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Posted: 3/10/2009 6:25:25 PM EDT
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Hello all,
I am finally ready to get into reloading. I have always been interested in it and I am now in a position to set up for it. I am of the school of "go big or go home." I would rather purchase something expensive once (as long as it is worth it), than start with something small that I will out grow or use in a short period of time. I would like to start out with .45 ACP and 5.56 for now, and eventually add 9mm, 6.8SPC and .308. From my limited research, I am really interested in the Dillon 650. It looks like this unit will be able to take care of all of my needs, at this time and in the future. I would appreciate any and all information on the 650. I would appreciate it if somebody could give me a run down of the items / parts I would need to get started. I understand that reloading is not something for the uneducated or undisciplined. I am ready and willing to learn the proper methods and techniques. I am looking at this bench for a weapon cleaning / reloading bench. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...=cat20728_feat Thank you in advance for the help, MCSO |
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When I started reloading I jumped in to the deep end as well. I picked up a RL550B, two books, a vibratory case cleaner, scale (non-digital), calipers (digital), and the components (lead, cases, primers, powder). I had zero reloading experience (besides reading books) before I got the progressive press and I was off and running within a few hours.
The automatic powder dispenser on the Dillon is pretty accurate, but make sure you check/weigh every 15th or so round to make sure it's still throwing the same amount. Other then that reloading is pretty straight forward if you follow the guidelines in the reloading books (overall case length, min/max charges, etc). If you load your pistol rounds on the lighter side and minimally bell your cases you can re-use the brass a lot (20-30 times for .38 special) w/o ever needing to trim. However, 5.56 (or any other rifle round) make sure you check the cases length every time before reloading (if you're planning on shooting those you might want to invest in a case trimmer/deburring/chamfuring tools). Oh, and a final note: If you are going with a Dillon get some extra tool-heads if you plan on reloading more then one type of bullet. That way you only have to set up each caliber one time and can swap between them in a matter of seconds. If there's high humidity where your bench is located try to store the tool-heads/dies somewhere else.. they rust like a m'fer (I found out the hard way  ).
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So........did you see this set up?
COSteve’s Dillion Set Up http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=6&f=42&t=272661&page=1 Aloha, Mark |
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Quoted:
Thanks for the information. I'm thinking that the 550 might be a better choice to start out on. Sir, quintessential ARF.com answer: get one of each! I've seen CoSteve's pics many times and he makes some excellent points. FWIW, I do have both a Dillon RL 550B and an XL-650. The notion that you can rapidly change from one cartridge to another in either a 550 or a 650 is patently untrue. Regardless if one uses multiple tool heads or not most of the time you'll still have to change the shell plates and perhaps the primer feed depending if you are changing from small primers to large or vice versa. Also if you elect to buy the electric case feeder you'll have to change certain parts of that as well when you change cartridges. The use of multiple tool heads allows the user to quickly change them with out having to reset each die individually assuming they were set properly the last time they were used. I believe the 650 is a better choice for pistol cartridges than the 550. However for rifle cartridges the Dillon design does not consider that the cases may need to be trimmed. Trimming is best performed after the case has been resized. Only then will the case head space be correct and the OAL can be accurately measured. Both .223 and .308 OAL should be checked each time you resize them. Even if I was using a Redding X die I would still want to check the length before I charged and seated a bullet. In my humble opinion the 550 press is the better choice if you intend to reload large quantities of rifle cartridges except to say that the 550 electric case feeder can only be used for pistol cartridges. HTH, 7zero1. |
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I own a 650 w/casefeeder and owned a 550. Both are excellent presses and both have their strengths. While I generally agree with 7aero1's posts, I must take issue with some of his points in his post above. Assertion - "The notion that you can rapidly change from one cartridge to another in either a 550 or a 650 is patently untrue." Rebuttal - I purchased separate primer assy's for both my presses and with a them I was able to switch calibers and primer sizes on my 550 in 5 minutes and am currently able to make the same change on my 650 w/casefeeder in 8 minutes. I consider both to be 'rapid' changes. All it takes is an organized approach to caliber changes. Assertion - "I believe the 650 is a better choice for pistol cartridges than the 550. However for rifle cartridges the Dillon design does not consider that the cases may need to be trimmed." Rebuttal - Dillon is the only press manufacturer who offers an 'on press' trimmer. It will work with either the 550 or 650. Dillon understands that necked rifle cartridges require 2 cycles to reload; a 'case prep' cycle followed by a 'reloading cycle'. There is currently no consumer model reloading press made that allows for all the steps to be performed for necked rifle cartridges in a single cycle. A Dillon trimmer in the 3rd or 4th station, used in conjunction with a decapping and resizing die in the 1st station, allows one to decap, resize, and trim with a single cycle through the press. No other manufacturer offers this option. In addition, I consider the 650 w/casefeeder a better choice for both pistol and rifle cartridges than the 550 because of the 650 casefeeder's ability to handle both pistol and rifle cartridges. The casefeeder really speeds up the 'case prep' cycle when used with their trimmer as all that is required is to dump the cases into the hopper and pull the handle. |
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