Dillion 550 question.

[Hoekight]

I’ve been shooting F Class for about a year now and doing all my reloading on a single stage press. I got my brother and nephew into f class and I reload their stuff too. Now I’ve got some of the youth in the church I pastor shooting as well. This single stage press is killing me.

I want to move to a Dillion 550 because it doesn’t auto index and references off the case head not a supported shell holder. I read something about the primer seater not seating below flush. But I also read there was an article by Scott Harris that showed how to help resolve that issue but the link I found wouldn’t open. i seem to remember David Christian mentioning it in an interview with Erik C. I plan to swap tool heads between calibers for brass prep and reloading. I shoot a Prc w and the kids shoots straight BR’s. I also will use a powder thru die and throw powder with a v4.

Any advice or tips would be appreciated. If any of you have some experience you would share I would appreciate it. I want to keep all this bunch of youth excited about shooting but I also need time to sleep.
Thanks.
Dwayne

 

[RegionRat]

https://forum.accurateshooter.com/t...ision-rifle-loads-help.4021836/#post-37942323

Yup, the 550 thread points to Scott's article, but I just looked and the dropbox file link is broken or deleted.

https://forum.accurateshooter.com/members/scott-harris.1242740/

 

[MikeT124]

My wife has a relatively new 550 (bought late 2024). We use it to load all small primer ammo, mainly 9mm. and .357. We have no issues with primer depth on either caliber. The only thing that we have added is a semi-auto case feeder, that works generally very well (you have to keep an eye on it to make sure you don't run it dry). We bought this one before Dillon came out with theirs. Ours is the Double Alpha unit. We easily more than triple the speed of loading with a single stage loader.

Mike

 

[Dillon Friend]

The design of the primer seating punch is such that primers should seat up to .009-.010" below flush. Easy way to confirm this is to put a deprimed case into the shellplate at station 1, and with no primer in the primer cup push forward on the handle. The upper end of the punch is slightly tapered, and goes into the primer pocket about .009-.010". You can feel it catch in the primer pocket.
The thing to periodically check is to make sure the screw that holds the left side of the roller bracket stays tight. If this screw backs out, it contacts the top of the primer slide, effectively acting as a stop.

 

[troupe]

I have loaded over 700 K on one of my 550's and still going strong, I been with Dillon since I started shooting USPSA.

 

[243winxb]

references off the case head not a supported shell holder.

The shell plate is like 4 different shell holders. Each station may give a different shoulder bump, if bottom of fl die is contacting the shell plate.

primer seater not seating below flush

The early RL-450 has a screw stop. On the 500, make the shell plate as tight as possible. This will help with seating primers flush to .008" below case heads.

IN 1979, My RL-450 shell plate, same as a 550, was different at each station. When sizing 223 ammo, shoulder set back was excessive. This caused case separations.
This depended on what station of the shell plate was used to set the FL die.


Check shoulder bump from each station.

 

[243winxb]

Another way to measure the shell plate. Each station different.

In general, OAL variation maximums are .005" for single stage press & as much as .010" for a progressive press.

SAAMI minimum trim length can be .020" below maximum, on some cartridges. Trimming this short allows many reloads, till brass needs trimming again.
Saves time when the whole loading process is done on the Dillon.

Teach the bunch of youth to reload.

 

[ISS]

I load almost everything on my 30+ year old 550. But, I did order a 750 earlier this year. The 650's were too erratic I read about. I am just going to set the 750 up for 9mm and leave it that way.

 

[DocBII]

Good day,

After too many grouping problems with ammo primed on a 550, we migrated to hand priming before finishing the ammo on a 550. Charges, seating and crimping were not problems with the press.

FWIW,
DocBII

 

[450BM]

I’ve had my 550 for about 37 years. I’ve never loved the primer seating because it’s on the upstroke so the force needed is more work to attain. Not bad with small primer pistol but a little more difficult with large primers and small rifle in the 223, especially crimped primer cases. My favorite way to prime is my Lyman ram prime die.

I don’t load “accurate” 223 rounds on the 550, I load them single stage. Mainly because I don’t load a lot of them and I’m always playing with something different. I load fmj’s with a good metering ball powder, usually H335. I use a carbide expander ball in my 22 caliber dies and this works especially well in the 550. I think it will load accurate loads I just don’t use it for that.

 

[charlie b]

If I could have afforded one I would have bought a Dillon. Instead I had a Lee Loadmaster (and a Turret press for 15 years before that). It was frustrating at times but it worked well for 20 years of use, mostly pistol stuff but it did a lot of .223 and .308 as well. Lee's primer setup was famous for 'flipping' small primers.

I usually set it up to decap, size and prime in one operation. Second set up to expand the neck (if necessary), drop the powder charge, seat bullet and then crimp (if necessary).

Why split the duties up? If you are doing it all at once the force needed to resize 'masks' any issues you might get at another station. I can't count the number of times I had a bullet crush a case neck (pistol) and I didn't notice due to the resize force. The round would be ejected and I'd find it during final inspection. The other thing it does is cause the shell plate to deflect a small amount, which also changes the bullet seat depth at the other station.

If you are interested in precise shoulder set back and bullet seating then you do need to measure the shell plate stations and keep them clean. Spilling a little powder means taking the shell plate off and cleaning it well. Also primer residue can accumulate over time under the shell plate. Clean everything each time you set it up.

 

[243winxb]

When the primer feed jams, and it will, soon or later. DONT force it or slam it. Primers can and will detonate.
Primer dust must be removed from the tubes/feed, every so often.
Dillon has a primer station alignment tool, to check that the primer pocket is alligned with the primer feed. tool link

Note that Federal primers have  nitro (nitroglycerin) in the priming mix.

Not mine.

Some primers have a tapered leading edge. It can be seen by taking a magnified photo with phone. This helps guide the primer into the case. Seat primers by feel.

Speed of rounds per hour, over rated by Dillon. I try to look into evey case before seating the bullet, to see if the powder level looks correct. More so with pistol, as some can be double charged.

Originally bought my RL-450 to load for my M16A1. Now used only for 45 ACP.

Overal, you cant go wrong buying a Dillon.

 

[ricco1949]

When the primer feed jams, and it will, soon or later. DONT force it or slam it. Primers can and will detonate.
Primer dust must be removed from the tubes/feed, every so often.
Dillon has a primer station alignment tool, to check that the primer pocket is alligned with the primer feed. tool link

Note that Federal primers have  nitro (nitroglycerin) in the priming mix.

View attachment 1682451View attachment 1682452Not mine.

Some primers have a tapered leading edge. It can be seen by taking a magnified photo with phone. This helps guide the primer into the case. Seat primers by feel.

Speed of rounds per hour, over rated by Dillon. I try to look into evey case before seating the bullet, to see if the powder level looks correct. More so with pistol, as some can be double charged.

Originally bought my RL-450 to load for my M16A1. Now used only for 45 ACP.

Overal, you cant go wrong buying a Dillon.

Yikes...

Totally agree Dillon rounds per hour is overrated....but it still beats the alternative.

I find that swaged military cases pose the most stoppages. Seems that some cases need more swaging despite being the same head stamp.