Dillon XL750 for a newbie

[Zack15]

I’m finally at the point where I want to start reloading.  I decided on the Dillon XL750 and was hoping I could get some advice from the experts on here.  
 

I shoot 9mm, .40 cal, and 45acp.  Primarily I Shooting limited major for USPSA and CO for IDPA but have tossed around the idea of getting into PCC at some point.  
 

Anyways,  could someone help me out on what I need to get besides the actual Press.  I saw on the Dillon website on additional things they recommended but is there specific things I need to get.  I don’t want to keep buying parts as I find out I need them, I’d rather just buy everything I need at once.   
 

And what powder to you recommend for limited which I’m shooting (soon) a PT Honcho as well as for 9mm minor for PCC and carry optics.  Is there a one powder for all? 
 

Thank you all in advance for the help and guidance on my reloading journey.   
 

Zack

[Sarge]

If you google your questions or search these forums you’ll find enough answers to read for days

[SnipTheDog]

If you buy a new press from Dillon, it will be shipped with one caliber setup.  Decide which one you want and start there.

[Zack15]

20 minutes ago, Sarge said:

If you google your questions or search these forums you’ll find enough answers to read for days

I’ll start researching, thanks. 

[Zack15]

20 minutes ago, SnipTheDog said:

If you buy a new press from Dillon, it will be shipped with one caliber setup.  Decide which one you want and start there.

I appreciate it, thanks. 

[SnipTheDog]

6 minutes ago, Zack15 said:

I appreciate it, thanks. 

 

Another thing is that the 9mm, 10mm are small primer.  45ACP can be small or large primer, but it's more popular as a large primer case.

 

As @Sarge said earlier, there are lots of posts about getting into reloading and all the necessary things to buy.  Most components are hard to find now and reloading might not be a bargain by the time you've bought everything needed.

[Mikeski]

If you look in the General Reloading section there are, like Sarge said, enough posts that will give you more than you need. I can tell you from my experience, I started with a basic 650. Then added the Strong Mount, Roller handle and case feeder later. I did buy extra primer tubes and a small parts kit just in case. 

[stick]

Start with the caliber you plan on loading most.  As stated above, read the forums and all of your questions will be answered.

[Intheshaw1]

Honestly, it might be easier to find ammo right now than components. I'd think twice about getting into reloading right now I less you can track down some primers.

 

Head to the reloading section and read about how primers are impossible to find right now and how they have been marked up a lot. I got into reloading this past winter and picked up some components to get me through the year but next year is looking bleak.

[HesedTech]

1 hour ago, Intheshaw1 said:

Honestly, it might be easier to find ammo right now than components. I'd think twice about getting into reloading right now I less you can track down some primers.

That’s the way to put the fire out. 
 

It’s never a bad time to start reloading, just may have to wait for components. While the OP is doing so they can set up the machine have a nice work bench and space ready to go. Then go buy some ammo shoot and save the brass.

 

Go for it! “He who hesitates is lost.”

[Intheshaw1]

13 minutes ago, HesedTech said:

That’s the way to put the fire out. 
 

It’s never a bad time to start reloading, just may have to wait for components. While the OP is doing so they can set up the machine have a nice work bench and space ready to go. Then go buy some ammo shoot and save the brass.

 

Go for it! “He who hesitates is lost.”

I just would hate to see him drop 1k on a machine he may not be able to use for a while. 

 

If you're thinking about getting into reloading, you could always start stocking up on components ahead of buying the machine so you can actually use it when you get it.

[belus]

On 8/8/2020 at 3:56 PM, Zack15 said:

Anyways,  could someone help me out on what I need to get besides the actual Press.  I saw on the Dillon website on additional things they recommended but is there specific things I need to get.  I don’t want to keep buying parts as I find out I need them, I’d rather just buy everything I need at once.   

 

The press will come with one caliber conversion and you'll need to supply dies. Dillon's are good, but other brands such as Lee and RCBS can work as well and be cheaper.

Each additional caliber will need a conversion kit and dies.  45acp will need a large pistol case feed plate also.

Beyond that you'll need at minimum a scale and calipers to reload your first round. You'll then quickly want to add a primer flip tray, bullet puller, and tumbler to the setup for filling primer tubes, correcting mistakes, and cleaning old brass respectively.  If using carbide dies on pisitol rounds case lube is not strictly necessary but it does smooth things out a bit.

