650 Setup Question

[nhglyn]

I am upgrading to a 650 after many years on the 550. I have 2 questions:

1. In which position on the toolhead do you put your different dies? Obviously #1 is sizing/depriming and #5 must be my crimping/sizing die. But is there flexibility as to where you put the powder and seating dies? What about the "empty" position, just leave it blank or get the powdercheck system? What do you folks put in the #2, #3, and #4 positions? In what position do you place the bullet before seating, same as the seating die or in that "empty" position?

2. Any tips you can pass on about the initial setup of the 650, am also getting the casefeeder and a strong mount. Anything to make process go smoother?

Help always appreciated. Thanks.

[Buckshot Barry]

I am upgrading to a 650 after many years on the 550. I have 2 questions:

1. In which position on the toolhead do you put your different dies?

I went the full monte on my XL650 and my Dillon dies are as follows

1- Sizing Die

2- Powder measure / case mouth flaring

3- Powder Check Die

4- Bullet Seating Die

5- Bullet Crimp Die

I've seen a cowboy at the local matches that uses a 550 with no powder checking system. He has had 3 squibs in the last 2 months. There's no way I'm using a progressive press without some kind of powder check system.

FWIW, I bought the aluminum handle, powder check, bullet tray (no strong mount, it's mounted on a cut 2x4), Dillon Dies, case feeder, maintenance kit, and powder measure check system. I kind of wish I had gotten the strong mount too. but it's working very well after I got the hang of it and all the adjustments made. I load 150 .45 LC rounds in 15 minutes now. It use to take me 1.5 hours on a Lee Challenger.

[stockton]

EGW size & decap on 1. Powder on 2. Powder check on 3. Lee bullet seat on 4. Lee factory crimp on 5.

Pretty much have to seat on 4 or its gonna slow you WAY down trying to reach in to seat on 3.

So, with that said, your only option is whether to powder drop on 2 or 3. If on 3, you get no powder check and 2 is a dead station.

Now, with .223, different story. I use the Lee 4 die deluxe set in the following manner: Size and decap on 1. Neck size on 2. Powder drop on 3. Bullet seat on 4. Crimp on 5. The reason to powder drop on 3 is twofold: First, it lets you size case and neck progressively without having to run the cases through the press twice with different die setups. Second, this lets you "cap" the case with the bullet as the press is coming down (before it indexes), thus avoiding ANY powder spillage as it indexes. A powder check isn't needed for .223 as you basically fill the case and can EASILY see a short powder drop.

[boo radley]

I don't have anything at station 3 -- in fact I don't even keep a locator button there. This makes it easy to pull a case out, and weigh the powder charge.

With good lighting, it's easy to look into the case and make sure it has a powder charge, so I'm not too worried about not having a powder check.

[forty5]

[quote name='nhglyn' post='478802' date='Nov 28 2006, 09:21 PM'

1- Sizing Die

2- Powder measure / case mouth flaring

3- Powder Check Die

4- Bullet Seating Die

5- Bullet Crimp Die

I use the same setup as Buckshot Barry. I also use the same setup for Lee and Dillon dies except that I use the Dillon Powder check with the Lee dies

[Jimini]

When I am loading 38 super where the case is nearly full, I move the seater die next to the powder die (position 3). The powder die must be in position two. this helps to eliminate powder spillage as the case moves around. I don't need the powder check die because you can see the level in the case as you set the bullet. Also it is not hard to reach in as another poster suggested.

When loading 40 or other cases where the level in the case is half full or less, I use the powder check on 3 and move the seater to 4.

[Rico567]

I have my 650 set up just as the manual describes. I'd have to have a good reason to deviate from how a tool is designed to operate. On all but one of my setups, I have nothing in Station 3, as a visual check of powder is very easy, and for rifle loading, it's pretty much irrelevant. For .45 ACP, the view of the powder is marginal, since I use Clays and it's very low in the case. I decided to get a powdercheck unit, and chose the RCBS Lockout Die. It performs the same check as the Dillon unit, and has no battery and is half the price.