*Dillon Dilemma!* Advise and suggestions please!

[powderbrake]

Excellent. Why do you dry tumble instead of wet tumble? Thank you!

I bought a 60 pound bag of corn cob many, many years ago, and have not yet used it up. I do have a 5 gallon tumbler which I built years ago, but I no longer use it to clean brass. I use a vibratory case tumbler with corn cob and dillon polish. I have never wet tumbled and am satisfied with the results I get from dry tumbling, and feel no need to change.
The vibratory tumbler is not that loud.

 

[bullseyeshtr]

I load about 3-5k of 45acp a year. I use a Dillon 650. Get the case feeder, and about 9-10 primer tubes. I tumble my brass in tough nut and just load and go. Primer pockets aren't crucial to get clean for pistol. I shoot bullseye and we haven't seen a difference yet. For 9mm I think you may want to go jacketed route as 9mm cast can be a pain to get to shoot accurately. Depends on what you need for accuracy. IF you go jacketed a bullet feeder will work awesome, I don't know if they feed lead bullets well. Never used one and know they had problems on some of the first ones.

GW

 

[Hoser]

IF you go jacketed a bullet feeder will work awesome, I don't know if they feed lead bullets well. Never used one and know they had problems on some of the first ones.

Jacketed and coated work flawless with a MrBulletFeeder. I have never tried traditional wax lubed lead.

 

[RetiredArmy]

Now there’s a thought! I’m still attracted to the idea of using a hand primer so that I can watch TV on the couch while popping primers out. Probably more time consuming though.

I'll sell you my Frankford hand deprimer (used twice). OR, save yourself a bunch of hand fatigue and try a Lee hand press and universal decapping die. Pretty quick to deprime a few hundred pieces of brass in my recliner while watching tv!!
Thanks Bill
Sent you a P.m

 

[Tactical Zacktical]

As you can see , like almost everything in reloading alot of things are pure personal preference.....You will end up with a box of stuff you have bought that sucks including the newest and latest flavor of the month....

Some people clean primer pockets , some don't...
Some people wet tumble , some don't and hate it...
Some people use vibration tumblers , some don't...
Some people deprime off the press in a separate step , some don't...
Some people like shiny brass , some don't care at all....


This list goes on forever for absolutely everything from dies to brass and what's the best and what's just horrible... What works the best for some don't work the same for others... A look at almost any thread will include these answers... Some people have basically unlimited money , most don't... Find what works for you and meets your needs and stick with it... The only way to figure this out is by trying what you want... That's were that box of crap you have bought comes into play...

Welcome to the world of reloading... The best advice I can give you is to test EVERYTHING... You never master it , you just get better at it.... Like any hobby you can do it and have fun , but it can turn into a monster that eats your lunch and bank account if you're not careful....

Excellent summary of what I’m learning, thank you for that. Let the trial and error begin!

 

[Rsadams]

I have seen people complain about the harbor freight Walnut.... Yes it's dusty... That's why I take two five gallon buckets and pour it back and forth outside on a windy day.... After that it cleans my pistol brass as good as anything costing alot more , without chemicals... If you're shooting 5000 , 10,000 rounds a year and you're worried about the Walnut dust being a problem , you should definitely take more vitamins.... My 22 year old bird sits in my reloading room and I will bet that he makes 25 no problem.....

 

[thatguyshm]

During this lull in normal life I've been going through all the 223 brass people have given me over the years and prepping it and filling ammo cans. My process was pretty simple. I use a wet tumble to get the range and storage mess off, using the FA system but I just filled the hopper and didn't put in pins, makes things more difficult.

Then I dried and will put one tray at a time in a zip lock bag and spray some lanolin/alcohol lube in to coat everything. After the alcohol dries, all are resized through a single stage press, then they get put in walnut shell vibratory with a splash of carnuba wax for storage for about 20-30 minutes.

After I do that, I swedge each primer pocket, trim to length and am ready to load. I leave my first station empty on my 550 and prime on the press, load as usual.

