seat depth with a knob on top rather than moving the die body. lee also will make custom seating stems for something like $4 (from memory). I've also found the lee stems don't mark up bullets like the dillon ones can due to the lee not having the hole in the centre. The downside is you do need to remove the adjustment knob and stem if you want to clean out the die body.

The lee FCD is a great die too but needs to be understood and needs to be adjusted correctly. it's not a panacea and will not work for ALL bullet types. particularly oversize lead bullets can be an issue. 

So for me those little points make the lee dies easier for me to use and give me a result I think is a little better. The fact that they are cheaper is a bonus. 

The lee lock rings are one thing that suck a bit. they are big and thick (have rubber o-rings under them). you'll be better off using the dillon rings or the fancy hornady clamping rings.

[tdp88]

I'm look at the SDB for my first reloader. 

[JimP42]

I'm look at the SDB for my first reloader. 

Why? 550 is more capable, much easier to change calibers, easier to use, easier to sell. Definitely worth a few extra bucks.

[rondog]

Can you do .223 on a 550?  

 Don't wanna hi jack the thread. 

[Steve RA]

Yes.

[MemphisMechanic]

The first ammo I ever loaded was on the 650 which I still have. The only press I've ever used. I would heartily encourage you to use common sense and load conservatively at first on a more capable press.

 

As it is, you'll want a 1050 within 6 months... might as well skip the turrets and 550-type machines and only have to upgrade once later on ?

[CrashDodson]

If running one pistol caliber only and budget is an issue the sdb is a solid choice.