To Dillon or Not to Dillon 2

garandsrus · Jul 5, 2020

I have been using the Vibra Prime for quite a few years. It works very well and makes filling primer tubes quick and easy.

https://eagleeyeoutdoor.com/frankfo...MI-eT9pr-26gIVxsDACh0aYQr8EAQYAyABEgKzn_D_BwE

I do run rifle brass through the press twice. I tumble it first in dry media and then lube and size the brass. I tumble it again To remove the lube and then trim to length. The second pass through the press loads the rounds. A RCBS X-die will remove the requirement to trim brass (after the first trimming) but since the cases need to be lubed to resize them, I still follow the same steps but skip the trimming.

There used to be only two powered trimming options that would trim and chamfer the case mouth, Gracey and Giraud, but I think there are more options now.

I don’t lube most pistol brass but do use carbide dies.

I have tried wet tumbling primed brass but was never confident that the primer pocket was dry even after using heat to dry them or letting the cases sit a week or so. Somebody may have a good solution.

rfwobbly · Jul 5, 2020

rabid wombat said:
Like above, good choice on the 750...

I went the Dillon flip tray, but get what works for you...

buy extra primer tubes...In my opinion it is easier to load 500 primers, as load 100 five times....I have later bought primer fillers...EDIT...the link is large primer, I re-read you are loading 9mm, sorry

Buy a spare parts kit...saves a lot of waiting...

I like the primer warning system, over powder charge sensor....I watch the powder fill (the Inline lights below help). It is nice to have an audible reminder before running out of primers (also a good reminder to check your powder level in the dispenser...)

I bought a riser and a roller handle from Dillon, today I would go Inline...I would definitely go quick change...remember clearance for the case feeder in the future...

Check your mounted height and bench clearance...I believe you want the handle at the top of the stroke to be even with your shoulder...ask around...I designed the bench around the height and clearance

I did buy a light kit from inline...it helps...

Get a caliper...I buy Starrett, but get what works for you...EDIT (sorry, you had these listed)

Get some check weights

Most of the above is fairly cheap...and most is not required.

Get what you need and plan for your future.

Boy, it is fun spending someone else’s money

https://www.dillonprecision.com/primer-pick-up-tube-large-4-pack_8_116_23516.html
https://www.dillonprecision.com/xl-750-spare-parts-kit_8_113_26774.html
https://www.dillonprecision.com/primer-system-early-warning-kit_8_6_23628.html
https://inlinefabrication.com/collections/dillon

rfwobbly · Jul 5, 2020

I tried the light kit from Inline Fabrication and found it lacking. The "UFO" light kit from KMS Squared was much, much better. Now I use the 2 of them together.

packetloss · Jul 6, 2020

John C said:
In my experience, you don't need to wet tumble pistol brass with pins. Also, the two step process probably doesn't get you much gain.

I use my rotary tumbler without pins, but with the lemi-shine and dishwashing liquid soap. It gets them just about as clean, and save a whole lot of hassle. In pistols, especially in action shooting, you won't see any accuracy difference between clean or dirty primer pockets. I don't have any comments on rifle brass; but I generally do clean the primer pockets for rifle.

You guys had missed his other post that he is starting with some nasty outdoor range brass. I've tried cleaning that without pins and while you can get the outsides clean, there is still some dirt that will come off on your case feeder and press on the inside. By dirt, I don't mean harmless carbon buildup.

Also, with outdoor range pickup brass, some of the primers come apart leaving just the small outer ring in the primer pocket. Some take 2 or 3 hits to deprime.

For the first time processing nasty outdoor range pickup brass, it's highly recommended that you properly clean (once without pins, then once with pins) and deprime, clean again with steel pins and then inspect the primer pockets and cases.

10wt308 · Jul 6, 2020

“Forget the pins, forget the decapping die. Get a vibratory tumbler and use corn cob and Nu-Finish. Clean the brass with the primers in. You're buying a PROGRESSIVE press. Use it as such. There's NO upside to running brass through the machine twice.”

while you are competing you will keep thinking about the corners you cut to improve your score and will be rewarded accordingly.

you can’t spend your way to the top only quality trigger time.

comments not aimed at anyone. Just my personal opinion.