As everyone has stated, there is no easy way around things, everyone has their own methods and SOP. I guess what I'm trying to get is you have the space to cast bullets, use the other plug in the outlet to vibrate brass? I'm really hoping you don't plan on casting bullets inside an apartment, there's splatter , mess, risk of fire, lead vapors needing an open space to clear out..

Popping crimped primers by hand is terrible. Done it, gave up on it. Little primer mess on a Dillon is good, means you'll take it apart and clean it more, which will help it keep running smoothly.

Good luck and load safe.

 

[DirtySteve]

I have 2 square deals and I really like them. Have 2 so I don't have to change from small to large primer. (They were a whole lot cheaper when I bought mine)

I have two 550's for the same reason..

 

[tominboise]

I have two 550's for the same reason..

I need a second 550 for this reason. I used to have 4 SDB's so I didn't have to change die sets or primer sizes. But they all went down the road and I got the 550.

 

[mac86951]

Progressive for pistols makes a lot of sense; but I gotta ask:. How much shooting are you going to do? I'm loading a comfortable 200 rounds an hour once setup, but wow is it monotonous and a new mental challenge. Get a powder cop that locks up the press like RCBS so there's less to check. Take your time learning how to prime with the progressive for best efficiency, and case feeder / bullet feeder will really really help. I don't have either, too many cartridges to load.

So add up the $$; how many rounds of each cartridge do you need to produce to make up the difference vs. buying bulk ammo? What's your time worth? Don't skimp on safety!

I've seen more squibs, jams, misfires, and outright ammo issues at a match than I can count, there is a dark side of loading your own and it's all on you to catch it.

I suppose you've already answered this; but do you load currently on a single stage press? I'd recommend you start there, or find a good loading buddy to take you thru the process a few times. Mistakes on a single stage are easier to catch; progressive will multiply them quickly if you're not looking.

-Mac

 

[SF-Guy]

I did for years on a 650. Most of the dirt/debris falls into the spent primer cup.



Yup... and unless you have a lot of extra time (or place little value on it), you’re likely financially better off buying bulk bullets!



The smaller tumbler offered by Frankford Arsenal. Might want to also buy a food dehydrator for drying the cleaned brass.



Great idea! As the 750 is new, a lot of Dillon users will likely be selling their 650s, watch the classified adds on this site. You’ll likely be able to get a well equipped used 650 for not much more than a new 550. Dillon warranties the press for life, they don’t care who owns it.

Have fun, but be warned it’s an addicting activity!

I shoot USPSA and 3-gun matches religiously, and I’m looking to reload bulk 9mm and then add in .223 sometime in the future.

I plan to deprime with a Frankford arsenal hand de primer, wet tumble with stainless pins, then load in the Dillion 550. I have access to everything I need to pour and powder coat my own 9mm bullets.
Below is my current shopping list.

————

Dillon:

509.99 Dillon RL 550C w/ caliber conversion kit

75.99 Dillon carbide pistol dies

17.99 Dillon 9mm case gauge

TOTAL $633.96 after shipping and tax

——————-

Amazon:

35.49 Frankford Arsenal Hand Deprimer

35.00 Frankford arsenal DS-750 Scale

19.50 2.5 lbs Guntap stainless tumbler pins

22.95 Neiko Stainless Calipers

5.99 RCBS Primer Flip Tray

*Note: Already have bullet puller and Reloading manual

TOTAL $128.84 after tax (free shipping)

————-

Harbor Freight:

59.99 Dual Drum Rotary Rock Tumbler

TOTAL $50 after coupon

——————

$811 COMBINED TOTAL

Am I good to go? Please advise.

I use an electric cement mixer. Painted the drum with truck bed rubber paint. I run it at a slower speed and dump it over a screen into a large plastic tub. I like small spherical ceramic media, and dump it all into 5 gallon paint strainers (in a bucket) to wash it with Dawn every 2 months. I just knot the bag and let the sun dry it all day. How many cases? I dunno. I can put two 5 gal buckets of anything in it and clean it all in 2 hours.

Now i use my big dillon to clean new bullets before i put them in a couple of Lyman vibratory tumblers with Danzac to coat them.

 

[jr600yd]

Don’t forget the “STDW” box

S#$t that don’t work box.