Dillon reloading Press

ralphc21 · October 14, 2010, 09:41 AM

I am thinking of buying either a 550 dillon press or the 650 press I need to know what the different in price is of all the extras. Do they cost about the same or is the cost on the 650 much higher Thanks Ralph

**Unclenick** · October 14, 2010, 11:05 AM

The prices are all on their web site.

In general, anything 650 costs more because it has an additional station so everything on it is wider. The 650 indexes itself, where the 550 is indexed manually by pushing a thumb paddle on the shell plate. Automatic indexing speeds up handgun loading, but if you are loading bottleneck rifle cases that you intend to stop and perform non-progressive operations on, such as trimming, then it may be easier to use the 550 since it only indexes when you tell it to.

gobm667 · October 14, 2010, 11:08 AM

i have a 550b with 9mm set up and 40 set up.. 400$ pluss shipping

BigJimP · October 14, 2010, 11:10 AM

Look at a Dillon catalog or their web site - and you can figure out the difference in the costs for yourself.....the 650 will cost you a little more for caliber conversions, etc...

But to focus only on costs - between the 2 presses - misses the real point of the 2 models:

550 - has no powder check option ( to me that's a real big deal ), its manually indexing ( and that's a big deal to me as well), it does have some odd-ball rifle calibers that the 650 does not have ( which to me, was no big deal ).

650 - auto indexes, has room for powder check die in toolhead.

I would not buy a progressive press these days -without the powder check option. The 550 and 650 are both good presses / so are most of the presses on the market. But for what its worth / I have used both the 550 and 650 ( and the Dillon SDB, Hornady LNL, RCBS, etc ) and I have a 650 with a case feeder - and I'd buy it again.

The cost - over the long term - on a press you'll probably have for 30+ yrs -- is not a big deal.

BigJakeJ1s · October 14, 2010, 09:21 PM

Dillon 650 caliber conversion kits include the parts for the case feed (except the case collator disk), and the shell plate and tool heads are larger and more expensive than for the 550.

Changing calibers takes more time on the 650, especially if you need to change primer sizes.

I would look closely at the LNL AP from Hornady. Auto-indexing with room for a powder check die like the 650, but at the cost of a 550, with other superior features to either one: powder measure, spent primer handling, and smoother indexing to name a few.

Andy

October 14, 2010, 09:41 AM	#1
ralphc21 Member Join Date: January 14, 2010 Location: Albany GA Posts: 24	Dillon reloading Press I am thinking of buying either a 550 dillon press or the 650 press I need to know what the different in price is of all the extras. Do they cost about the same or is the cost on the 650 much higher Thanks Ralph

October 14, 2010, 11:05 AM	#2
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	The prices are all on their web site. In general, anything 650 costs more because it has an additional station so everything on it is wider. The 650 indexes itself, where the 550 is indexed manually by pushing a thumb paddle on the shell plate. Automatic indexing speeds up handgun loading, but if you are loading bottleneck rifle cases that you intend to stop and perform non-progressive operations on, such as trimming, then it may be easier to use the 550 since it only indexes when you tell it to. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

October 14, 2010, 11:08 AM	#3
gobm667 Senior Member Join Date: October 30, 2008 Location: chillicothe ohio Posts: 116	dillon 550b i have a 550b with 9mm set up and 40 set up.. 400$ pluss shipping __________________ WWW.2DOLLARPISTOLTATTOO.COM "IN G.O.B.M. WE TRUST"

October 14, 2010, 11:10 AM	#4
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	Look at a Dillon catalog or their web site - and you can figure out the difference in the costs for yourself.....the 650 will cost you a little more for caliber conversions, etc... But to focus only on costs - between the 2 presses - misses the real point of the 2 models: 550 - has no powder check option ( to me that's a real big deal ), its manually indexing ( and that's a big deal to me as well), it does have some odd-ball rifle calibers that the 650 does not have ( which to me, was no big deal ). 650 - auto indexes, has room for powder check die in toolhead. I would not buy a progressive press these days -without the powder check option. The 550 and 650 are both good presses / so are most of the presses on the market. But for what its worth / I have used both the 550 and 650 ( and the Dillon SDB, Hornady LNL, RCBS, etc ) and I have a 650 with a case feeder - and I'd buy it again. The cost - over the long term - on a press you'll probably have for 30+ yrs -- is not a big deal.

October 14, 2010, 09:21 PM	#5
BigJakeJ1s Senior Member Join Date: August 8, 2005 Location: Arlington TX Posts: 663	Dillon 650 caliber conversion kits include the parts for the case feed (except the case collator disk), and the shell plate and tool heads are larger and more expensive than for the 550. Changing calibers takes more time on the 650, especially if you need to change primer sizes. I would look closely at the LNL AP from Hornady. Auto-indexing with room for a powder check die like the 650, but at the cost of a 550, with other superior features to either one: powder measure, spent primer handling, and smoother indexing to name a few. Andy