So....what was wrong with the Dillon 450?

[Colorado4wheel]

Seeing the price shown in that ad caused me to pull out my 'Dillon' folder (manuals, parts lists, correspondence, sales and packing slips, etc) and find that the total for my original RL450 set-up - including three shellplates, two sets of Dillon Dies, and a half-dozen extra primer tubes plus UPS Ground from Arizona - was $322.16. My, my...how times have changed!!

Bill

A 450 is basically a 550 with out some of the parts of the 550. You can upgrade the 450 into a 550 by getting the parts from Dillon. You will basically have a 550 with out the interchangeable toolhead. They just improved it and added some content that everyone wanted.

[Iowa Fox]

Some where around here I have a stash of old Guns & Ammo mags but can't put my fingers on them. If my memory is correct in about 1977 Dillon started running small ads for the first 450s for about 299.00 if I remember correctly. Then over night he was running full page ads with 450s for about 180.00- the price dropped dramatically. Then the 450B came out with a thunder, I remember the ad telling customers with 450s not to get upset because Dillon would sell kits to upgrade to the B model. Alvarez you are correct about the changes you have seen. Years ago I bought one of the first 450s in parts from a fellow. On that one the block for the primer mechanism and primer tube was made from solid machined brass. Every 450 came with a impressive serial number plate attached to the frame inside the throat, not sure what year they stopped that. Mine is 11660. It would be nice to see a chart that shows what year serial numbers were built, maybe some of the more knowledgeable folks here can shed light on the evolution of the 450 to the current 550B as we know it today. It would sure be something I have never seen on the net before.

[AnthonyB]

Plus one on the tangential comment on the Square Deal B - I love my 550, but the SDB is better for handgun ammo.
Tony

[Spruce]

My first Dillon was a 450, when I received it had the B mods. installed. July 84 119.95, with .357 and .45acp plates. Dillon customer # less than 100, for what that's worth.

I liked it and loaded a lot of 45s for IPSC with it. Bought a RL550B in 89. Traded 450B off, not sure that was a smart move, now.

[MtGun44]

Same thing Larry said. I have a few left over 450 parts like manual primer feed and powder
measure that I'd let go to a needy 450 user.

Switched to 550s and never looked back.

Bill

[seagiant]

Hi,
Well....Everyone is different with different needs. I think the only reason Mike Dillon upgraded the 450 to the more auto type 550 was weekend "game shooters" although the pros also used them until going to the higher end commercial type 1050's!

I use an all manual 450 but does take a bit of getting used to because I am left handed and of course they were designed by a right hander and is set up with the right handed person in mind! No big deal because you adapt and the "monkey mind" follows!
My favorite Dillon is the 300 as it is open faced at the front and can be operated with either hand. However they are NOT covered by the "no BS Warranty" and are hard to find! I've been lucky and have found 2 eash set up in small and large primer!

[boltaction308]

The ONLY REAL DIFFERENCE between a 450 and a 550 is the interchangeable tool head. On the ORIGINAL 450, you had to manually operate the primer feed and the powder measurer each time, but these were able to be updated. The automatic case feeder is a newer option for the 550 and is an extra option.

[WallyM3]

"The ONLY REAL DIFFERENCE between a 450 and a 550 is the interchangeable tool head." (boltaction308)

I think I see that now. Any slop in the 550's tool head can be fixed, diminishing the 450's edge a bit.

[boltaction308]

Wally

I bought my first Dillon in 1983 (the 450), a couple of years later they came out with the 550. For $90 they offered an upgrade which was just a new FRAME. You transferred all of your parts to the new frame. That is why you occasionally see 450 frames on ebay. The other upgrades, auto primer feed and auto powder feed, were options available for both the 450 and the 550 and of course came standard with the new 550s.

I had a 450 frame sitting on the shelf, it is a very early one in that it has a serial number. Between some spare parts that I had, some parts I got on ebay and here and a few parts I got from Dillon, I now have it back up and running. Was it economical to do this? Probably not, but I wanted MY ORIGINAL 450 back up and running. I now have 2 450s, 2 550s and a 650.

Dillon now offers the BL550 which is the same as a regular 550 WITHOUT some of the bells and whistles. You can add them later. The way I see it, they are competing against some of the other lower end entry level systems. From the Dillon web site "The BL 550 is essentially an RL550B without the automatic priming and powder systems. " You can add these features as you need/can afford them.

