Actually, with two 550s as a resource,
I'd go the other way, sell both, and get a 650 with casefeeder.
I started pistol on a 550 and then expanded to rifle calibers, specifically the .223. The big difference between pistol and rifle handloading is case prep. You see, with necked cases you have to process your brass ahead of time before you can reload it. As part of the case prep process, you must trim your brass and that can be a pain or a snap depending what you buy to do it.
So you have to handle the brass twice as much as with pistol brass and that's where a casefeeder really shines. Add to that a Dillon trimmer on your case prep cycle and rifle brass isn't as intimidating as it first appears. After I got my 650, casefeeder, and Dillon trimmer, I was in heaven. Below is a writeup I post from time to time showing the steps I use to reload rifle calibers and why I picked the Dillon trimmer over the Giraud.
There are many different steps one can perform on a rifle case prior to reloading it to squeeze the last bit of accuracy out of each round. I require
an efficient and timely reloading process. For my needs, I've found many those
processes to be too time consuming and unnecessary as I was looking for 1MOA accuracy and speed and ease of reloading and I can achieve that without those extra steps.
Straight walled calibers don't usually require trimming and therefore, can be
processed and reloaded in a single cycle. Necked calibers do require trimming
and therefore require both a case prep and reloading cycle. It should be noted
that no consumer press currently made can perform case prep including trimming
of a necked caliber as well as reloading in a single pass. Therefore, a
separate case prep cycle followed by a reloading cycle is required with all
currently available presses.
That brings me to my choice of a trimmer. While the Giraud is a fine machine,
it trims as a completely separate step that requires one to hand process each
case. I'm satisfied with the job the Dillon trimmer does and chose it primarily
because it is mounted on my case prep toolhead and therefore, it trims during
the case prep cycle without me touching the brass. Therefore, it eliminates
completely the separate trimming step. In addition, because it is mounted on
the press, it will trim the brass to your set length every time the brass is
process automatically without any action on your part.
Here are
my personal necked rifle reloading steps on my XL650 w/casefeeder for
information. I also use a Dillon trimmer in my case prep process. There are
other ways to do it, but this works well for me and my XL650 w/casefeeder. I
check my brass twice during the brass prep process (after initial cleaning and
then again after cleaning the lube off) and then again after I've completed
reloading the rounds just to make sure I've caught any bad brass and/or rounds.
Brass Prep (using your case prep toolhead setup):
1. Inspect
Brass
2. Tumble
/ Clean Brass - Lizard Litter Walnut & Turtle Wax car polish - 1 hr max
3. Lube Brass - Dillon Spray Lube not One-Shot
4. Install Case Prep Toolhead in XL650 - confirm adjustments
• Dillon
Decapper / Resizer die in #1 - I resize and decap at this stage
• Dillon
Trimmer in #4 - I have the die set to just touch the case but trim at the
proper length5. Drop
Brass in Casefeeder and crank handle to Decap / Resize and Trim - if necessary
6. Tumble / Remove Lube - Lizard Litter Walnut - 10 minutes max
7. Inspect
brass again and Dillon Case Gauge - Lot samples: 10% of total. If question,
then gauge every case.
8. Swage -
only if needed
9. Store
prep'd brass for reloading in future
Note
that I neither chamfer, de-burr the case neck, nor clean the primer pockets.
You may decide to include these steps in your process. For me these
processes are unnecessary. I don't do Bullseye shooting and never clean
my primer pockets to achieve the accuracy I'm looking for and, the Dillon Super
Swage does a great job at both removing the crimp and swaging a uniform primer
pocket and, the Dillon trimmer leaves a smooth, 4° slanted, bur free edge and, I
use boat tailed bullets so inside chamfering to aid in bullet seating has been
unnecessary to achieve MOA accuracy.
Reloading
(using your reloading toolhead setup):
1. Install
Reloading Toolhead in XL650, fill powder measure, primer feed, and bullet bin -
confirm adjustments
• Lee
Universal Decapper die in #1 - to remove any media in flash hole
• Dillon
Powder die in #2
• Dillon
Powder Check die in #3• Dillon
Bullet Seater in #4
• Dillon
FCD in #5 2. Drop
Brass in Casefeeder and crank handle while adding bullets
3. Inspect
finished rounds
4. Box and
label
Go to range and make empty brass to start cycle once again.