dillon 550b starter package hows it look?

[stangman86gt]

well im thinking of getting into reloading some rifle and pistol rounds, and i was just wondering if you could check this list out to see if it checks out(i know there is no brass, primers, etc). anything you see that i absolutely dont need?

550b
RL 550B Caliber Conv: 303 British
Powder Funnel B - 30 Cal. Rifle: 308/30.06/30.30
550B Toolhead & Powder Die
4-Pack - 2 Small & 2 Large Primer Pickup Tubes
Dillon 30.06 Springfield 3-Die Set - Steel
550B Spare Parts Kit
Roller Handle - Aluminum - 550/650
BrianEnos.com Digital Caliper
550B Video Manual
CM-500 Media Separator
Dillon Case Lube
CV-500 Vibratory Case Cleaner
Primer flip tray
Dillon Stainless Case Gage 45acp
Reloading Manual - Speer #13
550 Toolholder w/o Casefeeder - w/Wrenches
Dillon 3-Die Set, Caliber 45acp
D-Terminator Electronic Scale

thanks,
mike

[ar15barrels]

The press will probably come with one caliber conversion kit.
Were you going to order it with the 45ACP kit?

If so, then you can use the 45ACP shellplate and buttons for the 30-06 loads and you are correct to only order the additional 30 caliber funnel.

I like Redding dies in rifle calibers.
Dillon's rifle dies are good, but Redding are better and probably less expensive to boot.
Dillon's pistol dies ARE the best pistol dies you can buy for use on a progressive press.
They have belled case mouths and really neat features like the easy tear-down to clean without having to re-adjust and the spring loaded decapping pin that pitches the primer off the pin when you deprime crimped-in primers.

The Speer manual is OK, but I think Lyman makes the best manual for getting you started.
It has a wider range of bullets from many makers.
The Speer manual only has speer bullets.
If you intend to only buy Speer bullets, then the speer manual is fine.

You should really own several manuals to cross-check the data.
Get the Lyman, Hodgdon, Hornady, Speer and Sierra manuals.

I don't see a case trimmer listed for 30-06 and 303.
You can get away with the lee trimmer if you only need to do a few of these.
Otherwise look into a bench-mount trimmer like a Hornady, RCBS or Forester.

[C.G.]

I like Redding dies in rifle calibers.
Dillon's rifle dies are good, but Redding are better and probably less expensive to boot.
Dillon's pistol dies ARE the best pistol dies you can buy for use on a progressive press.
They have belled case mouths and really neat features like the easy tear-down to clean without having to re-adjust and the spring loaded decapping pin that pitches the primer off the pin when you deprime crimped-in primers.

The Speer manual is OK, but I think Lyman makes the best manual for getting you started.
It has a wider range of bullets from many makers.
The Speer manual only has speer bullets.
If you intend to only buy Speer bullets, then the speer manual is fine.

You should really own several manuals to cross-check the data.
Get the Lyman, Hodgdon, Hornady, Speer and Sierra manuals.

I don't see a case trimmer listed for 30-06 and 303.
You can get away with the lee trimmer if you only need to do a few of these.
Otherwise look into a bench-mount trimmer like a Hornady, RCBS or Forester.

+1 on lot of this. I like the Lyman manual the best, but as said you should have several to cross-reference.
I have Lee, RCBS, Forster and Redding dies. In ranking generally, Redding the best, Forster second, RCBS third and buy Lee only if no one else has it.

[anyracoon]

You should follow up with the Bullet tray, the bracket that holds the extra bin for brass you are loading and just extra bins for the finished loads. These just make it a smoother operation

[stangman86gt]

ok so to add to the list:

RCBS Trim Pro Power Case Trimmer Kit 110 Volt(should i get the trim mate as well?)
few few other manuals
redding dies for: .303 british, 7.5swiss, 30-06, and 8mm mauser

[PistolPete75]

get rid of the dillon scale, it's too expensive. i regret buying mine. spend a little more money and get the lyman powder electronic powder dispenser for your precision loads.

and of course the rcbs brass prep kit, and an electronic case trimmer, dillon 1200 works very well.

also get rid of spare parts kit. if something breaks, dillon will replace it for free.

your also gonna need bullet trays, the kind that holds bullets and the kind that holds the brass casings.

your also missing corn media.

your also missing the .45acp caliber conversion kit which i believe is also compatable for your .308

and get the lyman instead, for your all around reloading book. sierra for your precision loads.

[rkt88edmo]

You can buy the hex wrenches somewhere else cheaper if you need to absolutely have a set with your 550 or don't already have hex wrenches.

You can also skip the roller handle, the stock handle isn't uncomfortable, and it doesn't sound like you goal is "high output" off the bat. (So when you get tot that point, get the whole "as it should BE" package that Enos recommends, not just the handle, but you don't need it now)

Media separater, nice to have, but you can improvise your own with a 5 gallon bucket for a couple bucks. It takes more effort, but if you are looking to save money that's a good $50 right there.

