Dillion 550 setup question

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viking499

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I am getting ready to set up one of my 550 quick change heads to load some coated lead. I am either going to use the Missouri IDP #8 Hi-tek sized to .357, the Acme 135 RN or 145 RN. I am leaning towards the Missouri bullets because that is where i am going to order my 300 Blackout bullets from and I can spread the shipping over all the bullets.

This will be for general plinking and will most likely be loaded for subsonic suppressed use.

The quick change heads have 4 holes and the powder measure has to go in hole #2.

Since the case needs to be belled more for the lead/coated bullets, and I am going to guess this will happen at the powder drop, which expander do I need to use since I an going to guess the 9mm expander will not do it.

What dies do I want to use to do this with in stations 1, 3 and 4?

Any particular brand of dies? I don't to mix and match dies if I need to.
 
If you get the Dillon 357 Magnum conversion kit, it will come with the appropriate powder funnel that will expand the case mouth correctly. Part of the conversion kit is the shell plate which you will need anyway to load 357 Magnum. There is enough adjustment in the powder funnel to load cast bullets.

Station 1 will have the sizer/decapping die, station 3 will have the bullet seater die and station 4 will have a crimp die. Dillon dies are good dies and their sets have the appropriate dies taht you will need. If you buy die sets from another manufacturer, it will come with a mouth expanding die which you will not need when running a Dillon press.

On the other hand, I size. decap, and expand the mouth of the cases at one time on my progressive presses (among others, I have a Dillon BL550). I then tumble clean the cases and set them aside for a future reloading session. In this scenario, Processing cases this way shortly after I shoot them go quick. Batches are small.

I use a mouth expander die in station 2. My first preference for dies are Redding dies with RCBS in second.

When it is time to load up a bunch of ammunition, I leave out the sizing die. I set the powder measure up to feed powder at full stroke without worrying about getting the appropriate case mouth belling since the case mouth is already belled. Station 3 seats the bullet and Station 4 crimps the bullet.

Many folks think I am wasting the capability of the progressive press but I load more ammunition faster than I can shoot it and it makes me happy.

Side note, on my BL550, I use a Hornady Case Activated powder measure die with either an RCBS Uniflow or Redding 10-X powder measure instead of the Dillon powder measure. I use the Dillon powder measures on my SDB presses but prefer the operation of the RCBS or Redding powder measure.
 
Since the case needs to be belled more for the lead/coated bullets, and I am going to guess this will happen at the powder drop, which expander do I need to use since I an going to guess the 9mm expander will not do it.
You could use the 357/38 powder funnel (their "D" funnel) to size for a .357 bullet. The 9mm ("F") would size for a .355 bullet. You will have to adjust the powder die down some to adjust for the shorter length of the 9mm case. The caliber conversion kit for 9mm will come with the 9mm powder funnel, you will have to buy the 38/357 funnel separately. Along with the tool-head, you will need a powder die to go with the powder funnel in station 2.

What dies do I want to use to do this with in stations 1, 3 and 4?
Size/decap in station 1. Seating die in 3. Crimp die in 4.

Any particular brand of dies? I don't to mix and match dies if I need to.
The Dillon dies are fine, and are what I use for 9mm in my 550. I've used Lee and Hornady dies in my 550 for other calibers. I like the Lee FCD dies to crimp, but this probably won't work for you if you are using over-sized bullets in 9mm (the Lee FCD has a carbide resizing ring that will swage the over-sized bullets down). I would probably go with the Dillon dies in this application.
 
Since the case needs to be belled more for the lead/coated bullets, and I am going to guess this will happen at the powder drop, which expander do I need to use since I an going to guess the 9mm expander will not do it.

The expander portion of the powder funnel is a “non adjustable” machined surface, the taper portion after that section is what forms the bell. So you raise the powder die, and you can expand the case without belling at all or lower it and bell the case so much it can’t go into any die.

Like these two, on top of the tool heads next to the measures (the SD uses the same powder funnels as the 550). The only difference between the two is that the die in the left is threaded deeper into the tool head than the one on the right.

F7B3F618-8D3B-494D-9EFA-BDD13F3C27C1.jpeg

You can see the how Dillon powder funnel on the right could bell the case much further than would ever be necessary.

Also shown is the difference between pistol decapping pins and rifle decapping pins with the expander built in. “Why do they do that” for rifle dies one might ask, because many already have powder bridging problems and that would be further compounded with an expander that powder needed to flow through.
AA262933-A1D3-4A2D-981A-B23D331C3DF5.jpeg

You don’t need Dillon dies (except for the measure if you are going to use it). If you don’t have their manual for the 550 you can download it here and give it a read.

http://www.dillonprecision.com/docs/dillon_rl_550b_manual_may_2007.pdf

They explain all of this in there and a few other questions that will soon pop up once you begin to use it.
 
I like the Dillon die sets. They are radiused at the mouth a little more and the separate seat and crimp dies work great on the progressive 550. If you get the Dillon .38/.357 conversion and the carbide pistol dies you'll have everything you need.
 
Since the case needs to be belled more for the lead/coated bullets, and I am going to guess this will happen at the powder drop, which expander do I need to use since I an going to guess the 9mm expander will not do it.

A lot of guessing going on here. Unless that is just a conversational style, I strongly suggest the OP study the manual linked above.
And we are left to guess the caliber of interest since the OP does not state. I am going to guess that it is 9mm P based on the reference to "subsonic suppressed."

I am at present loading the 135 gr 9mm BBI bullet, the same profile as the Missouri. Mine are a nominal .356" but actually mike .3566". I load them with the regular 9mm Dillon powder funnel/expander. Flare is pretty generous, I do not want to use a "minimum flare" and scrape up the coating for the sake of "brass life" considering that I am likely to lose it before it wears out. Just for the sake of this thread, I loaded a couple of dummy 9mm rounds with .358" .38 Special bullets. They seated straight and smooth. The base bands were slightly reduced by swaging into the internal taper of the 9mm cases, but not to less than .357".

I looked at the .38 Special powder funnel/expander. Its expanding section of slightly less than bullet diameter is about twice as long as that of the 9mm part. This means it will reach a lot deeper into the short 9mm case for the flare to come into play. I don't know how that will interact with the short, internally tapered 9mm brass. I do not think it is needed.

I would load .357" 135 gr 9mm with the regular 9mm dies and powder funnel/expander, just as I already load .3566" bullets.

I use some but not all Dillon dies. For 135 and 147 gr 9mm, I use the Dillon sizer. For 115 gr JHP, I use the EGW Undersize die made for them by Lee. Of course the Dillon press requires their powder die with powder funnel/expander. I use a Hornady Microjust seating die so I can record die settings for different bullets; the Dillon seater has no graduations and is tedious to adjust by screwing the whole die body in and out on coarse loose 7/8x14 threads. I use the Lee Carbide Factory Crimp die for a taper crimp and some extra sizing. It usually contacts only the case near the base where the mouth radius of the Dillon sizing die does not touch, but will occasionally reduce the neck diameter if the bullet is oversize or the case mouth is thick.
 
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