Dillon Square Deal B Press for .45ACP

StratfordHoldings · October 13, 2001, 05:00 PM

Looking to pick one of these up. The dealer down the street has them for roughly $245. I am very new to reloading. Is this a fair price for this press? What is the average price for a press?

I'm looking to mainly load .45ACP since that's what I shoot the most. Are they any other suggestions that I should look at? Are there any places to purchase a press online?

One last question, is it necessary to clean the brass if you are just making loads to shoot at the range?

Steve

Inspector Callahan · October 13, 2001, 05:13 PM

Always clean your brass. Dirty or gritty brass will ruin your dies and chamber, so don't even "go there".

I've been the proud owner of the very press you are talking about for about three weeks now. Absolutely LOVE it!!! I ordered it directly from Dillon but you don't have to do that. Mike Dillon has THE MOST AWESOME warranty and customer service in the Western World. He doesn't give a damn WHO you bought it from, he'll fix you right up with repair parts and tech advice (toll free).

I went the "extra mile" and got the Strong Mount. Didn't really think I'd need it but now that I have it, I wouldn't be caught without it. I can literally CRANK out hundreds of rounds per hour. Reloading time isn't hard to come by anymore. I used to DREAD reloading when I was doing it via single-stage. What a chore! Talk to your dealer and look thru the Dillon book, many presses are available. The Square Deal may not be for you. It sure was for me! Haven't regretted anything so far. Great press!

Callahan

Big Lou · October 13, 2001, 06:51 PM

I concur with Inspector Callahan. I've had my Square Deal for about 15 years now and it still works great! I've had a couple of parts break over the years, but Dillon has always replaced them free of charge. I reload .38Specials and .357Magnums. I used to reload 9mm, but factory ammo is so cheap now, I don't bother reloading them anymore.

In addition to mail-order from Dillon, you might want to check your Yellow Pages. There are now Dillon dealers in some cities (at least I know there's one here in Houston). Prices are about the same as mail-order + shipping.

StratfordHoldings · October 13, 2001, 07:03 PM

I've seen that there is a Strong Mount. What exactly is the strong mount? Is it the part in the picture that is actually mounted to the table? Is it necessary to buy the strong mount? Saw the mail-order price and it was $50, a little pricey, but is it worth it.

I think I'll go to my dealer within the next week and get one ordered. Also, did you both purchase the Bullet tray as well? That's another $27 or so.

Waitone · October 13, 2001, 07:54 PM

My only advice is to seriously consider how you will use your equipment and if there is a chance you'll need to upgrade at some point in the future, do it now. The incremental cost of upgrading Dillion equipment is small compared to the purchase of new equipment in the future.

I sweated the $100+ difference between a 550B and 650. Bought the 650 and never regreted the additional cost.

Dogjaw · October 14, 2001, 06:24 AM

StratfordHoldings,
I've owned a RL 550B for about 9 years now. The strong mount is nothing more than the piece of sheet metal that's bolted to the bench top (raising it higher), and is an option. There's no way I'm spending $50 for it. The press simply bolts to the top of your bench. The bullet tray is also a waste of money. Simply put the box of bullets on the left side and take them out. You'll be spending $27 to dump bullets onto a tray that can be in the way at times. Now, I swear by my Dillon press, but if you really look at the accessories, most are window dressing.
For the money difference of a strong mount and bullet tray, you can buy the RL 550B for $325 and have the ability to reload rifle also.

StratfordHoldings · October 14, 2001, 11:02 AM

Hey Waitone, what is the difference between the 550 and the 650? I think I read that it loads the cartridge automatically. I don't think I'd spend the extra $200 over the Square Deal just for it to drop the cartridges for me.

The ability to load Rifle Cartridges in the future does seem appealing, and for only $120 more($50 for Dies, $70 for difference in price), it might be worth it.

Thank you all for your opinions.

Dogjaw · October 15, 2001, 04:50 AM

StratfordHoldings
The difference between the 550 and 650 is auto indexing. You can also buy a case feeder for around $170. Price on the 550 is $325, and $443 for the 650. The 550 will reload more/different rounds than the 650. This is Dillon's website. You can order online.
http://dillonprecision.com

October 13, 2001, 05:00 PM	#1
StratfordHoldings Senior Member Join Date: September 24, 2001 Location: Provo, UT Posts: 116	Dillon Square Deal B Press for .45ACP Looking to pick one of these up. The dealer down the street has them for roughly $245. I am very new to reloading. Is this a fair price for this press? What is the average price for a press? I'm looking to mainly load .45ACP since that's what I shoot the most. Are they any other suggestions that I should look at? Are there any places to purchase a press online? One last question, is it necessary to clean the brass if you are just making loads to shoot at the range? Steve

