Harold Green

OK, here’s my disclaimer. Whenever anyone recommends a piece of reloading equipment to you, the recommendation heavily reflects their personal prejudices. Anything I recommend will reflect mine.

Unless you’re going to be trimming large volumes of rifle cases, a hand-cranked trimmer will do what you need. If you do get into large volumes later on, buy a powered trimmer.

One of the simplest and most durable trimmers available for a reasonable price is the Forester trimmer. Cabela’s has the Forester Original Case Trimmer Kit for $64.99. I’d suggest you start with this one.

Here’s another point about reloading rifle ammo. Standard crimp dies depend on all your cases being exactly the same length to work properly. Even when they’re all the same length, the die adjustment is pretty touchy. Set the die a little too high, and you’ll not get a crimp. Set the die a little too low, and it will force the base of the shoulder out and make this part of the case larger in diameter. If this happens the round will be too large in diameter at the shoulder to chamber and will stick in your gun. So, if your cases vary in length at all, some will not get crimped and others will get crimped so heavily they don’t chamber.

The cure for this is a Lee Factory Crimp Die. This die uses a collet activated by the inner die body being pushed upward to crimp the case mouth. It’ll give you a more uniform crimp and won’t run the risk of expanding the shoulder diameter. Cabela’s has them for $7.99.

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.45acp

OK, I just got the Dillon XL650 a few weeks ago, not much difference.

All the tools above plus a seperate OAL gauge won't hurt.
Also with the Dillon get the extra wrench that will fit all the nuts and if you haven't ordered yet get plastic bullet cases, they're cheaper from Dillon than elsewhere and won't cost you any extra shipping.

You may want to inc a brass tumbler if it isn't already listed and get the extra primer tubes or you'll be sorry you didn't, 100 primers can go fast.
I got all the bells and whistles on mine and love it.

Two other important items:

1) In the instruction manual where it tells you how to adjust the rod for the powder saftey, you might want to call Dillon. On my 650 the actual setting (after calling Dillon) is much different than what the manual states.

2) A good reloading manual-Note-Get one then go to your library and get others to see which you like best, this will save you alot of money buying alot of manuals.

BTW-I'm having great results with Laser-Cast Bullets and Unique powder for .45 acp.

Reloading has turned into a hobby of it's own, almost as much fun as shooting.


Best of luck and good shooting,
George-A 3 week old Dillon reloader

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floridaguy911

Is there a difference between a Max Cartridge Gage, and a Case Length Gage? Im on MidwayUSA.com right now, and they are both the same price, made by the same company, with different part numbers. Whats the difference between the two, and (opinions or facts) Which would be the best (subjective opinion) to get?

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floridaguy911

I think I have found out the difference, the Max Cartridge Gage measures the final product on all dimensions, the case length gage measures the actual casing before it is loaded.. Correct? So I guess the next progressive question is, do I need both? Or, just the Max Cartridge Gage? Ill be starting off with .45 acp, 40 S&W, and 9mm. (Once I get the hang of it I will jump into 7.62 x 39, 30-06, .243, and .308)

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floridaguy911

Sorry for multiple posts, as I go through Midway my questions keep popping up.

Won't I need a crimper to finalize the whole process? Advise please.

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Miggy

OK, somebody already mentioned bullet puller and tumblers (Get a big sucker) .. and don't forget the cleaning media and the media separator!!

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HotGuns

A word about the Dillon dies.

They have a larger radius than most others do at the mouth of the die to aid the cartridge into the die. Although any standard manufacturers dies can be used, it is advantageous to use the Dillon dies. When I got the Dillon I had a bunch of dies from various makers, that I used to save money, I eventually got rid of them and went exclusively to Dillon dies.

Pistol dies sets have 4 dies whereas others use 3 or even 2. For a progressive press, it allows a bit more control over the seating of the bullet in the case and alot more on the crimp. Dillon uses Taper Crimp dies...which after 25 years of reloading I personally believe to be superior.

