Moving to a Dillon -- What Would I Need?

[padom]

If you're planning on shooting any form of 'precision' rifle, the folks at Dillon will be less than helpful. Everything they'll recommend revolve around using their dies, their powder measure - and ball powders - and loading everything in one pass on their tool heads. Which, if you look around, is *not* what most people actually loading precision rifle use.

There are LOTS of people running precision rounds on Dillons, specifically 550's.. You do not need to load in one pass, use ball powders/powder measure or use their toolheads. A properly setup 550 loads precision ammo as good as any other press out there.


Floating die toolheads, powder dies with funnels that allow you to pour charges measured on high end scales directly into the case on press without touching the round.

 

[Doug Casner]

I like some have said, ball powder and a bunch of bullets and primers and youre ready to go. I ve got 3 of them. Load on the 550 the most. Doug

 

[mtncwru]

There are LOTS of people running precision rounds on Dillons, specifically 550's.. You do not need to load in one pass, use ball powders/powder measure or use their toolheads. A properly setup 550 loads precision ammo as good as any other press out there.


Floating die toolheads, powder dies with funnels that allow you to pour charges measured on high end scales directly into the case on press without touching the round.

Thanks. I think you and memilanuk are on the same page: the Standard Dillon Workflow often isn't what folks use for a precision round. Folks are still doing the work on the Dillon press, but aren't necessarily following the specific "every crank of the lever makes a loaded round" steps, are using non-Dillon powder measures, non-Dillon dies, etc., and so calling Dillon for workflow recommendations might not get me a useful answer.

That's a helluva bench you have there -- love the idea of just swapping toolheads and leaving the dies setup!

 

[padom]

Thanks. I think you and memilanuk are on the same page: the Standard Dillon Workflow often isn't what folks use for a precision round. Folks are still doing the work on the Dillon press, but aren't necessarily following the specific "every crank of the lever makes a loaded round" steps, are using non-Dillon powder measures, non-Dillon dies, etc., and so calling Dillon for workflow recommendations might not get me a useful answer.

That's a helluva bench you have there -- love the idea of just swapping toolheads and leaving the dies setup!

Agreed.

Yep, thats just one of my 4 benches in my reloading room. Using the UniqueTek Clamp kit on all my toolheads.. Whidden floating die toolheads for precision loading toolheads, 21st Century mandrel die with appropriate mandrel after the sizing die in every sizing toolhead... Mighty Armory Super Duty spring loaded flicker decapping dies...

 

[memilanuk]

@padom I'm assuming you're decapping, sizing, and expanding in one tool head? Are you doing anything as far as brushing / lubing the case neck ID before hand?

IIRC the one thing that was giving me fits at the time when I was doing my 'precision' ammo on the 550 was brass build-up on the mandrel. Didn't seem to matter what brand/material, I'd start getting a little 'ring' and if I didn't pull it and clean/polish the mandrel fairly regularly it'd build up to where it really screwed with the neck tension.

 

[butchlambert]

@padom I'm assuming you're decapping, sizing, and expanding in one tool head? Are you doing anything as far as brushing / lubing the case neck ID before hand?

IIRC the one thing that was giving me fits at the time when I was doing my 'precision' ammo on the 550 was brass build-up on the mandrel. Didn't seem to matter what brand/material, I'd start getting a little 'ring' and if I didn't pull it and clean/polish the mandrel fairly regularly it'd build up to where it really screwed with the neck tension.

I know where you are coming from! I had a couple mandrels melonited and it helped a bynch

 

[memilanuk]

I know where you are coming from! I had a couple mandrels melonited and it helped a bynch

Did that change the actual size of the mandrels any appreciable amount?

IIRC I'd gone to using the Sinclair carbide turning mandrels there towards the end, for much the same reason... but that kind of limits your options as far as neck tension.

 

[padom]

@padom I'm assuming you're decapping, sizing, and expanding in one tool head? Are you doing anything as far as brushing / lubing the case neck ID before hand?

IIRC the one thing that was giving me fits at the time when I was doing my 'precision' ammo on the 550 was brass build-up on the mandrel. Didn't seem to matter what brand/material, I'd start getting a little 'ring' and if I didn't pull it and clean/polish the mandrel fairly regularly it'd build up to where it really screwed with the neck tension.

My cleaning and lubing process before hands makes sizing both the body, shoulder and necks smooth as better and no I dont get any brass build up on my mandrels. I can post some pics here shortly.

I dry tumble my brass in cord cob, I then dump them in a plastic bin and spray them with my Lanolin/99% alcohol mix and shake them around, i then shake them to one side that has 80% of the cases standing up on end and I spray a spray and get it in the necks, I repeat this 2-3x and let sit for 5min or so then size. Smooth as butter with this lanolin and my 21st Century TiN mandrels and now my 21st Century Black Nitride mandrels. Zero buildup.

 

[padom]

I know where you are coming from! I had a couple mandrels melonited and it helped a bynch

Yep, Ive been using 21st Century's TiN mandrels for many years without issue and now their new custom size melonited mandrels without issue. That and a little lanolin/alcohol spray in the necks and they size smooth as butter.

