Upgrading from the Dillon 550 - but what´s next?

[jayjay1]

Hey guys,
after some years reloading with the 550, which really satisfied me, I´m thinking about going a level higher, wanting a automatically indexing press.

In my opinion there are two competitors, the Hornady LnL and the Dillon 650.

First of all:
Am I right, that I can´t use anything from the 550 on the 650, inspite of the powder fillers?

And, is anyone having the LnL and the 650 inhere?


Am thankful for any info!

[jmorris]

Off the top of my head the powder measure, locator buttons, primer failsafe/rod/tube nut, dies/powder funnel are common between the two.

I had a pre and post EZ ject LNL's but sold them, prefer the 650's, myself. However, I also have a 550 too, just depends on what I need at the time.

[ph4570]

I prefer my LNL over my 550 and a friends 650. They are all good machines.

[LUBEDUDE]

I went from the 550 to the 1050. Best move ever!

Wish I did that from the beginning.

[jayjay1]

Oh, a 1050 would blow my budget by far.

And loading several calibers with the 1050 should be a problem, not?

[jmorris]

And loading several calibers with the 1050 should be a problem, not?

No problem just expensive.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

You've got no bad choices here. The biggest question is how much volume you want to reload, how much time you are trying to save and how much money you have to spend.

So first, ask yourself why you're upgrading to an auto advance press. The answer should be twofold: 1. You need more production because you're shooting more and 2. You need to get more loaded in less time because your time is becoming more limited.

Next, how much can you afford. The 650 and LnL are much faster when you add case feeders and bullet feeders, but those add a significant amount of cost. So factor that into your equation as well. Any of the top of the line progressives (Dillon, Hornady and RCBS) are faster than the 550 because they have auto advance. They are also more versatile with the added stations. So you'll gain a good bit of speed with either one of the three over the 550, but not as much as if you added a bullet feeder and case feeder.

Me personally, I prefer auto advance over manual advance. After that, it's a wash until you add a case feeder. The 650 has the best case feeder of the three. The RCBS does not accept a casefeeder, but is more reliable than the other two, assuming you spend the appropriate amount of time learning it (as you should any progressive) right out of the box. All three will accept a bullet feeder, which also adds a good chunk of speed.

So think on it carefully, there are no bad choices, but it's just a bit harder to find which is the best choice for you and your reloading situation/budget.

[M-Tecs]

I am heavy into blue with 3 - 650's and 2 - 1050's. I have never used a Hornady LnL but some like them better than the 650's. Both have their strong and weak points.

A friend is getting a Hornady LnL in a couple of months. I will be helping him set it up so I will be able to compare after that. With proper tuning and cleanliness the 650 will run like a fine Swiss Watch but improperly adjusted and dirty they can be an exercise in frustration. From what I have read same for the HornadyLnL

With either one you will want the case feeder.

On the 650 I highly recommend the following items and mods:

Reaming and Polishing the powder funnels is the biggest improvement
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/7421299/Re_Dillon_650_improvement_Modi (http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/7421299/Re_Dillon_650_improvement_Modi)

I recommend the bearing kits. Reduces powder spillage. Knobs are OK but the Uniquetek are way nicer
http://hitfactorshooting.com/products/products.html (http://hitfactorshooting.com/products/products.html)


Awesome. Just record your mic settings for your powder weights. Very repeatable
http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1231 (http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1231)

More mods.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/338019_Cheap_Tips_and_Tricks_For_Dillon_550B_and_X L650s___Updated_1_25_2012.html (http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/338019_Cheap_Tips_and_Tricks_For_Dillon_550B_and_X L650s___Updated_1_25_2012.html)

Stops leaking with super fine powders like Vectan SP2
http://www.arredondoaccessories.com/category.cfm?CID=1005,2023&PID=fc25l4901dqgdu&GID=PD (http://www.arredondoaccessories.com/category.cfm?CID=1005,2023&PID=fc25l4901dqgdu&GID=PD)


This is the one I use for Vectan SP2
http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1267 (http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1267)

More 650 info

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?247123-I-need-help-deciding-650-or-1050&p=2848213#post2848213 (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?247123-I-need-help-deciding-650-or-1050&p=2848213#post2848213)

Hornady powder measure love
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?251959-Hornady-powder-measure (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?251959-Hornady-powder-measure)

[M-Tecs]

One more LnL verse 650 thread.

http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=120235

I have not used these but still more upgrades.

http://whiddengunworks.net/floatingdiebuynow.html

http://dillonupgrades.com/

http://www.quick-measure.com/progadapter.htm

[jmorris]

What are you loading? This is my 45 acp 650 with "extra stuff".


