Tom S.

Any ETA from Dillon on when you can expect it's return? I'm anxious to see how it turns out (not as anxious as you are, I'm sure!).

Not only is his machining great, but his customer service is top notch. I had an issue with the primer stop switch - not his issue because my 650 is an ancient model - and he went out to resolve the issue. I'd recommend him in a heartbeat. As for the original question as stated, the 650 offers an additional station and auto indexing. I fell for the powder check early on, but have found it's really not needed. If you plan on limiting your caliber changes, the extra station works great for a bullet feed operation. The 650 also is a great machine if you are into case prep and wet tumbling. Adding a tool head with a Lee universal decaping die allows you run brass through at an incredible rate to deprime before cleaning. If I was considering going to a 1050 in lieu of the 650, I'd take a hard look at the new competition, the Mark 7 Revolution. Pricey, but man, what a machine!

https://forums.brianenos.com/topic/260316-mark7-evolution/

Simple: you hijack someone else's thread to complain about it.

That's a pretty neat gadget, but a bit pricey. Think I'll see about making one instead of buying.

It sucks to have this happen on a holiday weekend, as a lot of members aren't around to help, plus Dillon is closed. If you don't get any helpful responses here by Tuesday, give Dillon a call. They don't care if you bought the machine new or not and will help you fix the issue. That's one of many reasons why they are so great. ?

When people discuss the cost of the Dillon (vs any other machine) I point out my 650 is over $20 years old, I've had the use of it for all those years, and I could sell it tomorrow for a lot more than I paid for it. You can't say that about a lot of things.

I wish the new Speer Manual #15 was available in this format. ?

You can't say you want the best, then say you don't want to break the bank. Either you want the best or you don't. No matter what make or model you settle on, you also need a set check weights (best if they are close to what weight you are typically weighing) for periodic verification. Weights, unless grossly misused don't change, so a decent set will last forever. You can get by with making your own, so long as it's durable (metal of some sort) and you verify it's weight with more than one scale.

I maintained for decades that I didn't reload to save money, but to shoot more for the amount of money I spent, and to custom tailor loads for my guns. More recently, it was to have ammo when I wanted it, but that's eased a bit.

Going against the flow here.... The strong mount is a good item, but if your bench is well built a strong mount may not be unnecessary. My bench is composed of two pieces of 3/4 plywood glued and screwed together, with a 1/4 piece of hardboard mounted on top. I have a 1/4 steel plate under the bed that the press bolts go through, and the bench is tied to the wall. I have no need for the strong mount and if I did try to use it, the press would stand too high for me to use a chair when reloading. I do however agree with the case feeder and roller handle. In lieu of the Dillon roller handle though, you might want to look at the one made by Inline Fab.

Want2BS8ed, I'm agreeing with you on the shill. There is nothing wrong with posting new equipment, in fact it should be encouraged. But getting defensive about legitimate comments or questions is a sign of insecurity and/or incompetence. I'm clueless to how a tool head gets beat up unless some one is grossly negligent. Kind of like trying to sell a new car with rust on it and claiming "It's just going to get rusty anyway". ?

I guess you're not a machinist. Curious though, would you be happy with a .45 slide that looked like that?

Nice idea, too bad the machining isn't a bit smoother, or at least more consistent (and yes, I've used a mill and know how to get a better finish).

Did you happen to see this: https://forums.brianenos.com/topic/261350-dillon-650-station-1-shell-not-going-into-full-position/

A soldering iron works better. It is easier to keep the heat located where you want it and won't effect things near by. My iron is adjustable to 750 degrees which is more than enough for thread locker.

Although I'm not a Lee fanboy, I can see some attraction to this system, primarily the die bushing system. It would be nice to have something like this on the Dillon 550/650, but I don't know if that's possible without having to resize the presses. Other than that, I wasn't overly impressed, but again, if I was more into Lee products, I'm sure I'd be more excited.

The amount you get inside the case isn't going to impact the powder, and it makes resizing the case mouth so much easier and smoother.

I notice that most problems people have with discolored brass (nickel or not) is failure to rinse the brass completely after tumbling.

To paraphrase an old saying, if a cluttered bench is the sign of a cluttered mind, what's an empty bench the sign of?

Your friend is doing something wrong. My nickle plated cases come out so shiny, it can be difficult with just a glance to tell them apart from the brass cases.

Even though I've never had to have this extend of service from Dillon, and don't expect to, just that fact that these stories are out there make you know what to expect should you ever need this level of customer service. I even read about one owner of a 550, whose press went through a garage fire, and Dillon replaced it for free! Amazing company. And while other press companies now offer 'lifetime' warranties, they only do so because Dillon drove them to do so. This is one Kool-Aid I'll gladly drink and support.

I'm pretty sure Dillon will send you the parts free if you ask for them. Then you can send me your old ones.....

Depends on the quality of who's doing the work and what the price is, doesn't it?

Dillon also changed the platform, though I'm not sure when. All I know is my press has the old one, and the spent primer cup, along with how it's held is different.