used Dillon RL550

OK price, not a steal.

Not bad price, I paid $400 for my used 550B and it had Dillon dies for 45acp & 223Rem and a strong mount.

just paid 430 for a used 650 with 3 quick change setups, I'd keep looking if it were me

angus6 said:

just paid 430 for a used 650 with 3 quick change setups, I'd keep looking if it were me

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OK, I understand that deals come and go but this was a steal.

-StaTiK-

You are looking at well over $500 worth of Dillon reloading equipment for $330.00 and you don't own it yet? I have a round handle on mine and it's two months old. The lever handle is another upgrade to the system. If this had been available when I was shopping for one, I would have snatched up in a heart beat. I personally don't believe that you will find a better buy on a used RL550B. Lifetime "no nonsense" warranty is just what it says. You could be reloading by now. Tsk!

I bought a brand new 550b for $312 online (granted, with no caliber conversions). If you are patient, deals come around.

Thats not bad I paid 429.95 + S/H. for mine NIB

That's what he is ASKING, not what he will take. He probably bought the whole setup for pennies on the dollar from a widow. $330 is not bad, but offer him $300.

If you can get those other die plates and powder measures for at least $25% less than current price, grab them, too.

A new 550b less dies and shipping is $430.

Oh, and that "older is better than new" is nothing more than a sales tactic. Dillon doesn't cheapen their products over time. They started out with an excellent design that was copied from the Star reloader (still in steady use today) and designed the 550 for everyday use. Any improvements made over time were minor and mostly involved optional accessories. I bought mine around 1995 and if I were to remove the addons, most people would be hard-pressed to tell it from a brand new one. The only improvement mine doesn't have that I am aware of is the steel plate the primer slide moves back and forth on now has a slippery coating on it; mine is merely blued.

I think it is a pretty good deal, a 550 complete in one caliber with strong mount for $330.
How long are you willing to wait and how hard are you willing to search to find one for $18 less? But I do agree with Kevin, horsetrade if you can.

Oh, yeah,
"I didn't look what brand a shellplate will come with the dies"
does not compute. A Dillon will take almost any standard 7/8x14 die but it has to have a Dillon shellplate. Well, there is one guy making custom shellplates with claims of better alignment for match ammo, but I doubt you are seeing those.

No on auto indexing. If you want that, get a 650.

I owned a 650, but went back to my 550. I prefer the greater control, ease of correcting mistakes, faster caliber changes, and cheaper caliber changes with the 550 when compared to the 650.

Disregard Dillon's $385 price and look at the $430 price. The press is useless w/o the conversion kit.

Try for $300 w/ a conversion kit, then go from there if you want everything (plates, conversion kits you will use, powder measures, powder dies, stands, etc). Don't buy anything you absolutely won't use.

I am against buying used dies unless I know they were taken care of.

Striker Fired said:

your right about buying from a widow,It was a friend of his, so he says, that passed away this spring. I'm just looking at the fact that Dillon has this one on the web for $385, new,This one is older,no real upgrades but the strong mount and one more die head, thats it.I'm going to see how much he'll come down or if he will throw in another tool head and the second powder measure.Since new die plates are $22 from Dillon I figure these are worth $15 ish each.
Maybe for $400 I'l try to get all 5 or 6 die plates and shellholders,plus both measures with the press.
Can a person make the 550 auto index?

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The indexing feature on a 550 is called your left thumb and is the only thing that Dillon will not warranty.

It is the older one with a round handle

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What older model ? From what I read on the Dillon site the roller handle is "optional" which meas you have to buy it extra. You need to read the fine print.
I have used a RL550 since the '80s but if I were to be starting out now I'd spend a little more and get the XL650.

I'm feeling more & more blessed everyday.

To make a long story short, in Nov 2010, I bought a "Never Been Used" RL550B for $150.
It was in the box, not a scratch, ding or dent on it.
The receipt said the guy bought it in 1993.

It came with Redding 45-70 gov dies & caliber conversion.
Sold them & bought 2 caliber conversions.

So $330. is too much for a used one.
Even if I were looking today, I'd still pass.

I do not have any Dillon presses but I have many others. All purchased used. My personal idea is the max I would pay for a used anything is 1/2 full cost. I do not need anything so bad that I can't wait a while and attempt to find a better deal. I may someday need an item and change my mind but until now this attitude has served me well. Only you can call the price you are willing to pay but do not move in haste IMHO. If that press does not sell any time soon then the seller will be much more willing to deal and you will win on that front. I would not pay so much for that press but if ALL the extras were thrown in I would consider it more closely, probably not get it at that price I would be more interested for sure.

StaTiK said:

OK, I understand that deals come and go but this was a steal.

-StaTiK-

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No the steal was the week before on a decked out 1050 set up , lets just say the extras more then covered the purchase price. Figure the press was free

Like the guy above said unless it's 1/2 price keep looking if your not in need right then

I'm all for holding out for a good deal, but few of us will ever find a complete 550b with caliber conversion and dies for $150.

-StaTiK-

So, let's price this out, as new:

Dillon RL550b $429.95
Strong Mount $47.95
Tool Head $21.95
Low Powder Sensor $41.95
Lee pistol dies (Deluxe) $34.95

Total: $576.75 plus probably $35 shipping

I think this hits the 50% of new value threshold for buying.

Even better if you could talk the seller down a few bucks and/or get more of the other items included.

-John

K.Roher,this press looks more worn/ gringy/older looking than that.Plus by the looks of it your die plate is blue,all the die plates for this one are bare cast aluminum.Is that a sign of even older?

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The die plates have always been bare aluminum. Mine is out-of-sight beneath the top rim of the press.

As for your looking grungy, many people don't bother to keep their presses clean. You can eat off mine (if you don't mind the taste of Breakfree).

Also, the 550 has always come w/ a ball-handle; the roller-type is an option. I added the roller, tools, and Strong-Mount recently and am pretty happy. Before doing so I was considering getting rid of the 550 to be replaced w/ something else, as I was tired of having to perform the Dillon Lean. Once I added the Strong-Mount, I decided to keep it, but an considering shortening the handle a bit.

As far has the price another way to lokk at it is the ten years from now how much is it going to be worth?$300-$330?As long as it doesn't get all beat up and stays all lubed properly it won't go down much if any in value,so I would get to use it for years basically free.Buy a new one and it will go down in value just because of being used.

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Dillons do NOT depreciate with age, unless someone is foolish enough to sell one at a price less than what's it's worth. They also seldom get sold, unless the owner is upgrading to a bigger model (450 to 550B, 500B to 650 or 1050). The only times they are for sale is if the owner is upgrading, getting out of reloading, or dies.

I had a used reloading equipment dealer recently tell me that he seldom gets any Dillon stuff to sell and when he does, they go for premium prices.

As long as Dillon keeps raising their prices, your Dillon will keep appreciating in value.

I would ask, what are you going to load your ammo on while waiting for that $150 Dillon to fall in your lap?

I knew a guy who admired my 1911 and wanted one like it, but was unwilling to pay the going price. He waited and waited and sure enough got one for a very low price. But it took him five years. I guess that worked for him, he did not shoot a lot and the Deal was more important to him than the use of the gun.