Dillon Question

[ezypikns]

Is the Dillon 550 an automatically indexing progressive press? Is there a case feed and bullet feed capability with the Dillon or do I have to manually place each bullet to load? In other words, can I load cases, bullets, powder and primers, and not have to handle each case individually?
That seems to be the biggest time waster in reloading. That is, having to handle the cases/bullets for each operation. What I really want after setup is a complete loaded round with each pull of the handle without have to handle cases, bullets, powder or primer.
Tell me about it please.

 

[Matt-man]

The 550 does not automatically index. Dillon recently introduced a case feeder for the 550, and I have seen ads for a bullet feeder from another company.

The Dillon XL650 auto-indexes and has a case feeder option. I don't know about bullet feeders for the 650. The Hornady LnL also auto-indexes has a case feeder option. No bullet feeder. I think some of the Lee progressive presses can have both case and bullet feeders.

 

[YellowLab]

Both the Pro1000 and Loadmaster come with case feeders. Mainly for pistol, but will work with .223/.30 Carbine type rifle shells.

The bullet feeders do work, within thier limits. Need flat bottoms and may not be able to fill a full tube when using 200+gr bullets.

THe bullet feeders are mainly pistol sized, and require a special seater die (is a bit longer and has a 45deg chamfer on the bottom.

The bullet feeder also is not very portable... once its on, it generally stays on.. so if you dedicate a press to say, .45ACP the bullet feeder will help tremendously.

Lastly there is no case activation for the bullet feeder. SO ever lever pull is gonna drop a bullet, if a case is there or not.

 

[loadedround]

Exy: From a reloader who has and uses both a a Dillon 550 and a 650, I would reccomend the 550 w/o a case feeder for someone just starting out with a progressive press. Please consider a press that does everything automatically from feeding, caes, primers, powder, and possibly bullets can be a disaster waiting to happen unless you watch the operation so carefully that it will take the fun out of reloading. The Dillon 550 will allow you to operate it manually, one case at a time until you are comfortable with the operation. Unless you want to load thousands of rounds a week, stay away from the fully auto 650. Also please check out both the Lee and Dillon presses and then buy the Dillon...you will not be sorry.

 

[SASS#23149]

Your desires sound like you want a bullet factory type setup in your home.
The dillon will do hundreds and hundreds of rounds per week..make that thousands if you work real steady at it.
IS that not enough ammo for your needs?
The inserting of the bullet and brass is no more time consuming than having to refill the primer tubes.It's all part of the process.EVen with these 'hinderences' you can do several hundred in an evenings' time.

 

[ezypikns]

No, not a bullet factory.

Please forgive me. I'm an engineer. It's in my nature to want to improve processes until they can't be improved anymore. I have reloaded on an RCBS Rockchuker SS press...and enjoyed it. I currently have a Redding turret press....and enjoy that too. I'm certainly not trying to criticize Dillon, which is obviously the industry benchmark reloading press. But no matter how hard I try to resist the urge, I keep trying to think of ways to save time.
Luckily I don't feel this way about all my shooting activities. I really enjoy taking my time and slowly reloading a revolver.
Thanks to all for the outstanding information and comments. Just what I was looking for.

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

Lee has info on their bullet feeder on their website, if you're interested. I've heard of a few guys trying to adapt it to other presses, but not heard of much success.

It seems to me that the basic seating die is not well suited to automatic feeding, but maybe a "windowed" seater die (like rcbs competition style) would be a better starting point. The problem is that for these types of dies, pistol (and some short rifle) cartridges require an extended shellholder, which is not possible in a progressive press (unless you developed a shellplate with all slots extended). This is one place where a removable die plate, ala Dillon, has merit, in that it can be modified/replaced to accomodate custom, shortened windowed dies. IINM, the bullet feeder available (3rd party) for the dillon 650 includes a custom die plate and seating die.

I'm an engineer too, and like to think about such ideas too...

Andy

 

[EddieCoyle]

That seems to be the biggest time waster in reloading.

For pistol cartridges in a progressive press, I find filling the primer pickup tubes to be the most tedious task. I have a small vibratory bowl feeder that I'm thinking of adapting to keep the press fed with primers without having to use the pickup tubes at all.

Before anybody starts ranting about how dangerous this would be:

I put 1000 primers in the bowl feeder and let it run for a week with no problems. I figure it's more likely that I'd accidently set off a primer using a pickup tube than having them go off in the bowl feeder.

 

[rchernandez]

For fully "automated" operations, check out:

www.ammoload.com/
and
www.camdexloader.com/

yeah, I'm still saving up for a Marxk X...just need a bigger garage

 

[Sheldon]

The Dillon 550B even without the casefeeder and being a manual indexing press is capable of loading 300-400 rounds an hour for me. It gets tiring to try to maintain a high pace on the press because you are moving a lot, but it works pretty well. I have the 650 press as well and it is much easier to maintain a higher production rate with it, with the auto index and casefeeder working with you.

 

[2400]

Please forgive me. I'm an engineer.

Have you seen the Dillon 1050?

 

[redneck2]

I also have an engineering degree. From practical experience, I think that trying to get something like the 550 too automated allows too much room for error. Too many fine moving parts (primer specifically). You'll spend more time trying to save time than you would if you just reloaded.

As above, get a 1050 with the feeders if you want to the closest thing to total automation.