550B confusion

[crazymjb]

Well I am tossing around the idea of investing in a progressive press. This probably won't take place until some point this summer (I am going to wait until I teach a few more classes and use my proceeds from that to buy the press. I am trying to keep my shooting a self sustaining hobby).

I am a bit confused about what exactly I will need for the 550B. I plan to reload mainly pistol and .223 on the Dillon. I am probably going to stick to the classic cast press for the 30-06. By the time I buy the Dillon, I will already own the Lee Deluxe Carbide die sets for .38/.357, .40S&W, and likely 9mm and .45. I also have the 4 die .223 set from lee (Includes factory crimp). The whole various shell plates, locator buttons, etc stuff is confusing me. If it is ok, I will probably continue to use my Lee Pro Auto-Disk for pistol powder charging (with the lee charge and flare die), and use the dillon powder measure for the .223. Would there be any problem with this?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[edhead35]

Brianenos.com has a good dillon buying guide

 

[Fixxah]

Save for a 650 if you get a dillon. The 550 requires manual indexing.

 

[Kevin_NH]

I've done a thousand rounds of 9mm in an evening on a 550, I see little incentive for the casual shooter to move up to a 650.

If you plan to switch back and forth between pistol and rifle loading, you will want a "Toolhead" for each caliber you plan to load often.

Sure, you can do most of the steps "outside" the Dillon and just use it to finish each round, instead of actually using it as a progressive

 

[Bob J]

Brianenos.com has a good dillon buying guide

+1 for Brian Enos.... Easiest way to get started and great folks to work with.....

 

[SJan]

Save for a 650 if you get a dillon. The 550 requires manual indexing.

In my opinion, manual indexing doesn't become beneficial without a case-feeder, even more to an extent without a bullet-feeder to really speed things up.

That being said, I load pistol rounds on a square deal B, with auto indexing. I tried out both the 550 and SDB. I went with the SDB because I only needed this press for pistol calibers, and because of its affordable all inclusive pricing.

 

[Dirtypacman]

I've done a thousand rounds of 9mm in an evening on a 550, I see little incentive for the casual shooter to move up to a 650.

If you plan to switch back and forth between pistol and rifle loading, you will want a "Toolhead" for each caliber you plan to load often.

Sure, you can do most of the steps "outside" the Dillon and just use it to finish each round, instead of actually using it as a progressive

I pretty much agree with this, I have plenty of rounds through my 550 and see no immediate benefit of jumping directly to a 650 (unless you have the extra money to burn which in that case I say go for it)
I have a tool head set up for each individual caliber that I reload. It does take 5-10 minutes to do a caliber conversion on the 550 but once you have done it a couple times its a relatively simple process.

 

[Woodstock]

You can also download the 550 owner's manual from the Dillon website to get an idea of how it works. Some of the shell plates are used for more than one caliber. The .45 and .30-06 use the same, and it's also used for a bunch of other calibers from .22-250 to .35 Whelen. It's all about the size and shape of the case head.
There are good arguments for both the 650 and 550. The 650 wins the blazing speed race for guys that shoot in competition and need thousands of rounds in a limited number of calibers. The conversions for the 650 are more expensive. Caliber changes are faster on the 550, and it's easy to back out a round and do a powder check.
Check out the Brian Enos FAQ page. He knows his stuff.

 

[JCat]

You can also download the 550 owner's manual from the Dillon website to get an idea of how it works. Some of the shell plates are used for more than one caliber. The .45 and .30-06 use the same, and it's also used for a bunch of other calibers from .22-250 to .35 Whelen. It's all about the size and shape of the case head.
There are good arguments for both the 650 and 550. The 650 wins the blazing speed race for guys that shoot in competition and need thousands of rounds in a limited number of calibers. The conversions for the 650 are more expensive. Caliber changes are faster on the 550, and it's easy to back out a round and do a powder check.
Check out the Brian Enos FAQ page. He knows his stuff.

Do you know which (if any) additional calibers the 9mm shell plate will work for?

 

[Bob J]

Do you know which (if any) additional calibers the 9mm shell plate will work for?

