Dillion 550 vs 650

[glenwolde]

I don't have much to add to the above, other than the no BS warranty is exactly that. I have had a couple of occasions to use it over the past 40 years and they don't even ask what the problem is. Just tell them what you want.

The last time I had a problem with a 9mm shell plate. Some brands of cases were difficult to insert. I didn't even buy it from them, I got it off eBay.

Me: "I'm having a problem with my 9mm shellplate, I need a new one"

Dillon Dude: "Yes sir, let me give you an RMA#. Just mail it to us with the RMA on the outside of the package and we'll get you out a new one."

Ten days later I had a new shellplate. The new one solved my problem.

 

[old&slow]

I've been using a 550 since the late 80's. A couple years ago I purchaced a second 550.
A couple of reason:
Habit, don't know how many tens of thousands of rounds I've loaded on the 550, but I could probably operate it in my sleep.
Backup, if one would go down, switching over to the other 550 would be easy.
( I have one 550 set up for small primers ,, one for large. I also use a RCBS single stage for most of my rifle reloading))

I have friends that have the 650 and are very happy with them. I thought about a 650 but for reason stated above decided on the 550.

Since I've never used a 650 I can not really comment much on them. But, personally don't think you can go wrong with either one.. And yes I'll have another glass of Blue Cool Aid

 

[StarshooterX]

If you have any doubt about the machine you want, go for top of your list and don't look back. The 650 will be frustrating for a bit, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be a pro soon enough. I'd rather have a bit too much than a bit too little.

My wife's employee (female) wanted a motorcycle with a Harley being her goal. She went against my suggestion to get what she wants to start with, and bought a smaller metric bike to train on. Two months later she was ready to move up, however, she had several thousand in a bike she couldn't sell. She took a huge soaking as a trade in.

Morale of the story, get the 650 and learn the machine and be confident you made a good choice.

 

[fredj338]

The 550 is a true progressive; it offers one round for each pull of the handle, it is just a manual indexing progressive. Auto indexing is convenient, but offers no speed advantage w/o case or bullet feeders, you still have to place a bullet & case. I ran my 650 for 2m w/o a case feeder. You have to stop & fill the case feed tube every 15-20, as loading cases from the right is not convenient as it is on a 550. Result, your per hour round count is about the same as the 550. Add the case feeder & 750rds/hr is pretty easy, one handle pull every 5sec.
In many ways I prefer my 550 for small batch loading. It is easy to back up a round or remove rounds for measuring or case charging, like stick powders in rifle rounds. It is pretty easy to load at a rate of 400rds an hour for as many hours as you like. Few of us need a greater volume of ammo.
I started on a ss press, but have no issue recommending a 550 as a starter press. It can be used as an inverted turret, taking one round thru the entire process & pulling the handle the same number of times as a turret. So why buy a turret? You can then run it as a progressive & get 400rds/hr w/o breaking a sweat & visually inspecting every powder drop. That is a really slow one handle pull every 9sec!!
The 550 is easier & cheaper to do conversions on. So if you want to load for 5-6 diff calibers, the 550 is my choice. For 1-2 calibers, preferably same primer size, a lot of one caliber before changing to another, then the w/ case feeder is a far better tool. If I had to sell one, it would be my 650. Mostly because I load for so many diff calibers.

 

[Blowncar]

I love me 550 and you have to really be trying to pull off a double load. It bells the case as it drops the powder. If you lose your place you only need to look at the case to see if its been charged. Of course pulling the round out it would take all of 4 seconds and would be safer. If you buy the 550 the least expensive retailer I could find was Scheels. Cheaper and free shipping sans tax as well.

 

[flyrobb]

I love me 550 and you have to really be trying to pull off a double load. It bells the case as it drops the powder. If you lose your place you only need to look at the case to see if its been charged. Of course pulling the round out it would take all of 4 seconds and would be safer. If you buy the 550 the least expensive retailer I could find was Scheels. Cheaper and free shipping sans tax as well.

Nice, you addressed my concern before I asked, thanks!

I was curious about the Dillon powder measure. How good is it and does it have trouble with any type of powder? Also, can you use other brands of measure with the Dillons or would you want to?

fredj338: I run both presses. If you are not going to use a case feeder, the 650 offers little advantage.