October 13, 2001, 05:13 PM	#2
Inspector Callahan Senior Member Join Date: September 1, 2001 Location: Virginia Posts: 372	Always clean your brass. Dirty or gritty brass will ruin your dies and chamber, so don't even "go there". I've been the proud owner of the very press you are talking about for about three weeks now. Absolutely LOVE it!!! I ordered it directly from Dillon but you don't have to do that. Mike Dillon has THE MOST AWESOME warranty and customer service in the Western World. He doesn't give a damn WHO you bought it from, he'll fix you right up with repair parts and tech advice (toll free). I went the "extra mile" and got the Strong Mount. Didn't really think I'd need it but now that I have it, I wouldn't be caught without it. I can literally CRANK out hundreds of rounds per hour. Reloading time isn't hard to come by anymore. I used to DREAD reloading when I was doing it via single-stage. What a chore! Talk to your dealer and look thru the Dillon book, many presses are available. The Square Deal may not be for you. It sure was for me! Haven't regretted anything so far. Great press! Callahan __________________ If you don't understand weapons you don't understand fighting. If you don't understand fighting you don't understand war. If you don't understand war you don't understand history. And if you don't understand history you might as well live with your head in a sack. - Colonel Jeff Cooper

October 13, 2001, 07:54 PM	#5
Waitone Senior Member Join Date: March 19, 2000 Posts: 2,904	My only advice is to seriously consider how you will use your equipment and if there is a chance you'll need to upgrade at some point in the future, do it now. The incremental cost of upgrading Dillion equipment is small compared to the purchase of new equipment in the future. I sweated the $100+ difference between a 550B and 650. Bought the 650 and never regreted the additional cost. __________________ "Given a choice between good intentions and human nature, I'll go with human nature every time."--Me, 2002.

October 13, 2001, 06:51 PM	#3
Big Lou Senior Member Join Date: August 8, 2001 Location: Outside Houston, TX Posts: 156	I concur with Inspector Callahan. I've had my Square Deal for about 15 years now and it still works great! I've had a couple of parts break over the years, but Dillon has always replaced them free of charge. I reload .38Specials and .357Magnums. I used to reload 9mm, but factory ammo is so cheap now, I don't bother reloading them anymore. In addition to mail-order from Dillon, you might want to check your Yellow Pages. There are now Dillon dealers in some cities (at least I know there's one here in Houston). Prices are about the same as mail-order + shipping.

October 13, 2001, 07:03 PM	#4
StratfordHoldings Senior Member Join Date: September 24, 2001 Location: Provo, UT Posts: 116	I've seen that there is a Strong Mount. What exactly is the strong mount? Is it the part in the picture that is actually mounted to the table? Is it necessary to buy the strong mount? Saw the mail-order price and it was $50, a little pricey, but is it worth it. I think I'll go to my dealer within the next week and get one ordered. Also, did you both purchase the Bullet tray as well? That's another $27 or so.

October 14, 2001, 06:24 AM	#6
Dogjaw Senior Member Join Date: October 6, 2001 Location: S.W. Michigan Posts: 560	StratfordHoldings, I've owned a RL 550B for about 9 years now. The strong mount is nothing more than the piece of sheet metal that's bolted to the bench top (raising it higher), and is an option. There's no way I'm spending $50 for it. The press simply bolts to the top of your bench. The bullet tray is also a waste of money. Simply put the box of bullets on the left side and take them out. You'll be spending $27 to dump bullets onto a tray that can be in the way at times. Now, I swear by my Dillon press, but if you really look at the accessories, most are window dressing. For the money difference of a strong mount and bullet tray, you can buy the RL 550B for $325 and have the ability to reload rifle also.

October 14, 2001, 11:02 AM	#7
StratfordHoldings Senior Member Join Date: September 24, 2001 Location: Provo, UT Posts: 116	Hey Waitone, what is the difference between the 550 and the 650? I think I read that it loads the cartridge automatically. I don't think I'd spend the extra $200 over the Square Deal just for it to drop the cartridges for me. The ability to load Rifle Cartridges in the future does seem appealing, and for only $120 more($50 for Dies, $70 for difference in price), it might be worth it. Thank you all for your opinions.

October 15, 2001, 04:50 AM	#8
Dogjaw Senior Member Join Date: October 6, 2001 Location: S.W. Michigan Posts: 560	StratfordHoldings The difference between the 550 and 650 is auto indexing. You can also buy a case feeder for around $170. Price on the 550 is $325, and $443 for the 650. The 550 will reload more/different rounds than the 650. This is Dillon's website. You can order online. http://dillonprecision.com