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Transitioning to mass reloading

garandman

garandman

Bad Advice for Free
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Minuteman
Nov 17, 2009
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Huntington WV
#1
OK....so I got the load I want to use in 6.5CM....measuring each charge from a Frankford Arsenal Intellidtopper.... verifying occasionally on a Dillon beam scale....us ing Wilson bullet seaters... with a K&M hand press....

But, loading up 200 rounds that way will take fer-ever.

How do the PRS guys load up 200 rounds for every weekend? I got a Rockchucker with an RCBS powder thrower and a Dillon 550C.

Are they consistent enuf to crank out mass rounds fairly quickly?
 
#2
Dillon 550 with a uniquetek tool head. I would set up the tool head with a decapper, sizer stripped of the expanding ball and, expander mandrel. That will let you size lots of brass fast. Then you can clean the lube off the brass and trim before powder and seating. You could also run the dillon trimmer/size die combo but it doesnt chamfer and deburr. For that reason I would rather just do the trimming chamfer and deburr all in one step off the press in a giraud etc

I would still seat ammo with the arbor press for precision since you have it and are individually weighing charges. But setting up a sizer head is good too.

Im sure others will be in to explain their specific dillon process. Good ammo can be loaded on a dillon, its not just for bulk.
 
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#4
spife7980 said:
Dillon 550 with a uniquetek tool head. I would set up the tool head with a decapper, sizer stripped of the expanding ball and, expander mandrel. That will let you size lots of brass fast. Then you can clean the lube off the brass and trim before powder and seating. You could also run the dillon trimmer/size die combo but it doesnt chamfer and deburr. For that reason I would rather just do the trimming chamfer and deburr all in one step off the press in a giraud etc

I would still seat ammo with the arbor press for precision since you have it and are individually weighing charges. But setting up a sizer head is good too.

Im sure others will be in to explain their specific dillon process. Good ammo can be loaded on a dillon, its not just for bulk.
Click to expand...

What do you suggest for the powder station? Regardless of the powder, powder baffle, etc I'm always less than impressed with the standard Dillon powder die/powder measurer. Is there anything between this, and putting a funnel on it and hand trickling every charge?
 
#5
TheGerman said:
What do you suggest for the powder station? Regardless of the powder, powder baffle, etc I'm always less than impressed with the standard Dillon powder die/powder measurer. Is there anything between this, and putting a funnel on it and hand trickling every charge?
Click to expand...

Stop being poor... go get a Promethues and bolt it above your 550 like a real man.
 
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#6
TheGerman said:
What do you suggest for the powder station? Regardless of the powder, powder baffle, etc I'm always less than impressed with the standard Dillon powder die/powder measurer. Is there anything between this, and putting a funnel on it and hand trickling every charge?
Click to expand...

FX120i + AutoTrickler + AutoThrower
 
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#9
TheGerman said:
Thing is I was looking for something where it would still be progressive and wouldn't require me to stop, trickle a load, dump load in, then index. If that even exists.
Click to expand...

With my work flow on the 550, it's not much of a hindrance. Basically I have a decapping die in station #1, powder die in station #2, and a seater in station #3, with another case 'on deck' on the case slide area outside station #1.

Raise the ram, push any tumbling media out of the flash hole @ station #1, dump the charge, put the pan back on the scale and let it do its thing. By the time I lower the ram, prime the case in station #1, sit a bullet on the mouth of the case in station #2, rotate the shell plate, slide the new case into station #1, raise the ram (I do a little light double bump to get the seating I want) and set the next case on the deck in front of station #1... the AutoTrickler+AutoThrower is either done, or will be within about 5 more seconds. Rinse lather and repeat.

Is it full progressive? No. A 650 with a case feeder would make it a little less 'manual', but I've heard (always 3rd hand) of folks having issues with seating/sizing as consistently on the 650 vs. the 550.

If you want full progressive, you're probably looking at either a ball powder, or a *very* short cut extruded like 8208 XBR, ran thru a slightly better powder measure like an RCBS UniFlow with a CAPD. That mondo spring on the CAPD tends to be surprisingly consistent from throw to throw.
 
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#11
I haven't used my rock chucker in 2 years almost. I do just about everything on my 650. Either from dual chargemasters or a dillon powder measure that has been polished and has the uniquetek mods.
 
#12
I built a box from MDF - got fancy and used dadoes to align everything, screws n glue to hold it together, and put some little feet on it. Weight it down with boxes of bullets. It sits right behind the 550, and it ain't goin' no where.
 
#13
TheGerman said:
Great now I'm already having ideas of figuring out how to get the auto trickler mounted on the wall above the Dillon.
Click to expand...

Don't need to really put it above the Dillon. As long as you can cycle the press as fast as the thrower goes then you are set. I'm pretty similar to milanuk for workflow.

Grab powder charge, dump it in funnel on 550. Full cycle of the press (5 count) handle down to prime the brass, advance index, place bullet, add new case in empty slot, pull handle so ram finishes in up position. By the time I'm done the next powder charge is just finishing and ready. The 5 count in my head keeps me from missing a step and going back and forth carrying the powder from the dispenser to the press keeps the two sides separate so I don't cycle the press and seat a bullet in an empty case.

I'm running Prometheus so it starts weighing the next charge as soon as I dump one in the pan. If I were using the auto-trickler I'd look at getting a pair of the 419 powder funnels and making them the exact same weight. You could swap pans each time you went to the dispenser, and that way the trickler wouldn't have the "down time" waiting for you to put the pan back on the scale.

