Used 550 on the way - most useful additions?

[JM Campbell]

https://inlinefabrication.com/produc...the-dillon-550

Been using this for a few years, huge improvement.
I also have this as well and it works great to really light up the work area.

https://inlinefabrication.com/collec...ip-ceiling-kit

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[JM Campbell]

https://inlinefabrication.com/collec...s/bin-barriers

The bin barriers help you maximize the space your bins can actually hold and does not dribble the finished rounds out the slanted front of the bin.


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[JohnO]

I'm generally not one to modify things however after many years of loading on a stock 550 I really like this addition.

Dillon 550B Primer Track Bearing Plate W/Ball Bearing
https://www.ebay.com/itm/231783630462

This definitely improved the function of the primer bar. If you have loaded 10's of thousands of rounds on a 550, finagled with the primer bar/system when it starts to fail to travel full range and pick up a primer then see this aftermarket part you would say, I'll give that a try. I did and it is an improvement.

Otherwise stock 550 with strong mount, roller handle, bullet tray, Dillon dies, dual bins and a clip on LED light.

[BN]

Over the years I have learned the best way for me to prime on a 550.

On the upstroke, I pause for an instant when the handle raises to the neutral position before I press back to seat the primer. If I do the upstroke and prime as one motion I get uneven primer seating.

[Malamute]

If you are handling the shells by hand Ive found that shallow baskets help considerably. I get them at thrift stores, maybe 10 inches across and 3-4 inches deep. The shells tend to rest in the basket base down which helps grab several (3-5) at a time. If they arent standing up, a shake of the basket sideways gets them back upright. They are easier to get shells out of than square bins, they go towards the center, not the edges. They also tend to help get dry tumbling media out of the shells, it falls through the basket. It speeded up my single stage loading and hand priming, and helps some with the Dillon also.

[Hambo]

I bought a used 550 to set up for volume loading for practice 9mm ammo and I'm curious if you guys recommend any other items that make a significant difference in speed or convenience.

For serious volume the best mod is a 650. Brian Enos says I don't load enough per month to need a 650, so I continue to crank out 9mm on a 550. https://brianenos.com/pages/dillon

I've added the LED light, the primer feed plate with bearing, bin barriers, and the thing that makes the primers dump down through a hose into a bottle. If I had to give up one of those it would be the primer feed plate.

You need a lot of primer tubes if you want to run you machine for a couple of hours. If you have ADD, you don't need as many. I've become impatient so I can't stand to run the thing for more than an hour, often less. I could get by with fewer tubes because of that, but I fill all I can plus the machine because I hate filling primer tubes more than just about anything. Hence my next spendy 550 purchase will be a primer tube filler because I have issues.

The set screws to my primer assembly seem to loosen often so I put Vibra-Tite on them. If you keep your 550 relatively clean, lubed, and adjusted it will work well. When it starts having problems you need to clean, lube, or adjust it.

[BN]

For serious volume the best mod is a 650.

I hate to disagree with you because you usually give such good advice.

For serious volume the best mod is a 1050 with a bullet feeder.

[Hambo]

I hate to disagree with you because you usually give such good advice.

For serious volume the best mod is a 1050 with a bullet feeder.

And I hate to disagree with you because you usually give such good advice.

The ultimate 550 mod is a Mark 7 Revolution.

[BN]

And I hate to disagree with you because you usually give such good advice.

The ultimate 550 mod is a Mark 7 Revolution.

Well played. LOL

[WDR]

https://inlinefabrication.com/collec...s/bin-barriers

The bin barriers help you maximize the space your bins can actually hold and does not dribble the finished rounds out the slanted front of the bin.


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I just use the cardboard from a tray of Winchester primers for the same task... works well for me. I've been meaning to cut some out of sheet metal, but I have not got around to it.