Loadmasters out Dillon is in 550B or XL650?

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bscriver

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I'm done fiddling with the loadmaster and im ordering a new press I can't seem to decide between the two dillon presses. Also does anyone know if lee powder through expanding dies will work wit dillon equipment? As well does anyone know who stock a good assortment of dillon equipment in western Canada?
Thanks Brad
 
650 for sure, and you can order direct from Dillon if you like... if not, talk to Henry Nierychlo (same username) here on the board.

As for the powder dies, use the Dillon powder measure and dies - I switched from Lee garbage to a proper Dillon and I would have hated life on my Super 1050 if I didn't. You CAN use Lee measures/dies if you want, but that's like putting bald tires on your winter 4x4.

-M
 
what are you going to do with the press? That was the deciding factor for me and my 550b. I have lots of calibers with med round count on only 2. I thought the 550 would be a better fit.

Dillon is great to deal with directly, if you go that route.
 
Dillon has powder-through expanding dies, as Dillon licensed Lee's patent on that design. But I think Lee's patent might now be up so other can also use that design.

As for which press? consider how many calibre changes you are going to be making and how many "setups" you want to make up (if you don't want to keep re-adjusting dies). Each setup for the 650 is more expensive than the 550.

If you reload a lot of different calibres on your progressive, you might also want to consider the Hornady Ln'L.
 
I think the 550 is the way to go cause i hate messing around to change calibers. As for the loadmaster I'll probably use it as a decap and size press for 223 prior to case cleaning as it does that really well.
 
the thing i have against the 550 is the MANUAL INDEX - even my lee 1000s are auto- index, as is the loadmaster- go with the 650, and you won't be sorry down the road
 
bscriver said:
I think the 550 is the way to go cause i hate messing around to change calibers. As for the loadmaster I'll probably use it as a decap and size press for 223 prior to case cleaning as it does that really well.
Click to expand...

huh? you clean BEFORE you decap and resize- doing it the other way round introduces crap into your dies- FIRST THING you do is tumble your brass, then lube, decap and resize- then you may tumble again to remove the lube- you can also introduce MEDIA into the FLASHOLE by decapping first, and i've had decapper's break when i didn't know any better-
 
Consider your overall output, number of calibers you reload for, and the type of those calibers (rifle, pistol, or both)

When you decide what your output requirements are, that can help to determine the attributes of the press.
As an example, while the 550 isn't much slower with the manual indexing than a 650, that changes with the incorporation of case and bullet feeders.
(and the 550 case feeder is a half-hearted attempt that only works on pistol calibers).

The 650 is the best bet, imho.

The Hornady LnL is another decent choice that lends itself a bit better to customization than the 650 - especially if you have several different types of loads taylored in the same caliber, and don't want to fiddle with die set ups.
When the dust settles on the different set-ups, the LnL and 650 are going to cost about the same.
 
I tumble twice first to get it clean for resizing, then to get the lube from resizing off, I check each cartridge prior to priming for media in flash hole. I was just enlightened about the non auto indexing feature of the 550, and it makes the 650 more appealing to me except I can do everything including 338 lapua on the 550 and not the 650.

Brad
 
if you're going to load for the 338 lapua, you're going to NEED the MAGNUM charge bar for the dillon powder measure- the standard doesn't have near the capacity needed
 
I think you have got some good advice in this thread. Again, I think it goes back to what and how much you are loading. I felt that the 550 was a more versatile/economical press over the 650 for loading small batches of multiple calibers (both pistol and rifle) If my shooting increases I would take a serious look at adding a 650 to just handle my .223 and 9mm needs, actually, I would most likely step up to the 1050 and skip the 650.
 
as its been said before it comes down to volume. the 650 flies through volume where as the 550 is a bit slower. if you choose to go the 650 route the case feeder is a must.
 
Everything you ever wanted to know as to which Dillon to get.
http://www.brianenos.com/pages/dillon.html#which

The lack of indexing on the 550B is not an issue at the practical level unless you get a 650 with the case feeder. If you don't get the case feeder, then the 550B ends up being just as fast at a 650, and even then these babies can really crank out the ammo.

I have the 550B,, and I regret not getting a Dillon much sooner.
 
The two questions that must be asked are:

1. How many different cartridges do you intend to reload on the same press?
2. Do you plan on using a case feeder?

The 550 has the advantage of much less expensive conversion parts than the 650. This can make a big difference if you reload for several calibres.

The 650 takes the cake if you are using it to reload no more than two or three calibres at the most and you plan on using a case feeder with it. Without the case feeder, there is no significant speed advantage for the 650 over the 550.

I am very happy with my 550 for both rifle and pistol reloading. For pistol cartridges, I can easily break 500 rounds/hr cyclic rate with the bullet tray and empty case bin mounted on the press.
 
Volume drives this equation as mentioned above.

If you are loading for .338 Lapua, you may want to also plan on a single stage and a decent powder scale and measure combo.

You can't really go wrong with a 550, as long as you skip the case feeder. If you find yourself feeling the casefeeder would be a good idea, buy the 650 and sell off the 550 to partly fund the purchase.

You only have to buy the best tools once. Think long and spend wisely. Consider that the money you spend today is a one time expence, but if you spend wrong, you'll be paying for that mistake every time you sit down to load.
 
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