New Beginning

[montanadj]

OK, Brian's site does a great job laying out the pros and cons of different systems but... for the group... I have relaoded shotgun shells in the past. I am looking to now get into reloading pistols and rifles. I think i am leaning towards a Dillon 550 or 65o. I want to reload 40 cal, 10mm, 44 spec & mag, 223 rifle, 45/70 govt and 300 winmag. While money is always important, this will likely be the last system i buy. I would like it to be relatively easy to change between calibers. Any advice?

[biggdawg]

650 would be my choice because of the 5 stations, auto index and case feeder.

[montanadj]

650 would be my choice because of the 5 stations, auto index and case feeder.

additional features outweigh additional complexity?

[biggdawg]

650 would be my choice because of the 5 stations, auto index and case feeder.

additional features outweigh additional complexity?

to me yes there is more chance of error in my opinion with a manually indexed progressive. it also depends on the

quantity of ammo to produce. also if you plan to add a case feeder. i believe the 550 only does pistol with a case feeder.

it also depends on the time you dedicate or allotted to reload. you can crank out quality ammo much faster with the 650.

[ihatepickles]

The 550B casefeeder, if you choose to go that route, doesn't feed rifle cartridges. Some people have mod'ed the machine to work with varying success based on their mechanical aptitude.

If you want a casefeeder, and I'd recommend one if you're loading more than 1000 rounds per session, then the XL650 is a better machine for your needs.

Switching between large and small primers is the toughest part of the caliber conversion (for either press). If you buy both a small and large priming system it's quicker. By default you have to remove the primer system and change out some sub-assemblies to switch between small and large.

If you buy a powder measure for each of the powder bars, your life would be easier as well. Switching out powder bars in a single powder measure would get old quickly. Multiple power measures would be

It's really tough to talk specific features with someone who doesn't know what all these parts are though. You're asking for subjective opinions of how easy one thing vs. another without much background knowledge to make up your own mind based on those nuanced opinions. For example, I bet the number of people with experience reloading 45/70 and .300 Win Mag on a progressive press are pretty small here on the Enos forums. So you'll get advice heavily slanted towards the ease of reloading the pistol cartridges and some 223 specific advice. If you're like most shooters here, you might shoot 10,000 rounds of pistol a year but only 100 rounds of .300 Win Mag.

If you decide to buy a progressive press, I would focus on learning how to operate the machine on .40 S&W and 223 for at least a couple of months. You can pick these forums clean of setup advice and machine tweaking to get those 2 calibers running great through the press. At that point, you'll know how to troubleshoot the other calibers much better.

[Hi-Power Jack]

I want to reload 40 cal, 10mm, 44 spec & mag, 223 rifle, 45/70 govt and 300 winmag.

Montana, you really want to start by deciding how many of each caliber you

want to reload per month or year.

It just might be a good idea to set up a 550 or 650 just for .40 & .223,

and load all the other calibers on a single stage press? Depends on you.

The Dillons are really meant to reload large quantities of a caliber at a

time, and then take a while to change calibers -if you shoot 300 rounds a

year of a caliber, you're probably better off not switching to that caliber,

but using a single stage press (lot cheaper, and possibly more precise).

Good luck,

Jack

[98sr20ve]

I have owned a 650 and 550. I loved my 550 and simply had to have more speed. 650 gives that speed. I did not like the 550 casefeeder very much. If your not switching calibers it's not bad. It's not nearly as good of a setup as the 650. 650 is in a different level as far as the case slider. It's not even close.

Get the 650 is you want a case feeder

Get the 650 if you want speed

Get the 550 if you want reasonable speed and less cost.

Neither machine is terribly complicated. I know people say the 650 is complicated. After a year you will be so familiar with it you simply won't care that it's a little more complicated to learn.

[kalaur]

Even with this number of calibers you're reloading, I'd vote for the 650. Buy entire quick change kits for the calibers you load most and leave the toolheads setup for them. The calibers you shoot less, get a quick change kit and just set it back up each time you load, but load ammo for the next few months at a time so you waste less time changing everything over all the time.

IMO, I almost always recommend a 650 over a 550, as generally you'll end up shooting more and wish you had the speed and extra station of the 650. The 550 is a big upgrade to get a casefeeder and a bullet feeder. With the 650, you just need to add the bullet feeder, and you can crank SERIOUS ammo. Dillon presses hold their retail value VERY well, so if you buy the 650 and a year later stop shooting, you won't be out much when you sell the 650 setup.

I have a 650 that I use to change back and forth between 45 and 40, but recently got a 1050. Now each press just stays setup, and I can sit down a crank out ammo anytime I need to.

[kcannaday2011]

For precision rifle loads use a single stage press unless your just wanting to load up a bunch to blast away with then use a progressive machine. If your going to get a progressive machine get the XL650, you won't regret it!

[Scoobb]

Sounds to me like you should go with the 550. Since you are new to loading pistol and rifle I think it's the best choice, also its going to be easier on the pocket book and caliber changes will be cheaper and from my understanding easier (large to small primer)

[noylj]

Given the number of different cartridges, I would buy a Hornady L-N-L. Caliber conversions are inexpensive and very quick.

If you get a 650XL, get the case feeder.

I consider a 4-station, non-auto-indexing press to be a crippled press and I wouldn't buy one. It is too limited compared to a 5-station press. The 550 is attractive to those with control issues who must control every aspect of their lives.

If you only want 1 press for the rest of your life, and are willing to buy a case feeder and pay through the nose for cartridge conversions and spend about 10-15 minutes making the switch-over, then get a 650.

The "problem" with Hornady has been the lack of continued support for older presses. They support until they are out of parts and then your stuck.

Dillon has been much better at continued support for older presses, but I wonder how long they will be able to do so.

OF course, if you want one press for the rest of your life, you really need a press with few or no moving parts and might want a single-stage or turret.