Going progressive for bulk

[mac86951]

OK, I'm making the switch; but for my bulk plinking varminting ammo only.

Choices:. Dillon 650, Hornady LnL AP; RCBS 2000.

I have Lee dies for pistol; plan on using bullseye and unique which points to Hornady or RCBS for flake powders. Will load 223 with ball powder.

I also plan on priming before loading; thus progressive is really just charging, seating, crimping (if needed). Would use rcbs lockout die too.

Feedback, suggestions?
Best I can find is they they'll all work; even the Lee load master, but concern is caliber change after 500 rounds, and the potential to set up with live die and trimmer for brass prep.

-Mac

 

[Gabe22BR]

Dillon 650, their dies for pistol loading..... a no BS warranty !!! Should last a lifetime of use, even customer service on weekends...



.........Buy once cry once.......

 

[Sniper338]

Ya... sell your dies.

Buy a dillon 650 and dillon dies. Then dont look back... i just bought one/got one for Christmas. I use RCBS dies because i had them already, but ill be switching to dillon dies. Cases get caught on the bottom rim of the die every once and a while. Dillon dies are made to no do that.

Ive been overwhealmed with joy with my dillon. Cranked out several thousand in january.

It works fine with those powders, i use them too. Dillon is the best hands down.

 

[hoz53]

Ya... sell your dies.

Buy a dillon 650 and dillon dies. Then dont look back... i just bought one/got one for Christmas. I use RCBS dies because i had them already, but ill be switching to dillon dies. Cases get caught on the bottom rim of the die every once and a while. Dillon dies are made to no do that.

Ive been overwhealmed with joy with my dillon. Cranked out several thousand in january.

It works fine with those powders, i use them too. Dillon is the best hands down.

Last year I sent a square Deal and a 550B to Dillon I have had since the 80s. They rebuilt them for no charge. thats a Warranty!!

 

[mac86951]

Thanks all. Seeing the first three responses are Dillon, no question I'll plan that way.

-Mac

 

[akajun]

I load all my highpower ammo on a 550 but do all the brass prep on a 1050. I don't see the difference in scores on paper. Hell I shot a 494-20 yesterday on the 200 reduced course and a 782-24 full distance last weekend.

 

[josh shrum]

OP,

You will NOT regret buying the Dillon. I would also suggest their carbide dies. Finally, their mount or one from Inline Fabrication (in my opinion) puts the press at a much better height for you to monitor what you are doing.

Thanks
Josh

 

[Rust]

Once I started IPSC/USPSA/Speed Steel and loaded a couple hundred rounds on a single stage press I did a little research. That year 18 of the top 20 shooters in the national championship used Dillons, two shot factory ammo. I got a 650 shortly afterwards. It has performed perfectly for 20 years. I did add the mount, case feeder, have separate tool heads completely set up for each chambering, an added the roller handle.

The only thing really different is for pistol ammo the last step is a Lee Factory Carbide Crimp Die which ensures that the loaded ammo gauges perfectly. It eliminates the "coke bottle bulge" best. The only other advice is to be careful not to overly expand your pistol brass mouths for bullet seating, it will make the brass split prematurely.

You can load pretty good rifle ammo too, just keep in mind ball powders meter best using the Dillon powder measure. You can use a funnel die to pour weighed charges if you want to use a coarse stick powder.

So what I'm saying is Dillon rules.

 

[jepp2]

I have a pair of Dillon 550's. Bought the first one in the mid 80's, the second one around 2004. Since the 550 was my first one, that is why I went with the second 550. If I had none, I would buy the 650 for sure. The only issue I have ever had with my first 550 was one of the swing arms galled. Mine wasn't drilled for lube, but it was my fault. Not that big of a deal to correct.

But I only load for handguns on mine. I do all my centerfire rifle on other presses. And I fired 12,000 rounds of rifle last year. Some of the powders you listed can be problematic on the 550 powder measures. There are some actions you can take to improve the disbursing accuracy, somewhat. Mine do Ok, but that wasn't always the case. I would expect the same challenges would exist for Bullseye and Unique on the 650 as well.

 

[long40shot]

Dillon 650.

 

[Bogusname]

I bought a 550 in 07'. I used to do all my long range ammo single stage. Now brass prep is done single stage and the rest done on 550. I made a dummy die to put where the sizer die goes to make sure the tool head slack is always taken out when seating and dropping powder. I can't shoot well enough to tell the difference. You won't regret a Dillon. Even if you just load for pistols.

 

[jlow]

OK, I'm making the switch; but for my bulk plinking varminting ammo only.