The good news is that you can buy all of those items later if you deem them necessary and if you are ordering from Enos you don't have to pay for shipping twice, since it is "free".

[xrMike]

i regret buying mine. spend a little more money and get the lyman powder electronic powder dispenser for your precision loads.

What is the specific name or model number of the lyman scale/dispenser you're talking about? Does it have a good rep among reloaders?

(i'm looking to buy one for loading .223)

[PistolPete75]

What is the specific name or model number of the lyman scale/dispenser you're talking about? Does it have a good rep among reloaders?

(i'm looking to buy one for loading .223)

Lyman 1200 DPS III

it's pretty fast, and pretty accurate. it's like $80 bucks cheaper than the RCBS ChargeMaster.

i use imr4064 and rl15 which is the stick type of powder (hardest to measure out). out of 50, about 1/2 of the loads will be .1 over so i just take like two specks out until the digital scale tells me it's perfect. it's fast, easy to use, and has pretty accurate loads. it difinitely helps me speed up the reloading process with less drama. the down side is that it is very difficult to change powders. i have no experience with the rcbs, but i would recommend lyman to any precision loader if you don't use too many types of powders.

[PistolPete75]

ok so to add to the list:

RCBS Trim Pro Power Case Trimmer Kit 110 Volt(should i get the trim mate as well?)
few few other manuals
redding dies for: .303 british, 7.5swiss, 30-06, and 8mm mauser

yes get the rcbs trim mate. i love mine. it can debur and champher extremely quick.

forget the rcbs trim power case trimmer, too expensive. get the dillon 1200 which is way cheaper, and extremly fast and easy to use. just make sure they have all the trimmer dies for your calibers before ordering.

[PLINK]

550b
RL 550B Caliber Conv: 303 British
Powder Funnel B - 30 Cal. Rifle: 308/30.06/30.30
550B Toolhead & Powder Die - -Get the extra powder measure, You will wish you did later.
4-Pack - 2 Small & 2 Large Primer Pickup Tubes - Get 4 LG and 4 SM -never need to buy them again and you may load .223 in the future.
Dillon 30.06 Springfield 3-Die Set - Steel
550B Spare Parts Kit -Good idea
Roller Handle - Aluminum - 550/650 -You have to take your hand of the lever to put a case on the shell plate anyway. I would hold off on this. I still have not found a reason to get this for a 550.
BrianEnos.com Digital Caliper
550B Video Manual -Instruction that came with the press were good enough for me.
CM-500 Media Separator -A strainer, wooden spoon from kitchen and bucket from Target works and is cheaper but it is slower.
Dillon Case Lube -I used this an I did not like it, but it does work. Seemed greasy. If I was going to lube my cases again I would use the Hornady.
CV-500 Vibratory Case Cleaner -I have this, it works great
Primer flip tray -RCBS flip tray works and it is cheaper.
Dillon Stainless Case Gage 45acp -These work but I have found that the best guage is your barrel. My .40 case guage passes ammo that does not hand chamber freely in my barrel. Now I only use my barrel.
Reloading Manual - Speer #13
550 Toolholder w/o Casefeeder - w/Wrenches -I got just the Dillon wrench and then bought a set of std/ metric allen wrenches (I needed them anyway).
Dillon 3-Die Set, Caliber 45acp -I use these for .45 ACP except I like the Lee Factory Crimp in station #4. For .40 I use the Lee U die, Dillon powder and seat dies, and Lee Factory crimp die.
D-Terminator Electronic Scale -I love this scale, should have bought it instead of the Dillon beam scale the first time.

I also recommend the hard mount, bullet tray and case tray. It flows nicely.

Get the walnut "lizard cage liner" media from Pet's Mart. I use Nu Finish car wax for case polish. I you choose Lee dies, I would get some Dillon lock nuts. I found the Lee lock nuts to come loose on me. Added the Dillon lock nuts and they never came loose again.

[ar15barrels]

Get the walnut "lizard cage liner" media from Pet's Mart. I use Nu Finish car wax for case polish.

The 25lb bags of crushed walnut shells at pet stores are the way to go.
I add a tablespoon or so of 3M rubbing compound every few batches.
This keeps the media working good.

Once the media will not put a bright shine on the cases anymore and it's turned an even gray color, it's worn out.
Time to setup a new batch.

[stangman86gt]

wow thanks for all the responses guys. This is exactly the advice i was looking for, because i too am into saving money where i can if i get the same quality.


mike

[Gagnastiak]

.
I add a tablespoon or so of 3M rubbing compound every few batches.
This keeps the media working good.

Do you have to do any additional cleaning afterward, or does this work ok with the powder?

[ar15barrels]

Do you have to do any additional cleaning afterward, or does this work ok with the powder?

No cleaning afterwards.
Brass goes from the tumbler right to the press after being seperated from the media.

You add the rubbing compound to the media and let it run for 5 minutes before introducing the brass.
This spreads out the rubbing compound.

If you just pour it in with the brass, you will get a few cases that have clumps of it stuck to them...