https://www.dillonprecision.com/
This is going to be an amazing year for the gun enthusiasts and avid shooters. Where most of us have been “waiting for the other shoe to drop” for 8 years, it appears that we may have a reprieve. Now we can just enjoy our hobby, our sport, our passion, whatever you want to call it. Shooters are finally going to be able to get back to shooting.
If you don’t already reload, it’s a good idea to start. We have some great introductory reloading material here, and online is full of primers to get you going. Most people will start with a single stage press, and even a set of Lee powder dippers, but if you shoot a lot of pistol ammo, that can be really frustrating. I wouldn’t say don’t go out and get a single stage press, but if you want to take yourself and your needs seriously, and you are for now only going to reload straight sided pistol cases, I would invest in a Dillon. I have tried and even advocated for other presses at times, but there are none as useful and consistent as a Dillon. All they do is progressive presses, and you should buy one.
The video introduces the newly beefed up 550, which is the second tier press, and I guess they replaced a problematic roll pin or something. I personally wouldn’t even bother with the Square Deal, because it uses Dillon proprietary dies, and I like to buy cheap Lee dies and set up for a lot of calibers. Each to his own, and all the parts and quick change sets are available today for that press that were available when it was invented. You’ll find that with any progressive press you still need to buy a shellplate for the caliber in question, but some shellplates cover a dozen or more cartridges.
You can use a progressive press for reloading necked cases, but it is a two step process. Necked cases, where the bullet diameter is smaller than the thickness of the part of the case that holds the powder, usually need to be trimmed a tiny bit after each firing because they expand. Once you figure that out, and get a trimmer, reloading them is just as easy as straight sided cases.
The Dillon rep wasn’t as specific as I would like in explaining the differences between the 550, 650, and 1050, but for most people, the 550 or 650 is all you’ll ever need. Feel free to call Dillon at 800-762-3845. It’s never a mistake to buy a Dillon reloading press.