I have obviously not done any reloading or I wouldn't be looking at the Square Deal, right. I would really like to get the a 550 or a 650 but I can't really justify it. I plan on loading 9 mm and 38 spl. No rifle.
I would just like to get the experts views on this. Thanks

i have 4 of them in 45acp,40s&w, 9mm,and 38. they are great machines and have a live time warranty. but if i was starting out today i would go with the 550 and just have caliber changes as i needed them.

Is it that hard to do a caliber change on the square deal. Or does it have to be a dedicated one caliber machine.

If you knew 100% that is all you wanted to do, then its a decent press. Mediocre leverage, proprietary dies, small work area & limited to most but not all pistol. I had to make that decision some 30yrs ago, decided the slightly higher cost of a 550 was worth the flexability. You may want to load 223 or 357sig 5yrs from now, new press, no economy there.
If you end up with more pistol calibers, the higher die cost of the sdb will quickly offset the higher cost of a 550 running cheaoer lee dies. If youmust have auto indexing, then i would look for a sale on a lnl. Today the sdb doesnt make much sense, too many orher better choices.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

OK, let's address the points one at a time.
1. Pistol only: true
2. Hard to change dies: False. Buy the entire caliber change kit so the dies are installed ONCE on the plate so no adjustments are needed again. Not so hard or time consuming now!
3. Proprietary dies: True, and Dillon dies are the best for progressive presses, even if you buy a 650, because you don't get hangups on the case entering the mouth. Running Lee dies on a Dillon press is done by some, but not by me.
4. The 650 is worth the money if you run high volume. True, it is the most popular press among serious competitors and I probably would have bought one to start if I had known I was going to keep shooting IDPA and USPSA. But I also was still on active duty and moving around and appreciated the compact design. The quality of the reloaded cartridge is the same with any Dillon.
5. Dillon is too expensive and you should buy something cheaper. Your choice, but do you want a Yugo, Ford, or Mercedes with lifetime warranty?
6. The SqDealB is smaller and less robust than the high end Dillons, and some parts will wear out. True. My original SqDealB loaded .38 spl and 9mm for nearly two decades and the nylon bearing guides got worn, and a piece broke in the primer assembly. I got on the phone to Dillon, and they sent me an entire upgraded primer assembly, extra springs and primer tips, and all the nylon guides. Time to install new parts was about one hour, including a through cleaning. Cost to me : ZERO.

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Science plus Art

Have had one since '91, many thousands of rds in 38, 45ACP, 9mm. Great for pistol and warranty can't be beat. Minor stuff replaced, also powder measure(cracked), 2 operating handles on upstroke seating primers. They changed metalurgy or something, no problem since. ALL problems taken care of promptly and curtiously, no cost, no questions. Wish I could buy a car with that warranty at no cost.

You may not even need a progressive. Unless you're going to load a lot of ammo, you might find a single stage press would be adequate. Granted, they are slower, but they are much easier to learn on and no progressive has the versatility of a single stage machine.

If you're experimentally inclined (as in working up the most accurate load), a single stage press is easier to work with. Single stage presses are also much cheaper.

These are just some things to consider before purchase. I'm not attempting to promote either type of machine. I've used a number of each in the last fifty+ years.

I bought 2 SQ-Deals back about 1989....Wanted auto-indexing and the 650 hadn't been invented yet.....I have 6 caliber changes with mine....Replaced a few worn parts here & there(free from Dillon) and have loaded a millon/zillon rounds on them(99% lead cast bullets).....And they still work as when new...Had the 650 been available I would lave probably it....Never cared for the manual indexing of the 550........

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S&W Accumulator

I've got 5 presses but long story short,my main use is mostly for handguns: small primers are put up on my old old RL300(the great grand father of the 550) and my large pistol handgun rounds are put together on my square deal.
Had quite a few problems on my Sq Deal but always had a prompt and courteous service(the whole priming assembly had a defect in the casting;took a while to figure it out,guess it was a new one to them but after sending me some new parts and the problem persisting,they sent me a new complete assembly.This plus a couple other problems;always new parts sent no problem!Great service).
This plus the fact that it has to have its own dies bought separately,if I'd have to redo it,I'd go with the 550.
I'd be surprise if the itch to reload for a rifle caliber wouldn't hit you sometimes down the road!Look carefully at the 550!
Qc

I have a RL 450 from 1984 upgraded to a 550b in the early 2000's with an automatic shell feeder.

