Hand Load Set-Up

Having just eased back into bullseye shooting after a very long hiatus, I am now digging out my old reloading gear.  What I found:

- RCBS Reloader Special 2
- RCBS Case Trimmer 2
- RCBS Reloading Accessory Kit 2 (Is there a theme here?)
- RCBS 5-0-5 Scale
- RCBS 10-10 Scale (What, two scales?)
- RCBS stand for powder thrower
- A boat load of dies, crimps, reamers, etc.

All of this stuff served me well back in the '90s and is in pretty good condition after all of these years.  My question is, what would you keep and what would you jettison?  

Also, my powder thrower is MIA, so I'm considering moving to a Dillon with a micrometer-equipped powder bar.  Any thoughts on that would also be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

Rather than the Dillon go with the RCBS.  The Dillon powder measypures can leak powder all over the damplace.

Greetings,

With regards to a powder dispenser, consider the Redding BR-30 with the Pistol Insert.

The one I have repeats very well with small charges.

Cheers,

Dave

Gentlemen,

Many thanks for your recommendations.  I started looking at the Redding powder measures and am wondering which of of the following are the most popular with this group:

Mach Grade Model 3BR

Competition Model 10X

Competition Model BR-30

I realize it's more of a personal preference, as they all have a great reputation.

Also, just for grins, are there any Harrell-Schuentzen pistol powder measure users out there?

If you really are just shooting bullseye, then see if you can sell everything except the scale and any good .45 dies. Then take the cash and get the Dillon progressive reloading setup of your preference. Then you can spend more time training than reloading. If reloading is to be your hobby as well, then carry on.

Hmmm... good point!  What's a good start for pistol?  550B/C?

For the price of a 550, you can get a Hornady Lock and Load AP.  These have the performance of a 650.  The quality of the ammo is more dependent on the dies than the machine and Dillon dies aren’t very good for Bullseye loading.  

With the fifth die station you can have a bullet feed AND a low powder check.  The way the 550 is oriented you can have a bullet feed but no powder check.  The Dillon powder check is a kluge.  The Dillon powder measure leaks and is difficult to adjust.   Dillon equipment is not better.  As a matter of fact even some of the RCBS progressives are better machines and I do not recommend those either.

My vote is for Lee. Powder measures work great. Easy to change calibers. And all your RCBS dies will work great. If you don't have the die you need then Lee dies are in-expensive. Then you can keep your RCBS stuff for your rifles. My opinion and another 4.00 will buy a great cup of coffee.

I bought a Dillon XL650 with case feeder and never looked back.

I can count out 200 cases, load up 200 primers, fill the powder hopper, load up 200 rounds, empty the hopper, clean up, and walk out the door in 20 minutes after work.

All it does is run and spit out very consistent ammo.

See, I didn't need to answer you, you'll get more than enough opinions here -----  almost 1 for every (well, never mind).

Anyway, I will say that Dillon dies are just fine for bullseye.  Made Master with a Square Deal reloader and over 2640 after going to 650 when I decided I really wanted to reduce reloading time a little more.  I've loaded enough .45 and 9mm on the 650 to get Distinguished, P100 X 15, DR and an Orton Trophy, all on Dillon stuff with Dillon dies.  

Remember, the more and easier adjustment options you have (like powder measures, micrometer seater and crimp dies) the more potential you have for inadvertent changes. Once you find a load / setup, lock that stuff down the best you can. 

My lead loads on the Dillon 650 have had single digit standard deviation for velocity; Jacketed load groups are a little higher, but still consistent. Groups are small, dies are easy to clean, etc.  And all the loading is with Dillon powder measures too.

It ain't who makes it, it's what you do with it.  Don't spend so much time loading different loads that you forget that the objective is to reduce the biggest variable(s) first.  (Which is the shooter.)

CR

CR10X wrote:It ain't who makes it, it's what you do with it.

Copy!

RCBS Little Dandy measure is what I've loaded the VAST majority of handgun ammo with for nearly 40 years. So easy to use on cases in loading blocks, and no screwing around with settings once you've figured out which drum to use.

For a decent advantages/disadvantages of each progressive type, H or D, see the post by Waldog in this thread.  https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=460533

I'm with Cecil. Sell you gear and get a progressive! I don't know much about any of them other than the Dillon. I do know that after owning a Dillon I'd never go back to a single stage set up for pistol.

Jim

I've got 2 of the Hornady LNL AP which are nice. I also just got a Dillon SDB for reloading 32 S&W, it seems pretty nice although the auto index isn't near as smooth as the Hornady. The Dillon 650 looks nice but is really setup to use a case feeder. I recommend against the 550 for pistol loading since the manual index increases the chances of double charges especially while you're learning. I also advocate a powder check die if you get a press with a 5th station, this is another advantage of the LNL and 650.

+1 on Cecils' post.

I don't think you'll make a bad decision on either the LNL or the 550.

I began my excursion into handloading with a Lee "wack a mole" system in the early 70's. From there to a RCBS rock chucker, then to an RCBS 4x4, then a Hornady Projector, Then a Dillon 550, and another 550, and another 450.

