Dillon Precision or...

smdub · Sep 26, 2015

ironpony said:
has anyone done the math on a shell feeder and how long it would take to pay for itself?

That's a harder argument to make - depends on how you value your free time. I see the case feeder as a simplification of the whole process. It allows me to focus on making rounds w/ less distractions. That's safer and just more pleasurable. Now if I could only figure out how to load 1000 primers at once...

Jmorrismetal · Sep 26, 2015

Originally Posted by ironpony View Post
has anyone done the math on a shell feeder and how long it would take to pay for itself?

Wouldn't be hard to do, how much do you make an hour?

ironpony · Sep 26, 2015

Jmorrismetal said:
Wouldn't be hard to do, how much do you make an hour?

ha ha Guess it is not worth it for me!
Now I'm thinking of selling the Lee turret and the new 550 to upgrade to the 650. I will never shoot enough to justify the 1050. classifieds later today on the lee. She has served me well.

Mr. Morris, anything against the xtreme bullets, free shipping today so ...

DaemonAssassin · Sep 26, 2015

smdub said:
That's a harder argument to make - depends on how you value your free time. I see the case feeder as a simplification of the whole process. It allows me to focus on making rounds w/ less distractions. That's safer and just more pleasurable. Now if I could only figure out how to load 1000 primers at once...

Duct tape a bunch of straws together?

Magnumite · Sep 26, 2015

DaemonAssassin said:
Duct tape a bunch of straws together?

Der ya go, G

Mdeng · Sep 26, 2015

smdub said:
Now if I could only figure out how to load 1000 primers at once...

They make a tool for that too.
[YT]jBB3lhQlUGo[/YT]

Jmorrismetal · Sep 26, 2015

Good tool but only does 100 at a time.

Mdeng · Sep 27, 2015

Jmorrismetal said:
Good tool but only does 100 at a time.

You have more then one primer tube don't you. Load them up as part of your prep and you can have as many as you like ready to go. It's better then hand plucking them from a primer flip tray.

BigDaddy · Sep 27, 2015

Mdeng said:
They make a tool for that too.

I see it rejects the upside down primers, but I can't see how it actually detects and ejects those. :confused:

Broncolou · Sep 27, 2015

BigDaddy said:
I see it rejects the upside down primers, but I can't see how it actually detects and ejects those.

There is a Vnotch in the ramp that allows the smooth bottoms to pass and the anvil down ones catch and fall off when they hit it.....

Jmorrismetal · Sep 27, 2015

You have more then one primer tube don't you. Load them up as part of your prep and you can have as many as you like ready to go. It's better then hand plucking them from a primer flip tray.

Not for my RF100. With it I just empty he full tube into my press and return it to the RF 100 then dump in another box, hit the button and go back to loading. Around 20 rounds into the 100 rounds I am loading it shuts off.

Be kind of silly to order 9 extra of the special RF 100 tubes only to be 200 rounds behind by the time you start loading. The whole point of it is to be doing more than one thing at a time.

If you were going to pre load a bunch of tubes I would suggest the vibraprime, it is actually faster than my RF 100 but you also can't be loading while the VP is in operation.

BigDaddy · Sep 27, 2015

If you were going to pre load a bunch of tubes I would suggest the vibraprime, it is actually faster than my RF 100 but you also can't be loading while the VP is in operation.

The VP happens to be on sale http://www.midwayusa.com/product/890424/frankford-arsenal-vibra-prime-automatic-primer-tube-filler

Not a recommendation from me as I have not used either device, but it's almost 1/10 the cost if you buy the Dillon conversion kit for the other size primers and the rheostat.

Jmorrismetal · Sep 27, 2015

This is how the VP works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WTZ-_v6Mks

souprcampbell · Sep 28, 2015

From someone who got his feet wet by reloading on a used Lee Classic single stage, then upgraded to a (awesome and have two now) Herters Super Model 3 single stage. I then bought a used Lee Progressive 1000 (didn't enjoy) and upgraded to a Hornady LNL AP.

