Dillon Press Owners HELP

[SealT5]

Long story short my sister is wanting to get into reloading for pistols and AR’s. Aside from recommending a Dillion press I know nothing about that type of reloading.

So my question is, What are some must have accessories and tools she is going to want and need? Do’s and dont’s?

 

[RegionRat]

Has she/you narrowed down which model press you are after?

For example 550C versus 750 versus 1100, etc..
The accessories for a full progressive are a longer list than the ones for a 550C for example. Those machines benefit from case feeders and bullet feeders, but those may be added later once she gets the hang of things.

A brass tumbler is a good first place to start regardless of the model. Brass that hits the dirt or that has lots of soot will benefit from a dry tumble. Like the model of machine, you base this choice on the volume size you plan to load per session. (ETA: and a media separator to go with it... )

Many of the Dillon entry reloader kits have a good set of things like primer flip trays, calipers, scales, case gages, etc., but the trimming operation on bottle neck cases is still an option you will need to explore.

For example, a bottle neck case can be done in stages where the trim can be done on the machine, but will still need a chamfer. If you don't trim on the machine, you/she will need a trimmer.

 

[SealT5]

Not sure which one she will go with. Probably the 550. I don’t think she understands how deep this hole can get. I intend to walk with her on this journey but all of my experience and knowledge revolves around benchrest reloading.

Great advice sir. You brought up several things I was not considering

 

[RegionRat]

May I suggest you start her with her favorite straight wall pistol caliber as an easier introduction, then tackle the bottleneck case issues later.

I have gifted the Dillon machines (bundled with starter stuff) and their stuff is all good. They even throw in a reloading manual volume.

BTW, they are backordered on their carbide dies, so start looking for alternatives now.

 

[justpassinthru]

This statement, "my sister is wanting to get into reloading", makes me wonder if she's ever reloaded at all. If not, I think she'd be better off starting with a single stage to learn the basics before going with a progressive.

 

[SealT5]

RR yes sir. I think 9mm is her main purpose at the moment. It’s the only thing she doesn’t have bulk amounts of ammo for.

I think I’m going to order her a Sinclair trimmer. It’s one of my favorite pieces of equipment and her being an engineer I know she will appreciate the quality and craftsmanship

And she didn’t ask me about what type of press to get. Only brand and tools/accessories. Thanks for your opinion.

 

[acloco]

I would recommend starting with a single stage (RCBS Rock Chucker or Forster CoAx). You will ALWAYS need a single stage press on the bench.

550B or C is the next recommendation.

Of note, one item not mentioned, the reloading bench height AND how the gear is set up, matters more than anything - yes, ergonomics. No reason to be tired or stressed when reloading.

 

[SealT5]

I agree with that. I went 40” on my work bench in our new home. Previous home was 36” and I’m noticing a huge difference on my 30yr old back!

 

[fkimble@charter.net]

"I think I’m going to order her a Sinclair trimmer."

I've been loading pistol for 57 years. A trimmer is the last thing she needs, especially for 9mm. You don't crimp the case mouth, just remove the expander flair. On pistol cases, a trimmer is only needed for cases that require a heavy crimp for a hunting load to prevent bullet crimp. Here, trimming to equal length, allows a uniform crimp.


But kudos for helping for helping sis get started in reloading!

Frank

 

[AzMandella]

May I suggest you start her with her favorite straight wall pistol caliber as an easier introduction, then tackle the bottleneck case issues later.

I have gifted the Dillon machines (bundled with starter stuff) and their stuff is all good. They even throw in a reloading manual volume.

BTW, they are backordered on their carbide dies, so start looking for alternatives now.

I am getting into reloading also . I bought a Dillon RL550C. And yes they are like 36weeks out . So I bought Redding Ti Carbide sizing die #87172 and Redding taper crimp seating die# 92172 . I wanted to seat and crimp in one step so I could use a powder check die in the spare station .

 

[Erud]

I disagree with the advice of starting with a single stage press. If she is planning to load mainly pistol cartridges in volume, she will hate loading on a single stage. A progressive press is indeed more complicated, but it's just a machine and any reasonably-intelligent person can learn to properly operate one pretty easily. I started loading on a 550B, and I've never found any purpose at all for owning a single stage press. I've had a couple and still have one in a cabinet somewhere, but every time I've set them up I've quickly realized that they don't do anything better than the 550, they just do it a lot slower.

