I have been impressed with this forum, and the easy going, helpful nature of the vast majority of the members. I joined in hopes of asking a question here and there as well as the possibility of contributing as well.

After sitting idle for several years, I took my Dillon RL 450 out of the storage box to set it up. I am a regular reloader and shooter on the centerfire rifle bench, but this Dillon will be my go to handgun ammo press. It is setup for .38 Special, but I plan to order dies and caliber conversion kits for 9mm Luger and .45 ACP.

In the meantime, I called Dillon to ask a few questions about parts, dies and to find an instruction manual. No RL 450 manual is available from Dillon. Well now......seems I have hit a snag in the road! Dillon tells me to refer to the RL 550b manual as they operate about the same. Hummm, I hate to disagree with the Dillon folks, but this first edition RL 450 (serial number is only four digits long) is 100% manual in every phase of the operation. No auto powder drop or primer feed or auto eject....not even an indexing star on the shell plate. Long story short, they got no RL 450 manual.

Does anyone out there have a way to link me to an RL 450 manual? Dillon has a no BS guarantee, so if they cannot support the 450 machines in the field, I feel this machine is not supported after all. I don't fault Dillon, but I sure hate to shuck out a pile of money for a new RL550b just to able to get an instruction manual.

Thanks for any help out there!

Dillon RL-450 Manual by Joe Harris | Photobucket

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Still Running Against the Wind

Thankfully we have Rule3, our resident Dillon expert.

A 450 is so simple. Adjust every stage like a single stage. Get the 550 conversion if changing calibers. Easy swap. Like your new hat Rule 3. Bakers dozen.

I have a hat? I love folks photobuckets that are not private and you can snoop around.

Not my stuff, buy have this Google thing.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Rule 3....I looked at the photobucket which is very helpful. Thanks for the tip!

I actually do plan to change calibers for time to time, and yes that RL 550b with the tool heads is sweet! Add up the prices for the machine and caliber changes, quick conversions...Whew! I guess I'll suffer through the old manual 450 and just take my time and be happy.

Besides a couple of dies I need and a shell plate cal kit, what is the opinion of the strong mount? I could use a few extra inches of height, but more than anything, need the front two mounting holes of the machine back a half more inch from the lip of my bench due to design restrains. The strong mount will allow me back from the lip as far as I need....but is this a rigid and strong mounting platform? Recommended?

I disagree about the "Resident Expert" status. I don't need no stinkin' Photobucket or Google thingy. I have an original Dillon 450 Owner's Manual on the shelf. If you send me a PM with your address, I will paper mail a copy to you.

I have some special friends that make copies for me on a production copier.

Don't be a cheapskate, buy the Dillon auto prime, auto powder, and auto eject upgrade kits. It is money well spent to eliminate no primer / no powder problems. I have a Gold Cup Series 70 NEW match barrel in it from before auto prime & powder.

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S&WHF 366

That is not my photobucket. I know nothing about Dillion other than is is good equipment, expensive and made by SMURFS!

It is of course the greatest of all things reloading!

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Still Running Against the Wind

I think my old 450 manual is around here somewhere too if the other options fall thru.

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Dum vivimus Vivamas

I bought my 450 new, many, many years ago. I've been using the 550 manual, but I have been upgrading over the years. I got the auto powder, primer, and other stuff. as close to the 550 as possible. No toolbar though. You would have to get a 550 for that.
I can't even get parts for the upgraded powder dispenser since that changed years back.
I kinda got my moneys worth out of it.
The roller handle, parts kit, and A frame mounting bracket are good adds.

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"from my cold dead hands" C.H.

I bought my RL450 in 1984 the SN is 6881, and I loaded a big pie of ammo in the original configuration! I believe the manual powder drop is the most consistent powder drop there is with ball powder and really good with the other shaped powders, BUT the case actuated powder drop allows for much faster production. Same goes for the primer feed and the star and case ejector. When I upgraded all the way to 550b system I also installed the case feeder. It makes loading a little easier but to an experienced 450/550b reloader, but not any faster. I consider it a waste of my money, but I continue to use it. The bullet tray (or a home made substitute) is a really good add on, along with the Strong Mount and either of the roller handles.

