bugsbear

That was my problem with Brian the last time I ordered a press. I had a lot I wanted to accomplish that week and thought the press would show up after the weekend. It got here on Thursday and I was playing with the new Dillon instead of the other projects. Big problem with Brian that we will miss. Exemplary service! Nels

Whenever I have purchased extra bins, they have been the darker blue. Being anal, it has always "bothered" me. Enjoying the production level of my 550 and 650, I appreciate having extra bins, whatever color. Nels

Careful Skydiver. Some brilliant newbie reloader is going to try your method! Nels

The G35 is hard to pass up. If it is a match only gun, there should be no question, go with the G35. If you want a carry gun, the G22 might be a better choice, but you could stick with the G17. I have a G17 for Production and a G35 for Limited. A G34 is in the future if I stay in Production. Good luck with your choice. Nels

Old adage; never too rich, never too many Dillons and never enough bench space!

My Dillon Trimmer is giving me headaches. The trimmer does not want to stay in place. The lock ring "needs" to be in the chip clearance window where only a partial diameter of threads are available. The lock ring also deforms as I attempt to tighten the die. The die appears to be tight, but loosens after a hundred cases are trimmed. Any insight will be appreciated. The trimmer is great, but it needs to stay in place. Nels

+1 for the EGW Undersize die. It is not perfect, but I seldom get a "Glocked" piece of brass that does not slide into my Dillon case gauge.

I normally shoot my STI Edge in USPSA with 4.7-4.9 grains of titegroup and an oal of 1.200. I think the gun will shoot factory length, 1.135, but I like the longer length. The gun shoots very softly and makes power factor. I also shoot a Glock 35. They use the same amount of titegroup, but are loaded to 1.135. I could not find my chrono information, but it is my recollection that they were not too far off. The longer barrel in the STI compensates for the longer length of the ammo. If I shot both at the same time, I would probably try the 1.135 in the STI to make it easier to load. Since I don't shoot the Glock very often, I made up a batch of "short" ammo and now load for the STI as needed for matches. I suggest that you try long and short to see if (1) they both run through your gun; and (2) you like the feel of one better than the other. This is why I reload. It allows variations that work for me. Nels

I consider the "free" advice I get on this forum as a huge discount. Brian gets all my Dillon orders and that is becoming more and more often. a 550 and 650 with a case feeder, most of the accessories and growing. Nels

Order today and save on the price increase! My order went in last night. More toys! Nels

I load 4.7 in the Summer time. In July and August (110+), I believe 4.6 would make major, but have not chronoed it. 4.9 is the Winter load. Now that it is cold, I need to take it out and see what the chrono says. Ii will probably load up some 5.0 as a back up. At the Nats, I used 4.8 to be safe and chronoed at 171. I do not have the Recoil Master anymore. It was changed to a full guide rod with a reverse plug. My 'smith made a few other changes, nothing radical. I believe the spring is a 12 lbs, but it may be 12.5. Hope this helps. Nels

this is a horrible picture, but gives an idea. nels

G-Manbart is correct! Not sure what I was thinking. My 40 S&W load is 4.7 grains of Titegroup, not 4.0! Sorry for the misinformation. After lurking all these years, I am trying to give back, but am causing more confusion. Nels

i am not sure that you have stated what problems you are having with the loads. hopefully, your sojourn today was successful. let us know. i shoot an edge and load mg 180 jhp to 1.200 with 4.0 grains of titegroup. since it is like a 1911, the design likes longer ammunition. the 1.180 should work well. good luck. nels

you will be very happy with mg 180 jhp and 4.0 titegroup. i have been shooting this combination in an sti edge with an oal of 1.200. they shoot like a 9mm! titegroup is temperature sensitive, so i lower it to 3.9 during the summer and raise it to 4.1 in the winter. the 4.0 would probably work well all year long, but i like to be safe. order some bullets, load'em up and go shoot! nels

Since I was thinking today that I needed to donate some money to Brian for the benefit I have received from this forum, I will start the bidding: $100. Make me look cheap!!! Nels

i load 40 s&w on the 650 with a case feeder. 9mm and 45acp is loaded on the 550. last night i loaded some 45 acp. if i had a case feeder on the 550, which is probably coming for christmas, i believe my production would be as fast, if not faster than the 650! i am grabbing a bullet as the right hand is pulling the handle down. as i seat the primer, i have my hand on the shellplate arm ready to move it forward. i move the shelplate and place the bullet as my right hand is lowering the arm. i realy don't think there is a time advantage to the auto advance! the 650 does provide a fifth hole to allow you to install a powder checker. however, i "always" check the powder in the case also. you can never be too safe reloading. this is one of the 650 negatives. even though i have a magnifying glass light, the location of the shellplate makes it harder to see the powder on the 650 than on th 550. i consider his another advantage to the 550. the biggest advantage to the 550, especially for a newbie, is the lack of an auto advance. if you have an "issue", it is easier to deal with on the 550. an example is speer 45 acp cases. some have small primer pockets. as you go to seat the primer, you realize one of these cases has shown up! (i don't separate cases). with the 650, you have to remove the case, advance without a case and a primer drops into the catch arm to be used later. with the 550, you simply remove the case and insert another one. if you don't have a case, you end up with an empty station, but the primer stays in place. primer system is another 550 advantage. you can see the primers as they load on the 550. with the 650, you don't see the primers, don't know when they run out and don't know when they start! if you have a wrong side up primer with the 650, you don't know about it until you chamber check; everyone chamber checks right! another advantage of the 550 over the 650 is changing from small to large primers. it is a few minute job. the 650 is more complicated and takes double the time. these comments are worth what you paid for them. i have probably shown my lack of experience, but thought i would pass it along. i have only been reloading for a few years and only 100,000 or so reloads. either machine will be good. it is simply a matter of choosing between to machines that do an excellent job. good luck. nels

