Dillon Rant

[ddeaton]

The more I use my Dillon 650 the better I like it. I have been loading 45acp with it for a about a year and am just getting real familiar with it. I have been working loads up with different cast molds on my single stage so as not to mess with my settings on the Dillon. I got a few toolheads lately and set up just a sizing and case mouth flare die for the 45acp. Now I can crank out a bucket of primed and prepped brass in no time. Drop powder and seat on my single stage for various boolits and loads whenever I need now. I ended up tearing it down to the frame for a good cleanup and lube. Only then did I feel better about using it for more than just cranking out 1 style of load. I almost like using it just for the brass prep, and loading on the single stage.

[WildmanJack]

ddeaton,
I agree, I just loaded about 300 .45 ACP on my RL550 without one problem. They make a great machine. I used to use a Star( back in the old days) and never thought anyone could make a loader as good. But I have to say Dillon is pretty dam close to my old Star. Tomorrow, it's gonna be .45 colt and if I have time, a whole bunch of .45-70.. Be safe..
:drinks:
Jack

[Dale53]

I ran a Star for some years. It was a precision made piece of equipment. However, it DID have it's downside. Heaven help you if you jammed a primer. It would require a complete tear-down that would take at least twenty minutes. Mine would only feed OEM CCI primers without jams. Fortunately, I had a friend who was in the ammo reloading business and could buy OEM primers (they were not generally available). Other than that, it did good work.

My Dillon 550B's have been only WONDERFUL. I couldn't be happier with any piece of equipment.

Dale53

[Rockchucker]

I just purchased a new 550b this past weekend and still getting it adjusted out and running. So far I've loaded around 100 38's with 158 gr swc cast boolits and it is a very sweet machine.

[phil218b]

I have set up a 1050 to size,swage primer pockets, and trim 308 and 223 military brass. Then I clean the brass and send it to the 650. I have a Kiss bullet feeder on the 650, it takes a little time to set up but all reloaders do. With this set up I can reload 1000 rounds an hour without much effort. Sure there are time I have to fix a bad primer, clear the feeder or other misc things that go wrong, but I have been reloading for 40 some years and have yet to find the machine,single stage or progressive that didn't have mechanical or human errors involved with the process. The dillon presses are quality machines and the support from dillon is great. Sure beats the Lee box kit and a hammer I started out with years ago.

[cajun shooter]

Rockchucker, Buy you the strong mount and offset handle for that 550 and you will be even more amazed at how well your Dillon works. Took me a long time to buy the strong mount but it does make a difference. My dillon has all the options now, bullet tray, cartridge box for cases and loaded rounds, tool holder and the above listed options. Each one adds to the ease of operation. Later David

[ddeaton]

+1 on what Cajun said.

[Rockchucker]

Rockchucker, Buy you the strong mount and offset handle for that 550 and you will be even more amazed at how well your Dillon works. Took me a long time to buy the strong mount but it does make a difference. My dillon has all the options now, bullet tray, cartridge box for cases and loaded rounds, tool holder and the above listed options. Each one adds to the ease of operation. Later David

At some in time I hope to have all the accessories needed to make this press work easy as it was designed. I do have a question though. Where is the best place to buy all the accesories at? I'm gussing Dillon, They seem to be expensive like the press was. GREAT product.

[jonk]

I have nothing but good things to say about the quality of a Dillon and enjoy loading on one whenever my buddy lets me.

I still hold that it is overpriced and over-hyped though. :D

[Dan Cash]

I have two 550s; one for large and one for small primer. I use them for brass prep and load development much as described above. I also load a lot of black powder cartridges with the Dillon by taking the case off the Dillon to charge it then returning the charged case to the normal powder charging station for compression. They and my Bonanza CO-AX press are the most satisfactory equipment I have ever owned.

[ddeaton]

At some in time I hope to have all the accessories needed to make this press work easy as it was designed. I do have a question though. Where is the best place to buy all the accesories at? I'm gussing Dillon, They seem to be expensive like the press was. GREAT product.


I think all distributors have to sell at those prices. Try Brian Enos on the web. He is a shooter and has great tips on his forum. His prices are same as Dillon, but he seems to want to go that extra mile with customer service. And actually his website is easier to find the things you need on than Dillon's.
http://www.brianenos.com/

[WildmanJack]

Changed conversion kits on my RL550 two days ago and lost all the locating pins on the garage floor. Well I might as well have dropped them into a black hole. They're gone. Called Dillon and told threm what happened. Gary the Customer Service Rep. said theres a new set on the way. I tried to give him a credit card number but no way would he take it. That's the way all companies should run.. A big gold star for Dillon...
Jack