XL650 caliber conversion or Square Deal B

[dpop24]

I have a Dillon 650 and currently load 45, 40, and 9. When I bought the conversion kits, I was shook by the price to set it up right (caliber conversion, dies, quick change kit, extra powder die, and powder check conversion) costs almost $300.

Now that I want to add .380 and .38, It got me thinking that I can just get a Square Deal B for $400 shipped, ready to go. Adding a SDB conversion kit puts me back at the same price as two 650 conversion kits, but I get a whole extra press!

Have any 650 owners had this thought or even pulled the trigger on a SDB as a second press instead of adding caliber conversions? Is this a stupid idea?

In a perfect world, I'd own 2 650's - one for small primer and one for large. But that price tag is too steep.


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[AGunNut2]

You don't need a second 650 for the primer size, just the other whole primer assembly. Once you get that many calibers going, you can probably go cheap and get just the conversion parts you need that are not unique. Several calibers share parts.

[Eljay]

Most people who load a primary and some secondary calibers will end up doing things like only buying two powder measures - one that stays with the primary and one that floats between the different secondaries. As noted above there are only two primer sizes so even if you go quick change you're done with that quickly. There's only four possible case feeder plates (small/large rifle/pistol).

And as noted if you have related calibers you might not even to need the whole $75 conversion kit - lots of calibers use the same shellplates. There are even websites that'll take all the calibers you own and what you want and show you what you do and don't need to get.

I don't use the powder checks, even when I'm not running the bulletfeeder, so that's a non-issue.

See also http://thegunwiki.com/apps/calconversion/

[Eljay]

Speaking of which I just realized I only need one part to do .223...

[rcslotcar]

I have both small and large primer sets for my 650 xl.

[drdarrin@sbcglobal.net]

Having a second press handy is a good idea. When I'm using my 650, I periodically use my rock chucker for some thing.

That said, there is nothing nicer than having your favorite load dialed into a tool head, doing a quick change, double checking the powder drop and getting to work. But you have to balance the cost against the 30 minutes or so it will take you to switch cartridges on a single tool head.




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[Revoman]

Dillon SDBs a really good for pistol loading. I have 4 of them in different calibers.
They have a small footprint so mount easily on the bench and they can crank out a lot of ammo in short order (that's not why I like them though).
Yes the dies are proprietary, but less expensive than the other Dillon dies, plus you automatically get one die set with the machine when you buy it.
GREAT little press for modest money.

[Eljay]

Yes the dies are proprietary, but less expensive than the other Dillon dies, plus you automatically get one die set with the machine when you buy it.

Oh, speaking of which, if cost is a concern Lee dies are actually just fine. There's no need to get Dillon dies on a 650.

[dpop24]

I'm very happy with the 650 and the caliber conversions I have. It's great to just swap the tool head and start loading. I also have the primer quick change system and although it is fairly easy to change, it does take a bit of time.

I really like the convenience of quickly pumping out my favorite rounds of each caliber, that's why It crossed my mind that for a mere $100 more than a 650 conversion kit with powder measure, etc., I could get a whole SDB sitting there ready to go. I'm sort of liking Revoman's idea of just setting up a bunch of SDB's lined up on the bench. Better if they could all be 650's but that's not even close to being in the budget.

[MrElectric03]

I'm sure there are a bunch of parts in those conversions that you already have. As others have said just buy the parts you don't have. Also I keep toolheads ready but that's about it. I keep powder dies setup on each for the powder measure and powder check but the powder measure itself and check get swapped and reset for each caliber. It doesn't take long to set it. It really depends on how you load. If you load small batches I can see how you'd want it all ready to go. I usually load at least 500 rounds at a time so taking a few more minutes to set the machine up is nothing.

[bellwilliam]

I have both 650 and SDB. I first got a 650, then hated swapping out. so one for large primer, one for small primer. like it a lot better. 2 is always better than 1.
just bought a rock chucker. 3 is better than 2.

[Eljay]

[...] I also have the primer quick change system and although it is fairly easy to change, it does take a bit of time.

What I found is that I need to pull the primer system and clean it occasionally anyway so if I do that when I do a caliber conversion I wipe everything down I can get to it more or less takes care of that need.

I guess the bottom line is really how many rounds do you want to make of these extra calibers? I have C&R guns where I might only make 50 rounds here and there and it's a lot easier just to do that on the turret press and that's all the brass I have anyway. But if it makes sense to do a batch of, say, 500 rounds however occasionally I'd just as soon do the conversion on the 650 and just knock them out.

I have calibers I probably will only load once a year but if I can physically make 500 of them, it goes on the 650 list.

The only thing that irritates me about caliber conversions is changing the primer punch. It just unscrews and you screw the other one back in but there's a lot of junk in the way, especially if you have some of the aftermarket tweaks to the dead and live primers coming out of the press. And since it is possible for it to back out you want to get it pretty tight...

[foxtrotuniformlima]

I have both a 650 & Square Deal. I got the SD first and recently added the 650. I use to have a 550, then upgraded to a 1050. Sold the 1050 and took a hiatus from metallic reloading. Started shooting pistol again and got the SQ D. Got tired of the tedious single stage for 223 and got a 650.

The 650 is currently set up in 223 and the SD is 9mm & 45 ACP. I've considered getting a couple of caliber conversions for the 650 but like the OP, the cost is pretty steep by the time you add up the case feeder plates and new powder measures. It is certainly faster on a 650 but at a cost.

I think I will sell the Sq D soon and bite the bullet and get the conversions for the 650. Just not sure when.

[jericho89]

You do not need a new powder measure for each caliber. You should be checking the drop every time anyway and it only takes a few minutes to move and adjust the powder drop. The Square D is not a bad press and it works well, but it is slower than the 650 and you have more brass handling (assuming you have a brass hopper on the 650). What it comes down to is how much of these calibers do you reload? If you are doing quantity then the 650 may be a better option. If you are just doing a few hundred in a sitting then the square d is better.

BUT if you are thinking of getting the square D and changing calibers you will spend considerably more time changing calibers on a square D than a 650.

[dpop24]

Ok, you guys convinced me. I'm going to stick with conversions for the 650 but go cheaper on the two new calibers and share a powder measure and cannibalize swappable parts from my other conversion kits. I usually try to load in batches of 1000 anyway.


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