Dillon Press 550B

beechdriver · March 17, 2001, 04:02 AM

Is Dillon the best? Please give and pro/con on any and all progressive loader. I'm starting to shoot alot of 45 auto and what to reload faster. Thanks for the input. Lee

poperszky · March 17, 2001, 08:35 AM

I can't speak to the 550B, although I have heard a lot of good about it I am using a Square Deal B that I bought used. But I can speak to Dillon as a company, I am the third owner of my press and in the last year I have had a couple of things break, each time I called Dillon up, told them what the problem was and they shipped out replacement parts the same day. The last time it was a crack in the handle, in speaking to the tech he determined that I had an old style handle and instead of simply replacing that he sent me the parts to completely update the linkage assembly as well. Same goes for any reloading problems I have had, the techs have been both knowledgeable and friendly walking me through the adjustments necessary to fix the problem.

I guess the best indicator for me is my wife, she doesn't reload but she can recognize quality a mile off, after the handle incident she informed me that when it comes time to buy a new press, I WILL be buying a Dillon.

Terry

PS, I have reloaded 1000 9mm and 500 .38 in the last week or so.

M1911 · March 17, 2001, 10:25 AM

I have a Dillon 550B. Is it the best reloader? No, there's always the Dillon 650 and 1050

Honestly, I don't have any experience with other reloading presses, so I can't give you a comparison. I will say that I love my 550B and Dillon is a great company. They're not cheap, but in exchange you get a lifetime no-BS warranty. When I first got the press, I was having some troubles (turned out I was using military brass). I called up on a Saturday afternoon and spoke to a tech who knew his stuff. Solved things pretty quickly.

You won't be able to load 500 rounds an hour. But I can easily do 300+ rounds in an hour. Great machine.

M1911

JES AR15 · March 17, 2001, 11:03 AM

i don't know about other press's, but i have a 550b and i just love it.

blades67 · March 22, 2001, 02:29 AM

Yes, Dillon is the best. Which Dillon press to get is only a matter of money.

skevlar · March 24, 2001, 04:51 PM

Went right to a 550 from a 30+ year old Rockchucker. Well worth it especially if you reload for more than one caliber, rifle/pistol, etc. It is true about their warranty. They have sent small parts, etc. at no charge even when I lost same.

jbent · March 25, 2001, 10:12 AM

I have one and load .45, .40s, .357, and .44Mag in it. I average about 8,000 rounds a year shooting IPSC with my son so I get a lot of press time.

If I were shooting a few thousand a year, I would buy a 550 again without question. As our shooting has increased, it would be nice to have the 1050 -- for about 4 times the cost -- because you can load so darned many more per hour with some additional bells and whistles. That is at least 4 times the cost, however. I know several folks who like the 650 a lot, but I'm not sure how much is gained by it.

I'm compulsive about checking things as I reload, and I don't rush; I figure I can run about 250 rounds out in an hour at my pace. I know many who load much more than that.

I would not buy ANYTHING but a Dillon, personally. I have firsthand experience with their no bull**** warrantee. If something isn't right -- any time, anywhere -- it gets fixed. I got a FedEX package with the part, no questions, no charge. To me, that's worth a LOT.

My primary interest is in handguns, but if you consider something smaller like the Square Deal mentioned above, be advised -- it's ONLY handguns. If you have ANY potential interest in rifles, get the 550 or greater.

kjm · March 27, 2001, 11:33 PM

I have a philosophy when it comes to big purchases: Get the absolute best your money can buy. You could get a lesser press, but you'll eventually trade up to a 550B, so why not save the extra money, and get the 550B from the get-go. I had never loaded anything, but my first, last and only press is the 550 (unless I'm fortunate enough to need something for 50BMG). Since I have no TV and the instruction book was a bit difficult for a non-reloader, I had to haul it all over to my brother's house and use his TV and VCR with the video which was well worth it. The video is indispensable when putting it all together.

Dillon is IMO the greatest machine on the planet be it the cheapest or the most expensive of their line. I have a hard time believing that anyone would actually NEED a 650 or a 1050, but rather probably got them cause they had the extra $$$ and of course it was COOL. Personally, I'm not comfortable with loading rounds as fast as I can with my 550, so I just steadily chug out about 150-200 per hour.

The only negative thing I have to say about Dillon is that the caliber conversion kits are too expensive. That of course is a small gripe when considering the quality of their product. Whatever you do, make sure it is blue.

E. BeauBeaux · March 28, 2001, 11:47 AM

I love my 550B, not trying to sell anything but the machine works, and should anything go wrong the no BS warranty is worth the extra bucks.

March 22, 2001, 02:29 AM	#5
blades67 Senior Member Join Date: April 22, 1999 Location: Chandler, Arizona, USA Posts: 6,014	Yes, Dillon is the best. Which Dillon press to get is only a matter of money. __________________ Guns cause crime like spoons cause Rosie O'Donnell to be fat! I hunt, therefore I am.

