Sneltyr Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 (edited) I was in the market for a Lee Classic Turret and while waiting for anything to come available became interested in the 550B. I found Brian's order page & like the idea of ordering everything from him. I already have some items ordered: RCBS 10-10 Scale Berry 400 tumbler Media Separator Calipers Lee Classic Cast Single Stage Press I emailed Brian with a screenshot of items yesterday - for him to review. I just wanted to check before I order. I know Brian is super busy so I figured I would post the list & get feedback. Just an FYI - I do not plan to get a case feeder. I plan to start with .45 ACP & 9mm and eventually reload 30-06, 308, 270 & 223 Please give me feedback on this list. I have not ordered from Brian yet. Edited March 1, 2013 by Sneltyr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee blackman Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 The case feeder on the 550 is only for pistol cases. And don't forget the 550 is not auto-indexing. After every crank you will have to manually rotate the shell plate. If your planning on ever doing a manual powder charge for rifle rounds this is great, but other than that you might as well get a 650 which is auto-indexing. The dillon case trimmer is amazing. Put it together with a case feeder on a 650, and you can crank trim & size a whole batch of 5.56mm brass in minutes what would normally take hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneltyr Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 Sorry Lee - that's a typo - I meant I do not plan to ever get a case feeder. I don't have the need for that kind of speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankl03 Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 The 550b is a great machine! I went from a lee classic 4 hole turret to the Dillion. Indexing by hand is fine and you can crank out the rounds pretty fast! Your going to need a caliper and a bullet puller. I'm using lee dies in my machine. No lubing needed for pistol cases with carbide sizing die! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneltyr Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 Frank - I have a good set of caliper on the way but no bullet puller. Also - I have the Lee Deluxe 4 Die sets on the way. Will those work or should I return? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankl03 Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Get a bullet puller you will need it! I would get the hammer type. I have the Franklin arsenal one. The 4 die set will work great because it includes the crimp die. I put a light crimp on my rounds. You won't need the powder die of course! Just follow the directions for setting up your dies and it will go fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneltyr Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 Frank - Do you use the 550B without a case feeder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Troy, you're missing The Most Essential piece - the chrono - only $75 more, and you're set to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankl03 Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 (edited) I don't have a case feeder for mine. I just load the bullets and cases by hand. Left hand bullet, right hand feed case. Seems to work for me. I also like having a single stage press setup just for other operations you may want to do. I have the Lee bulge buster set up on a single stage as I seem to have bulges in allot of my brass (Police Glock brass). Edited March 2, 2013 by Frankl03 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapemeister Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Although I still had to call friends and Dillon for help with my Dillon press, I still found the Dillon DVD for my press very helpful. The spare parts kit has come in handy, too. Lost a few small parts; one or two of which got sucked up by the vacum cleaner when cleaning my press...won't make that mistake again. If you're loading a lot at one time, two or three extra primer pickup tubes come in handy. I wouldn't recommend buying case guages for pistol rounds. I bought several when I 1st started loading but soon figured out that barrel chambers are more reliable for checking loaded pistol rounds. Just starting out, one tumbler is enough, but I've found that two tumblers are even better. Well, a small cement mixer would be better, but that's a little over the top for my small apartment. Good luck.. Reloading is a fun and rewarding adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenmonster Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Troy, you're missing The Most Essential piece - the chrono - only $75 more, and you're set to go. +1 Chrono is a must, such a great piece of technology. They answer a lot of questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salemsm Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 Troy, you're missing The Most Essential piece - the chrono - only $75 more, and you're set to go. +1 Chrono is a must, such a great piece of technology. They answer a lot of questions Please excuse this newbie's ignorance... What is a "chrono"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppa Bear Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 A Chronograph so that you can see how fast your loads are. Books are a general idea of what the load produces. The tightness of the barrel, length of the barrel, and tightness of the chamber can give very different results from gun to gun with the same load. Overall velocity is tied to chamber pressure. The higher the velocity the higher the pressure. Compare this with the book and you will get a better idea of where you are at in terms of max safe pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmd6x Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Sneltyr what did you end up getting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Ryder Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 d 17 December 2012 - 10:45 PM My way isn't the Only way, but it works for me. I have reloaded 20,000 + rounds without a single jam or malfunction in my XDM and or Glock 17. Get any Dillon, square deal, 550 or 650 or the Hornady Lock N Load. If you decide you don't want to be a "reloader", you can sell it all off for nearly what you bought it for. Dillon machines maintain a high resale value. Just look on ebay, Gunbroker, etc. Buy your press used if you want to. Both manufactorers have good customer service Depts. I can only vouch for Dillon. They rock. If you buy a new Dillon, call Brain Enos and buy it from him. There is no shortage of free help and advice from this forum also. You will need: 1. 2-3 reloading manuals 2. A case or 2 of Montana Gold bullets, 4 lb jug of powder, 5000 pistol primers, Federal, CCI, or Winchester. Free range brass! 3. Caliber correct shell plate and carbide dies with locking rings etc. 4. Dies where the seating and Taper crimp are separate. I like the comp. seater by Redding and Lee full length taper crimp dies. 5. EGW U die. A resizing/decapping die available at EGW gun works. Google "EGW gun" for the web site. 6. Digital Calipers. 7. Digital powder scale from Brian Enos.com. 8. Case gauge for your caliber. I prefer the EGW 4 in 1 case gauge check. 9. Case tumbler and walnut or corn cob media and Nu Finish car polish and mineral spirits. 10. "Hornady One Shot" spray can of case lube. 11. Several one gallon ziplock bags to store the range brass you pick up. 12. An old coffee can to put the screw up rounds in. 13. Bullet puller to recover your screw up round components. 14. Dillon primer flip tray. It is the best. 15. Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital Chronograph, (best value) they go on sale often at Midway 16. A good notebook. 17. Case tumbler media separater pan and 1 &1/2 gallon bucket. 18. Primer pick up tubes, at least 2 19. Several plastic ammo boxes to store your loaded rounds. 20. A STURDY reloading bench in a quiet place to spend many many hours. 21. A fellow experienced reloader on speed dial! (optional, but the Brian Enos forum is a necessity for problem solving) The Redding Competition seater die costs $75. Not a necessity but saved me much time and headaches fine tuning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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