This is probably a profoundly dumb question, but what procedure do you use to begin a reloading session (let's say for pistol rounds) and finish one? I'm used to using a turret press where all I need to do is remove the primer system and close the powder measure.... I'm a bit overwhelmed on the Dillon and not sure what the correct and safe way to stop reloading and call it a day without leaving a bunch of partially loaded rounds.

Install clip to prevent primer feed.

With empty powder measure, set up belling adjustment.  

Put one primer in cup and seat primer. Fill powder measure. Adjust.  Drop 5 times when set and measure.  Make final drop and move to seating station.

Set up seating station by measuring bullet with calipers.

Advance and set up crimp die.

Move one more case through system manually and double check OAL at seating station.

Load up case feed and remove clip from primer feed.

Go full retard.

I use quick change kits and I tape a not on the side of the powder measure to list the last powder used, weight, bullet, OAL and caliber.  If no changes are needed, I sample the powder drop and move on.

Right now my 650 is set up and and ready to rock with 80 fully processed and sized cases in .308, 34.5 grains of Varget, 168gr SMKs and Federal Large primers.  I am not in any hurry, so when I have few spare minutes, I will run them through, probably tonight before happy hour.

Thanks, but I've already gone through that initial setup. What I want to know is the safe way to STOP a reloading session (and later start back up).

I just stop and walk away.  Some people in extreme environments or with OCD will empty their powder measure and put it back in the original container.  I only do this when I remove the quick change kit from the press to change calibers.  I only keep one powder container on the bench and that is the powder in the active measure.  This is a rule that is unforgiving if you screw up and forget what powder is in your last set up that is sitting on your quick change pedestal and forget the label.  

You could also put a stop block in the brass feeder, index the last brass to the primer station and seat and insert the primer stop clip, and index the remaining cases through, install bullets, and leave the press empty.  This is where you could then remove powder and primers if you have that OCD thing.

About every 1K rounds, I lube the main shaft and pivot points.  I apply grease to the shell plate bolt and the index sliders every time I change or clean the shell plate area.  

(I also have an ESD safe anti static vacuum with attachments that I use to clean up stray primers and powder.  Made by 3M and not cheap.)

After I load the remaining rounds of .308, I will change over to .45ACP.  It uses the same shell plate and primer feed.  I will add pistol primers, install the quick change kit, verify powder and then jam out a couple thousand .45 rounds.  Not because I need them, but simply because I have the supplies and the base is already set up.  

I will also spend time setting up my Dillon auto primer filler.  They warrantied a couple parts for me after it showed me hate for Wolf primers.  

Reloading is more of a pastime for me, so I am really not in a hurry to rip through these things.  I must balance the time between the arfcom, porn surfing, car building, and drinking.  None of these activities should be combined, or explosions will occur.

Assuming you live alone or can trust those around you (eg no small children), and your reloading environment isn't "hostile" (humidity, large temp change, etc), I would walk away if I was coming back tomorrow to do more of the same thing.

If one or more of those weren't true, I would remove the powder and return it to the canister (prevents "damage" to powder or powder measure tube), remove the primers and return to their original container, and put them in my secure, cool, dry storage.

You can choose to do any further cleanup or caliber change then, or before your next session.

I go until I've finished a primer tube, empty the powder measure, and call it good.

Starting it up next time, I fill the powder measure and primer tube, throw a couple of "warm up" throws, then measure the powder throws to make sure that gremlins haven't had any fun there, then start loading.

I let it sit as is unless I know that I'm not loading that caliber the next time around.  If that is happening,  I'll remove extra primers and powder because the chances that I'll use those same primers/powder the next time around is very small.

If i'm doing a large run, when low primer alert sounds. Turn off case feeder, scale, micrometer, lights over bench. Shut down shop, lock up set alarm, go to house.

Somewhat OT. I read one reply where the member says install clip to prevent primer feed. I did some research (you tube, benos, here) for an easy way to keep primers from feeding while setting powder weight, in between ladders OAL.
EVERY ONE of the ideas involves, getting a washer to lift, hold back, etc, the primer indexing arm.  After 2 minutes of staring at the 650 i came to the conclusion taking the primer cam # 13670 pg 49,  dillon 650 inst manual was easier and requires no modifying of anything. YMMV  
Just throwing some useless almost end of week fodder out there.

My 650 is stricly a 9mm and 40 machine..

Tool heads already set up,  but 99.9% always set up for 9mm

Load brass into feeder pipe, load 1 case to station 1 by hand,, fill primer tower,  move primer disc 7 click I think it is, primer be ready when 1st case hits station 2..

Fill measure, hand cycle powder measure bar to get powder started into a 35mm film container, dump back into measure, then verify charge weight by dropping into container, and weigh it..

Now all I have to do is pull handle and operate press, add bullet at #4 and keep going, refill case pipe and primers as needed.