The only one I would not purchase again was the projector. The LNL has improved the projectors faults from what I've read.

I've not had an issue with flake powders on the Dillon measures with Bullseye, Clays, Titegroup, WST, Blue Dot, Unique, HS-6, 2400 and a couple others I can't recall. The issue is pretty well visited on the web, so some folks are definitely having an issue, but I can't claim the same.

You mentioned the Micrometer adjustment on the charge bar, very good move. Uniqtek (sp) I believe is the place where I got mine. If you never changed your powder bar setting, it may be an unnecessary luxury, but it's really nice when you vary your powder charges between loads. Mine have proven to be very repeatable.

I firmly believe you won't make a bad decision with any of the above machines. Any of them will make more accurate ammo than I'm capable of delivering.

Good luck.
Al

230Ball wrote:Gentlemen,

Many thanks for your recommendations.  I started looking at the Redding powder measures and am wondering which of of the following are the most popular with this group:

Mach Grade Model 3BR

Competition Model 10X

Competition Model BR-30

I realize it's more of a personal preference, as they all have a great reputation.

Also, just for grins, are there any Harrell-Schuentzen pistol powder measure users out there?

230,
I've got a 3BR & a BR-30, both with rifle & pistol cavities. Absolutely love them. Extremely repeatable.
Al

Wobbley wrote:For a decent advantages/disadvantages of each progressive type, H or D, see the post by Waldog in this thread.  https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=460533

Wobbley,

That was an interested read, especially further down in the thread where this appears:

http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillonLeeHornadyComparison.pdf

I will say Waldog correctly predicted the firestorm!

Should I expect any issues with using my existing .38 and .45 RCBS carbide dies in the XL650?  I did a cursory search on the oracle, but defer to this group for the low-don on bullseye applications.

No, the Dillon tool head is set up to accept any standard 7/8-14 threaded dies.

You will have no issues using your existing dies, and for that matter, regardless of Dillon's recommendations to use its dies under the premises they optimized for usage on Dillon presses, I find Lee, Hornady and especially Redding dies provide for better loading experience and better resulting ammunition.  I especially don't like Dillon's sizing dies, - C-clip holding primer rod breaks every so often, and it doesn't size cases all way down.  I prefer to use Lee sizers, Redding or Hornady micro adjustable seaters (Hornady's thimble should be modified to hold OAL, very simple modification), and Lee or Redding crimpers depending on application (factory crimp, taper crimp or profile crimp).  I also replaced bunch of Dillon's OEM parts with my own or in some cases sold by UniqueTek in order to accuratize two of my XL650s.  With all that, I loaded tenth of thousands of round through each press, both for handguns and rifles.  There are couple of parts that I always keep as spares, even though Dillon's warranty on 650 is phenomenal, - they ship replacements no questions asked.  Yet it take few days, so I just have replacements on hand.  Also, both of my presses equipped with case and bullet feeders, and I can load up to 1000 in hour (!! - yes it is not typo, about two seconds per round, plus time for loading primers and bullets).  Obviously keeping up with such tempo is not for multiple hours, and it is not complete process, - I spend additional time on QC, packaging and labeling, and prep work as well, - sorting / cleaning brass, etc.  Yet once presses optimized, - process is very efficient.  Very important component in reaching efficiency is using powders that meter well.  Luckily Bulls Eye, VV310/320/340, HP38 and several others, are very good metering powders.  That's what I do, and have no hesitation to recommend. 
AP

Thanks, Gentlemen!  I've heard good things about Lee sizers, especially with .45, as well as UniqueTek's mod for throwing powder.

230Ball wrote:Should I expect any issues with using my existing .38 and .45 RCBS carbide dies in the XL650?  I did a cursory search on the oracle, but defer to this group for the low-don on bullseye applications.

The only problem you may have to change the locking rings to Dillon or some that are about the same size. There is not a lot of room on those tool heads for big diameter locking rings.

JoeB wrote:

230Ball wrote:Should I expect any issues with using my existing .38 and .45 RCBS carbide dies in the XL650?  I did a cursory search on the oracle, but defer to this group for the low-don on bullseye applications.

The only problem you may have to change the locking rings to Dillon or some that are about the same size. There is not a lot of room on those tool heads for big diameter locking rings.

That is true.  Hornady's or Redding's round rings would not work.  Lee's would fit but aluminum locking nuts with O-Rings wouldn't withstand dynamics.  Dillon's OEM can be purchased very inexpensively, but they also not that good because tread is partial.  So they have to be checked every once in a while.  I'm using Dillons and my own, square ones as on picture.  I use slightly modified AR15 crown nut wrench in addition to standard 1" wrench.  Also, very often I install two locking rings/nuts, one on top and second from the bottom of the toolhead. AP

All this discussion of parts, bits and pieces to “get my Dillon to perform” and all at extra cost.  When the Hornady comes with all this “stuff” as standard....

“But Dillon is better...”