I Drank the Blue Kool-aid and it is sooooo goooood

[DeputyDog25]

I just scored a Dillon 550 on fleabay for less than $300 and the only thing missing is the completed cartridge chute which I have on order from Dillon. I set the press up (easiest press I have ever setup) and just cranked out about 300 rounds in less than an hour. This is by far the best press I have ever owned. I will never reload with anything but Dillon from now on. I am now saving up for a 650XL which I hope to get for Christmas if Santa is good to me.

[labradigger1]

Good to hear! I love both of mine and dedicate one for small and one for large primers. I find I do still use other presses though for low volume reloading. I use the coax for its accuracy and ease of die changes and the turret for odd Calibers. Dillons are great machines. Fwiw, keep the primer pickup clean and stone/polish your small and large powder bars.
Enjoy the koolaid.
Lab

[Love Life]

I use the Dillon for mass production and load development. It's awesome.

[seagiant]

Hi,
Well....You may not be correct or right in your thinking but....

You'll never be alone!!!:mrgreen:

[DocSavage]

The 650s are nice but they have at least 2 problems in my opinion,the spring loaded primer cup is a royal pain to change I haven't been able to find a wrench that will fit in that tight space. The other is the cup to catch spent primers they end up everywhere except the cup. There are a few vendors that sell kits to solve that problem. I solved the first by buying a 2nd 650,easier to change machine than the primer cup.

[EddieNFL]

I think I used a socket. Resolved the spent primer issue with a 1/2" airline insert, about 12 inches of plastic tubing and a hose clamp ($5.00???)

[VHoward]

I use an open end wrench to get the primer punch assembly out and in. I do remove the missed primer ramp for easier access though.

[DeputyDog25]

Good to hear! I love both of mine and dedicate one for small and one for large primers. I find I do still use other presses though for low volume reloading. I use the coax for its accuracy and ease of die changes and the turret for odd Calibers. Dillons are great machines. Fwiw, keep the primer pickup clean and stone/polish your small and large powder bars.
Enjoy the koolaid.
Lab

I am saving up to buy another 550 and will do exactly what you are doing, one for larger primer and one for small. I was thinking of a 650 but don't know if I want all that aggravation.

[Pee Wee]

148832148833148834



Hey Dog,
I started with one 550 and went to buy a 650 and changed my mind in the store and got another 550 with a case feeder. I also installed Lee bullet feeders on the cal. That I load a lot of, 380, 9 mm and 45 acp. I use 550 without the case feeder to load my compition rounds on without the bullet feeders. The 550 does not load 380 with the case feeder, so I also load those on the non case fed 550. Which is the photo you see here the other is set up for 9 mm in photo. I just decided that the switch ability between the two was more advantagist and more cost effective in the long run.
maybe will help with your decision
Pee Wee

[root]

Welcome to the club.

I've had my 550 for over 20 years still works good.
I use single stage presses for things like decaping .223 and other brass that is a pain 1st time around.
I use the 550 for assembly.
the blue guys are awesome when it comes to something breaking ( rare)

Rich

[Pee Wee]

Yes, the first 550 I found in a box at local gun-reloading shop. not much was there, I bought it for $200.00 called dillion and got a customer number and r/o number from them put a check for $87.00 and got back a brand new in the box 550. I have had that one for 3 years. They are the best. Sooooo When it was time to replace the lee loadmaster I got the new 550 with casefeeder.
Pee Wee

[Petrol & Powder]

Welcome to the blue machine club! I'm not sure how many rounds I've cranked out of my 550 but it is in the range of tens of thousands.
Just food for thought, instead of getting a 650 to go with it, consider another 550.
Changing calibers on the 550 is fairly easy if you don't have to switch between large and small primers. Changing from large to small primers isn't difficult, it just adds a few more steps to the process and it's easier to keep the priming system dialed in if you don't have to fool with it. Having two 550's really simplifies your logistics, allows you to have some redundancy in spare parts and is probably cheaper than having one 550 and one 650.

The key to high production on the 550 is having several pre-loaded primer tubes available.

