The Dillon 550 is an awesome press if you load multilple calibers, like to change calibers quickly and dont mind manual indexing. The 550 was my first progressive press. I have loaded everything from .32 wadcutters to .375 H&H on the Dillon and it works great. Two days ago I decide to switch over from 9mm to .45 and do load development. In less than 20 minutes, I performed the caliber swap, changed powders, had my starting charges dialed in, and loaded 50 rounds. Maintenance is simple. I blow it off with compressed air every couple hundred rounds and lube it a couple times a year. The worst problems I have ever had were a broken decapping stem due to some bad brass.

Simple, easy, and effective. And best of all its BLUE.

I have a RL550B and I agree  it is an excellent press with superb support.

Vince

Even with a xl650/s1050 my 550b still sees a fair amount of use.

If I had to, I could probably survive with just the 550b (but the other two are nice for higher volume work).

~g

I have 2, one setup for small primers and one large primers.  Love em!

I have a Dillon 450 I bought in 1981 and I still use it every day. Its my favorite press.  I make 100 9mm every night after dinner. Every night.

I actually like it better than my 550.

I have two of them.   My only complaint is that the primer mechanisms give me fits very so often.   Dillon has been good about replacing broken parts.   My oldest one is almost 25 years old.   I  have often thought about getting a 650 with a casefeeder but just cannot pull the trigger.   I have thought about getting a Hornady bullet feeder for .223 but am concerned if I will have enough room to make it work.   I know I would have to go to a seat/crimp die at one station.

I've been thinking about getting into reloading..

the 550b is what I was looking at.
(9mm and 5.56)

I've only had one for 15 years but couldn't agree more. Top notch products backed by top notch customer service

Really like those blue press girls also.

Dillon makes some decent stuff.  Have a 650 and like it. Buddy has 2 650s and loves them and another friend has a 450 he likes.

I learned how to reload on a 550.  Then when it was time for my own press I bought a Hornady lock n load.  Got tired of fixing it, so I got a 650 instead.  Love that thing.

Would not be angry if all I had was a 550 though, good machine.

I want a progressive press... trying to load a large ammount of 5.56/.223 on a single stage blows. Not tooo bad with the .45ACP though.  But then I weigh each charge using a ChargeMaster dispenser/scale combo so that slows the process down too. But it is nice knowing each and every round you make is accurate to the .1gr. For instance every .45ACP 230gr ball cartridge I make has 5.0 grains of W231 in it, no more, no less....though I have thought about stepping it up, i'm waiting to purchase a chronograph.  But I think once I finally move into the house i'm going to live in for the rest of my years I may invest into a progressive just for M193 style .223 ammo.

Mine is only a couple years younger than I am and it works great.

Even though I have an XL650,  I still use and love my 550b

Same here.  I ran a single for probably 15 years and then a buddy found a deal on a used one locally, so I bought a second.

I load everything on them, including precision rifle and volume/plinking loads.

If I ever have a problem, the solution is only a phone call away - and if a part has failed - they always replace it for free and sometimes even include a spare for free.

I started with a 450 then went to a 550 when they came out.  Some time later I went to a 650 and kept the 550.  After not using the 550 for some time I went back to it to load a second caliber.  I drove myself crazy because my muscle memory was attuned to the 650.  I

was always getting my hands mixed up.  I realized that I would have to devote myself to the 550 to get back in the swing.  Not worth the effort so I sold it to another shooter.  He is happy as the proverbial pig.

my 550b gets more use than my 650.  I like it

I love my 550's also.  I have 3 550's and a square deal.  One set up small primers, one for large primers and the other for .223 only.

I regret that I sold my 650. I really need another blue press though. Would be a perfect excuse to have one press devoted to rifle, one to pistol, and my single stage for precision stuff.

I only have a xl650  











But I sure love it.  

The blue paint makes you goofy.

I have a 550b, a 650xl and a Lee Classic Turret.

I usually have them each setup with with a different caliber at all times. I enjoy them all though!

Right now the 650 is setup for 9mm, doing a bulk run of 15k total.

