Dillon - Expertise requested

[MTA]

Howdy TGT,

Recently I have been wanting to get a bit more serious about handgun shooting. I have always been a casual handgun shooter but given the higher probability of having to use a handgun in a self defense situation, I am wanting to increase the amount and frequency of which I shoot my handguns. Right now I hand load exclusively on a hornady classic. This is fine for hunting rifles but mind numbing for pistols and semi auto rifles.

I am wanting to step into the world of Dillon but honestly, its fairly daunting. There website has way too much going on and there are tons of accessories. I know a bunch of you have been down this road before so I wanted to ask a few things before I really get into the weeds of research myself

What press / accessories do I need to do the following:

1. Load 200-400 rounds per loading session (1-3 hours? never used a turret press before)
2. Reload the following calibers: 9mm, .38 special, .45acp, 5.56 and .308

Dont need anything too fancy, but I am really after the accessories you need to make it do the above without too much manual interaction or having to unfck things. Which dillon accessories can you not live without?

Scheels sells the 750xl and alot of accessories. Id prefer to walk into a store to get what I need if possible

 

[toddnjoyce]

RL550C. More to follow.

 

[usmcpmi]

Not sure about the "expertise" category but I have 2 Dillon loaders. A 750 set up in 9mm. And a 600 set up in .45 acp. Straight forward design and operation. Does use "Dillon dies" I guess you could use other dies but the Dillon ones fit better in my opinion. Read the set up instructions carefully. It took me a couple times through to get the jist of what was being described. Better yet, have someone else who has a Dillon come over to help. I also have several Lee progressive loaders that I use. The Dillon is designed for quicker caliber changes...in theory. I would just rather dedicate a loader to a specific cartridge and leave it alone. But that's me.
Your mileage may vary...
Good luck!

Sent from my SM-A125U1 using Tapatalk

 

[usmcpmi]

Accessories? Really don't need the power case feeder...or the powder warning buzzer. Just pay attention to what you are doing. The factory taper crimp die is nice on the semi auto cases.

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[MTA]

Not sure about the "expertise" category but I have 2 Dillon loaders. A 750 set up in 9mm. And a 600 set up in .45 acp. Straight forward design and operation. Does use "Dillon dies" I guess you could use other dies but the Dillon ones fit better in my opinion. Read the set up instructions carefully. It took me a couple times through to get the jist of what was being described. Better yet, have someone else who has a Dillon come over to help. I also have several Lee progressive loaders that I use. The Dillon is designed for quicker caliber changes...in theory. I would just rather dedicate a loader to a specific cartridge and leave it alone. But that's me.
Your mileage may vary...
Good luck!

Sent from my SM-A125U1 using Tapatalk

Yea I will look into dedicated setups in the future but for now I need the modularity

 

[toddnjoyce]

Yea I will look into dedicated setups in the future but for now I need the modularity

From Dillon
1x RL550C
1x Caliber Conversion kit for each extra caliber - realize that out of the box you will be set up for one caliber except dies.
1x Die set for each caliber
At least one more plastic bin. One foes on the left side for projectiles, one on the right fro completed cartridges. The third one of for empties and goes in the right.

From Inline Fabrication
LED lighting. Skylight and/or the Overhead LED light strip

 

[MTA]

From Dillon
1x RL550C
1x Caliber Conversion kit for each extra caliber - realize that out of the box you will be set up for one caliber except dies.
1x Die set for each caliber
At least one more plastic bin. One foes on the left side for projectiles, one on the right fro completed cartridges. The third one of for empties and goes in the right.

From Inline Fabrication
LED lighting. Skylight and/or the Overhead LED light strip

fcking die sets are sold out everywhere. The only ones for pistol that I can find are 380 and 10mm/.40. Guess I am going to be giving the g20 a workout for awhile

 

[alternative]

Does it have to be Dillon? I am pretty happy with the Lee six pack pro and they now have a bullet feeder setup too. Six stations is really nice as you can easily make sure you don't over or undercharge a case and of course the setup is cheaper. No question Dillon is great but $$$.

 

[MTA]

Does it have to be Dillon? I am pretty happy with the Lee six pack pro and they now have a bullet feeder setup too. Six stations is really nice as you can easily make sure you don't over or undercharge a case and of course the setup is cheaper. No question Dillon is great but $$$.

how reliable is it? Im big on buy once cry once these days and I dont really want to spend time on perfecting something that is a pile of shit out of the box. Just speaking frankly, not saying Lee sucks or anything but my experience is all single stage and I know from folks on here that the dillon is king as far as progressive presses go.

Did the lee work right out of the box? Any tweaks or accessories you bought after the inital purchase to get it to purr? Thank you

 

[lonestardiver]

I run two 650xl's. One is set for large primers and the second for small primers.

You'll possibly want a separate tool head for each caliber so swaps require fewer things to change and your dies and powder charge settings won't need to be redone.

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[usmcpmi]

fcking die sets are sold out everywhere. The only ones for pistol that I can find are 380 and 10mm/.40. Guess I am going to be giving the g20 a workout for awhile

You can use other dies...just have to put the locking nut on the bottom from what I understand. Check into it. My 750 has Lee dies.