NC9mm · Jul 6, 2020

I always leave the primers in when cleaning. However I am not bullseye shooting, the accuracy is good enough for the USPSA game.

packetloss · Jul 7, 2020

Here is what happens if you don't remove primers first and inspect your cases. I always find a few of these (with outdoor range pickup brass). The primer rips apart when depriming, so it looks like you deprimed it (you can see (part of) the primer enter the primer cup, leaving just the outer ring. I usually get 1 or 2 per 5000 or so from outdoor range pickup brass. From indoor, I haven't had any yet.

Texas10mm · Jul 7, 2020

packetloss said:
Here is what happens if you don't remove primers first and inspect your cases. I always find a few of these (with outdoor range pickup brass). The primer rips apart when depriming, so it looks like you deprimed it (you can see (part of) the primer enter the primer cup, leaving just the outer ring. I usually get 1 or 2 per 5000 or so from outdoor range pickup brass. From indoor, I haven't had any yet.

View attachment 928012

Was that case wet tumbled?

packetloss · Jul 7, 2020

Yes, wet tumbled for 3 hours without pins. Then for another 2 hours with pins. After they are dried I lube them up, resize/deprime. I then run them again for about 2 hours and after that is done I inspect every case. I pull out any CBC, military and ream the pockets on those.

I've also found some cases with the flash hole off center. What ends up happening there is when depriming it punches an extra large hole and leaves the brass sticking up a bit. I've actually had 2 of those in the last batch of 5000 I ran through. Both were Aguilla cases.

9mmepiphany · Jul 7, 2020

packetloss said:
Here is what happens if you don't remove primers first and inspect your cases.
...From indoor, I haven't had any yet.

Having primers separate in the primer pocket is more an matter of the cases being exposed to the elements for a time before being gathered than it is removing them before being cleaned. What causes them to stick in the primer pockets is the dirt or being outdoors combined with the moisture and heat...basically they have corroded in the pocket.

I have don't encounter this issues in my reloading because I don't pickup cases with exterior environmental corrosion/tarnish . If they aren't shinny, they stay on the ground or go into the range brass bucket. I even throw them out when I find them while running cases through the caliber sorter trays. 9mm cases are so common and easy to come by that it isn't worth the bother. I had a shooting buddy who just sold off eight 5-gallon buckets of cases that he had collected after matches in the last 6 months...that isn't even counting the cases he kept for his own reloading

jmorris · Jul 7, 2020

packetloss said:
Here is what happens if you don't remove primers first and inspect your cases....

View attachment 928012

I have decapped many thousands of them that were wet tumbled and haven’t noticed the process leaves any more “ringers” than dry.

FWIW that case was trash before you deprimed it, I don’t reload stepped brass like that Maxxtech.

luzyfuerza · Jul 7, 2020

packetloss said:
Here is what happens if you don't remove primers first and inspect your cases. I always find a few of these (with outdoor range pickup brass). The primer rips apart when depriming, so it looks like you deprimed it (you can see (part of) the primer enter the primer cup, leaving just the outer ring. I usually get 1 or 2 per 5000 or so from outdoor range pickup brass. From indoor, I haven't had any yet.

I have NEVER had this happen in hundreds of thousands of cases of all calibers. Including many range pickup cases that have been outdoors in the elements and have tarnished.

But, of course, I clean with walnut shells, not water...

luzyfuerza · Jul 7, 2020

packetloss said:
Some take 2 or 3 hits to deprime.

Nor have I ever experienced this on boxer-primed cases using Dillon dies.

Jim Watson · Jul 7, 2020

I get a "ringer" every once in a while with range pickup brass; probably due to weathering.

I have a supply of "once fired" .45 ACP TZZ 86 Match with an incidence of ringers. I think due to chemical cleaning by the bulk brass vendor.

packetloss · Jul 8, 2020

luzyfuerza said:
Nor have I ever experienced this on boxer-primed cases using Dillon dies.

This was with with Dillon Dies.

