Dillon XL 650 . - 40S&W/10mmAuto
- Thread starter piie
- Start date
It's easier to have a separate tool head set up for each caliber. You can be swapped out in just a couple minutes .
Adjusting dies and powder drops when switching calibers will quickly become a PITA
and time consuming taking away from the whole Dillon experience.
Adjusting dies and powder drops when switching calibers will quickly become a PITA
and time consuming taking away from the whole Dillon experience.
OK, so basically I need to buy an additional 40S&W "conversion" set.
Assuming I would still need to manually adjust the powder charge - no need to buy a separate powder dispenser as well?
With the "base" model I understand that you will need to place the bullet in the casing manually. Does that count for placing the casing in the press as well? I see there are quite a bunch of "accessories" - just need to get a feeling for which of these so called accessories are actually probably required - specifically the electronic case feeder - without it, do you still have a tube of sorts to feed *some* cases automatically, or is it completely manual without it?
rwj
Gold $$ Contributor
What you need is another tool head and set of dies. The conversion kit is the same for those two calibers. Without a case feeder, you will have to manually load cases either directly into the shell plate (pita) at Station 1 or stack them into the vertical plastic tube that would connect to the case feeder. The tube is long enough to hold approx 20 cases. The 650 is being discontinued and should be available at a discounted price. A good use for the savings would be to buy a case feeder! Before buying, make sure you have enough ceiling height above the surface where the press is mounted.
You will have to adjust pretty much everything going from one to another exept the caliber conversion..... Sizing die , powder drop and belling adjustments , seating die and crimping die.... I use the 550c and the spare tool heads are a wonderful thing and definitely worth the money... The light kit from inline fabrication is also a very nice add on... Being able to see without problems is worth the $39.00... It is NOT impossible to screw up with a Dillon , go slow and get a feel for the machine , even with the 550 you go from an hour to load a box of 9mm to about 12 minutes to load a box safely after you get it setup and everything checked IE powder drop charges etc.....
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Yea, forgot about that!
So does that mean an additional purchase or do you get small and large primer hardware included in the package?
I dont mind a little tinkering. If/when I load it will be a large batch in one sitting for either of the calibers, so if it takes 20min to setup/prepare/change settings etc its still better than doing them on singlestage press. I justdont want to spend a wad of cache just to see that in order to get to the “500 per hour” rate will require another this and that (read $$$$)
I get the feeling that Dillon really like to reel you in and then constantly will make you “need” the next attachment.
The fact that you get a different ype of press handle thats “better” than the one it comes with is case in point. If this handle is so much better, why is it not standard? Much like the seating stems on the Redding comp dies- need to buy vld stems after the fact- who shoots “competition” with non vld bullets?
Anyway, I’m just trying to get a picture here of what I will really need to buy to be faster than my T-7 press.
Like @Rsadams I'm loading on a 550c.
Manually feeding cases I can kick out 400 rounds an hour easily.
Having extra tool heads and conversion kits is part of the process. Its quicker and easier to swap out than to spend an hour readjusting everything every time you want to change calibers.
You get small and large primer assembly and charge bars with initial purchase.
If you purchase another powder drop it comes with additional charge bars.
PatMiles
Silver $$ Contributor
Don't EVEN consider buying a 650/750 without a casefeeder!
jbarnwell
Gold $$ Contributor
Yes primer swaps on the 650 are not my chore!
Don't be afraid to take it apart frequently. As stated above, it's just a few screws. It's a simple system but should be cleaned and lubed frequently. I do batches of at least a thousand and clean every couple thousand or when changing calibers. Also, Lee dies work well for bulk pistol. They are cheap enough to have multiple sets. They have undersize sizers that work well with .40 and 10mm.
Ahh, now we're getting somewhere... I already have two identical carbide Lee sets that are setup on my T7 heads - one for 40 and one for the 10mm. So will these dies work "as-is" on the Dillon press - and if so, would I then only need to buy a new "tool head" for the other set? Will all my existing dies work on the Dillon ( Redding Competition sets for 6.5 Creed, 6.5x55 and 300WM)?
We don't have any retailers on my country that are even making whimpers about the new 750, so perhaps I'll wait a bit and see - if they do eventually land on our shores, I would probably be able to pick up a 650 for even cheaper...
I think dedicated tool heads are the way to go. That’s what I do.
Makes caliber changes easy. As for changing primer size, it takes me about 5 min and I’m back in business.
Makes caliber changes easy. As for changing primer size, it takes me about 5 min and I’m back in business.
Yes your dies will work , but with rifle I still do my reloading on my single stage press , only two dies since there's no crimp and you have to lube , trim etc for rifle... So to me the only rifle I do on my Dillon is .223 , I resize them on my single stage and then do all the work to the brass , then use the Dillon to seat primers , drop powder , seat bullets and crimp , there for an automatic.... For bolt action I don't crimp and there's no reason to use the Dillon with two dies , for me anyway , i like those rounds exact...
Now your Lee dies will work but I suggest ordering some lock nuts from Dillon because sometimes the dies are to short in the Dillon tool heads to put the thick Lee lock nuts on top... You put the thin Dillon nuts on the bottom of the tool head instead and problem solved... I use Lee's for my wife's .38spl and they work but the setup was longer to get them exact since they are not tapered like the Dillon dies for speed , once setup away you go... They have worked fine...Alot of people use Lee dies for pistol....
EDIT... If for some reason you decide to do your rifle on your Dillon you will still need the caliber conversion for them....When you order it I think it comes with one , I would choose the 40/10mm because I believe you can do both with the same conversion kit.... One tool head setup for .40 and another for 10mm and your good to go.... Once you get the Dillon you will never load pistol on your single stage again....
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and the perfect bench wrench for the Dillon lock nuts:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007QV18RK/?tag=accuratescom-20
watch the price, I bought several for $6/each.
I have the Dillon wrench and although it works it's not a perfect fit and you can damage the thin nuts , I will watch for these to go on sale and try one.... Definitely worth a try for $6...
One other suggestion is , I use my single stage press to de-cap all primers and clean all primer pockets before using the Dillon... It's way easier to clean up that horrible mess on the single stage than on the Dillon.... Plus it keeps your primer slide working great , on my 550 anyway.... You still need to occasionally take down the system and give it a real good cleaning... It's a nasty process... Don't be scared to clean and keep your presses lubed , both progressive and single stage , they will work and last alot longer... A friend bought his press at least a year after myself mine still looks brand new and functions the same way... His looks like it's 50 years old , is sloppy and you need a tetanus shot just from looking at it..lol
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