Choices:. Dillon 650, Hornady LnL AP; RCBS 2000.

I have Lee dies for pistol; plan on using bullseye and unique which points to Hornady or RCBS for flake powders. Will load 223 with ball powder.

I also plan on priming before loading; thus progressive is really just charging, seating, crimping (if needed). Would use rcbs lockout die too.

Feedback, suggestions?
Best I can find is they they'll all work; even the Lee load master, but concern is caliber change after 500 rounds, and the potential to set up with live die and trimmer for brass prep.

-Mac

The Dillon 650 is an excellent choice. FWIW, don't throw the Lee pistol dies out as IMHO, they are actually better than the Dillion pistol dies as they size the case further down and their crimp dies is great. A lot of my buddies who start with Dillon dies ends up with Lee....

 

[Bogusname]

Plus their warranty really is no BS. They don't ask questions and don't want to. I won't get into how I know. We all make mistakes.

 

[jr600yd]

Dillon 550-B or 650, you can't go wrong.

 

[namsag]

There was an article/advertisement several years ago in the Dillon Blue Press about the Arizona Junior Highpower rifle team, which was/is quite successful. They load all of their ammunition, practice and match, on two Dillon progressives. About 60,000 reds per year all told if I remember correctly. Works for them.

 

[seymour fish]

Last year I sent a square Deal and a 550B to Dillon I have had since the 80s. They rebuilt them for no charge. thats a Warranty!!

Same here. Rebuilt my old one for free, no questions asked, voluntarily. Best support anyone could get. Seymour

 

[hoz53]

I load all my highpower ammo on a 550 but do all the brass prep on a 1050. I don't see the difference in scores on paper. Hell I shot a 494-20 yesterday on the 200 reduced course and a 782-24 full distance last weekend.

Why don't you load the complete round on the 1050? I've thought of buying one but I don't think I need quite that capacity

 

[akajun]

Why don't you load the complete round on the 1050? I've thought of buying one but I don't think I need quite that capacity

Cause I leave the 1050 set up just for case prep for 223.
Besides loading with the 550 I can give the cases one final inspection and I can feel the bullet seating better on a 550 if I missed a split neck

 

[hoz53]

Cause I leave the 1050 set up just for case prep for 223.
Besides loading with the 550 I can give the cases one final inspection and I can feel the bullet seating better on a 550 if I missed a split neck

It seems like an expensive case prep machine. (1050) wat operations do you do on it? You only dump powder and seat bullet on the 550?

 

[akajun]

I load for out Junior high power team so I process a lot of brass. I bought it used from someone else that used to do the same, so the cost was not too bad.
ON the 1050, in this order I deprime, swage the pp, size and trim, expand the case neck. Yes I am wasting a lot of spots on the machine but this works for me. The most important part of this is that we often get brass that is once fired ball that is mixed in with previously loaded stuff. If I have to inspect for primer crimp or swage separately that takes up a lot of time for me. Its easier to just swage every time and if it needs it great if not, it just passes through.
The only thing that I can complain about is that on the first trimming, the Dillon trimmer leaves a large burr, sometimes. expanding as a separate operation knocks most of the interior burr out and I have loaded cases for short line 2-300, without further deburring to no ill effect. However our 600yd ammo I run through the Giraud to knock off the burr.
cases are then polished and loading is transferred to the 550.
on the 550 I prime, drop powder, seat the bullet and finish with a light crimp with a lee factory crimp die for the short line, and no crimp for the 600.
The slower pace of the 550 allows me to inspect each case for split necks, feel the seating of the primer that it has enough tension, and feel the seating of the bullet that it has enough tension and or missed a split neck. You just don't have that feel on a 1050.
BTW I load my own ammo this way and it shoot very well. I am ranked as a HM in Highpower, and am distinguished. We have several juniors that have legged out and reached master with my ammo, so I don't feel its a hindrance. IN fact the short line is all loaded with sierra 77 "seconds" that were donated and charged with either 24.2 grains of varget or 23.1 of 8208 "which I prefer as it meters better in a Dillon and I believe shoots better and cleaner". Long line is loaded with the same charge of varget and a Berger 82.
Previously before I had the 1050 I used a separate toolhead for the 500 to do case prep. I deprimed, sized/trimmed, and expanded leaving one station open. I still had to handle the cases to inspect for a primer crimp and swage if necessary. The less times I have to handle a case the better, and the 1050 is worth that to me. BTW I still prep my 308 and 3006 stuff on the 550 as I only load for myself in those calibers and batch control the brass so I know if it needs swaging or not.