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[usmcpmi]

Lee dies

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[MTA]

I run two 650xl's. One is set for large primers and the second for small primers.

You'll possibly want a separate tool head for each caliber so swaps require fewer things to change and your dies and powder charge settings won't need to be redone.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

Noted and I will add that to the list. Thanks man

Lee dies

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Ok so I can rig up my Redding dies then, thank you for the pictures. I appreciate it

 

[alternative]

how reliable is it? Im big on buy once cry once these days and I dont really want to spend time on perfecting something that is a pile of shit out of the box. Just speaking frankly, not saying Lee sucks or anything but my experience is all single stage and I know from folks on here that the dillon is king as far as progressive presses go.

Did the lee work right out of the box? Any tweaks or accessories you bought after the inital purchase to get it to purr? Thank you

I was an early purchaser and they did come out with some revisions, all parts supplied for free. I migrated from a Lee Classic Turret to the Lee 6 pack pro. The Turret priming system sucked, the 6 pack works great. The case feeder works great, have only loaded bullets by hand but supposedly the bullet feeder is great. I use an RCBS lockout die after the powder drop and if the powder is too low or high it stops the press. Six stations just can't be beat. I would say that now right out of the box it works great, haven't used the bullet feeder but youtubers love it, I do like the case feeder with collator. I do use Lee dies. If you buy one for a specific caliber the die set doesn't include the factory crimp die so I think I would buy the bare press and a set of dies that included factory crimp or if you got a deal on the press you can always add a factory crimp die.
No question that if you shoot a ton go Dillon but I will never shoot the volume that I need a Dillon and I really like the 6 stations and changeover is super easy once your dies are set. I have been super careful loading progressive but I had one instance where the lockout die prevented a squib load and that was due to my inattention over something. One time is too many so just looking down cases in my opinion is not enough. Check out some of the reviews on YouTube and decide which is best for you.
I could have afforded the Dillon so it was not money. Number of stations was critical for me. I can turn them out pretty fast progressive or just use it as a single and check each station by hand. With the Lee, case neck dilatation and powder drop is all done at one station. I would have stuck with my 4 station Classic Turret but I wanted to be able to have that RCBS lockout die in station 3.

 

[toddnjoyce]

Noted and I will add that to the list. Thanks man

Ok so I can rig up my Redding dies then, thank you for the pictures. I appreciate it

The tool head is part of the Dillon caliber conversion kit. Makes it about as modular as can be, just change the primer tube.

Quick Change Kit | RL550 Series

The RL550 Series Quick Change allows you to leave your dies and powder charge set up and dedicated to a specific cartridge for faster, easier caliber changes. Includes: Powder measure, Powder die, Toolhead, Toolhead stand.

www.dillonprecision.com

ETA: better link

 

[MTA]

The tool head is part of the Dillon caliber conversion kit. Makes it about as modular as can be, just change the primer tube.

Quick Change Kit | RL550 Series

The RL550 Series Quick Change allows you to leave your dies and powder charge set up and dedicated to a specific cartridge for faster, easier caliber changes. Includes: Powder measure, Powder die, Toolhead, Toolhead stand.

www.dillonprecision.com

ETA: better link

Ok so get the quick change kit instead of just a caliber conversion kit per caliber?

Caliber conversion kit I am referencing: https://www.scheels.com/p/dillon-rl-550-caliber-conversion-kit/4235-20126.html?quickview=true

 

[baboon]

I started reloading on a single stage RCBS. An oldster I knew was getting rid of his Dillion Square Deal B so I bought it. I hated it. I hated setting it up & I hated running it so I unloaded it. The guy I sold it to loved it.

 

[toddnjoyce]

Ok so get the quick change kit instead of just a caliber conversion kit per caliber?

Caliber conversion kit I am referencing: https://www.scheels.com/p/dillon-rl-550-caliber-conversion-kit/4235-20126.html?quickview=true

Yeah, I recommend the quick change kit because it’s as close to a dedicated setup as you can get without having dedicated presses. I should have been more clear in my earlier post.

 

[TxStetson]

@MTA I agree with everything Todd has said so far. Using my 550 I have reloaded 380, 9mm, 38, 357, 10mm, 44 mag, 45 acp, 223, 260, 6.5X55, 6.5CM, 6.5PRC, 308, 300 WBY, 45-70, and 338 Lapua. Or to put it another way, any reloading die you ever got from me was used on a 550. Also, every one I ever got from you.

 

[TxStetson]

This kit will make you life easier. Strong mount, roller handle, bullet tray mount, and empty case tray all in one kit. I also added the onboard tool kit, not a necessity, but much easier to find the tools you need when you need them .

Machine Upgrade Kit | RL550C

This Upgrade Kit contains the most popular RL550C machine options, including: 550/650 Strong Mount , Bullet Tray Kit , Empty Case Bin and Bracket , Roller Handle. Please note **Kit shipments will be delayed due to a Bullet Tray slight redesign. ETA is mid to late October. Kits will be...

www.dillonprecision.com