RiggerJJ

For precision ammo I would not use a trimmer that indexed from the shoulder of case. It may be ok for 3gun ammo, not sure as I use a Dillon on press trimmer...

You are fine Racer. The "wet guys" seem to think that the case needs to be super shiney including the primer pocket and the inside of the case. Which means the cases need to have primers removed before tumbling, which adds an extra big step... But as you and I know, none of that really matters for accuracy or consistency or reliability. Tumble em, load em, tumble again, and shoot em!

And for a side bar, the pro crono digital was the only consumer model I could find that would crono shotgun reliably...

At the time of primer refill, I add primers, powder, bullets, and brass, and dump the finished round hopper into a bucket. This keeps the powder compression pretty even all the time, which keeps the powder throw consistent.

I don't chamfer after the Dillon trimmer, tried some accuracy tests after chamfer and no chamfer and no chamfer was better. Open the neck up after trimming with an M die or similar, also will remove the inner burr. Closing the neck with a slight crimp will remove the outer burr. tumbling after sizing to remove lube is good, but don't fuss about clean primer pockets, it's makes no difference. A dry tumble after processing for 30 minutes is enough.

Powder is compressing in the hopper...

The RF works, IF you have the patience to set it up. If it drops upside down primers you haven't taken the time to set it up. It HAS to be plumb or slightly leaning forward. It the adjustment is too far clockwise moving the primers faster, you WILL get upside down primers cause they flip before dropping. Once the primer is in the tube it cannot flip. Another major cause for upside down primers is not the RF at all, but the RF gets blamed for it. (on a 650) it's having the shell plate loose and they flip when the wheel turns under the shell plate. Upside to the RF is that while primers are being loaded into the tube you can be pulling the handle on your loader. Downside to the pal and vibraprime is you have to spend the time to load tubes, same as pecking at a primer tray. RF for me all the way. I do both large and small primers on mine with none upside down, and no time used pecking at primers or loading tubes.

Case feeder just needs a small rifle plate. Bullet feeder I'm not sure about, don't use one... case prep is the same as pistol brass, clean it, lube it, and run it.

Don't "need" a 550, you can more easily do 223 on your 650. Get a couple of heads (one to process brass, one to load), a Dillon trimmer, super swager and dies and go...

The lense cap on a camera, and a flip up scope cover is the 1st thing I throw away when I get a new whichever in a box....

Personally I think you are on the right track, rf100 will decrease your tol significantly. (Time on loader) I'm loading pistol ammo close to 1k per hour on a 650 with a rf and without a bullet feeder... Clean brass, lube, one pass on the loader, tumble to remove lube.

There's no such thing at upper or lower categories. If you want to start in open, go for it. Mag fed shotguns will be open only for quite a while I suspect, so if you want to start in tac irons or tac scope, get a tube fed.

I've thought a couple of times about building something that holds more than the 650 hopper, but right about that time I, for an example, find my powder hopper empty and don't know how many I loaded without powder. Sucks to have to pull bullets on a whole 5 gallon bucket of ammo, but just a small hopper full, no problem... And right about the time I say I won't do something that silly, I do it... Pretty easy to pause every 100 rounds to fill primer mag, empty ammo hopper, fill powder and bullets and brass...

Good grief, you guys must be retired and have all the time in the world to make super shiny brass! (Which doesn't affect pistol ammo accuracy at all...) Just clean it first, lube it, load it on one pass thru your progressive, and then dry tumble for at least 15 minutes after. Perfect ammo ready to shoot and minimal handling...

The Harris has it's place, mostly with bench or simple flat prone shooting. But where the Atlas and others with more features shine is with odd positions and the like. For PRS shooting, I would consider the Atlas a minimum requirement. You also have to consider durability, both are very durable. A Caldwell and the like ($50range) are a waste of money and time as they won't likely last long...

Dillon trimmer is the only way to go for bulk processing. Don't need to chamfer/deburr after trimming if you use a Mdie to expand and a crimp die after seating. jmho...

I clean brass before running, but find that processing pistol brass before loading a total waste of time and extra wear and tear on the reloader. And cleaning primer pockets before loading? No need... So what you can process 2k an hour? You still have run it thru again to load it, so your time on machine has doubled...so you are only "loading" at 1k per hour, the very same rate I can do without automation or even a bullet feeder.... rifle brass, different story...

A lot of time the Dillon lube will separate with the lanolin forming a layer at the bottom of the bottle, even standing overnite. It's hard to see too, but it's there. If you don't shake the bottle a bunch all you will get is alcohol on the brass. I find when shaken well and allowed to dry on the brass before using the Dillon lube is way superior to one shot. I won't use anything but Dillon lube on pistol and rifle brass.

With trimming and all that is involved with rifle reloading, including lubing before sizing and removing that lube before loading, I don't see any other way than to use two heads; one for processing, and one for loading.

I don't think the RT is imprecise, that's all I use... Get a 308 trim die and try it out, don't think you will be disappointed.

I just put a couple hundred in a Tupperware containers, spray in 10-15 pumps of Dillon lube, and the inside of the necks always got enough that way. Never had very good luck with OS and rifle brass, always had problems with an occasional stuck case in the size die...I tumble after processing before loading anway, so I prefer the slicker Dillon lube. jj

I dry tumble loaded pistol ammo because I use Dillon lube and only one pass on one head. With rifle ammo, I tumble to clean it before processing the brass, lube it for sizing, then tumble it again to remove the lube before running the brass thru the loading head. No need to tumble it after loading cause it's already clean and no lube is needed just to put primer powder and bullet in the sized and prepped brass.

ThunderBeast Ultra 7 or 9

Don't use steel hulls is the 1st lesson learned... 2nd lesson, how could you have gotten by for 4 years without a rear sight for slugs in the 3gun game??? Sound like a tune up is in order, but if ya wanna buy another shotgun, whos to say no???

Great gun, great caliber for whitetails!