Conqueror Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 It ain't much compared to you whizbang guys that own four 1050s, but for a first press I could do a lot worse than a Dillon: Brand-new, unused Dillon RL-450 with auto-eject upgrade, new primer feed system, and lots of other goodies. Set up for .45 in the photo. I had to mount the press to the far right of my bench to allow the drawers to open, but that means there was no room to mount the finished cartridge catch. I'm gonna rig up a bracket for that or something, but in the meantime I can eject them manually. I don't mind the slow caliber changes; it'll save me money on extra toolheads and powder measures and going slow is a good thing when you're a noob like me. The press is old but was totally unused; the previous owner still had the 1985 sales slip. He owns a number of presses and never found a reason to mount this one on his bench. I did have one question for the moment: am I right that you have to clean your cases twice? Once before resizing/depriming and then again to clean the primer pocket? Or is once enough? If you have to take deprimed cases out to tumble them again, what's the point of having a progressive press? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splashdown Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 Congrats on getting into reloading. I bought a used SDB myself and couldn't be happier with the Dillon product. As far as cleaning goes, just tumble them once with the old primers in. No need to clean the primer pockets. I've been told you can get tumbling media stuck in there which can gum up the works on your primer feed. Good luck. splashdown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledavatar Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 The biggest problem I see with your setup is that the press is too clean. Put it to work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 He's right. It's way too damn clean. Get busy. A house (or apt.) isn't a home until it's got a Blue Press. Oh, and I love your little angled tool racks. Nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbocomp38s Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 Not just clean but very organized. Mine was like that before but not anymore. Goodluck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trodrig Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 No need to clean the primer pockets....especially in 45ACP! I do clean the pockets in my rifle reloads that I run on a single stage press. Trodrig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HI5-O Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 And....he already has a rotary tool (a.k.a. Dremel) at his work bench He'll fit it fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadetree Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 Nice. Makes my setup look like kansas after a twister Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conqueror Posted December 11, 2007 Author Share Posted December 11, 2007 Cleanliness is next to godliness, y'know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 Looks great to me! Remember to save any trashed brass (cracked, crushed) and also your used primers as they can be sold to a scrap metal dealer as "yellow brass" for more than $1 per lb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadetree Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 Looks great to me! Remember to save any trashed brass (cracked, crushed) and also your used primers as they can be sold to a scrap metal dealer as "yellow brass" for more than $1 per lb. I did not know that. Thanks for the tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 Welcome to the world of reloading. You made the right decision by buying a Dillon. I have the same exact bench that you have. Actually, I have two of them. I use one for both my presses and the other as a work station. You say you'll be able to remove the cases manually until you fab up a bracket but that will get old quickly. I've had a 650 for years and wanted to load more ammo faster so I added a bullet feeder and then a 1050. Just like buying guns you can never have too many presses. Does anyone know if the Dillon strong mount will work with this press? If so that's the way to go. It puts the handle at the perfect angle and you can center the press more and still open your drawers. Congrats and great setup. Now go make it dirty.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boz1911 Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 It's blue!........That's the correct color when it comes to reloading, won't be long til the 1050 bug bites ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conqueror Posted December 12, 2007 Author Share Posted December 12, 2007 Oh yes it will, on a grad student budget. It was enough of a wallet stretch getting this machine and the paraphernalia. A 1050 is way off my radar right now. Besides, I don't shoot enough to warrant a press that does 1200 rounds an hour, I don't shoot that much in a month unless you count rimfire. I've though about the Strong Mount if the 450 will fit, I like the add-on trays you can get. Can the blue bins clip to each other or do they need a metal mounting point? It'd be nice to have a bin full of empties right next to the finished round catch bin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 Just buy the large acro bins and you'll be all set. Dillon has them in different sizes but the biggest one is best. You can easily fit 400+ rounds in it and you're good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boz1911 Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 (edited) Oh yes it will, on a grad student budget. It was enough of a wallet stretch getting this machine and the paraphernalia. A 1050 is way off my radar right now. Besides, I don't shoot enough to warrant a press that does 1200 rounds an hour, I don't shoot that much in a month unless you count rimfire.I've though about the Strong Mount if the 450 will fit, I like the add-on trays you can get. Can the blue bins clip to each other or do they need a metal mounting point? It'd be nice to have a bin full of empties right next to the finished round catch bin. I don't know if the strong mount will fit the 450, but I do know it makes a big difference when used on my 550. Call Dillon and they will be glad to help, also make sure you're on their mailing list. Acro bins are also available at Office supply stores. And remember our host has Dillon products available. Happy reloading! Edited December 13, 2007 by boz1911 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bwana Six-Gun Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 I still have my 450 that I bought back in '83. I recently bought a set of strong mounts, the 550 ones, and they work just fine on it, or it on them, whatever. Get that thing dirty. If you use dillon dies, there is no need to lube the cases, and that eliminates the second tumbling to get the lube off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now