They are excellent progressive presses and Dillon is an outstanding company to deal with. I'm happy to drink the blue Kool-aid.

[onefunzr2]

I just scored a Dillon 550 on fleabay for less than $300 and the only thing missing is the completed cartridge chute which I have on order from Dillon. I set the press up (easiest press I have ever setup) and just cranked out about 300 rounds in less than an hour. This is by far the best press I have ever owned.

You used to be able to buy a 550b brand new for that price! But Dillon's no BS warranty and more ham-handed customers than you can shake a stick at have caused the price to escalate exponentially these last few years.

If what you bought is the RL550 or RL550b, they are capable of 400 to 600 rounds per hour. But that quantity is only achieved, in my experience, by using Dillon's special die sets that have unique features made especially for progressive presses.

Dillon also sells a sort of stripped down version of the 550 called the BL550, Basic Loader model 550. It comes without the auto priming or powder features for $260 direct from Dillon. Decades ago it was called the AT500. It's what I bought and then added all the 550's bells and whistles to as my budget allowed. It came with a multi-caliber shellplate.

[Bullfrog]

Good to know on the BL550 because I was wanting a second one that is stripped down :)

[DeputyDog25]

I think I have decided to go ahead and get another RL550b when I buy, I like the idea of having one with small primer and one with large primer, and having parts for just one machine will also save money. I have only loaded about 500 rounds so far but it was the easiest 500 rounds I have ever loaded. Thank you Dillon, I am a customer for life!

[dudel]

I think I have decided to go ahead and get another RL550b when I buy, I like the idea of having one with small primer and one with large primer, and having parts for just one machine will also save money. I have only loaded about 500 rounds so far but it was the easiest 500 rounds I have ever loaded. Thank you Dillon, I am a customer for life!

I was fortunate that all my calibers use small primers. I even converted 45 ACP to small primer. 45 GAP and 300BO are also small primer.

It's great not to have to change primer assemblies out.

[r1kk1]

I was fortunate that all my calibers use small primers. I even converted 45 ACP to small primer. 45 GAP and 300BO are also small primer.

It's great not to have to change primer assemblies out.

I know I have two COMPLETE primer assemblies for the 550. Super easy to swap from large to small and back in no time. Much cheaper than two presses. I'm currently trying to build a stand for the other assembly. Cost was a hundred for the 2nd assembly.

How hard is it to do for the 650?

Take care

r1kk1

[VHoward]

A complete caliber change including a change in primer size only takes me 15 minutes tops. A primer size change is a matter of changing the primer punch assembly, the carrier wheel and the inner tube. No adjustments needed. I could get an extra primer system for $81 so I wouldn't have to change out the wheel and inner primer tube, but that time taken is insignificant

[Huvius]

I bought a 650 with a case feeder for a friend who does SASS shooting and already had a 550.
After setting up, he decided that he would rather have another 550 since he could have one set for large primers and one for small primers AND that the die blocks are not the same so he would have to buy a bunch of new blocks for the 650.
so... I bought him another 550 and kept the 650 for myself!
What a machine!
For my purposes it is way overkill but just the other night I loaded 300 38spl in just a couple hours at a nice easy pace and that is with the occasional stop to load up more primers.
The caliber and primer swap takes about 15min and isn't that tricky IMO.
Right now, I'm swilling the blue Kool-aid!!

[AllanD]

Once you go BLUE you get frustrated with anything else...

[TXGunNut]

Just got into a new cartridge and decided to load it on my very early 550. I like to think of myself as a Dillon beta tester since as soon as I ran into a problem they had just run into it themselves. I don't recall the comp shooter they sponsored but I am glad he got their bugs worked out. Thanks to his efforts and Dillon's peerless customer service I never missed a match due to loader issues; I was shooting 2-3 matches per month plus practice.
My new cartridge is the 380. Got new Dillon dies & shellplate and had it up and running in about an hour. Auto prime mechanism changeover was a bit troublesome and I got brain gas adjusting the powder measure so it took me awhile to get everything just right. Been awhile! My 550 went into retirement for over ten years and came out a couple of years ago when I couldn't stand the price of factory ammo any more. Pulled the cover off and it was set up for 45acp so away I went. Today it took a little over 20 minutes to load 100 rds. Those little 380's are a bit small for my clumsy fingers. ;-)

[GLShooter]

I feel like the Blue is the way to go. I got a NEW 550 and the big Dillon tumbler for $100 plus another $800 worth of components, ammunition and change over set ups. I took it in to Dillon and they swapped in a newer powder bar and a couple other little things like the safety rod on the powder measure .

