Conversion to Dillon (possibly), What About Dies?

The advantages of such a simple machine is the ability to swap primer sizes quickly with ease.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rCGV-JPYaE

Or do a caliber conversion without having to mess with all the case feed components.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=689Wzn4qY3w

I will admit I can’t load as fast on my 550 as I can on one of my bullet/case fed 650 or 1050’s but change the challenge to load 200 of “A”, 300 of “B” and 100 of “C” the 500 will leave them in the dust. As the advantage in loading speed is lost during conversion. I can load, casegauge and box 1000 rounds on one of my 1050’s in less than an hour but it takes more than 2 minutes to convert one to load something else.
 
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There's a certain "discipline" I assume will be required when I get a new press. That being loading enough ammo to be able to work in cycles: A months worth of .45 then a month's worth of 9mm. I expect I'll continue to load my .38/.357 on the turret as I don't go through as much ammo in that caliber. That should minimize the impact of caliber conversion.

I just can't see purchasing a 550 if I can have a 650 for a couple hundred more (minus accessories).
 
Most of us that use higher end progressive machines...( Dillon 650, Hornaday LNL, etc )...load in batches of one caliber at a time. 20 boxes or so at least at one time ( 1,000 rds ) ...and then we box them up and put them in inventory to pull from for range use.

When I change calibers, even if I'm not changing primer size / I take a few minutes to clean the press thoroughly, lube, etc...so its not a big deal to change calibers.../ it makes no sense to me to just run 200 rds of one caliber at a time.

Even if you don't shoot .38 spl much ....you can still convert press to .38 spl and run 20 boxes...even if you don't use them up for a year, so what.

My press stays set up all the time...no kids around anymore / if grandkids are here, my shop is off limits unless an adult is with them ( and its locked )...but 90% of the time its just me and my wife here...and she won't fool with it / so I leave the press set up on whatever I run thru it and shoot 75% of the time which is 9mm. I loaded 1,000 rds of 9mm this am after my chores were done...going to range later with 6 boxes for some tactical drills...but press is sitting there ( 650 with case feeder ) with 9mm cases in each station.
 
I just can't see purchasing a 550 if I can have a 650 for a couple hundred more (minus accessories).
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It’s really what you want to do, how much money you want to invest, and how much time you are willing to spend.

I don’t like messing with the priming systems on the 650 or 1050 and once I get everything running smoothly, I really don’t like changing calibers very much. That leads me to having several of each for my most popular calibers/loads. So if I want to go from 9mm to 45, 40 or 223, all I have to do is scoot my chair over. Makes for a very fast caliber change with no fuss but also an expensive one.

No one knows what you want to do better than you but I use the 550 for the rounds I load more of than I want to load on a SS or turret but not enough of to convert a 650 or 1050 over. If the 650 or 1050 were as cheap and efficient at caliber conversions as the 550 is, I wouldn’t own a 550 but they are not.
 
Just so we are clear....the 550:

a. does not auto index, you have to index it manually
b. has 4 stations, not 5 like 650, and the 5th is needed for the powder
check die. Some users of 550 will combine stations for seating and
final crimping into one - and install a powder check in 550 / but Dillon
does not recommend it.

Manually indexing introduces another place for human error in my view. As you perform very repetitive actions...its easy to zone out / and perhaps not index the shell plate. The powder check doesn't mean you can't load good quality ammo without it ...but it provides a significant additional safety factor on powder drops. The powder check dies will pick up a variation in a powder drop of as little as 0.2gr ...and your eyes cannot do that on a fine grain powder.

So its not just about cost...at least to me / the 650 has some very desireable features in my view.

The 1050 is considered a commercial machine...and does not come with the No BS Warranty that Dillon is famous for. ( it only has a 1 yr warranty ).

All of the Dillon machines are solid machines...SDB, 550, 650 and 1050....but they handle the steps differently ...use different parts, etc...so there are differences in them besides just speed and cost.
 
Some users of 550 will combine stations for seating and
final crimping into one - and install a powder check in 550 / but Dillon
does not recommend it.

Manually indexing introduces another place for human error in my view. As you perform very repetitive actions...its easy to zone out / and perhaps not index the shell plate.
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Very, very few 550 users do that and modifications are required to even use a Dillon powder check on a 550.

Manually doing anything introduces human nature by definition. That’s why the bulk of what I shoot is loaded on one of these.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrFhnDQ-eUU

That said there are costs associated with automation, why a progressive will cost more than a single stage, given equal quality.

While there are differences between them besides just speed and cost, buying decisions generally factor in those two greatly.
 
Skip all the extra complexity for now. Buy a Dillon 550 and skip the case feeder. The 550 is very well designed and you will be able to make 400 per hour if you are production minded. Get the 550 and some Dillon dies. It will cost less and be easier to set up. Manual indexing and checking your powder throws with a good light mounted over the press works just fine.
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Agreed......skip all the extras until you know for sure that you want them. Placing a bullet on the charged case and inserting a spent case to be resized and deprimed is not difficult. There's no need to purchase extra equipment up front if you aren't even sure that you're going to need them.

I just can't see that happening. The reason I was originally looking to replace my turret press was because the indexing is not always 100% spot on and I have to index by hand
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When adjusted correctly the Dillon will never miss its spot. Tens of thousands of rounds have been loaded on my 550b and the indexing has been perfect 100% of the time.

The manual index function will not be a problem if you load properly. I check each and every powder charge visually......it's an old habit from my single stage press days that hasn't been lost in the process.
 
There's a certain "discipline" I assume will be required when I get a new press. That being loading enough ammo to be able to work in cycles: A months worth of .45 then a month's worth of 9mm. I expect I'll continue to load my .38/.357 on the turret as I don't go through as much ammo in that caliber. That should minimize the impact of caliber conversion.

I just can't see purchasing a 550 if I can have a 650 for a couple hundred more (minus accessories).
Click to expand...

Look at the total cost of ownership and the 650 is more like double the price or more. Caliber conversions, case feeder, bullet feeder, those are major additional costs. No one is saying NOT to get the 650, but do so with your eyes wide open so you don't get sticker shock.

As mentioned, there is no issue with the indexing on the 550 if adjusted correctly. There is a large ball bearing between the shell plate and the top of the ram that will click into place very obviously with each quarter turn of the shell plate.

Get what you want though.
 
Maybe I shared my concern poorly: I am not concerned about the 550's ability to index properly. I am comparing the need to manually index with having to do that on my turret press. That's one of the things that I dislike about my current setup, therefore moving to a relatively expensive setup that did not index would not be the upgrade I am looking for.

I appreciate the comments about the "hidden costs" of owning the 650. I will take those into consideration when I plan.
 
And we are back to post #40.

Just get the 650, run the dies you have now in it, if you have any problems you can try other dies. If it turns out you don’t like the press, just get a different one.
 
Is it as sensitive as the Dillon one? I saw a YouTube vid where it was indicating an issue when the charge was 0.1gn off.
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I would seriously doubt that the RCBS lockout die is that sensitive, but to be honest, I haven't really tried to dial it in that closely to check.

If the Dillon one is sensitive down to 0.1 grains, I would be very surprised as well, but I have never used one, so I really shouldn't speculate. Heck, the Dillon powder drop can be off by 0.1 gr fairly often with flake powders!
 
Well I'd wondered if that sensitivity was a good thing or a bad one. But either way I think it's volumetric, right? So in a small/narrow case it's bound to be more sensitive than in a wide case.
 
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