joey_safety

Is the Lee crimp better than a redding or dillon, and if so can someone elaborate? I get little to no crimp using my Dillon on 223

George is correct! You dont bell rifle cases. Jim Thanks for the info guys, looks like I do not have to worry about expanding the case mouths, thanks again. Bob I apologize in advance for reviving such an old thread, but this is the topic I was hoping for clarification with. I loaded a bunch of Sierra69 grain MatchKing to take to the range and try to hone in on a good load today using H335. I loaded 6 of each weight at .2 increments from the min to max out of the Sierra manual... My question is if there is no belling done to my 223 cases and my 69g BTHP have the bottoms shaved off each time I seat the boolit is this more of a sizing problem? If it is sizing then I am in a different tight spot. I bought a thousand "pre-prepped" brass ala sized and primed. How would I resize those? Thanks!

The April issue of Guns & Ammo had a write up, and they have a couple of reviews referenced on the magneto site: http://www.magnetospeed.com/pages/reviews-tests They are on the products site, so I don't know about bias... 12 bucks for shipping either UPS or USPS. I ordered one today. I will post back some results once I have it. I have a 3" 45 ACP 1911 it will be interesting to try it on, but I didn't buy it specifically for that gun.

I picked up a pound of Varget and a pound of Reloader 15. I spent a lot of today fighting the metering of the Varget loading my test rounds for the chrony. I have those 100 test rounds from 25 - 27 made up for my 52 grain Speer Target Match BTHP. I don't know if I will even use Varget no matter how well the test go, it would clump at times and dump all over my 550. I had tun run 15 - 20 "pre-dumps" when I made a weight change to even start to feel comfortable. I check my weights on a digital and normally follow up with a 10 charge test on the beam, but man, the Varget was a Royal PITA regarding consistency. I think I am going to order an 8lb jug of H322 and run with it from the reviews I have seen here. I have a DTI 20" chrome lined barrel, and want accuracy from my AR from 0 - 200 yards with this load. (I understand about accuracy and being lined, but I want the best with what I have ) I have polished, tweaked, and everything else. As far as I can tell with a Dillon powder dropper, I can't use Varget. From your post, I need to play with the Realoder 15!

I have had this for several months. When I received it, it had double-sided tape that wouldn't stay put. I cleaned the area with alcohol, let it dry, but it wasn't the right choice for "sticking" to the press. A couple of drops of Gorilla glue and it is the best! You can bend the top over to make it shine right in the case to check for the dropped powder load.

After more internet searches and reading I am definitely leaning very hard towards this route. Having a tool head setup for case prep seems like the way to go. Thanks for your input. This is very interesting!. Thanks for letting me know. What do you use to chamfer when you need to? Is there a "die_based_tool" that could be used in the case prep tool head to accomplish this?

Disclaimer: I am still very much a reloading n00b, almost a year and only 3 calibers (40S&W, 45ACP, and 223 REM) on my RL550B, sans case feeder. I read every single thread on "powered case trimmer" and yes even just "case trimmer". These trimmers are discussed in detail, the Giraud, extensively. 223 started recently, new rig, head over heels for it. I must have a trimmer, time is important, but I enjoy the process to the extent it causes me major pain in my joints, and heavily weighed by my wallet. Two questions: 1. I can buy the Giraud. It trims, deburs, and chamfers. It is 425.00 before shipping. Amazing and TOP of the trimmer universe from my perspective at this point, except the price. 2. I can buy the Dillon trimmer. It trims. For the sake of argument, please everyone agree to agree here and forget about the discussion regarding 223 needing chamfer, or deburr with media, or even any reason, just say it doesn't perform those tasks. It trims fast, but I don't have a case feeder. Huge difference with Dillon trimmer and no case feeder, right or not? $234.95 before shipping. I'll need a decent shop vac, noise, but I can handle it. Still a pain to a degree. 3. RCBS Power trimmer. With the "three cutting head" is it not the Giraud at least in function, but it HOLDS the case for you. Is it a drawback for the time taken to "load" the cse in the holder? I am 40, and I type A LOT heh. Meaning, my hands are swollen most days since I also have shooting and reloading as my passion! (If you have experience, please elaborate here) At this point if I understand correctly the RCBS with the "magic 3 cutting head" will trim, deburr, and chamfer as well as the Giraud. I place the case in the holder. What is the hand function versus Giraud? The Dillon is pulling the handle. I can take that better than sharpening pencils! hehe But no chamfer / deburr. Before shipping: RCBS power trimmer $269.97 "magic three head" $64.95 = $334.92 I apologize if this subject has been beaten and my reading here didn't answer these items for me. If the mods need to delete, I understand, but there is one more deciding factor I would appreciate help with in this decision: The Giraud indexes from the datum of the neck. (I hope I didn't butcher that statement ) The RCBS, total length, CASE OAL... I want to shoot safe first, and as precise second, out of my 20" 1 in 9 personal baby I built from the barrell up. What you say?

