Dillon 550B for Reloading Match Grade .308

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Hey folks,

I have no experience reloading but am looking at a 550B to start reloading .45 ACP and .308

I've read varying accounts on the web regarding the reloading of match grade ammo on this press - some say not a problem, others say there's too much "flex" in the plate, etc.

I'm shooting a bedded 700P LTR and, at least for the time being until I improve and buy better equipment, am really only shooting from 100-300 yards. I figure the Dillon should be able to produce a pretty good round for this purpose but does anyone have any insight or experience they could offer in this regard?

Thanks!
 
There are lots who do it on a Dillon. As long as it is set properly there shouldn't be a big issue. I personally like a single stage press. But thats me.. I also own a Dillon 550b.
 
To start reloading the 550 is always my recomendation, especially if you are doing multiple calibers. I have loaded very good rifle ammo, much better than factory with the 550. Later on you can always add a precision single stage press. Buy good dies the first time. I have a 550, 650, and a RCBS single stage.
 
Had a Dillon 550, sold it because it wouldn't throw powder (Varget) as closely as I needed +/- 1 gr. so there could be a 2 gr difference from one round to the next. Run out was also horrible.

Now if I was going to load pistol ammo or service rifle ammo, it would have been the cats ass.
 
the whole key is the powder- something like 748 or one of the ball powders throw a more consistant powder charge than the canister types- i have the 550 and if i'm using somethig other than 748, i weigh the charge and LOOK for cut particles
 
If you're looking for accuracy beyond 300 yards, then look into a single stage and a good set of dies. I use Lee collet dies for sizing and a Forster BR for seating , on a Lee single stage press. For the price a Lee single stage costs, you could keep it set up just for your .308 and get a progressive for volume reloading.
 
Thanks guys - all very good comments. I was actually looking at Vargent for my .308 but figured I'd be measuring each load anyway so the throw wouldn't be such a big deal.

I'll probably start with the 550 and, like suggested, get some good dies for the .308 that I can later put into a Lee SS press when I start reaching out.
 
.308 and .45 are a nice complementary combination (they use the same shellholder, and primer size).

Your .308 match-grade ammo, are you looking for good 600 yard ammo, or good 1000 yard ammo? Do you want it to be good enough to win a local match, or good enough to win a national competition?
 
Good 600 yard ammo m'thinks - once I start looking at 1000 yards I figure I'll have to refine a few things. Right now I'm just looking to build something as good as factory match at a more reasonable price...
 
I have loaded over a half million rounds of match ammo on a Dillon 650 and about a hundred thousand on a 550.

Most of that was with virgin primed cases. Have never used the Dillon to deprime and prime cases. When using the Dillon to re-load cases, we de-prime, size on a single stage press and prime with a Lee Auto prime. Then the sized & primed cases get fed into the Dillon.

We use only ball powder. It throws dead on or plus, minus a tenth. For 308 I suggest Win748. Our press is set up slightly flare the case mouth using a M die. The bullet seater is a Forster co-ax and it does a good job, although the first one was worn out after 400,000 rounds. The crimp is set to be just enough to flatten out the mouth flare.

A single stage press can crank out a lot of ammo, if you do each step in a batch. You could make several hundred rounds in an evening. How much brass do you have? If you have several hundreds or thousands, it should be sorted by case weight.

Unless you are making a huge amount of ammo, I suggest getting a quality single stage press from RCBS. I loaded 200 rounds of match ammo on my single stage last night because I was loading 10 rounds at a time in 0.5gr powder increments. Easier on a single stage.
 
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This is my go to load, have used it from 100-1000 yards with excellent results. I hand measure my powder loads but the rest is reloaded on a Dillon 550. Extremely accurate out of a slightly custom Remington 700P with 26" barrel.
 
You are not going to be getting runout from the press, you will get it from the dies.
The beauty of the 550 is the die plate isn't locked down- this allows it to 'float' and let the dies center on the cases on contact.

I'll echo the thought that setup is key, and die quality plays a massive role.
If you don't like the powder drop, simply pull that out of the process.
 
Impressive shooting gushulak!

Thanks again folks - you've certainly helped. I'm thinking a conversion plate with some good dies might do the trick.

I don't have a huge amount of brass....some Nosler and Hornady, though I was peeved to discover that the Hornady was crimped. The .45 I have is a mix of Federal and small primer Blazer (which I figure I'll just chuck).

Wow...I had no idea who Mr. Tubb was....pretty good endorsement!
 
I too agree.. if you want to load on a Dillon 550b every thing should be co-passetic.. but i would take out the powder measure as they tend to be + or - .1 of a grain, so if you take that out of the cycle.. and measure your powder charge on a good scale you should have no problem at all.

RDG
 
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