New Dillon...

[Rsadams]

You will be pleased with the Dillon 550. It appears that you are a fairly experienced reloader, so the only advice I can give at this time is you will develop a "feel" for the Dillon, and if it doesn't feel right... STOP!!!
Dillon makes it easy to stop and restart with their brass buttons being removeable to remove a case from a station.

The Dillon dies are great for pistol, the large radius makes it easy for the case to find it's way into the sizer, even if it doesn't start out straight. This radius does not allow you to size as far down as some other brands, but there is a simple solution for that, the Lee carbide factory crimp die in station 4.
https://leeprecision.com/reloading-dies/hand-gun-dies/lee-carbide-factory-crimp-die/

I use this on my dillons for my 9mm, 45 and 40S&W. I do not use the crimper at this station, but the carbide rim resizes the case to insure no wrinkles, or bulges. I started using this for IDPA matches, so I didn't produce a round that would not chamber.

Thanks for all the replies , I plan on going slow to learn the setup and machine and the feel , I have a ton of range brass to practice with , kinda how I started reloading , I understand there will be mistakes at first... I have the Lee FCD for all my pistols and really like it , I use Lee 4 die sets... BUT I did go ahead and order the Dillon dies for 9mm even though I have the Lee 4 die set for it already , it was hard to spend $70 bucks on another set of dies but I thought it would be good since it will be loading alot of 9mm. For my .223 I am going to try my RCBS S/B dies I have been using because it's for the AR platform... Or if the Dillon dies are worth it go ahead and buy a few sets....

 

[argrendel]

Just throwing this out there. Don’t load a bunch of ammo. Check and double check your charge weight. Same with adjusting dies. I use a case gauge to make sure sizer and seater are correct. Function test and make sure your happy. I know you said you don’t load volume, but it sucks to find out something is wrong after 500+ rounds are loaded. For me, 200-250 rounds pre hour is a slow steady pace for pistol. The 550 is so worth the money!

 

[Zero333]

I love my XL-650.

For 9mm Luger, TiteGroup powder is awesome. It's very accurate and meters like water through the Dillon powder throw.

If you pick up 9mm range brass, be careful. I've found many split/ruptured casings. Inspect every single one thoroughly. It's time consuming but I do it.

 

[Rsadams]

Just throwing this out there. Don’t load a bunch of ammo. Check and double check your charge weight. Same with adjusting dies. I use a case gauge to make sure sizer and seater are correct. Function test and make sure your happy. I know you said you don’t load volume, but it sucks to find out something is wrong after 500+ rounds are loaded. For me, 200-250 rounds pre hour is a slow steady pace for pistol. The 550 is so worth the money!

This is exactly why I don't load bulk , I learned that lesson when I first started years ago... I prepped 200+ .223 brass when I was learning and threw them bagged up in a bucket , three or so years later I found them and when I checked them they were no good dies not set up correctly etc... I just tossed them and learned to only reload what I need in case of bad powder , primers , bullets etc....

 

[DirtySteve]

I have two 550's and love them. I can second the "if something don't feel right stop" reply. If something goes awry while loading stop and set the complete round a side. Remove the other cases and verify the last operation was completed. Meaning one should have powder primer and no bullet, one should have just been primed. One you verify the last operation was completed place them back in the correct position and drive on. I highly recommend InLineFabrication too. Also get a Lee Factory crimp die. It will be your best friend when loading pistol ammo. Edited... I see you already have the Lee Factory Crimp Die.. Good deal..

 

[Bc'z]

Dont forget to grab a few extra Akrobins

 

[Rsadams]

Thanks everyone for your replies... I am hoping to have it setup by next week , being a holiday it's going to take a bit longer to receive... Once I get it up and running , I have a few more things to order ( light kit etc ) and it will be good to go on my Dillon journey...

 

[Lefty Trigger]

While I love my Dillon for reloading more than any other press I have owned there is a bad side to owning a Dillon. I used to sit at my reloading bench for a few hours almost every night making up ammo for shooting on the weekend. Now with my Dillon I can make several weekends worth in just a couple of hours,... then I'm bored! Looking for stuff to do I find myself cleaning the reloading room, lubing equipment, sorting brass and watching cat videos on youtube. Welcome to the Dillon club....

 

[Rsadams]

It's on the way should be here on Saturday....