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3hVi6PuduM

[jayjay1]

Guys, that´s an amazing support, really great!



1. You need more production because you're shooting more and 2. You need to get more loaded in less time because your time is becoming more limited.

No.1 is the cause, shooting and loading more, since I got into IPSC.
Casting, coating or lubing, sizing take their time too.


Me personally, I prefer auto advance over manual advance. After that, it's a wash until you add a case feeder. The 650 has the best case feeder of the three. The RCBS does not accept a casefeeder, but is more reliable than the other two, assuming you spend the appropriate amount of time learning it (as you should any progressive) right out of the box. All three will accept a bullet feeder, which also adds a good chunk of speed.

I think, that an auto press without a feeder makes no sense.
If I wouldn´t add a feeder (case feeder prefered), I could stay with my 550, being not much slower.
That´s what I´m thinking, if I´m wrong here, please tell me so.


So think on it carefully, there are no bad choices, but it's just a bit harder to find which is the best choice for you and your reloading situation/budget.

The budget is between those two not really the question.
I want to buy this machine once and hold it for the rest of my life, so I don´t care spending 100 bucks more for the better choice.

But I´m loading seven calibers, two pistol calibers pretty excessive, others may follow.

So the price for caliber conversions may matter and the time for changing the calibers DOES matter ABSOLUTELY!
1. Am I right, that the costs for one caliber are cheaper with the hornady, because I don´t need no toolheads?
2. With which of those both would a caliber change be faster (w/wo changing the primer size)?

With the feeders:
I would prefer a brass feeder over a bullet feeder.
I like to view the powder in the brass before setting the bullet and am not sure if boolits or coated bullits will work from a bullet feeder.

Which brass feeder is better and why?

[jayjay1]

What are you loading? This is my 45 acp 650 with "extra stuff".



Well, that´s amazing for a 550-guy, maybe the same big step as I did from my single press to the 550.

But that´s too expensive for the beginning, and I think it would last a long time to change a caliber, isn´t it?

Am loading 9mm, 40, 45, 357, 38, 223, 7,5x55 (which I will give up soon) and 30-06.

[jayjay1]

... (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?251959-Hornady-powder-measure)

Oh my gosh!

That´s a looooooooot of info there.

I will have to work that through, but now I have to go to work.

Will answer when I have done that.


Thank you!

[Love Life]

I had a Super 1050, but I sold it because it was too efficient. I could load a year's worth of ammo in 3 days and then the press would sit idle. That thing was fast.

The 650 is a great middle ground press and really boosts your production over the 550. Caliber swaps are a moot point for me as I run large batches on the progressive, and load small batches on the single stage presses.

[Bonz]

I'm not upgrading again until someone comes out with a 6 station press. I removed my bullet feeder and installed a powder check die, for safety. I really miss my bullet feeder...

[Petrol & Powder]

I'm happy with my old 550 but I've used the 650. Pretty much all been said. I would suggest staying with Dillon just for the customer service. Dillon is an awesome company.
DaveinFloweryBranchGa hit the issue on the head; ask yourself why you're upgrading and spend your money carefully to achieve what you want.
Just a suggestion, you can significantly speed up the practical rate of production using a 550 just by pre-loading multiple primer tubes. It's a cheap way to improve the overall productivity. It doesn't change the actual rate of production, it just makes large batches run quicker.
I don't know how many rounds you load in one session or how valuable your time is but auto indexing and case feeders will not pay off if you only need 300 rounds an hour.
If you're switching between large and small primers a lot; a second 550 may be a better solution than a 650. You can set one up for small primers and the other for large primers. I can swap out a tool head and shell plate in 5 minutes if I don't have to change primer size.
It's your time & your money. If I was loading one caliber and needed a lot in a hurry, I would bite the bullet and get a 1050.