 

[butchlambert]

Did that change the actual size of the mandrels any appreciable amount?

IIRC I'd gone to using the Sinclair carbide turning mandrels there towards the end, for much the same reason... but that kind of limits your options as far as neck tension.

As near as my old fingers can measure I cannot measure a 10th difference. If you can get the exact dimension mandrels in carbide, that is a very good idea.

 

[memilanuk]

My cleaning and lubing process before hands makes sizing both the body, shoulder and necks smooth as better and no I dont get any brass build up on my mandrels. I can post some pics here shortly.

I'd certainly like to see that. Dunno about the OP, but I'm always open to seeing other people's processes.

 

[padom]

I'd certainly like to see that. Dunno about the OP, but I'm always open to seeing other people's processes.

No problem. Im about to start a meeting but can post up some pics or a video in a little bit.

 

[mtncwru]

I'd certainly like to see that. Dunno about the OP, but I'm always open to seeing other people's processes.

Yeah, I'd love to see that! My hope with this thread was to learn about other folks' processes -- all the different right ways to do stuff that people have found over the years!

 

[padom]

I'd certainly like to see that. Dunno about the OP, but I'm always open to seeing other people's processes.

Here you go. Made a quick video showing my process. Ignore the copper misspoke. I meant brass on the mandrel.. but as you can see, there is none on my mandrel and I don't lube my TiN or Nitrided mandrel.

 

[memilanuk]

Excellent, thank you.

And shoot me a PM if you decide to sell that concentricity gauge

 

[padom]

Excellent, thank you.

And shoot me a PM if you decide to sell that concentricity gauge

No problem

 

[drop_point]

If I was going to load my match ammo on a progressive press, it would be a Dillon 750 with a case feeder. I would use a tool head to decap, size, expand, brush the neck, and run it through a second expander.

I would prime separately and use an arbor press.

I do load my "precision" AR rounds on a progressive and run it though twice, but I do prime/throw powder/seat/crimp on it second pass through.

 

[padom]

If I was going to load my match ammo on a progressive press, it would be a Dillon 750 with a case feeder. I would use a tool head to decap, size, expand, brush the neck, and run it through a second expander.

I would prime separately and use an arbor press.

I do load my "precision" AR rounds on a progressive and run it though twice, but I do prime/throw powder/seat/crimp on it second pass through.

For my single shot BR guns I do just that. Process my brass with Dedicated toolhead on the Dillon and then prime with 21st Century click adjustable SS hand primer then charge the cases with my Fx120i/AT3/IG setup then seat bullets with LE Wilson SS Micrometer inline dies and K&M arbor press....

https://imgur.com/ycrF36H

 

[memilanuk]

For my single shot BR guns I do just that. Process my brass with Dedicated toolhead on the Dillon and then prime with 21st Century click adjustable SS hand primer then charge the cases with my Fx120i/AT3/IG setup then seat bullets with LE Wilson SS Micrometer inline dies and K&M arbor press....

The more I think back (my note taking back then... sucked... to be frank) I was using a lot of the same steps. Slightly different details here and there, but largely the same process. MA 'Pua decapper die with the 'flicker' spring for those annoying small rifle primers that get sucked back into the pockets in station #1, bushing die with the decapping stem removed in station #2, Sinclair mandrel die with carbide turning mandrels (2 thou under bullet diameter) in station #3. Home-made lanolin/alcohol spray lube, mixed something like 12:1 or 10:1, Sterilite plastic tote for the lubing process, etc. etc.

Second tool head had another decapper in station #1 to clear any media from tumbling the lube off, Dillon powder die with the old MTM funnel setup that Whidden used to sell in station #2 bullet seater in station #3. Sometimes I'd prime on press, sometimes not. I found that picking the handle up and letting it drop back down the last inch or so when seating bullets gave surprisingly consistent results - more so than just the regular 'down/up' stroke.

Between the spray process and the carbide mandrel it was mostly not an issue, but there was a very long, painful period before that, farting around with K&M, Sinclair and other brands of steel mandrels and the buildup on them.

Then I kind of quit shooting any kind of volume anything, got a Zero press, and tore down all my 550 heads except my bulk/blaster .223 Rem one.

As I've been getting back into shooting matches a little more, a few things that were fine on the 20-30-50 round small batch level went back to be f'ing obnoxious on the 200-300 round level - hence my interest in getting the 550 set up again!

 

[Fishjager]

I have a confession to make here. I have two Dillon 750's one for small primers and the other for large primers. I also have a 550B set up for 223. I use that for plinking 556 with the AR platforms. I have a Redding T-7 for precision work. The guns I shoot at 500 yards I use the T-7 to load that ammo. All other stuff goes through the Dillon 550. I also use the extruded powders on 500 yard stuff so that is the reason for the T-7. I use a Hornady and Lyman electronic powder measure for precise accurate powder measurements. I find the Hornady more accurate. By the way, the 750's are mainly what I use for handgun cartridges. I will always have a 550 around. You can just go slower with it and watch what you are doing, making less mistakes, with the manual indexing. Just my .02.