Hunting Dillon

[Philt1]

Hello All, I have just received my new dillon 550 kit and have loaded my first 300 hundred rounds of 45acp , lol well actually RELOADED those rounds . Im new to reloading and it took me a little bit to get set up , after i had everything up a running i punched out 200 rnds with ease , later on that night i started thinking ( how close had i payed att. to my powder charge) well not very close , so i broke it all down with my bullet puller and reloaded them , lol LESSON LEARNED .

I was wondering if anyone can tell me if they have a Dillon dealer around Lafayette i need another set up for 223 and where can i get good deals on stuff like powder and bullets , shooters aint exactly cheap , lol

ohhh and does anyone use unique powder ? i have a digital scale from dillon and man this powder is hard to keep a solid reading it seems like

thx

 

[Barney88PDC]

Ah you have learned the first lesson the hardway LOL. ANYTIME you start a new caliber or reset your dies it is in your best intrest to only load a few (I usually do 20) and test them before you load a big batch and have to pull them.

I do not know of any place in Lafayette that sells Dillon. LA Gun and Reloading in Baton Rouge is the closest that I am aware of.

Powder and seating depth are what you REALLY REALLY need to pay attention to as they are what infulence case pressure.

The electronic scales are very sensitive and can be affected by alot of things. Just a slight bit of air will cause the scale to jump around. Make sure it is not under a A/C vent or fan. Also flourcent lights can cause the scale to jump around. Use the plastic cover over the dish when reading your charge weight as this will help avoid any air currents being read.

As far as the .223 setup just order from dillion or brianenos.com and get it shipped. Reloading supplies I usually try to get with another friend and order in bulk from online retailers like: Grafs, Natchez, Powdervalley. Buying in bulk saves money.

I cannot help with Unique as I have never used it before. To really get a good average of what charge it is really throwing I usually throw 10 charges. So if you want 5.0 grains then throw 10 charges and it should be 50grains.

 

[Vigilante Sniper]

Ah you have learned the first lesson the hardway LOL. ANYTIME you start a new caliber or reset your dies it is in your best intrest to only load a few (I usually do 20) and test them before you load a big batch and have to pull them.

I do not know of any place in Lafayette that sells Dillon. LA Gun and Reloading in Baton Rouge is the closest that I am aware of.

Powder and seating depth are what you REALLY REALLY need to pay attention to as they are what infulence case pressure.

The electronic scales are very sensitive and can be affected by alot of things. Just a slight bit of air will cause the scale to jump around. Make sure it is not under a A/C vent or fan. Also flourcent lights can cause the scale to jump around. Use the plastic cover over the dish when reading your charge weight as this will help avoid any air currents being read.

As far as the .223 setup just order from dillion or brianenos.com and get it shipped. Reloading supplies I usually try to get with another friend and order in bulk from online retailers like: Grafs, Natchez, Powdervalley. Buying in bulk saves money.

I cannot help with Unique as I have never used it before. To really get a good average of what charge it is really throwing I usually throw 10 charges. So if you want 5.0 grains then throw 10 charges and it should be 50grains.

+1
I always throw ten charges of powder to get an avg. If I'm going for 5.0gr, Ten throws should for me be between 49.8 and 50.2. I adjust the measure accordingly, and its good to go for me. OAL depends on the gun and the bullet used. Your next purchase should be a chrono if you don't have one already.

 

[Philt1]

Ahhh right right , i didn't know that florescent lights could throw scale off , I have them in my shop (noted) . now i was checking charges about every 5 then 10 then 20 and then just periodically and my loads where off 2-3 grains give or take according to my scale , my scale came with a cover so i will use it , i will take your advice and load 20 or so before doing a large run and when i would make powder adjustments i would throw 10 charges back in hopper before i would check it on the scale again , i will try the 10 charges on scale to double check next time

yeah i think that ordering the quick change package from dillon is the way to go also , hell, i was looking on ebay last night and found tool heads used that ppl were bidding on , i had to laugh , some of those bids where more expensive than buying it new , lol

Any advice on carbide dies compared to std dies in the 223 ? man there,s a huge difference in price and u still have to lube casing correct ?

Thx for input

 

[Vigilante Sniper]

go for the carbide dies, will last a lifetime most rifle dies only resize the neck so a little spray lube and carbide dies work well. Don't know how you are measuring your ten charge throw, I take the rod off the powder measure, cycle the measure by hand ten times in a little plastic container then transfer it to the scale pan. If you have the newer knocker style measure you may have to do cycle different I always deactivate the knocker attachment and install the older style springs on mine. I have quick change kits for all my 550 and 650 calibers I load.

 

[Barney88PDC]

Dude if they were off 2-3 GRAINS then you have a MAJOR issue. I hope you meant 0.2-0.3 grains.

Depending on the type of powder you use it may or may not meter very well. It depends on grain size and shape such as: stick, ball ect. I use VhitaVhori powders in my pistols as it meters well and burns very clean. It is a little more pricey. Winchester powders such as WST and WSF meter well and are cheaper.

Get over to the brianenos.com forum there is more info on Dillon reloading than you can imagine. Any questions you have, have been asked and answered to death on there. Remember the search function is your friend.

As far as Carbide vs Steel either will work but lube both even though they say you dont need lube with carbie. The press operates smoother and lube is cheap.

Neck sizing only just resizes the neck but most dies are full length sizing dies which also bump the shoulder back. Most guys loading .223 are loading for AR's and any semiauto it is in your best interest to full length size. Save the neck sizing only for bolt guns. The Dillion dies are full length sizing dies.

 

[BayouSlide]

...and Brian Enos is an Internet Dillon dealer, with great service and info in his Web store.