i have the same gun, same mags, same bullets, same problem with wilons mags (have 5 brand new that can't be used) and same issues! i have tried different lengths to no avail. i have not tried loading only 9, so i appreciate the idea. however, the way i shoot, this will be a disadvantage for steel. idpa requires fully loaded mags. i need to find a solution. nels

550 vs. 650 is a topic that comes up frequently. i started with a 550 and later bought a 650 with a case feeder. i have no regrets. there are many people on the forum who have a lot more experience than me. your experience, mechanical ability and understanding of the process should be taken into consideration when deciding on machines. learning to load requires total concentration. issues occur. i am in the group that believes the 550 with manual advance is better for a newbie. if you have an issue, simply pull out the case and do what needs to be done. if you start on a progressive, the process is more dificult. some will say that you are wasting money because you will want a 650 later. this may be true. it depends upon how much you shoot. however, you can either sell the 550 (and get most of your month back) or keep it and have two presses! i haven't figured out all of the secrets of the 650 press yet. therefore, i can proably put out as much, or more, on the 550 than the 650. either choice you will be happy. ponder your situation and decide what works for you. good luck. nels

If you want to have the handles at the same height, go with the 650 mount. However, make sure you have an overhang that allows the arm to travel all the way down! My bench is a 6 foot countertop over 6 feet of base cabinet. I had to move the 650 press back from the edge of the cabinet or the screws would have gone into the front of the cabinet. When I moved the press back, the handle hit the countertop before it was at its full travel. My solution was elevating the press with a 1 x 2. It is solid, but I would have preferred to go straight into the countertop. Good luck. Nels

Looks like a class A setup. I am sure a lot of people are drooling! I am far from an expert. My 550 arrived a few years ago and I have loaded over 20,000 rounds since that time. Not a huge number, but I have experienced most issues that arise. A month ago, my 650 showed up. It is nice, but has a number of initial setup issues. As of today, I can load faster on the 550 without the case feeder than on the 650 with the case feeder. When all goes well, I can load 100 rounds in about 7 minutes without rushing. Once all the issues are worked out, I am sure the 650 will scream. Buying the ABC's of Reloading and devouring it is a great idea. You will also want other reloading manuals and I see that you have one on your list. I don't reload rifle, so someone may be able to comment. The purpose of your 30-06 loads will also be an issue. However, it is my understanding that most rifle shooters want to be exact on powder drops and OAL. This MAY be an issue using a 650, or any progressive press for that matter. There is variance in OAL. I don't see this being eliminated, although there are some aftermarket products that profess to take out the "slop." The Dillon poweder drop is great, but not perfect. Also, the 650 with the auto advance, jerks the cases and could spill some powder. This may not be an issue with rifle. One thing is certain. You will not regret purchasing the Dillon press. For pistol, I use an EGW Undersize sizing die. I shoot Glock occassionally and this helps me reduce the "glocked brass". I also like the Lee Factory Crimp Die. These are personal preferences. I do have Dillon dies for many calibers and they are great. Good luck, take your time and have fun. Nels

brian ruined my plans for this weekend. i ordered a 650 on thursday morning @ 6:30 a.m. to keep company with my 550. i figured this would allow the press to be shipped on friday and arrive on monday or tuesday. my weekend was already filled and i needed time to get the space ready for the press. to my surprise, at 2 p.m. on friday, the press arrived! when i got home from my dinner with friends, i had to open the box and look at the press. it actually got mounted and i spent too much time fiddling around on friday night. saturday morning, i got up early and finished setting up the press. i missed a match because i was so happy to have the machine. if brian had just let the order go more slowly, i would have enjoyed my weekend as planned. due to his efficency, i spent the time tweaking my new press! thanks brian! keep up the good work. nels

Just a shot to get this back to the top for a response. I have "tuned" mags with Dawson base pads and they only hold 19! Any thoughts? It seems that they should hold 20 comfortably. Thanks for the ideas. Nels

Good luck: My Trojan will not work with the Wilson mags. They sit a little higher and hit my ejector. I have six mags in the safe and a Wilson ejector waiting for the change. I bought six Tripp mags and they are working flawlessly. My ejector is "loose", so I need to fix it and put in the Wilson ejector, but the gun runs so well that I do not want to touch it! Nels

thanks for the ideas. if each post is a vote, there is no question. looks like i need to talk to brian and put an order in for my new 650! nels