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Thread: Dillon B or 550

  1. #1
    Boolit Master at heavens range
    smokemjoe's Avatar
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    Dillon B or 550

    I think I may treat myself to a dillion press, If I get over all this. Grafs book says on the Square Deal B auto indexing, The 550 says manually, Does that mean that on the B press you dont have to turn the shell plate by hand, Thanks- Joe

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master Artful's Avatar
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    Auto indexing means you don't have control of the shell plate and it will turn each time the handle is pulled.

    If you have never operated an auto indexing press, I will say don't ever try and force one.

  3. #3
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    Joe, after using a B for over twenty years of satisfaction for .45 ACP, I decided to branch out. I got a conversion for .44 Magnum which worked well for a while, but then began to plague me with scratching brass and excessive effort. Dillon's answer was "lube the cases." Also tried a 9mm conversion, but never could get both sizes of primers to feed reliably. I sold off the whole outfit to a couple of board members who keep a dedicated B for each caliber with great happiness. I still believe the B is a fine machine if it is used for one caliber each, and short cases. As I no longer shoot bullseye and don't need so much ammo, I have settled on loading a wide variety of pistol rounds on a Lyman Spar-T turret press. No experience with a 500 machine. I had chosen the B BECAUSE of auto indexing, because I know me and can't rely on me to advance the machine!
    Eagles have talons, buzzards don't. The Second Amendment empowers us to be eagles. curmudgeon

  4. #4
    Boolit Master VHoward's Avatar
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    I have the Square Deal B and have loaded both 9mm and 357 mag without problems on either. The 550B is a fine machine also. With the square deal b, you have to use Dillons proprietary dies. With the 550b, you can use standard dies. The square deal b auto indexes and the 550b does not. The square deal b will only do pistol rounds. The 550b will also do some rifle rounds. To have auto indexing with standard dies and 5 dies stations, move up to the 650XL.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    The 550 will do a lot of rifle rounds including a conversion for 338 Lapua. SDB is pistol only.

    Take care

    r1kk1

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    Joe, If your going to load more than one caliber I think you will be happier with the 550 as far as the manual indexing it just becomes a habit. FB

  7. #7
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    I'm sorta shopping progessives though not sure when I'll have the $$$.

    Seems to me the 550 is more versatile as it can handle rifle rounds and it's not much more than the SDB.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master

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    Go with the 550 over the Sq Deal B , i personal dont like the auto index feature of the SQD B and i cant get my big fingers in there to do anything with such a small shell plate and working area of the SQD B , the 550 has alot more versatility in the long run than a SQD B

  9. #9
    Boolit Mold
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    I have one of each and bobthenailer is right. If your fingers have any kind of size to them the 550b is the way to go. Go to BrianEnos.com where you can read about the pros and cons of each Dillon press. He recommends the 550b for a first progressive press. Unfortunately there is a 6-8 week wait on presses from Dillon. It is worth the wait though. I have dedicated my square deal to 38 spec and it works quite well for me. I may sell it at some point and get another 550b. That way I would have a machine dedicated to each primer size.
    Last edited by dentkimterry; 01-27-2013 at 08:48 PM.

  10. #10
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    Yes, that is what auto indexing means.

    Both presses are now out in "B" models, so calling the Square Deal a "B press" may not be
    so clear.

    I have used both, now have two 550Bs on the bench. Sq Deal uses non-std dies, so swapping
    is not possible. If only dedicating the unit to one caliber, Sq Deal is pretty good, but it is tight
    in there if you have big fingers. As long as all is running normally, auto indexing is great. When
    something fouls up, it will assist you in making errors and maybe producing no powder rounds
    - NOT a plus. Not trying to talk you out of a SDeal, they are good machines. Very
    early ones had issues with handle breakage many years ago, but that is long ago solved
    and with the Dillon warranty never cost anything but downtime and irritation. I
    never broke one, but saw many broken handles which Dillon replaced, no sweat.

    Remember you cannot use your normal dies, WAY too big. Only Dillon SDeal dies will
    work. But - you can buy another die head and change it out without much difficulty.

    Bill
    Last edited by MtGun44; 01-27-2013 at 06:10 PM.
    If it was easy, anybody could do it.

  11. #11
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    Re: Dillon B or 550

    Right now i have two 550's setup.
    One large primer and one small primer.
    On two different benches.
    Something i found out is the tolerances are different between the two machines.
    Dies set for one machine needed adjustment to be used on the other one.
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  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy
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    If you only load for one hand gun then the square deal will be all you will ever need if you want to load rifle or multiple hand gun rounds then another press will probably suit your needs better i use and recomend the 650 I like the powder check station on a progressive press call it insurance or peace of mind but the extra couple bucks is worth it to me to not have to worry about squibing a round plus the 550 and 650 use standard dies though if Dillion dies are available I use them I find them to be worth the extra coin

    But any Dillion you go with you will not regret it they make great products and there customer service is second to none

  13. #13
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    I have six reloading presses and the one I like the least is the Dillon 550B. I think it has many faults. The spent primers cover a 6' radius. About 20% never make it in the spent primer cup. A lot of the crud of de-priming falls down in the primer feed area thus I constantly have issues to feed primers. In my opinion the case activated powder measure is a nightmare to empty. Many people keep a $70.00 powder measure for each caliber they load.
    I constantly have to align cases to get them started in the resizing die. The "paper clip" that holds them in place is kinda like a paper clip.
    For multiple calibers you can have as much money in accessories as in the press.
    I had an older 450 that I liked better than the 550.
    I would look long and hard at the Hornady progressive.