[jayjay1]

I really can´t afford a 1050 right now, but well, I could, but then my wife would kill me and so I wouldn´t have fun with the 1050 I suppose.

I honestly think, that a 650 or a LnL with a case-feeder will double the output of my non-feeded 550.
So back to the beginning, it goes between the 650 or the LnL - over.

Mainly I´m loading one pistol caliber, currently the .40, but by switching to Production Division in the winter, it will then be the 9mm (again).
But I´m loading and shooting always some other guns, to stay away from getting one-sided (and bored... :roll:).

I´m shooting for fun, being happy if something new or better works.
So more shooting is mostly more fun to me.
I was a pretty good precision pistol shooter, especially with the 45, doing several ranks on the regionals, did qualify to the nationals almost every year and never went there, because I was not in the mood to travel there alone.
Getting bored of precision shooting after a long time, I went to IPSC.
This brought the fun in shooting back to me, even if I know, that I never will win a match (well, maybe a small club match), getting in to late and to old.
But I don´t care as long as I´m thrilled again to go shooting as soon as possible again.

I need speed to save time for shooting.
Different calibers, different guns.

I like my 550, but it has reached the borderline for me, for being to slow and wasting to much time.

After getting a lot of input now, I think I lean to the LnL, because of being cheaper and faster with the conversions to different calibers.

Can someone inhere tell me about the problems with the LnL in case-feeding and with the primer-feeder, I´ve read about elsewhere?
Are there any other issues with the LnL?


Thanks to the community so far.

Jay

[Love Life]

I load throughout the week It's easy to knock out 400 rds per night and then you are more than set by Friday without a hectic rush.

[jayjay1]

I shoot three times a week, sometimes more.
Living 2km, a bit more than a mile, away from my shooting club.
Sometimes I grab a pistol and some boolits, jump on my bycicle and am shooting for an hour or so.
[smilie=1:

Like I said, it´s all about the LnL or the 650.

[jmorris]

Well, that´s amazing for a 550-guy, maybe the same big step as I did from my single press to the 550.

But that´s too expensive for the beginning, and I think it would last a long time to change a caliber, isn´t it?

It doesn't take any longer than normal, it's all attached to the tool head. Expensive for the beginning I get and brings up a good point.

The base LNL costs less than the 650, the case feed conversion for the 650 costs less than the case feed for the LNL.

One reason is that the 650 comes with the actual case feeder standard, the device that takes a tube full of cases and inserts them into the shell plate as you load. What they call a "case feeder" and sell as an option is really a case collator, just stacks the cases base down into the tube.

To save money when I first had a 650 I made a longer case tube for the machine that would hold 25 cases and made extra case tubes that had a pin in them out of PVC, like a large version of the primer tubes.

On the LNL the add on case feed is everything, all it comes with from the factory is a place to mount the stuff to. A lot more problems getting it to work properly than the Dillon but it can be made to work.

IMO if casefeed is in your future you should pick between the 650 and 1050.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

If you're in Germany, which I did not notice before, I would go with the 650 over the LnL. Why? Because the case feeder on the LnL is somewhat of a kludge affair (I owned one, so I know.) where as the case feeder on the 650 is pretty well designed.

But don't discount bullet feeders vs. case feeders. Eliminating handling of either one can significantly improve your reloading speed. And an auto advance progressive, even without a case feeder or bullet feeder elminates a hand motion and is much faster than a manual advance machine. The basic fact is: Anything a machine does to eliminate the use of your hand to move/insert/remove something, is going to be faster than a machine that requires more hand operations.

The 650 will be more expensive for you. But something you could do less expensively is add a case feeder to your 550 and gain about 25% increase in production from what you are doing now. Also, adding tubes for primers allows batch loading to go faster, but in all cases, the powder, primers and such must be restocked somewhere and at some time.