I bought the LNL AP, without case/bullet feeder, because the price point was less than a Dillon 650 and it had good reviews, and I feel Hornady is a trustworthy company with good quality control. I read that their CS is also top notch, and it is. I did have timing/indexing issues with it, as well as reliable charging and priming issues. The LNL system is a great system though. The LNL AP is a good press, as is the Lee Classic and Pro 1000. But a Dillon XL 650 and Herters are great presses.

After using a friends (he is an avid reloader and refurbuishes presses for resale) Dillon XL 650 for a session, I saved a little $ and bought one a month later. I am happy and no longer interested in attempting to find a good press and expect it to do great things. Dillon provided that out of the box. Compare the price of a LNL AP with Case Feeder to a XL 650. Evaluate how much time/hassle you want to invest in tweeking your press to run flawlessly and produce a more accurate round, smoother and faster. If the juice is worth the squeeze, get the Dillon.

We spend money in progressive type reloading equipment if we evaluate that our range time and free time is more valuable than bench time and time picking up each case 4 seperate times. Only you can decide that, but folks who have asked how many rounds/month or year vs rounds/hour hit the nail on the head. It comes at a price to increase that efficiency, but if you're going to spend the money, I suggest going Dillon and buy once, cry once. Don't be like me and try everything else first, if you know you're going to be continuing shooting at serious volume.

Jmorrismetal · Sep 28, 2015

If the juice is worth the squeeze, get the Dillon.

I have to admit I have not read many "Why did I wait so long to get rid of my 650/1050" threads.

BigDaddy · Sep 28, 2015

Go ahead, hit the Buy It Now

Jmorrismetal · Sep 28, 2015

You laugh but after the last election and Sandy Hook I sold one of my 650's on eBay for more than $1800. 2 weeks later I had another 1050.

justeric · Sep 28, 2015

Pinecone said:
You need to mod your Chargemaster.

I get maybe one out of 50 off.

I reprogrammed based on the instructions you get Google and get.

I tried the straw mod, and it helped, but made my own mod that works better.

I will look into that. Thanks!

DocAitch · Oct 2, 2015

VibraPrime

A word of caution on the VibraPrime. I found that I was getting between 2-4% upside down primers with the Vibraprime.
For a couple of years, I happily loaded away and tossed the completed upside down primer rounds into a basket until I felt like pulling the bullets, dumping the powder and de capping (somewhat dicey given that the decapping pin is pushing against the top of the primer). I reused my primers with the dimple in them-most fired.
It eventually hit me that I was spending a great deal of time on this process of salvaging these upside down primer rounds. When I actually measured the time it took fill a primer tube with the VibraPrime and salvage the bad rounds, it turned that I had saved myself no time and that it actually took less time overall to use a flip tray.
That VibraPrime has been sitting on the back of the shelf ever since.
I have not popped for the Dillon primer tube filler yet, but just watching those last three primers fail to feed for at least 15 seconds was maddening. I like jmorrismetal's method of turn it on and forget about it while you do something else.
DocAitch

antco · Oct 9, 2015

For the folks worried that a Dillon can't produce long-range accuracy rounds: I use my 650 in progressive mode to load for my 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser Tactical Operations, which I can shoot at a .187MOA 5-shot group all day long for the tiny group shooters in the bunch. The Dillon does everything- no special standalone powder measures, no resizing outside of the machine or in a step by itself. I dump clean brass in that still has dead primers in it, and clean 6.5 Swedes fall out, ready to go bang. I measure OAL on the way out and find that about 20% need to go back into the 650 to get squeezed down just a wee bit more, which I attribute to me getting in a hurry and failing to maintain a consistent, smooth, calculated pace on the down stroke of the Dillons handle. I'm OCD but impatient- it's a dynamic combination at times.

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