The advantage here is that it tapers the case of the bullet around the bullet and the over all length of the case is insignificant as far at the amount of taper is concerned. A few thousandths difference in length has little effect on the tension used to hold the bullet in the case. As a result of this, trimming pistol ammo is really not needed. Using any other type of taper, being a roll taper or even the highly recommended "Lee Factory Crimp" requires the cases to be the same length or very close to ensure that the crimp is the same...which results in better accuracy. The taper crimpers save you the time and effort that it takes to trim each and every case which is tedious and really eats up alot of time.

It appears that everything else has been covered.

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.45acp

You'll want the max cartridge gauge for now as you're loading pistol.
I know you'll be in a hurry to set this up, don't be. Take your time making very small adjustments to the dies one at a time. I took my time and I'm glad I did.
I still take my time. The Xl650 is supposedly capable of about 1,000 rounds in an hour, I'm nowhere near that at this stage of the game and don't really care as I'd rather have everything closer to perfect as it can be and if I work up to a consistent 500 rounds in an hour I'll be very pleased with that.

The real fun will begin soon enough after you test fire your initial batch or two.
If your range is close I'd suggest starting real slow. Load 10-20 rounds, test fire and repeat process untill you're comfortable with your press and reloading skills then crank out a few hundred and give your pistol reload combo a real workout.

After that start with the minimum suggested powder charge, maybe 10-20 rounds and work up .2 grains at a time in 10-20 round lots keeping bullets seperate and test fire for accuracy while keeping notes. You'll find the most accurate load for your particular gun this way.
NOTE-Still being rather new to this myself I stay a good deal (about .4 grains) under max suggested loading.

Here are 2 after market additions for the Dillon that are inexpensive and worth it in my opinion:
The micrometer powder bar kit
http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1231
Toolhead clamp kit
http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1230

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sass20485

All good advice. Get yourself the Dillon PRIMER TRAY, as you'll need to flip the primers to put them into the primer tubes. The tray is large and easy to handle. I like MUCH better than the smaller plastic one I had.

Pistol cases RARELY need trimming, in fact I've NEVER had to do it.
I load mostly .38 for cowboy action shooting. My dad was a big time reloader with all the gadgets and gizmos. Rifle cases will need trimming from time to time. With carbide dies , you can load pistol cartridges with no need for lubing. I'd suggest the Dillon dies set, they have a flared bottom, for easier use on a progressive loader and they come apart easily for cleaning, when needed. I also suggest a LEE FACTORY CRIMP DIE. I found them to work the best, SOLID crimp and totally sizes the finished round. You'll need a tool head to mount the dies & powder measure. I've set mine up so I have a complete tool head & powder measure assembly for each caliber. SO MUCH easier than resetting dies and adjusting powder measures. You can set things up for the caliber, then forget it. It is ready to go the next time you want to use it. You'll need a powder scale & calipers to correctly set up the dies. I suggest an electronic powder measure but NOT a PACT, mine is junk. It has rarely worked right, always a problem and PACT has been little to no help. The sliding balance scales can be tedious to weight out small powder charges. BUT, my Dillon scale has always worked and I use it as a back up.

Midway.com is a good source of reloading gadgets. BrianEnos.com sells most Dillon items CHEAPER than Dillon, so you might want to check that out too.

Pay careful attention while reloading. It is serious business. You do NOT want to double charge a case. Be sure to wear eye protection, if there is ever a primer mishap, you'll be glad you did.

Watch the Dillon video that should have come with your press, take your time to learn what you are doing. It is not difficult. If you know someone that already uses a 550, perhaps they can show you the ropes. Dillon customer service is GREAT, be sure to call them with any questions.

Rob99VMI04

Get a Electronic Scale

That shuts off after use ( my stupid battery one I keep forgetting to turn off) I've been through packages of 9 Volt batteriers) or plugs in the wall. Trust me those balance beam things work but they are very slow.

I know alot of loaders who load to load and make cool performing loads.

I load to shoot more, therefore, time is more critical on loading. I want max output.

Thats why I don't load Rifle yet, Only pistol.

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