[constructor]

How many cases are you loading/ hr truthfully? Rifle or pistol? with which machine?
I have to say setting one up is a PAIN in the arse but after I got all of the bugs worked out it is going ok.
800/hr no way, maybe 400.

 

[jasonpeterson]

300 maybe 400.
I don't like working that fast. I can load handgun cartridges alot faster than rifle.

I don't like loading the primer tubes. I'm always looking for visitors to help me out in that department.
I just can't see buying the primer tube filler. I would take one of course. (That would make a great gift.)

I normally reload in batches of 500. By that time I'm tired and need a couple cold beverages.

 

[paulosantos]

I never timed myself, but I can do a couple of hundred in an hour. I loaded up about 300 rounds of .223 yesterday and it was less than an hour, but the brass was already primed, so it was very easy.

I only reload for the .223 and 6.8 and I found it very easy if you have two separate toolheads all set up. It is a little more expensive, but saves a ton of time. All I have to do to convert is change the shell plate and change the toolhead, which is already set-up.

 

[rangernick]

I load close to 500/hr, 450 is easy. .308 and 5.56 I prep on a single stage and prep by hand so they work really fast on Dillon 550. 9mm., .40 S&W, and .45 ACP I size, prime and load on 550. To make things easy, I have 2 550's, one for sm. primers, one for large primers so I don't ever have to change primer tubes and a separate tool head for each cartridge with its own powder measure. Only have to change tool heads and shell plate and I'm ready to go.

 

[HTR]

The last batch of 6.8 was 250 in an hour. The primer loader definitely does help alot. Then, it takes all of 5 seconds to load the primer dispenser. I share the Dillon with a friend that loads a lot of 9mm and he can do close to 500 / hr. He does some 6.8 and he will do .308 subsonics for me when he has the machine at his house, because he is an expert at subsonic rounds.

Two words of warning:

1) As for the shell plates, we found out the hard way that you have to be sure the dies are screwed all the way down, and that they don't move while you are reloading. These were RCBS dies. I loaded 100 TTSX's only to find out that I had not sized the brass all the way down, and thus they were sticking in my chamber. I had to take them all down ...EEK!

2) I finally, after about 1400 rounds, got a "squib" load. The best I can guess is that Charley, the guy with whom I share the Dillon, must have turned around for a second and spun the carousel to the next station, failing to drop powder in one load. I will post the whole story of getting the stuck TTSX out of my barrel :?

Loading 40 S & W and 9mm does go faster. As soon as I get my suppressed Ruger 77/44, I am going to start making up some .44 loads.


ETA: Dillon 550B

 

[bullseye_10X]

I load close to 500/hr, 450 is easy. .308 and 5.56 I prep on a single stage and prep by hand so they work really fast on Dillon 550. 9mm., .40 S&W, and .45 ACP I size, prime and load on 550. To make things easy, I have 2 550's, one for sm. primers, one for large primers so I don't ever have to change primer tubes and a separate tool head for each cartridge with its own powder measure. Only have to change tool heads and shell plate and I'm ready to go.

Rangernick,
That's the set-up, two Dillon 550s. I have just one and hate it when I have to change the primer stuff out. I'll make sure that I have loaded all of my 9mm, 40 S&W, 223, etc. before I go to 45.

I have actually timed myself on pistol ammo. I can load at a "sprint" rate of about 500, but then you have to fill primer tubes, grab more cases and bullets. I think a more reasonable actual hourly rate for pistol ammo on a 550 is 200+/- per hour. I'm not sure on rifle since I also do case prep "offline". I think that if I am loading plinking ammo and don't need to do any serious case prep (trimming primarily), the rate would be 150+/- adding in time for lubing and cleaning off lube afterwards, etc. Haven't tried it though.

Bullseye_10x

 

[jasonpeterson]

I love the extra tool heads. I have powder measures on each of mine. The primers and shell plates take a minute. I think I might have to get the primer filler. I think I've put it off long enough.

