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

[WallyM3]

I'm just interested to know if its disappearance was a marketing issue or as a result of mechanical or other performance problems.

If you know, I'd like to learn about it.

[44Vaquero]

It did not have interchangeable tool heads and the powder and primer feed/drop was manual. In fact you can still by a naked 550 body and transfer many of the 450 parts over to it. That is why you see naked 450 bodies for sale from time to time.

[WallyM3]

That would explain a lot. Seems like a backwards conversion would be...well...silly.

Then I might just do it. (LOL)

Thanks, 44.

[44Vaquero]

I know several people who run or have owned 450's they are a little slower and more contemplative to operate. I personally identify with the stripped down approach to progressive reloading. I find the motorized bullet and case feeders annoying and prefer to do without. You can find complete 450's for sale on e-bay fairly often.

My friend Seagiant, says old presses have soul!

[WallyM3]

I know several people who run or have owned 450's they are a little slower and more contemplative to operate. I personally identify with the stripped down approach to progressive reloading. I find the motorized bullet and case feeders annoying and prefer to do without. You can find complete 450's for sale on e-bay fairly often.

My friend Seagiant, says old presses have soul!

Therein lies the rub. I've got old iron to beat the band and I'm always tempted by more. Some many presses, so little money.

[44Vaquero]

I have a slight bug myself. My favorite press right now is my Lyman True-line Jr. , with a real nice #55 on top of a new 7/8x14 turret! I have 3 or 4 presses in boxes!

[WallyM3]

This came as a gift from a former Canadian shooter:90585

I'm a fan!

Notice the bushings to convert from 7/8" to the alleged 5/8" dies.

[engineer401]

I use a 550 for pistol loading. It has the case feeder attachment. I love the press. The 550 interchangeable heads can move some which may allow for some inconsistency in seating. I just picked up a 450 for rifle loading. I traded with Alvarez Kelly for primer feed parts. The press will be fully manual when complete which is what I want for rifle loading. As stated in a previous post the press does not have interchangeable toolheads which should offer better consistency with bullet seating.

[bhn22]

Most guys simply clamp the tool head when they don't want any movement. There are oversized aftermarket tool heads available too.

[Iowa Fox]

I have been using a 450 and upgraded to 450 B when Dillon offered parts for the upgraded features. I use Dillon dies in mine with double lock nuts so that when I remove them they go back to the same position, my answer to the removeable tool head. Pull for a primer and push for powder other than that its just like a 550. Yes its a little slower but I can turn out high quality reloads faster than I can shoot it up anymore. Don't be afraid of a 450 in good shape with all its parts, they do a good job.

[btroj]

If it isn't sold anymore then my best guess would be that it sold poorly.

[Alvarez Kelly]

There is not a thing wrong with the RL450 presses. In case anyone forgot, the RL450 presses are still covered by Dillon's no BS guarantee. They will repair it for free forever. They won't, however, replace missing parts for free. Remember that subtlety. Also, the guarantee does not cover routine maintenance. If you want to send them your functioning press for cleaning, lubing, and general refurbishment, they charge about $65 last I knew.

The RL450 will reload very fine ammo with little drama. There have been many different variations over the years. For example, I recently discovered there were at least three different shellplate platforms. They are NOT interchangeable. There are also at least four different manual priming systems. Some parts interchange, some don't. Some RL450 parts of just plain hard to find.


If it isn't sold anymore then my best guess would be that it sold poorly.

Dillon quit making the RL450 when the RL550 was released. The RL450 initially sold more than Mike Dillon had expected. The RL550 improved the appeal to folks who reloaded lots of different calibers and didn't want to start from scratch every time.

I have accumulated a small cache of RL450 parts. If anyone needs anything specific, I may be able to help.

[TNsailorman]

I no longer have any progressive presses. I no longer shoot competition, so the need is not there. But I did have 2 of the 450's and 1 of the 550's. For pistols and revolvers, I preferred the RL550. For rifles, no contest, RL 450. And like most folks, I did upgrade the powder system and the thumb advance with the brass kicker on the 450's. I am now back to the RCBS Rockchucker and the C-H 205. No need for anything else. But I do like The Dillons, and I might own another 450 one of these days if I can find one that has a decent price on it. I just am not going to send some ones kid to college off one buy. I am well into my 70's now and holding a pistol/revolver steady enough to shoot small groups is problematic at best. I still shoot double action revolver but the double action pull on the revolver seems to steady things down for me. Go figure. So I have no real need for a 550. james

[WallyM3]

First, I want to thank you all for your input (don't like that term, but I'm mentally lazy tonight) on the Dillon 450. I was surprised at the balance for favorable comments about it. I'm attracted to it and like presses generally. Like guns, I may be only able to shoot two at a time, but I have more than that.

