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Thread: Used Dillon 550

  1. #11
    This is one of the best additions I have made to my 550:

    https://www.amazon.com/JW-Systems-Di.../dp/B01L9Q2TX4

    Much improved smoothness of the priming system. If you take the time to get it set up properly, and keep the slide area clean, you'll not have many problems with priming.

    I put a flap of duct tape over the top edge of the primer catch cup, and the tag end down inside, to help direct primers into the cup, instead of bouncing on the top edge. A small magnet adds wight to the collapsible chute on the shell plate, which keeps it open to catch spent primers. I've also replaced the Dillon pin with a smaller diameter hunk of paperclip, to allow more free movement of the chute halves.

    I added a .45 ACP case to the end of the primer magazine follower rod to add a small amount of weight, and help keep primers from flipping in the magazine if they are jostled by operating the press.


    Edit to add: The roller handle is also well worth the money vs the stock round ball/lever.

  2. #12
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    What's a used 550 go for these days?

  3. #13
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    Aug 2015
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    I've seen them on ebay for close to new. The one I bought off of gunbroker was $350

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  4. #14
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    Dec 2015
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    Having ran Lee Disk measures and Dillon measures in the past, and Lee Drum measures now (budget and moving at some point soonish), I GREATLY prefer the Dillon units over the Lee ones.

  5. #15
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    Oct 2013
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    Canton GA
    Quote Originally Posted by Chain View Post
    What's a used 550 go for these days?
    Once in a while they show up on estate or garage sales. I lucked into one of mine dirt cheap that way.

  6. #16
    Site Supporter Hambo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WDR View Post
    I added a .45 ACP case to the end of the primer magazine follower rod to add a small amount of weight, and help keep primers from flipping in the magazine if they are jostled by operating the press.
    Is it even possible for a primer to do a 180 inside the tube? Every time I've had problems with primers flipping (or getting launched), it's been a primer cup height issue.
    "Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA

  7. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Hambo View Post
    Is it even possible for a primer to do a 180 inside the tube? Every time I've had problems with primers flipping (or getting launched), it's been a primer cup height issue.
    To be honest, I dont know for sure. I have had primers flip, but it could have happened when I reloaded the magazine. I think it is somewhat dependent on brand of primer, as there are some tiny variations in dimensions. The extra weight of the. 45 ACP case seems to help reliability of the system for me. Some people complain about the primer feed system of the 550 being finicky, but I have rarely had issues once I started using the JW primer slide/bearing, and kept that area of the press clean and clear of powder or primer gunk.

  8. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by jeep45238 View Post
    Having ran Lee Disk measures and Dillon measures in the past, and Lee Drum measures now (budget and moving at some point soonish), I GREATLY prefer the Dillon units over the Lee ones.
    Lee is a snap to set or adjust and throws a very consistent charge in most instances.

    The issue(s) comes in when trying to throw a specific weight. Moving up or down in cavity size may bypass the desired powder charge weight. The other thing the disk measure doesn't do well is throw really small charges of certain powders. If a person is wanting to throw something like 3.0 grains of Red Dot or 700-X the Auto Disk might not do it consistently.

    The Lee Double Disk kit can help with the accuracy because it allows the loader to set various disks one on top of the other. The possible combinations might throw right at or very close to whatever the target charge weight is. The down side is two disks stacked on top of each other probably means a small charge isn't going to be possible.

    One last option for the Auto Disk is the Lee Adjustable Charge Bar. This allows the powder cavity to be dialed larger or smaller and has pretty much infinite adjust from large to small. But it still doesn't like to throw very small charges of some pistol powders. It also won't throw more than 20something grains of certain rifle powders so it may not work for some 223 loads. Not unlike the Dillon in setup and use although the Dillon charge bar can be swapped out and will through large charges of rifle powder.

    Another option is the relatively new Lee Auto Drum. It is a rotary measure that is case activated. It has a screw adjustment that allows precise control of charge weight. I haven't tried to throw very small charges of pistol powder but the measure works fine for 223 and 308 and probably 30-06 and larger. It also works pretty well with extruded and throws a pretty consistent charge without having to trickle.

    The problem with all Lee powder measures is that they tend to leak. Lee has some instructions/advice to mitigate leakage but it is still there. Dillon's measure also leaks just not as bad as the Lee. I guess Lee's leaky design is also what makes the Auto Drum work pretty well with extruded powders.

    Anyway, for the price vs features I think the Lee Auto Drum is a solid unit. It will work with Lee's expander dies and it also works with short or long rifle charge dies. It is cheap enough that one can be bought for each tool head.



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  9. #19
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    Aug 2015
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    Update, I bought the caliper conversion kits for 9mm, 45 ACP and 38/357. Looks I just need the shell plate for 380. I also got the strong mount and roller bar. I'm out of town so I haven't been able to set up the press yet. Hope to be up and running next week.

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  10. #20

    Things I've found out along the way - 20+ years with an RL550

    I bought an RL550 to load .45 with a couple decades ago. It had light to moderate use first 20 years, probably 2-3 thousand a year - largely because I like shooting 185gr and work only furnished 230gr. I really picked up the pace after I retired and started going to the range at least 3 or 4 days a week. At this point I'm pretty sure I'm close to 175,000 rounds, mostly 9mm.

    As the machine has aged I've had some problems. One of my first purchases was the roller handle, I bought the machine with a strong mount and ponied up for the roller handle soon after, then a case feed.

    ROLLER HANDLE I noticed that many times the case in station 1 - size and prime - wouldn't align with the die. After I got tired of this occurrence I began paying attention and noticed the 550's main shaft was rotating a little on the up stroke. I attributed this to the crank and link arms getting worn and allowing the slop.

    A call to Dillon ended up with me being told to send it in for a rebuild. Didn't have enough ammo stockpiled at the time, so passed and tried to tighten it up using machine washers/bushings on the link arm pin. (I had a heckuva time getting that assembly apart which was the subject of several posts a year or so ago) Got it tightened up pretty good, but it still would occasionally misalign so I really paid attention to what was going on - I discovered a major culprit was the roller arm - it accentuated the torque to the side because of the leverage the handle gives. I replaced the roller handle with the original ball handle and started wearing a leather work glove on my right hand - the glove is getting well worn in the palm and my troubles with misalignment have largely disappeared.

    PRIMER FEED Using a line sometimes used to describe the AR gas system, the RL550 shits where it eats. The priming area accumulates a lot of gunk which sometimes causes problems. Early on I replaced the primer track bearing with the fancy stainless steel one with the roller bearing. Works well but the thing still gunks up. What I've done is take an old relatively worthless 1.5gal shop vac (brand) and stop down the nozzle to fit the very small crevice nozzle from an old hand held mini vac. Every time I refill primers I leave the press in the up position and hit the area of the primer feed. This little nozzle comes in handy for getting powder on and around the shell plate when you make a mistake.

    Perhaps the biggest thing I've done to help priming and general machine operation is using Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish on the primer slide and primer track bearing. The stuff is non-abrasive and I decided to start using it after I figured out how good it worked in Glock trigger jobs. I also use it to clean (primarily) and polish the bottom of the shell plate and the shell plate platform. I clean/polish everything when I open a new box of primers, so every 1,000 rounds. It has really helped.

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