A used 450 would still be under warranty and all you really had to have in a progressive. Many shell plates fit more than one cartridge. Many of the powder "funnels" also fit more than one shell. An example is 9mm powder funnel will fit 38/357, along with 38 S&W, 38 Super, 9mm Largo, and several others. The shell plate for 44 Mag fits 44 Russian & Special, 45 Colt, and 3 or 4 others.

The old "push bar" powder measure has been replaced/updated to "case mouth activated". I loaded 60-70 thousand rounds on the push bar style and the rounds were fantastic. The case mouth style is faster; same goes for primer feed bar!

The automatic case feeder is nice but really not necessary (I wish I hadn't used the money on that and bought other accessories or components.)

Loading primer tubes is the big slowdown on reloading! I have 10 large tubes and 3 small. I fill the tubes and load until they are used up! with large (10 tubes, 1000 primers) that is about 2 hours.

I own enough brass that I reload in batches of 4000-5000 normally for 45 ACP & Colt, 44 Russian & Special and 44-40, and 38 Special. So having the quick change die plate set up is nice, but in the overall scheme of things it isn't that big of deal! (In 1985 I loaded one batch of 20,000 rounds of 223, and still have several thousand!)

For batches smaller than 300, I use a single stage press. There are exceptions! You can use the same shell holder and powder funnel and dies for 32 ACP, Short, & Long. (If you plan it right you can load 32 H&R Mag & 327 Federal with these too) So I start short and adjust my way up! I probably only have 750 brass for the first 3 of those combined!

Many of these little tricks can't be done on the SDB.

Ivan

I'm also a SDB fanboy. Bought new in 2007 and problem free. Makes a nice finished product.

I have had a SDB for a long time and had many parts replaced, always with excellent Dillon service. It is set up for 9mm and makes excellent reloads. To use it or the 650 you must have some mechanical ability and understand how the parts interact. Spent primer residue, cases with swaged primers. bullets which slip sideways when loading, all have to be dealt with. So keep in mind that reloading is not a turn key operation. I think that as a rule, a SDB is best suited to one caliber, others have disagreed.

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Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

Nice set-up Mike....
Spaced great, not like my crunshed up re-load bench..

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NRA Benefactor

As others have attested, the SDB is a good press and Dillon's support is superb.
But it does have some serious limitations and they all been detailed here numerous times.
I bought my RL 450 (550s father) back around 1982 and it's been cranking out untold rounds ever since. I've used the inexpensive Lee carbide dies on it since day one, they run perfectly and I've never been able to wear one out. Since then I've expanded to loading most all of the popular handgun calibers from 9mm to 460 S&W. In the 35 years since I've not had to replace a single part. Only change has been to use a Lee mouth activated powder measure for speed of change overs.
Personally I really believe you will find you did yourself a dis-service if you buy the SDB and you ever expand to reloading more than one or two calibers.

I'm kinda with Mike in post #8. My Father-in-law gave me a Square Deal, not a Square Deal B, that he had for 30 years.
It had been put away for awhile and he wasn't using it anymore.

I wanted a Dillon 550 and had done the research on it, when he offered me the Square Deal. I sent it to Dillon to be redone, which they did for free, even though I wasn't the original buyer.

It is set up for .38 special/.357 mag and doesn't miss a beat. I'm a Dillon fan. That being said, if I was going to buy one I'd still get a 550 or 650. This is no slam on the Square Deal though.

Why not look at the Dillon BL550?
BL550, BL 550, 550, Basic, Loader at Dillon Precision
It's a 550 stripped down to function like a turret press. You can add the parts to upgrade to a full fledged 550 when/if you get more serious later on.
The BL550 is a great way to start reloading. You can learn all the steps one by one, then, as you get more comfortable, add what you need. Since you'd be doing 9mm and 38, two toolheads and shellplates enable you to leave your dies set up. Believe me, changing calibers with this system is very fast.

If you wanted to upgrade incrementally without going "full 550", you can do your priming with something like the handheld Lee autoprime tool, if cranking out loads at a faster rate is important.
You can even use the Lee Autodisk powder measure (one of Lee's better products) in place of the Dillon measure.

Get it and don't look back! Love mine! Reload .38 Special, .45 Auto, and 9mm. Couldn't be happier. And it you decide you want to upgrade, or load rifle later, you'll still get a great price for it. Hard to go wrong.

