XL750 or RL1100?

[Laxman2809]

On 8/14/2019 at 2:36 PM, Sfisch0311 said:

I thought the 1200 was just a case prep machine?

youd be off by about 800.

[Laxman2809]

24 minutes ago, Sarge said:

You know, the one they announced at shot show. LOL They announced 1100 as coming this summer yet made no mention of a 750.

Very astute observation. You are correct nonetheless. 

[ddc]

2 hours ago, Sarge said:

You know, the one they announced at shot show. LOL They announced 1100 as coming this summer yet made no mention of a 750.

 

To me that is a strange sequence of events. 

Combined with the apparent multiple slippages of the 1100 release makes me wonder if there is some fundamental issue with the 1100 that required a re-design?

However that would also be curious since it is more of an evolution of an existing product as opposed to a blank sheet new product.

There are a few 1100s out in the wild apparently in the hands of third parties such as Ammobot and others. They are all very positive about the machine.

Very curious....

 

 

[avastcosmicarena]

Bump. I am trying to make this same decision now... Get a 750 now or wait for the 1100.

I will primarily, and for sure, be reloading 9mm and .223/5.56. However, I may also want to do .300 blackout and some 6mm caliber cartridge for precision rifle use in the future.

Any suggestions? I've gathered up just about all reloading materials but the machine itself now. So, I'm ready to buy and have been watching news on the 1100 release.

Edited December 3, 2019 by avastcosmicarena

[belus]

15 minutes ago, avastcosmicarena said:

Bump. I am trying to make this same decision now... Get a 750 now or wait for the 1100.

I will primarily, and for sure, be reloading 9mm and .223/5.56. However, I may also want to do .300 blackout and some 6mm caliber catridge for precision rifle use in the future.

Any suggestions? I've gathered up just about all reloading materials but the machine itself now. So, I'm ready to buy and have been watching news on the 1100 release.

Get a 1100 if you want to do 223 for the swaging feature.

 

If you're really hurting for a press right now get a 550. You'll end up keeping it even after having the 7-station machine because it's so easy and convenient to switch between calibers. There's lots of tips for loading precision rounds on a 550 too.

eta: I have a 550, 650, and 1050. Not certain I'll be keeping the 650 at the moment. I think the 550 and 1050 are really complimentary.

Edited December 3, 2019 by belus

[Butterpuc]

I would also recommend waiting for the 1100.  The swaging feature is great.

[igofast85]

I'll echo having a 550 and 1100 long term. The 550 is much handier for smaller runs and cheaper to outfit for new calibers. Most people are only shooting one or two calibers in 1100/1050 volumes.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[Laxman2809]

9 minutes ago, igofast85 said:

I'll echo having a 550 and 1100 long term. The 550 is much handier for smaller runs and cheaper to outfit for new calibers. Most people are only shooting one or two calibers in 1100/1050 volumes.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 

This is really good advice that I hope you take. If I could do it all over again, I wish my first press was the 550. I would have kept it to this day. Instead I got a LnL which I sold to fund my first Autodrive 1050.

[78Staff]

6 hours ago, belus said:

Get a 1100 if you want to do 223 for the swaging feature.

 

If you're really hurting for a press right now get a 550. You'll end up keeping it even after having the 7-station machine because it's so easy and convenient to switch between calibers. There's lots of tips for loading precision rounds on a 550 too.

eta: I have a 550, 650, and 1050. Not certain I'll be keeping the 650 at the moment. I think the 550 and 1050 are really complimentary.

 

I agree, I also have a 1050 and a 550, basically run all my semi-auto calibers on the 1050, and revolver calibers on the 550.  Also have a Coax for loading some PR stuff.  But the 1050/1100 and 550 combo is a nice complimentary setup 

[matto6]

Bumping an old thread because I have the same question.   I'm new to reloading and think I want the 1100 to churn out 9mm, but given the wait time I'm thinking maybe I should start with a 550c - use it for a few months while I learn and Dillon catches up on production of the 1100.   When/if I later buy an 1100 I can use the 550 for other calibers in small batches.  

