Micah Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 After much debate and number crunching, I finally took the plunge and purchased a Dillon 550 from BE. Although I currently shoot only 9mm (Production) my goal was to make my own better, cleaner, and cheaper ammo. While waiting for my press to arrive in the mail, I acquired an old metal desk from work. Well, after bolting the Dillon to the desk and doing several celebratory jumping jacks, I began to set up the dies. While putting the final calibrations on my seating die, it became apparent why there was such a variance in my OAL...the desk was bowing in the middle with every crank of the lever. So I went (back) to Lowes and purchased a workbench. After setting that up, I noticed that it was wobbling quite a bit, so after a third trip to Lowes, I was all set to anchor the bench to the wall. OK, the anchors didn't expand, so on the 4th trip, I bought 4 different kinds. One of them finally DID work. More variances in my OAL and a swift observation of my wife directed me to the fact that bench+carpet=wobble So on trip #5, I picked up a 4X4 piece of thick plywood to place under the bench. After re-anchoring, I believe that I will be ready to rock. Unfortunately, I'm trapped at work for another 15 hours. Long story short (too late!) make sure that you have a sturdy bench and solid floor before getting too exited about reloading. Chris Keen, as well as many other sources on the forum state this necessity, and believe me, it applies to everyone! Just for s's and g's I'll post updates on this thread all the way up to cronoing my newly minted, bound for Master class ammo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclez Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Oh gosh! My 550B should be here next week. Crossing my fingers that my luck is not as bad as yours. I have been thinking on how I want to build and setup my bench. Now after reading your story I think I'll re-evaluate my soon-to-be-bench. Good luck and keep us posted on how things go. Since you'll be one step ahead of, maybe I can learn from yout mistakes. Does that sound bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPatterson Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 When setting up your seating die have a case in every position. But remember to dump the case under the powder measure once you have the OAL where you want it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L9X25 Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 (edited) I honestly do not believe that having a "rock solid" bench is an absolute necessity in producing good ammo. As long as the bench will hold the press stationary and allow you to consistently complete a full stroke of the handle, that should be fine. As mentioned before, make sure that you have the shell plate full before you expect the ultimate in consistency. Secondly, make sure that you are using the correct seater die insert for the shape of projectile that you are loading. The insert has two sides, one for round nose ammo and another for truncated cone or semi-wadcutter (flat nosed) projectiles. Having the insert in the incorrect orientation for your projectile can cause extreme variations in your ammo. Good luck Edited September 21, 2006 by L9X25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Storing many 1000's of bullets on your loading bench does wonders for stabilizing it too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted September 22, 2006 Author Share Posted September 22, 2006 So far, so good for now! I ordered Lee dies from Midway, and foolishly misinterpreted the provided powder die for a crimp die. After losing sleep and sanity over my confusion as to why the hell my crimp was mashing the bullet down, Keen came over and made the discovery. This leads me to important newby reloading fact number 2... A LEE 3 DIE SET DOES NOT COME WITH A CRIMP DIE!!!!!!!!!! Until my crimp die comes in the mail, I'll finish tumbling the rest of my 10,000 pieces of brass and get the rest of my dies perfectly calibrated. Thanks to all for the great info, and I look forward to giving a great crono report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wide45 Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 The bullet seater die will crimp if you turn it down far enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted September 23, 2006 Author Share Posted September 23, 2006 The bullet seater die will crimp if you turn it down far enough. I did notice that the bullet seater die was applying a little amount of crimp, I just felt that since there's a stage to crimp on my Dillon, that I might as well have the appropriate crimp die. UPS arrived just as I was running out the door for work! Locking that crimp die in is the only thing on my mind right now, but I'll have to wait until I get home @ 2am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wide45 Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 It is way better to separate your seating and crimping. That does not mean you have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayonaise Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 I had similar frustrations when I first bought my 550B. The guys have told you straight. Make adjustments with a case in each station, then lock down the dies with each station full and the floor plate raised. On to the primer system: My other advise afer many frustrating hours of tinkerins is to get some 1600 wet dry sandpaper and polish the feeding bar with the wet dry ultra fine paper either wet or dry. Also hit the inside the primer feed housing so that the bar slides w/out binding. About every 5K rounds I clean everything and relube where the reloader requires it. Get some case lube. Makes it all work great. The lee FCD is a must have if you reload ammo fired from a Glock IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted September 23, 2006 Author Share Posted September 23, 2006 Thanks for the advice with the primer feeder. I have just loaded my first 100 rounds, and am relatively happy with how things are going. About 2 out of ten primers either come out upside down, or not at all. I'll keep tinkering... BTW-I seen to think that someone told me once that once you touch a primer thats not seated within the brass, that you should just throw it out, as the oils from your hand can make it not fire. Any truth to this? Thanks again for keeping this thread alive and full of great information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 There has to be a number of reasons for the primers being flipped, for me, on the 550, it was that little plastic dealy: 14003 Flexible Orifice Large (small 14024) I changed that, night and day... Primers... again, I'm not expert, nothing I do seems to bother them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted September 25, 2006 Author Share Posted September 25, 2006 (edited) *repost, sorry!