 

I would also give serious consideration to the 550 press instead. Conversions kits are cheaper and switching calibers is incredibly quick and easy. Unless you're adding a bullet feeder, the 750 and 550 aren't too far apart in terms of speed.

[Zack15]

You guys are giving me a lot to think about and I appreciate all the advice.  
 

I should of realized it would be hard to get the components now with the price of ammo going up, more people will be reloading. But I’ve been putting off reloading for too long and I’m ready to get into it. Even if it’s just buying the press now, and getting  components when they become available.  And that might be a little easier on the wallet 

[gnappi]

That's a LOT of machine for a new reloader. If you decide on it, once you get it going my advice is to take it slow, watch EVERYTHING that happens, trust nothing to be faultless. Dillons can make a whole lot of GR8 ammo but can also make a lot of bad ammo really fast if you're not familiar with the operations and are not diligent watching for issues.  

 

I too think the 550 is a better choice, I'm still using my two 550's and a 450 for over 20 years and don't feel the need for more press. .  

 

[12glocks]

I think a new shooter with reasonable aptitude can run a Dillon 750.  I have two 650's so I cannot comment precisely on the 750.  You may have to scrounge for components for a while checking frequently for what you're looking for.  Make sure you get on everyone's mailing list.  We have been down this road before sadly.

 

My Dillon press experience started with a 550 mounted directly to the bench.  I now have strong mounts and bullet trays on all my presses and find the ergonomics of that to be superior.  I would order your press with the two conversion kits you want, or at least the 40 in addition to 9, that's a simple change over.  I am guessing you shoot 40 and 9 the most.  I would also order a couple extra primer tubes and a spare parts kit, a primer flip tray and a couple extra blue bins.

 

You could opt to get a 550 with everything you want and I have a 550 as well.  I like the 650's much better, case feeders are nice, very nice.

 

Regarding powder choices that is more complicated right now,  A lot of choices that are not bad.  I primarily used N320 but am switching over to Sport Pistol and already did for 40.  Put me in the camp that Titegroup Powder is not a good choice for a new reloader. The following link may be useful:

 

http://www.natoreloading.com/fast9mm/

 

 

Edited August 13, 2020 by 12glocks

[Zack15]

On 8/12/2020 at 7:55 PM, 12glocks said:

I think a new shooter with reasonable aptitude can run a Dillon 750.  I have two 650's so I cannot comment precisely on the 750.  You may have to scrounge for components for a while checking frequently for what you're looking for.  Make sure you get on everyone's mailing list.  We have been down this road before sadly.

 

My Dillon press experience started with a 550 mounted directly to the bench.  I now have strong mounts and bullet trays on all my presses and find the ergonomics of that to be superior.  I would order your press with the two conversion kits you want, or at least the 40 in addition to 9, that's a simple change over.  I am guessing you shoot 40 and 9 the most.  I would also order a couple extra primer tubes and a spare parts kit, a primer flip tray and a couple extra blue bins.

 

You could opt to get a 550 with everything you want and I have a 550 as well.  I like the 650's much better, case feeders are nice, very nice.

 

Regarding powder choices that is more complicated right now,  A lot of choices that are not bad.  I primarily used N320 but am switching over to Sport Pistol and already did for 40.  Put me in the camp that Titegroup Powder is not a good choice for a new reloader. The following link may be useful:

 

http://www.natoreloading.com/fast9mm/

 

 

Thank you for the advice.  I primarily shoot 9 and 40, but I’ll also be shooting 5.56 as well.  
 

I started out reloading with an old lee single stage press but that was about 10 years ago.   So I’m somewhat familiar with reloading.  I’ve been watching a ton of YouTube videos to get better educated on the 750.  But that link you sent is super helpful.  Thank you again!

[codemonkey]

I do not recommend the 550.   Why give up auto indexing unless you have a specific need to not auto index.  Especially when loading 9mm, 40 and 45.

Edited August 17, 2020 by codemonkey

[ck1]

As a fairly new reloader myself, I can totally recommend the XL750. The 750 is plenty of press for most of us and caliber conversions are affordable, it's a good solid machine. If/when you add a Mr Bullet Feeder there's almost no point in getting any more press unless you can afford and are ready to go up to an MK7 Evo.

 

My advice for getting an XL750: Just get the press and case feeder (and caliber conversion stuff if needed) from Dillon, skip the Dillon dies/accessories.

