Dillon owners a couple of questions.

[jenrob]

dang snuffy
How come mine only has 5 stations? Is the sixth station like the 19th hole on a golf course? Just picking on ya jenrob.

guess I got a littttttle carried away with my typing It was supposed to be 5 station vs 4.
Out of the Dillon and Hornady they both have there problems. If it were me doing it again I would buy Either the Hornady or the 650 which ever one I could get at the time that I was looking. Now to say something that I'll get pounded for there the same press ones red ones blue setup a little different. one takes tool heads one take bushings. Guess this means that I'm not one of those brand loyalest.

I hear all these thing you can make a lot of bad rounds in a short time with a 650 as well you can do the same on a 550. man if I get 400 rounds an hour out of my Hornady I'm feeling pretty good about it. that being said I have to be on the ball loading primes and have the make sure everything is set ready to go. I want to see a video just 5 min long of somebody doing over 900 rounds an hour. Not to say it can't be done but just to see it. at a 1000 rounds an hour that is about 3.5 seconds per round now take 10 refills on primers at about 10 seconds a refill man your cookin my arm hurts thinking about that.

 

[Roccobro]

Then why are those folks on that thread having so much trouble?

Most of those problems listed are only seen by the OP. I have had none. I must be the odd man out? I'm actually thankful that there is a list of possible problems and solutions should I need to check myself before calling Hornady CS.

I still see threads every other day on owners having problems with their Dillons. Maybe I should start logging all those threads for you as a "fact" that Dillon is not a good press. But please, lets not go there, here. They both make ammo fast.

The first posts is asking the difference between the 550 and 650. he says he already CHOSE the LNL but they are out because of popularity. Imagine that.

Lets just help present Goose with FACTS to choose his second choice press and be done with it?

I want to see a video just 5 min long of somebody doing over 900 rounds an hour. Not to say it can't be done but just to see it. at a 1000 rounds an hour that is about 3.5 seconds per round now take 10 refills on primers at about 10 seconds a refill man your cookin my arm hurts thinking about that.

I wasn't even going to touch that, but I'm curious too...

Justin

 

[dmftoy1]

I want to see a video just 5 min long of somebody doing over 900 rounds an hour. Not to say it can't be done but just to see it. at a 1000 rounds an hour that is about 3.5 seconds per round now take 10 refills on primers at about 10 seconds a refill man your cookin my arm hurts thinking about that.

I can easily see where it can be done at that rate but I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it. For me about 800 rounds an hour is a pretty reasonable rate with a 650 and a casefeeder. (and a vibra-prime) I am pretty anal about visually checking every load (even with a powder check alarm) and if something doesn't feel right then I'll stop and and take a look and figure out what's going on. While high rates are definately achievable I'd feel pretty nervous shooting ammo if I was consistently cranking it out as fast as I can. The one thing I have to say about the 650 (and probably the LNL) is that you really do need a low primer alarm as it's very easy to run through 100 primers.

 

[redneck2]

The problem with threads like this..

Different shooters have different needs. A guy that wants to crank out 5,000 rounds of pistol ammo to blast at plates has different needs from a bench rest shooter

Somebody that has multiple calibers or does load development has different needs.

I have a 550. I personally like the fact that it is manual advance. Load development is a PITA with auto advance IMO. I also load for over a dozen calibers, so conversion time (and to a smaller extent cost) is somewhat a factor.

I had to chance to trade pretty much even up for a 650 with case feeder and passed. Trouble was, wrong calibers. Also, I didn't want to spend lots of time making caliber changes. With the 550 and tool heads, it just takes typically a minute or two per swap.

 

[caz223]

Yeah, I hate changing over.
To the point where I almost bought a loadmaster in each caliber I load, as opposed to 2 optioned out 550s and 10 deluxe quick change kits.
It's rare for me to load more than 3 hours on a single caliber, I ususally run low on everything all at once.

 

[jarhead]

I haven't had a problem hitting 1000+ per hour... Dillon 1050 with two RF100 primer fillers! On the flip side, if you need me to change calibers (especially if a different primer size) that tends to cut into my production time considerably and can become a rather drawn out affair.

 

[mallc]

Add a vote for the 650

One more for the XL650 with case feed. Bought mine at the end of the NRA Reloading Class. We had hands on with everything from Lee Loaders to the 650.

It takes a bit of tinkering to get a tool head set up but once it's set, its pretty much plug and play. I've put about 15 lbs of powder through it in 3 calibers the first year.

The 650 is not a good press for working up loads, That means you get to buy another press for that part.

Scott

 

[bigbird1]

The fact is the lock N load is comparable to the 650 , they are both great presses, have excellent service on both, They all have problems , just at the moment horned has a deal the price Dillon can't beat. I personally think hornady is selling below cost just to get them out there and make a name for themselves. Get Dillon to lower their price and it would be a tie for sure!!

