I want to get into reloading and was checking out the dillon 550, curious what the popular opinion was on it.

a local gun shop told me that it was a bad choice because I was new to reloading and wouldnt be able to 'feel' whats going on with the case and suggested I begin with a more basic setup for starting out.

i dont really see how it would be any different in terms of feedback but then again I am new to reloading.

is there any truth to this?

I felt it may just be a persuasion technique to get me to buy something he had on the shelf.



i really would rather buy the right thing and just buy it once.

I am primarily going to be doing rifle loads for hunting and target(308/ 6.5x300wsm/ 375 ruger/338 lapua)

but will probably want to get into handgun loads too (for my 10mm)

any suggestions would be welcome

I use the 550 for all my reloading, anything Dillion is a good choice. I reload 20,000 rounds a year for myself and another 10,000 for other people. For precision rifle I measure each powder load, but for target and IDPA, USPSA loads I use the auto powder. I've heard the progressive loaders are less accurate and have found it to be horse puckey.

With a progressive press there's lot going on at once, and at first it may be difficult for a new reloader to keep track of everything and troubleshoot problems when they occur. That being said, I don't think that should scare you away from the 550 press. With the 550, you can run one at a time (like a turrent press) until you become more comfortable with the whole reloading process. In this regard, the 550 is versatile and very forgiving.

The 550 is a great reloading machine that will last for several decades. The one I have is about 20 years old, and it still makes perfect ammo. I use my 550 mainly for pistol ammo, since it's a high volume endeavor. As long as you take the time to learn the machine, I don't see any problem starting your reloading career with a Dillon 550.

550 is great. But its not for a new reloader. Reloading can be dangerous, and understanding the principles is very important. Start out with a single stage press. I have a progressive and I kow I would have had issues if I started out on it.

diddo!! I highly agree. A progressive is deffinately not for the novice I reloaded metallics for 2 years on a single stage before I felt comfortable enough to buy a progressive. Get ya a quality single stage press untill you are comfortable with all aspects of reloading only after then would I recommend a progressive and the dillon 550 is good choice but can be a bit of pain changing between calibers so that is why I went with a hornady L-n-L instead.

Any particular presses I should be looking at?

I just bought an AT550 Dillon. Its the turrent version of the RL550 and can be upgraded to RL550. I like the turrent style and I like the removeable heads for different caliburs. I also load 300 winmag and my old press did not have the torque on the handle to do a good job of resizing. My AT550 is real smooth and easy to operate.

Changing caliburs is not a problem. I just have to keep my dies and shellplates organized so I can get to them. I load 6 different rifle sizes and it is nice to have the removeable heads.

If I would not have bought a Dillon I would have gotten a Lee press because in total I do not load that much volume.