Dillon Square deal verses Dillon 550

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45C

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Hello
I’m looking at getting a used square deal with 45 auto set up and would also like to load 9mm Luger.
Should I get the 550 or square deal 45 auto and a conversion kit.
I’m not a high volume shooter but loading on a SS press is getting monotonous

There’s a Dillon sq deal 45 auto on the EE for $350.. shipped.

Good deal or not ?

Thanks
 
With the Square Deal you are required to only buy the Dillon dies, so you can't use other brands you may already have for your SS press.

Other than that they work well enough, a shooting buddy has 4 so he doesn't have to switch calibres.

$150-200 for a used SD no conversion kit is about right at gun shows/online. I see conversion kits are $300+ new now

It's heavy so $350 w/conversion kit 'shipped' would seem quite fair to me.

FWIW the Square deal auto indexes where the 550 is manual (I run a 550 and it's the only thing that can get annoying after a while)
 
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45C: The 550 is a more versatile press. You can reload a large variety of cartridges on it, including many rifle calibers. The 550 also allows the use of any standard 7/8 X 14 reloading die....unlike the Square Deal.

I owned a Square Deal for some time. Then, switched over to a 550 in the 1980's, as my reloading needs broadened. Have since loaded many thousands of rounds in various calibers, without issue. The press has run trouble-free throughout, requiring only regular maintenance. It still gets used regularly. Far more than all my other presses combined.

I don't mind the manual indexing, at all. Makes it easy to stop and trouble shoot problems if they arise. Caliber swaps are equally simple. Pre-set dies can be mounted on tool heads...which are easily changed out, in seconds. Then, change out the primer ram and primer tube(if needed) and shell plate. That's about it. An entire caliber change is easily achievable, within 5-10 minutes.

Even if your reloading volume is fairly low, the 550 is ....at least in my opinion....a good long term investment, for any reloader.

My .02 Cents:

Al
ps: Changing out .45 ACP from large to small primers is pretty simple, too. Only takes about 5 minutes. Biggest pain is sorting out the brass(If range pickups).. Some shooters hate the .45 ACP brass with small primer pockets.
I like them. Makes caliber changes, ie: .45 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W, .38/.357 etc., dead simple.
 
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I've got 2 SD's, 1 for LP and 1 for SP. I'd agree that $350 shipped was a good deal.
It only takes a few mins to change over, but all of mine have their own toolheads.
I've never tried to adjust the set screw from LP to SP.
I wish they'd make a 30 carbine set

Clint
 
45C said:
Just got a 550C off GP .
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Good choice. The 550 is a great machine.

Check out the Double Alpha Mini Case Feeder. It is a game changer for the Dillon 550.
https://www.doublealpha.biz/us/daa-550-mini-case-feeder

I also use Lee inline bullet feeders for my highest volume cartridges.
https://leeprecision.com/inline-bullet-feed-kit-35cal

With the DAA case feeder and Lee bullet feeder, all you have to do is index the shell holder. It massively speeds up loading with a 550 press.
 
45C: Good choice! Can't go wrong with the 550. Easy learning curve, on these presses. Simple to set up and run. Very versatile and dependable. Dillon also offers excellent customer service. Will easily outlast your lifetime.
As already mentioned, the tool heads will accept any 7/8 X 14 reloading dies.

Al
 
I'll play devil's advocate here....

The 550 is versatile, but you complained about the SS press, which leads me to believe that you wanted an auto indexing progressive. For pistol loads, I would have gone with the SQD. Don't get me wrong, the 550 will get the job done, but it's only 50% less monotonous when it comes to pistol rounds than the SS press you already own.
 
I Don't Care About You: I get plenty of .45 ACP cases from shooters who can't stomach the small primer pockets and would sooner throw them away. Still, this does seem the way of the future. Though I get a lot of S & B and Blazer brass with small primer pockets, I recently acquired a number of Federal cases also featuring small primers. So, this trend isn't confined to European manufacturers.
Though sorting brass can get annoying at times....free brass is hard to turn down. I simply separate the two and batch load. Then ensure that the boxes of loaded rounds are well marked and kept separate.

Al
 
I'd try to source of a used 550, mainly for caliber changes. I run 2 DILLON 550Cs. One in LP and one in SP, it saves a bit of time having it this way. I have dedicated tool heads, and will always grab more spare parts when available. Other than small run requirements (.41 Swiss &.338lm) I use them, I'm waiting for more powder to finish my run of 1000 .223, so I'm starting a run of 9mm right now (900) to fill both halves of this in a Milwaukee Packout kit

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The Square Deal is a great press for churning out pistol ammo, but if you want to do rifle consider whether you want a progressive press there or you're doing precision rifle and plan to run a batch through a sizing die, hand-prime and fill from a precision dispenser and then go to your seating die, in which case a very basic rifle press does the job. I find I'm not doing enough high-round-count rifle games to justify a progressive press, and when I do pick up a rifle I want quality more than quantity.
 
Back when they were more affordable I bought 2 XL650 Dillon presses. 1 for 45acp and the other for 9mm. They haven't loaded a round since I moved away from the Vegreville shooting club where I shot 5000 45acp and 2000 9mm a year. I am moving back to AB soon.
I cast my own bullets.
Any press named Dillon is a good purchase.
 
45C said:
Hello
I’m looking at getting a used square deal with 45 auto set up and would also like to load 9mm Luger.
Should I get the 550 or square deal 45 auto and a conversion kit.
I’m not a high volume shooter but loading on a SS press is getting monotonous

There’s a Dillon sq deal 45 auto on the EE for $350.. shipped.

Good deal or not ?

Thanks
Click to expand...
My impression is that Dillon stuff is a large money pit.
 
I should approximately 80 arios rnds
6MT said:
My impression is that Dillon stuff is a large money pit.
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i figure another 5,6 hundred should do it, so $1200 all in.
I’m running out of space so it’ll be temporary.
I’ll load up 4 or 5 thousand of each 9 and 45 and that’ll last me a long time.
I load for a few rifles on my single stage so that takes most of my time.
There was a time when I’d load a thousand 9 mm,a thousand 45 and a thousand.223 in a week ,all on SS 😮‍💨
 
45C said:
I’m running out of space so it’ll be temporary.
Click to expand...
Check out the Inline Fabrication quick change loading press mounts.

I have 6 different presses along with multiple powder measures, case trimmer etc. They used to clutter up my loading bench. I went to the Inline system and now my loading bench is completely clear and all the presses and equipment are safely stored out of the way on the wall. I can just grab whichever press or piece of equipment I need and drop it onto the bench mount. Takes about 10 seconds to place a piece of equipment into the quick change mount.
 
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