my low cost dillon 650 case feed (lee's)

[greyling22]

I installed the lee casefeeder and collator on my dillon 650. I cannot take credit for this idea (I borrowed it from a couple guys off the internet, especially of guy over on glocktalk, but their pictures were not very good and their descriptions are worse) But because I am underfunded and really liked the casefeed off my loadmaster (I will almost miss you old friend) I built a bracket to hold the casefeeder out of some 3/4" conduit I cut on a 45 and welded together to make a 90. Cut a slot in the end to fasten a bit of corner bracket. Total cost, about 5 hours in the evening, most of that trying to figure out how I was going to fit it all together, test fitting, and drilling holes in the right spots. Then painting.

It's not for everybody, and I wouldn't go so far as to say it is better than the dillon motorized unit, but it works great and costs so very little. Just need to keep and eye on the tubes to make sure they stay full. The cases make a "tink" when they fall, so if you are paying attention the lack of TINK means you need to rotate the tubes.

But here are a couple pics of it installed if anybody wants to try one themselves some day or improve on my design.

and yes, those are lee dies, lee case feed, and lee powder drop on my dillon press. maybe I need a can of purple paint...........

 

[plodder]

nice work, but what I really need is an economical and reliable bullet feed system for my Dillon 650 for 9mm and .223.

 

[LiveLife]

Nice!

But now some Dillon users may never want to talk to you again.

 

[Tilos]

nice work, but what I really need is an economical and reliable bullet feed system for my Dillon 650 for 9mm and .223.

A Hornady bullet feeder die works for me, along with some plastic tubes.
The tubes are sold in pet stores for aquariums
I found that hand "loading" both the case and bullet to be fiddly on my progressive, so the easiest of the 2 to automate for me was a bullet feeder.
http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/22477

I still hand load the case but loading is much smoother with the bullet feeder.
Just so you know, my press is not a Dillon though

 

[Tilos]

Nice!

But now some Dillon users may never want to talk to you again.

Especially with that LEE powder measure in the pics too

 

[9mmepiphany]

nice work, but what I really need is an economical and reliable bullet feed system for my Dillon 650 for 9mm and .223.

I can't help you with .223, but here's an affordable option for 9mm (holds about 100 rounds):

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=776700

 

[Artofgolf]

Well done, greyling22

 

[dave333]

I like it! If I ever own a Dillon press mine would be set up exactly like yours complete with the Lee auto drum. The Dillon measure just seems overly complicated to me.

I load in a finished room over the garage, usually after my kids have gone to bed and my wife is downstairs watching tv, and part of why I have not gone with a fancier press that has an automated case feeder is the noise it generates. I can be pretty quiet using my lee presses, this kind of solves that problem as well. Maybe its time to reconsider going blue, well kind of purple I guess.

 

[greyling22]

Especially with that LEE powder measure in the pics too

if they don't like it that's fine. I've got a minty new dillon powder measure they are welcome to inquire about. I have no use for an overpriced bulky rube goldberg powder drop. Priming at the downstroke sure is a nice change of pace from the old loadmaster though.

 

[PCFlorida]

Truthfully, I wouldn't own a press that didn't prime on the down stroke. You can feel the primer seat. I've tried a press that seated on the upstroke and it was horrible.

 

[Duvel]

I like the ingenuity

See, LEE and Dillon can get along

 

[Tilos]

if they don't like it that's fine. I've got a minty new dillon powder measure they are welcome to inquire about. I have no use for an overpriced bulky rube goldberg powder drop. Priming at the downstroke sure is a nice change of pace from the old loadmaster though.

I hear you, I have an RCBS and a Lyman powder measure gathering dust somewhere too.
Nice job on the case feeder, what moves the case from the stack into the shell plate?
I guess I'd know if I had seen the lee case feeder in action

Edit: never mind, just watched a vid of the 650 at Grafs

 

[plodder]

from 9MMepiphany:

Quote:
Originally Posted by plodder View Post
nice work, but what I really need is an economical and reliable bullet feed system for my Dillon 650 for 9mm and .223.

I can't help you with .223, but here's an affordable option for 9mm (holds about 100 rounds):

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=776700
__________________

Thanks, (I think!). I just dropped about $90 for the Hornady bullet feed die, the Lee bullet feeder & the Bully Adapter.

 

[SwaneeSR]

Greyling - that is a nice clean handloading room you have got there..... I am stuck in the back room in the basement. I have no sunlight and Windows.

I am not sure about that Red stuff on your Blue press....

 

[greyling22]

My wife and I split a "project room" which is the closed in breezway from the house to the garage. It's a nice space. My side is clean, her side is a disaster and it stresses me out to look at it. Oh well.

Updated in the press and case feed: when the primer tube is full, the follower hangs up on the Lee collator at the top of the stroke, so I just bent the bracket a touch to angle the tubes a little so the collator does not interfere with the primer follower. Works flawlessly now.

Speaking of flaws, I know the Dillon is supposed to be the end all be all of presses and quality, but that goofy primer follower stick had to be deburred before it would slide down the tube. Not a hard fix, but not something I would expect on a "premium" product. Maybe it was just Friday afternoon quality control.