Anyone using a 550b for loading .308?

[whiskeytango]

I've started shooting F-class recently so I'm looking to crank out some .308 rounds in some sort of quantity. I load my .308 on a single stage at the moment and we all know what speed is like with that. My question- should I stick to the single stage route, or will I be able obtain the same "precision" with the 550. I'll resize and decap on the single stage, but I'd like to run my 550 like this-

Station 1- universal decapper to knock out the flash hole

Station 2- dump powder with either a dillon powder thrower or an RCBS, I haven't decided yet

Station 3- seat bullet

Station 4- ferry dust for better shooting

I'm not one for weighing every charge, uniforming primer pockets, and all the stuff that goes into benchrest load development. I'd rather spend my time shooting as opposed to preforming laborious tasks at the reloading bench. Once I can outshoot my gun/ammo combination, then I'll move on to more things to improve my load. Oh, and I'm shooting 155 grain Palma's (the older one's) with a Federal LR primer and 46grains of Varget.

Thanks guys.

[prreed10]

I am curious as well.

[rrflyer]

I've seen some guys do it but they've used a RCBS chargemaster to weigh the charge and then drop it in.

[steel1212]

I load both 223 and 308 on my 550. I do the exact same thing for both in 2 setups.

First tool head:

Station 1: Size/deprime

Station 3: Dillion trim die and trimmer

Second Tool head:

station one: Open

Station two: powder

Station three: seat

Station four: lee FCD

I don't shoot bench rest competition but if I did I think I would put a little more effort at the bench. I might not for practice loads but for match loads I would have every piece of brass weighed, powder charge weighed, primer holes uniformed and clean, good primers etc. Thats just me. With that being said I only have a 300 yard range so I don't know what works past that. Bobby Kiegans and some of the others might be able to help you some.

[dcbridgwater]

.

Edited November 20, 2009 by dcbridgwater

[whiskeytango]

I guess I should have added that I'm shooting this in a bolt gun so a crimp is not necessary for me.

ETA- My trimming is done with a Giraud as well.

Edited November 19, 2009 by whiskeytango

[benos]

Many years ago Mike Dillon did a test. He loaded a hundred rounds of 223 - to a benchrest shooter's standards. (One a single stage press - trimmed, cleaned primer pockets, reamed flash holes, turned the necks, weighed each powder charge, etc.)

Then he loaded 100 rounds on a 550 w/o doing anything other tumling the brass, and running it through the press.

Then with a very accurate bolt gun, he grouped both batches of ammo at 200 yards. And there wasn't any difference in group size between the two batches of ammo.

Back in the days of the Masters, I loaded super tack-driving 6.5 BR ammo on a box stock 550 with standard Redding Dies. I could consistently shoot 10-shot groups at 100 meters under 1.5" - out of position (creedmore).

The absolute most important thing for accurate rifle ammo - you must find a bullet that your rifle's barrel likes. Then you can play with powders a bit.

be

[Rufftytuffty]

Yeah i've loaded about 2,000 of 308 with my 550 having no issues at all.

175 Gr Sierra Match

42 Gr Varget

Winchester brass

Winchester primers

As i'm using the RCBS X-dies this eliminates the need for trimming and i'm able to achieve 10 reloadings for new winchester brass.

After 10 the necks tend to get a little hard and start spliting and i get a couple of primers dropping out, which i find when cleaning it.

As far a accuracy the ammo is more accurate than me using a DPMS LR-308.

~Mike

[Craigar45]

I load all my 308 on my 550. I do prep my brass on my Redding T7 first though. Size, deprime, trim with Giraud, then into the 550 it goes.

Station 1: Size die backed way out. Just hits the neck a bit.

Station 2: Dillon powder measure. Be sure to give it a good long pause at the bottom of the pull- there is a lot of powder to drop!

Station 3: Redding competition seating die.

Station 4: Redding crimp die (I think...)

If you are really paranoid about accuracy, throw out the first three- I usually get a fractional difference in OAL and powder throw until there is a case in every station. But I do mean fractional.

I also did a comparison with loads from my 550 against my T7. No difference I could see, but I am no bench-rest guy.

Dont be shy. Load 'em up.

