Dillon RL 450, Should I?

[03fatboy]

Need a little help from those that have the experience. I've been thinking about starting reloading for a little while now. I'm about to order the Lyman's 49th book to start learning, maybe some others if you all have some suggestions. I'm mildly mechanical but really like to tinker, and have no problems completely striping my smith revolvers and my others and reassembling without issues, typically.

My question is that my dad has a dillon RL450 that he bought around 1982-3 and has been mildly used and stored in plastic for the last 15 years. He doesn't use and has offered it up to me if I want it. If I did take it I was thinking about sending it to Dillon to inspect and correct any issues first, hopefully warranty work. I know there are upgrades available to bring it to a 550b spec, not sure about these but am considering the upgrades. I've also read that a single stage press is in order for a newbie and I agree with this as that was the direction I was going before my dad made the offer. It will be used for handgun calibers as I'm not much a rifle guy, likely 9mm, 45acp, 38/357 and .44, maybe others later. Would like a little advice or direction to help along my path and start of a new hobby. I'm a pretty casual shooter and this machine will not be used much for how much I shoot but that could increase in the future as well, especially if I'm saving a little money on ammo, but I look at it as a hobby that I think I will moderately enjoy. What advice can you guys offer?
Thanks

[Divernhunter]

I would suggest a single stage KIT also. Then you can load either way and have the other items you will want to use. The Lyman book is the best one to get to learn from. I have a Dillon XL650 and 3 single stage presses and use them all. I use the single stage presses most of the time and find them good for load work before cranking up the Dillon for the 9mm and 45acp. You will find the single stage press very usefull even with a Dillon.

[Dark Mod]

If you can get it for cheap i would definatley go for it. Im sure Dillon will refurbish it for free, if theres anything thats even broken. Its not ideal to start out but after a couple of months youll be glad you have it. You can get a cheap single stage to supplement the learning process which you will end up keeping anyway.

Its a very fullfilling hobby and i enjoy it almost as much as shooting. Not to mention the savings on ammo

[Endofcomment]

I say go for the Dillion since it is available to you. The 450 has a manual charge bar and manual indexing which is good if you set it up like a single stage you will get the best of both worlds.

By setting it up as a single stage I mean use the powder charge off the press and run one case through at a time this will limit any mistakes and give you a good perspective of every process which is what a SS does for beginners.
What calibers are you planing on starting with?

[03fatboy]

Yes, the dillon will be free and includes a RCBS 505 complete scale and RCBS dies for 45acp, 38/357 & 45 Colt. I will need to purchase .44 dies, tumbler and some misc. tools I suspect. These are the primary pistol calibers.

[problemchild]

Get it, Im in long beach I can bring you up to speed if you need help.

As long as you dont mind working with a reloader with 3 fingers and one eye missing. JK

PM me for help

[03fatboy]

I say go for the Dillion since it is available to you. The 450 has a manual charge bar and manual indexing which is good if you set it up like a single stage you will get the best of both worlds.

By setting it up as a single stage I mean use the powder charge off the press and run one case through at a time this will limit any mistakes and give you a good perspective of every process which is what a SS does for beginners.
What calibers are you planing on starting with?

Thanks and I'm leaning towards your suggestion. Seems with some practice, I'll get the hang of it fairly quickly. I'm not sure I want to purchase a single stage in addition to having the Dillon since I don't suspect I'll be a big user but that could change as well....

[03fatboy]

Get it, Im in long beach I can bring you up to speed if you need help.

As long as you dont mind working with a reloader with 3 fingers and one eye missing. JK

PM me for help

Oh Man, that is exactly what I think I need, a local mentor. My dad didn't use it much and has fairly limited experience with it. I'm going to get it this month, call Dillon and see about sending it back to them. After that I'll get what I need to reload some rounds, read and run it by you via a PM. Maybe I could have you come over one day to get me started if it's not to much trouble, maybe we are around the corner from each other already.

[Endofcomment]

Thanks and I'm leaning towards your suggestion. Seems with some practice, I'll get the hang of it fairly quickly. I'm not sure I want to purchase a single stage in addition to having the Dillon since I don't suspect I'll be a big user but that could change as well....

When you start playing around with it you will find out if you want an SS or not. I started with one and am hanging on to it for precision ammo. I will eventually by a LnL single stage so I don't have to switch bushings out... That is a pain.

[XDRoX]

Since you're getting it for free anyway I'd send it to dillon and pay the refurb price of $50 and pay for the 550 upgrades as well. In fact, just ask for the 550 upgrades. They'll make sure the machine is in pristine condition before they send it back to you.

I agree that starting out on a single stage will make you a better reloader. But you do not have to start on a SS to learn to reload. It's not rocket science. Watch some YouTube videos. If you do plan on really getting into the hobby, you'll wat a single stage on the bench anyway, so it's not like a waste of money buying one.

[03fatboy]

I have seen on the website what I think are three upgrades to make to the 450, Is there a powder drop upgrade as well? I see the frame upgrade, auto eject and auto priming system upgrades. These 3 add up to about $235. Can anyone tell me what the benefit of the frame upgrade is? I think the auto eject and auto priming system are self explanatory but maybe some input on the value of these would be appreciated as well? Just trying to fully understand what these upgrades give me, pros.

[Fjold]

Get the 450 for free, I still use my 450B that I bought in the early 80s. With the frame upgrade you can make it into a 550 with every feature that the 550 has.

[Endofcomment]

I have seen on the website what I think are three upgrades to make to the 450, Is there a powder drop upgrade as well? I see the frame upgrade, auto eject and auto priming system upgrades. These 3 add up to about $235. Can anyone tell me what the benefit of the frame upgrade is? I think the auto eject and auto priming system are self explanatory but maybe some input on the value of these would be appreciated as well? Just trying to fully understand what these upgrades give me, pros.

The 650 frame upgrade allows you to use tool heads which make caliber change a little quicker. I would not upgrade the powder system until you get comfortable with dropping powder and not seeing it on a scale. The more control you have over the reloading process the more confidence you will have in your final product. This will also allow you to learn quicker also.

I say refurb it for now once you reload 1,000 rounds you should have a good enough feel for the process and send her off for the upgrade.

[03fatboy]

Do the upgrades need to be done by Dillon or can i purchase and do later should I want them? I was only thinking about the upgrades since I'm going to send it to Dillon to be checked and corrected if needed on warranty?