That press appeals to me and I think I'll add it to the Press Museum once I digest that Hornady progressive that wandered into my "cart" last night.



Speaking of prices (as TNsailorman comments), did you all see that used CoAx on eBay close for over $600?

[Artful]

If it isn't sold anymore then my best guess would be that it sold poorly.

Yep, that must be what done in the 56 chevy and the 65 mustang. :holysheep

[Kraschenbirn]

I bought one of the first RL450s in the early '80s and installed all the upgrades as they became available. Today, it's still bolted to one end of my reloading bench, set up for .44s, with the Rock Chucker that handles most of my rifle reloading on the opposite end. At one time or another, I've loaded on both the RL550 and RL650 but, since picking up an SBD for my .45s and .38s, have never really saw a need to trade up.

Bill

[cainttype]

The 450 was, and is, a fine press. It basically set Dillon up as a real competitor in the reloading market and brought their 1st real market success. It was preceeded by the RL300 and followed by the RL550, the 550 obviously being derived from the earlier solid framed 450.
If you would prefer a solid frame over the removable toolhead of the 550, it's the press for you. The other 550 features, like auto priming and the fail-safe powder measures, are easily adapted to the 450s if you want them.
As mentioned earlier, they are fully covered by Dillon's lifetime warranty.

[44Vaquero]

Here is blast from the past! Early 80's G&A Ad.90659

[Artful]

The 450 was, and is, a fine press. It basically set Dillon up as a real competitor in the reloading market and brought their 1st real market success. It was preceeded by the RL300 and followed by the RL550, the 550 obviously being derived from the earlier solid framed 450.

Ya, skipped over the RL500 ;)

[Kraschenbirn]

Here is blast from the past! Early 80's G&A Ad.90659

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

[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.

[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.

[medalguy]

I bought a 450 about 1982 and fell in love with it. As others have said, the 450 is a very strong press and does not flex. I watch for used presses at shows, flea markets, and garage sales and when I find a 450 at a good price, I buy it. I now have five and have dedicated one press to each caliber I shoot frequently: .30-06, .308, .223, .45, and .38 Special. This way I never have to change anything over, just put the press all set up on a long 2 x 6 mounted at one end of my reloading room until I need that one again.

In my opinion, the 450 was one of the best presses Dillon ever made. No flex, no give, no tolerances to have to worry about shimming up. Since I reload almost exclusively milsurp brass, I do all my prep on a Rockchucker, and prime on a bench mounted Autoprime, then put the brass in the Dillon and finish loading. I also have a good stash of spare parts since these are becoming scarce as time goes by.

[skeet028]

I had a couple of 550s.Sold one to a friend. For my hunting rifle stuff I use a Press they called the AT 500. 550 with none of the bells and whistles. It'll do about 100 an hour if yer in a hurry loading rifle ammo. I just wonder how many 30-06 or 338 Mag I'm gonna shoot at one time. So don't use the 550 for them. As for pistol the S 1050 does the majority of them cept the 44 Sp and 45 Colt. I load the 308 for my AR 10 on the 550 and some of the 223 on a 650. Dillon makes good(but expensive) stuff. I do like their pistol dies. And I have some of the rifle dies..Carbide 308 and 223.

[Mike67]

What is an RL450 in original form worth nowadays?

[Alvarez Kelly]

What is an RL450 in original form worth nowadays?

Condition, condition, condition.

$150 to $250. Maybe more if there are extras or it is in pristine condition.

[MtGun44]

That 1980s ad sold me. Bought it and upgraded as the auto primer and powder measures
became available. Sold it about 10-12 years ago to be replaced with a second 550 for small
primers. The only real disadvantage was lack of interchangeable tool heads. At the end, that
was the only real difference between it and a 550 - well, the turning star, but that is almost
totally superfluous.

Bill