In total, loaded up 1244 RN and another 80 SWC with the case feeder. The second batch was way more consistent. I rotated the tubes at the right time far more often, though I still let it run dry two or three times.
Keeping a handful of brass in a bin by the press is a must to make sure you top off the bottom tube when you are late rotating the tubes.
I may drill a hole to put a pin to stop the shuttle from pushing a new case in. If something goes wrong elsewhere (forget to put a bullet on station 3) and cycle it, you need a way to turn off the case feeder.
Didn't have any more upside down cases in the second batch. Collator worked perfectly.
I had a few not get all the way into the shell plate, but I loosened up my shell plate bolt maybe an 1/16th of a turn (I have the roller bearing for the shell plate) and it ran much better. Again, use minimal force to get the ram up to that point and you won't ruin any cases. I only smashed one today, and that was in the first hundred rounds.
I timed two stretches of 210ish rounds, each about 17-18min. That was two tube sets ready to go, plus a bunch of filled primer tubes, and a comfortable pace. I don't believe any reasonable reloaders will go any faster than that. Call it 650-700 rounds per hour when you're setup ready to go.
I might have gotten my 3.5yo to fill a tube set. He loved the sound and shaking it. Unfortunately his attention span didn't hold, but I have hope for the future.
This makes me want a primer tube filler, but it would pain me to buy the Dillon one for $400. If you had one of those, you'd only have to stop for two minutes every 204 rounds of 38spec to reload the tubes. Or train a minion (child labor) to do it for you!
I considered a 650 or 750, but realized I'm already bought in to the 550 with tool heads, conversion kits, etc. It wouldn't be as simple as buying the press since I'd spend another $600-$700 to have what I do for the 550. And for the volume I reload, the 550 will work fine.
Overall I'm happy with the purchase. I have zero experience with the Dillon version, and the automatic collator would be nice, but not for $400 again. Price is is probably a little better for what you get with the DAA.