Just ordered a Dillon 550. thoughts ?

[JSTARSZ]

Re: Just ordered a Dillon 550. thoughts ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: palmik</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Get youself a trickler though. Don't rely on the powder throw for rifle loads. Sometimes the throws can vary over a grain if the hopper is shaken. </div></div>

+1 on that quote. (I have a Dillon 550B)I use a Redding 3BR for my powder measuring for my rifle loads. Dillon powder measures can be off a grain or so and I have had it 1.5 over/under before. I just don't trust it for my 308 loading. My Redding is no more the .1 - .2 off at any loading. Best thing that I have purchased yet for loading.

 

[gnfiter3]

Re: Just ordered a Dillon 550. thoughts ?

Your post, asking members on the Hide, their opinion on Dillon, is like asking the preachers wife, if she enjoyed the sermon. Well, as a chior member, AMEN. While I don't have the volume requirements you stated, my 550 is the answer to my reloading prayer. I haven't broken anything yet, but I did call Dillon on a malfunction and they spent 30 mins walking me thru the probable causes. Turned out to be operator error. My testament to their customer service.

The most difficult thing I've had to do is find a powder that meters consistently through it. That was so hard, (LOL) Ramshot TAC, BLC-(2), or RL-15. You'll learn that if the machine rattles, chatters, shakes excessively, during operation, to check the charge weight of the case being charged. That's where you'll find +.5 or so more powder than your set point(IMHO) and experience.

The most time consuming task is changing the primer bar. I have no doubt that you will love the Dillon, and join the chior.

 

[PistonPete]

Re: Just ordered a Dillon 550. thoughts ?

consistency is the key to obtain good loads, if the machine rattles, chatters, shakes etc., on every pull of the handle, you should get pretty good loads.

i have the Dillon 650 with all the accessories that help make reloading fun, my main powders are Ramshot TAC or BLC-2, she (the 650) has given me consistent powder loads within +or- .2 Gr.

when i change powder loads i check the first 10 rounds, then every 5th one, then every 10th one and after that every 50th round.

 

[paindoc]

Re: Just ordered a Dillon 550. thoughts ?

What trickler does anyone recommend for use with the 550b?

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Just ordered a Dillon 550. thoughts ?

The RL550B is the only press I've ever owned, for over two decades. I bought it used. For about half of one of those decades, it loaded all the ammo for a team of about a dozen shooters, rifles and handguns alike.

Keep it clean and lightly lubed, adjusted with minimal slop, and provide it with an electrical ground to minimize powder charge variances.

Those variances will generally not increase greatly with larger charge weights, so Ball powders can be more desirable for small capacity cases.

All my ammo is intended to meet match performance requirements (why waste my time making anything else?), so all my charges are dropped a tad heavy, weighed, pinched, and recharged with a drop tube. Slows the process down, but I consider the time-overhead to be a <span style="font-style: italic">reasonable</span> investment in <span style="font-style: italic">reasonable</span> accuracy. IMHO, there's no point in making anything that can be matched by OTC ammo; I mean, why am I doing this stuff, anyway? There's equally no point in getting detoured into treating handloading as anything but what it really is; a necessary evil that cannot be avoided in one's efforts to have something to shoot that isn't a complete waste of time.

There is also the issue of the firearm's own accuracy capabilities. I do not use match primers or super quality bullets for service type rifles. Otherwise, it's all made the same as match ammo, weighed charges and all.

Over those two decades, I've sorted out what I will do, and what I won't do; and what remains is not such a long list these days.

I ream flash holes. I don't do anything to primer pockets. I don't turn necks, although often my shooting partner will make match ammo for me and our pair of 'identical' barrels, and he does. I try to reduce brass working to a minimum to limit work hardening. As I use SAAMI chambers, I see very little benefit from anything involving concentricity. As stated above, I weigh charges. I seat to ensure that <span style="font-style: italic">all</span> projectiles jump, or <span style="font-style: italic">all</span> projectiles don't; and I don't get anal about chrono numbers.

The target tells me what I need to know first and foremost.

Anyone who chooses a load based on comparing one group against another group does not understand the influence of statistics on accuracy. Tests need to be repeated using the average of at least three groups of each test load.

Failure to follow this very basic dictum will result in slow insanity...

Greg

 

[paindoc]

Re: Just ordered a Dillon 550. thoughts ?

Dillon told me they don't have a die set for my 550b to reload 338 lapua. Can anyone recommend a die set that I could use with my 550????

 

[Bacarrat]

Re: Just ordered a Dillon 550. thoughts ?

Redding

 

[1911.it]

Re: Just ordered a Dillon 550. thoughts ?

Good decision. You'll really enjoy this press. More ammo = more shooting!

 

[Downzero]

Re: Just ordered a Dillon 550. thoughts ?

I have a Dillon and use it for everything.

I don't, however, expect it to work with extruded powders (don't let anyone convince you that it does, because it doesn't...it's a huge pain in the ass). And I don't load match loads progressive.

It cranks out thousands and thousands of pistol rounds per year (I order 10-12,000 pistol bullets at a time). I load blasting ammo for .223 on it (25 grains of H335, 55 grain FMJBT, AR mag length). But I don't load anything for .308 or 30-06 progressive. With extruded powders, I weigh every charge using a Lyman 1200, charge them, and seat the bullets on the Dillon.

A Dillon is great for practical shooting. I'd even load varmint ammo on it if I needed thousands of rounds. I'd just use ball powder and trade off the increase in accuracy from extruded powder. But for most of the shooting that we talk about on this website, a Dillon is definitely not the ideal tool. It is made to crank out large volumes of ammo, and in that respect, it does a great job, especially with pistol cartridges. Rifle loading is much more involved, though, and you're fooling yourself if you think you're going to crank out a thousand or more rifle cartridges in one day. You're not.

If I have brass prepped, I can crank out 4-500 .223 cartridges in one session before I get tired of sitting at the press. Loading rifle is a lot of work, though. Don't let anyone convince you that it's not.

If .223 ammo was still $150 a thousand like it was in 2005, I wouldn't even bother loading it. It's 3x that now, so the choice to load it is clear. There's a lot of savings, but also a lot of work involved sizing, trimming, swaging, priming, charging, etc., when it comes to rifle cases.

 

[paindoc]

Re: Just ordered a Dillon 550. thoughts ?

I plan to use the Dillon more like a single stage, rather than a progressive. Thanks for the recommendations! I went with Redding die set.