Dropped it in a case gauge or your chamber yet? Definitely goes in the case gauge properly now and cycles int he Kimber 3". (Currently in the market for a full size 45 ACP 1911, as I do not have another 45 cal).. So these loads are for a 3 inch barrel. I am starting on the low end using 4.5 g of Titegroup. I also plan on loading up some bullseye, power pistol and Hodgdon HS6 loads for the 3".

You saw the error in the bullet shape and COAL pretty quick! I realized it as soon as I posted the first load data pic. Major N00b mistake on my part. Regarding the part of your post discussing adjusting the die with a round in place... To adjust the crimp die, I leave a seated round in the station, run it all the way up, run the die down until it touches, lower the ram, and adjust down in 1/4 - 1/2 turn increments on the die until I see the right crimp. Is that what you were stating or did I misunderstand?

.466 It doesn't look bulged? I should back off a little, and I think it will be right if it looks good to you guys.

Wait a minute... I was using part #8810. It shows a COAL of 1.155 Even though I know not to have multiple components on the bench, however I had two different bullets and did not use the intended one. I corrected that issue, and now have the right bullet, part #8815 and the COAL is supposed to be 1.270". In order for me to get close to that it looks like the bullet is slightly bulging at the top, where the case starts. I believe this will cause issues? I'm a little paranoid about blowing up anything, especially me and the Kimber Please take a look at the pic and tell me what you think.

It went int he magazine fine. It wouldn't go all the way int he barrel without being tight right at the crimp area. Yeah, I'll call support, but was hoping for a few ideas as when I call I'm not able to try anything until I get home from work. I am attaching my COAL data straight from the sierra manual. I am using part # 8815

I have been reloading 40 S&W for a couple of months. I have been doing well thanks to the help of you fine folks. Today I began reloading 45 ACP, and I have an issue with the crimp. The COAL is 1.270, and I am at 1.273, but I can not get the crimp to the correct dimension. I am using the standard die set from Dillon which crimps in a seperate station on a 550B. I loosened the crimp die, raised the seated round into the die, lowered the die until it touched, and then began lowering it slightly in an attempt to get the correct "crimp dimension" of .473, but I am unable to get closer than .476. I measured the bullet, and the brass. They should fit. I measured the round after resizing and I tried not resizing. It is new brass which measures consistent. I also measured after the powder station, and seating, no issues. The thing seems to stop crimping the area which is belled from the powder station. I also removed as much bell as possible, but still be able to seat the bullet prior to seating. Any advice?

I had this exact problem with my 550, and there were several causes. As someone else mentioned, the spring nut on the failsafe had to be a lot tighter than what is shown in the video, or the manual. I also did not have the failsafe arm "perfectly straight" or perpindicular to the shell plate. I took it all apart, put it together again, called Dillon Support, and spoke with Brian Enos a couple of times and it started throwing correctly. I hope Dillon steps up and makes a powder station that is more accurate.

I nee to pickup some WST, but for now I need to use some of the powder I have, IE the 8 lbs of Titegroup. I looked everywhere online, my Lyman, and my Speers manuals, and could not find a recipe for 45 ACP, Titegroup, Sierra 185 GR FPJ or Sierra 230 GR FMJ. I am assuming I can substitute any FMJ for any other?

Is this a "middle" load? Would it still be best to drop back 10% and work up? Thanks

I attached a close up picture of a sample casing after firing. Please let me know how you think it looks.

Made it out to a friends place with a Chrony this week. Took the kids, and had a great day shooting my girls new 22 with them and using a friend's chrony to get some data points. I am pretty much just running it by yall for any input, regarding any aspect. The weapon tested is a Springfield XDM 40 S&W with a 4.5" barrel. I fired a minimum of 10 rounds for each change in powder weight. *Speers 165g .400 TMJ FN *Winchester small pistol primer *First run Starline brass *Power Pistol Powder A. 7 grains, AVG = 1079 / HIGH = 1129 / LOW = 1043 B. 7.4 grains, AVG = 1129 / HIGH = 1154 / LOW = 1111 C. 7.7 grains, AVG = 1152 / HIGH = 1184 / LOW = 1135 Summary: I could not tell a difference between the starting and finishing loads with regards to "felt, received, or perceived" recoil I also ran previous identical loads using 10 at each .1 change in weight to look for signs of pressure, but did not have a chrony at that time. None of the rounds fired previously or during these runs showed any signs of pressure with regards to outside the primer. I will get a pic up. The kids were getting restless so I finished up my testing so everyone could shoot: *Speers 180g .400 TMJ FN *CCI small pistol primer *First run Starline brass *Power Pistol Powder A. 6.2 grains, AVG = 966 / HIGH = 976 / LOW = 947 B. 6.3 grains, AVG = 983 / HIGH = 1001 / LOW = 957 C. 6.6 grains, AVG = 1014 / HIGH = 1036 / LOW = 1002 D. 7.1 grains, AVG = 1076 / HIGH = 1106 / LOW = 1063 Using the Dillon 550B purchased from Brian. How do these look to you? Where should I see the best "least felt", or snap back to target with regards to powder charge? I know my own training and understanding of the fundamentals is the place to be, but I am having a great time making bullets and want to make them right MY usage is for plinking, but I am trying to be accruately and comfortably plinking. I also want it to be easy on my 13,12, 11 and 8 yr old girls I am also loading some 45 ACP along with this 40 S&W. I haven't decided which powder to use for each. I have 1 lb. Hogdon HS-6, 8 lbs. Hodgon Titegroup, 1 lb. Alliant Bullseye, and of course the Power Pistol. Which would you prefer for each caliber? I can not stress how important this site and its users are. As always thanks!