The 9mm shellplate (5 - 13743) should be able to used for these calibers:

30 Luger, Mauser
357 SIG / 9x25 Dillon
40 S&W / 10mm
41 AE
9mm / 38 Super
9x18

 

[JCat]

The 9mm shellplate (5 - 13743) should be able to used for these calibers:

30 Luger, Mauser
357 SIG / 9x25 Dillon
40 S&W / 10mm
41 AE
9mm / 38 Super
9x18

Thanks - what about the .223 plate? = )

 

[Bob J]

Thanks - what about the .223 plate? = )

No problem..... The 3 - 13684 shellplate is used for these calibers:

17 Rem
204 Ruger
221 Rem Fire Ball
222 Rem, Mag/223 - 556
300 AAC Blackout
38 Supercomp / 380 ACP
6mm TCU
7mm TCU
9mm Largo

 

[dustoff22]

If you're going new (Dillon that is) Brian Enos is the guy to go to. Besides being extremely knowledgeable, he's a straight shooter and won't sell you any more than you need. Plus, anything over $400 you get free shipping.

I agree regarding the 550 vs 650. You can work a 550 adequately (with fewer costly errors IMHO) than can you a 650. I owned two L-N-L's, one with case feeder, and while impressed with their speed, I believe my 550's will put out end products with less need for fiddling with all the things the L-N-L's seem to be burdened with. Not as fast, mind you, but for my needs the 550's work very well. Likewise with the Dillon Square Deal presses. Don't overlook that press if you can pick one up reasonably. Shell plates etc., for the SDB and 550 are less $$ than for the 650 as well.

 

[houdini]

It s nice when you are going blue

 

[Woodstock]

The 9mm shellplate (5 - 13743) should be able to used for these calibers:

30 Luger, Mauser
357 SIG / 9x25 Dillon
40 S&W / 10mm
41 AE
9mm / 38 Super
9x18

The #5 shellplate is listed for the .357 Sig, 10mm. and .40, but the locator buttons are #2, whereas the 9mm., .38 Super, etc., use the #3 buttons with the #5 shellplate.
My Dillon manual is old, and I looked for a link for the current caliber conversion list, but the Dillon website absolutely sucks for anything but sales information.

 

[JackO]

Here is cross-reference chart for shell plates, locator buttons, and powder funnels for RL550:
http://www.brianenos.com/pages/dillon/cal.conv.chart.html

 

[crazymjb]

Thanks guys. Just out of curiosity, do these things run pretty reliably? If set up correctly, should I expect an issue every 100, 200, XXX rounds? What is the function of these locator buttons?

Mike

 

[Bob J]

Thanks guys. Just out of curiosity, do these things run pretty reliably? If set up correctly, should I expect an issue every 100, 200, XXX rounds? What is the function of these locator buttons?

Mike

Mine is very reliable..... The only issues I've every had are spent primers not hitting the catch cup and the occasional primer misfeed.... I deprime/size on a single stage rock chucker to keep all the primer crap out of my dillon and to avoid the spent primer catch problem.... As for the primer misfeed I usually pick that up when I cycle the press..... You pick up a feel for it after a while.....

The locator buttons engage the outer rim of the brass as it cycles through the station.... As has been pointed out, a combination of locator button size and shell plate are required for each caliber you are reloading.....

 

[Kicker96FS]

The buttons are there so you can pull a button and remove a shell that you want to look at or check for something that may be not to your liking as well as re-insert a casing. As stated above, they also hold the case in place.

I wish my old Lee Pro 1000 had that because you can't back it up and if a primer didn't seat all the way in, you are gonna have some fun getting it out. (ask me how I know)

 

[Dirtypacman]

Spent some time on my 550B last night finishing off a batch of .45, then did the caliber conversion to 9mm in about 5 minutes. Pumped out a couple test loads for tonight on some new 124's I got.

The only real problem I have had is the primer not feeding properly. It has brought me to a dead stop on a couple occasions. It can be frustrating when it happens because it will just start to happen kind of out of no where. I have found the best way to correct it (although a pain) is to pull the tube and make sure the tip is still in fair condition (replace tip if need be) put back together and I am up and running again. Always make sure your primer feeding tube is actually properly inserted into the primer tube carrier as that has caused feeding problems also.

Other then the above my machine has been rock solid. The primer feeding issue has happened 3x in the course of about 5 years.

 

[JackO]

I usually clean the primer shuttle and the plate under it every 2-3 hundred rounds. it prevents having occasional primer misfeed on my Dillon 500 presses.

