pshooter

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Yup, you need a few essentials; an accurate scale to weigh things, weight set for scale calibration, a kinetic (hammer) bullet puller, a second scale to verify with, a set of calipers to measure things, a sturdy bench or three to work on, lots of bins to organize stuff, a tumbler and media to clean brass, a media separator, good sources of light so you can inspect things, a quality powder measure to drop precise charges, shell blocks to hold your cases when charging and inspecting, marking, counting and admiring your production. A place to reload undisturbed, undistracted and secure. Reloading manuals, the latest copies or old are better than none. Secure, safe ways to store powders and primers, dry & cool. Maybe a bench priming tool and also a hand held also. Primer tray(s) to flip 'em with. Get a square tray, so the primer package thingy fits inside. Plastics trays are fine, no need for a big heavy metal one. Get more than one so less chance of mixing things up later on. Primer pick-up tubes, both large primers and small. A chamfer tool to smooth out new brass case mouths. Case lube and lube pad (covered). Case gauge(s) to verify with. REMEMBER, only the jug of powder you're using allowed out on the bench. Empty the measure Back into the jug when done, don't leave powder in the measure. Shelves for boxes of bullet heads under the bench, keep the heavy stuff down low 'n help the bench be more anchored. Notebook(s) to log things in. Some day a chronograph, they do help understanding things. My first press was a Lyman SparT turret. I still use it set up with a Dillon trimmer and various trim dies. But I learned to load on it and therefore is special. My next couple presses were Dillon 550's. Back then Dillon only offered 450, 550, Square Deal B auto index and 1050. I've run a friend's SqDB and it was ok, but 550 is less trouble, you just have to keep track of your powder drop, but you'd BETTER do that anyhow. I also have an old RCBS Rockchucker single stage got a deal on. That is set up with Hornady lock-n-load conversion and bushings for easy die swaps. The chucker is a good single stage for sure, but I mostly use it for de-capping. Despite that, it is fine all around. The most finicky and most important part of reloading is setting the dies up, just so. Having to swap out a die that you fiddled with to get it just right, is a bummer. You have to re-do it all over again to use it the next time. That's why rishii says you will move on to a 550 or other multi die head press in short order. The 550 has four die station tool heads that are quick, easy and reasonably priced. Once set up, it's a cinch to swap over to a different caliber or even just a different type of loading of the same. The Dillon dies are also very good and easy to use and maintain. I've found the Dillon powder measures and everything else they offer, to be top notch. I have around 8 tool head caliber conversion set ups, dies, shell plates, etc., 4 powder measures, a primer pocket swager tool, motorized case trimmer, many powder bars and my old Dillon digital scale that I've used for since 1990 something. None of it has been any problem. Back in the day, I did break a bell crank casting and they sent me a new one red label, no charge. I was up and running again before the next match, never missed a beat. You just cannot complain about Dillon customer service and no b's warranty. No b's. Now that Mike Dillon has passed over the bar, I can't say things are still as great today. But I my money is on it that they still are. So best wishes with your reloading. Stay safe, watch what you are doing and enjoy!

Since no ones mentioned it yet... Being able to see is key with the 550b: 1. Mount your press at a height that maximizes visibilty. Bench height is determined by if you are using a strong mount or not. (I do use a SM now on my new bench but not on my other bench set ups at previous locations). In other words the ideal height for myself is determined by the press operating handle up and down positions and how my arm and shoulder relate comfortably. (That applies to any press). This height must also allow you to watch what is going on while you use the press. 2. Plan on running the 550 standing up. This alows you to better see: a) Down into the case receiving powder to confirm powder did drop and that the volume / level looks about right. That you have not double charged and.. down into the primer cup during the stroke and verify the primer is there and it is oriented correctly. Standing allows you to apply better leverage to the handle also. Put down one of those rubber mats for improved comfort and to cushion anything you might drop. Get a tall barstool to use for those times when you feel you must sit. 3. Set up great lighting: I use an LED spot right above the powder drop. The more light the better, just make sure that it shines exactly where you need it, because bright light also can produce darker shadows. The brighter your whole bench area is the fewer shadow issues you have. The progressive press and especially the manually indexed 550 require you to pay extra attention so that you do not accidently double charge the powder, which is possible if any interruption occurs and you back up and then raise the ram a 2nd time. I feel that anyone using or planning on using a 550 should make sure they can keep a close eye on things. The 550 is my favorite press because it is so versitile, reliable, fast and effective. I love it and have been using them for close to 30 years. You just need to set it up so you can see what you have going on.

I keep one batch of tumble media for removing the lube. I use old dryer sheets cut into pieces and a dash of mineral spirits. This when cleaning empty cases. For loaded ammo skip the spirits and use new corn Cobb media. Check after 15 minutes, it should be squeaky clean to the touch.

Upon firing, the case expands to both seal and grip the chamber. Lube compromises the grip resulting in higher bolt forces, In theory, at least. It is recommended the lube be removed before firing. Those that do not are not following recommended practice here. Makes me wonder what other things they're not doing, but should be. I remove after sizing and prior to loading just to ensure no lube will contaminate the powder or primer. Probably not a concern if the ammo will be shot right away, but if it will be stored for future use, I do not risk that. At the very least I would tumble the loaded rounds for 15-30 min. to remove, to reduce bolt forces. Why? Because it is RECOMMENDED.

I process my 5.56 / .223 this way: Dry tumble clean, inspect anneal on my Annealeez, spray Dillon lube (foil lined box), trim by RT1200 mounted on an old Lyman turret press, chamfer inside and outside on an RCBS case prep station, lube the inside of the necks with powdered graphite on a brush. on the 550 - run through sizing die to de-cap and expand the necks, remove primer crimps using super swage 600 clean primer pockets only if needed. Tumble to remove lube, inspect, and then finally load on the 550 by priming and then skipping the resize die, run the rest of the process normally. I feel it is best to remove the lube before shooting as lube reportedly could reduce casing / chamber wall grip on firing and cause excessive breech-bolt forces.