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Which Dillon or Apex for Training / Precision 223 and 9mm

maximusdecimusmeridius

My Name is Gladiator
Minuteman
Supporter+
Jan 21, 2024
93
80
Alabama
Looking for advice for which Dillon presses to get for bulk 223 and 9mm with precision in mind for the 223 especially.

I will be buying two setups, one for 223 and one for 9mm.

I will leave them setup permanently once I get my load dialed in.

Budget not an issue.

Curious about what size Dillon and accessories to get for it with these goals in mind.

I have zero experience with progressive presses.

I have limited to moderate experience loading precision rifle ammo. With very good results. Have magneto speed and Labrador to test consistency.

I am working so much now that I don’t have time for precision rifle comps. I love reloading but want to consolidate to two main calibers so I can focus more on training and occasional two gun comps.

Have private land with access to over 600 yard shots and have a local range with 1000 yards. I’ve always been a precision rifle guy but now am focusing down on carbine and pistol

What says the hide
 
The Dillon 650 is great for bulk 9mm 223 ammo as I’m sure is the new 750.

Precision 223 is a different matter & in part depends on how you define precision- what you are specifically looking for.
 
I have stocked up on 77 grain tmk’s and staball match

I would be happy with 3/4-1MOA realistically.

I would be an extremely happy man with 1/2 MOA.

LWRC barrels. If they are not holding decent precision then I will buy a reamer and some bartlein blanks and have them spun up
 
I load a lot of 223 and 9mm on a 650 - overall I'm quite happy with it - for "accurate" 223 I use same lot brass and a fine ball powder for the volumetric podwer drop. For training ammo (made from range pickups) most of the 223 and some of the 9 need their primer pockets reamed/swaged, a 1050 or 1100 will do this for you as part of the process and would be a time saver
 
I think it will depend on whether your guns/barrels like that particular powder and tip & your process.

I load on my 650 using Lake City brass, different powders depending on the gun but most often Shooters World or Ram Tac, and 55 grain hornady's for my training ammo - I can hold those to 3/4 MOA at 100 - but I spent more time than I should have (according to some friends) working on load development, I sort the LC by headstamp, anneal, uniform flash holes on the brass. You can do more or less brass prep and development depending on how much time you want to invest and the results - but short answer is yes you can load that level of accuracy on a progressive press.
 
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Loading .223 takes me two passes on the 1050. 9mm takes only one pass. You could get by with a 650/750 and a 1050/1100, but you'd need a couple of tool heads for the 1050/1100. It really comes down to the volume that you shoot per year.
 
Loading .223 takes me two passes on the 1050. 9mm takes only one pass. You could get by with a 650/750 and a 1050/1100, but you'd need a couple of tool heads for the 1050/1100. It really comes down to the volume that you shoot per year.

Agreed, the 650 was extremely helpful when I was doing multiple carbine classes a year. Most recently I have just been shooting on my own, far lower quantities and focused more on precision & so I load most of my 556 on my T7
 
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Bulk .223/5.56 indicates an onboard swage with whatever you buy.

I load on S1050 and doing .223 is the shnizzle.
 
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