 

[tactical723]

I have used my 550 with NON-carbide .223 dies and have loaded thousands with no problem, every once in a while I will get a stuck case, but it usually is a bad piece of brass or one that missed a good lubing, no complaints with my Dillon presses, You have bought the Cadillac. If you ever have any questions about Dillon setup, it always better to get with one of us on BS.com to come over and help you set up, sometimes its a little tricky, especially when changing calibers, primer size tubes, etc. But once you are setup, you are on your way to a small manufacturing plant, right in your home, and you can get your loads very precise, my last. 308 loads for F class had a mx deviation of 7fps with the 10 rds I tested. I did single stage the .308's however.

 

[Philt1]

indeed 0.2-0.3 is what i was talking about , im still working on my terminology for the loading world , lol, I built A mini S.A.S.S. and have alot of 5.56 nato brass that needs to be cleaned and swaged, i didnt know to get the full length sizing die , thx Barney88 i dont want to just go into the rifle reloading with out talking to all of you guys as i know that 45 acp is very forgiving and rifle loading is a whole different animal , (question )are all priming pins carb ? because that mil. crimp is rough on pins is what i have read sofar .

the powder that i have looks like little round flakes and ive ive been measuring powder by just pulling the pin , insert brass and pulling handle to charge casing then measure on scale, i was reading that a case gauge is recommended for setting up sizer die on the 223 , im kinda lost on that 1

ohh and tatical723 has a good point what IF i get a stuck casing , what do i do ? and do you trim 5.56 nato to 223 rem spec ?

thx guys P.S. i think im gonna just try the std. dies to start

 

[sksshooter]

if your loading for an ar then the case gauge is not really gonna be needed. just make sure you are fully sizing the case and you will have no problems. when setting up the sizing die screw it in until it touches the shell holder with the press at full stroke. then rais the press arm a little and screw the die in another half turn and adjust back out from there until you have positive engagement with the shell holder and all the slack is out of the press.

as for the stuck case i can't help there as ive not stuck one yet but i have seen one stuck and the person attempted to remove it without the proper tools and destroyed the die. from what i have read there are different stages of stuck. either you stuck it and stopped or you tried to force the case out and ripped the head off the case and now have just the body of the case left. you can buy stuck case removal tools but i don't know what that consists of. what i have seen is people who have ripped the case head off have used easy outs to remove the case body from the die. i wouldn't worry about it until it actually happens. a decent inspection of your brass and makeing sure you lube them should prevent it from happening. ive read alot of people not liking the one shot case lube it seems that it was pretty good and recently as in the last couple years the formula was changed and it is not as effective. i can't confirm this as i use and like the rcbs lube pad it takes a little more time and you get lube on your hands but it seems to work well and ive ready very little negative about it.

 

[Philt1]

i got ya sksshooter , well i actually stuck a 5.56 in the die , lol, 1st try , im lucky that way but no big deal i just locked the casing in the vice and with 2 screw drivers i worked die off with no hassel , can any 1 explane the steps to rifle brass prep. ? lets see if i have this right for 5.56 -clean, size & deprime , swag box ,trim, chamfer, load .

when reloading 5.56 nato do u use less powder because of thicker brass compared to rem. brass?

thx

 

[sksshooter]

some mil brass is thicker therefore you have less case capacity but if your just loading up a moderate charge you shouldn't have an issue. if your at the top of the chart i would work up to it watching for pressure signs. as always though you should always work up from the bottom anytime you change a component.

 

[nortac]

May be of interests to Dillon users: http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1231 and http://www.mrdial.com/
I have several tool heads set up with separate powder measures. I have the Uniquetek micrometer installed on a few powder measures where I may change powders/ work up loads frequently and the rest have the Mr. Dial installed on measures that are less frequently adjusted. Both are recommended and a great improvement over the stock bolt adjustment.

 

[Philt1]

YEEAAAAH MAN , I been looking at that , nice , but i just spent a sh## load of money on my set up , i got everything for loading in 1 shot , ( package deal from dillon ) i have dent in my pocket but im loading with good equipment off the bat , im just lacking the experience ., but im learning fast . ive been loading 45 acp with ease , i know i know its very forgiving , but all my spec are in range and rounds are ringing true .

My 223 reloading will start soon , i had to order a few things to get me going but im looking forward to it . yeah i will start my loads from start loads and work it up from there , im not gonna go to hot anyway , if i have to go way hot to achieve what want its time for a new caliber .

 

[Philt1]

hello all , can some one plz exsplane how to load 223 bolt , i have all the info on 223 simi auto for ar15 ,i know i have to full seat on ar15 so i can get O.A.L. right for my mags . whats the difference between the two in loading ?

I was surfing info on this and found a site that explained that you can take a casing and grind slots in the neck and put a round in it , then load it in rifle so that it pushes round to length , eject the round and check length , i got that part but then i got lost in the rest of method . i know you dont want the round in your bore , but a little off bore


thx

 

[sksshooter]

if i were you i would just load some up to book specks and keep on reading. you will have to have your cases fire formed to your bolt gun anyway and that will give you a little more time to read up on neck sizing, partial full length sizing and also adjusting overall length.

as a side note most people find a respectable load and then start fine tuning with overall lenght. also some bullets (ie barnes) are recomended to be loaded with a pretty good jump off the lands.

 

[Leadslugga]

Hold on for one second. They make carbide rifle dies? I've never seen a carbide rifle sizing die.

As far as unique goes, I like it a lot. I always have good results. It isn't the best powder performance wise, but who cares unless you are making some kind of hunting or self defense load. I like that it will work in any pistol caliber. I load several different pistol calibers and I like to just be able to buy the huge jug of unique and never worry about being out of powder for a certain cartridge.

 

[nickatnite]

If it were me, I would first buy a reloading guide....