Loading .223 on a Dillon XL650

[cd0306]

I'm thinking of converting my xl650 to load .223. Does anyone have any experience they would be willing to share( good, bad, or indifferent). Currently I'm loading on a 550 and looking to increase productivity.

[fastshooter03]

If you have the time I would reccommend using a two OP approach. If you are sizing your brass, set up a die head(if you are going to use the 650 for sizing) with only sizing die/dies and size them all or as many as you need. Then do all the trimming/chamfering work and then tumble.

Once clean it is very easy to load good 223, especially if you use ball powder. If you use an extruded powder you may have to be easy on the upstroke to not overload the funnel tube and have powder jammed up in there. It is good to use a separate crimp die after seating if you are going to crimp.

I size everything on a Forster Bonanza twice(once then rotate 180) then check case length and separate. Trim if neccesary and then chamfer. Tumble clean and you're ready to go. I use a crimp die for plinking rounds (55 fmjbt). I have two separate die heads for plinking stuff and match stuff. The match head uses two forster seating die to increase my chances of consistent OAL.

Lately I've been using "ready to load" once fired brass. I still needs to be chamfered which allows me to find the bad ones with dented/crushed necks when I do it by hand.

You should have any more problems than loading pistol once the brass prep is done.

Nick

[maineshootah]

If you have the time I would reccommend using a two OP approach. If you are sizing your brass, set up a die head(if you are going to use the 650 for sizing) with only sizing die/dies and size them all or as many as you need. Then do all the trimming/chamfering work and then tumble. (snip)

Nick

+1 Go with the 2 die method - works slick.

[Sc0]

+1, less of a pain than running into a stuck case with a fully loaded tool head. (picked up range brass from an overly large chambered something)

[amlevin]

+1, less of a pain than running into a stuck case with a fully loaded tool head. (picked up range brass from an overly large chambered something)

Another vote here for using a separate toolhead with die for sizing and decapping only. I would also recommend swaging primer pockets on any "foreign made" brass as a general practice. For example I ended up with a bunch of S&B brass. It had a tendency to be a little hard to uniformly seat primers. Once over with a Superswage 600 and no more issues.

[cd0306]

Thanks for the info

Chad

[uscbigdawg]

Never have need to trim, so I don't consider it a priority.

That said, I've loaded a ton on my 650 and just use Dillon dies (they are small base dies) and full length resize (since it's not going in to a bolt rifle).

Blow and go, lubing the brass with Dillon lube before loading. Varget's my powder and it throws it perfect. 69gr. SMK's. The only thing I will probably change is to a Redding Competition Seating Die for my 55gr. load.

Other than that, simple, simple. Oh...I do have a seperate toolhead and stand for it (as I do for all the other calibers that I reload on my 650).

Rich

ETA: Sub .5 MOA groups with this technique...so far.

Edited January 7, 2009 by uscbigdawg

[AZ-Ranger]

+1, less of a pain than running into a stuck case with a fully loaded tool head. (picked up range brass from an overly large chambered something)

Another vote here for using a separate toolhead with die for sizing and decapping only. I would also recommend swaging primer pockets on any "foreign made" brass as a general practice. For example I ended up with a bunch of S&B brass. It had a tendency to be a little hard to uniformly seat primers. Once over with a Superswage 600 and no more issues.

+1

I find that even the S&B .45 brass a pain (most of the time) when I seat primers.

I am lazy though and don't wanna screw with the .223 adjustments so I just deal with it.