Mike Morcillo

It may be me, but I single load all the rifle rounds on my Dillon. It goes fast, but I can feel the bullet seat and know if I've got a split case mouth or weak neck tension.

Ditto on the AA2230, nice flake powder the meters evenly. Make sure your case preperation is correct, especially OAL of resized brass, to avoid headspace issues. My pet load is 24.5 gr 2230, 55gr FMJBT, CCI. This is accurate, easy on the gun and the brass, but work up your own load. Varget is good for the heavier bullets, 68-69, etc., but you'll have to polish the powder die funnel to avoid the sticks of powder from getting stuck. Good luck.

I'd call RCBS and request a replacement for the bad part.....should be free. Had the same thing on rifle bullets, but had a new stem made to match the bullet I was using.

Lot of shooters have good luck with the Lee Factory Crimp die. This final step provides equal neck tension so the pressures at ignition stays close = better accuracy. No bullet set-back in the magazine due to recoil.

Chamber may be dirty. Run a chamber brush to clean it up. Make sure your brass it trimmed to 1.750. Bullet may be touching the lands and grooves due to too long OAL of cartridge. Use a case guage to check each piece of brass for spec.

I had the same problem. RCBS made me a new seater stem using the 68gr bullet as a template. You can make your own by using the original stem, put a drop of epoxy in the seater, let it set up so that it's tacky, push your 68gr bullet into the glue to make a new pattern that matches your bullet. Lots cheaper. I worried that the original stem would collapse the hollow point core, so this change gave me peace of mind. No ring.

Don't forget to chamfer the inside of the case neck. Burrs can cut the surface of the bullet ruining accuracy. I use the VLD reamer for a steeper bevel, and it makes bullet seating easier.

This past Sunday I shot a local, low-dollar 3-gun match.....nothing special. On the drive there I told myself this is just a practice session, no goals other than to get some range time. Well, turned in one of my best performances. In fact, some stages turned out to be on autopilot....didn't have to think about what I had to do. Took the time to get the points. Didn't try to win a stage, but did a top 3 overall. Now, to remember the feeling an revisit it at the next match. It felt good.

Dillon recommends the use of Winchester primers, at least that's what they told me. I run CCI in the .223 without problem.

Ditto on the dirty primer pockets. Even if it doesn't cause high primers it can still cause weak ignition....and the miss that follows.

After reloading, I drop each loaded round in a cartridge guage to see if it will chamber. While the cartridge is in the guage, I look and then drag me finger over the primer checking for high primer. Done.

Had a similar problem loading .308's using A4350, a long stick powder. Solved it by polishing the powder dies funnel. Used 600 grit, the Simicrome polish till it shined. Now the powder just slides down the die. Secondly, I pull on the powder drop rod after the powder drops, so now there isn't any residual powder trickling out the drop. Now, about that bullet. I had RCBS make a special seater rod for me because when seating a 68gr .223 bullet I'd get a ring around the bullet where the rod touches the bullet. You can make your own by using a small amount of epoxy in the existing rod, wait till it sets up, then press your new bullet into it to change the dimensions. Hope this helps. Oh, I use AA2230 for the .223...very fine, drop great.

May your first DQ be at a local match. I've seen shooters travel hundreds of miles, pay big match and hotel fees, then get DQ's on the first stage. THAT sucks. I got mine at a local match, last stage, strong hand to weakhand, four shots to go, oops, AD.

Barrel length is no problem, but if the barrel is ported you can't shoot Limited or Tactical.

I've shot through several thousand rounds of their brass with 100% reliability. For the long distance and big match brass I use the LC, that way I know I'm making power factor and the hits down range are accurate. I've also shot range brass, without failure, checking for split case necks and pressure rings when doing case prep. Checking the powder charge when loading, it's easy to spot the smaller capacity brass. For me, I think it's the PMC brass that always looks overloaded.

What's the link to the app page?

I load my 68gr HPBT on a Dillon 550, using Varget. I polished the drop tube to a mirror finish. Now the powder drops cleanly into the case. The ring at the case head could be a pressure ring indicating a near case head seperation. The load could be so hot that it is thrusting the brass back into the bolt face at ignition, stretching the case. I'd check your cases to see if they were resized too short. You can check the inside of the case that have rings with a paper clip bent 90 degrees, sharpen the small end, run it into the case and see if you can feel a dent in the case where the ring is.

I had case head seperation because the brass was resized too short. Just a few thousands of an inch made a huge difference. Now the brass is sized to be flush with the top of the case guage. No more problems. Secondly, I think that the load was too hot. I use 24.5 grs of 2230 for a 55gr bullet. The Sierra book shows 23gr is the proper load for 62gr bullet. Dirty chamber, hot load, head space problem = split case.

I vote for and use a Michulik comp. Cost me $38. Video of my rifle shows no muzzle rise....nice and flat recoil. Can't ask for more.

I'd shoot a few round to see if it works. Nothing worse than pulling hundreds of bullets.

Try Graf and Sons, they've got anything you'll need.

If you drop the powder manually, with a trickler, you will get exact weight. Now, do you seperate you brass by interior volume, weight each case, uniform each flash hole, etc. If not, the rely on the press do do it's job. You'll be happy with the results.

I've got the Burris XTR 1x4. Great glass, a true 1x, BDC, and illuminated reticle. If there was one thing I think would improve this scope, it would be a brighter reticle in daylight. But, all in all, a great buy, if you get someone to buy it at wholesale. Like the Burris mount, too.

I shoot the Burris XTR and have had success shooting the Hornady 68 HPBT at 2900 FPS. This load is similar to the 62gr profile used by Burris to configure the scope/ The BDC is a real help at long ranges because I don't have to worry about holdover. Rifle zero is 300 yds, right on with the substend line. The other zeros, 100-200 at very close and not an issue with the 300 yard zero. I wanted to be sure that the long shots were there because of the penalties added for misses over 100 yards. I shoot from the bench with a sandbag right in front of the magazine well. My next trip will include shooting with the magazine as the rest, just like in the field. Hope the zero is the same.

I wasn't taking a shot at the AMU. Yes, I did contact without response, until today. I was just curious what the procedure was, nothing more.