Pull the trigger on a 650?

[tacoranch]

So my wife just purchased a 9mm, Taurus judge, 30-30, and thinking bout a 380. Then she tried to find ammo.... well after a good bit of frustration and paying $27 on 20 rounds of 30-30 she told me i needed to reload. Well i took that as a blessing and so here i am looking at a 650 press.

My only problem i am seeing is the range of calibers we have and im sure it will only get bigger. I cant afford to buy multiple presses dedicated to a certain caliber but how much of a pain is it converting on the 650? I would most likely reload in bulk in a certain caliber and then go to the next etc...

A friend who reloads says not to bother with rifle on a progressive however i wanted to see what the community here has to say about rifle reloading on the 650 first..

Thanks all.

[Youngeyes]

550 or 650. The 550 can easyly strip to a single rifle press in it's BL550 mode. best press for multiple loads is the 550.I have loaded a lot of 30-06 on a RL550. Lot's of people load rifle on a progressive Dillon. Welcome to the addiction.

[tunaman]

Agreed... I turn out a LOT of ammo on my 550, for 7 different calibers, and can also load match-grade ammo using it more or less in single stage. I load a lot of 30-06 in progressive mode.

[polizei1]

I'd go for the 650, and I did. To me, it's not much more to go to the 650, and if you reload in bulk, who cares about a 10-15 minute caliber change? Set it up, load 5k or whatever rounds, then change the caliber, rinse, repeat.

Auto index + casefeeder = WIN

[GuildSF4]

With a large and small primer system the conversion between calibers on a 650 is only about 5 minutes for me. (Helpful tools are a boundus ball allen T handle and a 9/16 flex head conbo wrench.)

[anm2_man]

On the 650, you can easily get down to less than 5 minutes. It takes some practice (My first time took 30 min), but you can get it down pretty quickly. If you get a 650, I recomend that you buy a complete opposite primer system. Makes life much easier on caliber swaps.

[Fate0n3]

I also just went thru this and ended up taking myself into the 650. If u are someone who wants to reload different calibers and quite a few of them I would stick with the 550 for several reason conversions are a lot more for the 650. Times it takes to do it IMO is irrelevant I don't know anyone who is on a time limit when reloading but the cost of switching between calibers can be very high with new primer system for large and small primers, if u run a casfeeder different plates for it. Like I said I ended up going with the 650 haven't got it yet but hope I don't regret it. Best advice I could also give is go to YouTube there was a few videos on there showing people changing calibers it will show you what all is involved and timeframe if you are worried about that

[jester121]

Be sure your Dillon press arrives before you tell the wife that bad news that no one can buy components anywhere.

[Chris iliff]

Yes, to the question posed in title of thread.

[Jaxshooter]

Buy the 650 with the extra primer system. If you have both of the primer systems you can convert the press in 5 minutes with no problem once you do it a few times.

[andrewst359]

I just bought the 550 from Brian. I like to experiment and load 5 different calibers. The conversions are cheaper and the 550 is more forgiving if its your 1st press. The 550 will load a lot more calibers than the 650.

[zatchmo]

I just bought the 550 from Brian. I like to experiment and load 5 different calibers. The conversions are cheaper and the 550 is more forgiving if its your 1st press. The 550 will load a lot more calibers than the 650.

The 550 is a great press. And they hold their value. In 5 years if you decide you need faster, you can probably sell it for what you have into it and order the 650/1050 then.

[August]

The 650 is a great machine! In my world, it takes a LOT of shooting to justify the price and complexity of the 650. If you are part of a shooting sport community that uses pistol calibers, you can't live without a 650. If you are a plinker, casual shooter, or fire less than 500 rounds per month, you probably will be happier with a different approach -- particularly if you intend to frequently change calibers.

I was very happy with an LnL for many years -- until the bug REALLY hit me.

[tacoranch]

Thanks everyone for the info. I was looking at the 550 but wasn't sure if i could keep up withe the ammo load we go through. I think my bill was aprox 600 dollars this month alone. I will look at it again, as it sits now in the shopping cart i am at 1,700 and need to add more for the 650. Itdef starting to add up fast.

[andrewst359]

I'm more than happy with my 550. My round count isn't high and I wanted to load rifle too.

[thegunnerd]

I couldn't be happier with my 650. How many rounds i load vary at dif times a year. I load everything from 38 spec to 223 , and prob going to start making 308 plinker ammo soon as well.

If you plan on pressing 1k rounds at a time or more then get a 650. The conversions are easy and you won't likely grow out of it any time soon.