 

[M1911]

Thanks guys. Just out of curiosity, do these things run pretty reliably? If set up correctly, should I expect an issue every 100, 200, XXX rounds?

Over the past weekend, I loaded about 500 rounds of 45 ACP. My press has become rather dirty, as I haven't cleaned the priming system in a couple thousand rounds. I had about 4 bad rounds out of the 500:

- failed to get the bullet properly into the case, and when I operated the press the cross-placed bullet mashed the case.
- failed to get the casing properly in place in the first stage (sizing/depriming), so when I operated the press the case was crushed.
- failed to completely deprime the case, causing the case to get stuck in the first stage, which keeps the press from rotating. I used pliers to crush and yank out the case, then cleaned my sizing/depriming die.
- primer didn't drop into the priming cup, so the case wasn't primed. I felt that when I operated the press, so I just removed that case, indexed the press, and put the case back in. This tends to happen when the priming system needs to be cleaned.

The last batch was my 172nd batch. So I've probably loaded ~20,000 rounds on my 550b.

 

[dustoff22]

I usually clean the primer shuttle and the plate under it every 2-3 hundred rounds. it prevents having occasional primer misfeed on my Dillon 500 presses.

Exactly. Thing is, when you're decapping, primers tend to fall apart and all the crap has to go somewhere. Often it finds itself on the surface where the primer slide moves back and forth. Good to have your compressor near by or a can of air to periodically blow away the crap.

 

[Knob Creek]

I run 2 550's. One set up for small primers and one for large. I started with one and over time picked up the second. I decided extra money spent for the 650 was better spent on the second 550. IMHO.

 

[M1911]

There are times when I wish I had a 650. Specifically when loading .38s. The cases are too long and the powder charge too small for me to visually inspect the charge. With a 650 or a LNL, I could add a powder check die. I've had a couple squibs in competition, one at a big match in CT. That sucked.

 

[DukeInFlorida]

Your new RL550b press will come with one die set, a tool head (the slide in part that the dies mount to.), and a conversion kit for the die set caliber.

For additional calibers, you'll need:

A) Additional tool head
B) Powder die (mounts in station #2 on the tool head), and is where the powder funnel drops in, and the powder measure attaches to.
C) Conversion kit (includes the dial plate, locator buttons, and powder funnel for that caliber)

Some calibers use the same parts, others have provided you with a link for those charts.
So, for example, I load 9mm, and .40S&W, and also 357 Sig. I have a separate tool head set up (complete with die sets installed) for all three, and have conversion kits for 9mm and .40 S&W. But, for the 357 Sig, I remove the powder funnel from the 9mm tool head, and place that in the powder die on my 357 Sig tool head. And, I use the shell plate and locator buttons from the .40S&W. So, for that additional caliber, I only needed to buy a tool head and a powder die.

 

[DukeInFlorida]

JackO, check the return spring for the primer shuttle bar. There's a vertical round black pin that the spring hooks to. That pin is knurled, and needs to get adjusted so that the spring is touching the underside of the primer part of the casting. If the spring isn't properly aligned for the straight shot, you will get frequent hangups. Once I figured that out, I never ever have to do any cleaning on the primer system. I tapped the pin upwards, so that the spring touches, and it's fine now. Let me know if that helps you.

I usually clean the primer shuttle and the plate under it every 2-3 hundred rounds. it prevents having occasional primer misfeed on my Dillon 500 presses.

 

[highlander]

I had a 550b for the better part of 20 years and the only part I had to replace were the linkage arms on either side of the ram. They just up and seized up on me,called Dillon and they sent me replacements in short order. Did make a suggestion that they hard coat the inside diameters of the arms that way they'd last forever,don't think they ever took the suggestion.

 

[JackO]

JackO, check the return spring for the primer shuttle bar. There's a vertical round black pin that the spring hooks to. That pin is knurled, and needs to get adjusted so that the spring is touching the underside of the primer part of the casting. If the spring isn't properly aligned for the straight shot, you will get frequent hangups. Once I figured that out, I never ever have to do any cleaning on the primer system. I tapped the pin upwards, so that the spring touches, and it's fine now. Let me know if that helps you.

Duke, this is a very good point, I will check spring alignment, thanks a lot for bringing this up.

 

[tcpsyn]

Keep in mind if you're going to do 223 that you'll also need something to swage crimped brass (if you're using crimped brass) as well as some kind of lube.