leewongfei

Ive loaded over 15k on my 550 and never had that bar go on me. It worked just as good on the day I sold it as it did when I originally bought it. I only had my 550 for a year. It is entirely possible that the bar can lose its form over time with all of the back and fourth pressure. I was actually surprised it lasted through those 15k rounds without a single hiccup.

My favorite combination is 10 parts 99% alcohol to 1 part of liquid lanolin. Its not to sticky, and works like a charm.

Call Dillon. The crimp that holds the carbide insert can sometimes come loose.

I would also say skip it. The beauty of the 550 is its simplicity. Its such a basic press, that it really doesn't need anything fancy like a case feeder. The case feeder does speed it up, but the gains in ammo production are off set when you have an issue with the case feeder. The case feeder honestly complicates a machine that was designed to be uncomplicated.

This is great news! Congratulations!

I really hope you are joking. Shop vacs are notorious for static. If you have enough static built up when that primer caps hits the filter and causes a spark, it will ignite. If your sucking up live primers, there is a chance that you are sucking up powder. Powder will sit in the filter of your shop vac. If that primer pops, and you have powder in your filter, you will end up with a fire. Please be safe with primers and powder. You never know what will cause a primer to go off, so its better to be safe than sorry.

Just tell the doctor you are doing stained glass. Most good solder for stained glass contains lead. This is what I tell my doctor and he does the check with no additional questions.

Have you adjusted your case insert slide? Is it possible it got worn out a bit and isnt pushing the case as forward as it should? I would start with that.

Loading books have become a bit more conservative over the years with how much powder to use. Additionally, the bullet hardness isnt being taken into consideration. One manufacturer could be printing data from soft lead, rather than hardened lead. this is why most people recommend you start off with a lower charge and work your way up.

Broski, following basic instruction is part of reloading. I would encourage you to take a class on how to reload. There are a ton of details that NEED to be followed to the letter. Slipping on any one of them can cause damage to your Dillon, your firearm, and most importantly, yourself. All of the posters here gave you solid information on what to try and do. Most of it was ignored. Good luck. I hope you never run into an issue with your Dillon, but if you do, don't waste peoples time on this board by doing the exact opposite of what was recommended.

That's probably why it voids the Dillon warranty. I would stay far and away from this

Wow, is using this worth losing the Dillon warranty? Why even risk it? To the original poster, I would stay away from this. Just buy a Dillon super swage and keep your warranty.

Don't these void your warranty on the 650? I personally wouldn't take that chance.

I used to have that problem. It happeend with lighter powders like W231. As the hopper emptied, the charge would go higher and higher. The more weight on the powder, the smaller the charge (AT least in my case). Either way, i fixed it by installing a baffle in my powder hopper.

This is very sad news indeed.

I prefer the 550 over a SDB, and in some ways (not all) i prefer the 550 over the 650. I have used all 3 machines extensively, and the 550 is faster than the SDB. It has a bigger opening for you to work on than the SDB, and if something is off/wrong, its super simple to fix. The 550 is balanced. The BIGGEST difference, and the main reason i stopped using the SDB is the operating lever. The SDB's lever makes you stand at a strange angle in order to cycle the machine. The 550's level is at your right side, not at the center of your chest. This is one of the biggest differences between both of the machines. Also, the 550 loads just about EVERYTHING, and you can use any standard die set. Lastly, the 550 will grow with you. While you can get faster with the SDB, at a certain point, its really not worth it, especially if you are loading 3 or more calibers.

I wonder if the uniquetek excel form will work with this.

I think I'll be fine as well, I just wish there was a published list for us to view.

Is there a list of what's approved and what isn't? For example, will the spent primer chute and hose void the warranty? Will a powder baffle? How about the uniquetek micrometer? I am being completely serious, I don't want to lose my warranty.

It will go up a bit as you apply pressure to it to seat it. You can minimize it by making sure the shell plate is on tight enough to reduce movement, but not so tight that it doesnt cycle without a struggle.

I disagree. In my opinion, the 550 is a much better press for loading rifle ammo. Also, the 550 is simple. Hell, the 550 is Dillons best selling press for a reason. I have a 550 and a 650. I load all my pistol on the 650, but the 550 is for my rifle ammo. I think we are saying the same thing here, maybe I just wasn't clear. The 550B is fine to load rifle on. I was at work and couldn't give the full response i intended to. The 550 is also a great press for pistol. It isn't as fast as the 650, but if something goes wrong, it's easy to fix it. In some ways, I prefer it over my 650.

I disagree. In my opinion, the 550 is a much better press for loading rifle ammo. Also, the 550 is simple. Hell, the 550 is Dillons best selling press for a reason. I have a 550 and a 650. I load all my pistol on the 650, but the 550 is for my rifle ammo.

Tighten your shell plate a bit more. That thing should be loose enough to move, but tight enough to keep the wobble to a minimum.

The nylon nuts that they come with can be a pain for some people to tighten. It does take a considerable amount of force to tighten it correctly. Dont take this the wrong way, but if you cant do it, have a friend who is stronger than you are do it. Using blue loctite will only hold for a short amount of time if the nut isnt tightened all the way...

I just bought one. Let's hope it's not $13 wasted.