Dirty Rod

Montana Gold all day, every day. You have to buy them by the full case to get the best price. They will eat you up 500 or 1000 at a time! I have to agree there. As mentioned, Berrys shoot well for me as does PD but MG shoot just a little better. Obviously I use them all depending on who's got the sale and what's in stock.

I load mostly Berrys and they work very well for me for both 230g and 115/124gr RN. Accuracy is about the same as Raniers but, like d_striker, I get much better accuracy from both than X-treme. My crimp is the same as well.

The intention is was to buy new however if a used top shelf caliper is like buying a used Craftsman rachet then I'm OK with that. Hell my first Dillon 550 was a 20 year old, 3 owner, 200k round press before I got it so perhaps it will work out better than the three new calipers I've tried. Good to hear. I looked on the Dillon site and didn't see an electronic and didn't think To check BE.

Thanks. I just heard about those so I'll keep an eye on that one.

Hey Folks, Over the last 3 years I've gone through calipers from Franford Arsenal, Harbor Freight, a Kobalt unit from Lowes. They either start slipping, die, or start eating batteries at an alarming rate. Looking for digital and I'd rather not go spend $200+ on a Starret so is there anything durable in the $100 range that anyone has good experience with?

I misunderstood then. I think my cable is only about 12 feet total so the farthest I could go is about 8 feet. I started about 3' off the barrel and backed up until the results were consistent. 5-6' off the muzzle works with all my calibers from .38 to .308.

Agree. Mine is 5-6 feet away at most. Was it just .223 that didn't work or did you test with the calibers that worked previously?

YES! Ive tried two different Dillons and both were WAY more sensitive to being level than the RCBS 1500 that I use now or my older scale. If the surface is not completely level it drifts and it's worse if it's breezy.

I use Hornady One Shot and just let it evaporate after loading. No tumbling.

Really no need to overthink it until you've played with a few brands. For my first dies, I bought whatever was on sale. It was 20-25k rounds later that I found that I preferred different brands in different stations. I'd just pick one and start rolling. When you set up for your next caliber, try another brand.

U dies are OK but I've never needed them. Standard sizing dies work on all the calibers I load.

Pretty much any name brand dies will work. Once you've loaded a bunch and you have some experience loading different brands of bullets you may develop some preferences. Dillon dies, for instance, have a nice radius on the bottom of the sizing die that helps when the case isn't exactly center. Hornady and Lee have a micro adjustment knob on the seating die that allows you to adjust without grabbing a wrench. Other brands have similar pros but they all work.

I think that perhaps the suggestion is to start with an OAL that feeds well in your gun and work up to the load using that OAL for bullets of the same profile. That way you know that they will always feed in your gun. Since each manufacturer tests different lengths even for the same bullet profile, it would be a pain to keep adjusting your seating die for each manufacturers bullet or powder. For my 9s, for instance, 1.135 - 1.145 for RN feeds reliably both guns so I use 1.140 for powders and just adjust the charge to the most accurate for that powder. Just a suggestion.

Ive tried the 115 and 124gr 9s and 230gr .45s a couple of times and they worked OK in my guns but I got better accuracy from Berrys, Ranier, PD, and MGs.

2.800 for 175gr SMKs

Mine are both 1.75" and the handle clears the edge of the bench by about 1/2".

Better enjoy them while they last. I've been supporting BBs since the old 8700s and we are down to our last 250 devices. Back when we had 4k BBs the platform was stable and feature rich. Now, there are network issues, sync problems with the 10 platform, constant reboots to get the devices to reconnect to Verizon, and support is a bit of an afterthought some days. Our rep, who was larger than life during the Playbook days, is barely hanging on and the R&D guys that are left, are focused on something other than smartphones. I'm surprised they didn't fold when the company didn't find a buyer but I'd be shocked if they are still in business a year from now.

I don't think I've ever seen a Ziplock bag that big. Definitely economical.

The Dillon cover is good. Since its designed for the press it covers and protects it very well but it does not cover the trays or handle. I'm sure there are others that you can throw over a 550 but I like the factory covers on mine. Here's a pic if it helps.

5.9gr 230gr RN @ 1.265. 798fps

I don't see any measurable difference in velocity moving from .452 to .451 bullets. My guns don't particularly like X-Treme bullets but I do run plenty of Berrys, MG, PD, Ranier, etc all with the same charge for 230gr RN bullets.

Probably not but if you are loading for 4-5 guns, or don't want to disassemble a pistol or rifle every time you load, having a gauge sitting close by is convenient. For some folks a 7, 25, or 100 round gauge is also faster.

I bought a 25 year old press that had been sitting in a drawer for at least 10 years. It was rusted, pins seized, and way out of alignment. I spent a couple of weeks cleaning, replacing parts, etc and it was better but not perfect. For $49, Dillon rebuilt it and upgraded most of the components. The press now works as well or better than my first 550. I'm close enough to save the shipping costs but it's definitely worth considering.

Dillon dies definitely allow you to screw just the decapper down without moving the entire die.

A case gauge will tell you if you are within spec. Dillon gauges, for instance, show you min and max for that caliber. If your cases go in the gauge and sit between min and max then your cartridge should chamber without excessive or too little headspace. That assumes, of course, that your chamber is within spec.