Dillon reloading presses?

I sure like the Dillon 550B....

Been in service for a little over a year & it works fantastic!

what's the black contraption on the left?

I have a 550B and a Square Deal B and It works. I load .223, .270, 6.5x55, 22-250, 308 on the 550. 41 mag, 44 mag, 45 LC, 357 mag, 45 acp.

When I was beginning my commercial operation I bought my Dillon XL650 after I learned CorBon had a room full........

chefrob1 said:

what's the black contraption on the left?

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It is a florescent light when the press was first set up! I now have a small LED light set up in the middle hole between the dies. You need to see in the case for powder, before placing a bullet....

gotcha.....i use the mini LED light strip on the inside of the back upright.

I still use a single stage Hornady I picked up on a closeout sale many years ago. I use it for loading rifle ammo for my bolt guns, mainly 30-06, 338-06, 30-30.

For the few cartridges I load in these calibers, it didn't justify new tool heads for the 550B. I load mostly 223/5.56, 9mm and 45 auto on the 550B, but I need to get set up for 32HRM/327 FM, 357 mag, 9x23, 44 Spc and 45 Colt.

Good equipment, good customer service, but a single stage is better for a beginner. Check some loading manuals out of a library and read them. The money you save on a single stage will be needed to buy the other tools you need to complement your press.

Jim Luke said:

It amazes me that people do not understand that the 550B works great as a single stage or turret press...it does not function as a typical progressive. This press does not advance on the pull of the handle...the round only advances when YOU move the shellplate to whatever die you choose.

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I use my Dillon 550B like a that all the time. I love the manual indexing. It's like 3 presses in one, plus a great priming tool.

But I did start off with a single stage Bonanza press, then got a CH4D "333" H press, and finally the Dillon 550B.

You can't really go go wrong either way, single stage or a 550B.

You will not regret purchasing a Dillon 550B.

If I shot 1000+ rounds per month I'd drink the blue KoolAid. A RCBS Rockchucker suits me fine.

Finally got the new 650 set up and love the addition of a case feeder. Really helps to speed things along. Nice to be able to crank out an afternoon's worth of ammunition in a matter of minutes. Still want to try an SDB.

I have been re-loading on a square deal and a 550b for over 30 years. About once every couple of years, something breaks on one or the other and I have to wait 2 days for the replacement part to get to New Mexico. I LOVE those guys!!

contender said:

I suggest you take the time to read the "sticky's" above this. A lot has been said about Dillon & getting started. It's well known that Dillon has the absolute best warranty in the business. That said,, Dillon stuff is considered "progressive" and while the 550 is a way to slow down OR speed up,, I too suggest you fully consider a single stage for the learning curve.

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Sage advise!

I load all my handgun ammo on one of my two 550's, but a moment's lapse in attention could easily result in a double charge. It is not for the uninitiated.

Have two 550's. One for small primers and one for large. Both work great. Caliber conversions that are complete with dedicated powder throws are not cheap but for the cost, they save untold amount of time. Still, I have a single stage press bolted to the table as well and I do think that everyone should start with one and keep it for special projects or for loading small quantities of ammo.

For Example; I shoot IHMSA Silhouettes and also load for seven different revolver calibers, for a total of eleven high volume calibers. However, loading for .243 and .308 never requires more than 20 rounds loaded. This is no problem on a single stage. I also have to create cases for two different IHMSA calibers. Can't do it on a Dillon. No worries on the single stage.

One of my 550's was an original 550 or pre B configuration that I bought in 1986 along with an extra powder measure. After many thousands of rounds loaded, one of the powder measures from '86 finally began to fail due to internal galling this month. I shipped it back to them, and a week later, I received a brand new measure and powder die free of charge.

I have completely worn out the compound leverage system on that press twice, and each time a phone call got me the parts for a complete lower end rebuild free of charge.

The best part of their customer service story happened to me when I moved from Texas to California in 1987, to go to work for Uncle Whiskers. Somehow in the course of the move I lost a box containing about thirty small parts for the press and caliber change over kits. I put together a list of the parts numbers I needed, and phoned it in. After they had my order I offered the guy my credit card info, but he wouldn't hear of it. I insisted saying that it wasn't a warranty issue, but rather my fault as I had lost the parts. He told me:

No. Our products are guaranteed to work, and they won't work without all the parts. They will go out tomorrow. No charge.

Yes. I am a loyal Dillon customer.

cadillo said:

I have completely worn out the compound leverage system on that press twice

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Hi,

Silly question:

How many rounds does it take to wear out the lever system on a press (any good one, not just a Dillon?) I've seen reports of guys wearing out reasonably rugged presses in what seems to me to be a horribly low figure of around 100,000 rounds. And I've rebuilt a shotshell reloader for a friend that was thrashed after about 25-30k rounds, while my exact same machine was just nicely worn in at about 125k. I attributed that to a cleaning rag and small oil can on MY bench, both used regularly, while his machine looked like the last day it was clean and the last drop of oil it had seen both happened at the factory before it went in the box!

Just curious...

Rick C

Rick Courtright said:

cadillo said:

I have completely worn out the compound leverage system on that press twice

Click to expand...

Hi,

Silly question:

How many rounds does it take to wear out the lever system on a press (any good one, not just a Dillon?) I've seen reports of guys wearing out reasonably rugged presses in what seems to me to be a horribly low figure of around 100,000 rounds. And I've rebuilt a shotshell reloader for a friend that was thrashed after about 25-30k rounds, while my exact same machine was just nicely worn in at about 125k. I attributed that to a cleaning rag and small oil can on MY bench, both used regularly, while his machine looked like the last day it was clean and the last drop of oil it had seen both happened at the factory before it went in the box!

Just curious...

Rick C

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Boy, I guess I'm just flummoxed at the thought. I've been running my Hornady AP LNL progressive going on six years (in two weeks from now). I have replaced the primer slide, the primer seater plug and one lost spring and I snapped an indexing pawl with a jam (my fault). I have also loaded a conservative figure of 200,000 rounds of just 9mm through it in that time. My guess is the total of all the other calibers adds another 75,000 or so. I have had no issue with the ram/levering system at all.

I really don't have a round count on the press other than to say that it was many thousands. The original leverage system was lubricated by means of weep holes through which you could apply oil with a needle oiler. The first replacement set of parts had been modified by the addition of more weep holes for lubrication, and that is where I'm at with my two 550's at this point. The photos I've seen of the latest 550's show that they now have grease fittings like the ball joints on a vehicle back in the good old days. Adding grease under pressure like that should bring about a huge improvement in tool life.

As far as comparing the 550 to a Hornaday, I just don't know anything about that press. If the leverage system is made of iron or steel rather than aluminum like the 550, that should give it a huge edge over the Dillon, but I have an RCBS Rockchucker that I bought new in 1981, and I had to rebuild the lower end on it after about twenty-seven years, and it is made of iron.

In my opinion all compound leverage presses, regardless of material, should have provision for lubrication with a grease gun due to the forces at play, but then I'm picky enough to wish that the car companies would again build cars that have greaseable suspensions, something which is not likely to happen again.

Hornady's lower end is cast iron and steel. The die frame is cast aluminum.