have had a Dillion 550b for about 10 years. i load hand gun only on it. a lot. i guess about 100# of lead used. the darn thing broke. the rod that pushes the primer slide snaped.
now this is the very first thing ever to fail on the blue beauty. which asks the question, how do they stay in business? oh...i forgot to mention, when i called they are sending a new part at NO cost to me. i have no second thoughts about buying a Dillion.
Same experience I have always had. I have no idea why I ever bought their spare parts kit. All you have to do is call them and a new part will be in the mail the next day.
I'm still working on purchasing a Dillon. I have a friend at church that has offered me his reloading equipment. He says that there is a progressive press included but didn't say what brand. Guess I'll have to wait and see. If it's not something that I will be happy with, a Dillon will be next. Just not sure if I want to go with the 550 or 750.
If you load 1000's of rounds per week go with the 750. Otherwise the 550 is what a normal loader would use. The 750 can be loaded up with brass, primer, powder and bullets and all you have to do is pull the handle. The 550 is loaded up with powder and primers and you will have to individualy insert brass and bullets and then pull the handle. The 750 with all the attachments will cost over double the 550 fully decked out.
If they can provide that kind of service it just means they are way overpriced.
LOL, just kidding ofc.
Both Hornady and Dillon have been very good for me when parts eventually break.
@howlnmad 750 all the way Or I'd get the 650 if it was cheaper, I see no reason to spend more for the 750 really unless it's only a few dollars.
Glad to hear how good their customer service is.
But I feel compelled to add that the Lyman turret press that is older than me, that I have been using for over 35 years has never broken.
There was a time when you got what you paid for. I've been around a lot of years & that seems to be changing. Marketing has made products exist for many years on name recognition, long after the quality has faded.
I was just thinking, Dillon could probably cut the cost of their presses by 1/3 if they'd stop giving them to every you-tuber that has a firearms channel. I've watched some that surprises me that they haven't blown their hands off.
Bill, I have also wondered this very thing. There are some real yahoos on you-tube giving advice. I can only assume they got their Dillon for free since they look like they can't even afford food or clothes.
Bill, if you want to I can set my 550 up for you to try in June. I will, of course, have it securely bolted to my bench. I've heard they like to run off to another guy's house
Same experience I have always had. I have no idea why I ever bought their spare parts kit. All you have to do is call them and a new part will be in the mail the next day.
I bought their spare parts kit because these are the parts that will wear out. I have the replacement, can install it immediately, and then call and have the part sent. No downtime, you still get the part to replace in the kit.
I an pleased as punch that I was able to buy something from Dillon, and the Spare parts kit does its job nicely...money well spent! Mostly the things I get from the lads at Dillon are free, shipped free...makes me stop and think nice thoughts about the founder and his legacy.
Bill, if you want to I can set my 550 up for you to try in June. I will, of course, have it securely bolted to my bench. I've heard they like to run off to another guy's house
yup, my RL550B is going strong since 1999 or so...... have no clue how many thousands of rounds it as produced. Just clean it every 500/800 rounds and replace the parts that come in the standard spare parts kit every so many years and they just keep chugging.
I will say I had an epiphany about 2 years ago when I finally got around to buying a couple new powder dispensers w/bin for creating separate quick swap tool heads. The newer design is way better than the original and I'm even thinking about retiring the original. The original used a spring for the return stroke, while the newer one is all mechanical. The original had fits with new brass that wasn't properly "prepped" by beveling the sharp edge off the inside of the case mouth. The new one powers through it much better, even though I've taken up better case prep habits over the years!
They've rebuilt my 550 twice and a heavily shared 1050 once.I've bought parts that I broke because they've sent me so many other parts,I felt guilty........If American Auto manufacturers treated their customers like Dillon does-they were be very few foreign cars.
I have 2 Dillon 550B's and never had a part break on me. One I bought new and the other I bought used. I don't try and see how fast I can reload, I just take my time.
I'm not in a race for the worlds record in reloading! I enjoy the reloading process and the 550B keeps me busy and attentive.
I rescued a 650 from the scrap. The thing had been stored in a barn with chickens around. Ya it was filthy and the main ram was rusted and seized. Spent the winter cleaning and rebuilding. What an engineering marvel. Works great. Make sure your wide awake and sober when using. You really have to pay attention.
Single stage is about $30.00......depending on the dies....
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