I've got the 550 and also a 650, and for a first press I'd recommend the 550. If I could only have one press it'd be the 550. It can crank out bulk ammo pretty fast, and has a lot fewer parts to maintain and service. With a few minor tweaks, it will also work great for match grade rifle ammo. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than a 650/750, if that's a concern. I use the 650 mainly for bulk pistol stuff, and also as a really expensive de-primer for rifle cartridges. It's ok, but it seems like I am always needing to fix something on it whereas the 550 just keeps on going without issue.

Good luck.

 

[Gabe22BR]

Long story short my sister is wanting to get into reloading for pistols and AR’s. Aside from recommending a Dillion press I know nothing about that type of reloading.

So my question is, What are some must have accessories and tools she is going to want and need? Do’s and dont’s?

You should call Dillon and ask them.!!!
Great knowledgeable folks, and can answer any questions you have.. since they have a no BS warranty on their products, you can’t go wrong…
I was in the same boat your sitting in now, once i called them, all my questions was answered, and I received a 650. Had a few things break over the years, even on Sunday, they answered the phone & I received the parts within a couple days.

 

[divingin]

Of note, one item not mentioned, the reloading bench height AND how the gear is set up, matters more than anything - yes, ergonomics. No reason to be tired or stressed when reloading.

I sort of disagree. When I came back to shooting and reloading after a decades long break, I started loading on a single-stage press C-clamped to the dining room table. Let me get back into the swing of things enough that I could ID what I wanted (height, space around the press, etc) in a permanent setup. Something to think about.

 

[BoydAllen]

Is she experienced at single stage reloading?

 

[Highpower-FClass]

So my question is, What are some must have accessories and tools she is going to want and need? Do’s and dont’s?

To load 9mm all that is technically needed is a base 550C (which comes with one conversion kit) + a set of 9mm dies. The Dillon carbide 9mm dies are good.

Other necessary equipment:
- Scale to verify powder charges
- Calipers to measure COAL
- Some sort of primer flip tray is handy, does not have to be the Dillon one

The Dillon 550 is manually indexed (you manually flick a spindle to move the cases to the next station) which has its ups and downs. Manually indexed = more control and opportunity to fix issues if they arise but a bit slower than auto indexed models.

The XL750 is auto indexed and has a 5 station toolhead which allows for using a powder check die, or a trim die. It has an option for a motorized case feeder.

If you want to churn out really high volumes you could look at a Dillon 1050, it comes with the motorized case feeder and also has options for motorized bullet feeder. Going all out you can also get a motorized trimmer that will size and trim in one step on the press (for bottle neck cartridges).


I have a 550 that I use for 9mm, 45 ACP and 223. It works well but for loading 223 I do most of the brass prep separately, including sizing and trimming, and use the press for priming, charging and seating.

 

[jk80]

Something I think people are overlooking and can save money later is the 550 is manual advance. It can be used the same as a single stage press until she gains experience and confidence. This can save buying twice. That said, a single stage press is something that should be on every loaders bench. They come in handy for various things like decapping 5.56 for prep for sweadging.

 

[Erud]

Something I think people are overlooking and can save money later is the 550 is manual advance. It can be used the same as a single stage press until she gains experience and confidence. This can save buying twice. That said, a single stage press is something that should be on every loaders bench. They come in handy for various things like decapping 5.56 for prep for sweadging.

I agree, the manual advance on the 550 adds so much flexibility that allows you to do all sorts of useful things. Which makes me disagree with the second part; I’ve never had any use for a single stage press at all.

 

[acloco]

I sort of disagree. When I came back to shooting and reloading after a decades long break, I started loading on a single-stage press C-clamped to the dining room table. Let me get back into the swing of things enough that I could ID what I wanted (height, space around the press, etc) in a permanent setup. Something to think about.

You want to be tired and wore out from reloading sessions? WHAT?

 

[old codger]

With the way things are now I would be hesitant to start out with a progressive. It looks to me that we are going to be in this drought of components for years to come. You are going to load with whatever components and quantities you can get. Changing a progressive frequently because you can't get the components you had last time can be a pain. I find myself needing to run off 25 or 30 rounds at a time. I can have them done on my single stage by the time I would get my 500 set up.

 

[Herbc]

For pistol 550 should be plenty. I load about 75 rounds an hour of 45acp, and I'm well into geezerhood