JLarsson

Got a link? I'm able to see down into my cases on my SDB, so I don't see the benefit. Are you guys mounting your presses high enough that you can't see into your cases?

Are you going to get the old one fixed and use it or sell it? I would.

Great pic for comparison. Thanks for posting that.

I think it takes them a day or two on email replies. The one time I did call them was on a Saturday right before they closed, but I got right through.

Are the tool heads and shell plates the same for the older and newer?

Everything I've experienced and heard from Dillon is that they will make it right for you. Is the main shaft on the early 1050's different than current production?

I use no case lube on pistol stuff and I wet stainless tumble so brass is spotless. I know this aggravates the situation, but I am not willing to change my practice. I cant STAND loading with lubed brass. Yea, I was aware of that, but I attempted to use the MBF actuator anyway and it was a disaster. If I had a 650 without the swage station doing the flaring and had to fight the machine I would throw the MBF into the garbage. The clunking and popping made the process slower than hand feeding bullets IMO which is the OPPOSITE of what you are attempting to accomplish. You could check in to having your powder funnels TiN coated. CH4D offers TiN coating, but you would have to contact them for a price quote. https://www.ch4d.com/services/TiN

Are you guys with the DAA funnel and sticking cases using any case lube? Dirty-ish cases or spotless/new?

Ken, you're calling it the Lee Universal Decap and Resize die, but like Sarge points out, it doesn't resize, unless you're talking about something besides the Lee Universal Decap die. You can lower the decapping stem clear down until it's flush with the top of the stem locknut. Run that out as far as you can and then lower the die until it deprimes the case and see where that puts you.

I wonder if they are patented or if Dillon could "redesign". I suppose it also depends on how much re-tooling it would require.

Thanks, Erick85. I finally went and looked at the Midway page and they look like plain steel there. It was this picture from the DAA site that made me wonder:

The DAA powder funnels look like they have a coating on them in the pictures. Are they coated or plain steel?

Yeah, by about 50% or so. If you have to swage off-press, would it make sense for you to trim off-press with one of the drill press mounted, shoulder referencing trimmers like the one from Little Crow Gunworks, or something similar? $72 + shipping from Midway would just about let everything else fit into your budget. Maybe not quite, but it's close.

Nice job! What kind of bullets are those?

So how do you see yourself using these three presses as times goes by? Would you designate one or more of them for a specific cartridge and use the other one or two for a variety of cartridges? I had to temporarily dismount one of my 550's to set up the SDB, but I have the presses attached to plywood bases that all have the same hole spacing. Then the plywood bases get bolted to the bench. It's not exactly "modular", but it's close enough.

OP said he loads subsonic cast bullets "almost exclusively" for the 300 Blk. I vote for the 30 Carbine expander.

I'd be jealous if my 2 550's and 1 SDB didn't keep me occupied. So I'll be glad for you, instead. Congratulations!

This is the greatest place! It's great to have direct manufacturer involvement in the give and take of information. Thanks, dillon!

You're only talking .0075" difference in diameter. .00375" difference in radius. I'm not a machinist, and I don't know how you would do that precisely, but opening up the shell plate openings by taking off less than 4 thousandths ought to be doable. Have you contacted Dillon about it?

Yeah, I should have said "rifle sizing die". I was wondering what jmorris' was saying in pointing out the difference between the two. We're talking about flaring the case so cast bullets can be used in the .300 Blackout cartridge, right?

Does the 7.62x39 expander also flare, or bell, the case mouth, or is it like every other rifle expander die?

This was something I wasn't getting until echotango posted the picture. I didn't understand why it mattered which lock nut you used, or why the Lee nuts wouldn't work with the Whidden tool head. echotango's picture made it all make sense. Thanks!

Be more fun with the real thing. Man, if you had to feed a Gatling Gun, you'd want an automated 1050 in 45-70. Is that even possible?

Under the shell plate or under the toolhead?

No kidding! That is too cool. The closest I've ever been to a Gatling Gun is seeing them in movies.