I bit the bullet and ordered a new dillion xl 650 reloading press today. I got caliber conversions for 45 acp , 357 mag, 9mm and 6.5 grendel. Curious to see how accurate powder drop is. I primarilly want it for loading my handgun rounds, but if it will drop within tenth of a grain will use for some of my hunting rifle rounds. Need to build a second bench tomorrow to put it on but man I stoked! Any tips or tricks from some of you dillon users will be appreciated. I am going to dry my lead tomorrow and start casting 9mm and 45 acp bullets. Good enough for target rounds! I have allot of WAP but could sure use some Bullseye or Unique Hopefully I will find some on shelf soon.
New Dillon xl 650
- Thread starter Valar
- Start date
Congrats on your new press. The 650 is a great press. The only problem I had with mine was the shell plate would stop so abruptly that some powder would flip out of the case. Removing about a 1/2 coil on the retaining ball spring took care of that. One of the best places to learn all things Dillon is the BrianEnos.com forums. They have a sub-forum devoted to dillon presses and you can find every fix, trick and mod known to man there LOL. Have fun
I use a 650 to size and trim with a Dillon 1200 trimmer. You will want a casefeeder now! if you don't have one. Add a bearing kit for the shell plate and replace the spent primer cup with one of the kits from Ebay. And a strong mount spreads the footprint of the press in order to help obtain a rock solid mount. And a solid mounted press will throw more consistent powder charges. Good luck with your new press.
Congrats on your new press! Its a great one to build around. Still getting to know mine after 20+ years experience with my 550.
My only prob also was the abrupt stop cartridges experience when shell plate advances spilling powder out of straight walled type pistol type cases (9mms were particularly bad for me). Was also solved by adjusting length of spring under the ball detent in the shell plate. Also recommend one of the spent primer catcher type mods off of Ebay.
My only prob also was the abrupt stop cartridges experience when shell plate advances spilling powder out of straight walled type pistol type cases (9mms were particularly bad for me). Was also solved by adjusting length of spring under the ball detent in the shell plate. Also recommend one of the spent primer catcher type mods off of Ebay.
I've had a 650 for several years now and it's great. Powder drop consistency is best with the finer powders and as the granules gain in size so will the charge weight variations. I found that even with Varget I was still able to get +/=.2 gr. Maybe a lot in a small cartridge like a .223 but in a .308-30/06, not so much.
I use CFE223 for the .223 and .308 rounds I load on the 650 and have variations of .1 gr only occasionally. Keep the reservoir full, use a steady rhythm, and the ammo produced will be nice and accurate.
As for the "powder bounce-out" on the quick stop, I found that by patiently adjusting the center bolt this is minimized. Unfortunately it takes a good amount of patience as the the lock screw has to be loosened first, the center bolt adjusted for the slightest drag, then the lock screw tightened, which tightens the center bolt even more. It's a back and forth process. It pays to do this regularly anyway. Keeping the shell plate/ram head area clean pays big benefits over time. Nothing like maintenance to keep a tool in top shape.
A good source for "Improvements" to the Dillon Presses is UniqueTek.
http://www.uniquetek.com/
I especially like the tool head lock kiit which replaces the pins with screws that remove all "slop" from the tool head. Stops any "clunking" noise and if you mount a Rapid Trim, no more rattling from the motor vibration.
By all means get the primer disposal adapter. Drill a hole in the bench under the outlet, attach a hose, and run those little critters into an empty vinegar jug. No more spent primers and related crap all over the bench, floor, carpet, whatever.
I use CFE223 for the .223 and .308 rounds I load on the 650 and have variations of .1 gr only occasionally. Keep the reservoir full, use a steady rhythm, and the ammo produced will be nice and accurate.
As for the "powder bounce-out" on the quick stop, I found that by patiently adjusting the center bolt this is minimized. Unfortunately it takes a good amount of patience as the the lock screw has to be loosened first, the center bolt adjusted for the slightest drag, then the lock screw tightened, which tightens the center bolt even more. It's a back and forth process. It pays to do this regularly anyway. Keeping the shell plate/ram head area clean pays big benefits over time. Nothing like maintenance to keep a tool in top shape.
A good source for "Improvements" to the Dillon Presses is UniqueTek.
http://www.uniquetek.com/
I especially like the tool head lock kiit which replaces the pins with screws that remove all "slop" from the tool head. Stops any "clunking" noise and if you mount a Rapid Trim, no more rattling from the motor vibration.
By all means get the primer disposal adapter. Drill a hole in the bench under the outlet, attach a hose, and run those little critters into an empty vinegar jug. No more spent primers and related crap all over the bench, floor, carpet, whatever.
People thaank you much for the comments. and sugestions. As for primer tray issues I can make a conversion myself. I am fortunate to have a nice old atls lathe and the knowledge to use it! I received shipping notice today from dillon and bought materials for a second reloading bench! Work to do tomorrow.
