Buzi

I load 45acp too and 38/357 on a 650 w casefeeder and never saw a jam like that in 1000's of rounds. My Dillon casefeeder I think is the same design and is only 3 years or so old now. What I have had happen on my gear is the case sometimes gets wedged between the feeder plate slot and the edge of the funnel thereby stopping the plate rotation. The clutch does its job of protecting the motor in that scenario. I've found it happens in my case almost exclusively with my 45acp brass, never seen it happen yet with 38 special. I've noticed it does not happen nearly as much if I use the SLOW setting on the motor switch. When using FAST I definitely see more jams but only as is in the case pictured above where the case is shown wedged between the plate and feeder case/ Even on fast I don't see it happen all that often but often enough to cause me to usually flip the feeder to slow. I tend to do that anyway as it makes a bit less noise and I can listen to the radio with greater audio ease as a result. How your gear is managing the jam pictured is beyond me ability to ken or grog or even grok.

Yep. The only way to slow demand is to make a price adjustment. Higher prices weed out those that determine it is too expensive to buy. A properly functioning market will see the increased demand and more producers have a chance to produce to meet that demand, and put downward price pressure in place. Right now, far too producers producing far too few products to meet the demand. It is that farking simple. A artificial centrally run economy can not flex to meet demand. Ours is damn near that bad. It is so difficult for a new start up to begin a business these days we might as well be farking Red Communist Russia. You can thank your neighbors that vote in socialists each and every year. They want to be baby coddled by the government and wake up one day in a state of shock realizing they are slaves to that government. Those of us old enough should remember how it was for Soviet Russia. How the common person had to wait for hours for a damn loaf of bread. How they thought toilet paper was a damn luxury. .. the list was endless. We are heading that direction thanks to your local Progressive. If I see a vendor price that is 'gouging' I just dont' buy. Unless i damn well want that thing they are selling. That is what determines value, the buyer. I point my bony finger of blame (well actually it is a somewhat pudgy finger) at the nitwits that voted in the crew of misfits that run this government. I'm not going to blame a business responding to demand in a natural way. I can just not buy and I won't if prices are too high. Okay, Ih've had my rant for the day. I think I can go watch the next episode of 24 on Netflix.

I remember spending a week or so mulling over the choices a few years back. I had been using a ancient RCBS balance dating from 70's. I wanted to update and something speedier and more flexible. After all that reading and research on the mighty internet I determined the onliy one worth buying was the Gempro 250. It isn't as expensive as true lab grade gear but offers damn near as good results. I determined all the scales I ran across from various reloading suppliers were no better than the cheap 25 dollar ones you can buy from ebay or wherever. That the 90 dollar brand x with famous reload name on it was just as good as the 25 dollar one. (EDIT, when I say 'I determined ' I inferred from what others reported not from direct experimentation by me) More or less the same as say, comparing a 20 dollar dial indicator to a quality bit of kit, say from Mitutoyo or Starret (whether their Chinese lower cost or their USA made version). If I wasn't lazy I'd find that old link I had run across that finally convinced me to go with the Gempro.. basically it concluded that the resolution you see on the cheaper scales is a lie. On a scale like the Gempro it is far closer to truth and a finer resolution. I do encourage anyone to keep a old school beam scale around and compare and always use a kit of reference weights. I keep my Gempro plugged in to AC all the time. Turned off unless I need to use it that session. Always store your digital scale WITH NO PANS ON IT. That small weight will over time degrade the extremely sensitive sensor underneath. Note, all electronic scales will degrade, that sensor has a lifetime. You can onlyi lengthen it by not leaving pans on that scale or other weights when you are not actively measuring. Once I got the faith in my electronic scale I've not used my old beam scale in over 2 years. It just sits there and pouts now. But I'm keeping it as it has lasted since the 70's and will probably see me to the grave.

I settled on a selection of work lamps using curly florescent tubes. Less heat but it does take a few minutes for them to get to full light value. I can switch em on and off as needed. I find I prefer that option to having a fixed overhead. If I have to I have a background overhead fixture with real incandescent bulbs in it. Here are some free reload bench porn pics. Note, I was careful to turn certain figurines away from the camera so this should be work and kid safe. Unless your a Mennonite or something. Then turn away. One shot is with flash assist, the other two are varying degrees of natural light with Sony camera going nuts on processing.