March 24, 2001, 04:51 PM	#6
skevlar Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2000 Posts: 327	Went right to a 550 from a 30+ year old Rockchucker. Well worth it especially if you reload for more than one caliber, rifle/pistol, etc. It is true about their warranty. They have sent small parts, etc. at no charge even when I lost same. __________________ "You can not invade mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass." Admiral Yamamoto

March 25, 2001, 10:12 AM	#7
jbent Junior Member Join Date: March 25, 2001 Location: Norman Oklahoma Posts: 5	550B I have one and load .45, .40s, .357, and .44Mag in it. I average about 8,000 rounds a year shooting IPSC with my son so I get a lot of press time. If I were shooting a few thousand a year, I would buy a 550 again without question. As our shooting has increased, it would be nice to have the 1050 -- for about 4 times the cost -- because you can load so darned many more per hour with some additional bells and whistles. That is at least 4 times the cost, however. I know several folks who like the 650 a lot, but I'm not sure how much is gained by it. I'm compulsive about checking things as I reload, and I don't rush; I figure I can run about 250 rounds out in an hour at my pace. I know many who load much more than that. I would not buy ANYTHING but a Dillon, personally. I have firsthand experience with their no bull**** warrantee. If something isn't right -- any time, anywhere -- it gets fixed. I got a FedEX package with the part, no questions, no charge. To me, that's worth a LOT. My primary interest is in handguns, but if you consider something smaller like the Square Deal mentioned above, be advised -- it's ONLY handguns. If you have ANY potential interest in rifles, get the 550 or greater.

March 17, 2001, 04:02 AM	#1
beechdriver Junior Member Join Date: January 26, 2000 Posts: 3	Is Dillon the best? Please give and pro/con on any and all progressive loader. I'm starting to shoot alot of 45 auto and what to reload faster. Thanks for the input. Lee

March 17, 2001, 08:35 AM	#2
poperszky Senior Member Join Date: December 31, 2000 Posts: 120	I can't speak to the 550B, although I have heard a lot of good about it I am using a Square Deal B that I bought used. But I can speak to Dillon as a company, I am the third owner of my press and in the last year I have had a couple of things break, each time I called Dillon up, told them what the problem was and they shipped out replacement parts the same day. The last time it was a crack in the handle, in speaking to the tech he determined that I had an old style handle and instead of simply replacing that he sent me the parts to completely update the linkage assembly as well. Same goes for any reloading problems I have had, the techs have been both knowledgeable and friendly walking me through the adjustments necessary to fix the problem. I guess the best indicator for me is my wife, she doesn't reload but she can recognize quality a mile off, after the handle incident she informed me that when it comes time to buy a new press, I WILL be buying a Dillon. Terry PS, I have reloaded 1000 9mm and 500 .38 in the last week or so.

March 17, 2001, 10:25 AM	#3
M1911 Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 2000 Posts: 4,055	I have a Dillon 550B. Is it the best reloader? No, there's always the Dillon 650 and 1050 Honestly, I don't have any experience with other reloading presses, so I can't give you a comparison. I will say that I love my 550B and Dillon is a great company. They're not cheap, but in exchange you get a lifetime no-BS warranty. When I first got the press, I was having some troubles (turned out I was using military brass). I called up on a Saturday afternoon and spoke to a tech who knew his stuff. Solved things pretty quickly. You won't be able to load 500 rounds an hour. But I can easily do 300+ rounds in an hour. Great machine. M1911

March 17, 2001, 11:03 AM	#4
JES AR15 Junior Member Join Date: March 16, 2001 Posts: 3	i don't know about other press's, but i have a 550b and i just love it.

March 27, 2001, 11:33 PM	#8
kjm Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 1999 Location: College Station, Texas Posts: 1,871	I have a philosophy when it comes to big purchases: Get the absolute best your money can buy. You could get a lesser press, but you'll eventually trade up to a 550B, so why not save the extra money, and get the 550B from the get-go. I had never loaded anything, but my first, last and only press is the 550 (unless I'm fortunate enough to need something for 50BMG). Since I have no TV and the instruction book was a bit difficult for a non-reloader, I had to haul it all over to my brother's house and use his TV and VCR with the video which was well worth it. The video is indispensable when putting it all together. Dillon is IMO the greatest machine on the planet be it the cheapest or the most expensive of their line. I have a hard time believing that anyone would actually NEED a 650 or a 1050, but rather probably got them cause they had the extra $$$ and of course it was COOL. Personally, I'm not comfortable with loading rounds as fast as I can with my 550, so I just steadily chug out about 150-200 per hour. The only negative thing I have to say about Dillon is that the caliber conversion kits are too expensive. That of course is a small gripe when considering the quality of their product. Whatever you do, make sure it is blue.

March 28, 2001, 11:47 AM	#9
E. BeauBeaux Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2000 Location: MS, CSA Posts: 377	I love my 550B, not trying to sell anything but the machine works, and should anything go wrong the no BS warranty is worth the extra bucks.