Dillon 550

[happy7]

I have never gotten my primer system to run smoothly on my 550. Dillon has sent my new parts various times. They never work for that long. The only way I can keep it working is to polish everthing every couple hundred primers. I wish I could figure out how all you are able to make it work.

[quasi]

the 550 is a great press, I ran one for several years. I got a deal on a RCBS 2000 here, and ran both side by side for a while. The RCBS 2000 is even better than the 550 in every comparison I made except paint quality.

It takes about a minute to change primer sizes, and the primer strip system is much more reliable and has zero maintenance issues, 5 stations instead of 4, cast iron instead of Aluminum, ...

[unclebill]

since the price was right, not swapping was a nice option....

just that simple......

mike in co

dont get me wrong
if i found one for super cheap.
i'd jump on it!

[unclebill]

the 550 is a great press, I ran one for several years. I got a deal on a RCBS 2000 here, and ran both side by side for a while. The RCBS 2000 is even better than the 550 in every comparison I made except paint quality.

It takes about a minute to change primer sizes, and the primer strip system is much more reliable and has zero maintenance issues, 5 stations instead of 4, cast iron instead of Aluminum, ...

what do you do with the 5th station?
i have
1size/decap/prime
2expand/charge
3seat
4crimp

[Grapeshot]

When I worked for an indoor range that had an ammo manufacturers license, I convinced the boss to buy a used 550 and used it to load 7 different calibers for the range. I kept track of what we spent on components and what we sold, and in one year we had made a $15,000 profit on ammo sales alone. I was then able to get him to buy over a ton of bullets from one vender at the Harrisberg, PA gunshow. What I didn't load for the range we sold to our reloading customers. I know we reloaded more than 25,000 rounds of ammo over the ten years we remained in business. When we closed the doors in 2005, I got the Dillon 550 and all the dies and accessories we had and sent it back to Dillon, Inc to get it refurburbished. Great products and great service, you did yourself good getting the 550.

[Matt_G]

what do you do with the 5th station?
i have
1size/decap
2expand/charge
3seat
4crimp

I have an older AmmoMaster progressive (the predecessor to the Pro 2000).
With both these RCBS presses you are charging powder at station 3.
1) size/decap
2) expand/prime
3) charge powder
4) seat
5) crimp

OR you can

1) size/decap
2) expand/prime
3) charge powder
4) powder check
5) seat/crimp

What I would really like is for RCBS to move powder charging to station 2 instead of station 3.
If you could charge powder at station 2 using a Lyman multi expand/powder charge die, then you could have a powder check die at station 3, and still seat and crimp separately.

[quasi]

What I would really like is for RCBS to move powder charging to station 2 instead of station 3.
If you could charge powder at station 2 using a Lyman multi expand/powder charge die, then you could have a powder check die at station 3, and still seat and crimp separately

this is what I do, for handguns I use Dillon and Lee powder measures and expand dies.

[mike in co]

I have never gotten my primer system to run smoothly on my 550. Dillon has sent my new parts various times. They never work for that long. The only way I can keep it working is to polish everthing every couple hundred primers. I wish I could figure out how all you are able to make it work.

here is a guy that NEEDS two presses one for large and for small primers.

ok three things...
1)see if there is another user in your area that can help set it up.

2) send it to dillon and let them adjust it for you........

3) buy a second 550 in the opposite primer size of the one you shipped to dillon...and then you never have to swap and have issues.......

i cannot believe it is that hard to do, but i am mechanically inclined.....so maybe just some out side help.....

mike in co

[happy7]

Mike,

The problem is not switching from small to large primers. That is when it runs right, because I have had it apart for the switch and so also have gone ahead and cleaned and polished everything. The problem is that dillon designed the primer system under where the dirty primers eject, and all that primer dirt drops on where the primer bar runs back and forth and gums up the works. When I spend the time to take it apart about every 500 rounds and clean and polish it, it works fine. I just get frustrated when the bar starts hanging up again. I have owned the machine for almost 30 years. But it still frustrates me. The bar hangs up and will not return under spring pressure. I mean, clearly dillon knows there are issues here. They redesigned the primer housing. Then they added a metal plate to sit under the primer bar. And when they designed the 650, they completely redesigned the primer system. And while I have never seen one up close, I understand that on the 1050 they moved depriming and priming to separate stations and so took the filth out of priming station.

So do you never have this problem, or don't you have a 550? Dillon has never been able to come up with a successful solution for me. If you have any ideas, I am all ears. It would be a happy day if I could find a better solution.

here is a guy that NEEDS two presses one for large and for small primers.

ok three things...
1)see if there is another user in your area that can help set it up.

2) send it to dillon and let them adjust it for you........