If I were you, I'd stay with the Dillon product, especially being in Germany.

[jayjay1]

IMO if casefeed is in your future you should pick between the 650 and 1050.

Yessir, casefeed is definetely in the future.
Without I could stay with the 550 I suppose, otherwise the speed difference won´t be worth the investment.

Tell me please about the casefeeding issue that the LnL has!

[jayjay1]

If I were you, I'd stay with the Dillon product, especially being in Germany.

Please don´t get me wrong, but there is no difference over here between the LnL and the Dillon.

Both are available and the service ways are both very long to the U.S..
I would highly appreciate if the USA would come closer here, maybe into France which is worth nothing....
[smilie=1:
(Sorry, little choking, I love french girls.)

A case feeder for the 550, means I´m losing one of four stations, what leads to seat and crimp on one station, right?
If so, I never will do this, no way, sorry.

For now, because of the faster and cheaper caliber conversions, I´m leaning still to the LnL.

Just hearing about the casefeeder problem (dunno what it is) makes me wait a little.

Question:
Are there the same problems with the bullet feeder on the LnL?

If not, I would take a bullet feeder inspite of the case feeder.

[jmorris]

The case feed is just not as well designed on the LNL.

If you want both case and bullet feed someday the 650 with a GSI feeder will allow you to seat and crimp in two steps and retain the powder check die. No way to do that on an LNL.

[Petrol & Powder]

OK, I've got a better idea of what you're looking for. You need a lot of rounds in a small time frame more than 3 times a week and we are clearly talking about Hornady LNL AP vs. Dillon 650. Those are both good presses but if you're going to spend the money for a auto indexing press with a case feeder - the 650 is a proven design with great customer support.

I vote 650 with the case feeder. Longer time on the market, proven customer service, good case feeder and you are already accustomed to seeing blue on your reloading bench !!

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

It's hard to explain what the problem is with the Hornady case feeder. But I'll try and be aware my information is dated, so they may have changed and improved it. First, instead of having distinct sets of caliber conversions for the case kicker (section that moves the case from the drop tube onto the press), Hornady has a kit of various parts you have to assemble in various ways to feed the particular case you want. At the time I owned mine, their technical documentation on how to do this was poor and the parts did not always work well together. This caused misfeed and generally was a pain in the rear. The parts were also not labeled and were poorly identified in the technical documentation, so you often had to guess which parts you needed.

But be aware, my experience with the Hornady casefeeder was several years ago. If this has changed, I would appreciate someone stepping up and provided newer, updated information.

The big advantages of the Hornady over the Dillon are the LnL bushings, the overall larger size, the primer disposal system (keeps primer filth completely off the operating portion of the press) and the Hornady LnL powder measure, which is a larger version of an RCBS Uniflow, a very fine powder measure. But the Dillon measure is a good measure, especially for the powders it handles well (typically pistol caliber and spherical type powders) and it can be tuned to perform at a higher level.

Again, they are both good presses, but operate very different from one another. A man with good mechanical aptitude will have no trouble getting either to run well. But the Dillon case feeder is less problematic.

Something you might consider doing is buying a 650 with casefeeder and bullet feeder set up just for loading only your high use/high volume cartridges. Keep your 550 for everything else. This will reduce setup costs and if you decided to move everything over to the 650 after you've used it and gotten used to it, you can do it a bit at a time and spread out the costs.

I have done this in the past.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

jayjay, in the quote in red:


Please don´t get me wrong, but there is no difference over here between the LnL and the Dillon.

Both are available and the service ways are both very long to the U.S.. Which is why you don't want the aggravating Hornady case feeder.


I would highly appreciate if the USA would come closer here, maybe into France which is worth nothing.... I've thought that about Germany.
[smilie=1:
(Sorry, little choking, I love french girls.) That's okay, Ich lieben deutch frauleins.

A case feeder for the 550, means I´m losing one of four stations, what leads to seat and crimp on one station, right?
If so, I never will do this, no way, sorry. Not sure, a 550 owner can post on that one or enquire on Brian Enos forums.