I bought my first SDB in the late 80's. Picked up a second one a few years ago for one purpose-one dedicated to small primers, one to large primers. With a dies set up in their own plate caliber changes are less than 10 minutes. I do have an "Inline" led light on each press so I can see the powder in the case. I load my rifle on a single stage. If I were starting over and 30-40 years younger I might buy a 650, but the SDB has served me well and Dillon service is second to none.

Personally I would NEVER buy a Dillon. for the money you get a good press but way overpay for it. I have a Hornady LNL AP and love it. to change from one to another caliber all I have to do is change dies and a 3 minute shell plate swap and you are good to go. No extra heads and powder dispenser and all the same **** over and over again with the Dillon but that is just my opinion and it worth every penny you paid for it LOL

Guess I'm stuck in the 1980's with my RL450-B, but she still works.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

If you did something wrong with the SDB and need to back up, it's hard to do because of the automatic advance. With the 550, you correct the problem then advance it. Just easier when starting to reload, Larry

The SDB, 550s, 650, and LNL AP are quite serviceable and all are backed by the same kind of warranty. Only the SDB is restricted to pistol and the use of proprietary die sets, and its working area (tool head area) is quite small.

The 650 and AP are 5-hole, auto-index presses that are capable of higher production rates while allowing an extra station that can be used for a variety of purposes, eg, powder check die, bullet feeder, or both if you combine seating and crimping.

The 550 and SDB are 4-hole presses. The SDB is auto-index, but the output rate is limited by the need to use the right hand to insert a case and left hand to add a bullet. The 550 is manual index and hand use is pretty much the same except there's a bit more room in the 550.

While it may seem the SDB's auto-index is an advantage, the fact is your left hand is already where it needs to be to index the 550. Actual users seem to report lower production rates on the SDB than the 550s: (How many rounds can you load per hour - Dillon Precision Reloading Equipment - Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!.

I'm no expert on Dillon costs. But it seems like the SDB with a second Caliber Change Kit (CCK) costs $494. The 550 with 2 sets of dies and a second CCK costs $540. So what does $46 get you?

1. The ability to do rifle should you choose to.
2. The ability to use any dies you choose to, now or in the future.
3. The ability to maintain a higher production rate should you choose to.
4. A more hand friendly operating zone. No need to buy extra parts to compensate for harder changeovers. (But you can still spend that money if you choose the ease of having "zero" adjustments after a changeover vs cash out the door.)

Bottom line is that for $46 the 550 buys you speed, ease, and the freedom to make choices you may well want to make over the lifetime of the press.

ETA: I'm a Hornady user, so I don't have any particular Dillon press to defend

I have a 450 and my thinking is to get the auto powder for that and use that for my 38/357, and 223. Then get a SDB to load my more used 9 and 45. Then on my singles I can do 32acp and 7.62x25 as I shoot less than 100 of those per month.

I had planned on selling my 450 and getting a 550 with all the conversions, but figure on the used market now I can get a 9/45 SDB combo for under 400. I could get one with extra powder measure, 9/45 combo, and another 150 in extra parts for 495.

Get a Dillon 550
Great machine!
If you break something on a Dillon - EVEN IF IT IS YOUR FAULT - THE REPLACEMENT PART IS FREE!!!

I had a SD-B for 30 years and loaded .38/.357, .45 acp and .45 Colt. It worked well, but the ,45 Colts were a bit of a hump to reload.

After 30 years I sold the press to a friend (after a complete and perfect re-build by Dillon, at no charge might I add) and I bought a 650 with auto case feeder. They are really in two different ball parks. The SD-B could do about 300 - 350 rounds an hour and the 650 does almost 1,000 / hr assuming I preload all the primer tubes. The 650 also uses standard Dies where as the SD-B uses proprietary Dies and can only be gotten from Dillon. The 650 is just a smoother, easier & more refined machine - but yes the SD-B is competent.

The SD-B will work well and Dilllon will always stand behind it - but if you plan on loading any longer cased cartridges, rifle cartridges or bottle neck cartridges, get the 650. I know you said you were only interested in small pistol ammo but things DO change - they did for me!

The 550 is a manual indexing press that I personally don't like - but many do. I just find it much more fool-proof to have an auto indexing machine like the 650.

Remember, the Press itself is a one time purchase and the price differential isn't all that much between the SD-B and the 650. All the other costs will be necessary no mater what press you buy (Dies, Scale, Tumbler, Separator, Ammo Boxes, Powders, Primers, etc) so think before buying! I wish I'd bought the 650 form the outset - but better late than never

I hear the guys here talk of these big rounds per hour numbers, I just don't know. Guess I'm old and slow, when I factor in primer loading, bullet and case handling, setting and checking powder measures etc; I'm lucky to hit 250 rph on my 450B with Lee auto powder drops.
And I'm getting slower!

