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Posted: 8/29/2014 2:57:47 PM EDT
| I am just starting in reloading ...would a dillon xl 650 be too hard to learn on? |
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Depends on how mechanically inclined you are.
Progressives arent hard to figure out. I've been reloading for over 10 years and have a hornady lock n load progressive but still use my rockchucker for precision loads. I recommend getting a good single stage press and learning on that - ie rockchucker or similar. |
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Same here, I still use my rock chucker for a lot of loads.
I have a Dillon 550 Which is easier than the 650 so I am told. I have it set up for 308's only at this time, though I have loaded several different rounds with different powder loads. If you are going to set up multiple calibers, you will need to set up different tool blocks for each one and tune the press each time. I have a buddy that has two, one for 223 and one for 308. It is nice once it is set up and running. There is quite a bit more to it than taking it out of the box and start cranking out shells.  Even though I have it set up I still
have to dump and weigh several charges until they stabalize at what I want to dump. Also, have to keep powder bin over half full in order to dump accurate charges. There are some tricks to it, but once you get it going it is not too bad. You will still have to full length resize deburr and clean brass ahead of time, or use Lapua like I do. (neck size in first station and run with it) Once you have some brass going You can run it though again, provided you trimmed short the first time. You should still measure and sort the empties and check length to make sure they dont need trimming. Different brass does different stuff. |
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I would suggest starting with a single stage if you are looking at loading for precision rifle.
Progressives are great for cranking out pistol rounds and hose sessions .223 loads, as long as you stay away from the edge of max. Another option is a turret head single stage press, where you can have 2 or 3 cartridges set up in the turret, but still load single stage. I would also highly recommend taking the NRA Metallic Cartridge Reloading course. It helps to have a basic understanding of applied physics to be an educated reloader, in my opinion. To help wrap your head around the process, you can break it into these categories: * Brass prep * Priming * Charging * Bullet seating I could go on about each one of those into the night, but just know that there are 4 main areas of work you are looking at. Brass prep is the most time-consuming for me, because I tumble polish, but I don't mess with primer pockets like many do. I just clean, polish, re-size, trim if necessary, chamfer, and move to the next step. |
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We do have a Reloading forum. Lots of tacked threads with info for new reloaders.
As one mentioned above, if you're just starting out, I would go with a nice single stage, or maybe a turret. You will always have a use for the simpler press once you ineviteably get a progressive. My old Special five still does precision rifle rounds, is the home for my Dillon 1200RT trimmer, and is my decap/decrimp station. Plus, if you wind up not caring for reloading, you haven't laid out as much cash. (Although, Dillons have great resale value. heck, any press does, really.) All that said, a 550 is a great press. Since it's manually indexed, you can still run it like a big turret, so it is a bit easier to learn on than a 650 or a Lock N Load would be. (I have a single, turret, and a 550 on my bench. Thinking about adding a case feeder to the 550, now that I rigged up a bullet feeder on it...) |
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http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/387784_ATTENTION___READ_THIS________New_Members__Don_t_Blow_This_Off_____.html
The reloading sticky notes are a great place to start out and will get you up to speed no matter what method you pick. No sense in spending too much time on it here, but reloading really comes in handy when your interests get beyond the performance of factory loads. Start with the basics and build your understanding before you try and go too fast, knowing the whole time that you will get there soon enough. The reloading side of rifle shooting is a whole world of it's own and if you take the long term view, you will buy only the best quality tools you can afford since you will be doing it the rest of your life. Good luck and see you on the other page. |
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Quoted:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/387784_ATTENTION___READ_THIS________New_Members__Don_t_Blow_This_Off_____.html The reloading sticky notes are a great place to start out and will get you up to speed no matter what method you pick. No sense in spending too much time on it here, but reloading really comes in handy when your interests get beyond the performance of factory loads. Start with the basics and build your understanding before you try and go too fast, knowing the whole time that you will get there soon enough. The reloading side of rifle shooting is a whole world of it's own and if you take the long term view, you will buy only the best quality tools you can afford since you will be doing it the rest of your life. Good luck and see you on the other page. Roger That... BUTT!!! Go buy or order 
It doesn't come off as an advertisement piece for LYMAN, just good solid information. |
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