One thing I'm confused about is what accessories I could buy now in 9mm and eventually move over to the 1100?   case feeder, bullet feeder, dies, etc?  Could anyone recommend a 9mm starter setup (I guess 550 but not ruling out 750 as it doesn't seem that much more) that would enable me to move most of it to the 1100?

Actually, right now I don't even see the 1100 for sale without buying the full kit (bullet feeder, dies, etc) so maybe this plan doesn't work at all.

Edited October 1, 2020 by matto6

[cjmill87]

6 minutes ago, matto6 said:

Bumping an old thread because I have the same question.   I'm new to reloading and think I want the 1100 to churn out 9mm, but given the wait time I'm thinking maybe I should start with a 550c - use it for a few months while I learn and Dillon catches up on production of the 1100.   When/if I later buy an 1100 I can use the 550 for other calibers in small batches.  

One thing I'm confused about is what accessories I could buy now in 9mm and eventually move over to the 1100?   case feeder, bullet feeder, dies, etc?  Could anyone recommend a 9mm starter setup (I guess 550 but not ruling out 750 as it doesn't seem that much more) that would enable me to move most of it to the 1100?

Actually, right now I don't even see the 1100 for sale without buying the full kit (bullet feeder, dies, etc) so maybe this plan doesn't work at all.

 

First, the RL1100 does not come with a bullet feeder.  There are places you could back order an RL1100 with no dies or caliber conversion, but truthfully the $ may not make sense unless you have particular dies you like that are not Dillon ($1,850 for small primer unit with no dies or caliber conversion, add $130 for caliber conversion, $76 for Dillon 9mm carbide 3 die set).

 

So in terms of cross-over from 550 - 1050, not a whole lot there for you other than dies.  They use 2 different style case feeders and while you can set the 550 up with a bullet feeder, you are then stuck with crimping and seating in station 4, which some people find less than ideal.

 

My .02 if you are a first time reloader would be to go with the 550, learn to make good ammo, and if/when you're ready step up to either the 750 or the 1050/1100.

 

The other challenge for you will to be find components, specifically primers, so unless your sitting on a stash or know where you can get some (hopefully not at 5x prices), neither machine will do you much good in the short term.

[Intheshaw1]

So as someone who went through this last year, I ended up wanting a 650 but picked up a 550 for the nice compliment to an 1100 as recommended by the forums. I've loaded a bunch on the 550 and have future plans of an 1100/Evo still but with the current primer shortage I don't see the point right now as I couldn't feed it.

 

The question is really how much do you plan to shoot? I can crank out 400 9mm rounds an hour at a decent pace on the 550. So unless you're shooting a ton a week or have no time, a 550 is probably enough for most people. I didn't want to believe it when I was looking for a press but a 550 is plenty for most people. I load usually mid week for a weekend shoot and that's plenty for me right now.

 

I'm not sure what your budget is but factor in all the other stuff like case gauges, calipers, chrono, books, etc that you will need when you get started. I picked up a used 550 for a great price but all those extras probably added 500-600 to my total reloading setup costs. These are the things that will only be bought once and lower future costs.

 

The other thing is what calibers you plan to reload. I probably have tool heads and dies for 8 different loads now and costs were minimal if you know how the conversion kits crossover.

[matto6]

Thanks cjmill87 and Intheshaw1.

I won't be doing many calibers - 95% 9mm, and anything else would be low volume.  It sounds like the 550 might work fine for me.

One issue I have is that I'm somewhat space limited.   The 550 "as shown" on Dillon's site is $850.   The 750 is $1330 and that includes a case feeder which is $300.    I'm having a hard time not going 750 and hoping it's good enough that maybe I don't end up needing to upgrade to an 1100.

How much easier is switching calibers on a 550 vs 750?  I'm watching some youtube videos now and they both seem fairly involved.  The 1100 looks pretty awful to switch.

 

 

[Intheshaw1]

My 550 is pretty easy and if what you're loading crosses over on conversions, meaning the same plate, the it could be as little as switching out the tool head and buttons.