 

[Luggernut]

I love reading these threads--- so much widely varying info. I've heard different people say that they get 200 to 800 on the same press. Well I have the LNL and if I preload the primer tubes and don't measure an occasional load, COL or check primer seating I'm sure I could crank out the higher side of that. But what's missing in these discussions is the operator's skill and our desire for good quality control. I also tend to have to slow down with mixed brass as different primer pockets don't seem to seat as consistently as say an entire batch of nice Federal or Starline brass.

Here are some things that DO have an impact and need to be considered:

Auto indexing- no question this speeds things up an possibly helps prevent double charges.

Case feeder- I don't have one but that impacts throughput for sure. I've seen them in action.

Extra stations- I want a powder cop and separate seating/crimping station- that needs 5 stations. Very important to me.

IMO- I'd only consider the 650 or LNL or above... regardless of volume.

 

[jenrob]

My Hornady has a case feeder and a Dillon powder die alarm and I still wouldn't feel comfortable pushing out over 500 an hour.
But as said the ? was which one and why basically.
Now if I was only loading Rifle it would be the 550 (really I would just do a single stage) if I was doing pistol I would get the 650 to take advantage of the 5 stations and use a powder die as it is made for pistol not rifle.
I still want to see a 5min video of somebody pumping out 900-1000 rounds an hour. I think it would just amaze me. seeing somebody move that fast reload primers and pull that handle that fast. I would be in ahh.

 

[jenrob]

Wow after I posted that and read it it sounds like I am putting the 550 with a single stage. This was not at all myy intentions. I think the 550 is a great press I have used one a few times and really like it but I prefer the 605 or Hornady for the extra that they have.

 

[SR_]

Goose,

If you're OK with just pistol rounds, take a look at the Dillon Square Deal B. It is often overlooked.

I have two - just too lazy to switch over the primer feed so one is set for large primers and one is set for small primers.

If you load straight walled cases (.38, .357 Mag, .45, 9mm) you're fine. It will not handle necked down cases - for example the .357Sig round. It will not load rife ammo.

I'd love to have a 650 with a brass feeder but I often load at night when my wife is sleeping and don't want the noise of the case feeder. I'm OK with the speed of the SDB and it pumps out flawless ammo. Some don't like that it only uses Dillon dies - but given the cost of the machine, that is not a big deal.

I have the various die sets on tool heads making change over a breeze. I even have 3 powder measures so I don't reset powder setting. (If I did it again, I'd just get extra powder measure slides - a much less expensive way to keep your powder setting).

Now if money is not an object, get the Dillion 1050 Super - you can specify the primer depth setting and those things really fly. I've never heard anyone say that they don't like their 1050. However, tool heads and accessories are pretty pricey.

 

[stubbicatt]

I really like my Super 1050 press. I use it for reloading 223 ammo from once fired GI brass with primer crimp intact. That's the only way I will buy my brass, this way I know how many times it has been fired. It is convenient because station two swages out the primer crimp.

If I were to do it over again, I think I would get the 650. It is an excellent press, and allows the loading of commercial brass just as fast, and is easier to change out toolheads and shellplates.

 

[ramcphee]

Hornady verus Dillon

Goose 5:

I have owned and loaded on both the Hornady LNL, and the Dillon XL 650.

Both machines can load a lot of ammo quickly, however they both have there own quirks. The Hornady's case retaining spring around the shell plate is an almost constant source of annoyance; this spring will come apart as you are using the press. It can be screwed back together but you must remove all the cases in the shell plate that are at various stages of assembly. I've tried using super glue to hold this spring together (suggested by Hornady's technical staff) didn't work. If you use a lock out die on your press another little problem arises. After you place a bullet in the case mouth, you must keep a finger on the case so it will enter the seating die and not fall out of the shell plate. The shell plate retaining spring dips down at this point and does not keep tension on the case in the shell plate. The case feeder assembly constantly needs to be re-adjusted, as it comes out of alignment easily. The LNL requires a shortened seating die that will not hit the case ejection spring; if the die hits the ejection spring you cannot complete the stroke. You can remove the ejection spring but then you have a progressive machine that doesn't auto eject the completed round. Hornady's dies have this shortened seating die other die manufacturers do not. "The press uses all standard 7/8 x14 dies" yes it does as long as you have the seating die shorten at a machine shop. The last thing about the LNL is the case feeder is loud, and will not feed the last six of so cases. A small point but valid.

The Dillon XL650 has two annoying points; both are in regards to the primers. Primers will jump out of the spent primer cup and bounce on the floor, not all the time but enough to be really annoying. Secondly if a case fails to feed into the shell plate, thus producing a empty space in the shell plate, a primer is fed and when not used dropped to a ramp to be collected and reused, which at time lets the primer hit the floor (this ramp is referred to as a ski jump by 650 owners ).

