sleepdoc Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 I have a 550 I use now only for rifle brass prep but going to start loading 40sw and 9mm. Is the 650 worth buying to use only for 40sw and 9mm loading or just use the 550? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Depends on a number of things. Can you keep up with your demand with the 550? Are you planning to add the casefeeder to 650? If not stay with 550. I had a 550 for less than two years before switching to a 650 because I wanted a casefeeder and eventually a bullet feeder and the 550 couldn’t get me there. And of course somebody will always throw the obligatory “get a 1050” into the mix but that’s more press than 99% of us really need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHAVEGAS Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 34 minutes ago, Sarge said: And of course somebody will always throw the obligatory “get a 1050” into the mix but that’s more press than 99% of us really need. Buy once, cry once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgh Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 1 hour ago, Sarge said: Depends on a number of things. Can you keep up with your demand with the 550? Are you planning to add the casefeeder to 650? If not stay with 550. I had a 550 for less than two years before switching to a 650 because I wanted a casefeeder and eventually a bullet feeder and the 550 couldn’t get me there. And of course somebody will always throw the obligatory “get a 1050” into the mix but that’s more press than 99% of us really need. I went from a SDB to 650 for the same reasons although I don't have a bullet feeder. I could afford a 1050 but have no need for the complexity or increased capacity. The 650 runs great, is easy to understand, exceeds my production needs, and has not given me any headaches over about 20 yrs and a gazillion rounds. Once in awhile a small glitch will come up but those have been easy to troubleshoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clw42 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 550 to 650 upgrader here. I wanted the case feeder and quickly added the MBF as well. The case feeder was a great addition and the MBF took it to a whole new level. Very glad I made the switch. I do sometimes wish I had just sucked it up and bought the 1050 though, especially when I'm loading .223 or for those crimped 9mm range pick ups. Other than the swaging though, I don't think there's much to be gained (for me personally). I probably load and shoot ~10-12K/year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHI Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 2 hours ago, IHAVEGAS said: Buy once, cry once. Went from 550 to 1050 a year ago (still have and use the 550) With more 9mm having crimped primers now getting 40s showing up. The swedge becomes worth the extra cost alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay1957 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Just bought a 650 with casefeeder. Kept my 550 for lower production stuff. Very happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepdoc Posted February 22, 2019 Author Share Posted February 22, 2019 Yes I would get a case feeder and depending how slow I am at doing it by hand may get a bullet feeder. As for current production on the 550 I am not reloading pistol on it just case prep for rifle. I powder individually and seat with a co ax for rifle. Sounds like I may go ahead and get the 650 and just leave it set for pistol. In that case, does the dillon powder bar meter sport pistol well or are people using the arredondo powder bar for the finer sized powders? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzShooter Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 I went from my 550 to a 650 with a Mr. Bulletfeeder. Great set up and I could load easily at 800 rounds per hour. The Dillon powder bar meters very well with a variety of pistol powders. I had no problem with Unique, Bullseye, Vhitavhouri N 320 and large flake powders like Trail Boss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschweg Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 I'm probably going to go from the 550 to the 650 at some point when I get more space.I "want" the 1050, but any way I look at it, it doesn't make sense for my production needs. If I can do 500-800rph with a case feeder and MBF, that's good for me. Even if I doubled my current shooting output, it would only be a few hours a month.Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erick85 Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 I upgraded from a 550 to a 650 after about a year. At that time, I didn't have a lot of free time to dedicate to loading ammo, so I wanted to maximize whatever time I had. The 650 with a case feeder really allowed me to do that. I also liked the idea of a powder check. Especially since my kids would be shooting my ammo. It serves as a double check to my eyes. Would a 1050 be nice? Sure and so would a BMW, but neither make sense from a practical standpoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepdoc Posted February 23, 2019 Author Share Posted February 23, 2019 (edited) I almost bought just the case feeder for the 550 but decided against it. I ordered the 650 with case feeder and mr bullet feeder from double alpha/alpha dynamics. There is a decent deal if you order them as a package since it seems nobody discounts any Dillon products. I don't know if that is double alpha's normal pricing or a sale item as I have never looked before. I will need to get new qd plate and ergo press arm from inline now and besides the shell plate bearing kit are there any other upgrades you guys suggest? Also, I was going to order the redding carbide comp die set for 40sw, is that advisable or not worth the increased cost? Edited February 23, 2019 by sleepdoc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danby Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 I use the stock Dillion dies and they've produced consistent results. Once you dial it in, I don't really see the need to be able to make micro adjustments. You just want it to stay put. But I also use a stock 550, so maybe I'm just missing out on all the cool stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 3 hours ago, danby said: I use the stock Dillion dies and they've produced consistent results. Once you dial it in, I don't really see the need to be able to make micro adjustments. You just want it to stay put. But I also use a stock 550, so maybe I'm just missing out on all the cool stuff... You might be missing out. I like fine threads for adjusting so I use other brands for seating, crimp, etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butterpuc Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 I am definitely one of those guys who would have said "get the 1050". The 650 is a great machine, I do recommend the casefeeder and MBF. Dillon dies, or die sets from reputable manufacturers work just fine. But... you will find that it is better setups by mixing the best from different manufacturers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepdoc