New press options. Is a dillion worth it?

[jmbaccolyte]

I bought a Dillon 550b in 1988 (without a case feeder) and can load 400 rounds an hour, although at my age that's a good workout. If you get distracted while you're loading, stop and check that you didn't double powder charge a case or miss loading powder into one.

Dillon presses are expensive, but their customer service answering questions about setting up a progressive press is worth it. Other than the plastic tips on the primer tubes going bad after 25 years, the only problem with was a "c-clip" that flew off and was lost. They replaced those parts free.

[Brooke]

Is a dillion worth it?

yes

[TANFARM]

650 with casefeeder.......Dillon is on of the finest American companies I've ever dealt with.....the no BS warranty is exactly what it means..........and believe me they have saved me on more than one occasion ........it's amazing the stuff these guys have done to help me.......there really is no decision to make...if you don't get the 650 you will kick yourself later....voice of experience.....Happy Holidays to all !!!!!!!!!!

[Tyshoots]

You will be happy if you get the Square Deal. I bought one in 2000 to load for my 38 sc and loaded almost 100 k before someone else thought that they needed it more then me. I now own a 650 and if all I could afford was the SD I would buy it and not look back.

[atvman400]

I would stay away from Hornady because there customer service lately has been horrible! They don't even want to help you. They just tell you they can't do anything about it and there managers aren't much better. I would stick with Dillion because I have never had anything but good luck with them.

[motosapiens]

550 one with small primer one with large.

I have never had a problem keeping up with production. Had a 650 and sold it after a year. Never felt like it made ammo faster because of all the little hic ups you consistently had to deal with. When it was running it humped a lot of ammo. Problem was it had those little hic ups and would stop or severely slow down production.

I obsessed for a while before I upgraded from a lee single-stage, and because I value simplicity and cheapness, I got a 550. It only takes a few minutes to switch between 9mm, 40 and 45. I don't have a case feeder or bullet feeder, and I can't really figure out why I would want one. As it is, I leave everything set up, and spend about 15 mins a day reloading (usually while relaxing with my coffee in the morning or beer in the evening). That's pretty much more bullets than I have time to shoot. Perhaps a fancier system would cut that down to 10 mins a day, but then I'd have to just drink my coffee for 5 mins while doing nothing with my hands.

fwiw, I've loaded about 30-40k rounds in the last 2 years, mostly 40 and 45 but a little 9mm as well.

[JMike]

Get the Dillon 650. It was the right choice 20 years ago and it is the right choice today...IMHO. I bought one 20 years ago and sold it because I got out the of the game.

When I got back into the game 20 years later, it was still the right choice. I would love to have a 1050 but I just don't know at this point if I would be any happier with it than I am with the 650XL and case-feed option.

Edited January 17, 2015 by JMike

[mgrs]

XL650. I went directly to one after starting with a lee breech lock single stage. I have only loaded 30,000 or so on mine. The shellplate index spring snapped a short time ago and had to be replaced, but I consider that a normal wear item.

Yes, I messed with a 550 before I bought my 650. I knew a few 550 owners and all of them advised me to buy the 650, as they wished they would have done the same.

I also like having the 5th station. For pistol, it gives you the option of a powder check or lockout and separate seat/crimp.

No experience with a 1050- I'm sure it is even better.

[dansedgli]

I loaded 3500 rounds on my 650 this afternoon. The only regret I have is not getting a 1050 to speed things up a bit and to swage 9mm. I junked a lot of primers today.

[himurax13]

If you will be loading a few different calibers you might want to consider a Dillon 550. It's more expensive than a SDB but cheaper than the 650. Like the 650, it uses any standard dies, but conversion kits are considerably cheaper and caliber conversion is faster & easier. In the future a casefeeder can be added to the 550.

I tried out several different setups until I figured out what worked for me.

In the end I ended up with a 550 and a casefeeder due to ease of swapping out several calibers, making test loads, and making smaller quantities. I have a 650 for making larger quantitites of 9mm and .45 ACP only. I also have a Lee SIngle Stage and Hand press for resizing/decapping brass or recrimping loads. If you are a tinkerer like me, you need to have a versatile setup.

Edited January 22, 2015 by himurax13