Loading for F-Class with a Dillon 550 & Prometheus 2

[Scott Harris]

I've written an article describing how we use the Dillon 550 & Prometheus to load for long-range & mid-range F-class. It's taken a few years to perfect these methods and I hope the linked article helps out some of you on the journey. Even if you don't have a Prometheus, the 550 info should be useful.

Want to thank Jay Christopherson and Monte Milanuk for helping to proof-read and edit this article.

Here's the link on Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/fp72h0e4awobo65/6_19_Dillon-Prometheus-Article_v1.2.pdf?dl=0

Best regards,
Scott

 

[Steve Blair]

I've used my old Dillon 450 to load match ammo. In some ways less convenient, the older 450 is very solid. No reason why Dillon's ram pedestal/shell plate cannot produce fine ammunition.

 

[Shynloco]

I've used my old Dillon 450 to load match ammo. In some ways less convenient, the older 450 is very solid. No reason why Dillon's ram pedestal/shell plate cannot produce fine ammunition.

I DO NOT want to sound negative, but to Steve's point (as well as any other press used to produce match ammo), may I ask what makes a "Dillon 550 or Promethius" any better or superior in results than any other quality press used for reloading match grade ammo? Just curious??????

Alex

 

[OldManTA]

I DO NOT want to sound negative, but to Steve's point (as well as any other press used to produce match ammo), may I ask what makes a "Dillon 550 or Promethius" any better or superior in results than any other quality press used for reloading match grade ammo? Just curious??????

Alex

They are not. You may have missed the major point that Mr. Harris and family go through a lot of ammunition in a weekend so high accuracy of process for high volume of production are the two major factors of his approach.
Tom Alves

 

[fastarget]

Scott,

Nice article, very detailed paper, this will be a huge time saver for high volume shooters/ families, Thank you for putting the time to bring it to us.

Time to work on converting the 650.

C

 

[hpshooter]

Thanks for the effort it took to put this together. Picked up some info to make improvements to my 450 and 550B.

Much appreciated,
TWH

 

[jkl]

Scott,

Next step stop by the range and shoot a few! That way you won't forget how to load.

John

 

[waldo1979]

I DO NOT want to sound negative, but to Steve's point (as well as any other press used to produce match ammo), may I ask what makes a "Dillon 550 or Promethius" any better or superior in results than any other quality press used for reloading match grade ammo? Just curious??????

Alex

What makes it better is that instead of spending 3 hours reloading you can spend 45 minutes. I switched to a Dillion 550 as well last month.

Great article. I need to make that shell plate modification. I'm still having primer seating consistency issues.

 

[Shynloco]

It appears from the responses that high volume reloading and time savings, are the advantages of the Dillion 550 and Prometheus. What I was looking for is an accuracy betterment or accuracy advantage issue.

Alex

 

[boltman13]

Scott, an excellent article, and also some useful information for us single stage press reloders as well. Thanks for sharing your hard won knowledge.

 

[waldo1979]

It appears from the responses that high volume reloading and time savings, are the advantages of the Dillion 550 and Prometheus. What I was looking for is an accuracy betterment or accuracy advantage issue.

Alex

The biggest accuracy concerns with a progressive come from primer seating and concentricity issues. The article describes how to solve both issues. Many top shooters like David Tubbs reload on a 550.

Using a stock 550B with a Whidden toolhead I'm seeing an average of 0.0026" run out using a Forster non-bushing FL sizer with the expander ball and a micrometer seater with 0.013" neck trimmed .308win brass. More than half of a box of 100 bullets have a run out <0.002".

I'm in the process of experimenting with different dies (like the Lyman M die, an expander die and Whidden dies) to see if I can reduce that number.

 

[Scott Harris]

Scott,

Next step stop by the range and shoot a few! That way you won't forget how to load.

John

Ha! That'll be a while, but this was written in December, wanted to post it.

 

[lawrence97]

Scott, nice write up and very detailed. Now we need to see how you work up the loads for each family member step by step!

I also noticed in your steps that you lube, fl size, expand and trim and lube again and fl size and expand?

What's the purpose of sizing, trimming and sizing again? Also, you mention wiping the cases after assembly but doesn't some of the lube get into the neck area when spraying it and when using the expander?

Thanks.

 

[Mr Underbridge]

So dies with bushings can produce more runout than regular dies? Do you know why?

 

[Scott Harris]

Scott, nice write up and very detailed. Now we need to see how you work up the loads for each family member step by step!

I also noticed in your steps that you lube, fl size, expand and trim and lube again and fl size and expand?

What's the purpose of sizing, trimming and sizing again? Also, you mention wiping the cases after assembly but doesn't some of the lube get into the neck area when spraying it and when using the expander?

Thanks.

Lawrence,

The first sizing/expanding op. is to prep the brass for trimming. The second sizing/expanding op. is to prep the brass for loading. I always size the brass a second time because the trimming process knocks the necks out of round. Measure neck concentricity before and after using the Giraud and you will see this issue. As long as you treat all the cases the same, it does not matter how many times you resize them. In other words, so long as every case is sized twice, they will all have uniform tension and zero runout. Sizing again does not cost more time with a progressive, just another station getting done as we load.

When using the Hornady One Shot, we are careful to aim below the neck-shoulder junction so as to minimize over spray into the neck. For "important" matches we run a plastic brush through the neck to ensure all the necks have the same lubricity. In other words, the brush is evenly spreading any traces of lube across all the cases necks to make them the same. Beyond that, we don't worry if a few drops of spray hits the inside of the necks.

 

[Jay Christopherson]

I've been loading my match ammo this way for quite a while now, thanks to a lot of advice and assistance from Scott.

To an earlier question regarding accuracy - it's not that the process provides for any additional accuracy in the process of building match ammo over another. It's that I can produce *more* ammunition ( a lot more) in the same timeframe with *at least* the same amount of accuracy that I can with a single stage process. Having a family and full time job, the time savings is pretty significant and can be spent doing other things.

 

[hkfan45]

I see you modified the heads of the Redding seating dies to avoid clearance issues with the powder funnel. How did you accomplish this? I'm assuming you used a lathe?

 

[Jay Christopherson]

I see you modified the heads of the Redding seating dies to avoid clearance issues with the powder funnel. How did you accomplish this? I'm assuming you used a lathe?

FWIW, I ended up NOT running the funnel so close to the dies. I ended up with it just enough higher that I don't need to modify the heads.

I don't remember how @Scott Harris modified the heads on his dies, sorry.

 

[Scott Harris]

FWIW, I ended up NOT running the funnel so close to the dies. I ended up with it just enough higher that I don't need to modify the heads.

I don't remember how @Scott Harris modified the heads on his dies, sorry.

Yes, used a lathe, but run the funnel and Prometheus up higher like Chris to avoid this.

 

[Rraz]

I've written an article describing how we use the Dillon 550 & Prometheus to load for long-range & mid-range F-class. It's taken a few years to perfect these methods and I hope the linked article helps out some of you on the journey. Even if you don't have a Prometheus, the 550 info should be useful.

Want to thank Jay Christopherson and Monte Milanuk for helping to proof-read and edit this article.

Here's the link on Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mmk8tv8yrk7vii7/12.23.15-Dillon-Prometheus-Article.pdf?dl=0

Best regards,
Scott

Would you mind reposting the article? It would be greatly appreciated.