Dillon 550 vs. 650?

[dogdoc]

I load coated and non coated cast bullets on my Dillon 550s and 650s and the Dillon expander works fine. Many thousands of rounds loaded. Just run it as designed for a minimum of fiddle time and I think you will be very happy. A thousand rounds a month could easily be met with a regular 550 and caliber changes are cake. Maybe 2.5 hours loading time but a 650 even faster and extra station for powder check die if you need it. I would not recomend a 550 case feeder as I have not found it to be as reliable as the the 650s. Buy dillons case feeder for a machine that will work great without headaches of something homemade and a no bs lifetime warranty.
Dogdoc

[jmac2112]

Well, I was finally able to justify (to myself) shelling out the $$$ for an XL650 (the wife is sure to be skeptical when I get around to telling her), so I placed my order yesterday. The RL550 would probably have sufficed for my purposes, but I really like the idea of having a 5th station in case I want to use the NOE expander plugs I'm accustomed to using. Buying a 650 also provides a good excuse to build my own case feeder (collator). I've been hard at work sourcing parts for that project, and I placed an order for some stuff last night. The motor was a tough choice. There are some cheap geared motors available on Ebay direct from China, but the sellers are very vague about the delivery timeframe--could be three weeks, could be a month and a half, could be the boat will sink on the way over. Buying the same motor from an American distributer would cost me 4-5 times as much. I ended up spending $15 for a small 110VAC motor that seems certain to have enough torque. I've drawn up some plans for a simple slip clutch that should mimic the factory setup. I'm also going to install an LED in the center hole of the toolhead, and I'll be using an infrared break-beam sensor to operate a relay which will (I hope) shut the motor off when the tube is full. Electrickery (especially AC) is not my strong suit, so I may have some questions for you all when the time comes.

Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone once again for all the input I've received! I'll be sure to let you know how things are progressing with the case feeder.

Thanks,

John

[6bg6ga]

I don't use a powder check simply the eyeball that I already own.

I'd use a simple microswitch to turn the collator motor off or you could use a photo transistor.

[6bg6ga]

One major thing in favor of the 650 over the 550 is the priming system. The 550 has the basic square deal priming type system and the 650 has the better upgraded system that uses a rotating wheel. Having had owned a square deal and the problems associated with the priming system was one reason I opted for the 650.

[jmorris]

I just used a simple limit switch attached to the case feed tube. One leg of the power to the motor goes through the common and normally closed pole of the switch. If a case drops by the powder is cut for such a short period of time the motor doesn’t stop but once the tube is full and a case stops at the switch the circuit is open and power can’t get to the motor.



This is the same device but in bullet collator configuration but it shows how I just used a split set collar on a smooth shaft, that’s the clutch. Can’t get much easier than that.

[Plate plinker]

OK, thanks! And one more question: Is there any benefit to having the plate thicker than 1/4"? Would the cases be any more likely to stay upright if it were 5/16" or 3/8"?

No you do not want it any thinker. I believe dillon uses the thinner material so the upside down case fall over due to gravity. I will have to watch my machine to verify that. If you used a say 3/4" (excessive but to make a point) material you would have all kinds of upside down cases.

^^^^^Jmorris^^^^ aka mechanical genius.

[glockfan]

had the same debate with myself when i started loading my own.....did my research for couple months on the pros and cons on 550 OR the 650....and sure enough ended up with the 650 that i bough from rob bagnato and hangus hobdell. automatic indexing, plenty of after market dies at reach, solid construction , very precise and smooth action....and i prefer seating and crimping my rounds separately. the auto index is something you wouldn't pass on.

i don't have a case feeder nor do i have the bullet feeder and on good days i load 400 and hour easy . caliber changes doesn't take much of your time,and once adjusted for the caliber you work on it'll stay as is unless someone play with your dies lol...

i bolted mine on a cheapo carpenter bench which is bolted to the floor. i've only added the strong mount, bullet tray,and modified the case feeding tubes so i can load twice the amount of cases in the tubes . the important part is it must be solidly achored so it won't move when you push-pull the lever. also i must say that for a very,very slick action of the press, spraying my cases with ONE SHOT is premium. i wouldn't load without it. it make the machine's action so smooth, amazing how just a little can can do wonders in that department lol.

[jmac2112]

I'd use a simple microswitch to turn the collator motor off or you could use a photo transistor.

I thought about using a microswitch, but in my research I found that some people had trouble getting them to work right. Upon further research, I see that sometimes the solution is to order the switch from Dillon, but I've already ordered the break beam switch (made by Adafruit, if anyone is interested in googling it). It was less than $8, so at least I will not have wasted too much money if it doesn't work.

[jmac2112]

And thank you, jmorris, for the photos and the input. I like the simplicity of your clutch. I already bought materials for mine, but now I've got another option if it doesn't work.

[6bg6ga]

Check into jmorris videos. He can make a Cadillac out of a tin can. He surely has info on the micro switch and for that matter anything else you want to do.

