Single Stage/Turret/Progressive

[JRHawkins1118]

LOL, Mike Dillon always called the 550 his best machine. What caliber / s
are you going to start with?

For pistol 9mm. I do need to run some rem 222 and 6.5cm

 

[JRHawkins1118]

And if you do, end up doing that and need something to borrow for the 550 let me know, I have a bunch of 450 and 550 stuff and parts I can put in the mail.

Thanks! I’ll be in touch!

 

[Jarvitron]

As a person with a single stage and a Dillon 550 I gotta vote 550 if you're just getting one machine. You can get a good amount of ammo out of it in a short amount of time if you're paying attention. If you're going to want more volume 9mm later it might make sense to go buy a LnL AP or 650/750 (there was an amazing deal on a LnL in the classifieds that might be sold now) with a bullet feeder and case feeder. Placing bullets on the case on my 550 gets old after a while.

 

[canebreaker]

I bought a new Lee Ann. kit in '90 for $65.
Lee A B C Reloading book and C frame press in '91 for $15.
Lee Load-All at a yard sale for $2 without bushings. Have added 12, 20 and 410 bushings.
Bought a few kits off of craigslist after 2010 for super cheap.
All have the round hand primer.
A RCBS JR for $5 without a handle in '11.
Bought a Lee bench mount primer in '12.

I inspect and decap a drink flat of cases at a time.
I prime a carton of primers at a time. Use old trays and boxes from the range.
Pull a tray out and add powder, maybe 4 or more. I still use a funnel and dipper mostly. Add bullets and start pressing.
I don't watch tv, hardly ever sit in the living room. Can find an old western on Utube to pass the time.
Not hard to load a 1,000 per week.

 

[Michigan Slim]

I can use my 550's as progressive and put out 1000 rounds a day if needed (pistol rounds) or run one round through at a time (rifle rounds). Lots of options in one machine.
Make no mistake. Going Dillon Blue is an investment, but the best money I have ever spent.

 

[Creedmoor]

I bought a new Lee Ann. kit in '90 for $65.
Lee A B C Reloading book and C frame press in '91 for $15.
Lee Load-All at a yard sale for $2 without bushings. Have added 12, 20 and 410 bushings.
Bought a few kits off of craigslist after 2010 for super cheap.
All have the round hand primer.
A RCBS JR for $5 without a handle in '11.
Bought a Lee bench mount primer in '12.

I inspect and decap a drink flat of cases at a time.
I prime a carton of primers at a time. Use old trays and boxes from the range.
Pull a tray out and add powder, maybe 4 or more. I still use a funnel and dipper mostly. Add bullets and start pressing.
I don't watch tv, hardly ever sit in the living room. Can find an old western on Utube to pass the time.
Not hard to load a 1,000 per week.

A 1,000 rds in a week, That's a lot of unnecessary lever pulling.
Buy a Dillon 550 and you can do that in two hours, without breaking a sweat.

 

[bgcatty]

Dillon 550 and Done!
You won’t regret it!

 

[Twangbanger]

Keep in mind the 550 is manual index.

When there is a "boom," the cartridge not infrequently was loaded on a 550.

Stay focused and shut out distractions. It only takes one.

 

[Creedmoor]

Keep in mind the 550 is manual index.

When there is a "boom," the cartridge not infrequently was loaded on a 550.

Stay focused and shut out distractions. It only takes one.

The 450 as I recall could cause problems if one didn't pay attention.
You had to push a slide forward to dump powder and push another slide to put a primer in the primer cup.
I know that first hand, long ago I blew up a 44 super blackhawk with a 450.

 

[VERT]

Keep in mind the 550 is manual index.

When there is a "boom," the cartridge not infrequently was loaded on a 550.

Stay focused and shut out distractions. It only takes one.

It could happen. Knock on wood it hasn’t happened to me yet. But keep in mind you have to flip the stations forward to make room for a new case, and powder running all over the press is a pretty good indication of a double charge. My recommendation would be to mount a light so you see into the case for no or double charge. Also, take it slow. While you can knock out hundreds of rounds an hour in the end it probably isn’t worth it.

I have seen guns go kaboom and in those cases the ammo was loaded on a 650 or was factory.

 

[canebreaker]

"Buy a Dillon 550 and you can do that in two hours, without breaking a sweat."
yep, same as hiring the grass to be mowed. Sit around and get fat.

 

[VERT]

"Buy a Dillon 550 and you can do that in two hours, without breaking a sweat."
yep, same as hiring the grass to be mowed. Sit around and get fat.

This made me giggle. I get your point. But bad analogy. Hiring someone to mow your grass = buying 9mm by the case. Which by the way really isn’t any more expensive then current price of components. Buying a Dillon 550 is more like buying a nice self propelled lawnmower instead of pushing. A 750 is like a zero turn I suppose.

Just spent two weekends cranking out 3000 rounds of .45 auto. My shoulder feels it. Taking The Boy to GunSite in June. Even though I have two presses setup for 9mm I elected just to buy a case of Glock food for him.

 

[92FSTech]

This made me giggle. I get your point. But bad analogy. Hiring someone to mow your grass = buying 9mm by the case. Which by the way really isn’t any more expensive then current price of components. Buying a Dillon 550 is more like buying a nice self propelled lawnmower instead of pushing. A 750 is like a zero turn I suppose.

Just spent two weekends cranking out 3000 rounds of .45 auto. My shoulder feels it. Taking The Boy to GunSite in June. Even though I have two presses setup for 9mm I elected just to buy a case of Glock food for him.

Yeah I'm getting low on 9mm components and am debating about just ordering a couple of cases of loaded ammo instead of more bullets when I run out. With the cost of primers these days, it hardly makes sense to "waste" them on 9mm when I could be sticking them in .38s or .357s.

 

[VERT]

Yeah I'm getting low on 9mm components and am debating about just ordering a couple of cases of loaded ammo instead of more bullets when I run out. With the cost of primers these days, it hardly makes sense to "waste" them on 9mm when I could be sticking them in .38s or .357s.

.38, .45 & .308 still make sense to reload. Or if you are looking for any type of specific loads for match purposes. I have a couple of soft, reliable 130 PF 9mm loads. But bulk 9mm and .223 might as well buy it right now. Unless the components are already bought and paid for in which case they aren’t going to reproduce sitting in the cabinet.

The advantage of being setup to reload is it takes the crisis mentality out of the equation. Just buy some loaded ammo, or primers, or powder, or bullets from time to time. It gives a person some flexibility.

 

[92FSTech]

Agree 100%. I like having the capability and flexibility to load it myself, even if I'm not actively using it. I actually prefer to load all my own ammo, unfortunately we're getting to a point where it just doesn't make a lot of sense for 9mm.

I really wish the market would get over this scarcity and inflation BS...it's getting really old.

 

[BE Mike]

If you are loading a lot of the same load, such as pistol, a progressive makes sense. You'll spend more time on the range and less time at the bench. You sound like you are shooting a lot compared to most non-competitive shooters. I would suggest a Dillon 750 or used 650. They are fast and have an extra hole for a die that will advise you of an undercharged round or overcharged round. I've used the Dillon 550 and 650 for many, many years.

 

[JRHawkins1118]

I’m new to reloading. I just enjoy learning and talking to people with experience. The knowledge I’ve gained from people on this site has been amazing.

I really enjoy learning (attempting to learn) how to produce higher end rounds.

For me, it has been an unexpected new hobby. Not that I was looking for something to do. In a way it has become an obsession!

So for now, I’ll keep reloading.

Now I just need to shoot more! Just had a full knee replacement. So I’ve incorporated my reloading benches into my physical therapy.