I found out old does good with new. I used my original Dillon 300 that I got in 1982 and loaded a ton of 458 SOCOM on it last month. I used a 30 Carbine powder funnel as I don't have the die to hold that huge expander funnel used on the 458.

Greg

[shoot-n-lead]

Don't you let the Lee guy's hear you....

How dare you tell the truth about that BLUE press...you are just a HATER...

But, I know what you're talking about...NEVER go back...:drinks:

[Budzilla 19]

Must...... Have..... More...... Blue Press! I have 1 550B, 2 SDB's, and am saving for another 550B,so, yeah, I'm hooked! Lol just love these presses, never had one fail yet, and that big blue vibratory polisher is the cats meow! I guess if it ever wears out, I'll probably have to get another one.their lifetime no bs warranty policy can't be beaten. Just my .02 cents. Haha too bad cars aren't this dependable!!

[kryogen]

Im buying a 650 this weekend.

[shotstring]

There can be a downside if you enjoy reloading ammunition. I bought a 1050 twenty years ago for doing 45 long colt as I had several lever guns and many single actions in that caliber. Set it up, loaded a bunch of primer tubes and went at it at the rate of 1200 to 1300 rounds an hour. I loaded so many rounds in one day that I haven't needed to use that press in 20 years. Still have several hundred rounds left from that day. The press sits in my storage shed. I load everything else on my 550 or single stage RCBS. 1050 is just too darn efficient to even use.

[USMC87]

I was a turret press user then moved to a load master and that was a disaster from start to finish. I bought a 550b and have never looked back, I have to agree with ease of use and the excellent customer service.

[hunter64]

The weakest link on the 550b is the priming system or morecorrectly the primer track bearing 14015 is designed wrong. They will not admitthat it is a poor design but one that can be easily fixed. I have two 550bmachines and they would work great until that track bearing starts to wear and itgets grooves in it. I talked to Dillon help about 15 years ago about theproblem and the guy on the phone acted like I was the first person in historyto ever have this problem. I was at our monthly gun club meeting and asked ifanyone else had primer issues on their 550's and I had 4 people put their handsup that had the exact same problem. So fast forward 15 years to last week andfor fun I called them and asked for a new track bearing because one of mymachines was doing the old Dillon missed primer jig dance again. I designed thebearing the way it should have been all those years ago but I just wanted tosee if anything at changed since then and nope the same old denial of facts wasgiven.

If you haven't run into the problem yet you will and it willdrive you nuts until you change that bearing or better yet make a proper one.You will notice that you will start to get missed primers in your cases. Youwatch as you pull the handle down and the primer slide moves back to get afresh primer it works correctly and primes as it is supposed to. Then once in awhile it will move back as normal and then all of a sudden notice that it stopsabout 1/4" from picking up the primer and just sits there. If you help itor just touch it the slide will move back and pick up a primer as normal. Youfigure that the primer slide is dirty and you take it all apart and cleaneverything and put it back together and get about 40 more rounds out of it andthen it starts doing it again. You pull it apart again and check for roughedges on the slide and get out the 400 grit sand paper and shin it up. You evenpolish the inside housing for good measure and reinstall everything and itlasts another 30-40 rounds and then the same thing happens, missed primers.Well you think the only thing left is to give a bit more pressure on the slideso you bend the operating rod just slightly to give more pressure. This willusually work good for about 100 rounds and then again it starts to miss primersonce in a while. If you look at that track bearing you will notice that thereis two slight wear marks on it where the slide is catching and binding up, youchange the bearing and you are good for another 5 years or so depending on yourvolume. If you make a longer bearing the way it should have been designed thenyou solve the problem. There is a good YouTube video on the problem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI7HpdHvlco where he describes the problem andthe cure. I basically made the same thing that he did in 2000 after hours ofpulling my hair out trying to get the primer to not miss feed. Some guy on eBayis also selling his version with a ball bearing to help guide it better, it isa good idea and might add that to mine but it has worked fine for 15 years andthousands of rounds so I am not sure it is necessary.