For now, because of the faster and cheaper caliber conversions, I´m leaning still to the LnL While I had one for many years and love most everything abou t it except the case feeder, I can't recommend it to you because of this. Again, it's larger and it's operation is very different than the Dillon products. It actually works best with rifle cartridges.

Just hearing about the casefeeder problem (dunno what it is) makes me wait a little.

Question:
Are there the same problems with the bullet feeder on the LnL There are many bullet feeders on the market. They will all fit on all presses, but the best ones are mentioned by Jmorris.

If not, I would take a bullet feeder inspite of the case feeder. Since bullets are more difficult for me to handle than cases, that's the route I would take and did take. But I don't use a case collator at this time, only 100 bullet tubes and adapted Hornady bullet feeder dies for pistol bullets. Works very well, but the RCBS press I own has a continuous feed strip primer system, so I should add a collator. And recently, a design on here for a air operated case feeder for a Lee progressive shows great promise for adaption to the RCBS press. It's simple, looks effective and looks highly reliable, but is a very new design. I'm waiting on a kit to come out. My suggestion is do some more reading on each manufacturer's website, come to understand what each press offers and make your decision then. In any case, you will be well served by each, though with the Hornady, you're likely going to have to improve the case feeder feed system to work best with your cases. For me, that would have meant making parts myself and I didn't have the time when I owned the Hornady.



One last thing: Ich haben drei and halbe yahre im Mainz, Deutchland mit de US Armee - 1985 to 1988. Apologies, my German is getting rusty after 30 plus years.

[jmorris]

I'll add one more thing. The Dillon will retain more value than the LNL, so if you don't like the Dillon you can always sell it and get a new LNL. I tried for more than a year to trade an LNL for a regular 550 and had no bites.

[jayjay1]

Well, thanks to Dave and J. so far.

Good infos and nice support, I appreciate that very much.
But Dave, we have to talk about the US-French-German - thingy I suppose....
:-o

It´s hard, that the LnL is the better machine in many ways, but stumbles about the own case feeder.

I will do what Dave said and read more about it, willing to do this decision only once in my life-time (hopefully).

THANKS!

[Bonz]

Question:
Are there the same problems with the bullet feeder on the LnL?

If not, I would take a bullet feeder inspite of the case feeder.

I have a Hornady LNL Ammo Plant (includes case feeder and bullet feeder) for almost 2 years. Once you get the case feeder parts setup correctly, I rarely have an issue feeding cases, once in a while and upside down case, but there are a few tricks. The bullet feeder once in a while will feed a bullet upside down, depends on the bullet type. Regardless, I could load 1000+ cases per hour in this setup. But, even though I have never had a problem with overcharge, I was standing next to a shooter at the range when his H&K .40 blew up in his hand with his reloads. I decided at that point to remove my bullet feeder and install a die to monitor powder charge. Handling the bullet slowed me down greatly, more like 400 - 500 rounds per hour depending on the bullet. I know someone that has the Dillon 1050 with the bullet feeder (non-dillon) and he can really reload ammo super fast. The downside to me is cost per caliber on the dillon and his bullet feeder requires different parts for different bullets. In example, he can't use the same bullet feeder parts for 230gr RN .45 that he uses in with his 200gr SWC .45 My wife and I shoot 2000 - 2500 rounds per month of various calibers. I just can't justify spending all that money to load the few rounds that I do. =but= I will be first in line to buy a new progressive press when they come out with one that has 6 stations. I can really crank out ammo on my Hornady LNL Ammo plant when running the case feeder and bullet feeder.

Also, as a side note, I completely prep & inspect all my brass in advance. I de-prime the brass, wet tumble, roll size, wet tumble with car wash and wax, inspect and then prime with a RCBS bench primer.

[LUBEDUDE]

A case feeder for the 550, means I´m losing one of four stations, what leads to seat and crimp on one station, right?
.

You are mistaken.

The 550 Casefeeder does not take up a station/hole.

It fits outside the frame and feeds cases into the shell plate as you would normally do manually.