I had an SDB that I got in the mid '80s while I was an apartment dweller. I gradually added an extra caliber, then started shooting high power competitions. As an apartment dweller, the SDB wasn't meeting my needs, since I needed to load '06s. I upgraded to a 550B, and sold my SDB in the early '90s.

Fast forward 20-25 years. I learned very quickly, the powder measure on a 550B and stick powder don't work well. The powder charges weren't precise enough. I will only load rifle cartridges using ball powder on my 550B. My 550B now loads a small amount of 223 55s, and mostly handgun ammo. At the moment, if I still had an SDB, it would meet about 70% of my handgun ammo needs.

My biggest culprit is the 38 Special. I cast and load wadcutters, semi-wadcutters, and round nose bullets. Constantly changing seating die depths is a pain using 1 toolhead, and I am too cheap to buy multiple conversion kits for the same cartridge. With my 550B, I have one toolhead for 38 Special, and I swap out just the seating die when I change bullets.

Mechanically, I never had a problem with the SDB. If I were loading one or two cartridges, and one of those cartridges would be loaded with multiple designed bullets, I might lean towards a SDB as a first press and be happy, but ...

For my loading needs, an SDB just doesn't quite provide what I need, affordably. If I just had one cartridge to load with just one bullet style, I could be very content with an SDB. But once you start adding different cartridges and bullet styles, conversion kits become cost prohibited. To give yourself a better idea, visualize the cost of caliber conversions to load these cartridge/bullet combinations: 38 Special wadcutters, 38 Special SWCs, 38 Special RNs, 45 ACP RN, 45 ACP SWC, 9mm, etc ... compare the cost of conversion kits against the cost of carbide dies!

My advice is to start with a 550B and never look back, your wallet will thank you as you expand your reloading requirements.

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Judge control not gun control!

This conversation has made me rethink my approach. I am likely to sell my three SDB's with all their gear and buy a 550B. Just to clear bench space if nothing else. I don't load rifle on a progressive and don't plan to, except for maybe 223 for the AR, and that ammo is cheap enough anymore I don't think I'll need to load for it for awhile.

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Regards,

Tom

I hear this all he time but lnl users forget they are buying just a press. Price them the same, with case feeders, less than $100 more. If you never want a case feeder, the lnl will do. The 650 comes with most of the feeder parts, but the bowl.
Fwiw, i prefer a removable tool head. Nothing comes loose, plug & play.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

If your press is setup, you only need to verify the drop.
I can go carton to press with 100 primers in 90sec, but often just fill tubes while watching fox news or fottball game. Same for boxing, even case gaging my match ammo. I Don't count brass cleaning, the tumbler is doing that & it is less than 2m to load & unload that.
So most offer their loading rates based on how long it takes to load X number of rounds in one hour, just pulling the handle. It is a realistic number as you must do the other things with any press too.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

See, never understood the economy of buying multiple presses, when you can buy a tool head & conv. I had two 550b, but only be ause i inherited one. Sold it after awhile & bought a 650 for my serious volume stuff.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I have always felt that the ability to change calibers on the same press was way over rated. (It actually becomes a pain.)

There is nothing like having a line of presses in different calibers!

The key to reloading rapidly (and carefully too) is to do all the prep work before you actually start loading.

I've got 10 Primer Tubes that I fill first.

I check the powder Dispenser for grain weight accuracy.

I make sure all tumbled cases are close by and ready to throw into the feeder.

I also fill up the Powder hopper all the way so I need not stop any time soon.

I've also got multiple boxes that slide onto my Dillon Press so I need not empty the reloaded cartridges at that time - just swap out the box. I insert them into storage boxes later.

I also clean, lube and prepare the machine ahead of time (actually at the finish of the last session) so everything is ready to rock and I need not stop.

With .38 specials and .45 acp, 1,000 per hour is not a problem. At the end of that hour, I clean the machine, re-lube and refill primer tubes for the next go-round. The only thing that slows me down is if the machine jams or malfunctions which rarely happens. On a rare occasion a wrong case will slip in ( such as a .45 acp with the wrong sized primer pocket) and I'll have to clear it. I prescreen all empty cartridges for that issue at the Range before I even go home, but once in a rare while, I'll miss one.

