550 happiness?

[Pete44mag]

I have a 550B, I'm looking for another one so I can set up each machine for large or small primers. Great machine wouldn't trade or sell it for the world.

[Burnt Fingers]

https://www.dillonprecision.com/

Quit looking and start buying.

[garywg]

I'm happy with my 550.

[David2011]

At one time I had a pair of 550s for large and small primers. When I started shooting a .40 in USPSA I sold one 550 and bought a 650. The 650 only loads high volume rounds like .40 S&W and .223. I still load most ammo on the 550 and appreciate the speed of cartridge changes and the lower price of caliber change sets for the 550. I only load low volume handgun and rifle hunting/target rounds on single stage presses.

[Drew P]

I bought one, used it, decided it wasn’t for me and sold it, then bought and used other presses and ended up buying another one, this time the stripped down 550bl model and have used it only for rifle ever since. I was trying to make it a progressive when they are not, what they are is an upside down turret press with quick change turret heads and cuts out 3/4 of the strokes per round. I don’t prime or deprime on mine at all, and I usually don’t even resize on it. Some of mine even have a bullet feeder die and a little funnel that holds like 4 or 5 bullets.
They are cool presses and unique for sure. You should get one.

[jem102]

I bought a 550B from a guy a couple of years ago that was still in the box. Well its still in the box but I think I might have time to get it going now. The box gives a date of 2009. If there have been a lot of updates since is there a service from Dillon to send it back and get the updates before I take it out of the carton?

[jsizemore]

I used to spend a bunch of time loading and shooting. Now I spend more time shooting instead of loading. I can spend 3 hours loading and shoot 100 rounds each day for a week. Every time you pull the handle you produce a round except for the first 3. With a single stage you got to pull the handle 2 or 3 times to produce a round not to mention priming and charging with powder.

[Burnt Fingers]

I bought a 550B from a guy a couple of years ago that was still in the box. Well its still in the box but I think I might have time to get it going now. The box gives a date of 2009. If there have been a lot of updates since is there a service from Dillon to send it back and get the updates before I take it out of the carton?

There is. I think it runs $75 plus shipping from you to them. They cover the return shipping.

Personally I'd mount it and start loading.

[jem102]

Thanks Burnt, I might give Dillon a call and ask about it.

[GSP7]

Lee is better than a Dillon 550

[15meter]

If you lots and shoot enough volume to justify a progressive press, go for it.

And it's your press when you get it, doesn't have to be a full progressive. I only load 30 carbine and 30-06 on mine. The 30 carbine is set up just like Dillon says to set up the press.

For the 30-06, I run the brass through twice using two different inserts.

The first station is resize, deprime then reprime. I swap the decap/expand plug from my 7x57 for the standard 30-06 plug so there is no expanding.

Second station is empty.

Third station has a Lyman M-die for expanding and belling the cases.

Fouth station is empty.

Run all cases through, then clean the lube off.

I charge all the cases off the press, then die set two goes into the press.

Die set two, station one is empty.

Insert case normally and rotate.

Station two has the seater die in it, place boolit in case and seat.

Station three has a Lee collet crimp die.

Station four is empty.

Once all stations are filled, a loaded round comes out with each stroke of the handle.

Decidedly faster than the Rockchucker but with the ability to verify each powder charge visually.

If you get one, don't be locked into just Dillon's way.

I've also used a 550 to form cases where I used up to 4 dies to incrementally move shoulders and expand or reduce necks.

Wasn't "loading" anything just forming brass so I could load.

The 550 can be quite versatile if you do a little "what if" thinking.

[trebor44]

A 550 is not like software, upgrades may sound like a neat idea but a 550 works is its original configuration. Both of mine are about 30 years old and function just fine. Bells and whistles are great if you feel the need, but like a vehicle, simple does work if you are willing to do the work. Unbox it, and use it for a couple hundred or thousand rounds and then see if you need any 'upgrades'.

[David2011]

I bought a 550B from a guy a couple of years ago that was still in the box. Well its still in the box but I think I might have time to get it going now. The box gives a date of 2009. If there have been a lot of updates since is there a service from Dillon to send it back and get the updates before I take it out of the carton?

Bought mine new in 1991; never saw a need for upgrades and don’t like some of the newer designs of the powder measures. I’m certainly not a technophobe; just prefer the way the older powder measures work.