Thus, you still maintain your separate bullet seating operation as well as crimping.


So, if your goal is primarily a case feeder, you can add one to your 550 for a fraction of the cost of a 650 - and not loose any operations at all.

[jmorris]

I know someone that has the Dillon 1050 with the bullet feeder (non-dillon) and he can really reload ammo super fast.

I have loaded 100 rounds on my bullet fed 1050's in 2.5 minutes but have also ran 100 rounds on my bullet fed 650's in 3 minutes. Speed is not the reason I have 1050's.

[jmorris]

So, if your goal is primarily a case feeder, you can add one to your 550 for a fraction of the cost of a 650 - and not loose any operations at all.

This is correct. You can't feed rifle cases or have a powder check though. GSI is making a bullet feeder for them too though.

[jayjay1]

A case feeder for the 550 without losing a station, really?
GSI is the manufacturer?

I´ve found the bullet feeder, which I don´t want, because I wanna see my powder filled cases.

Where can I find the case feeder?

[M-Tecs]

I used to visually inspect but switched everything to Dillon Powder Check systems. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UafkPd06_F0 Totally fool proof.

[jmorris]

A case feeder for the 550 without losing a station, really?
GSI is the manufacturer?

I´ve found the bullet feeder, which I don´t want, because I wanna see my powder filled cases.

Where can I find the case feeder?

This is the case feeder.

http://m.dillonprecision.com/mcontent/p/9/catid/3/pid/23573/RL_550B_Casefeeder_110_Volt_Small_Pistol

With the GSI bullet feeder you can still look at your powder charge at #2 and #3 (at least before you cycle the machine seating a bullet). All of the operations are the exact same as without the feeder, it just holds the bullet until the case comes up and seats it.

[jayjay1]

Poooooh!

I´d love to buy the LnL because of its features, but I want to add a case feeder as soon as possible.
Searching the internet, there are hundreds of threads in all shooter forums, reporting the same problems with the Hornady´s case feeder.
I can´t find out, that Hornady fixed that problem, so...

Wth!
Wanting an autoindex, but the case feeder for the 550 w/o losing a station makes the difference in speed smaller.

Need to think around and on it a little bit.
:roll:

[jayjay1]

This is the case feeder.

http://m.dillonprecision.com/mcontent/p/9/catid/3/pid/23573/RL_550B_Casefeeder_110_Volt_Small_Pistol



Is this exactly the same case feeder as it is used on the 650?

I´m thinking about buying the case feeder first now, and then, if I want to go faster, maybe buying a 650 press afterwards...

[EddieNFL]

Totally fool proof.

Till the battery dies. I use 'em, but I still look.

[jmorris]

Is this exactly the same case feeder as it is used on the 650?

I´m thinking about buying the case feeder first now, and then, if I want to go faster, maybe buying a 650 press afterwards...

No, they are two different machines.

The collator is all you need to add to the 650 (the big bowl part up high), the actual case feeding devices is standard on the 650 from the start.

The 550 and LNL come from the factory with nothing for the case feed, collator or otherwise. This is why they both cost more to convert.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Poooooh!

I´d love to buy the LnL because of its features, but I want to add a case feeder as soon as possible.
Searching the internet, there are hundreds of threads in all shooter forums, reporting the same problems with the Hornady´s case feeder.
I can´t find out, that Hornady fixed that problem, so...

Wth!
Wanting an autoindex, but the case feeder for the 550 w/o losing a station makes the difference in speed smaller.

Need to think around and on it a little bit.
:roll:

If this helps, the "average" user, according to Brian Enos, gains about a 25% increase in production on the 550 with the case feeder.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Bonz,

Thank you for the updated information on the Hornady case feeder you have. Did they improve the labeling of the parts or the technical documentation any? It was lousy for me, but my case feeder was about 3-5 years ahead of when the machine you bought came out.

[jayjay1]

Hey Dave,
probably it will be a 650 with a case feeder.