 

The 1100 from my understanding is a lot harder but you would just keep it set up for 9mm most of the time and realize it's probably easier to just buy the ammo for the other 5% of what you're shooting. The 1100 is not made for low column runs whereas a 550 is where that nice combo comes in.

 

If all you plan on doing is 9mm, a 750 is probably more than enough. I want to eventually do 223 so having the swage capabilities of the bigger presses is really what I'm looking for in a bigger press. 

[belus]

1 hour ago, matto6 said:

One thing I'm confused about is what accessories I could buy now in 9mm and eventually move over to the 1100?   case feeder, bullet feeder, dies, etc?  Could anyone recommend a 9mm starter setup (I guess 550 but not ruling out 750 as it doesn't seem that much more) that would enable me to move most of it to the 1100?

 

I'm one of the early advocates of the 1100/550 combo in this thread. All the presses you've mentioned use the same dies and powder system, but not much else interchanges. There's generally about $2-300 worth of other expenses beyond the press that you need to get started, but it's not press specific. Things like a brass tumbler or vibratory cleaner, calipers, first primer sleeve and pound of powder, etc. Your barrel can be your case gauge at first.

IMO, it's not worth getting a bullet or case feeder for the 550. The press works very well with two hands once you get into a rhythm. In contrast, the 750 really needs the case feeder or it's severely handicapped. In my experience, the 5-station press is about 35% faster than the 550. And the 550 is 700% faster than a single stage.

The 550 doesn't need all the accessories shown on Dillon's website, especially if you're starting on a virgin bench and can adjust the bench height to be comfortable. I do use mine with a strong mount and roller handle though.

I'd say load on a 550 for a season or half. If it's holding you back you can sell it for 80-90% of it's new price when you upgrade. Though you'll probably find that an upgrade is unnecessary.

 

14 minutes ago, matto6 said:

How much easier is switching calibers on a 550 vs 750?  I'm watching some youtube videos now and they both seem fairly involved.  The 1100 looks pretty awful to switch.

If you have spare tool heads, the 550 caliber conversion is one bolt and two push pins. It takes about 90 seconds.  On the 750, it's about double the time because you also switch out casefeeder parts. Add another two minutes if you have to change primer sizes for either.

On a 1100, most people load a couple thousand rounds between caliber conversions and use the switch as an opportunity to detail clean the press.

 

The 550 shines for someone who loads <500 rds per session and who loads multiple calibers. The 750's sweet spot is only one or two calibers (neither being 223) and between ~500 and maybe 1200 rds per session.  The 1100 is what I'd recommend for someone who wants to load 223, load more than 1200 rds in a sitting, or wants to automate a press.

[Igloodude]

I got a 550 in 1999 and it's still my only reloader. Originally shooting Bullseye, and now USPSA/SteelChallenge/Bullseye/BowlingPin, I load only .45ACP on it, and lately average a few thousand rounds a year. Switching between round nose and semiwadcutter takes a few minutes, adjusting powder (now that I have a $10 dial on the end of the powder tray) is ten seconds. When I've got the primer tubes loaded, using known-good brass (either new, or already-checked-for-splits/dents), and completely focused and continuously moving, I can crank out about five rounds per minute (300/hr), but can't sustain it for more than 1.5-2hrs. One should of course always be completely focused, but if one is not adjusting loads or troubleshooting, there seems little danger of no-charge/doublecharge, much more likely is screwing up not seating a bullet and derailing the routine costing a few minutes getting everything set again. Music good, TV/podcasts/sports/etc too distracting.

 

Beyond the reloader itself my essentials are an electronic scale, a primer flip tray, and a case gauge (your barrel might not be as tight as the gauge, and besides taking the barrel out of your pistol every time you're reloading seems pretty annoying to me). Mounting it to a really solid surface, and (with the strongmount or not) a comfortable height, is critical. I recommend an aftermarket light that shines down through the hole in the center of the dies mount, rather than a physical powder-checker of any sort. Get enough extra primer tubes that you can fill an entire 1000-primer box into tubes (of 100 each) in one go.