[seagiant]

Hi,
I never saw the removable toolhead as a big deal. If you set your dies and lock the ring it only takes seconds to change from one die set to another! Of course the powder die/measure has to be tuned also. If you have DEEP pockets you can buy a measure for each tool head and leave the dies in and it is easier, but to me was cost prohibitive and I'm not in that big a hurry when reloading! Opinions vary of course!

[Iowa Fox]

seagiant, That powder measure looks like its never had powder in it.

[seagiant]

Hi,
You may be right! At the time the pic was taken I had cleaned it up and bought a new factory clear tube for it from Dillon, as the other one was old and cracked! Actually I bought two!

[Iowa Fox]

I've got a real soft spot for old Dillons. Those are really nice RL-300s.

[K-Rod]

Whats wrong with them? NOTHING. I love my newly aquired 450 (Thanks again A. Kelly)! I love my 550 though too. I wanted a 450 for rifle because it doesn't flex like a 550. Now before I get my head ripped off for that let me say, YES, a 550's toolhead can be shimmed or clamped. I just like that I don't have to worry about it with the 450 when loading rifle. The 450 can be set up for auto prime & powder too. My 450 came with a auto prime but I prefer a manual powder measure so thats how it came. I like the fact that I feel more in control with a manual powder measure, & I can flare cases without powder getting dump without having to disconnect the fail safe. I converted my 550 to manual powder as well. 450 powder dies are hard to find & pricey so I converted a few extra 550 powder dies I had, to 450's by drilling a hole in the side of the die, tapping it & using an allen set screw to hold the funnel in place. They work great on the 550 for using a manual powder measure too!!

I shoot a lot of 38spl & was in the market for a newer press to dedicate to that caliber & to leave the 550 open for the other calibers I load for. I looked at a Square Deal for the job. I have 27 sets of dies. Why would I start over buying the different size dies (I think conversion kits too but may be wrong) & toolheads to use in a Square Deal, should I want to load my other calibers on it too? The 450 fit the bill. I can use the dies I already have (Conversion kits???) & I feel better that it doesn't flex if I load rifle on it.

I'm sure other peoples preferences & uses are different then mine but that 450 fits the bill for me. It may be a little slower & takes a bit longer to switch it over to a different caliber then a 550 but it's way better then a Square Deal (IMO!!!) for what I want it to do.

[wv109323]

I used a Dillon 450 for a long time to load .45 ACP. It made very good ammo. There was nothing "wrong" with it. The big difference between it and the 550 is the removable tool head. The removable tool head is a convenience but Dillon makes a lot of money selling extra tool heads/powder measures...etc. The primer pick-up and powder dump was manual on the 450. There was nothing that prevented you from double charging a case with the 450 if you activated the powder discharge twice.The powder discharge is case activated on the 550.
My opinion of the 550B ,concerning the primer and powder mechanism, is that it is poorly engineered. It reminds me of a game I had when I was a kid. The game was called "Mousetrap".

[seagiant]

I used a Dillon 450 for a long time to load .45 ACP. It made very good ammo. There was nothing "wrong" with it. The big difference between it and the 550 is the removable tool head. The removable tool head is a convenience but Dillon makes a lot of money selling extra tool heads/powder measures...etc. The primer pick-up and powder dump was manual on the 450. There was nothing that prevented you from double charging a case with the 450 if you activated the powder discharge twice.The powder discharge is case activated on the 550.
My opinion of the 550B ,concerning the primer and powder mechanism, is that it is poorly engineered. It reminds me of a game I had when I was a kid. The game was called "Mousetrap".

Hi,
Love my 450 and 300's! Yes! You have to supply the brains as far as powder drop! I had a 550 and never got it to prime to my satisfaction. I WANTED to love it,but sold it and I've never looked back!

I have two RL-300's one in large primer and one in small and could probably along with one single stage press (for load development) be happy and reload everything I shoot with that set up!

[WallyM3]

I've been learning a great deal about the 450 and Dillons generally through the posts in this thread. I guess one of my unanswered questions (which I gleaned the need for in one post) is what thread are the 450 die positions? Or, stated another way, are the 450 dies not 7/8-14 UNF?

[Alvarez Kelly]

All RL450s use industry standard 7/8 x 14 dies. There was a post referencing the Dillon Square Deal presses. They use a specialized die set.

[Iowa Fox]

The 450 frame is threaded 7/8x14 for all standard dies.

[WallyM3]

It's almost impossible to reply tonight from where I sit.

I've got a SDB and know of the unit specific threads, but I got the impression that maybe the 450 was also UNS. Thanks for the clarification.