Dillon 550 or 650

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I had s 550 years ago but sold it because ammo got so cheap. Now I'm gearing up for a new press. After hearing JAMZ comments on the 550 (Excellent Vids), I'm thinking maybe a 650 this time. It is more expensive to set up other calibers, but the case feed and extra die position are big.

Should I go for the 650?
 
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I have a 550 that I am very happy with, that being said if it was in my budget I would have gotten the 650. I think go for the 650 to start if you can, why want to upgrade later on. The one good thing is if you do decide the 650 is a must and you already bought the 550 the resale value is almost the same as brand new due to the no BS warranty.
 
IMHO you need to do alot of shooting to justify a 650 i have both and i only load 223 on the 650. i can do pistol rounds almost as fast on the 550 plus it is much cheaper to setup. i can load 100 rounds of 45acp in 20 min on the 550. my son and i shoot 300-400 rounds a week of 45 on average. That's approximately 2 hrs of loading for 45.
 
i have a 650 (had a 550, sold it). i absolutely LOVE it for pure volume, but setup / load development can get a bit tedious on the 650.

personally, i'd recommend both. 550b for load development / small batches of test ammo, and a 650xl to really crank em out once you've ironed out a loading.
 
My 550 is one of the first progressive presses I bought ( my 300 was the first) and I love it. I use a 1050 for volume production in the calibers that I shoot most and use the 550 for the rest of my reloading, including load development. The 550 is especially suited to rifle reloading; I have one (actually a 450) permanently dedicated to 223. The advantages of the 550 are: price, easy and inexpensive caliber conversions, and a production rate of 400 rounds per hour.
 
I have an old 450 and a 650. I use the 650 to load the calibers I shoot in full auto and use the 450 for the rest. I like the 550 and would recommend it. Unless you need to load 1000 rounds an hour, look at the 550. I have the case feeder for my 650 and you can get one for the 550. I like the priming system on the 550 better than the rotary system on the 650. With the 650, if one primer detonates, they all detonate. Dillon will tell you to throw the whole system in the trash and they'll send you a new one but it's a pain when it happens. It also scares the crap out of you.
 
That's the first time I've ever heard of that happening with the primers. Good reason to keep the work area clean.

The extra automation of the 650 is appealing - lets you pay attention to the whole process. I would think that the accuracy of both machines would be similar and would depend mostly on the user.
 
I say 650. I broke my auto-indexing on the 650 and it was pain in the ass until i received the replacement part
 
650 = if you're going to get a casefeeder. Do not buy a 650 without the casefeeder. (it's pointless).

550 = for everything else. A 550 is overall a better choice unless you're making metric tons of ammo. (quicker changeover, less complicated, less (well, let's put it this way, it's hard to pull off on a 550) primer tube explosions).

-Mike
 
I have both and and would suggest the 650 if funds are not limiting your decision.

You can also call Brian Enos and see what he says. He sells Dillon setups and maintains a great website/forums with all kinds of great information.

Here is a link: http://www.brianenos.com
 
Myself I run two 550's. I set one up for large primers and the other for small. And if something breaks on one I still have the other.
Sometimes it takes the Dillon girls a day or two before they can fly out and fix it.
 
I've posted on this a couple of times. I Replaced 2 550's with a 650. Great machine. I never looked back. Buy with confidence. You will not be disappointed.
 
You can also call Brian Enos and see what he says. He sells Dillon setups and maintains a great website/forums with all kinds of great information.

Brian Enos said:
(Dillon 550)If you plan to load multiple pistol and rifle calibers and can only justify owning one press, this is the only machine to consider. It’s a rugged, durable machine that will virtually produce ammo forever.

(Dillon 650)Recommended for loading 2000-3500 rounds/month in a single caliber, but seldom as your first progressive machine. And I never recommend it for your first reloading machine, unless you have a buddy with one.

I've got a 550B, I would have bought a Hornady LnL if I could have found one at the time (last January). I don't shoot 2k-3.5k a month and I don't mind not having the auto indexing. If you had a bullet feeder and a case feeder auto indexing would be nice but if you have to manually grab a case and grab a bullet advancing the shell plate isn't a problem.
 
I have an old 550B and love it.... Load a bunch of calibers and changeover is quick and easy....... Die heads are pretty cheap...

Have head great things about the 650 as well so don't think you can go wrong either way...[wink]
 
Be sure to buy a spare parts kit>>>>>>>>>>> my indexing mechanism
broke, its a simple part, you'll find it in the spare parts kit,,,,
back in business in a flash....

JimB
 
One of the greatest things about either Dillon press is that if you do break something, just give them a call and a replacement will likely be in the mail before you hang up.

I broke one of the solid aluminum case guides (for my 650 - for the 38spl conversion) - all my fault. Called them and had a replacement in 2 days - when I tried to pay for the part - the rep said "Never heard of one breaking, how in the heck did you manage to break it" and then refused to take payment.

If inquiring minds want to know how I broke it..... Was doing the changeover and put the case guide on top of the shell plate - while I went to change the primer plunger to the small pistol - so I raised the shell plate to the top.... Needless to say the guide got nearly sheared in 2 - It didn't take any force at all - I just heard a pinging sound and I heard a part fly across the bench and disappear. It took a couple of minutes to figure out what happened.....
 
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