The 550b is setup for 45 acp, trying to keep up with my Kriss SDP pistol!

The LCT is setup for .38 Special. Doing load development for some FBI load clones, 158 gr LSWCHP +p. Ideal as I'm loading only 10 per powder charge.

Once I'm done with the 9mm it will be switched over to 45 ACP and I'll do a run of 5k or so, and the 550b will be switched over to .38 Special to load up the FBI load in bulk, and the LCT will be swiched over to .30 carbine for case prep.

Always busy I am!  

Why I am crazy about my Dillon 550 after 30 years two months?  

Have been reloading for rifles for years, never pistol.   All reloading has been on a single stage my entire life.  

Fast forward...wanted to start reloading for pistol ..used it as an excuse to buy a Dillon 550 (thanks to a lot of help from folks on this site - thank you)

Took delivery of Dillon in November along with 2000 Xtreme plated bullets - 9mm.   Set press up easily and got started, tested loads, they shot great ..... so I loaded all 2000 and kept shooting.   Not a single hick up with the 550 on the first 2000.   Powder charger dead nuts on every time I tested it using Ramshot Silhouette and True Blue.  Beginning to be impressed with the machine.

Next ... received 5000 Xtreme plated bullets for holidays.  I have loaded 4000 of them, and will finish the job tonight.    The only hick up in 6000 rounds was when I failed to seat a primer and brass leaked powder through flash hole the rest of the way around and mess caused a primer skip shortly thereafter.   User Error.   I cleaned up and commenced to loading.

So out of the box and two months in, the press has loaded 6000 straight reloads without any stoppages or errors of it's own making.   I would have never guessed that is possible on a progressive.  Granted ....all my brass is deprimed and wet tumbled going in ....but still never would have guessed how well this machine would work.    Pull handle, no drama!  No buyers remorse!  The absolute right press and model for my needs.    

God willing, will be saying the same thing in 30 years as you are.

Congrats OP on 30 years of service with your mahcine!

I've spent so much money in blue stuff in the last 4 years or so that I've probably negated any cost savings reloading vs factory ammo. ;)  BUT, I don't care.  It's fun and I enjoy it.  

Wife bought us a 650 for Christmas so I crammed her onto the bench.    10s of thousands of rounds and knock on wood, I've not broken any blue machine parts.  

Blue overload!  

Sir, FWIW I bought my Dillon 450 in 1982.  I had been reloading on a Rockchucker (still use it) since 1976.  When I came back from living in overseas for four years in 1992, due to an increase in my shooting commitments, I bought the 550 conversion kit and still use it alot.  I've also had a XL650 since '08 but the 550 is by far my most used press of the three I have mounted on my bench.  JMHO 7zero1.

Absolutely.  And it can't be beat for load development or changing settings.   I wish there was a way to "turn off" the automatic index and the primer feed on the 650 sometimes.

Not quite to 30 years with my 550B, only 28 years.   Wife bought it for me for Christmas way back when. Think she got tired of me always being in the shop reloading on a single stage. Don't know how many thousands of 45 acp I have loaded on it and now several other handgun rounds as well as 223.  Problem free unless operator induced.  Makes life so simple to crank out a lot of handgun rounds. And even with all my use, I have never needed replacement parts.  Can't beat that kind of durability.

Several years ago my oldest son got a 9 mm. Told him to buy a conversion kit so he could load them on the 550B instead of on my RCBS single stage.  Took him about a year to finally do that.  After his first 10 minutes on the Dillon, he said "I should have done this a long time ago".  LOL, no kidding.

Had a friend who I helped set up his 550B.  Was showing him how to change primers and he said it was kind of a pain.  I jokingly told him that some people buy a second press and have one set up for large primers and the other for small primers.  Next time I was at his house, he said he needed help setting up his second 550B.  I asked him what his wife thought about him getting another since he kind of got in trouble for the first one.  He told me he wasn't going to say anything. When she finally saw it he tried to tell her it had been there for a long time and when that didn't work, said he couldn't return it because it was used.

This is also my exact same set up...I am glad that I am not alone in my madness...