 

I'm mulling getting a 750 for my .45ACP and starting to shoot .40S&W/10mm and keeping the 550 for that, but funds currently don't allow a 750 (or a new pistol for that matter). For anyone getting into reloading I'd recommend starting with a 550. Singlestage is IMO pointlessly slow, but 550s are the sweet spot for learning all about it and will suffice for pistol shooters doing less than five thousand rounds per year.

 

Hope this helps.

[George16]

On 10/1/2020 at 11:14 AM, belus said:

 

I'm one of the early advocates of the 1100/550 combo in this thread. All the presses you've mentioned use the same dies and powder system, but not much else interchanges. There's generally about $2-300 worth of other expenses beyond the press that you need to get started, but it's not press specific. Things like a brass tumbler or vibratory cleaner, calipers, first primer sleeve and pound of powder, etc. Your barrel can be your case gauge at first.

IMO, it's not worth getting a bullet or case feeder for the 550. The press works very well with two hands once you get into a rhythm. In contrast, the 750 really needs the case feeder or it's severely handicapped. In my experience, the 5-station press is about 35% faster than the 550. And the 550 is 700% faster than a single stage.

The 550 doesn't need all the accessories shown on Dillon's website, especially if you're starting on a virgin bench and can adjust the bench height to be comfortable. I do use mine with a strong mount and roller handle though.

I'd say load on a 550 for a season or half. If it's holding you back you can sell it for 80-90% of it's new price when you upgrade. Though you'll probably find that an upgrade is unnecessary.

 

If you have spare tool heads, the 550 caliber conversion is one bolt and two push pins. It takes about 90 seconds.  On the 750, it's about double the time because you also switch out casefeeder parts. Add another two minutes if you have to change primer sizes for either.

On a 1100, most people load a couple thousand rounds between caliber conversions and use the switch as an opportunity to detail clean the press.

 

The 550 shines for someone who loads <500 rds per session and who loads multiple calibers. The 750's sweet spot is only one or two calibers (neither being 223) and between ~500 and maybe 1200 rds per session.  The 1100 is what I'd recommend for someone who wants to load 223, load more than 1200 rds in a sitting, or wants to automate a press.

I agree with above post. I started with a 550, added a 650 with casefeeder and bullet feeder (shared with the 1100) and 8 months later, I bought the 1100 so I can Swage .223 Lake City brass. I initially planned on selling the 550 and keep the 650 with the 1100 but I got suggestions that it’s better to keep the 550 since it complements the 1100.

 

Right now, I still have all three but plan on selling the 650 with casefeeder but will keep the 550 and 1100. The 650 has all the upgrades (bearing indexer, snoshooze upgrades, KMS UFO light etc). It was very nice until I got the 1100 .

Edited October 2, 2020 by George16

[clw42]

I did the 550/650 thing.  Now I wish I just got a 1050/1100.  So there may be one in my future, or I may just go ahead and get the MK7.  Not sure yet.

[JatCarver]

Think ahead of where you want to be set up in 5 years? Do you only want one press and mostly loading 9mm? Get the 750. 
 

The 550 and 1050/1100 combo is really nice to have. Crank out 9mm and 223 on the 1050 and have the 550 for doing odd stuff and load development. 
 

If you have plans to automate you will want a 1100. 

[matto6]

I just thought I'd update this thread and say I got the 750 and I'm pretty happy with it.

Sometimes I wish I had an 1100 for the swaging, and not having a double-arm motion.  But overall it's pretty great.

[Jetpilot69]

I have a 650 and just got the 1100. If you are doing several calibers and can only have 1 it’s much cheaper and easier to change on the 650/750. If you’re doing tons of volume, lots of crimped primers, just 1 or 2 calibers the 1100 is awesome. Almost 100% of my brass is crimped which was why I got the 1100. My 650 is mostly only used for 5.56/300blk case prep now with the Dillon trimmer.

[Jetpilot69]

On 10/1/2020 at 8:44 AM, matto6 said:

Thanks cjmill87 and Intheshaw1.

