tazmo65

This is just sort of a re-post singing the praises of the 550-B. My initial post was 4/13/04 so I thought I should let everyone know how things are going, and how I currently feel about the 550 VS 650 as well as my now 4 year experience with Dillon. I am still in love with my 550 B and still can't say enough great things about this machine. I set up and change from 45 to 357 or 40 in just a couple of minutes. I still have had virtually no misfires or misfeeds with checked ammo. The machine is the best deal going and I have never, not once, wished I had purchassed a 650 instead of the 550-B. I have broken the primer seater a couple of times but they arrive in something like three days (I'm still amazed by the Big Blue service). The purchass of the 550 has enabled me to shoot untill I truly did not want to and still have boatloads of ammo on hand for bargin prices. I am still toying with the SL9000 shotgun loader but just don't think I shoot enough trap to make that purchass YET. I'm sure it is only a few months away as I have moved and need to rebuild the perfect loading room again. I sure wish I could get a Dillon for my Duck Hunting Loads but Dillon just is not interested in filling that nitch. It's shocking to me that I can call Dillon and tell them "I broke this and it was my fault so bill me for it" and the guy on the phone says, I can't charge you for that, it broke, we will replace it. It doesn't matter why". And yet I call Mec when my NEW Steel master malfunctions and they charge me to ship it, charge me to fix it, charge me to return it, and this is a regular occurance". The Techs even admitt the machine has problems to the point one said, "The machine is not meant to resize steel base hulls". Hello you morone, all 3 1/2 inch shells are steel base. Anyone home? Anyway, the result is, I pay Mec $75.00/per year to fix a machine that is marginal at best. Come on Dillon, make me a 3 1/2 inch 12 Ga Reloader. Sorry a bit off track but the point is, with Dillon you will buy it once and receive the absolute best service in the industry. If blue makes it, buy Blue. If you can't get it in Dillon, you have to go with something else but I sure have hopes to one day say, if it is not blue, it is not on my bench. I figure that MEC would make a better anchor than it does a reloader anyway. Thanks Again Brian, I still think of the tremendous amount of time you spent making sure my order was perfect and that I had the right tools to do what I wanted to do. Again, best money I have ever spent. Well, the 550B and my Limcatcustomes. Awesome team.

I read every word on the Dillon presses because I do not believe in the approach, "Get what you can afford, upgrade later". I load for several hand guns and a few rifles so changing from one to another was important to me. I also loaded with both a 550 B and a 650 prior to placing my order. I consider myself a shooting nut, but by some standards am simply a beginner, by others I am more advanced. The end result is that I bought a 550 B and have never, not for one second regretted the machine I chose. Yea, I catch a little flack from some of the guys at the steel shoots in the area (man on man format) but that has been short lived. I progressed from beginner to master in 12 months, thanks to the 550 B and a buddy letting me shoot his extra gun until mine was built. The point is, a 550 B was a perfect machine for me. I wanted to load 40 S&W, 38 Super, 45 ACP, 44 Mag, 357, 9mm (for my dad), and a bunch of other stuff. Had I bought a 650, the money would have limited the options due to cost but I could have made it work, and nearly did. Since I bought my 550 B I have loaded ammo all over the place. I enjoy going out the the loader and putting out 500-1000 rounds at a time and the ease and speed of changing to a different cartrige. On a 650 you can do it, and yes, it loads faster, but it takes A LOT longer to change from 40 to 45 and with the time I save in the change over, I load a few extra rounds. Unless you are going to load for only one or two guns, I recommend the 550 B. It is simple to run, cost effective, and loads fast enough to put yourself into serious bullets in a hurry. You quickly will find you are picking up a bullet, reaching for a case and indexing without thinking about it. To date I have loaded over 15,000 rounds and have never had a misfire or mis feed (I gage my ammo). No, I am not a Brian Enos (I have dreams of one day being that good), but I am no new B who knows nothing about reloading either. I shoot several thousands of rounds a year (now that I have the perfect machine) and for a vast majority of the shooters, even the serious ones, the 550 B is a good choice. My theory was to get what I wanted, and I did. I was fortunate in that I had access to both machines and was able to use them both before I bought. I was also fortunate in that one of the guys running a 650, the one I used, was honest enough to say, "I wish I had gotten a 550 but I'm just too far into this one to switch". Yea I still take a little flack from a few of the guys at the range, but I give it right back to them on their mis-feeds and it's all in fun. I can not recommend the 550 enough. Next will be a shotgun machine, but that's another story. Good shooting to all. Tazmo65@aol.com