I had not heard this reasoning before and it make a lot of sense. This has tilted the scale toward the 550 for me. I only shoot about 400 per month through the summer months and less in the winter. Will load .45, 9 mostly and some .38 special.

 

[fredj338]

You can get adapters to get other measures to work but the Dillon is fine with ball/spherical, most flake powders & small stick powders.
Many will tout the auto indexing as a fool proof tool for preventing a double charge. While it is possible to double on an auto indexing press, it is just a lot harder. IMO, impossible to do it on the manual indexing 550 IF you develop a proper loading technique. That is to place the bullet on the case BEFORE you advance the shell plate. I have managed well over 150K rds on my 550 w/o ever getting a squib or double. Just pay attention, verify the powder charge is in the case & place the bullet BEFORE you advance the shell plate. If you leave the press for some reason, just finish the rounds in the shell plate & start over when you get back. Really, just about fool proof.

 

[StarshooterX]

You can get adapters to get other measures to work but the Dillon is fine with ball/spherical, most flake powders & small stick powders.
Many will tout the auto indexing as a fool proof tool for preventing a double charge. While it is possible to double on an auto indexing press, it is just a lot harder. IMO, impossible to do it on the manual indexing 550 IF you develop a proper loading technique. That is to place the bullet on the case BEFORE you advance the shell plate. I have managed well over 150K rds on my 550 w/o ever getting a squib or double. Just pay attention, verify the powder charge is in the case & place the bullet BEFORE you advance the shell plate. If you leave the press for some reason, just finish the rounds in the shell plate & start over when you get back. Really, just about fool proof.

Your advice to finish the rounds in the shellplate prior to stopping is keen advice. Anytime you return to the bench after you take a break is when a mistake will happen.

 

[fredj338]

Your advice to finish the rounds in the shellplate prior to stopping is keen advice. Anytime you return to the bench after you take a break is when a mistake will happen.

The other reason I like the 550 so much. When you start & stop, the powder will settle a bit in the measure. So it is prudent to toss the first couple of charges back into the hopper. Then restart your loading process. Any time you stop for any length of time, even 5min, toss those first couple back. Harder to do this on an auto indexing press.

 

[H Richard]

The Dillon powder measure is one of the best on the market, and with ball type or fine flake powder it will consistently drop within less than .1 gr. When setting mine up I will weigh weigh 10 throws and normally it will be exactly on the money. Like all measures, the coarser the powder the more problems there will be. Sticking with Win 231, Accurate 5, 7, 9, Titegroup, Win Super Target, I have never had any problems.

 

[novalty]

The Dillon powder measure is one of the best on the market, and with ball type or fine flake powder it will consistently drop within less than .1 gr. When setting mine up I will weigh weigh 10 throws and normally it will be exactly on the money. Like all measures, the coarser the powder the more problems there will be. Sticking with Win 231, Accurate 5, 7, 9, Titegroup, Win Super Target, I have never had any problems.

Funny you should mention Accurate #5, as it is the one I've read the most complaints abouts with Dillon powder measures. Number 1 compliant is leaking as it is a fine grain. I've read discussions regarding rotary drum vs slide bar, and I believe the rotary drum is probably more accurate over a wider variety of powder styles. Which is why it usually shows up as a reason for the Hornady LnL AP over the Dillon. Not trying to stir the pot, I own a Dillon 550 and the slide bar system has worked very consistently to my surprise using Bullseye, W231, HP-38.

I just load handgun on my 550, and have a few different powders to try out: AA# 5, Unique, 2400, Competition, and 4227. Will be interested to see if what I've read about AA#5 is true.

 

[SLT223]

The other reason I like the 550 so much. When you start & stop, the powder will settle a bit in the measure. So it is prudent to toss the first couple of charges back into the hopper. Then restart your loading process. Any time you stop for any length of time, even 5min, toss those first couple back. Harder to do this on an auto indexing press.

You just remove the fail safe bar. There's really nothing challenging or time consuming about it that I can see.

 

[Harrison]

550 is simpler, fewer parts to go out of adjustment or jam up. It is also a bit slower. If all you need and you have the time, a couple of hundred rounds an hour is easily done with the 550. The 550 is sort of the Sherman tank of progressive presses.