 

The aftermarket offers more/better choices. For example: Inline Fabrication's Ultramount is WAY better than the Dillon strong mount and their Ergo handle is better than the Dillon roller handle too IMO. They're almost the same price as the Dillon stuff, but the Inline Fab stuff is just A LOT better. For dies, the Dillon dies work and are ok, but again, the aftermarket offers more, usually for less. There are a lot of guys out there with Dillon stuff collecting dust on shelf because they just bought the Dillon stuff with their press but ended up going to better other stuff...

You don't have to get the Dillon ball-end hex wrench and holder kit, but you will need the ball-end hex wrenches near your press more often than you think, so either get the Dillon kit or plan on picking up an alternative to live arm's reach on your bench.

 

Buy (or start saving for) a Mr. Bullet Feeder, because after getting one you won't know how you lived without one or were loading like a caveman lol.

Edited August 17, 2020 by ck1

[Zack15]

2 hours ago, ck1 said:

As a fairly new reloader myself, I can totally recommend the XL750. The 750 is plenty of press for most of us and caliber conversions are affordable, it's a good solid machine. If/when you add a Mr Bullet Feeder there's almost no point in getting any more press unless you can afford and are ready to go up to an MK7 Evo.

 

My advice for getting an XL750: Just get the press and case feeder (and caliber conversion stuff if needed) from Dillon, skip the Dillon dies/accessories.

 

The aftermarket offers more/better choices. For example: Inline Fabrication's Ultramount is WAY better than the Dillon strong mount and their Ergo handle is better than the Dillon roller handle too IMO. They're almost the same price as the Dillon stuff, but the Inline Fab stuff is just A LOT better. For dies, the Dillon dies work and are ok, but again, the aftermarket offers more, usually for less. There are a lot of guys out there with Dillon stuff collecting dust on shelf because they just bought the Dillon stuff with their press but ended up going to better other stuff...

You don't have to get the Dillon ball-end hex wrench and holder kit, but you will need the ball-end hex wrenches near your press more often than you think, so either get the Dillon kit or plan on picking up an alternative to live arm's reach on your bench.

 

Buy (or start saving for) a Mr. Bullet Feeder, because after getting one you won't know how you lived without one or were loading like a caveman lol.

Thank you for all the great info.  I’ll probably do exactly what you said and start saving for the bullet feeder die down the road.  As for the aftermarket dies that are better. What do you recommend ?  
 

I don’t see myself ever growing out of the 750.  But I’m trying to get/purchase all the good parts now in order to not waste Money on things I don’t really need or will end up upgrading down the road. 
 

Again, thank you so much for the advice. 

[12glocks]

Lee Pistol 4 die sets are a good thing for pistol IMO.  The Dillon dies will work also,  I have a mix and use mostly Lee.  Forster inline seaters dies decreased my runout with 223.

 

I have no dog in the fight regarding Inline Fabrication.  I can say that the bullet tray mounted up on the strong mount is a significant ergonomic advantage.  I would make sure thats available from Inline Fabrication as well.

[ck1]

5 hours ago, Zack15 said:

 As for the aftermarket dies that are better. What do you recommend ?  
 

 

 

Well, IMO the big one that jumps out is the Redding Competition Seating Die... there's a reason why it seems like everyone uses that one and why they are often sold out and sometimes tough to get a hold of at times... Unlike most everyone else's seating die, the Redding die goes completely down to the shell plate and grabs the whole case while it aligns and seats the bullet, so the bullets come out seated straight every time, the micrometer to control seating depth is just an added bonus and makes it easy to seat to the exact OAL you're after without having to guess. Plus, the Redding die is a seat-only, most of the others' add a roll crimp if you adjust them down too far, IMO it's better to not even have to worry about that happening. The Redding die isn't cheap, usually $80-100, but worth every penny because it really is the best one out there IMO.

 

As far as the sizing/decapping die, there's more than a few out there that are great, with lots of them sizing further down the cases than the Dillon sizing die.

