Used Press

[orbitup]

I have an old friend of the family that has an old single stage press (Dillon 550 I think) and .45 dies in storage. I told him I am interested in taking it off of his hands and since I will be in Houston next week I will stop by.

How much should I offer him?

Just the press and dies, never used.

BTW, I have never reloaded and figured this might be a good way to get into it.

 

[jasont]

Dillon 550 isn't a single stage press, it's a progressive. Dillon's hold their value well due to the lifetime warranty. Also Dillon will completely rebuild the press and replace any parts needed for a low flat fee regardless of the age or condition.

 

[jfrey]

For a couple hundred dollars it will be a steal. The press alone is currently running $430.00 and a set of Dillon dies is $62.95. Lee dies are a lot cheaper but that may give you a rough idea of the comparitive cost.

Once you get started, reloading gets in the blood and can be as enjoyable hobby as shooting.

You realize that once you buy the press, you are going to figure you saved so much money you can then afford the tumbler, calipers, bullets, primers, brass, bullet puller, scale, loading manuals (at least 2), powder and assorted other little things you will want to creat your new ammo. You'll soon be loading more so you can shoot more and really will never save a dime on the whole thing. You will justify the expense by the savings you make over store bought ammo. At least that is what most of us tell our wives anyway.

Good luck on your new press.

 

[orbitup]

You realize that once you buy the press, you are going to figure you saved so much money you can then afford the tumbler, calipers, bullets, primers, brass, bullet puller, scale, loading manuals (at least 2), powder and assorted other little things you will want to creat your new ammo. You'll soon be loading more so you can shoot more and really will never save a dime on the whole thing. You will justify the expense by the savings you make over store bought ammo. At least that is what most of us tell our wives anyway.

Good luck on your new press.

I've heard that was the case.

There is one thing I am not looking forward to... picking up brass. Maybe that'll make me take my son out with me more.

 

[Dawico]

Hopefully they are in good shape.

You may have to do some research after you see it. Something like a 550 has many small parts so hopefully they are all there.

 

[jfrey]

Picking up brass is easy. Think small children, grand children, or one of those little cage things on a broome handle used for picking up nuts off the ground. If you lack any of the first two, the third works like a charm.

 

[medalguy]

Be sure of the model. Dillon made a 450 which is an excellent entry level progressive press if you've not reloaded before. Then there's the BL550 which retails new for $259, and the RL550B which is $429. If you have not reloaded before I would really recommend starting with a single stage press until you get the hang of it and understand the relationships between case length, bullet weight, powder charge, trim length, and a multitude of other factors. Reloading is safe if you are careful but starting with a progressive is pushing the envelope if you ask me. There's a lot going on at the same time with a progressive and it's hard to find problems if you really don't understand the basics. You can end up with hundreds of rounds of ammo that are dangerous in the worst case scenario. I would recommend buying the Dillon but also buy a single stage press and use it a while to learn what you're doing. You can sell a good used Rockchucker for practically what a new one costs, and sometimes on eBay they actually sell for more than new. Good luck and welcome to reloading.

 

[OLDVET]

Last year I bought a Dillion 550B press, Dillion .45 ACP dies, and the Dillion accessories package [reloading manual, scale, calipers, safety glasses, brass primer tray,case lube, and a blue nylon cover] from a fellow. All of the items were brand new in the box. I bought it for $200 plus $50 for the shipping. It turns out the press was 14 years old, but had never been out of the box. All of the miscellaneous items were still in the original plastic sacks. I contacted Dillion prior to buying the press to find out what had changed in those 14 years. I was told the press had only had two minor improvements since mine was made. They sent me the parts to upgrade mine. Some people consider the 550B to be a single stage press due to fact that you have to manually advance each station while reloading. I have a Square Deal B press also, so I miss the auto advance the Square Deal offers. If the price is right go for it. You can use the 550B just like a single stage press with the benefit of not having to change die sets.

 

[orbitup]

Ok, so I picked it up today for $100. It's a 450Jr. I've only started searching online about it but I thought I would post some pics and get your opinions on it. It looks pretty rusty in spots but I should be able to clean it up.

 

[gt40mki]

Neat find, and for $100, with the Dillon name on it you cant go wrong.

 

[OLDVET]

My Dillion reloaders reside in my garage. I have never had any issues with my Dillion presses rusting. I use a RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme to reload my rifle bullets and it has rusted. Nothing major though. A little steel wool and a new coat of oil takes care of the problem for a few months.

 

[Deavis]

Nice find and Dillon will rebuild it for next to nothing, shipping it there is the biggest hurdle for you.

 

[orbitup]

Thanks ya'll. I'll probably send it to them. I've just been too busy to mess with it lately.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk

 

[shortround]

Be sure to get some re-loading manuals and read up.

Good grab.

Be well.

 

[mike4045]

I wore out a block and a couple of limited guns. Still using the same ole 550. Lube it up and it should you well. I planting add another this xmas..

 

[Texasjack]

You got a sweet deal!

 

[Deavis]

a little stainless steel and and elbow grease will take care of that rust. For the stubborn stuff, you can use a phosphoric acid based converter to get rid of it. It will turn is black/grey but it will stop it in its tracks and if you apply while using stainless, it will be a good finish. Otherwise, box it up, ship it to Dillon, and for the cost of shipping, it will come back like new. ]

One recommendation, go buy a spare parts kit. Dillon will always mail you parts when things break, but witha kit you have a back-up and are never down.

 

[OLDVET]

A friend of mine recently sent his Dillion Square Deal B press back to Dillion for service work. Dillion sent him a brand new press. My friend called inquiring about the swap. The Dillion guy he talked with said they usually swap presses as a general rule because it is faster and cheaper than repairing the original press. They later repair all of the returns and sell them as refurbished units. I know RCBS does this on some of they products. Last year I bought a Rockchucker press from them. It had been refurbished. The only thing wrong with it was they had to replace the plate where the handle screws into it. The original owner had cross threaded the rod while installing it, so he sent it back. I paid less than 1/2 the original price for this press and they shipped it free. Since then when I want another RCBS product, I check with them to see if they have anything I want before I go shopping.

 

[noylj]

Buy the 550 cheap. Sell it for a profit.
Buy a Hornady L-N-L or a Dillon 650. Never look back at those people who can some how live with no auto-index and only 4 stations and paid an arm-and-a-leg for 4/5ths of a real progressive.
The blue color is nice.