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I don't think bottle neck rifle dies are made in carbide they are definitely worth the $$ for pistol ammo though. If the 550 uses 7/8 X 14 dies then any standard set of dies should work.

Yes, you can use any standard 7/8 thread die in the 550 and 650. On some of the shorter dies, like the Lee FCD, you will need to put the lock ring on the bottom side of the tool head. I use Lee, RCBS and Dillon dies in my 650 caliber setups without any problems.

You can use any standard 7/8-14 dies in the Dillon. A word of caution, though. If the dies are not beveled to facilitate their use on a progressive die, you need to use extra care while guiding the case into the die.

Also, you may want to consider small base .223 dies if they're to be used in semi-autos. Opinions differ, but they can improve feeding.

Carbide dies (yes they are available for bottleneck cases, though few bother for other than 223 and maybe 308) eliminate lube, and the difference is up to you. Some people are tremendously bothered by the process of lubing cases and cleaning them afterward, some don't care.

Carbide dies are also much more resistant to scratching if you are not careful about cleaning grit off your cases.

I don't think your model Dillon has a station for a lube die, so it would be an extra step to lube the brass before you start feeding the loader if you use regular steel dies.

When I started reloading forty years ago, the most popular choices for lubing were wax and RCBS' thick goo applied by rolling the brass on a saturated pad. I used the RCBS, which lubed very well, but required considerable effort to remove from the completed rounds.

When spray lube was introduced, the instructions given were to save an old pizza box, throw a bunch of brass in, spritz it a few times, shake, and let sit.

This has provided excellent lubrication in steel dies and the residue is easily wiped from complete rounds.

I'll never revert to anything more complicated.

Carbide dies eliminate the need for lube for pistol cases, but I'm sure that rifle (or bottleneck pistol) cases still require lube.

A small base die shouldn't be needed for a .223 auto unless you reload other people's brass (once fired, range brass, etc).

ghostrider wrote:Carbide dies eliminate the need for lube for pistol cases, but I'm sure that rifle (or bottleneck pistol) cases still require lube.

It doesn't hurt to lube carbide. When it's this easy, I lube them as well.

ghostrider wrote:A small base die shouldn't be needed for a .223 auto unless you reload other people's brass (once fired, range brass, etc).

Or have a variety of .223's: 2 Kel-tecs, 2 Mini 14s, 2 ARs. I refuse to attempt to keep brass separated by which semi it was fired in.