[Gandof]

I can't think of any good reason to buy the 550 over the 650 other than price. There seems to be a misconception that the 650 is not capable of loading rifle ammo. Not sure where that came from. I have the .223 conversion for mine, and there is a extensive list of rifle caliber conversions listed in the manual. Caliber changes are simple enough and require little time. Just my opinion. My first Dillon was a 450, which later became a 550 with the conversion, great press. I currently have a 650, and so far like it very much! For my money the 650 is worth the extra bucks.

[thegunnerd]

I'd go for the 650, and I did. To me, it's not much more to go to the 650, and if you reload in bulk, who cares about a 10-15 minute caliber change? Set it up, load 5k or whatever rounds, then change the caliber, rinse, repeat.

Auto index + casefeeder = WIN

For all these reasons !!! I had the same conundrum . Bought a 650 and press everything on it save for my precision rifle rounds which i use a single stage press for .

[Boxerglocker]

I'm a 650 owner and I can't see how some of you guys are helping the OP justify going to a 650 rather than a 550?

The calibers mentions are for the most part non-interchangeable, so he would need 4 separate conversions and 3 case feeder plates.

He hasn't stated the amount of ammo he intends to load in his highest demand caliber. If less than a 1000 rounds of one a month I wouldn't even consider it. Sure you can do caliber changes in 4-5 minutes but have had dedicated tool heads for each one. I simple don't see the cost of a 650 justified in the OPs case.

The better route would IMO be a 550, simpler caliber conversions and decent production output of 500 an hour. I would invest the extra money on a good solid single stage to decap size and prep 30-30 brass. Then load it on a 550 if you choose a good metering ball powder or like mentioned above get a funnel and load it in BL mode. Save that extra money for a good bench mount powder drop and scale or even better a chargemaster.

[partyboy424]

Based on what the OP stated for his monthly cost ($600 last month) at 30 cents a round, that's 2,000 rounds. So even if he's paying double that a round and he's having trouble finding ammo, he's at 1,000 rounds a month. When I went from shooting factory ammo to reloading. My useage easily tripled. So, he could potentially start shooting 3-6k a month between him and his wife. I could never do that without my 650.

Edited May 25, 2013 by partyboy424

[tunaman]

I'm a 650 owner and I can't see how some of you guys are helping the OP justify going to a 650 rather than a 550?

The calibers mentions are for the most part non-interchangeable, so he would need 4 separate conversions and 3 case feeder plates.

He hasn't stated the amount of ammo he intends to load in his highest demand caliber. If less than a 1000 rounds of one a month I wouldn't even consider it. Sure you can do caliber changes in 4-5 minutes but have had dedicated tool heads for each one. I simple don't see the cost of a 650 justified in the OPs case.

The better route would IMO be a 550, simpler caliber conversions and decent production output of 500 an hour. I would invest the extra money on a good solid single stage to decap size and prep 30-30 brass. Then load it on a 550 if you choose a good metering ball powder or like mentioned above get a funnel and load it in BL mode. Save that extra money for a good bench mount powder drop and scale or even better a chargemaster.

^^^^

This... sage advice.

I load 8 different calibers now, three pistol and five rifle, and my shelves are full. The 550 puts out plenty of capacity and is more readily adaptable to caliber changes. It is also more versatile if you have a need to load match or precision rounds and work in non-progressive mode.

Either is a great press, but one or the other will be the best choice based on your usage and needs. Be sure to give it as thorough consideration as possible before making the plunge and you will be happy with your selection.

[L3324temp]

I went 650 over 550 for the auto index and the ability to run a lock-out or powder check die. I feel both are important safety features for me. The caliber conversion time on the 650 is not an issue. Cost is the only real disadvantage to the 650 IMO.

[Boxerglocker]

Based on what the OP stated for his monthly cost ($600 last month) at 30 cents a round, that's 2,000 rounds. So even if he's paying double that a round and he's having trouble finding ammo, he's at 1,000 rounds a month. When I went from shooting factory ammo to reloading. My useage easily tripled. So, he could potentially start shooting 3-6k a month between him and his wife. I could never do that without my 650.

Where are you reading any actual numbers of rounds needed a month in the OPs post? He only mentions the four calibers he would potentially load and the cost of 30-30.

[mlmiller1]

Where are you reading any actual numbers of rounds needed a month in the OPs post? He only mentions the four calibers he would potentially load and the cost of 30-30.

Post #14 is where the original poster said he spent $600 last month on ammo.

[mlmiller1]

I've had both loaders & both are great but when I got my first 650, I sold the 550 & never looked back.