When done, remove toolhead with measure attached, pour powder back into original container, put tool head back on press until next I need to use

I start from empty and work to empty.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

I load low volume for quite a few calibers on my 650.  I use primers as my "counter".  I always load in multiples of 100 and usually not more than 200 at a time, and almost always load a different caliber each sitting.  Once I'm rocking and rolling and I hear the primer alarm on my last tube of primers, I turn off the case feeder and I slow down a bit a wait for the "feel" of  no primer seated at station 2.  At that point, I block off the arm that moves empty cases from the tube to the station 1 drop so no more brass is fed into the shell plate.  I have to take 2-3 empty cases out of station 2 until I cycle all the primed cases out of the shell plate as competed rounds.  At this point I usually have a few cases left in the drop tube so I remove the tube and dump the empty cases out of it.  I rotate the entire case feeder to the right a little bit and clip the drop tube back in the case feeder only.  I put a container under the tube and turn the case feeder back on to empty the remaining cases in it.  I empty the powder back into the original container and store the tool head and powder measurer in an airtight container.  Since I almost always load a different caliber in each sitting, I go ahead and remove all the caliber conversion pieces and put them back in their box as a final step.  Then the next time I load, I pull the appropriate caliber conversion kit, tool head, and powder and I'm ready to go.  This last step is obviously overkill if you're loading the same caliber all the time, but it works well for my situation.  I shoot about equal amounts of 9mm, .40, and .45 with a handful of 380 thrown in there. I also load my plinking .223 ammo on the 650.  (If you load .223, you only need to buy the .380 case feed adapter and you can load .380 - that is the only reason I do .380 on the 650).  Hope this helps.

When I have guests in town, I take paracord and a spring lock and use it to tie up the handles of both my presses.  This prevents inevitable curiosity of pulling the handle, just like touching wet paint.  

If I had kids around, I would use the Dillon press cover.  These are quite nice.  

I have some powder measures that are discolored from 231.  It doesn't affect operation in any way, and I have the low powder sensor, so seeing through isn't an issue.  All of my handgun rounds have been successful, so keeping the powder in the measure has not hurt it.

Are you saying to unbolt the primer cam or is there something new from Dillon that I missed?  

I modify nothing.  I simply have a small tab of scrap metal with a 3/16" hole punched in the end.  I lift the primer cam and insert the tab.  The cam now slides over the primer disc, rather than indexing it.  5 seconds in or out.  No tools, no mods.  I have processed thousands of pieces of .300, .45, and .223 brass this way with no issues at all. This is on youtube, along with the clip to stop the case feed toggle.  No clip is needed in that instance, since a .223 case will stop the toggle.

I size and decap all of my brass of one caliber at a time and then store it in coffee cans, then later ill handprime the brass and store it in a different container which leaves me with a bunch of sized and primed cases ready. Normally my LnL AP is only set up for PTX/powder drop, visual powder check, bullet feeder, then seat. I find this easier because occasionally I'll wind up forgetting to prime on station 2 and then will have powder spilling everywhere through the primer pocket.

I leave powder in the hopper generally that I can use across different calibers and bullet weights and will adjust accordingly before I start seating, I have no kids and normally the reloading gremlins are pretty good to me and don't tinker with my throws.

To start, I will load up between 5 and 10 live rounds.  I will measure them for OAL and make sure that they drop right into and right out of a case gage (gauge?) with a reassuring "schtick!" sound.

Then I will load up those 5 into a mag and hand rack them through a gun, a semi-auto pistol.  No one is in the house when I do this and the ejected rounds fall onto my bed.

Then I will measure them again and see if they got shorter.  If everything is fine, I'll crank out 300 or more in one sitting.

For "shutdown", I just put the lid back on the powder measure and walk away.

I typically do this when I have run through 100 primers and the primer tube assembly is empty or when I run out of bullets.

If I know I am going to be switching calibers, I might actually pull the pins and set the completed or full toolhead on one of the Dillon toolhead stands.  And remove the shellplate and brass
Locator buttons.

I stop a reloading session like this on my 650s:



When the last case is coming out of station 1, I seat the primer.



After the primer is seated I remove the primer cam / primer cam screw so no more primers are fed into the system



I cycle the press to put powder in the last case



Cycle the press and the last case goes to the powder check station



Cycle the press so the last case goes through the powder check station and remove the powder check rod



Seat and crimp the bullet as normal until the last round is finished



I then remove the tool head and pour the remaining powder in the measure back into the original container.  





It's as easy as that!

I'm pretty lazy, I just walk away from my 550 when I'm done.  Generally, like others, I run it out of primers first, but I'm a 'Load x00' and a time' kind of guy, so it's a natural stopping point for me.

I really should empty the powder measure if I know I'm not going to be back in a day or two, but...lazy.

Yes. It's nothing NEW from dillon. I watched numerous yt vids and read numerous( ok a few)  threads from folks wondering What To Do with the primers, or how to prevent the primers from cycling while setting powder drop etc. For me it's easy to remove the cam off the frame. Nothing special, or a dillon update.
It's what works for me while reloading.