If Dillon would just admit the problem and start sendingmachines with the correct bearing design it would make life a lot easier.

[AllanD]

The weakest link on the 550b is the priming system or morecorrectly the primer track bearing 14015 is designed wrong. They will not admitthat it is a poor design but one that can be easily fixed. I have two 550bmachines and they would work great until that track bearing starts to wear and itgets grooves in it. I talked to Dillon help about 15 years ago about theproblem and the guy on the phone acted like I was the first person in historyto ever have this problem. I was at our monthly gun club meeting and asked ifanyone else had primer issues on their 550's and I had 4 people put their handsup that had the exact same problem. So fast forward 15 years to last week andfor fun I called them and asked for a new track bearing because one of mymachines was doing the old Dillon missed primer jig dance again. I designed thebearing the way it should have been all those years ago but I just wanted tosee if anything at changed since then and nope the same old denial of facts wasgiven.

If you haven't run into the problem yet you will and it willdrive you nuts until you change that bearing or better yet make a proper one.You will notice that you will start to get missed primers in your cases. Youwatch as you pull the handle down and the primer slide moves back to get afresh primer it works correctly and primes as it is supposed to. Then once in awhile it will move back as normal and then all of a sudden notice that it stopsabout 1/4" from picking up the primer and just sits there. If you help itor just touch it the slide will move back and pick up a primer as normal. Youfigure that the primer slide is dirty and you take it all apart and cleaneverything and put it back together and get about 40 more rounds out of it andthen it starts doing it again. You pull it apart again and check for roughedges on the slide and get out the 400 grit sand paper and shin it up. You evenpolish the inside housing for good measure and reinstall everything and itlasts another 30-40 rounds and then the same thing happens, missed primers.Well you think the only thing left is to give a bit more pressure on the slideso you bend the operating rod just slightly to give more pressure. This willusually work good for about 100 rounds and then again it starts to miss primersonce in a while. If you look at that track bearing you will notice that thereis two slight wear marks on it where the slide is catching and binding up, youchange the bearing and you are good for another 5 years or so depending on yourvolume. If you make a longer bearing the way it should have been designed thenyou solve the problem. There is a good YouTube video on the problem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI7HpdHvlco where he describes the problem andthe cure. I basically made the same thing that he did in 2000 after hours ofpulling my hair out trying to get the primer to not miss feed. Some guy on eBayis also selling his version with a ball bearing to help guide it better, it isa good idea and might add that to mine but it has worked fine for 15 years andthousands of rounds so I am not sure it is necessary.

If Dillon would just admit the problem and start sendingmachines with the correct bearing design it would make life a lot easier.

I never had that problem, but I always saw that area as a potential problem and keep that area
well coated with molybdenum camshaft break-in grease...

that MIGHT be why I never had trouble..

[GLShooter]

I've only loaded about 30,000 on my 550 and so far haven't had a priming issue. If I do I'll drive on over to their shop and get the replacement parts. Thanks for the heads up.

Greg

[shoot-n-lead]

Loaded a PILE of ammo on mine and never the the bearing issue, either.

[osteodoc08]

I love blue kool aide. Reds almost as good too.

[dudel]

1050 is just too darn efficient to even use.


1050's were responsible for the component shortage. Wouldn't have happened if we all used Lee! :mrgreen:

[jmorris]

I have never seen a "Why did I wait so long to get rid of my 1050" thread.

[HATCH]

At one time I had 2 550s setup and 3 square deal Bs.
Sold the 3 SDB and bought a 650

Buying a new house with NO shop out back. So I am gonna go back to just a single 550 and a 650

40 cal is gonna be the round I seem to load the most in the future.
Its gonna be the first round I load at the new place.

