I'm getting fed up with mt Lee 1000 and am wanting to get a dillon The 550 seems real popular on the boards but it is real tempting to buy a 650 and go fully automatic. Which do you recommend and why.
You will have to have a tax stamp to go fully automatic. Ha Ha JK. Depends on the time you have and how much you plan to reload. If you are going to do a 1000 a week you will notice the difference. A 1000 a month I would save and get the 550 and spend the extra on different heads for different calibers.
Another way to think about it: If you think 1000 cases is a lot to load, buy a 550. If you think a 5 gallon bucket full of pistol brass is a nice start, get a 650. That is direct from a dillon service manager on another forum. 550's are cheaper for caliber changes. 650's are better for bigger runs of fewer calibers.
IMHO a 550 is a better choice for most people because most people honestly don't shoot that much consistently. If you shoot 1500-2000 centerfire rounds every month (cold weather months count too) then maybe a 650 would be better.
550 caliber changes cost about $65 plus dies. 650 caliber changes cost about $100 plus dies plus any needed casefeeder plates. These costs include the caliber conversion kit plus a toolhead and powder die only. For low volume calibers, it is often cheaper to keep a single stage press handy; conversion costs are just dies and a shellholder. It's nice to run everything through a progressive press, but for 100 rounds a year of something (hunting ammo for example) single stage loading makes more sense.
In the interests of disclosure, I have a dillon 550 progressive press and a rcbs single stage press with no intention of changing the reloading setup anytime soon.
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