Posted February 23, 2019 Author Share Posted February 23, 2019 2 hours ago, Sarge said: You might be missing out. I like fine threads for adjusting so I use other brands for seating, crimp, etc What is your preference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 1 hour ago, sleepdoc said: What is your preference? LEE undersized sizer die (Udie) $30 redding pro seating die $30 LEE FCD crimp die $25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomar83 Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 I’ve used the Redding Comp. seating die for several yrs. it makes for easy adjustments, for which I load 40’s for my 2011’s and then I load also for my M&P’s at SAAMI spec. so once the day is set adjusting between the two different o.a.l.’s is easy. I am currently switching my 40 cal setup from my 550 to a super 1050. Should be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubric Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 (edited) On 2/22/2019 at 5:34 AM, Sarge said: Depends on a number of things. Can you keep up with your demand with the 550? Are you planning to add the casefeeder to 650? If not stay with 550. I had a 550 for less than two years before switching to a 650 because I wanted a casefeeder and eventually a bullet feeder and the 550 couldn’t get me there. And of course somebody will always throw the obligatory “get a 1050” into the mix but that’s more press than 99% of us really need. Sarge (and/or any of you guys for that matter), what do you do when you run across 9mm brass with crimped primers? I currently have several thousand rounds that need to be swaged, and I just don't have the time to do it all by hand using a Dillon Super Swage 600. Even if I made the time, I really don't want to sort through all my brass to pick out the crimped ones. For this reason, I am debating spending the money on a 1050/RL1100 even though, as you stated, it's way more press than I need. I'm open to getting a 650 if anyone has some good ideas on how to handle the crimped primers in a timely manner. Call me a young buck that's too impatient, but I have 4 young boys to keep up with, and taking the time to sort brass or swage by hand just isn't an option for me. I've seen a lot of your posts in the past and respect your knowledge (along with many others on this forum), so please don't take this as a challenge question. I genuinely would like to know if there are other time efficient options other than opting for a 1050. And for what it's worth, it's not like I'm just made with money. Truthfully, I don't have $2,000 sitting around that I can just blow on a new press. With that being said, I am the type that will stick with my 550 and then save up for however long is needed and just set aside the brass with the crimped primers until I can use it someday. Thanks, Edited February 24, 2019 by Rubric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 5 hours ago, Rubric said: Sarge (and/or any of you guys for that matter), what do you do when you run across 9mm brass with crimped primers? I currently have several thousand rounds that need to be swaged, and I just don't have the time to do it all by hand using a Dillon Super Swage 600. Even if I made the time, I really don't want to sort through all my brass to pick out the crimped ones. For this reason, I am debating spending the money on a 1050/RL1100 even though, as you stated, it's way more press than I need. I'm open to getting a 650 if anyone has some good ideas on how to handle the crimped primers in a timely manner. Call me a young buck that's too impatient, but I have 4 young boys to keep up with, and taking the time to sort brass or swage by hand just isn't an option for me. I've seen a lot of your posts in the past and respect your knowledge (along with many others on this forum), so please don't take this as a challenge question. I genuinely would like to know if there are other time efficient options other than opting for a 1050. And for what it's worth, it's not like I'm just made with money. Truthfully, I don't have $2,000 sitting around that I can just blow on a new press. With that being said, I am the type that will stick with my 550 and then save up for however long is needed and just set aside the brass with the crimped primers until I can use it someday. Thanks, Ask somebody with a 1050 to process it. I had a 5 gallon bucket of military brass once that I shipped to a guy with a 1050. I gave him a portion of the brass to keep for doing it. But by far the easiest option is to list it for sale here. 1050 guys will buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butterpuc Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Sarge said: Ask somebody with a 1050 to process it. I had a 5 gallon bucket of military brass once that I shipped to a guy with a 1050. I gave him a portion of the brass to keep for doing it. But by far the easiest option is to list it for sale here. 1050 guys will buy it. Thats a good idea, us 1050 guys would buy it. Or if you need the brass you might could work a swap with some of your local shooting buddies that have a 1050 Edited February 24, 2019 by Butterpuc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubric Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 3 hours ago, Sarge said: Ask somebody with a 1050 to process it. I had a 5 gallon bucket of military brass once that I shipped to a guy with a 1050. I gave him a portion of the brass to keep for doing it. But by far the easiest option is to list it for sale here. 1050 guys will buy it. This seems so simple and is a valid option, yet somehow I didn't think of selling the brass. Thanks! 2 hours ago, Butterpuc said: Thats a good idea, us 1050 guys would buy it. Or if you need the brass you might could work a swap with some of your local shooting buddies that have a 1050 Butterpuc, I'm just curious, but did you have a 650 before owning a 1050? If so, do you have any regrets? I still may decide to save for a 1050 regardless. Also, am I playing with fire if I keep watch for a used 1050? Thanks again all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Not sure how long the current facination with Mark 7 will last but there are some guys looking to offload their 1050's to make the switch. I don't think you can go too wrong as long as they were not used in an ammo making business and have hundreds of thousands of rounds through them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubric Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Not to sound naive, but where would you suggest that a guy look for a used unit? I have recently discovered the classifieds on this forum, but aside from joining other forums, the only thing I can think of is eBay, Gunbroker, and local ads (You are hard pressed to find a good deal locally when you live in Wyoming). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay1957 Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 I just bought a new 650, but watched this forum’s classifieds and saw 1050s come up from time to time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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