[jmac2112]

also i must say that for a very,very slick action of the press, spraying my cases with ONE SHOT is premium. i wouldn't load without it. it make the machine's action so smooth, amazing how just a little can can do wonders in that department lol.

I've never tried One Shot, or any case lube, but it sounds like good stuff. Do you set all your cases upright and spray them from 2-3 different angles? So far I've just been adding a little Flitz to my tumbling media, which seems to make the cases a little slicker.

[jmac2112]

Check into jmorris videos. He can make a Cadillac out of a tin can. He surely has info on the micro switch and for that matter anything else you want to do.

I will definitely check those out! I've been watching a LOT of YouTube lately....

[jmac2112]

The high density polyethylene that I ordered just a couple of days ago is supposed to arrive today (that was fast), so I'll probably get to work on the plates pretty soon. I think I'll start another thread devoted to this project and try to upload pics as I go. I'm sure having a few dozen pairs of eyes watching my progress will save me from wasting time and material.

Tomorrow will be devoted to purchasing and installing a new toilet, however. "Delays, delays, delays....," to quote the mad scientist in the old Bugs Bunny cartoon.

[6bg6ga]

I've never tried One Shot, or any case lube, but it sounds like good stuff. Do you set all your cases upright and spray them from 2-3 different angles? So far I've just been adding a little Flitz to my tumbling media, which seems to make the cases a little slicker.

I little off topic ...sorry.

You can make better case lube than One shot for far less money. I use Heet with the alcohol and lanolin.

[glockfan]

I've never tried One Shot, or any case lube, but it sounds like good stuff. Do you set all your cases upright and spray them from 2-3 different angles? So far I've just been adding a little Flitz to my tumbling media, which seems to make the cases a little slicker.

i put my cases in a dillon die box...i shake the box till most are mouth up...then, i do exactly as you thought..i spray them from 2--3 different angle...but not too much. a little goes a long way. when the dies goes inside the cases, it litterally glides ,then the whole action is silky smooth.

[jmac2112]

i put my cases in a dillon die box...i shake the box till most are mouth up...then, i do exactly as you thought..i spray them from 2--3 different angle...but not too much. a little goes a long way. when the dies goes inside the cases, it litterally glides ,then the whole action is silky smooth.

OK, I'll have to give that a try!

Thanks,

John

[jmac2112]

I ended up getting the 650, which arrived a few days ago. What a difference compared to the Lee Classic Turret Press! I was expecting it to be a lot better and faster, but I have to say that it has exceeded my expectations so far. Once I got it dialed in for 9mm it really flies! I made 100 rounds according to my usual formula, and they all chamber just fine. I'll shoot those to make sure everything is OK before I start pulling that handle with wild abandon.

As an aside, I used to grumble about the fact that I have to sort my .45 ACP range pick-up according to large/small primer size, but now I'm glad I've got that bucket full of small-primer cases. One less step when switching calibers! Looks like it would be the most annoying step, too.

I'll still be using my Lee press for .380, and also for bullet sizing, but I'm really going to enjoy cranking out ammo for 9mm and .45 on the Dillon. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this decision!

John

P.S. And it turns out my worries about PC shaving using the standard Dillon powder funnel were unfounded. The boolits get stuffed in the cases beautifully! Some of that magic might be due to the Dillon seating die being better than the Lee.

[6bg6ga]

I ended up getting the 650, which arrived a few days ago. What a difference compared to the Lee Classic Turret Press! I was expecting it to be a lot better and faster, but I have to say that it has exceeded my expectations so far. Once I got it dialed in for 9mm it really flies! I made 100 rounds according to my usual formula, and they all chamber just fine. I'll shoot those to make sure everything is OK before I start pulling that handle with wild abandon.

As an aside, I used to grumble about the fact that I have to sort my .45 ACP range pick-up according to large/small primer size, but now I'm glad I've got that bucket full of small-primer cases. One less step when switching calibers! Looks like it would be the most annoying step, too.

I'll still be using my Lee press for .380, and also for bullet sizing, but I'm really going to enjoy cranking out ammo for 9mm and .45 on the Dillon. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this decision!

John

P.S. And it turns out my worries about PC shaving using the standard Dillon powder funnel were unfounded. The boolits get stuffed in the cases beautifully! Some of that magic might be due to the Dillon seating die being better than the Lee.

NOW YOU WENT AND DID IT!!!

You will have the Lee people up in arms. Certainly is faster than the lee (my opinion based on running both). Did you opt for the case collator or a bullet feeder? I made my own case collator from looking at on on ebay that was being sold. I use a Mr. Bulletfeeder bullet dropper on my 650 with my home made bullet collator undergoing modifications. With the bullet dropper I can easily maintain 16 rounds per minute with keeping the primers filled and bullet tubes ready to re-fill the bullet dropper tube. I thought so much of the Dillon reloading dies that I purchased a second set simply to use on my Lyman -T-Mag that I use to take care of my setup cases. I usually end up with 6-10 cases in various stages of reload off the 650 when I set it up before its 100% dialed in. The T-mag finishes the reloading steps to arrive at usable reloads from the setups.