650 is more complicated, you cannot back up, faster, but more prone to misadjustments or, malfunctions. More expensive.

I have one of each. I use the 550 more often than the 650.

Both are good sturdy presses and about as reliable as a progressive gets. The Dillon warranty and customer support is second to none.

 

[ladder13]

............................................... I do not intend on ever needing to go super razoo with auto feeders, etc. and am happy with putting out a couple hundred an hour..................

Then a 550 is as much as you need. I've used one for 30 years, and have no desire to "upgrade". Manual indexing works just fine for me.

Even a Lee Classic Turret would suit your needs. Heresy!

 

[fredj338]

You just remove the fail safe bar. There's really nothing challenging or time consuming about it that I can see.

That doesn't stop the powder drop completely & is far more time consuming and the shell plate still advances automatically. Jmo based on running both.
Again, a 650 w/o case feeder is not really faster. You still have to feed bullets & cases.

 

[Skeet 028]

I've used all of the Dillon machines even from wayyy back. I use the 650s and 1050s because it takes less time and also because I will never forget to manually advance the shellplate. One of the main problems I had with the Mec 650 and with the 550. The 550 is a great machine. Not dissing it..just not for me. As far as the powder settling. Yeah..it does slightly even when not being used. BUT..in 5 minutes sitting? Nah. Now then I don't run my loads at max either..so a tiny bit of + or - will not matter. I must agree though..if you let powder sit overnight yep it will surely settle a fair amount. The one gripe if you want to call it that with the Dillon machine's powder measure is there is no easy way to drain the measure. I know there is a fix for this by another company but no way to completely empty the darn thing. So I have a tendency to load to a certain point of powder in the measure..Usually a 1/3 left. then dismount it and empty it... or take the whole die plate off. Still either way a PITA

 

[Skeet 028]

Oh if I remember correctly the Dillon Shotshell loader had a shot measure that could be mostly emptied. But not completely. Powder?? No don't think it had a empty feature. No longer have one and since I have CRS disease..ummm what was I saying?

 

[John R]

I've loaded on both, the 650 wins hands down IMHO.

The 650 is what I bought.

 

[lrrifleman]

I have a Dillon 550B that I use for most of my handgun ammo and non-match rifle ammo. For my match rifle ammo, I use a single stage press.

I will admit up front, I am cheap, especially since I am now on fixed income. Currently, my 550B is used for 38 Special wadcutter, 38 Special SWC, 9mm, and 45 ACP. Down the road, I may purchase a conversion kit for my 41 Magnum. Converting between cartridges is relatively easy, the only thing I may consider is an extra powder measure.

I have had no issues with the pistol powders I have used (Bullseye and WW231), but these powders are becoming increasingly difficult to find. When it comes to rifle ammo, I will not use stick powder because of throwing issues. For non-match ammo, I will only use ball powder.

In all honesty, after 3-4 hours at my press, I can have all of my handgun ammo reloaded, for all cartridges. I have about 1500 cases, and I usually run out of cast bullets before I run out of cases. In virtually all respects for my needs, a case feeder (hence, 650) is a waste of money.

My suggestion is to identify what your current ammo consumption is, and your ability to stockpile components. Once you identify your needs, I would then select the press. For me, my 550B meets my current needs, and any increased need that may arise. I tend to find that my current setup keeps my shooting costs down, and my casting and loading sessions tend to add to the relaxation that I get from a shooting session.

 

[fredj338]

I've loaded on both, the 650 wins hands down IMHO.

The 650 is what I bought.

With or without the case feeder? A 650 w/o feeder is kind of a pita, not any faster than a 550. Auto indexing is really over rated IMO. The 5th station is nice though for a powder check die for rifle especially. Add the case feeder, doesn't get much better than a 650 for the $$.
BTW, even if you don't need the volume of ammo any good progressive can make, the fewer handle pulls adds up over the years. There really is no downside to using a progressive vs say a turret, but cost. $$ I can make, time I can not. I shutter to think of loading even 200rds of pistol ammo on a ss press again.
For the doubting types, weigh your last powder throw, then walk away for 5min, come back & weigh your first throw, it will be heavier. How much will depend on the powder type. Yes, not a huge issue if you are loading well below max.