* Edited September 25, 2006 by Pharoah Bender Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted September 25, 2006 Author Share Posted September 25, 2006 Well, I decided to be a bit gutsy and shoot my newly formed reloads, without testing them first, at a match in Milford, Ohio today My goals were... 1)Do not blow up, squib up, or jam up my gun 2)Feel consistant, smooth, and accurate shots through my gun 3)Do not blow up my GUN! I am happy to report that I achieved all three of my goals! With beautiful weather, and a few tips from Shooter Grrl, I shot an excellent match, and easilly (as I know so far) won my class and division Wednesday is chrono day for me...and that will be the final decison as to if I will use my reloads at the Western PA and Ohio State matches As always...thanks for reading/replying, and keep the great 550 info coming -Micah B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted September 28, 2006 Author Share Posted September 28, 2006 After putting around 600 rounds of my newly pressed ammo through my Glock 34 without a single hickup, it was time to hit the chrono. Ten tests of three rounds apiece concluded that my power factor is averaging 126.8. 126.8 is pretty darn close to the "aww crap" zone ...so I guess that my newest question is... For those of you that are shooting minor 9mm, what power factor do you rely on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 (edited) Here are some replies to my questions about PF. What goes for major goes for minor: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...hl=power+factor If you don't want to wade through the math, the advice comes out to shooting ammo that works for you (consistency, reliability and accuracy wise) at about five PF points above the floor for the division you're shooting in - 130 for Production. Actually, my Production load is most accurate and functionally reliable at 140 PF +, so that's what I use. FWIW Kevin C. Edited September 28, 2006 by kevin c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slavex Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 in answer to a question further up, I've handled lots of live primers in my hands, picking them up from the floor, out of the spent primer bin (when decapping live rounds), you name it. And they've all worked just fine. Hell if you'd seen some of the primers I've used you'd laugh. I've tested ones that were all mushed up in the case and they worked fine. Years back I had 10,000 pistol and 1,000 match rifle primers get in a flood in my parents basement. They were under water for about 3 hours. cardboard was toast and loose primers everywhere. I laid them out on a towel and dried them off using a fan. Then for a laugh loaded up 200 rifle, and 1000 pistol. They all worked fine. I kept using them, until the second flood in the basement. Once they dried out that time I actually had corrosion on some of the primers, plus mud (nastier flood this time) on some of them. So I took them all and put them in an old coffee or ketchup can, added some gas and a fuse, and lit it and ran back 50ft. Man that was cool, cut the can to ribbons and killed a bunch of my moms flowers. It was like a red hot buzzsaw for about 4 ft around the can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted September 28, 2006 Author Share Posted September 28, 2006 kevin c, Thank you for the thread link! After dusting off my old Stats text, it really made sense. After reading that and talking it over with Chris Keen and Steve Moneypenny, 130 is definately the way to go. slavex, It certainly apprears that primers are durable! For me, I will delagate dropped/touched primers to "practice" ammo, and only use untouched ones for my match ammo. It has been quite an adventure purchasing, setting up, loading, shooting, and chronoing my own ammo. It faired exceptionally well at last weekends club match, but now the final challenge will be attempted as I use my ammo at both the PA and OH state matches in the next two weekends. I look forward to posting a final review including a pic of my two new soon-to-be-aquired trophys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 Aside from my trigger spring snapping right before Stage 2 (thankfully Keen had a spare ) my loads ran perfectly at the Western PA match! I chrono'd at 129. Ironically, the chrono stage was my best one The last big match of the year for me is the Ohio State match. I apologize in advance that my trophy pic will only contain one now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 Pharoah Bender You started off great, bought the press from Brian...what possessed you NOT to get the dies at the same time...and Dillon dies at that..? Duh.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted October 9, 2006 Author Share Posted October 9, 2006 After doing a bit of research and taking the advice from Uncle Bill, Keen, and others, Lee carbide dies are the best for Glocks. After the minor snafu with the crimp die, they have done an excellent job! Don't get me wrong, Dillon makes the best machines, but Lee does make great dies. On another note, I just shot my last two big matches of the year these past two weekends. Throughout the Ohio Sectional Championship match, aside from a magazine related jam, my ammo ran perfectly, chronoing at 130. I also learned a VERY important lesson... during the classifier, Golden Bullet Standards, I only loaded up two mags. Not a great idea if you drop one on the 2nd string, and you have to fish around for the full magazine to finish the stage ALWAYS bring more mags than you need!!! Somehow, even with my mag meltdown, I walked away with a trophy! Now, I look forward to spending the off season dryfiring and practicing with my new loads. DVC, Micah B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinwb Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 After much debate and number crunching, I finally took the plunge and purchased a Dillon 550 from BE. Although I currently shoot only 9mm (Production) my goal was to make my own better, cleaner, and cheaper ammo. While waiting for my press to arrive in the mail, I acquired an old metal desk from work. Well, after bolting the Dillon to the desk and doing several celebratory jumping jacks, I began to set up the dies. While putting the final calibrations on my seating die, it became apparent why there was such a variance in my OAL...the desk was bowing in the middle with every crank of the lever. So I went (back) to Lowes and purchased a workbench. After setting that up, I noticed that it was wobbling quite a bit, so after a third trip to Lowes, I was all set to anchor the bench to the wall. OK, the anchors didn't expand, so on the 4th trip, I bought 4 different kinds. One of them finally DID work. More variances in my OAL and a swift observation of my wife directed me to the fact that bench+carpet=wobble So on trip #5, I picked up a 4X4 piece of thick plywood to place under the bench. After re-anchoring, I believe that I will be ready to rock. Unfortunately, I'm trapped at work for another 15 hours. Long story short (too late!) make sure that you have a sturdy bench and solid floor before getting too exited about reloading. Chris Keen, as well as many other sources on the forum state this necessity, and believe me, it applies to everyone! Just for s's and g's I'll post updates on this thread all the way up to cronoing my newly minted, bound for Master class ammo Hahaha that is great, lowes is a great place unlike home depot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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