3) buy a second 550 in the opposite primer size of the one you shipped to dillon...and then you never have to swap and have issues.......

i cannot believe it is that hard to do, but i am mechanically inclined.....so maybe just some out side help.....

mike in co

[mike in co]

i have two dillon 550b's. one in large one in small.....
have i ever had a problem with a dillon...yes.....
have i ever had a major issue with a dillon.....no
have i ever maintained mechanical equipt .....yes
do i understand that machines as a rule require maintainence......yes
do i learn from the machine just how much and when some maintence is reasonable to perform..yes

i keep a tooth brush next to my dillons. every time i add primers, i dust off the primer slide/base....
i don't have issues with my priming systems because i do maintence BEFORE there is an issue.
its a machine...you must maintain it if you want it to work.
it is obvious to me, that you have not learned to clean it at less than 500...or you would not still be having issues.
its not the machine , its the operator, not doing TIMELY maintenance.
ouch.....but that sounds like the facts to me.

as a side note...i take the liner out of the primer magazine and blow it out every 3000 primers or so to remove dust built up that can/may/will cause primers to miss feed in the slide.

mike in co

Mike,

The problem is not switching from small to large primers. That is when it runs right, because I have had it apart for the switch and so also have gone ahead and cleaned and polished everything. The problem is that dillon designed the primer system under where the dirty primers eject, and all that primer dirt drops on where the primer bar runs back and forth and gums up the works. When I spend the time to take it apart about every 500 rounds and clean and polish it, it works fine. I just get frustrated when the bar starts hanging up again. I have owned the machine for almost 30 years. But it still frustrates me. The bar hangs up and will not return under spring pressure. I mean, clearly dillon knows there are issues here. They redesigned the primer housing. Then they added a metal plate to sit under the primer bar. And when they designed the 650, they completely redesigned the primer system. And while I have never seen one up close, I understand that on the 1050 they moved depriming and priming to separate stations and so took the filth out of priming station.

So do you never have this problem, or don't you have a 550? Dillon has never been able to come up with a successful solution for me. If you have any ideas, I am all ears. It would be a happy day if I could find a better solution.

[roaddog1m]

My first machine was a Dillon Square deal B. I was still in the military and in CONUS so I was able to do a little shooting with my old trusty Browning High Power. That was 1989 and there was no internet so I was forced to read books. : ( I still have my first reloading book, it was the Speer book and I like the pictures and associated articles for each caliber. Not long after that, I replaced my beam scale with the brand new RCBS digital scale (birthday present from my wife) and I still use that also. I probably loaded close to 130,000 rounds of 9mm, 38 Super and 45 ACP on that thing over the years. I broke a few parts due to my ham handed clumsiness but Dillon was very good about both sending new parts and not making fun of me. I think I'm the only person I ever heard of who shot the USPSA Open Nationals with all my ammo loaded from a Square Deal. Since then, I've added a 550 (which I just finished cranking out some 40 cal on) two Rock Chuckers and I inherited my Dads old Herters 12gauge press that is older than I am. He hadn't used it in 30 years but I cleaned it up and started cranking out duck/pheasant loads on it right away. If he was still around I bet he'd like that.
I had to move to a bigger house to accommodate a larger reloading room and now that I'm casting, I may have to think about revamping things in the garage too.
Bottom line: I love my Dillons and will someday pass them down to someone who deserves them!

[Dale53]

I bought my first Dillon right after they hit the market (I had a Dillon 450 before the 550). After well over 100,000 rounds through my first 550(B), I added a second 550B to the stable for convenience.

I keep a can of canned air next to my presses. The first time the primer slide fails to pick up a primer, I reach for the can and give it a shot (directing the tube carefully to remove debris). This takes all of a few seconds every couple hundred primers. Before that I used a clean glue brush and while it worked as well was not quite as efficient.

I LOVE my Dillons. I could easily afford the 650 but prefer the more reasonable cost of a caliber change in the 550B - I am set up for eleven different calibers.

Dale53

[unclebill]

i use those little alcohol wipes in the individual packets.
i wipe that trouble spot off right next to the ram.
and when i swap primer sizes i wipe the bearing surfaces with the same.


i wonder if a slightly stronger spring would help any?

[Dan Cash]

i'm with you
never tapped it in my life.

a quick question
what do you guys do that makes swapping primer sizes such an unbearable pain that you resort to buying an entire press to keep from having to spend 3 or 4 minutes to change over?

color me curious.

It seemed that I was always needing .45 and .38 or -06 and .223 at the same time. Second press saved the change over time though that was slight and let me make my wife load her stuff. Now, if I can get her to clean her own guns. After 41 years, what are the odds?

[unclebill]

Now, if I can get her to clean her own guns. After 41 years, what are the odds?

i aint a betting man
but i DO know long odds when i see em!

[beladran]

well i unpacked the dillon this weekend and started setting it up.. i got a little pissed off though. They sent me the wrong caliber converson kit, wrong powder dispenser kit and only one primer pick up tube. so as soon as they open im gonna have a little chat. other than that she is ready to rock an roll

[mike in co]

wrong powder dispenser kit

and why is it wrong ?
( the charge bars are changable by the user and they come with both large and small.)

mike in co

[Calehedron]

The unit only comes with 1 pickup tube for each size, large or small. You have to buy the extras yourself. Either 4 packs or I think they have a 2+2 pack also.

I am also puzzled by what you mean by wrong powder dispenser. They only have one and it comes with 2 charge bars. If you need extra small or belted magnum, thats on you to buy.

Wrong caliber conversion kit is on them if you ordered the right one!

[beladran]

I mean there is only one.. primer tube. An the powder kit to me has the wrong part in it. It looks like for the 900 not the 550 the tech guy said they use the same parts and I just gotta press harder .. don't know I will give it a go againWhem I get home

[GARCIA]

Only complaint with the one I have is I hate the bolt head used to adjust the powder bar. Found me a 5/16's flower rosette knob at the local Home Depot and have not complained since.

Sure does make adjusting the powder bar a whole lot easier.

Tom