Dillon Considerations

[DaveInOroValley]

Was looking at brianenos.com earlier and after going through his wealth of information I'm guessing the 550 is good enough for the type of reloading I'll be getting back into.

I've been out of the game for over 25 years and recently wanted to start again so technically I qualify as a "Never Reloaded" before classification because all of the dies and equipment still belong to my Dad.

I'm thinking the Top Notch BL550B package is the way to go on his site. Any other suggestions or even "don't do it" get a XYZ progressive instead?

Dillon seems to have a pretty excellent track record and good warranty so that's my thought.

[Rock6.3]

What will you be reloading and in what volumes?

[GeoffLinder]

No matter what you want to do, there is no doubt that package will serve you well. brianenos.com is the best place to buy Dillon IMHO.

[DaveInOroValley]

What will you be reloading and in what volumes?

I plan on reloading 30-06, 357, 223 and 9MM...quantity wise probably no more then 300 of each per month but that's a guess as of now.

[GeoffLinder]

I plan on reloading 30-06, 357, 223 and 9MM...quantity wise probably no more then 300 of each per month but that's a guess as of now.

For that mix of calibers the 550 is an excellent choice. If you buy a complete toolhead with powder measure for each caliber, changeover between calibers will be a breeze. If you want to save money by sharing a powder measure across several calibers it will add a little time to the changeover but is still relatively easy.

[Cowboy T]

You might also want to pick up an inexpensive single-stage if you don't have one already, since you've been out of it for 25 years. There are inexpensive ones, some as low as $30, which do the trick, and a single stage is always handy to have even when you have a progressive (I also load progressively).

Dillon's good gear, no question. I'd also check out the other brands and models of progressives before making a final decision, and then, based on all that, decide what you like. If you're going to be loading in the neighborhood of 1,200 rounds/month total, a turret press of some sort might also be a worthy consideration.

[XDRoX]

The 550b is a solid choice. It doesn't get the recognition it deserves on this forum IMO. Not a bad thing, it's just that a lot of members here load on other machines. We have a lot of 650 users here and so you hear more about them.

If I only loaded one or two calibers I would have gotten a 650, but I load a lot of different calibers and the 550b works great. I highly recommend it.

On other forums like BE and Glocktalk, you hear a lot more about the 550b. If I do upgrade I think I'll go 1050, but the 550b will always remain on the bench.

[freonr22]

I am super happy with the hornady lnl ap and case feeder if u have the dough.. not a red vs blue comment, regardless of volume, just a nice press

[DRAB_81]

I started with a Rockchucker, and I still use it exclusively for my 10mm & 9x25 Dillon handloads. I stepped up to the XL650, and I'm glad I did. There is absolutely no doubt that the 550B is a solid machine, but the auto-indexing of the 650 was worth the extra money to me. The auto-index feature saves me a lot of time, so I have more time to spend with my family. With my single stage press, I was spending SEVERAL hours in the garage loading for range trips & IDPA matches. I was spending a lot of time away from my family reloading, so I could spend even more time away from them shooting (my son isn't old enough to take with me, and my wife is pregnant with our second child). Last night I loaded enough for a couple range sessions, and my next IDPA match in a little over an hour. The 550 isn't too much slower, but every minute saved is another minute I can spend with my family. If you do go with the 550, I'd recommend getting the casefeeder to speed it up a bit.

I bought it set up for 9mm along with the casefeeder, and quick change kits & caliber conversions for 45acp & 40s&w. As you research progressive presses, you will find that most people that buy the 550 end up selling it and upgrading to a 650 or 1050.

[DaveInOroValley]

The 550b is a solid choice. It doesn't get the recognition it deserves on this forum IMO. Not a bad thing, it's just that a lot of members here load on other machines. We have a lot of 650 users here and so you hear more about them.

If I only loaded one or two calibers I would have gotten a 650, but I load a lot of different calibers and the 550b works great. I highly recommend it.

On other forums like BE and Glocktalk, you hear a lot more about the 550b. If I do upgrade I think I'll go 1050, but the 550b will always remain on the bench.

Wow nice set up, I do have a single stage I'll be using likely only for 7.62 X 54 and I am going to redo my work bench into a reloading area only

[StaTiK]

... The auto-index feature saves me a lot of time, so I have more time to spend with my family.
... If you do go with the 550, I'd recommend getting the casefeeder to speed it up a bit.
... As you research progressive presses, you will find that most people that buy the 550 end up selling it and upgrading to a 650 or 1050.

I've done a TON of research and you're the first person to say this.
1) the progressive feature saves a lot of time, but auto index only saves a fraction of a second (and some would argue is slower than the 550 manual index if you include setup and troubleshooting times)
2) most people recommend against the 550 case feeder because it is pistol only and isn't easily bypassed like the LNL
3) plenty do upgrade out of the 550, you're right, but many will also say that they miss their 550 and the upgrade wasn't worth it. Many also say that they may get a 650/1050 but will NEVER get rid of the 550.

-StaTiK-

[GeoffLinder]

I've done a TON of research and you're the first person to say this.
1) the progressive feature saves a lot of time, but auto index only saves a fraction of a second (and some would argue is slower than the 550 manual index if you include setup and troubleshooting times)
2) most people recommend against the 550 case feeder because it is pistol only and isn't easily bypassed like the LNL
3) plenty do upgrade out of the 550, you're right, but many will also say that they miss their 550 and the upgrade wasn't worth it. Many also say that they may get a 650/1050 but will NEVER get rid of the 550.

-StaTiK-

+100 to all this :-)

[XDRoX]

I've done a TON of research and you're the first person to say this.
1) the progressive feature saves a lot of time, but auto index only saves a fraction of a second (and some would argue is slower than the 550 manual index if you include setup and troubleshooting times)
2) most people recommend against the 550 case feeder because it is pistol only and isn't easily bypassed like the LNL
3) plenty do upgrade out of the 550, you're right, but many will also say that they miss their 550 and the upgrade wasn't worth it. Many also say that they may get a 650/1050 but will NEVER get rid of the 550.

-StaTiK-

Excellent post.

[Oceanbob]

I agree with Meathead9

I've done a TON of research and you're the first person to say this.
1) the progressive feature saves a lot of time, but auto index only saves a fraction of a second (and some would argue is slower than the 550 manual index if you include setup and troubleshooting times)
2) most people recommend against the 550 case feeder because it is pistol only and isn't easily bypassed like the LNL
3) plenty do upgrade out of the 550, you're right, but many will also say that they miss their 550 and the upgrade wasn't worth it. Many also say that they may get a 650/1050 but will NEVER get rid of the 550.

-StaTiK-

Get a case feeder on the 550B or just get a 650.

I have a 1050 for .45 auto (1200 rounds per hour) and a 550B with case feeder for 10MM. I love both machines but I will never sell my 550B.

Even taking my time I can do 600 rounds per hour on her.

Dillon is the only way to go on a production machine. Yes, I am biased and I admit it.

Here's my dedicated GUN ROOM. The 550B is on the right. (that optional case feeder is actually taller than the 1050 feeder)

Once you get into reloading you will wonder why you didn't start sooner..

[MKE]

StaTiK speaks the truth.

The 550B is a good choice for the volume you are planning to reload. Also, setting up different calibers is a breeze with the caliber conversion and deluxe quick change kits. My reloading set-up consists of the 550B for my .45ACP and .223 while my Lee 1000 handles the .9mm and .40S&W.

Now if you are competing on a regular basis and require 1,000+ rounds at a time then the XL 650 would make more sense.