Longer Cartridges that hold more powder and require lubrication take more time to load and I can't crank them out quite as fast. The powder hopper needs re-filling more often and the case feeder holds less of them.

My three main cartridges are .38, 45 acp and .45 Colt - and those go really fast. I am also quite cautious and careful and I will never sacrifice safety or quality for speed. The 650 is just an awesome machine and produces high quality reloads.

I am not one who truly enjoys the process, (I know many guys do) and so I load large amounts at a time so I can cover the Press for a year down the road. That works for me - and I know that many here enjoy re-loading every week. To each is own.

ADDED:

I also installed a Roller Bearing handle on my 650 which is a VAST improvement and saves your hands from being sore and red since it pivots in your palm as opposed to friction on your palm. I did not have one of those on my SD-B and I believe they now actually have one for that Press too. Well worth the money!

When I quote 1,000 rounds per hour, ----- that is what I can do in a given hour time period, however of course there is about an hour's worth of prep and at least an hour's worth of cleaning, lubing and reloading primer tubes after that hour. The highest amount I've actually loaded in one single long day is around 4,000. After that - I'm tried, bored and ready to do something else.

[QUOTE=chief38;139767331]The key to reloading rapidly (and carefully too) is to do all the prep work before you actually start loading.

I am not one who truly enjoys the process, (I know many guys do) and so I load large amounts at a time so I can cover the Press for a year down the road. That works for me - and I know that many here enjoy re-loading every week. To each is own.

ADDED:

I am also one who preps before loading. Prep is actually the only part I kinda enjoy about the reloading process....other than shooting. I have at least 25 or 30 primer tubes and a Dillon primer tube filler. loading on either a 650 or 1050 is actually easy. I do about 8-900 per hour. Try not to make it exhausting to load. 3 hours in a day is enough. When I had a SDB I could do 400 per hour fairly easily..but the platform is just too small. Still a decent press....but my hands are too big. After finishing I use the air hose to clean off the press..empty the powder hopper and do any maintenance. I do not enjoy reloading but also don't hate it. When done for the day or week I have enough for a while so cover the press for a few months and go do another caliber. I kinda stagger the rounds so I don't have to look at the same thing for weeks at a time. Other than the 223 and only once the 308 I do not load my rifle rounds on a progressive. What chief 38 said is actually the key to loading fast and safely

Hey, Grasshopper, I'm back. Are you sure you don't want to put your Dillon up against my Hornady? Or are you just going to keep bad mouthing Hornady?

Just a little side note for those of you that don't know, I have offered to bring my press to Cal. and run against him in the past. But he wimped out.

I love the SDB that I bought about a year ago. I also love the Forster that i’ve used for about 20 years and the Rochchucker I owned before that. Point is that things will change and you will probably own several presses over time. Don’t try and over analyze. It’s not the house you’re going to live in and raise your kids for the rest of your life.

A reloading press is often a once-in-a-lifetime investment, so are you certain that you will not be loading rifle anytime in the future? It would be a shame to see you buy a Square Deal now and five years in the future be looking at a 550 or 650.

The op is 68 years old. I think they now have the final days well planned. I think the 550 will serve you well.

Do all you fan boys realize this thread is over a month old and the OP has not revisited it since?

Guess the Blue Force is just so strong.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Great idea !!

Been reloading since 1969. Have owned a bit of everything including a Square Deal B and a couple of 550B's.

This is personal, But I do not like the "automatic indexing" of the SDB. (yes, it is a great machine).

The SDB is terribly difficult to convert to another caliber.

I sold my SDB and purchased a pair of 550's and set them up: One for small primer and one for large.

The 550B is so easy to convert to other calibers, even if you only do 2 pistol calibers. In my situation, the hardest thing about converting was to change primer sizes, so that was fixed by getting 2 machines.

And, changing primer sizes on a 550B is easier than changing calibers on a SDB, if you have to own only one machine.

Bottom line: The SDB is a wonderful tool, but if loading for 2 calibers, I would get 2 of them. Otherwise, get one 550B and enjoy the flexibility of being able to load rifle and pistol, convert easily, and "back up" the process easily if a boo-boo occurs (manual indexing).

Crawling back into cave now. Y'all be good. Bo

There's some good posts on here about the 550. It's worth the money in my opinion, over the SDB for the reasons posted, and that I'm going to re-iterate.

I'm 95% a pistol shooter, mainly IPSC, though not really going through that many rounds (9mm 70 - 150 per month, 10 months per year). I used to have a 357 Mag (686) but sold, and am soon (hopefully) getting a 586 yay! I kept my equipment for the 357 / 38 (have two quick-changes, both set up as 357 mag length but one for silhouette (mag) and one for target loads).