This Maxxtech case wasn't stepped. I had about 5 - 10 ringers after processing 20K cases. It could have been corrosion or perhaps the original load was too high pressure and had damaged the primer. No way to know for sure. I also had about 30-40 hanging chads, and the vast majority of them were CBC cases because the primer pocket is too tight. When I ream the pockets, more brass comes off than from a crimped military case. I might just toss the CBC cases so I don't need to worry as to if it was reamed or not.

I'm no longer collecting any outdoor range pickup, but at the time it was the only range open and the 20K cases were free and no other 9mm brass was available at the time.

After processing, these cases came out looking like new. Just took a little extra effort the first time through. Before I decided to just lube and deprime them all I had run into a few issues that slowed down reloading. That being the ringers, hanging chads that ended up with a spent primer pressed back in and I also had some cases cause brass to get stuck to the carbide die. I reused some cases for a second time after the initial processing and they didn't require the extra deprime step or lube.

Texas10mm · Jul 8, 2020

I've never had a ringer. But then I don't wet tumble my brass.

packetloss · Jul 8, 2020

I'm thinking it was more because this was outdoor brass which was about 2 feet deep (most people don't reload near me) and might have been outdoors in the elements for more than 5 years (maybe even 10) so the primers were corroded or just fell apart.

In any case, I haven't had any ringers with wet tumbled indoor brass yet.

peeplwtchr · Mar 14, 2022

After pulling my Turret handle 6000 times last month, I just Dilloned.

BTW, if you are in Phoenix, the store has 1 9mm die set left, which were straight from thier rep., they got 3 total.

EricBu · Mar 14, 2022

Get the Dillon primer flip tray, it's more pleasant with Federal primers. Also, don't bother buying case lube. buy a 4oz bottle of lanolin oil, and a case of 99% alchohol, will last you years. For straight wall pistol mix it 1:20, for bottleneck rifle go 1:10.

I'd rethink the DAA mini feeder too. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but you sound like you're gonna be a pretty high volume guy. Plus, when you go to 223, all you need is the small rifle plate and you're ready to roll.

lordpaxman · Mar 14, 2022

peeplwtchr said:
After pulling my Turret handle 6000 times last month, I just Dilloned.

Sweet! I dillonized my bench a bit ago, but splurged for the RL1100 to have swaging built in. Yes it’s more expensive, but worth it for me. Good luck!

peeplwtchr · Mar 14, 2022

EricBu said:
Get the Dillon primer flip tray, it's more pleasant with Federal primers. Also, don't bother buying case lube. buy a 4oz bottle of lanolin oil, and a case of 99% alchohol, will last you years. For straight wall pistol mix it 1:20, for bottleneck rifle go 1:10.

I'd rethink the DAA mini feeder too. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but you sound like you're gonna be a pretty high volume guy. Plus, when you go to 223, all you need is the small rifle plate and you're ready to roll.

Yeah I think I'll keep doing .223 on my Chucker, good suggestion though.

loadedround · Mar 14, 2022

Suggest you go with Dillon carbide dies for all your pistol reloading, and forget about lubing and cleaning cases. Also I bet you will be buying that Dillon case feeder before you reload 200 cases. Ask me how I know?

jmorris · Mar 14, 2022

Texas10mm said:
I've never had a ringer. But then I don't wet tumble my brass.

Didn’t see this one two years ago, when it was posted. I suppose one reason why I had not noticed an increase in numbers with wet tumbling vs dry is that a lot of brass I have picked up has been on the ground when it rained and I don’t wet tumble and store primed, wet.

It’s generally wet tumbled to knock dirt and debris off, lubed, loaded, tumbled dry with enough polish to eliminate dust, shoot and repeat.

Not that my “dry tumbled” brass hadn’t been put in the elements, so that wasn’t a scientific study by any means.

JEBruns · Mar 15, 2022

peeplwtchr said:
After pulling my Turret handle 6000 times last month, I just Dilloned.

I see you woke up an old thread here, but good choice! Will certainly cut down your handle pulls.

Nature Boy · Mar 15, 2022

Get the powder check die.

To Dillon or Not to Dillon 2

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