Dillon 550B questions

[Squatch]

I am looking very hard at the Dillon 550 and had a couple of questions. Has anyone had a problem with the powder die over flaring the mouth of 45LC? I'm worried about getting too much flare and shortening case life drastically. Right now I flare the mouth just enough to allow a cast bullet to insert. Second question, are there any accessories which I should consider as a necessity? I'm thinking the die smaller die locking rings might be a good idea but would appreciate any input. I'll be using my RCBS dies which currently have.

[dougader]

I never have had problems adjusting dies with my 550B, including the amount of case flare. I use rcbs, Lee, and Hornady dies.

Some people like an angled light so they can do a visual check of powder before seating a bullet.

Extra tool heads and primer pick up tubes are nice to have on hand. Dedicated tool heads (with powder measure $$$) are great for quick caliber changes.

[klnc]

Adjusting the powder die for flare is a matter of trial and error, but once adjusted to your satisfaction it will never need to be changed. I personally think the strong mount, trays, and primer tube sensor are the must haves. The tool set and rack isn't necessary, but very handy to have. Extra tool head sets for different calibers make life very easy. Every 550B accessory is useful, just a matter of how much you want to spend and how much you value convenience. The only regular accessory that seems a bit of overkill, at least to me, is the powder level sensor--the tube is right in front of you and you can visually see the level of powder.

Of the purely optional stuff Dillon makes, the one that makes me scratch my head is the automated primer tube filler. It's so easy to do by hand I can't see spending a couple of hundred bucks to automate the process--but to each his own. You'd have to do a lot of reloading to justify that one.

On the subject of dies--whatever you have will work fine--but if you're buying new dies--I'd go with the Dillon. Perfect match for the machine, and easy to remove stems etc. to clean or reverse for different bullet shapes, without affecting the settings. You will need both seating and crimp dies as those are different stations.

[cmonti77]

+1 about the strong mount. I have the BL550, so I don't have the powder measure or priming tube, and I don't use the powder-thru case flare die. I just use my Redding dies and slip each case in and out after station 2, and charge them with a Frankford Arsenal powder measure. The only cartridges I reload are 480 Ruger and 41 Magnum, so I'm not concerned with speed or high volume.

I really recommend the Dillon 550, and I think it's the best progressive loader on the market. Single-stage I like Redding, but for progressive, the Dillon 550 is easily the best constructed, most reasonably priced, most reliable, easiest to set up and learn and maintain, and has the best warranty.

[mike454]

I found RCBS dies to be a handicap in the dillon 550. The 20 year old set I had didn't have enough of a leade in and would hang up on the case necks frequently. the dillon dies work flawlessly. I use powders that fill at least half the case when I can as a safeguard against double charging. I like my dillon rl 1050 better but if I had to keep one it would be the 550 due to the versatility.

[Yetiman]

The amount of flare is fully adjustable as others have stated, and totally repeatable once set.

Seating and crimping can be done in a single die if you prefer to do so (or have only dies that do so). You would simply leave the last hole empty where the crimp die would otherwise go.
I used my 44 dies that way for a while and it worked fine, but I later added a Lee factory crimp die and a Redding profile crimp die. I switch between them depending on what I am loading. I then set the seating/crimp die to seat only.

The most useful accessories to me are extra powder drops, depending on which calibers you load. At least one for the magnum powder bar and one for the normal bar if you use them both. I currently have four powder drops.

For me the most useful accessory was a second 550. I now keep one set up for small primer (9mm and 357 mag) and the other for large primer (45 acp, 44 mag and 10mm). I only did this because I found a new, never assembled 550 at an estate sale two years ago for $120. The plan was to flip it for profit, but that didn't happen.

I am about to dedicate one machine to 45acp and the other to 44 as those are the only pistol calibers I am going to load this summer as long as I don't bring home any strays.

[jforwel]

The Dillon 1" lock rings aren't necessary but do make life a bit easier and they are cheap. I changed all of my tool heads to the 1" rings. I use the strong mounts since I like to stand and that puts the press at a useable height. My press is on the left end of the bench so I added the bullet tray. Tool heads for each set of dies is very convenient especially if you load for several calibers and don't want to adjust your dies constantly. As stated above Dillon dies are the cat's meow and can be cleaned easily by pulling a pin and dropping the insert out, no change of settings required. I bought a small magnetic LED light similar to the one Hornady makes and velcroed it inside the frame in order to see inside the case after it has been charged.

[snappy]

I bought a quick change system Ultramount from Inline Fabrication and it works great. If you have limited bench space and want to change between different presses, this system is slick. They also make plates for various powder dispensers, vices etc that you can use on the same mount. Dan at Inline Fabrication makes high quality products and has great customer service. Highly recommended!

[Squatch]

Thanks everyone for the input. I'll be setting the press up this evening. I got the base riser, the narrow rings, and some extra large primer tubes. I'm so looking forward to spending more time shooting and less time reloading.

[eagle1899]

I load everything on my 550B. I love it! It is a workhorse and very adaptable.

[eagle1899]

Check out Brian Enos! www.brianenos.com/

All things Dillon with super support!

[contender]

Well, I have 4 Dillon presses. A 650 w/case feed, a 550, and (2) SDB's.
I dedicated my 650 to large primer calibers. My SDB's are dedicated to small primers. My 550 is my mix it up press where quantity & speed are not as essential.
I think each & every machine they make has it's place. And with their "no BS" warranty,,, none better.
I do enjoy the auto-indexing feature on my other Dillons.

[jsh]

I won't knock Dillon's at all, I still have two SDB's large and small primer set up I am lazy.
You asked on belling, but my findings involved crimping also.
When you set the press up, make sure each station has a case in it. I had some minor issues as the tool head moves a slight amount up and down as the case enters any of the dies. As mentioned they were minor, but when setting up for F class rifle ammo it was not making me feel warm and fuzzy. Results at 1k were not doing what I knew the rifle could do. Thus answering some of my questions for IHMSA shooting the FA's and getting a "wild" flyer in there with no answerable question, even with jacketed bullets.
The tool head and press can be modified easily enough to take the slop out. However it voids the warranty and may cause issues with cases entering any of the dies other than the powder die. They need the little bit of wiggle to work properly.

Thus my going to the Hornady press with the thread head with zero wiggle. I have four of their presses and am happy with what they make. I do use them as a turret press of sorts as there are some things related to some specific guns of mine that I still do by hand.
There is no press that is perfect if you reload much and for very many different calibers, but the Dillon is darn close.
IMHO any one who reloads should start or learn the basics on a single stage press. I still have three single stages and use them quite often on small test batches of ammo with different bullets and charges. Way quicker for me to do than totally reset up a progressive of any kind.
Jeff