Dillon 550B 5.56 work flow question

[powderbrake]

I've done a similar test with Varget and XBR 8208 from my Dillon 550 powder measure. 20 charges of each with a target weight of ~30g, checked on a precision scale with 0.02g resolution.

Varget XBR
0.124 0.079 Standard Deviation (gr)
0.46 0.26 Extreme Spread (gr)

You achieved much better results, and you used a much better scale. I cannot approach 1/2 grain extreme spread on my measures with Varget. You really need a better scale to properly evaluate individual throws. My scale at 0.1gr increments is half the powder measure accuracy on individual throws.
When you weigh a bunch of throws together, and divide by the number thrown, the results are always pretty good with a 0.1 grain scale, but individual throws will vary.

 

[Legolas]

So far I've only reloaded pistol rounds with my 550B but now I need to reload some .223 / 5.56 and I think I'm stumped a little.

Typically with the 550B I use a toolhead with only a universal deprimming die and deprimed all my brass, clean in a wet stainless pins tumbler. Then resize when I load with the correct caliber dies in the toolhead.

If I'm loading rifle cartridges with my RCBS I throw the brass in a vibrating tumbler for a couple hours to get the maindirt off, deprime, trim if needed, work the primer pocket, stainless steel pin tumble to really clean then load.

My question is what is the best work flow with a rifle case? I'l'll need lube on the case to size the brass that I don't want to leave on, and after loading a couple hundred rounds I don't want to have to go through with an alcohol rag and hand clean all the lube off. Plus how will I get a chance to check the brass to see if I should trim it? My thoughts now are to buy another head and set it up just with a sizing die and decapping & resize, trim if needed prep the primer pocket, stainless steel pin clean off the lube then run it through the 550British normally (no sizer die on the head)

Also on an unrelated question, but still a 550b question
Does anyone else have issues with the Dillon powder measures consistently throwing the same amount of powder? It may be the powder, I don't notice it much when I'm loading 357 or 44 mag with 2400 but my son has a load for his 9mm that uses 700x which is a flake powder. I'm not sure if it is the powder or the fact that we are only using 4.6gr.

Any help is appreciated

 

[Legolas]

Regarding Dillon powder measure, small charges of pistol powder that do not drop reliably are VERY DANGEROUS. I loaded a batch of .38 special cast bullets with a light charge of HP38 less than 3grains, below minimum, I was out of spec. The metering chamber of the measure was adjusted down so small that powder would sometimes bridge at the top of the chamber and not fall in. Somewhere between 3 to 5 rounds out of 100 did not get a powder charge. While target shooting with hearing protection, I could not hear the pop of the primer and almost assumed I had a misfire. The primer drove the bullet into the barrel forcing cone deep enough that the cylinder was free to rotate. For a moment I thought I had a misfire, and I cocked the hammer again rotating the cylinder and almost pulled the trigger. At the last second I decided to check that misfire and found the primer had driven the bullet into the barrel. I almost fired a bullet into a plugged barrel.

I now consider any fine grained powder charge of 3 grains or less to be potentially not reliably dispensed from a mechanical powder measure, and therefore potentially DANGEROUS.

If a primer could drive a 9mm bullet deep enough into the barrel that another round could be chambered, this hazard would exist for auto pistols as well as revolvers.

I have loaded a couple of thousand rounds of 9mm 147gr cast lead bullets over 3.4 grains of WSF with complete and total reliability.

I have two Dillon 550b presses. I leave one set up for small primers, and the other for large primers. I really like the Dillon machines.

Regarding your general question about powder measure charge weight uniformity, I have made powder baffles for all my measures. They are an inverted V shape similar to baffles I have seen in other powder measures. I cut them out of thin cardboard like from a cereal box, I folded the inverted V and cut V shapes out of each side, so that powder flows down through the V cuts on each side and down through the half moon shaped gaps on each end. I have about an one and a half inches of loose freshly fallen powder over the metering chamber and under the baffle with an inch of air space above the loose powder under the inverted V roof. The main powder column rests on top of the baffle and gradually flows down through it. I think a tall column of powder becomes packed together and more dense over time from the vibration of the press working up and down.

 

[akajun]

I load all the ammo for our junior service rifle program and have for some years with Dillon machines. I have changed and refined my methods over time but will give you what I feel are your best options.
Whatever machine you use you will need two toolheads, one for case prep and one for loading.
On a 550, I deprime first stage , then second stage is blank, third stage is the Dillon resize/ trimmer combo, the final stage is a neck expander, basically a size die high enough not to size just to expand the neck.
It should be noted that the Dillon trimmer does leave a burr on cases receiving their first trim however after stainless pin tumbling it's knocked down enough where it does not shave brass. On 600 yd ammo I still deburr.
After case prep on the Dillon I deburr as needed and stainless pin tumble. Also this is the time to swage primer pockets if needed.
To load the first stage is another decapping die. This is to clear out/ alert any pins which may be in the case that I missed. I also prime at this stage .
Second stage is powder, I like r15 or 8208 as they meter beautifully and shoot well. Varget will work if you polish and open up your powder drop die.
Next is bullet seating and last is a light crimp with a Lee factory crimp die.
The only refinement that I have made is that I now do all my. Case prep on a 1050 as the built in swagger eliminates another separate step. I still load on the 550

 

[reubenski]

It seems obvious at this point that it is for which style or type of ammunition you are loading. I use a 550B for 3-gun and IPSC. For me, the machine is all about speed. For precision rifle, I do it on a turret press loading single-staged style. When I load .223 on the Dillon, brass selection and swaged primer pockets are a big consideration. I haven't had good luck picking up "my" brass at a match. This means whatever if any brass I am able to pick up will be mixed headstamp and many having swaged primer pockets. For this reason I want to move to a 1050, but just can't justify it yet. Therefore I buy large lots of mixed headstamp, PREPPED brass from folks on forums and almost consider them one-time loads. For this reason, I load using a single toolhead in the manner Dillon intended the 550 to be run. Same with pistol, except that I do better about recovering 45ACP brass and will simply STM, dry, load(Deprime/size/ prime as the first station). I learned the hard way that I have to lube .223 cases and just do it; haven't had to clean a bunch of lube out yet. I use Hornady spray lube which seems to dry away after a couple of hours; we shall see how this works in the long run.

I use ball powders only in the machine and don't have problems. I have been using for IDPA, IPSC, and 3 gun over the course of about 10 years. For .223AI and precision .223 I do it on a Turret press in single-stage mode. That said my Armalite M-15 Comp will shoot MOA with bulk Hornady 68gr BTHP on top of Ramshot TAC coming out of the Dillon. That is hard with a only 6x's in scope! I will also zero with 68's, but run bulk-purchased 55gr SP's for close targets through %60 of the match, using the 68's for far or small targets. I don't bother adjusting the powder charge when loading the 55's and have no idea what speed they are running; don't care either.

I recognize that you're probably asking about a hybrid load sequence for adapting the 550B to PR, not 3-gun or plinking so I apologize in advance if this is a bit off the mark. Just wanted to share my loading tactics to solve my load sequence problems and style of comp requirements.