I went with a Lee standard sizing/decap die because it seems to be what most people say goes the furthest down the cases, and replacement decapping pins, if/when ever needed, are cheap and easy to change out (I was also able to get some aftermarket super-hardend pins from Squirreldaddy that are supposed particularly hard to bend/break). The Redding Carbide sizing die is supposed to be really good too, but it's pricier than most. In .40 lots of folks go with the Lee U-die undersized sizing die because it delivers good case-neck tension being that the .40 is a straight-walled case and sometimes needs it. FWIW a Lee standard sizing/decap die is like  ~$20

 

For crimp, if you're going to be shooting coated or plated bullets it's best to stick with a regular taper crimp die, and seems just about anybody's will do. I have a Lee, but a Redding, Hornady, Lyman or whatever should all be about equal because you're not really going to be adding a huge amount of crimp (in fact, it's often better to think of the taper crimp die as a "bell removal die" because that's all it should really be doing). You can usually find a 9mm Taper Crimp die for ~$10-15.

 

The Lee Factory Crimp Die (FCD), because you're going to hear about it, kind of requires its own paragraph lol. Lots of guys use the Lee FCD, because it can post-size rounds after seating and sometimes "fix" rounds that might not otherwise pass the case gauge, but, it can be sketchy with most bullet types other than FMJ, especially with coated and plated bullets which are soft on the inside. IMO if you've got everything set up right you shouldn't really need a Lee FCD. I decided early on not to use one because my bullet width (.356) plus 2x the case wall thickness (like .012) equaled .380, and the carbide ring in the bottom of the Lee FCD measured at .377-.378 so I was for sure going to be swaging down my bullets/rounds which messes with accuracy big time. Sure, they'd all pass the gauge probably, but they might also keyhole or make baseball-sized groups instead of golfball-sized groups lol. There are plenty of guys out there who claim their FCD doesn't mess with their bullets, but just because they can't see it leaving a mark doesn't mean it's still not messing with their bullets/rounds, most times it just means it's only squeezing the bullets between where they sit in the brass. IMO an FCD doesn't "fix" anything, it just hides problems.

Even without using an FCD, I have only maybe 2-3 rounds per 300 or so that do not perfectly fit in the gauge by a smidge (unless something is really wrong with them*) but those rounds all still plunk in my chamber and work just fine, it's just that the gauge is unforgiving, it's supposed to be.

 

*That's another thing: it's a good idea to invest in a Hundo so you can case gauge all your rounds easily without it taking forever... the Hundo is pretty much always more cruel and discrimintory than any gun's chamber, so if they drop in there they'll work in your gun. Plus, it catches problems and pays for itself; I've caught 3 cases over the last 3000rds I've loaded that were cracked/splitting near their extractor rings, if they'd made it into my guns they probably would've damaged the guns and/or damaged me. They're like $100 which seems kinda expensive for a piece of metal with holes in it, but a single-round case gauge is still like $20 and you'd probably never gauge every round because it would make you crazyy going one at a time lol.

Edited August 18, 2020 by ck1

[Boomstick303]

1 hour ago, ck1 said:

Well, IMO the big one that jumps out is the Redding Competition Seating Die.

 

I second the Redding Competition Dies.  Every Die I use are Redding Dies.  The only other Dies I have used are Dillon which work, but I prefer the Redding.  My seating and crimp dies are the Micrometer versions and are so easy to set up and make quick adjustments.  I suppose the Micro meter crimp die is complete overkill and I probably would not have bought the Micro meter seating die, if I only set my 9mm to only 1 OAL for my various platforms.  I seem to have less issues with the Redding decapping Die than I did with my Dillon decapping die.

[tdp88]

I think you're on the right track with the 750 instead of the 550. With the auto index and a case, the 650/750 is about the easiest press to run and maintain. That said, I would absolutely recommend a strong mount, roller handle, and most importantly a case feeder. As someone stated in a previous post, inline fabrication also make an excellent mount and roller handle that some prefer over dillon. After you get the hang of everything a bullet feeder is an excellent addition. Also, I recommend picking up at least 5 or 6 primer tubes because it really makes things run smoother when you're not stopping every hundred rounds to fill primers. For dies, the dillon are great but for the crimp die I really like the the Lee Factory Crimp Die for 9mm. 

[Zack15]

Thank you everyone who helped me out and gave me such awesome advice.   I placed my order to get a 750 and will be patiently waiting.  I do have a couple more questions I’m hoping some of you experts can answer.   I’ll be loading .40 long for my 2011. I’ve heard miCes reviews on using SPP and SRP.  Is there any issues with using small rifle primers or even small magnum pistol primers ?

[ima45dv8]

My understanding is that SRP primers don't burn any hotter than SPP. They just burn a little longer.

SMP do burn a little hotter, and have proven to be the only way my friend Adam can make even Minor PF ().