Dillon SDB in San Diego

[OofieXD]

I want to start reloading .45 acp and I think I'm gonna get the Dillon Square deal b. I've read a lot on them and a few have recommended trying it out first before buying.

Does anyone in San Diego have one that can show me and if possible even let me try a few reloads?

[damon1272]

I would recommend spending a little more and going with the 550 so you can do rifle calibers. I can show you if you are interested. PM me if you are interested.

[TKM]

El Cajon Gun Exchange has a shelf full of presses set up and ready to run. They will cheerfully show you how it's done and the different features available.

Then you will get a C&R FFL and buy the same thing at dealer pricing and pass the savings on to yourself. You cheap bastige, what do you have against someone trying to pay for radio commercials and stuff?

Not to worry, enough folks are -----------supportive enough to keep them in business.

[OofieXD]

El Cajon Gun Exchange has a shelf full of presses set up and ready to run. They will cheerfully show you how it's done and the different features available.

Then you will get a C&R FFL and buy the same thing at dealer pricing and pass the savings on to yourself. You cheap bastige, what do you have against someone trying to pay for radio commercials and stuff?

Not to worry, enough folks are -----------supportive enough to keep them in business.

I haven't been here long enough to understand any of this. Regardless, thanks for the tip, I might check them out tomorrow.

[Revoman]

I have three SDB's and they are really nice little presses. You need to know that they are quite small and dexterity is a must when loading on one of these. (45 will be easier than 357 due to the shorter case though.)
You can also only load handgun ammunition with them, rifle must be loaded on something other than a SDB.
Since I used to use a RCBS Rockchucker press, which I still have, I can load rifle when needed.
The SDB can put out a lot of rounds in a short amount of time compared to the RCBS single stage press. Pretty impressive actually.
They are the cheapest of the Dillon line, sort of a stepchild if you will, and they have proprietory dies that do cost a little more than the norm. You cannot get any special type dies either as Dillon only sells standard calibers with standard crimps and such.
Of course everyone knows about the Dillon warranty so that's a slam dunk.
Since I have other means to build other than handgun ammunition, I really like the SDB press and would buy another, the last one that I need to complete my current calibers, in a heart beat. I currently load 45, 38, 40 and 9mm.
If you plan on loading only 45, then a SDB is a good option. If you plan on loading multiple handgun ammunition, be aware that changing the primer from large to small and back again while not too bad to do, (many SDB users...and many Dillon 550 users, have two presses to circumvent this change and make life easier for themselves) will probably take 10 - 15 minutes. Changing dies and setting up for another caliber will take about the same time frame.
If you plan on multiple calibers you may want to invest in extra tool heads and dies when buying the press initially.
Oh, you may want to visit Brian Enos, apparently you can buy Dillon product from him at a better price than manufacture direct.
If you go to the El Cajon Gun Exchange, be aware that a couple of the sales guys there are real horses patoots, Ron comes to mind in particular, he's a white mustached, stocky guy with a bad 'tude......stay away from that guy. They also do not, or did not have a SDB on display the last time I was there a couple of weeks ago. I think they only have a 550 on display.
If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. If I can answer them I will. As for showing you the ropes, I wouldn't mind possibly helping you out.

[OofieXD]

Thanks a lot Revoman, nice writeup from someone who knows his SDB's! As for now, I think I will only reload .45, just because I plan on concentrating on getting good with the 1911.

[f4tweet]

+1, Good writeup. Those propriatary dies are incredibly expensive. I had one in 9mm. The only thing I didn't like was I couldn't set the sizing die down far enough to take the Glock bulge out of some of the cases. I'm glad I got to use one.

[M47_Dragon]

I love my SDB!

I keep mine mostly set up for .45, but have all the change-over equipment for 9mm.

If I had more space, I would get another SDB and just have two machines, one per caliber.

[Revoman]

The propietory dies are about $80 if I remember correctly, they are available on ebay once in awhile too.
You are correct f4tweet, the sizing die not only on a SDB, but on other dies as well, cannot size to the base of the case, it will merely come close. The sizing die has a taper/radius at the entry point to allow for ease of access, thus creating a slight void between the plate and the sizer portion. That's just enough that it will not size to the maximum. I have had zero problems with this though and consider it a part of the norm for most dies.
It is very convenient to be able to have two machines set up for both size primers, it's also very common to do so. They have a very small footprint, but you gotta watch out for the overhead with the long primer tube ramrod, it stick up quit a ways.
It is hard to beat a SDB for the price, even with the more expensive dies.

[f4tweet]

1 Revoman

[Acorn556]

I looked at getting one of these but once I bought a different caliber gun I looked at the 550 then the 650 and told myself if I was going to get into reloading I'd do it all at once. No point reloading just one caliber when I shoot all at the range.

Then I bought an AR and had to have rifle sized ammo which solidified the 550 but the 650 is so much nicer its just worth the little extra $$ isnt it?

[Revoman]

Acorn556

I would think that you are probably correct on the 650 point. I will say however, that each machine has good and not so good points (there really are no truly BAD points on these guys).

Since the 550 is a manual advance machine, it's a little easier to possibly throw a double charge. Granted you would not be giving loading your due diligence by doing so, but it has happened.

Since the 650 advances with every stroke, there is simply more to go wrong if/when a problem occurs and more back-tracking must be considered to straighten things out.

A couple of minor issues to be sure, but both valid and possibly worth consideration when making a buying decision.