I hope Dillon decides to make 6.8 dies. I like the 223 dies I have. The 45 acp and 45 colt dies are alot easier to clean after I load lead bullets.

I bet that TTSX didn't want to come out very easily. How far did it make it? I've done that twice. Once in 9mm and once in 45 Colt. I now put a empty brass and bullet in the case before I check on the kids in the yard or what ever. That way I know I start with a lever stroke. Of course I don't leave it that way when I'm finished. Just when I get distracted.

 

[constructor]

I started loading in the mid 70s on a single stage. I can without a doubt say I loaded the crappiest loads today I have ever loaded in my life including the very first time when I was 12. The shell plate spins into the next position and slings the powder out of the cases and under the shell plate, leave it there and it changes the head space and seating depth so I take all of the case in various stages of load and remove the shell plate to clean out the powder about every 8-10 minutes which killed all production. During the primer seating I can't "feel" the seat so they come out in various depths. The powder measure travels up and down settling the powder charges so the charges vary by .3 gr from what I measured. I loaded 200, threw them in a box labled "Dillion blaster crap ammo" :lol:
It may be ok for blasting ammo but I wouldn't even think about using it for precision ammo or even hunting.
Trying to be smooth on the handle did not help when the plate snaps into the next position the powder scatters every where.


I have to think with pistol ammo being smaller charges and the powder being slung out at a much larger percentage of the charge the accuracy must be terrible.

 

[jasonpeterson]

You do lose all feel. If it's for accuracy it still comes off my RCBS. I haven't tried 6.8 on the Dillon. Just 223 and all handguns.

I hate when something gets on the primer seater and dents all my hand gun primers. It looks terrible. Now it seems like I'm always blowing stuff off the press.

 

[constructor]

I wish I had looked close at the Hornady first, it uses a regular powder measure that would be more accurate than the powder bar.
Tim and I figured out how to use a RCBS case activated powder measure.
The 40S&W shell plate seems to work better than the 6.8/6.5/7.62x39 shell plate so save your money and just buy the 40cal.

 

[jasonpeterson]

I'm glad you said that about the shell plate. I already have a 40/10mm plate. You saved me some money.

 

[T.Rexford]

I'm going to pull the trigger on a 650 here shortly but I guess I should ask. How much faster would you be with the 650 over the 550? For me the time spent reloading is time I should be in the shop so speed is money here. I'm also not looking for unbelievable accuracy, I'm looking for training ammo.

 

[snort]

I started loading in the mid 70s on a single stage. I can without a doubt say I loaded the crappiest loads today I have ever loaded in my life including the very first time when I was 12. The shell plate spins into the next position and slings the powder out of the cases and under the shell plate, leave it there and it changes the head space and seating depth so I take all of the case in various stages of load and remove the shell plate to clean out the powder about every 8-10 minutes which killed all production. During the primer seating I can't "feel" the seat so they come out in various depths. The powder measure travels up and down settling the powder charges so the charges vary by .3 gr from what I measured. I loaded 200, threw them in a box labled "Dillion blaster crap ammo" :lol:
It may be ok for blasting ammo but I wouldn't even think about using it for precision ammo or even hunting.
Trying to be smooth on the handle did not help when the plate snaps into the next position the powder scatters every where.

I have to think with pistol ammo being smaller charges and the powder being slung out at a much larger percentage of the charge the accuracy must be terrible.

The problem here is you're filling the case to the top with powder. If you drop the charge, the powder doesn't sling out.

 

[BowDude]

I keep a can of compressed air on the bench, does a nice job cleaning powder off the shell plate and primer cup.

Gary

 

[snort]

I should add that I've loaded under 1" groups off of the dillon 650. And I know a guy here that shoots high power with ammo he reloads off of a 650.

One thing I won't do on the dillon is push loads to max, I use the single stage. Then hopefully once the max is established, find an accuracy node with a bit less powder.