It costs 25% more than the LnL over here, so I will have to wait a little longer now.
:neutral:

[mack1]

[QUOTE=jayjay1;2919584]




1. Am I right, that the costs for one caliber are cheaper with the hornady, because I don´t need no toolheads?

I like the toolhead because everything is changed in one step no adjustments to powder, flaring or any dies. The toolhead it self is not that expensive the powder measure die and funnel do add to the cost but to go from 38sp to 357mag by only pulling two pins is nice if time is money. I do not have a LnL so cannot say on it. changing from small to large primers is not bad, I think you can buy another primer feed tube and base so as to change the entire primer feed as one piece.

[Bouv]

Since almost 3 years I am a proud owner of a LNL AP, one and a half year ago I upgraded it with a casefeeder. I am very satisfied with it. Before I bought the LNL AP I've read a lot about the hornady and the dillon 650, inspected both at gun shows and for me the red one was the perfect choice. A few months ago I added a Lee autodisk pro for the ammo for cas, works great. I load .357 mag, .44-40, .45 colt, .454 casull and .45-70 on the LNL AP, some of them also with black powder, have a hornady black powder measure, will install a case activated powder drop in the near future.
Use a powder cop and seating and crimping are two steps.
Like the hornady bushings, using it too with my rockchucker.
I don't miss a bullet feeder, afaik it does not work very good with cast bullets.

[triggerhappy243]

the more you have... the more you have to take care of. I still look at every component in every stage including the presence of powder in every case.

speed don't mean squatt if you can't hit the target.

[CGT80]

The Dillon 550 can be made to feed rifle brass through the casefeeder, but it is not 100% reliable. I bought some 650 parts for my casefeeder and made a new casefeeder cam so that the rifle brass is pushed into station 1 before the brass can hit the top of the press frame.

The 550 can crank out ammo pretty quickly when you don't have to feed cases. It was well worth modifying the case feeder. I don't use a bullet feeder on the 550. The 550 is used to reload many different cartridges and my 1050 and mr. bulletfeeder is setup just for 9mm. I love the 1050 but I just don't want to put out the amount of money it takes to convert it.

The Mr. bulletfeeder works great with moly coated lead bullets and should work well with powder coated bullets. Wax lubed bullets are supposed to work, but you may have to coat them in mica or clean the feeder often.

On the 550, I keep my right hand on the handle and grab a bullet with my left hand as I cycle the press. Then, my left hand indexes and sets the bullet/boolit on the case in position 3. I visually check the powder on pistol cases and I shake my rifle cases to check for a missed powder drop or a double load, which hasn't been a problem since I am very careful when I load. Some heads are setup for separate seat and crimp and others are done in one step.

The auto indexing of the 650 would be nice to have, as I love it on the 1050. If you can live with manual indexing, then you might consider a casefeeder for the 550. The problem with the casefeeder on the 550, is that it is next to impossible to feed brass by hand when you go to rifle cases. That is what led me to adapt it to run rifle brass, as it beat taking the machine apart and it beats feeding brass by hand.

[Lumpy grits]

The more complex you make it-The more problems/issues you will have.
D550 is the KISS of progressive presses.
Why fix what ain't broke?
I've been reloading for 47+ years.
Been run'n a 550 since 1987--
I'll stay with the 550.
Respectfully,
LG

[257]

I have a Dillon 550b ,650 with case feeder I really like them both. my buddy has a horndy with case feeder he has given up on the primeing system ,when he bought the case feeder he had to have all his shell plates converted 20.00 x 16 plates, plus there gone for 7 to 8 weeks his press has a serial number in the 2500 s I think most of his problems were because of all kinds of engineering changes after his press was made. I felt having to send in his shell plates to be machined at twenty bucks a pop was a raw deal just my 2 cents worth

[jayjay1]

The 550 is a reliable good press, hands down.

But I want (must) to go faster with my handgun loads, because i fell into IPSC and do a lot of more shooting now.

So the 650 with a case feeder will be the way to go for me next now, thank you all.