Real world you can start with unprimed brass and load about 100 match rounds in about 1/2 hour.
 
#14
One concept to add automation integration of Autotrickler system with Dillon 550C press:

So the scale and trickler would need to be at the same level as the powder funnel. You would want the top face of the measuring plate to be inline with the top edge of the funnel. Then, you would need a "robotic arm" to grab the powder cup from the balance, retract over the funnel, drop powder, turn powder cup upright, then extend back into place on the scale. Timing could be done automatically or on demand. I'll see if I can come up with a drawing tomorrow.

The robotic arm would need to meet following criteria:
- grab the powder cup
- be able to turn powder cup over and make upright (medial rotation 180 deg)
- retract and index over funnel consistently
- extend and index over measure plate consistently

Potential Issues
- spilt powder
- slow cycling
- clearing funnel during powder dump-
- space constraints
 
#17
Sheldon N said:
Stop being poor... go get a Promethues and bolt it above your 550 like a real man.
Click to expand...
7098301
 
#18
I agree on the Dillon powder measures. If going the Dillon route I suggest 650 or Super 1050. That auto case feed is the best feature of the Dillon.
If I were to go the Dillon route again I would drop powder off the press and put in case by hand.
You might also consider using a 650 as a brass prep unit. Drop powder and seat bullets in Redding T7/chargemaster set up.
 
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#22
garandman said:
I was thinking one of these in my 550C.....

Reloading

Dillon Precision: Reloaders, Reloading Equipment, Bullet Reloading, Bullet Reloaders
www.dillonprecision.com www.dillonprecision.com
Click to expand...

You don't have to buy the oversized die, the funnel fits the standard powder die. Dillon lists the part number for just the funnel. I also listed it above in this thread. You can load some good ammunition with a 550, just throw the charge in the funnel at the top of the up stroke.
 
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#24
BTW,
Not being critical but not sure 200 rds/week is “mass reloading”.
With good systems in place that can be done in 1.5 hours on single stage press/chargemaster set up.
 
#25
I'm running a 550C, loading precision 6.5C with the uniquetek/Whidden head.

I've spent alot of time, trying to come up with a way to automate the powder dump from my Auto trickler. I could not find any reasonable method.

I pre-measure my powder into clean hornady cases, doesn't take long to measure up 50 cases in a tray. I made a tray on the 550C to hold the reloading tray and I made a bracket on the 550C to hold empty bins, toss the empty brass in there. I just grab a case, tap it into the powder funnel. This is quicker than going to the scale everytime. I also made a bullet feeder via 3DP from the Open Bullet Feeder Project, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2504314, My contributions, https://www.thingiverse.com/Ruebarb/designs

Left hand indexes, dump brass, right hand feeds cases runs press, this is very efficient.

I've also spent time thinking about how to add/make a case feeder and add auto indexing, final conclusion, not worth the effort & challenges when you still have to manually dump the powder.

7098362
 
Last edited:
#26
ruebarb said:
I pre-measure my powder into clean hornady cases, doesn't take long to measure up 50 cases in a tray. I made a tray on the 550C to hold the reloading tray and I made a bracket on the 550C to hold empty bins, toss the empty brass in there. I just grab a case, tap it into the powder funnel. This is quicker than going to the scale everytime.
Click to expand...

Interesting that you found this workflow faster. I've found that I can prime/advance/seat bullet/insert brass/pull handle in the amount of time it takes for the powder dispenser to finish the next charge, even with the dispenser a few feet away from the press. I found that running the press fills the "dead time" waiting for the dispenser to finish.

Have you looked at using a pair of identical powder trays for the AutoTrickler? My thought would be that you could pull out a full charge and swap in an empty pan immediately, then carry the full charge over to the press, load the case and cycle everything, then come back and another full pan would just be finishing up for you.
 
#27
Sheldon N said:
Interesting that you found this workflow faster. I've found that I can prime/advance/seat bullet/insert brass/pull handle in the amount of time it takes for the powder dispenser to finish the next charge, even with the dispenser a few feet away from the press. I found that running the press fills the "dead time" waiting for the dispenser to finish.
Click to expand...


I'm assuming your powder dispenser is on a separate table / work surface?

Cuz operating the 550C press would send my Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper disenser into convulsions. :)
 
#30
Sheldon N said:
Interesting that you found this workflow faster. I've found that I can prime/advance/seat bullet/insert brass/pull handle in the amount of time it takes for the powder dispenser to finish the next charge, even with the dispenser a few feet away from the press. I found that running the press fills the "dead time" waiting for the dispenser to finish.

Have you looked at using a pair of identical powder trays for the AutoTrickler? My thought would be that you could pull out a full charge and swap in an empty pan immediately, then carry the full charge over to the press, load the case and cycle everything, then come back and another full pan would just be finishing up for you.
Click to expand...

It's more the walking back and forth and breaking my concentration. The auto trickler is so fast, there is almost no wasted time pre-measuring, 5-6 sec per a measure, just enough time to move the powder funnel to the next case. I have alot of wasted time running back and forth. I have the auto trickler on another bench, also seating a primer for the small primer lapua brass, really rocks the bench.
 
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#31
Here I am being poor with my t7 and charge masters.... If it's only 200 rounds that doesn't take very long at all. I have a Dillon collecting dust maybe I should break it out.
 
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