I really shoot try loading some .45 on the dillon and compare it to the single stage and see what the difference is. Also, you can mount a normal powder measure on the reloading die, dillon has an adapter for that: http://www.dillonprecision.com/#/content/p/9/pid/23634/catid/3/Powder_Measure_Adapter. It'll slow you down some, but if it throws a more accurate charge, why not not spend the time.
Of course, if you have a machine shop, you can build your own - and then make it really tall so you get a nice long drop to get the powder compressed.

Oh, and I get 3-400rds/hour with a 650, when loading .45ACP. Don't want to know how slow it is to do rifles (once I figure all the time spent with case prep, multiple passes through the press, etc). I actually like the priming system, at least compared to dad's old RCBS progressive - that one sucked ass. I really need a case feeder and the primer filler. Once there, I should be golden.

 

[bullseye_10X]

I have slung a bit of powder from time to time. Taking that out of the equation, the Dillon powder measure is top notch and stays accurate and consistent. Most of the 223 I've reloaded on in the Dillon was using H335 and it stayed spot on all the time. The case is not overly full either so there was no slop. Most of my handgun stuff is for action pistol at 5 to 10 yards, so accuracy is not paramount, but again, the Dillon measure stays pretty consistent.

I did try some some Varget in the Dillon for 223. What a mess. It bridged up several time and then dumped on the floor, and press on the next charge. Regarding the primer pocket, I keep an old toothbrush handy and every once in a while I push the primer seating stem up just after priming a round and brush off anything that may be in there.

Bullseye_10x

 

[coldair]

first off the are tricks for setting the shell plate properly if it snaps forward too quickly spilling the powder, polishing the parts on th powder bar can get you to a .3 grain constiantcy I think if you google it you can get the details or I found it on arfcom.

what i found was the easiest for me to do was to deprime and size, prime. I get a bunch of brass primed then I load, keeping the speed steady I can easliy do about 300 rounds an hour of very nice loads that way.

I also found that if I placed the bullet over the shell as it left the powder check station I no longer spilled powder out of the case.

 

[6.8Vol]

I wish I had looked close at the Hornady first, it uses a regular powder measure that would be more accurate than the powder bar.
Tim and I figured out how to use a RCBS case activated powder measure.
The 40S&W shell plate seems to work better than the 6.8/6.5/7.62x39 shell plate so save your money and just buy the 40cal.

I don't know if the Hornady LNL is any better. Last fall I bought one and have had mediocre to good results with .45 and 9mm. I had one squib out of 2000 .45's in my son's 1911. It appears that blowing crap brass filings out of the primer punch. Bought a powder cop to use another position up on the press(big deal!). I used a Lyman T mag before, and still use it for rifle resizing to take some of the load off the Hornady. All because I didn't want to spend the money for a Dillon.

But I'm still just a novice :lol:

 

[Trapdoor]

I have an early Dillon 550 with none of the new fancy case feeding gizmos or whatever they have now days. I normally load around 200 + with hand gun and .223 when I was shooting that. All other rifle loading I did on another press one station at a time so I could control it. So far, 6.8 is in no danger of being loading on the Dillon. Maybe after I am more comfortable with the cartridge and have a final load picked out I will give the Dillon a try.

Also, this may be just me but when loading I like to be alone while loading. Someone talking to me causes distractions and helps me make mistakes.

 

[bullseye_10X]

So I had to run a test tonight. Guess I had nothing better to do, right?

The 550 is set up for 9mm. I looked at the clock and proceeded to pick-up 100 primers and load them in the press primer tube. I then grabbed a bag of cleaned brass and a couple handfuls of bullets and placed them on either side of the Dillon. I finally proceeded to load 100 rounds of 9mm ammo in 17 minutes. This would extrapolate to an hourly rate of around 350 rounds. Since the brass and bullets are handy to the press and the powder and primers just a few steps away, if I felt like it, I think I could probably do 300 to 350 in an hour. Typically though, I would move on to another task after 150 to 200 rounds (like sizing a couple hundred 38 spcl. cases as I did tonight). BTW, I did that on the single stage only because I do not have a shellplate for the 38....yet.

Bullseye_10x