[Bonz]

Bonz,

Thank you for the updated information on the Hornady case feeder you have. Did they improve the labeling of the parts or the technical documentation any? It was lousy for me, but my case feeder was about 3-5 years ahead of when the machine you bought came out.

the documents that were included are ok, the same available online. Still did some "trial and error" troubleshooting but have no issues anymore with the case feeder.

[jeff423]

I was using a Square Deal and wanted to upgrade. I first bought a LNL and returned it after about 3 weeks. I bought a 650 and have never regretted it.

Jeff

[jayjay1]

Hello again,
my 650 came last week, am happy with it so far, wasn´t a big problem coming from the 550 to get it done so.

Am now looking for a case feeder and found the "budget reloader case feeder" http://www.budgetreloader.com/

Does anyone have it?
Is it good or should a let my hands away?

[Petrol & Powder]

Congratulations on the 650. Good call staying with Dillon, I think you'll be happy with that machine.
I can't speak to the budgetloaders case feeder but I see that it is about 1/2 the cost of the Dillon device. I don't know how they got the cost down but it might do the job. Personally, I'd run that 650 without a case feeder for a while and see if I really needed to spend more money for a little higher production rate. I can buy a lot of components for the cost of a case feeder.

[jayjay1]

That´s absolutely correct.

But I´m running ammo in masses since I´ve started IPSC.
That´s also the cause, why I started casting.

If I wouldn´t add a case feeder, I could have staid with the 550 in my opinion.
So the XL650 without a case feeder wouldn´t make sense for my needs.

But on the other hand you are right.
That´s the reason, why I´m asking for this feeder, good or not?

[Davidk]

I purchased the 550 and am now looking at adding the case feeder. Wished I had bought the 650. Not sure if I should add the case feeder to the 550 or upgrade the press. thoughts?

[Petrol & Powder]

I can't compare the Dillon case feeder to the Budgetloaders case feeder but if your goal is get the maximum output of your 650 I would stay with the Dillon made accessories. Dillon is a known entity and they will stand behind their products.

[r1kk1]

I purchased the 550 and am now looking at adding the case feeder. Wished I had bought the 650. Not sure if I should add the case feeder to the 550 or upgrade the press. thoughts?

depends on your needs now and later in life.

Personally, I load too many different wildcats and obsolete cartridges where I beleieve a case feeder would be problematic for me if there is something to fit the cartridge based on the 405 Winchester and 50-110 Winchester's. Then there is the subcalibers.

i guess you need to figure out your needs. My 550 is pretty simple and I like that. Less parts. Some guys run both machines. 650 set up for most used ammo, 550 for the rest.

take care

r1kk1

[M-Tecs]

I purchased the 550 and am now looking at adding the case feeder. Wished I had bought the 650. Not sure if I should add the case feeder to the 550 or upgrade the press. thoughts?

It really is dependent on the volume and type of your reloading that you do. Also your mechanical abilities come into play. I am a toolmaker by trade. I was happy with my first 450 and I was even happier when I upgraded to a 550 but I still dreamed of a case feeder,auto index and a fifth station. This was before the 650 where available. When the 650 out came I purchased one. After using the 650 I got rid of my 550 and I purchased a second 650. Set one set up for large primer and one for small primers.

I love the auto index and case feed most for bottle necked or tapered case that you have to lube. I inspect the cases, lube them, throw them into the case feed, size and deprime. From there they go into the tumbler. When I am ready to load, it’s back into the case feeder for priming, powder dropping and bullet seating. I use a 450 funnel die when I am hand weighing charges.

If I was doing pistol cases with carbide dies only I would be OK with the 550 but since I do a large volume of bottle neck case I truly hate swiping lube I really like the 650. Later I picked up a third 650 that I have dedicated to 45/70.

The only real short coming that I had with the 650 is that it doesn’t swage crimped primer pockets. I also purchased two 1050’s that I truly love. I use the 1050 the most but the 650’s are great machines if you have some mechanical aptitude. My 650’s really sing but that took some fine tuning.

Looking back, my 550 worked fine. I couldn’t go fast enough with it to require tuning other than reaming and polished the powder drop tubes.

What’s better the 550 or the 650 is dependant on your abilities and what your want from your machine.