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BigJimP · June 2, 2011, 06:24 PM

CPTMurdoc is partly right ....you can put a powder cop die into a Dillon 550 --by leaving out the seating die ...and replacing it with a powder cop die.

By leaving out the seating die ...you have to rely on the crimp die to do both the seating and final crimping...does it work / probably...is it a great idea, not in my opinion. But then I didn't design the loader ...maybe you should ask somebody at Dillon or Hornady if they recommend it or not ...or what the pros and cons of it are. Will it work on straight wall cases, yes, I think it will...but maybe its a compromise if you're using some bullet shapes - not sure. Will it work on a case like .357 Sig ...I'm not sure it would work at all...

But yes, its a work around ...if you already had a 550 ...that you wanted to keep - that might work.

But lets look at the facts of buying a 650 vs the 550. The 550 is a manually indexing machine ...the 650 auto indexes / there are pros and cons to each. I think an auto indexing machine is safer / less chance of a double charge. The 650 costs about $ 127 more than the 550 ...and the toolhead in the 650 has the extra station to allow for installation of the powder check die and still use the seating die and the final crimp dies as intended.

Have a work around for a 550 you want to keep is one thing ...looking at buying a new press is another ...so I stand by my recommendation / and unless I had it recommended from good sources, I would not remove the seating die in my presses. This issue has nothing to do with accuracy of a weapon on targets ...its about dropping the right amount of powder for consistency and safety. There is no doubt a 550 machine can load match grade accuracy rounds ...and so will the 650. Its my opinion that the installation of a powder check die / or powder cop or whatever brand you want ...significantly decreases the chance of a squib round or a double charge ...or something breaking on a powder measure ...where you are getting a wide variation of powder drops ...without being alerted.

Selecting a press - that allows some kind of a powder check ..is the important issue - at least in my mind. If you like CptMurdoc's approach to the 550 ...then do it that way ....

June 2, 2011, 06:24 PM	#9
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	CPTMurdoc is partly right ....you can put a powder cop die into a Dillon 550 --by leaving out the seating die ...and replacing it with a powder cop die. By leaving out the seating die ...you have to rely on the crimp die to do both the seating and final crimping...does it work / probably...is it a great idea, not in my opinion. But then I didn't design the loader ...maybe you should ask somebody at Dillon or Hornady if they recommend it or not ...or what the pros and cons of it are. Will it work on straight wall cases, yes, I think it will...but maybe its a compromise if you're using some bullet shapes - not sure. Will it work on a case like .357 Sig ...I'm not sure it would work at all... But yes, its a work around ...if you already had a 550 ...that you wanted to keep - that might work. But lets look at the facts of buying a 650 vs the 550. The 550 is a manually indexing machine ...the 650 auto indexes / there are pros and cons to each. I think an auto indexing machine is safer / less chance of a double charge. The 650 costs about $ 127 more than the 550 ...and the toolhead in the 650 has the extra station to allow for installation of the powder check die and still use the seating die and the final crimp dies as intended. Have a work around for a 550 you want to keep is one thing ...looking at buying a new press is another ...so I stand by my recommendation / and unless I had it recommended from good sources, I would not remove the seating die in my presses. This issue has nothing to do with accuracy of a weapon on targets ...its about dropping the right amount of powder for consistency and safety. There is no doubt a 550 machine can load match grade accuracy rounds ...and so will the 650. Its my opinion that the installation of a powder check die / or powder cop or whatever brand you want ...significantly decreases the chance of a squib round or a double charge ...or something breaking on a powder measure ...where you are getting a wide variation of powder drops ...without being alerted. Selecting a press - that allows some kind of a powder check ..is the important issue - at least in my mind. If you like CptMurdoc's approach to the 550 ...then do it that way ....