I am leaning heavily towards the RCBS Pro 2000, however, I still haven't ruled out the Dillon 550B. The Pro 2000 has 5 stations, where the 550B has 4. The 5 stations is a nice feature. I think if they both had 5 I would go with the 550, and I still may. The other nice thing about the RCBS is that you can get it in manual indexing and can upgrade it to auto later if you choose to. You can't do that with the 550B; if you want auto-indexing, you have to go with the 650. From what I have read, caliber changes with the 650 is more time consuming.
I think the only drawback and my only reservation in getting the P2K is that there doesn't seem to be as many out there as opposed to Dillon, which may not be a good thing should you need support from fellow reloaders. I know the P2K has been around since around 2000, maybe earlier but that seems to be the consensus. I have searched for threads, comments, videos, etc. on the P2K and have done pretty well getting the info I was looking for. There is one write-up on a forum where a guy has loaded hundreds of thousands of rounds with it with minimal issues. He has hundreds of primer strips to prove it. Speaking of primer strips, that's another thing I like about the P2K. It uses the APS strip loader as a priming system. I really like the looks of that.
Most people who have drank the "blue cool-aid" will tell you simply "go with the Dillon, it's the best and they have the no BS warranty". This is true but RCBS has the same warranty. I have been on the phone with RCBS a few times asking them questions. They have always been more than helpful to answer all my questions on the P2K. I have read where people have had nothing but good to say about their warranty.
A huge plus for anything Dillon: I have scoured eBay for used Dillons and every auction I have watched brings ridiculous prices. This is due to the unquestionable quality but also the fact that it doesn't matter whether you bought it new or bought it worn out and used, they will send you anything you need for free if it is broken or worn. This does not include upgrade components (there have been some things that were upgraded).
I even looked at the Hornady Lock n Load but ruled that one out just because some people have expressed issues with indexing and priming. Others have said they have had no issues. If you do choose Hornady, make sure you get the "E-Zject" system. This is a fairly new system of ejecting the completed round and was replaced by the earlier wire-type ejection system that had issues. From what I have read, there may be a few of the older presses floating around with the wire eject. I do like the bushing system for dies that Hornady has. It also looks like a very durable press but other things, like indexing, for instance, look a little delicate.I also hear that some things can get "out of time" and need adjustment. I have also read where Hornady is not completely helpful with issues. They may be good but it's hard to measure up in the area of customer support when compared to Dillon and RCBS.
Here is a site where a guy demos and reviews different presses. The brand names are located at the top of his page; you can click on the brand you are interested in (or all of them) and watch his videos. He has some excellent videos that are in HD. They give very good and close up detail. I have noticed that he is careful to not prefer one over the other. This may be due to the probability that he is sent different presses to demonstrate...not sure. Also, off to the side, he has links you can click to watch other videos of the same presses.
Here's the link:
http://ultimatereloader.com You can also search YouTube. There are many videos on all of these presses.
I have no experience with either of these presses; all of the info I have provided has been internet searching I have done for the last 6 weeks or so. I am out of town and not in a huge hurry yet, which is the only reason I haven't finalized my decision and ordered. Good luck. I don't think any one can go wrong with any of the presses I mentioned. By the way, I definitely have ruled out anything "Lee". I know a lot of people use them and they have loaded thousands and thousands of rounds but I have read too much that has deterred me from it.
I threw this together real quick this morning on my way out the door so it may be loaded with typos...I am not responsible