What is up with reviving the old threads? It seems like several all at once?

I seem to be getting more consistent results now. Thanks guys. I see value in each piece of advice given here via the throws I am getting now. I did speak with a Dillon representative today. He mentioned tighteneing the spring on the fail safe "until a business card can not fit rhough the gap". I took the entire powder assembly apart. Cleaned, worked, and made sure I understood the job of each component. This along with your tips has me wieghing consistent loads.

Thanks for the information, great points. I unfortunately am still having issues with a consistent throw. I work with electronics and mechanical items all day, so far reloading has been nothing but fun and easy. This is turning into my "opportunity to excel" My 11 yr old daughter and I spent a couple of hours throwing charges, adjusting scales, adjusting the powder measure, etc (she even stayed up past bed time as we were engrossed in the task ) We are still varying anywhere from 6.9 to 7.3, and even dropped a couple at 7.6 when attempting to now dial in 7.2. I did not try using "unbelled" cases when actuating the powder charge, but it would seem I should get a consistent throw if using the same belled or unbelled. I see the point when switching between the two. My scales and powder are possibly part of the issue. I should have opted for a more leniant powder than the power pistol with a min / max of 7 / 7.8 The scales: 1 is a cheap digital that I had for food which happened to wiegh in grains. I decided it would be the backup, and I purchased the RCBS 505. I have moved them both all over the room to make sure they are reading consistent. The RCBS 505 is fine unless barely bumped. Even the action of placing the tray back on the scale causes a need to rezero. No, I'm not that clumsy :)It just seems to lose 0. No breeze, no temp variation, just me placing the pan on it. Definitely level, read the instructions, checked assembly. The cheapo digital 25 dollar scales are reliable. Reliable as I am familiar with how they work and know when to take a reading, not to pour the powder slow but fast, etc. I have not taken the powder measure apart yet. I am going to try Dillon today to see if there is some just blatant screw I have turned wrong. If anyone has thoughts on my powder choice, etc, from what you guys are saying and what I have read here I am not being too picky and should expect to maintain a .01 tolerance, or tighter. Thanks again, all the feedback is very appreciated.

1. Roger about full travel on the bar. 2. Roger on the checking several charges after it has been sitting. 3. Checking the fail safe now. I did it per the Dillon video I purchased witht he unit. I will go through the steps a couple of more times as that part does seem a little "different". Went to the range and shot my first reloads. Everything went well. No over-pressure signs and no issues in general. Thanks to all of you for helping through this experience!

I am new to reloading, very new. I have lurked for a long time, read everything, and searched a lot and can not find a topic about this. I'm sure I missed something in setting up either station 1 or 2. I get a larger throw if I prime the case first, but not if I just cycle the handle but don't prime. I am using, or trying to use 7g of power pistol. I am using factory starline brass, 40 s&w, Dillon 550B bought through BE. I push back to prime, index forward, cycle the handle again and weigh the throw, it is a consistent 7.2 - 7.4. The Speer manual states to start at 7 and work up to 7.8. If I pour it back in the hopper and then cycle again without priming a new case, I get a consistent 6.9 - 7.1, but I can't seem to nail 7. I could work with that if it didn't change so much when priming. What is this nub missing? (Sorry if this has been asnwered a million times)

Thanks for the welcome, and all of the information. I ordered the 1 12580 Reloading Manual - Speer #14 I have a Lyman I've been reading. It is from '92. I will check out the lead data there. I did note you said "current" Lyman book, and I'm sure I will be adding several reloading manuals. I went with the spear for starters because 1, it was one of the two sold here, and 2, I heard it mentioned a few times it had great basic reloading information, IE "do this" and "don't do that". I'm a simple guy, and yes sir, one amazing addiction.

I am with you here. My first time out, I kept the purchases on consumables small amounts for mistakes like this. It seems I may have Hornady 45 lead bullets I need a different powder for already I plan on the bulk primer, powder, bullet purchase once I have a good match. Thanks for those sites, definitely a couple I haven't been to.