.243 Dillon woes

[akula702002]

I want to reload my .243 Win for an upcoming competition. Although I have everything I need for single stage press, I want to use my Dillon (time and ease). The only problem I’m having is that using RL-25 (and H4350 albeit less so), I get pretty bad metering results. It varies .5 grn or more at times and spills some powder out of the nozzle sometimes. I suspect it’s the size/shape of the grain and the small size of the case mouth (keep your mind out of the gutter). I’m shooting 115 DTACS, using Lapua virgin brass, Redding FL sizing Die and Forster seating die. I have the Forster Co-Ax, but I’m being lazy and trying to save some time. Any recommendations on powders that people have actually used, or any other ideas?

 

[4Rail_Gunner]

Re: .243 Dillon woes

Have any Electronic Meters? Charge Master, Lyman?

I trimed a Lyman Funnel Down till it would fit in the powder die.
I let my chargemaster run till it beeps, cycle my XL650 Down
Leave it down, pour the powder through the funnel that pours into the powder die that pours into the case.
Set the pan on the charge master and start it.
cycle the XL650 handle back up.
Repeat
I can send you a pic if you like.
Good Luck

 

[ftchmup]

Re: .243 Dillon woes

I throw the charge in the dillon and then remove it and measure on the digital scale. +- in on the scale and back the the Dillon. Takes longer but I have almost .8 variances throwing Rel 19. my .02..

 

[akula702002]

Re: .243 Dillon woes

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 4Rail_Gunner</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Have any Electronic Meters? Charge Master, Lyman?

I trimed a Lyman Funnel Down till it would fit in the powder die.
I let my chargemaster run till it beeps, cycle my XL650 Down
Leave it down, pour the powder through the funnel that pours into the powder die that pours into the case.
Set the pan on the charge master and start it.
cycle the XL650 handle back up.
Repeat
I can send you a pic if you like.
Good Luck
</div></div>

You're a genius man! Please post pics. If this works, I'm forever in your debt.

 

[4Rail_Gunner]

Re: .243 Dillon woes

What do you mean "If this works"
Haha

This Picture There is no Case Insert/The handle is all the way up

This picture is with a Case inserted, the Dillon metal powder funnel is inside the powder die and the plastic funnel is on top of it. Handle's all the way down..

These are the differences in the original powder funnel VS the modified one... Belt sander....

By the way, what Dillon Press are you using?

 

[akula702002]

Re: .243 Dillon woes

Thank you! I should have qualified "If this works FOR ME" ...I'm not the brightest crayon in the Crayola box. I'm using a 550, which my dear wife bought me for Christmas one year. For handgun, it's a god send (and even for .308), but the .243 and 6XC have always been a problem for me. Did you need to do anything to the powder funnel (either the Dillon or the plastic one)?

 

[Nocalphoenix]

Re: .243 Dillon woes

Take a look at Ramshot Hunter, very similiar to H4350 and flows like water. Im getting +-.1gr with hunter and my only mods to my dillon were to polish the inside of the measure as someone else showed on another thread.

Same set up with H4350 will show at best +-.3. Now this is looking at numbers at the reloading bench. Shooting from the field to 600 yards I do not see any vertical stringing that I can attribute to the possible variation in powder charge. I have shot groups with every charge sitting at 42gr as well as groups deliberatly shot from 41.6 to 42.2 and got very similiar groups. I think as long as your load is not on the outside edge of a node you can have some variance with no real concerns.

As a disclaimer if I shot 1000yards on paper I would probably be weighing every charge. As it is my use is banging steel out to about 600 and being able to bust them out on the dillon press is well worth it for me.

 

[4Rail_Gunner]

Re: .243 Dillon woes

Yes, you have to shorten the inverted funnel part with a file or a belt sander untill it will fit inside the powder die and float with the inner die.

And i cut the big tounge off my funnel so i could attach it with a clip to my seating die without it touching the primer tube.

 

[Queequeg]

Re: .243 Dillon woes

Akula,

A felt polishing head on a Dremel tool, using Flitz or Jewelers rouge, does an amazing job of mirroring the surface of the dillon powder dispenser, funnel/die and bars.

This helps relieve any hang ups before powder gets to the mouth of the case.

Someone here did a before/after photo thread a year or so ago on his assembly. It was impressive.

 

[Larry Burchfield]

Re: .243 Dillon woes

For what it's worth dillon makes an adapter that allows you ot use any type of powder measure that you want but I think that it will have to be manually operated.
larryj