die Brands for Dillon 550

[Leeroy]

Any pros and cons to using non Dillon dies?
I have some Lee dies in .45ACP here,how will these be?
What about die calibers that are unavailable through Dillon?

 

[Rottweiler]

Any dies will work in a Dillon 550b that are standard thread. 7/8-14 tpi Most of my dies are not Dillon

 

[loadedround]

As Rotteiler has stated "any 7/8x14 tpi will work in a Dillon press" or any other press as a matter of fact. However as an owner of two Dillon 550's, I have found that the Dillon dies are made especially for their presses and that their sizing/depriming die has a much larger radius at the bottom and it's much easier to insert a pistol case in this die without having to hold it in place which happens with other brands. Also Dillon dies can be taken apart for cleaning by just removing a pin. Very handy when loading a quantity of lubed lead bullets. To top things off, you can't beat Dillon's no BS warranty if you break or damage something. Why put a Ford part in a Chevy truck!

 

[freakshow10mm]

I use Redding Pro Series dies exclusively in pistol cartridges and use their rifle dies for everything too, except the rifles get the FCD from Lee. I use the Profile Crimp dies from Redding in pistol.

 

[Oro]

I have used RCBS dies in my Dillon 550 since new 15 years ago - at the time, that was what folks recommended - Dillon press, RCBS dies. I have used Dillon dies in a Square Deal B in the past and the product was definitely not as consistent as the the RCBS dies in the 550.

For auto cartridges, I like RCBS dies with a Lee FCD in the last position in the 550. For revolver cartridges, I am less particular about brand and I skip the Lee FCD. if I were shooting competitively I would use the Lee FCD for revolvers, too.

 

[loadedround]

Oro: For the record and not to confuse people. The Dillon dies used on a Dillon Square Deal B press are not standard 7/8x14 tps dies that would be used on a Dillon 550 or 650 press. These dies are Dillon's proprietary dies that will NOT fit or work in either of Dillon's full size 550 or 650 press. I was referring to Dillon's standard reloading dies designed for the aforementioned two presses. No way could you possibly mount Square Deal dies in these two presses.

 

[243winxb]

Dillon, their sizing/depriming die has a much larger radius at the bottom and it's much easier to insert a pistol case in this die without having to hold it in place which happens with other brands.

Redding also has a larger radius.

 

[Clarence]

I've got 3 sets of Dillon dies and quite honestly I can't think of anything I don't like about them.

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

As long as you are going to leave all of your dies in the tool head without adjusting any of them, Dillon dies will work well in a Dillon press. However, Dillon lock rings do not have a set screw or anything to hold the setting should you need to remove a die from the tool head. The Dillon seating die is not capable of crimping while seating, requiring a separate station to crimp even roll crimped cartridges that are easily crimped while seating bullets. The Dillon's seating depth must be adjusted by loosening the die lock nut, screwing the die body in and out of the tool head, and re-tightening the lock ring. The easy to clean features of the Dillon seating die are also available on the Hornady seating die, plus it has a floating alignment sleeve, crimp capability, and optional micrometer seating depth adjustment, none of which are available on the Dillon seating die.

Andy

 

[loadedround]

BigJake: Dillon pistol dies are designed to seat and crimp with two separate dies and Dillon advertises that fact. I believe that more consistent ammo is made by using these two separate dies and it is also much easier to adjust these dies in set up or a different bullet style is used. Most of us who load many different calibers do keep our dies locked into a separate tool head...much faster caliber changover. BTW, Redding and other die makers sell a premium four die set that seats and crimps with separate dies.

 

[atblis]

Also

One other thing to consider is that in the case of the XL650 press (don't know about the 550), the tool head is thick (the part you thread the dies into). While you can use any regular die as it is the standard thread, sometimes dies are too short. My Lee dies just barely fit. I've read that the newer LEE dies are longer for this reason.

 

[GaryL]

My Lee dies just barely fit. I've read that the newer LEE dies are longer for this reason.

The older ones do work as you stated, but just barely.

I have dies from Lee, RCBS, Hornady, and 1 <one> Dillon die set for the 550. They all work just fine.

 

[billybob44]

Lee Dies in RL550 Dillon Press.

Leeroy,good quest. Years ago I was having problems getting my Lee Carbide Size die to adjust down far enough in my Dillon RL550.The Lee die would run out of threads before it was down close enough to the shell plate. I called Dillon about the problem, and they sent me a shim kit to install under the ram platform, to move the shell plate closer to the die. This kit came with all the tools, and parts to install, at NO charge from Dillon. I think that is GREAT on their part. The shim kit is still in place, and has no adverse affect when using any brand of dies, although I am trying to replace all my old pistol dies with New Dimension Dillon Dies.

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

It should be noted that seating dies that can crimp can also be adjusted to seat only (or crimp only), making them more flexible.

If Dillon press users typically set their dies once and forget them, then it shouldn't matter if it is a wee bit harder to set seat and crimp adjustments on the same die. On the other hand, if they don't leave the same setting forever, the advantages of an easier to adjust seating die with a depth adjustment screw, especially if used as a seat-only die, are apparent, and available at less cost than a set of Dillon dies.

Most die manufacturers offer separate crimp dies (sometimes in the die set, sometimes not), but none besides Dillon decided to neuter their seating die by removing both the crimp ring and the adjustment screw, and then charging more for the privilege.

Andy

 

[loadedround]

BigJake: You pay the money, you get the choice. Next time I'm in Texas I'll buy the first two cold ones and we'll continue the argument. Peace and good shooting.

 

[Maj Dad]

Use 'Em All

The long, the short and the tall... I have almost all brands of dies in my 550 and they all work great. I pay a lot attention when I load, and know that some are less-radius-ed than others and require attention not required by those others. If you are hell-bent-for-leather and volume, the Dillon dies are your first choice; otherwise, use 'em all...

 

[rfwobbly]

I use 'em all becasue I already own them all, but the one Dillon set I have is really growing on me. if I had to buy new die set today, even with the extra cost, I think I'd buy a set of Dillon dies.

My Dillon 9mm die set just seems to work better in my 550B than my Lee or Redding sets. Not only do they feed cases better, but I seem to have less crud on the press after an evening of reloading.

Just my 2 cents.