The 550 is a great press for handgun bullets, especially 45 acp. I have been doing that on my 550 since 1995.
5 grains of Unique pushing a 230 grain bullet is a great plinking load.
Take your time adjusting the 550. Get it right the first time. Check often as you go to get a "feel" for the press, Soon enough you can tell when a primer hasn't been seated correctly.
The 550 is much more forgiving than the 650 for halting mid cycle and fixing anything that might have gone wrong. The 650 produces much more ammo but takes time to correct when something goes wrong, such as a flipped primer or a bad case in the bunch.
I have a 1" paintbrush and a toothbrush to brush away powder residue from the first station
So...if a guy can tell when something's not right, and he's loading on a 650, could he just snag the screwed up cartridge at the end of its process and toss it, or is it just not always that simple? I've done ALL my loading single-stage and have no idea what it's like to run a progressive. Which also means I have a perfect record.
Sometimes you can but often there is a powder spill involved or a case dragging and jamming the system. Both are worse case scenarios and like my marriage, I have been in them.
The 650 is superior in rate of production IF ALL GOES WELL. I am a pessimist and worrier by nature, so I prefer the ease of cleaning up the mistakes I have made. Like Stan V said above, it is easier/faster to change calibers, and a little less expensive than the 650.
And even if the 650 snags, you can clean it and get back into production in (usually*) twenty minutes. The 550 you can do it in (usually*) five.
perhaps I have been too negative in mentioning the 650. The 650 really shines in mass production of pistol rounds when you the right load and components. If you like to concentrate on a seasons worth of ammo, the 650 could load a thousand rounds easily on one afternoon. The 550 is slightly better when you are often loading for multiple calibers,
Get the spare parts kit and a stuck case remover ahead of time. NOTE WELL: All screwups have been MY fault. The Dillon equipment made a good handloader out of me. Lots of rounds makes for lots of practice.