I won't be doing many calibers - 95% 9mm, and anything else would be low volume.  It sounds like the 550 might work fine for me.

One issue I have is that I'm somewhat space limited.   The 550 "as shown" on Dillon's site is $850.   The 750 is $1330 and that includes a case feeder which is $300.    I'm having a hard time not going 750 and hoping it's good enough that maybe I don't end up needing to upgrade to an 1100.

How much easier is switching calibers on a 550 vs 750?  I'm watching some youtube videos now and they both seem fairly involved.  The 1100 looks pretty awful to switch.

 

 

650/750 are a breeze to swap. 1100 isn’t as bad as people make it out to be.  I’m not a 550 fan, too many benefits jumping up to the 750 with no drawbacks in my opinion.

[Jetpilot69]

On 10/1/2020 at 9:14 PM, George16 said:

I agree with above post. I started with a 550, added a 650 with casefeeder and bullet feeder (shared with the 1100) and 8 months later, I bought the 1100 so I can Swage .223 Lake City brass. I initially planned on selling the 550 and keep the 650 with the 1100 but I got suggestions that it’s better to keep the 550 since it complements the 1100.

 

Right now, I still have all three but plan on selling the 650 with casefeeder but will keep the 550 and 1100. The 650 has all the upgrades (bearing indexer, snoshooze upgrades, KMS UFO light etc). It was very nice until I got the 1100 .

I have the 1100/650 combo and it’s awesome. 650 is awesome for 300 BLK case production and case trimming.  Converting 800 cases in an hour is pretty hard to beat. If you have the swage adapter for crimped brass you could quickly swap it and the tool head and reload the prepped rounds on it also. The 650 is now my high volume rifle production and the 1100 is mostly kept set up for pistol. 

[shuter]

On 10/1/2020 at 8:14 AM, belus said:

 

I'm one of the early advocates of the 1100/550 combo in this thread. All the presses you've mentioned use the same dies and powder system, but not much else interchanges. There's generally about $2-300 worth of other expenses beyond the press that you need to get started, but it's not press specific. Things like a brass tumbler or vibratory cleaner, calipers, first primer sleeve and pound of powder, etc. Your barrel can be your case gauge at first.

IMO, it's not worth getting a bullet or case feeder for the 550. The press works very well with two hands once you get into a rhythm. In contrast, the 750 really needs the case feeder or it's severely handicapped. In my experience, the 5-station press is about 35% faster than the 550. And the 550 is 700% faster than a single stage.

The 550 doesn't need all the accessories shown on Dillon's website, especially if you're starting on a virgin bench and can adjust the bench height to be comfortable. I do use mine with a strong mount and roller handle though.

I'd say load on a 550 for a season or half. If it's holding you back you can sell it for 80-90% of it's new price when you upgrade. Though you'll probably find that an upgrade is unnecessary.

 

If you have spare tool heads, the 550 caliber conversion is one bolt and two push pins. It takes about 90 seconds.  On the 750, it's about double the time because you also switch out casefeeder parts. Add another two minutes if you have to change primer sizes for either.

On a 1100, most people load a couple thousand rounds between caliber conversions and use the switch as an opportunity to detail clean the press.

 

The 550 shines for someone who loads <500 rds per session and who loads multiple calibers. The 750's sweet spot is only one or two calibers (neither being 223) and between ~500 and maybe 1200 rds per session.  The 1100 is what I'd recommend for someone who wants to load 223, load more than 1200 rds in a sitting, or wants to automate a press.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but the comment, "The 750's sweet spot is only one or two calibers (neither being 223)" obviously has me wondering what's wrong with running .223 on a 750? I have an old 550B and was considering the 750 for a .223/9mm combo press. Any comments much appreciated!

[travail]

That I am aware of, nothing. I have a 750 and while I still have rookie numbers for my round count on this press, no issues with either 9mm (10,000ish) or 223 (4,500). Definitely need the case feeder to run well, but not sure why the knock on 223 as mine runs this great.