When I bought mine, I added every shell plate and powder funnel they made at the time (over the next year or so) except 8mm Label and 45 Auto Rim and needed them since then! Buy all the accessories you can afford as the are not getting any less expensive. Even though you are only looking at pistol rounds now you should think about the magnum powder bar and if they still make the 50 cal powder drop pick it up before they discontinue it! I use it for 50 AE and 50-70 & 50 Carbine, and been thinking 50 S&W. If you can't see you are low on powder you should not be reloading! A straight section of coat hanger will deal with primer bar, if long enough it locks the bar when you run out and lets you know where the level is too!

Have fun, Ivan

Uh...I hate to be the one to break this to you...you can buy a stripped 550 frame and transfer all the moving parts of the 450 to the 550 frame. I converted one of my 450's to an inter-changeable tool head.

Dillon Precision: Reloaders, Reloading Equipment, Bullet Reloading, Bullet Reloaders

I have wanted the tool bar for years. Now you tell me!
I thought I was done. Wait, it's Christmas! I'm sure my wife would love a blue thingy like that.

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"from my cold dead hands" C.H.

Gonna sound dumb to some..Put the darn 450 on fleabay and sell it. For the difference you will pay you'll have a brand new 550 with all the new powder thingie primer thingie and the old caliber conversions still work. Funnels may be needed. Heck I still use the old hand op powder measure that I use on my AT 500.. It's just a 4 hole single stage press I use for rifle loading(308 etc). Bet you'll get more'n 200 for the press. Upgrading it will cost you the other 200 anyway. Worth the price

Skeet 028 has a good point. If you want to end up with a 550b, buy a 550b; the upgrade kite let you either just do the upgrades you want or spread out the cost. If I'm spending someone else's money, I'd upgrade the 450 for one primer size and buy a 550b for the other.

Ivan

New 550's are $440

eBay prices vary, but generally RL450's with a snigle shell plate generally go for $250 but I've seen them go anywhere from $150 for a poorly timed auction to $500 during the panic when Dillon was back-ordered.

So you're right. $250 for a press plus $100 to upgrade the primer feed and $100 for a frame and you're there, and that's before you upgrade the powder measure which I think is another $100.

I still use the manual primer feed. Dillon has very few parts for that any more but there is a guy on eBay that specializes in obsolete Dillon parts.

I sold one of my 450's and used the money to upgrade the frame on the other and I saved the manual primer feed. I sold my 450 without a primer feed for $175. I even sold the stripped frame for $30. The same aforementioned eBay guy buys stripped frames, he's told me there are still a lot of guys that prefer the solid head. I don't.

I don't use the Dillon powder measure. I've always preferred fixed cavity powder measures and Dillon doesn't make one. If you go with the Lee Autodisk they are a lot cheaper than the Dillon powder measure. Now that Lee has an adjustable "Auto-Drum" measure you could probably use that if you wanted, but I haven't checked it out yet. I presume if the Auto-Disk works then the Auto-Drum probably does. Maybe.

The only problem with the Lee Auto-Disk is the spring-return but I figured out how to rig a chain to drive it closed instead of relying on the spring.

In my original post I added that I joined this forum based on the kindness of the members here.....I was right!

A shout out to Engineer1911 who sent me a pm to say he needed my address so he could mail me an RL 450 manual. WOW! I was on target about this forum.

Last summer I saw a post on Rimfire Central from a fellow needing an ACE Hardware spring of a specific size to lighten a trigger. He had looked high and low to no avail and reached out. I sent him a spring I had in my supply locker and felt rewarded by helping him out. In the mail last week, I got a Christmas card from him saying he appreciated my kindness and wished me a Merry Christmas.

I realized that there is caring, compassion and regard for others in this world despite the negatives we hear daily. Thank you Bob (Engineer1911) and the others who gave me great suggestions which I value! Happy Holidays!!

Buy at the right venue and the cost new is 395 + 12 dollars for shipping. Ncal conversion though. If you have a 450...you have that though. Heck got to Scheels All Sports | Sporting Goods | Hunting | Clothing and it is 389 plus free shipping. No cal conversion though... Now that has me thinking about buying one..I have about 8 cal conversions......No no no no..I'm still dyslexic or whatever and probably still can't use one LOL

After using my 450/550 for 20 years, with all the caliber conversions I had with it & odd lot of dies gathered here & there, it sold to a shooting buddy (who still uses it) for an astonishingly big down payment on the 650.

TIP for upgraders of any/all sorts: After extensive experimentation with a wide swath of *nearly every brand* die readily available, I can confirm what was hard to believe.

Yes, the 'Dillon dies' actually DO give better service in terms of faster/easier loading use, and far FAR easier cleaning access via design nuances.

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Dum vivimus Vivamas