  14. #14
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    Thaqnks you all for the notes, I am going to load 9 MM only on it, I bopught a new Lee pro 1000, in 45 it loads nice and no troubles, but in 9MM, sometimes I can load a box or two and no troubles, but then sometimes your fixing all the time and get a few rds. in 2 hrs. I am use to the atou indexing and like that idea. Right now I dont know which to get and middle of this week my limpnode biopies gomes back also.I am going to check out zaall the things yous have told me about, right noe to much morephinre pills, Thanks- Jeo

  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy
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    The Dillon 550B is a very easy press to use. But every press has a learning curve. I dont mind indexing by hand. I haven't had the problems others in this thread talk about. Ive only had a couple of primer feed problems and they usually can be traced to not keeping the machine clean or your original setup wasnt proper. I dont have spent primers spilling all over the place either. I can empty the powder measure fairly quick and easy. I like the Dillon dies even though it takes other dies. They are very good quality. And yes the machine does run smoother when your cases are lubed. I run mine through a tumbler first and put a tiny bit of RCBS lube on my fingers as I load.

    As far as a powder check die I think that is a good option on a Hornady or a Dillon 650. It is not available on a Square Deal or a 550B. On my 550 I sit to the left and have a light over head and use my own eyes to look into the case as a powder check. Is the machine perfect? No, but what is?

    For a progressive I think it would be hard to beat a Dillon 550B, a 650 or a Hornady Lock N load. They are all good presses. Ive never seen a Square Deal except in pictures and I've only seen 1 Hornady but never in operation. But they are both very good companies and will help you any way they can.

    Someone mentioned Brian Enos web site for info about Dillon machines. Good suggestion. There is a ton of info there. And a lot of very experienced Dillon users on his forum. I'll say this, most competition shooters that shoot many many thousands of rounds in a year use Dillon presses. A lot of these guys load over 25000 rounds per year. Thats a lot of loading experience to pick those guys brains. Good luck with your choice. You can make any of those machines work for you.

  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy fatboy's Avatar
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    I have no experience with the square d but have 2 550's and have looked at the 650 but stuck with the 550. not a big deal to flip the plate forward each time and i like the ability to move back and forth between stations especially when something screws up(usually me doing the screwung up).
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  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy pacomdiver's Avatar
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    ive reloaded many 1000's of rounds thru my 550 in over a dozen calibers , like firebricker said, you dont even notice the manual advance when you get used to it. i dont have the spent primer problem wv talked about. there might be 5 or so on the ground after 1k cases or so, but you know which ones it is, they make a ping spring sound when you deprime them, but most will be caught by the primer catcher

  18. #18
    Boolit Master 7of7's Avatar
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    I have the 550B, the only thing I didn't like about it was the first round seated, would seat deep..and there were slight inconsistancies in the OAL due to the tool head movement. Simple solution.. I found a couple fine thread screws, that would screw into the toolhead alignment pin holes.. I slightly oversized the holes in the top so that they would just slip through. Now, the toolhead, is locked in place by the screws. I did this for all my rifle tool heads, haven't gotten around to doing it with my 45 & 357 tool heads yet..
    As far as primer feed.. occasionally, it runs rough..brush off the crud, throw a little graphite on it, and it continues on without any problems..
    I don't deprime/size on the dillon any more.. I use a universal decapping tool, and then, throw them in the SS media for cleaning..All my rifle brass is sized on a single stage, then trimmed to specifications..
    My 45 brass, it gets sized.. as well as the 357...
    Manual index,.. I don't mind it at all, because you can move it as fast as you want, and it doesn't jump in to the next position like some auto indexing setups do. I have control over how fast it moves.
    The retainer spring.. It is adjustable, that way, you can set it to hold the brass in place. The reason it is adjustable is because you need to change its position for loading different cartridges. A 223, requires a different position than the 30.06.. It is all part of doing the setup for the caliber that you are going to load.
    I picked 550B up on Epay... about 10 years ago.. and just added toolheads and conversion kits. Last Friday, I loaded 300 .223, in 30 minutes... (I really need to get the bullet tray..)
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  19. #19
    Boolit Buddy
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    Have the Square Deal B just for 44-40 works great, have it just set up for this one purpose. Loads flawless ammo, love the auto indexing. Remember you have to buy the dies for each caliber, they are a little pricey. Have two 650's one set for large primer and one set for small primer each with case feeders, these are also great machines and as fast as you can pull the lever you have finished ammo. Only use these machines after the test load has been developed through the handy single stage press.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master


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    My presses include a Square Deal B, a 550b and an XL650. The 550b came first in 1991. Indexing it yourself is a non-event. The gripes about the primer feed are legit. It has to be kept very clean and possibly lubed with graphite to keep it running smoothly but othrwise it's a great press. Mine has at least 10 or 12 caliber conversions. Keep in mind that a .45ACP conversion plus the appropriate powder funnel will work for .45 ACP, .30-'06, .22-250, .243. .25-'06. 270,.308 and everything else that uses that case head. The caliber conversion includes the shell holder, brass locator buttons and powder funnel.

    +1 for Chambers' advice on using any progressive only for proven loads. Working up loads on a progressive is more trouble than it's worth. If I'm not going to load at least 100 rounds I use a single stage press.

    David
    David
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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check