Caliche Pit
Silver $$ Contributor
I have run an XL-650 for many years now, as well as two Super 1050's. I personally have not experienced any problems with my spent primer cups, they do just what they are supposed to do, efficiently. As far as the shell plate movement slinging powder out of the case, what I do on the upstroke is as the primer is about to enter the flash hole I slow my movement until I feel the contact and then apply a firm, slow and steady final pressure stroke and actually feel the primer seating correctly. This alone slows the final movement of the shell plate to a gentle rotation and avoids the slinging of powder from the case. One thing I would advise you on, is the adjustment of the lever that holds the case in the proper position for priming can easily get out of whack when you change calibers. Dillon states it should be about the distance away from the case equal to the thickness of a business card. This is approximate, and a good place to start, but small tweaks in this gap will assure proper seating of your primers in different calibers. Enjoy the press, it will run you out of unloaded components before you know it. But, that's a good thing.
Adjusting the shellholder shoulder screw so there is a light drag when rotating it, and use your left hand as a 'brake' on the shellholder or a case after putting the bullet in the case mouth keeps most of the index detent shake powder mess away.
Be VERY careful if you use lube anywhere in the shellholder area, tiny amounts only, lube and spilled powder create a mess and lead to disasters in the primer system over a period of time. Keep a can of air handy and poot away powder spills on the shellholder area when they happen.
Be VERY careful if you use lube anywhere in the shellholder area, tiny amounts only, lube and spilled powder create a mess and lead to disasters in the primer system over a period of time. Keep a can of air handy and poot away powder spills on the shellholder area when they happen.
Thanks for all the tips good to know. one thing good about this site there are allot of high end shooters. The learning curve is going to be there with this press.I am sure with all the help it will be a awsome tool to own! I am confident if I have a single question to ask, a fellow shooter on this fourum will have a answer for me. a wealth of information here. Thanks again
It's more money but this kit provides an actual micrometer adjustment.
Log your settings for a given powder and you can return to almost exactly the same setting if you use multiple loads or powder types.
http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1231
Log your settings for a given powder and you can return to almost exactly the same setting if you use multiple loads or powder types.
http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1231
That's a slick mod to the powder measure....
One of the bumps on the learning curve with a Dillon is that there are more things that affect powder weight that just the setting of the charge bar. You can have it perfect and after checking several charges, start producing ammo. If you look at the weight that's being thrown after a little time spent producing ammo through the press, you'll likely find that it's not the same as what you had set earlier. There's a vibration unique to the rhythm of producing ammo that tends to settle or pack some powders a little differently than when you're just throwing singles to check.
I'll start producing ammo at rate and make several stops to fine tune the weight that's being thrown. This effect varies with powder type as some will pack more than others. I had a friend who used to take an electric shaver and fix it to the powder hopper and turn it on when setting up and making ammo so the vibration of the shaver would pack the powder to its max so weight would stabilize and be consistent. I've found only ball powder to be real consistent from the get go.
It seems I reset powder every time I use my 550 or 650 and I'm not sure a mod like this would be much more than a starting point. I do something similar to this idea - I use a different powder bar for each caliber and consider the powder bar as part of a caliber change. I use a post it note to note the weight the last time a particular powder bar for a given caliber was used. This way I am rarely more than a tweak on powder bar away from where the powder needs to be.
One of the bumps on the learning curve with a Dillon is that there are more things that affect powder weight that just the setting of the charge bar. You can have it perfect and after checking several charges, start producing ammo. If you look at the weight that's being thrown after a little time spent producing ammo through the press, you'll likely find that it's not the same as what you had set earlier. There's a vibration unique to the rhythm of producing ammo that tends to settle or pack some powders a little differently than when you're just throwing singles to check.
I'll start producing ammo at rate and make several stops to fine tune the weight that's being thrown. This effect varies with powder type as some will pack more than others. I had a friend who used to take an electric shaver and fix it to the powder hopper and turn it on when setting up and making ammo so the vibration of the shaver would pack the powder to its max so weight would stabilize and be consistent. I've found only ball powder to be real consistent from the get go.
It seems I reset powder every time I use my 550 or 650 and I'm not sure a mod like this would be much more than a starting point. I do something similar to this idea - I use a different powder bar for each caliber and consider the powder bar as part of a caliber change. I use a post it note to note the weight the last time a particular powder bar for a given caliber was used. This way I am rarely more than a tweak on powder bar away from where the powder needs to be.
Duster_360 said:
I think that just about every Dillon (or for that matter, any progressive) owner has had that experience. I stay away from any stick powder for ammo I load on my 650. It's pretty much reserved for .223 or 9mm ammo and the powders I use in them aren't a problem for metering.
If one's using a powder that settles and packs badly, then consider making a powder baffle and inserting it into the powder reservoir. Here's a pdf file of templates. Print out using original size settings on your printer, select size of baffle based on ID of powder reservior, glue to a piece of roof flashing aluminum, and cut out. Fold in middle and insert in hopper.
This will prevent the whole powder column from packing down and "bridging" or causing erratic charge weights.
As for the shaver trick? One can also use one of those devices that are shipped "in a plain brown wrapper and require batteries"
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