Something to keep in mind is that each 550/650 is different.
A toolhead setup on one 550 will not (in my experience) swap between machines and keep the same adjustments.
Problem I had is that I got a 40/10mm adjustable toolhead. 40 is SPP and 10mm is LPP

[Petrol & Powder]

That extended bearing plate for the primer assembly on a 550 looks like a well thought out mod.
I keep the primer assembly on my 550 clean and the sliding surfaces lightly lubed which seems to be key for trouble free operation. One issue with the 550 priming system is the aluminum base. The primer assembly is held to the press body via two cap screws. If you get those screws too tight you will distort the base of the primer assembly and if you don't get it tight enough you will have problems with alignment. I can say from experience that you want to err on the side of less torque when tightening those screws.
Swapping from large to small primer or vise versa isn't difficult but every time you do that you upset that relationship. Once I get my 550 set up for a particular primer size it runs perfectly but I prefer to leave it in one configuration as long as possible to reduce that need to re-adjust that assembly.
Considering the number of rounds my machine has loaded, I cannot say that it is a design flaw. If you keep the machine set up for one primer size it will hum along for tens of thousands of rounds with little attention.
Having two 550's one set up for small primer and one set up for large primers would eliminate the need to play with the primer system during caliber changes.

[dudel]

If Dillon would just admit the problem and start sendingmachines with the correct bearing design it would make life a lot easier.

Well, no problems here either. My 550b has been in use over 10 years, and I don't know how many thousands of rounds it's loaded. I do however keep it clean, and usually deprime on a different press prior to cleaning.

The one issue I did have, which Dillon quickly fixed at no cost to me, was the primer seater (the part with the cup and spring), had worn the primer bar so that it developed some wiggle and wouldn't pick up a primer reliably. A quick call to Dillon, and new parts were on their way. It's been flawless since then. That's the only call I've had to make to Dillon support.

[alamogunr]

Has anyone used the new RCBS progressive? I keep hoping there will be a thread on them similar to this one in that problems will be discussed. I have nothing against Dillon but I also like RCBS equipment. The presses I looked at and saw demonstrated at the NRA convention looked nice.

[LUBEDUDE]

While I have a good investment in Dillion and love them, it would not hurt my feelings to see advancements made by other companies and followed up by appropriate sales.


A sampling


http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/29/76885269e1df3c434eb6dbb938d95561.jpg


http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/29/28029809cce7050b0d02fc14b4c8a3c6.jpg


http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/29/31a78afb06ff5ccbbec21190ceddfca9.jpg

[beeser]

I'm all for advancement but I enjoy he old stuff as well, quirks and all. I have 2 Dillon 650s and an older Dillon 300. One of the 650s works so well for .45 ACP that it's actually boring to use. That's when I try to load .32 ACP on the other 650 or try to load a shotshell on one of my Hollywoods to liven things up.

[Garyshome]

Dillon +1

[Herb in Pa]

The 550 kept my MP40 happy...........Had a couple of the Lee 1000's......operative word is HAD!

[TXGunNut]

I've only loaded about 30,000 on my 550 and so far haven't had a priming issue. If I do I'll drive on over to their shop and get the replacement parts. Thanks for the heads up.

Greg


My very early 550 has loaded over 200K rounds, the latest primer upgrade (about 10 yrs ago) seems to be working just fine. Loaded a hundred 380's using some brand new dies a week or so ago, still well worth the money. I can't drive over to visit Mike & the gang but they sent me many care packages when the 550 was new and kept me on the firing line in PPC matches all over the southwest (and parts of the Midwest). Tell them I said "hi"...and "thank you".

[Whiterabbit]

148832148833148834



Hey Dog,
I started with one 550 and went to buy a 650 and changed my mind in the store and got another 550 with a case feeder. I also installed Lee bullet feeders on the cal. That I load a lot of, 380, 9 mm and 45 acp. I use 550 without the case feeder to load my compition rounds on without the bullet feeders. The 550 does not load 380 with the case feeder, so I also load those on the non case fed 550. Which is the photo you see here the other is set up for 9 mm in photo. I just decided that the switch ability between the two was more advantagist and more cost effective in the long run.
maybe will help with your decision
Pee Wee

Dillon 550 with case feeder and LEE boolit feeder. Do you have to do anything besides pull the handle and keep the tubes/hoppers fed?