Both of Dillon’s problems are easily cured as listed on many posts on the web.

Bases on the problems that I have experienced with the Hornady LNL, I have sold that machine and have kept the Dillon 650. Keeping alignment of systems such as the case feeder is a none issue with Dillon, the locator buttons are a must better system (in my opinion) that the shell plate retaining spring.

If you load a multitude of calibers the Hornady is a must cheaper investment over the Dillon. However I have always believed that expensive is cheap, and cheap is expensive. Good luck with your decision, I just felt you should have information from someone that has owned and used both machines.

 

[Kingcreek]

Half of all my reloading is for .45 and I have a Dillon Square Deal dedicated to that. everything else (5 rifle and 4 pistol calibers) can be done very well on my Dillon 550B. Never tried to set any round count records because quality means more to me than speed. Dillon customer service is excellent plus.

 

[Roccobro]

If you're OK with just pistol rounds, take a look at the Dillon Square Deal B. It is often overlooked.

I have read sooo many times that if you never need to change calibers and load pistols cartridges, the SDB is an awesome machine. Comes with the dies you'll be loading for and is consistent in churning out quality rounds.

If I didn't have to present a "reloading budget" to the boss before getting into reloading, I would have planned out multiple machines. Now I know why having more than one is so important for a nut like me.

Justin

 

[highlander 5]

I have had both the 550b and the 650xl and personally for lack of aggravation the 550 is better and the cost of tool heads and shell plates are cheaper.
I have 2 650s and load both rifle and pistol with them. The reason I have 2 is changing the primer cups is a royal PITA because there is no room to get a wrench into such a tight space. BTW I load 223,7.62x39,308,40/65 and 45/70 on my 650. Oh in case your wondering the shell plate kits are $60 apiece for the 650 but I don't remember the cost of the kits for the 550 but its quite a bit less

 

[mike_in_md]

I have a Dillon 550B and 450 rounds per hour is what I consider to be the upper end of the capability for speed. I usually will do about 300 rounds the first hour and then work my way up to about 400 rounds per hour. Trying to go like a bat out of hell usually causes me to make mistakes and will drop me down to 250 per hour due to mistakes. Now if you add a casefeeder on a Dillon 550b you will get about another 100 rounds per hour. There is a major problem with Dillon 550 casefeeders and that is that they currently will only work with pistol cases. The Dillon 550 casefeeder does not work with rifle cases, and Dillon has stated that they gave up trying to get the casefeeder to work with rifle cases...so, keep that in mind if you want a progessive loader for both pistol and rifle and use a casefeeder. If that is the case, get a Hornady or Dillon 650.

One big plus for a Dillon 550B is that it always works...every pull!

 

[Seiko]

I have a 650, and just got a used 550 (that I haven't used yet)

I Love my 650. I think it is worth the extra $100 just not to have to index the shell plate after every pull. I recommend you go do some reading brian enos has some really well thought out writing on the Dillon machines.

Now If your just going to be shooting one or two pistol calibers I would get a Square deal b. But if you plan on doing more then that, or switching often Id go with the 650-550

 

[RugerGuy]

Seiko, I'm in the other boat. I've got a 550B that I've had and a XL650 that I haven't set up all the way yet. 300 rds an hour is all I'll do with my 550 because I stop occasionally to check my OAL and powder weights. I use TiteGroup so I don't want any double charges. BOTH of my presses I could probably sell for what I paid for them. Because I don't load rifle or that many calibers if I had to do it all over again I might just buy a XL650 with a few extra Deluxe Caliber Changes. BTW, this is a great thread !!

 

[dougestyle]

I have a 550B and really like it overall. Just a couple of bad things though. First, I find it a little expensive to change calibers (although not compaired to the 650). Second, when I reload for accurate rifle rounds, I end up using it as a single stage anyway- not Dillons fault though. In the end its a good loader especially if you want to do a lot of rounds quickly.

 

[Nnobby45]

Which Dillon?

http://www.brianenos.com/pages/dillon.html#which

 

[Roccobro]

Wow, I must be "we todd did." I didn't realize the SDB was auto-indexing.

Funny how the above article says it "unnecessarily complicates things."

Justin

 

[Jacka L Ope]

I've had my RL550 since '86. Never have experienced any "slop" in any of my tool heads. Nor am I inclined to "move up" to the 650. Haven't any problems with it. Still cranks out rounds as reliably as ever and Dillon's support is still rock solid.

 

[Kingcreek]

Dougestyle

Second, when I reload for accurate rifle rounds, I end up using it as a single stage anyway- not Dillons fault though.

How does that help?