MaverickNH

Brilliant Raydee38 - I'll try that, thanks!

Got a RT1500 as well, so I'll add to this thread with a question. The gap between the upper and lower lockrings is very small when mounted and adjusted for 223rem on my 650, and the brass shavings pile up rather than being vacuumed out. What's the fix?

When going from 9mm, to 223, to 38sp, I reversed the Cam from long side forwards, to short side forwards, and then back again, to long side forwards. The black plastic Case Insert Slide seems to rock back and forth some on the metal slide bar now. I figured out how to take the pin & spring out of the back, cleaned and lubed the metal bar and reassembled, but it still ctaches and won't pop all the way forward. If I rock it forwards, that is, from the front of the machine towards the back, it seems to pop loose and move forwards. I only have maybe 5000 cycles on the unit, so it seems a bit soon to be wearing out.

I bought my 650 in 9mm and used it successfully to load lots of 9mm. I then converted to 223rem for a while and loaded successfully, and am now converting to 38sp - but having a problem. The black plastic Case Locator Slide doesn't move foward enough to push the case into the shellplate when I push the handle aft, with the Camming Pin adjusted as far as above & off the Case Insert Slide ramp (removable Cam is facing long side forward for pistol). If I nudge the back of the black Case Insert Slide forward, it pops forward after a little resistance. The spring doesn't seem to pull it forwards to seat the case in the shellplate. I'm not quite sure how to disassemble and check for binding grits and bits, if necessary. I have chaged to the correct 38sp Conversion Kit shellplate, brass locator buttons, small primer assembly and punch, Station 1 locator, body bushing, casefeed arm bushing, casefeed adaptor already. Appreciate some advice. [sOLVED! There was a tiny bit of grit in the Ejector Wire hole, and the wire was up just enough to barely graze the Case Locator slide and impede its forward motion. Lesson learned - vacuum off grit and then blow out holes!

I picked up someRCBS Gold Medal Dies in 223and 308, but they don't comewith Neck Bushings. What sizes might be a good starter set for each caliber to work with (using an RCBS Rockchucker)? I'lltry and shoot groups.

Thanks for that ANM2_man, I appreciate the detailed explanation. I think I've assembled all the parts you have described. I'm bought 3000 1x-fired Lake City cases from Widners, and "washed" a batch in an Ultrasonic Cleaner at 65C with degreaser and Lemi-Shine. They came out pretty clean of grits and bits, after a few spins in a Media Separarer with running water to rinse, and a dry cycle. I'll lube cases and set up as above and give it a try, but use Wet SS Pin Tumbling between the two toolhead set-ups. Fingers crossed!

OK - I need some basics here please. Thanks for the help. Starting with 1x-fired bulk range brass, a Dillon XL650, Wet SS Pin Tumbler and RT1500, in what order should I best be doing things from start to finish from bag of brass (223/308) to box of loaded cartridges?

Hey Chris - What are you thinking is "semi clean cases"? I'd love to give this a try. Is there a pre-wash step that might get a bunch of store-bought cases "semi-clean"? I'm thinking this Iosso Brass Cleaner to get bulk range cases clean before using your process http://www.cabelas.com/product/Iosso-Case-Cleaner-Kit/727251.uts

I did an eBay search for Dillon 650 upgrades and found lots of good stuff: Spent and Live Primer upgrades, a Crud-Catcher for the Casefeeder http://www.dillonupgrades.com/ ,a nice LED light strip and LED light plug http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-RELOADING-PRESS-LIGHTING-SYSTEM-for-Dillon-XL-650-with-Top-Tool-Head-Light-/321352787913 , and a bearing/spring, cam follower and washer enhancement kit. UniqueTek http://www.uniquetek.com/ sells nice stuff, as does Inline Fabrication http://inlinefabrication.com/collections/dillon . You can get a Press Monitor http://www.pressmonitordevice.com/pm.htm or a video feed http://www.ammovision.ca/ All nice-to-haves - none must-haves. But fun stuff! Must-Have's (IMHO, but surely debatable): The Roller Handle https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=421697 Hornady Sure-Loc Lock Rings http://www.amazon.com/Hornady-Sure-Lock-Ring-Pack/dp/B001OPTMU4

I bought 2 x 500rd of the primed brass below, as well as 1000rd pulled bullets, hoping to load them as plinker ammo in my FN/FAL. Can I safely run though my XL650 casefeeder to load? They shipped bulk bagged and people tumble loaded rounds, but I thought I'd ask anyway. I was thinking to make a rack that dangles the brass necks into a shallow tray of Xylene (with a lid so I don't asphyxiate) to melt off the tar. There is some residual powder stuck on the tar, so cleaning them out seems prudent. A quick check of 100 cases in an 8-hole EGW Chamber Checker Block found only 4 cases high and none low, so I can probably weed those out. I picked up a RCBS Neck Sizing die, but if I wash out the tar, is full sizing safe? Bullets I can wash in Xylene as well. Unfired 308 Lake City Primed Brass 1 = 500 rounds. Tar sealed mouth, primed 308 Lake City Brass . Primer is crimped and lacquer sealed. Brass has the NATO cross headstamp. Most of the brass is LC12 or LC11 but there may be a different year dates on it. No guarantees. This is exceptional brass. All primers are military 34 and all function. The brass has never been fired so it has the correct head space and case length, BUT YOU NEED TO CHECK THAT JUST AS YOU CHECK ALL BRASS, NEW AND FIRED THAT YOU RELOAD. Note, the tar sealed mouth. When NATO 7.62 is pulled, it leaves the waterproof tar seal in the mouth. If you resize this brass and EXPAND the neck, the tar will gum up your expander ball. You have options, you can fight the gum, only neck size outside OR use a Q-tip with xylene and the tar will melt like butter. There appears to be enough tar left to waterproof and reseal your bullet and it doesn't seem to affect accuracy. But no guarantees on that. This is pulled brass after all.

Yeah - thanks! I found Dillon even advises to lower the die below the point of contact, by lowering until flush with ram up, lowering the ram and turning 1/8th CW at a time until proper headspace is achieved That worked for me.

My bad - I meant 0.003, or three thousandths. Not much, but I had figured the rim face should be flush of between the hi/lo levels.

I have a new Dillon XL 650 bought in 9mm, and am doing the 223rem change-over, but am stuck on setting up the Dillon Steel 223rem Deprime/Sizer die correctly. Even when I have the die screwed down to contact the shellplate, the rim stick up out of a Dillon 223rem case gage by a bit above the high mark. That is, it's above flush by 0.002-0.004. The die is down below the top of the upper surface of the shellplate, in the larger ring depression sized to the die diameter, with just a squeak of room between the shellplate itself and the die bottom. I held the handle down, tightened the die, and just cracked it back a hair CCW before tightening the lockring. I'm working with once fired Lake City headstamp brass (bought from Widners) that I deprimed, wet steel pin tumbled and lubed with Lyman Case Lube (none on shoulder/neck). The lube seems more like an oil that doesn't evaporate, so I wipe out the Dillon 223 gage and sized case with solvent, but still high. I wiped out the new die before use with solvent as well. Just to be sure, I wiped out the die again, libes with a light rub of Hornady One-Shot Cae Lube, and lubed a case with a light rub of the same, but still no-go. The case is still up 0.003 and barely at minimum on the neck end of the gage. Appreciate some help! And yes, switching to Dillon Case Lube ;-)