You did OK, that press will give you many years of use. I've owned Dillons for the past 10 years. Started with a 550, bought a used 1050, sold the 550 and bought a 650. Never a problem with any of them, but there are some things you will learn along the way.
Finally took the plunge with Dillon
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MoreIsLess
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Since you have both the Lee Classic Turret and the 550B, I'll ask you, how much heavier is the Dillon than the Lee. Hopefully, I won't end up having to get a new reloading bench for it,
It isn't so much the weight of the press as the wobble in your bench. Less is better.
A progressive press has a lot of things going on at the same time and wobbles and jiggles tend to unsettle things, like flipping primers sideways or upside down, bouncing shells in the plate so they don't line up as well as they could, leading to crushing things.
Dillon recommends at least an inch of ply if that is what you have, similarly strong hardwood, and secured to a wall/weighed down heavily.
I did all three, my bench is small(20"x40") but the top is 1 1/2 inch ply made of two sheets of 3/4 birch glued and screwed, and the frame is lag screwed into a wall stud. With 300lbs of bullets and ammo on the lower bench shelves I'm not getting much jiggle.
A progressive press has a lot of things going on at the same time and wobbles and jiggles tend to unsettle things, like flipping primers sideways or upside down, bouncing shells in the plate so they don't line up as well as they could, leading to crushing things.
Dillon recommends at least an inch of ply if that is what you have, similarly strong hardwood, and secured to a wall/weighed down heavily.
I did all three, my bench is small(20"x40") but the top is 1 1/2 inch ply made of two sheets of 3/4 birch glued and screwed, and the frame is lag screwed into a wall stud. With 300lbs of bullets and ammo on the lower bench shelves I'm not getting much jiggle.
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Would you happen to remember what size bolts (e.g. #10 1", #6 2") it takes to bolt it down. I'm not talking about the strong mount, I didn't order one, although I might get one. I'm referrring to bolting the base down to the bench.Just got this mounted up today.
It is a solid tool(And it is large, the LCT is tiny next to it. ).
Good thing the bench is 1 1/2" hard ply screwed down, lagged into the wall also.
Bought through Enos, with the 'as it should be' pack and casefeeder also.
My 550B is supposed to be here next Tuesday and I thought I'd ge the bolts ahead of time so I can get started as soon as I get home from work instead of having to run to the hardware store. I have some left over ones from my Lee but they may not be the same size.
Damon555
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If your bench is the right height you won't need the strong mount.
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fehhkk
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I really want a Dillon 550b, but i have all Lee dies... I wonder if this is a problem
Damon555
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What makes you think Lee dies would be a problem? Trust me, they work just fine....
apachejack
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I have had my 550 for a few years now and have put out thousands of rounds of ammo. I just bought the case feeder for it and haven't put it on yet. I have been told that it will speed up my output by 50%. I know it works well on my sl900. You have made a great purchase and you will enjoy it for many years. I still use my rock chucker for a lot of my rifle loads though. Just can't make myself get away from it.
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