Dillon Dies ?

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Loco

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I was wondering if you guys could answer a couple of questions about dillion dies for me. I'am loading with a Dillon 650 and I've been using a set of Dillon 45 acp dies and i must say that the seater die is a pain. I don't know if it's me or what. First of all i don't like the fact the sizer die is not full lenght. But what's really driving me crazy is the seater die. It's always coming lose and the O.A.L. is never the same. Some times my O.A.L. stays the same and than all the sudden i'am .010 off of my number. When i find that i'am off my number i check the die to see if it's tight and most of the time i find that it's lose. I just can't seem to lock it down. The other three dies i never have to touch they stay tight it's just the seater. I got 10,000 rounds on this set and i think i'am ready for a change.
I heard alot of good things about the lee .45 acp deluxe 4 die set. What i'd like to change is the seater and i'd like to get a full lenght sizer. Doe's anyone know if the sizer is full lenght in the Lee .45 acp deluxe four set.

Loco
 
it's just a die. if the dillon die won't stay tight, why would a lee die stay tight?

i've never had any of mine come loose. i'd call dillon and ask.

you do have the seater insert in correctly, right? sometimes it's easy to forget to switch from ball to hp/swc
 
Your dies and/or shellplate are not adjusted proplerly. I've loaded 1000's of rounds on that machine and have never had a problem.
 
1. You know that the plug inside the seater die has 2 sides to accomodate different bullet types, right? Make sure you're using the right one.

2. Are you sure it's not the bullets, not the die that are variable?
 
Hey thanks for all the replys guys. I checked the new batch of bullets that i just got and found that they are off as much as .005. I use the same bullet all the time and never had a problem with them and did'nt stop to check them.
Thanks again guys
 
now you're on to another topic. you can't reliably measure OAL by using the tip of the bullet unless you uniform the meplats :)
 
If you want to make an upgrade, buy Redding's Competition Pro series seater die. It pushes the bullet at the Ogive (which tends to be more consistent anyway), and is far easier to adjust than Dillon's seater. I don't know why they decided to manufacture a die where you have to adjust it by turning the entire die body! Really tough when you're trying to change OAL by .001-.002
 
Hey thanks for all the replys guys. I checked the new batch of bullets that i just got and found that they are off as much as .005.
Click to expand...

.005 is about the thickness of one sheet of notebook paper and personally I wouldn't worry about it. If you measure a box of WWB, you'll notice alot more variance than .005. Bullet misalignment can also cause inconsistent OAL's,
that's why I use a Redding Competition seater die which seat bullets almost perfectly.
 
I don't know why they decided to manufacture a die where you have to adjust it by turning the entire die body!
Click to expand...
To make a few more $$ profit?

Cheaper die + same selling price = more profit

As mentioned, Redding competition seater has a stellar reputation.

Hornady's seater has similar sliding alignment sleeve and optional micrometer adjustment for less $$ than the Redding Comp seater. Like the Dillon, the Hornady will disassemble for cleaning while on the press, without affecting settings. Unlike either, it will crimp while seating if you wish.

Andy
 
Thanks again guys for all the posts. I cant wait to upgrade.

Loco
 
For handgun the upgrade will make no difference out to 50 yards.
Save your money, this is 45 acp at 25 yards here, Not match .308 at 600 yards. The competition seater is lovely but will not make one bit of difference in .45 acp.
 
For handgun the upgrade will make no difference out to 50 yards.
Save your money, this is 45 acp at 25 yards here, Not match .308 at 600 yards. The competition seater is lovely but will not make one bit of difference in .45 acp.
Click to expand...

I was going to say that my match 1911 hammers at 50yds. I have standard Dillon dies. The Redding's are nice (but overkill).

Ty
 
I dunno. The lee lockrings stay put better than the Dillon on my Super 1050. I also like the easy finger adjustments of the Lee seater dies, and the FCD is really super.

I also notice that the .40 cal Dillon die has problems piercing primers rather than ejecting them, then pulling them back into the primer pocket where they get all mashed by the primer pocket swage at the next station. When I switched over to the Lee carbide die, I didn't have this problem anymore.

When I called Dillon regarding the pierced primer issue, they suggested that I work over the tip of the decapping pin and put an angle on it, which I did. It was better than it was, i.e. less retracted primers, but the Lee has never pierced a primer and brought it back into the case.

The issue with the Lee is that the locking ring is *almost* off the top of the die once it is properly installed, as it does not have as long of a threaded portion on the die as does the Dillon.

FWIW.
 
stubbicatt, i've never had dillon rings come loose on my 1050. are you just putting them finger-tight or what?
 
When you get a die where you like it, bring the ram all the way up, to contact the bottom of the die. Apply a fair amount of pressure to the bottom of the die using the ram, and tighten the lock ring while pressure is being applied. This will insure that the lock ring is tight, and the die is squared up. If the ram doesn't reach the die, place a washer (or some flat piece of steel with parallel sides) between the ram/shellholder and bottom of the die, and proceed to tighten the lockring. If you tighten the lockring in this way, it will stay put.
 
I found when useing the 650 there is more side to side play than a single stage press due to all the dies lining up on the cases and the way the shell plate indexes into position. Dillon dies are wider at the mouth to keep this from being a problem I learned this the hard way loading 38spl and 357mag with RCBS dies. Take your seater die with you when you go to buy and look at the difference. This may not make a difference for the seating die since you'll have you fingers in there to set the bullet in the mouth anyway but it can be a problem for the sizeing die if you switch brands.
 
When you get a die where you like it, bring the ram all the way up, to contact the bottom of the die. Apply a fair amount of pressure to the bottom of the die using the ram, and tighten the lock ring while pressure is being applied. This will insure that the lock ring is tight, and the die is squared up.
Click to expand...


Dillon recomends putting a case in each station, and raising the ram to run them up into the dies before your snug up the lock rings, This makes sure that all of the dies and the tool head are in alignment.

I always do this on my 550
 
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