A friend just offered me this deal...

What you are describing may be viewed as the manufacture and sale of ammunition which requires a license. Just a thought... payment may be the one time cost of the press.
 
Save some money and get a 550. Loading for someone else is against the law unless you have a license. Could be dangerous if you accidentally had a double charge on his ammo.

The 650 is a great machine but expensive when you add two more caliber conversions.
 
One quick way to lose a friend is to go into a "deal" with him. I'm not a progressive fan (jes don't fit my lifestyle) so I would think about a turret press, faster than a single stage, slower (and cheaper) than a progressive, but still capable of making a bunch of ammo at one time...
 
Put on your "man pants" and tell your wife how it's going to be!

Seriously though, look at a Loadmaster. It's a fraction of the cost of a 650, and can crank out a lot of ammo. Not the same quality press, but you'll be able to load 400-500 an hour on it.
 
For me, it would also take the fun out of reloading .Worrying about someone else's needs and keeping them supplied would ruin it. God forbid a bad reload! Reloading can be as fun and relaxing as shooting .Teach him, don't supply him.
 
FWIW

I would not take this deal.

The only chance in hell I would take this deal is if I were friends for at least 10 years with the person in question, and even then I would have a contract saying that I own the equipment outright - which something like this can sour a friendship.

I have been in too many situations similar to this one that - in the end, if I could do it over again I wouldn't. I have finally learned not to let myself get in the situations you have described. Its just not worth the frustration that can come.

If you take this deal, have him reload his own ammunition. Make up a release of liability, similar to those that you find at public shooting ranges so when he double charges a load and blows up his gun, you aren't liable when he takes you to court.


Edit: Spelling
 
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No way I'd do it. I just would not want to be beholden to him. At what point would this agreement end? Surely you aren't going to load for him forever.

This is a great way to destroy a friendship. You can split a press, but he needs to learn to do his own rather than make you his employee.
 
I would not agree to that deal for many of the reasons others have said.

But, I grew up with my dad reloading. He passed about 10 years ago and I inherited the guns and my brother-in-law ended up with the reloading equipment. He had been taught the basics but we had one press set for the only pistol caliber he had at that time - 9mm. I live 4 hours away and every time I would come home to the farm I would press out a few thousand rounds of 9mm, 45, and rifle rounds. I would also help him with his rifle hunting rounds. I did this for about 8 years until I picked up a RockChucker to set up for new bullets that have come out. I still load up about 4-6K of bullets down there every year.

I would counter with a pay half on a auto-indexing progressive with all the bells and whistles. I keep the press but show you how to safely reload with my single stage, how to set up the progressive, and eventually how to reload using the progressive with the understanding he can reload using your equipment while providing his own supplies. He can reload his own ammo absolving you of any liability issues - you may want to get an open ended liability waiver from him as well. This would also provide a partner for bulk buys on reloading supplies getting your supplies at the best possible prices.
 
1500 bucks for a $566.95 press? With all customizable options it's $1130.55, direct from Dillon. Somebody is having their way with you. Wouldn't matter your buddy's wife will still collect the insurance. snicker.
Legalities and liability issues aside. The big question is why doesn't your buddy buy his own kit? Sounds like he wants you to do all the work for his shooting. He think you should work up the load for him too? Best to politely decline.
 
You can get a Dillon 550b, a set of dies, a toolhead, and a digital scale for $600, out the door.

I would personally pass on the deal, I'm not going to do someone else's work for them, all friendship aside, that what it boils down to.
 
Thanks for all of the feedback! It seems to be a landslide poor idea and I certainly do not want to go through any liability waivers or risk a friendship over a hobby. I think I knew deep down that the idea was certainly a better deal for him than I. My only reason for even considering it was the overall cost in Canada. I wish our dollar was on par and I could slide on across the boarder and pay those delicious prices lol. I'm going to heed some of the advice and check out the 550 (although I am pretty sure the difference is only 2-300 bucks from the 650) and the lee turret. I will also invite him over and teach him how to do it and see if perhaps he wants to still split it, mount it in my reload room and use it as he needs. The guy comes over often enough to drink my beers anyways lol.
 
Maybe you guys have some advise or sales tactics I can use to get my wife on board with me buying it? lol...the cash isn't the issue, it's that my wife and I typically run a tight financial ship every month and she will simply tell me that I already have purchased a press that makes my ammo and I do not need to make duplicate purchases.
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Stash $50-75 a month, even if you have to do it $10 at a time.
Before you know it, you'll be looking at enough cash to cover the 650 without impacting your monthly account balance.



As for the 550...
In today's market full of auto-indexing 5+ station progressive presses, the 550 gets a lot of negative attention. ...But it's primarily from people that have never used one (or people that can't be bothered to feed bullets and cases with their own hands).

I can comfortably run a 550 with manual case feed, manual bullet feed, manual primer refills, a standard powder hopper, and manual indexing, at 250-300 rounds per hour. Once solidly in the rhythm, with pre-filled primer tubes, I used to average about 415 rounds per hour (while still visually verifying every powder charge, spot-checking powder charges on a scale, and spot-checking COAL).


The easiest way to describe the differences between the 550 and the 650, in my mind, is:
With the 550, the press operator is still part of the process and the press won't make ammo without you.
With the 650 (and the common upgrades), the press operator is very nearly just an organic press arm actuator.


I really liked my Dillon 550 while I had it.
But, in today's market, I'd probably buy a Hornady LNL AP or RCBS Pro Chucker, instead. It would mean that I couldn't meter flake powders as well as with the Dillon powder measures, but I can change powders and the overall investment cost is cheaper in the long run (once you get into caliber conversions, extra tool heads/LNL bushings, powder measures, etc.).
 
I had a similar deal with a buddy that offered to buy me a lathe and mill that would be mine if I would do all his rechambering work plus any machining for him. (he was a bench rest fanatic) I did this for several years but got to be too much since he was sending me barrel blanks every couple of months. He bought all the custom wildcat reamers and anything else I needed. At first I enjoyed reading about his successes at matches but after awhile I regretted it.
 
Hate to say this, but I'd still not split the cost, 550b or 650xl, either way. I'd certainly invite him over to do his own reloads, that's cool and friendly.

It's just me, but I draw the friendship line at ownership, if it's in my house. If I'm gone for a week, my wife should not feel an issue with not wanting my buddy to come over and work up a quick box of new loads on 'his' press. Or me, for that matter, if I just want to enjoy an evening or work in the yard.
 
Wouldn't even consider.

Im with frankenmauser! I may reload alongside a friend, but no way I reload for someone or let anyone use my equipment except on a very temporary basis. Liability has no friends. Besides, I am debt averse.
 
I wouldn't wanna be tied down to some sort of an agreement like that. What if y'all get pissed at each other for some reason or another. You would still be obligated to come thru for him whether you were shooting or not.

I have been single staging for over 50 years and I manage to crank out the loads to suit my needs along with a nephew and BIL.

I had a progressive once, but traded it for a rock chunker. Never looked back.

WE used to shoot on average 500-1000 rounds a month and all of it was loaded on a single stage. Now we are down to maybe 200-300 rounds a month.

You may WANT a progressive, but you don't really NEED one. I ain't saying that are no good because they are better today than they ever were.
 
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