varget thru a 650

[colbyjack]

Looking to load for a .243. Will varget meter well in a dillon 650? In a rifle case is the powder check nessary? Or since varget fills the cases should I pass, -chris

[uscbigdawg]

It meters just fine. However, couple of things to consider/do to help with quality:

- Once you get a bullet resolved check to make sure you don't have spill problems (as you'll probably be running a compressed load)

- Play with the some of the springs and other doo-hickys that index the shellplate, to not have it be so positive with the click of the index.

- Polish the baffle

- Get the 2# powder tube from Unique-Tek.

Rich

[kgunz11]

I single charge for the 650. Set up a funnel so you can do every action except throw powder with your 650.

John Whidden won 2 National Long Range Championships, 8 Long Range State titles, set Palma records, and countless other matches with ammo loaded on a 650. Matter of fact, he likes the 650 so much he has begun manufacturing a tool head that is perfectly square and true on every axis, which he thinks is superior to the forged Dillon model. He CNC machines them out of a solid block of aluminum for just a few bucks more than the cost of a Dillon tool head.

So my vote goes for weighing each charge, but it really boils down to how consistent and accurate you want your loads to be. I want every round to be the best I can make it. YMMV

[colbyjack]

where can i get the tool head?

just got the 650 how can i make it not so snappy or toss powder out of the brass. i notice the .45acp loses some at times.

also whats a good powder for the .243 thats not a sticl that wont be compressed? -chris

[kgunz11]

Go here:

http://www.whiddengunworks.net/products.html

Scroll to the bottom.

When setting up a 650 you are suppose to have a case under each die to get consistent measurements, not with John's tool head. He just made the 650 even better!!!

[uscbigdawg]

Bobby - So y'all are just pulling the powder measure and then hand dumping what ever comes off of the whiz bang powder dispenser (I imagine John uses a Prometheus...I'd be using a Lyman/Pact/RCBS and then trickling in to the weight I want)?

Side note: On the pointing die, is that a finishing step after rounds are loaded?

Rich

[kgunz11]

Pointing is done before seating.

John uses an RCBS powder throw and then trickles onto one of those real expensive Denver scales.

Go to the link and he tells about his powder funnel upgrade.

[stockton]

To eliminate spillage, move the powder drop to station 3. The positive return bar will easily reach and you will then cap the bullet on the downstroke before it indexes. This also allows your to neck size on station 2 thus eliminating doing this as a separate operation.

I like the Lee dies. I full length resize and decap on station 1, ball neck size on 2, powder on three (seat bullet on downstroke), seat on four, FCD on 5 and get a perfect round every time.

[Hoofy]

Try this thread. Varget and Dillon

As you scroll down to Tom Freeman's post, stop, and absorb from the matser himself.

Pics and everything.

[John Whidden]

Thanks for the interest in the toolhead from forum members. We have done prototype 650 toolheads and will have 550 prototypes done very soon. Unfortunately, there aren't any pics or info on the CNC'd toolhead on our website right now. We will remedy that very soon. I expect that we'll have base toolheads ready to ship by the end of the month, and the floating die toolheads very soon after that. Pricing will be very attractive for the quality you will receive.

John Whidden

[Ground Loop]

Excellent! I'm excited to hear about this development.

I've been using the UniqueTek kit to tap/heli-coil each of my toolheads. This cuts down on the thunking around, and gets my seating depth a little more regular. But it doesn't solve the larger issues of variation or die placement.

[kgunz11]

From what John reports, the new Whidden tool head will solve any inconsistency issues. I'm excited to get one in my hands and actually get to try it out. Everything John has even made for me has been top notch!

[uscbigdawg]

Alright Bobby, you've got me convinced. Now I just have to find a use for this extra powder measure.

I'll do a 308 setup for the 650 (like originally planned) but will manually drop the powder.

Sheesh...y'all are killing me...of course the smile doesn't show it.

Rich

[milanuk]

For 200/300yd ammo, the Dillon APM works well enough... but I still use a RCBS Uniflow on the tool head dedicated to loading Jr. HP ammo because even with the polishing and all, the RCBS is just a little more consistent - I think it's that big a$$ spring operating the drum pretty much the same every time. Maybe the old school Dillon setup w/ the spring retainers would work similarly; my new model 'fart-knocker' measures do not.

For 'precision' ammo, I weigh. Before, I used an AT500 powder die w/ the funnel. It worked, but had a few issues such as clearing other dies near by (it's not very big around, but things are cramped down that close to the tool head) and having a pretty small funnel and no drop tube to speak of. Now I've started using one of Whidden's tool heads for my 6-6.5x47 Lapua loading, complete w/ powder funnel kit. To give credit where due, I believe John is taking the idea that David Tubb printed in his book The Rifle Shooter and making it available to people without the tools/resources to precisely locate and drill holes in the tool head and die rings. In any case, it works pretty well - runout remains low, and I do like not having to handle each case as many times. I dispense a charge from my Chargemaster and dump it down the funnel, which rides up w/ the case, giving me a consistent drop tube.

Initially I did have some issues w/ variations in seating depth - not so much that a person would notice loading mag length, but enough to be frustrating when loading to a specific distance *into* the lands. He recommended getting one of the Uniquetek tool head clamp kits, which I did... and the variations shrunk way down from 4-8 thou to 1-1.5 thou on average. From the sounds of things, John's new tool head is going to be CNC machined and available from Uniquetek directly w/ their helicoil clamp kit installed. All the schnizzle in one place I've got one of his new tool heads coming; the Uniquetek kit I purchased has enough helicoils to do 4-5 tool heads. I'm planning on giving it a go for my mid and long range .223 ammo this year (my XTC 500/600yd ammo, and my wife's F/TR ammo), and depending on the results, maybe my LR F/TR ammo. Should be interesting.

Monte

[nad1967]

Polish the bottom of the powder dispenser (I think I say that here) it helped my rifle loads with their consistency