I started with a RCBS single stage in the 70's. 1993 I picked up xl650. Just over a year ago I snagged a Lee Classic 4 hole Turret. I think it is great. It has taken its place among my press tools. I use it to produce 357 and 45 colt and soon 454 Casull. I've had no issues that I can complain about really, except one thing. I'm not really a fan of the Lee Safty primer. I tend to fumble that transaction especially on the large primers and they end up on the floor to often. I may have a defective large primer lee safty prime I dunno. Small primers oneI don't drop /fumble so much. The Lee 4 hole Classic Turret is also a back up for 45acp and 38 special which I load for production on my XL 650. IMO it works very well and I've produced just under 1k rounds with it combined 357 and 45 colt stuff so far. That little plastic square indexer I hear people whine about breaking is doing fine on my machine. I don't abuse it though. The press can function as a single station in a pinch and I use it for that on occasion rather than my RCBS. For the money, IMO , it can't be touched. I love my XL650 but if I find some newb wondering if they should reload or not I point them at that Lee as a starter kit. I can't vouch for Lee presses other than the Classic Turret as I never tried em. IMO it is a superior design over other Turret designs I see about for 2 major reasons. 3 point solid posts hold the turret down solid, no chance of lateral tweaking over time, and the turrets are actualliy something I'd buy. Other turret types cost 50 bucks or more per turret. / lol. I suppose the onliy down side I can think of is it only has 4 holes but for the life of me I dont' know why I'd need more. IF I ever do I have that 70's era RCBS single stage to use for the magical 5th hole.

Sorry, I had major brain fart. I meant to say mouth.

I know who to blame, all you'se guys.

The year of the great sucking , 2013. As a blow hard Senator said not too long ago, "Der sure is a lot of consuming going on out there".

I think I smell a confusion with terminology. I'm sure he meant to say... the 45acp head spaces on the rim of the case. That would be a more accurate description. It is a tiny ledge for sure inside the barrel we all rely on. I just peered into a ancient spare 1911 model barrel I have laying near my press. That 1911 old barrel is my head space gauge. Once in a while for grins I check using one of my Springfield barrels. The 1911 barrel I use is from a 1911 ACP my grand pap had bought for his personal use prior to the Great War, the war to end all wars. So I'm sure it is to original spec....... Back then officers bought their own sidearms like that , so I understand.

Students, head to page 30 of your XL650 2007 manual..........

well, yes the manual is on the dillon site so go download and read that. EDIT. I just looked. No no specific manual for that system on their site however the instructions for the powder check setup and those rods are all in your XL650 manual!!! Well it shouldnt' be to hard to finger that out. Use the rod that fits inside the case ya are loading for. Going from memory, and mine is weak.. big one is for 45 and up calibers. Next one down should work fine with 40mm ,9mm 38 calibers, and the teeny one for those toy calibers like 5.56 NATO and 380ACP. Do read that manual as the set up for rest of it may very well be non - obvious.

My order just arrived via USP. Poor woman that delivered them asked me to come to the truck to get them. That box was heavy! LOL She said gratefully 'thank God you were here. I was afraid I'd have to lug this to the door. That box is so heavy, I barely got it into my truck!" . I guess they win big on shipping with USP by shipping iwth that ship by the box program no matter how heavy. That box had a 'case' of 230gr RN in it. Full to the brim. So, placed order FEB 25 and got email notice of shipping on March 5. So, quick go swamp them with orders. Next on my hit list is Bayou bullets as I've just learned of them recently thanks to these very forums. However they have craftily hidden their order sheet from public view during the storm.

No comment on that powder and charge as I am not a user of such. But I'll toss in on the query on reseating. I'd just re-seat lower to what you want if you feel those are a tad long. As long as you are not compressing powder anyway. I'd not fuss with re-taper crimp either this is straight wall 45acp I don't see a issue really. You'll know after you re-seat a few and inspect with magnifying glass. Note, I am just a chimp. Any and all advice given the user assumes all risk, as the user fully acks that the advice was taken from chimp.

Yah, but then they wouldn't be awesome red. I like the red. Keep up the experimenting! The guy that figures out a inexpensive way to fake gold colored bullets might do well too. There might be a bling seeking market out there for bling bullets in use with their pimp guns. I see potential profits.