I also shoot lever-action silhouette (30-30) and reloading makes shooting so much more affordable and is another hobby / aspect of shooting to get involved in. Those are my reasons for reloading. I don't care for super-accurate volume-measured and weighed cases, etc, I just want ammo that works as isn't inaccurate, and saves me money. $10 for 50 rounds of 9mm instead of $20-35+ starts to add up.

Before I started reloading I looked at the options, I like quality and will pay for something that works better and will last longer. The Dillon machines are just that IMO.

When drooling over the machines initially it had to be the 650, so much easier and can pump out rounds quicker.

However, my actual needs (how much loading mainly), and after actually looking at the features of each machine (SDB, 550, 650) the 550 makes the most sense, and not just for value.

The SDB with proprietary dies - silly idea, if you get another machine as an upgrade or just another (different) machine to use, you can't use the dies.

The auto-indexing of the SDB and 650, is, to me, not an advantage. I produce a whole bunch of rounds in each sitting, but not every week, or even every month. I do it once and shoot for 6 months or a couple of years. Last 9mm I loaded was ~2700 rounds, three years ago, still have 1300 or so to go. (I think I was still shooting the last lot at that stage, just loading in preparation for it to run out.)

The auto-indexing can be a DISADVANTAGE when setting up. It can add extra confusion. Without it I can repeat each station until it is right THEN move on, the auto-index keeps you circulating. Even on dies and powder measures I have set up and will run like they are with the same bullet, powder and amount, etc forever more, each time I start a loading session (and at intervals during) it allows me to check and make sure powder is right, seating depth, crimp, etc, AND make adjustments until it is right, if need be.

This also means you can run a 550 like a single stage, do all the powders at once if you like, so you can verify in a loading block or measure them, or any other reason, or any other stage for whatever reason you like.

Further, on the 550, since I'm loading brass myself, when in a run, you're putting a projectile on with your left hand (unless you have a 650 and bullet-feeder) and brass in with the right. I rotate with my left hand, put the brass in while simultaneously putting my left hand in the container of projectiles to grab one. Once the brass is in I can move concentration to projectile as I move right hand to the lever and start cranking. Once cranked, check the powder by eye as I move to rotate the stations, starting the cycle over.

I like to check every case for powder, keep an eye on the primer and powder levels; The 650 lends itself to cranking the handle as fast as you can and basically making it really easy for these things to go wrong. And when you have a massive pile of loaded ammo due to loading so quickly, with some duds in there, you have no idea which ones they are.

Also I think the 550 comes with a primer alarm. Kinda handy.

Then there's the fact that when I got the rifle I could start loading for it. If I had a SDB I'd be out of luck.


And one of the most important things - don't skimp on SCALES. The dillon beam scale is (was when I got one) excellent. I first bought a Lee one with balls to set the weight, and a small plastic slider for tenths (I think) and it was not accurate at all. Dangerously-so IMO. Unfortunately that is the impression I have of most Lee stuff, pretty dodgy. It mostly works OK, but its not great.

Dillon dies also seem to be the best. The carbide pistol dies are amazing. I wish they had some 30-30 ones. They are either constantly out of stock or not in production or something.

Yup - but others can also benefit as well.

I love when someone comes on to an old thread & replies that its an old thread?????

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

About as much as I love it when someone keeps bantering the same old stuff over and over again.

Might as well just copy and paste the same old, buy this instead.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Get the 650 . Tryst me . That way you won't want/need to upgrade .
Super fast/easy caliber changes

Has anyone researched the op to see what they really need, or are you just telling them what you would want at this time in your life?

I went back and read previous post and found the op is above average in common sense. The op is 68. And the op only needs to load two handgun cal because ....SHE.... yes I said she, has already has given away her long guns. Now let's try and help her out on what you would do for her!

I already did
Xl 650

I re-loaded at least 1,000 rounds of .45 ACP for bullseye competition every week for 4 years while I was working on earning my Master rating.

Totally reliable, and easy to use. I can't say enough good things about this product or anything else made by Mike Dillon.

Just so you know I check every response and I appreciate all of them. I am leaning towards the 550. I have recently found out that a friend of mine that passed away last year has a room full of reloading equipment and his daughter is going to get rid of it. I'm am going to wait until I find out what she has before I make a move. I'll let you know what it is and may need your advice. Thanks