[snglstack]

"Do you have to do anything besides pull the handle and keep the tubes/hoppers fed?"


Well, you do have to change out the full buckets and barrels of new ammo for empty ones; maybe get one a yer kids to box it up in crates. Build a new underground powder magazine. Buy more guns...you have the ammo.

[garym1a2]

I got this exact issue, I thought it was dirt or grease. I would clean and oil it problem only go away a little while
The weakest link on the 550b is the priming system or morecorrectly the primer track bearing 14015 is designed wrong. They will not admitthat it is a poor design but one that can be easily fixed. I have two 550bmachines and they would work great until that track bearing starts to wear and itgets grooves in it. I talked to Dillon help about 15 years ago about theproblem and the guy on the phone acted like I was the first person in historyto ever have this problem. I was at our monthly gun club meeting and asked ifanyone else had primer issues on their 550's and I had 4 people put their handsup that had the exact same problem. So fast forward 15 years to last week andfor fun I called them and asked for a new track bearing because one of mymachines was doing the old Dillon missed primer jig dance again. I designed thebearing the way it should have been all those years ago but I just wanted tosee if anything at changed since then and nope the same old denial of facts wasgiven.

If you haven't run into the problem yet you will and it willdrive you nuts until you change that bearing or better yet make a proper one.You will notice that you will start to get missed primers in your cases. Youwatch as you pull the handle down and the primer slide moves back to get afresh primer it works correctly and primes as it is supposed to. Then once in awhile it will move back as normal and then all of a sudden notice that it stopsabout 1/4" from picking up the primer and just sits there. If you help itor just touch it the slide will move back and pick up a primer as normal. Youfigure that the primer slide is dirty and you take it all apart and cleaneverything and put it back together and get about 40 more rounds out of it andthen it starts doing it again. You pull it apart again and check for roughedges on the slide and get out the 400 grit sand paper and shin it up. You evenpolish the inside housing for good measure and reinstall everything and itlasts another 30-40 rounds and then the same thing happens, missed primers.Well you think the only thing left is to give a bit more pressure on the slideso you bend the operating rod just slightly to give more pressure. This willusually work good for about 100 rounds and then again it starts to miss primersonce in a while. If you look at that track bearing you will notice that thereis two slight wear marks on it where the slide is catching and binding up, youchange the bearing and you are good for another 5 years or so depending on yourvolume. If you make a longer bearing the way it should have been designed thenyou solve the problem. There is a good YouTube video on the problem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI7HpdHvlco where he describes the problem andthe cure. I basically made the same thing that he did in 2000 after hours ofpulling my hair out trying to get the primer to not miss feed. Some guy on eBayis also selling his version with a ball bearing to help guide it better, it isa good idea and might add that to mine but it has worked fine for 15 years andthousands of rounds so I am not sure it is necessary.

If Dillon would just admit the problem and start sendingmachines with the correct bearing design it would make life a lot easier.

[Pee Wee]

Dillon 550 with case feeder and LEE boolit feeder. Do you have to do anything besides pull the handle and keep the tubes/hoppers fed?

You still have to manually progress it, but I prefer that over auto progress. Had a auto progress (Lee Loadmaster) I personaly feel that I have more control over my QC and easier to stop,check and continue.

[Petrol & Powder]

I also prefer a manual index.

[Ola]

I just hate manual index. Less room for human error.

650 is is the one for me. I could cope with 550, but would not prefer it.

[Maximumbob54]

That's what made me buy the Hornady LNL AP over the RL550. Auto indexing and it indexes half on the up and half on the down for smoother movement. Then add in it has the fifth station. I would have to have upgraded to the 650 to get the fifth station. I've wanted several times to drink from the blue goblet and just have yet to be able to do it.

[bill_clancy]

I found it best to have a complete set for the lg/small primer assembly, as well as dedicated powder measures for each caliber. Easy to say with 2 or 3 cartridges, but it sure makes swapping out easier.