5.6 231 WW 185GR Berry's HBRN at OAL 1.236 to 1.24 ** Shot several hundred at least in Springfield 45XDM 5.25" Never noticed such an issue here. But, I'm half zombie. I may go shooting today and if I remember I'll drag some along and double check. ** I can state to such a degree I just checked 10 rounds using my new used (ebay find) Mitutoyo 8" caliper. Farking thing is accurate to that degree. I checked against 2 mics, it is so sweet it makes me giddy.

I'm curious . You say IR, meaning Infra Red? The commercial kit i see I find no mention of IR or not. I had presumed these were white light LED' light souces: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/154951/competition-electronics-indoor-lighting-setup-for-prochrono-chronograph?cm_vc=U112 Is that the same kit you are using?

Hell I've used my own powder from the 1970's just in the past few months, same with primers IT does not go bad unless someone stored it horribly. In my case it was stored often, for years, in a concrete floored garage here in the Texas Gulf Coast a 1/4 mile from the bay. However I did have it in a ancient aluminum exterior and interior aluminum 'cooler' that probably dated from the 1960's. Not hermetically sealed but I'm sure it helped stabilize temps a tiny bit. A fair number of them containers were the old Hercules cardboard tubes powder came in. Not exactly as humidity proof as containers you see today... Just saying. I'd not be fretting in San Antonia bout 'temp' messing up your new to me looking containers of powder for decades. Keep it.

I'll also mention 231 Winchester and HP38. Both are essentially the same stuff and one can use data for either. HP38 typically can be found a little bit cheaper. OF course at the moment, given how popular those two are, good luck. I like em because they powder drop consistent for me. Not familiar with 40sw loads as I never messed with it. Plenty of books cover though.

Bored by press video porn? Hmm. Well to each his/her own. Youtube unpacking setup vids might be more exciting, I dunno. I've spent hours watching related vids there. Better than most everything on cable TV but I enjoy gun porn. Hey, in 1993 we didnt' have any helpful set up dvds. All we had was a very fuzzy poorly produced pre-production manual.

231 hp38 for em all. Find some books for the loadings. If you do not have the books get them. Some are free even. Hodgen, Alliance, WW all available online. Lyman and the Lee books should be on every bench as cross reference for starters. I could name loads but that would encourage poor practice.

EDIT. I just realized you said primer pockets not flash holes. Oops. I have managed to spot them after some practice. When in doubt , I lug around a empty brass case with a small primer in it (I paint it and it is easy to keep track of that way). When at the range scrounging if in doubt or mind gets cloudy, I can compare. Drill a hole in it and make a neck fob of dubious stylish nature. What do i do with the small primer 45 ACP brass I do find you ask? I stomp on it and curse loudly so all nearby know of my rage. Stomping on it makes it so I never would accidentally pick up the offending item ever again. From what I've read over the past year on the subject I've to see a reason to fuss with it. All the postings I've seen to date seem to indicate not enough of a FPS differential to cause much variation in where the bullet ends up out beyond the muzzle. Of course I am just a chimp and I may have missed something. You have been warned. That said, I do have a stash of WW brass I had picked up at the range one day a few months back. They all had massive flash holes. I have set them aside for now and do plan to do some smoke testing to compare with normal sized flash hole brass. When I do, I will do a run of a minimum of 21 rounds each and post results. But that might take a few months.

I use Alliant a lot, what we used to call Hercules. They've been around for decades. You should mention what caliber you want to load pistol/rifle , whatever. I load mostly hand guns. Bullseye is great, meters well for me, Unique, 2400 as well. 2400 more for magnum type loads though and I'm just using mine up before trying something else. Good overall stuff though. As for Accurate. Never used any but I recently picked up 8,9 and 7 and something else. Plan to smoke test that. Cough. I would suggest buying what you can find even if it isn't your 'perfect' desire. As long as you can find load data for what your loading, get powder. In this climate, one grabs what one can.

Try instead a search for Dillon 650 mods or modifications. There are a good number of great YouTube posters that have videos of their mods. Sadly, my 1993 version Dillon won't take many of them as the mods mentioned mostly require the 'new' version 650. Design changes since 1993.

Just had a thought after viewing my notebook. I need to get more Bullseye. Currently loading that in my 38 special hoard but it would be interesting to see how that performs in the XS as compared to say, the 5.25. I'll try and drum up faster powders. But that will ttake some weeks. HAHAHAA. /sob.