C

[Joe4d]

I load 3006, 243, 338, 45/70 just like I would any other pistol round, I too did a weighed charge single stage VS just running cleaned brass through the 550 in 3006 I couldnt find any difference in group size even with the little differences in charge weight. I dont see the reason for extra steps. Powder and bullet type and OAL have more effect than anything else.

[whiskeytango]

Well, when my press gets back from Dillon... I'll be loading up some .308. I expect them to shoot just fine.

[gm iprod]

If the brass has been through my rifle before I just neck size for bolt guns, Redding Neck Size Die, then Dillon Seater only in Stn 3. For Autos I run the Dillon Carbide Sizing Die Stn 1, Powder Die (Win 748 at present) Std Dillon Seater. Never needed to crimp die for my rifle, but we install it for a freinds ammo. Not sure why the difference, but it is there.

If new to me brass or requiring processing, trimming and primer pocket reaming (eg right now I have 20K 223 Speer RHT brass that needs decrimping.

I have a spare toolhead to size and trim on stns 1 and 2. Dillon Full LEngth Sizing die stn 1, RT1200 stn 2. Then I run the brass through a Super Swage. I usually do 1000 at a time and that is sorted for a few months.

Then run through the neck size set up first time. Once trimmed and swaged never needs doing again.

All brass is tumbled and lubed before use.

[laportecharlie]

Before I knew any better I loaded all my 308 ammo for my M1A on my 550. I didn't have anything else. When I got other equipment I never got more accurate or more reliable ammo than I got on that 550

[andrewst359]

On 11/19/2009 at 5:00 PM, benos said:

Many years ago Mike Dillon did a test. He loaded a hundred rounds of 223 - to a benchrest shooter's standards. (One a single stage press - trimmed, cleaned primer pockets, reamed flash holes, turned the necks, weighed each powder charge, etc.)

Then he loaded 100 rounds on a 550 w/o doing anything other tumling the brass, and running it through the press.

Then with a very accurate bolt gun, he grouped both batches of ammo at 200 yards. And there wasn't any difference in group size between the two batches of ammo.

Back in the days of the Masters, I loaded super tack-driving 6.5 BR ammo on a box stock 550 with standard Redding Dies. I could consistently shoot 10-shot groups at 100 meters under 1.5" - out of position (creedmore).

The absolute most important thing for accurate rifle ammo - you must find a bullet that your rifle's barrel likes. Then you can play with powders a bit.

be

Any reference to the article with Mike loading 223?

[rustybayonet]

After the case prep, I run them on my 550. station 4, I crimp 

[helocat]

I know this is zombie thread.... But I do load my .308 bench on my old trusty 550B.    I do case prep on my 1050, deprime trim, clean #2, then back in the 1050 for primers.   Then old school tray up 50 cases and use an RCBS chargemaster for each powder load, station 2 insert case, station 3 hand set and press bullet, 4 very light crimp.   They shoot better than I do.  

[jcc7x7]

Size on a 40 year old rockchucker.

Tumble clean primer pockets

Load the rest on the 550b, without the sizing die in.

Like stated 10 years ago.

I can't shoot the difference out to 600meters.

now for me 10 years later I can't hold the groups I did ten years ago either but the ammo shoots as well, as when I single load each one.

[RGA]

On 10/19/2019 at 3:06 AM, jcc7x7 said:

Size on a 40 year old rockchucker.

Tumble clean primer pockets

Load the rest on the 550b, without the sizing die in.

Like stated 10 years ago.

I can't shoot the difference out to 600meters.

now for me 10 years later I can't hold the groups I did ten years ago either but the ammo shoots as well, as when I single load each one.

 

+1

 

I can not tell the difference at this distance between ammo loaded on my (tricked out) 550 or a Harrell's BR turret press & Harrell's powder measure & Sinclair primer seater. This is with the same die sets and quality components.

 

Only the hardest holders/best shooters with top of the line material will be able to tell the difference. Not the average shooter with a factory barrel.

 

My personal experience is that it is more efficient for your results to spend time behind the trigger and learning how to dope the wind @ 600 and beyond than wasting your time worrying about a 0.1 moa accuracy difference due to loading method.

Edited October 20, 2019 by RGA

[nikdanja]

I used my 550 all the time to load Percission 308. I just used the press as a.  single stage press. Loaded once bullet at a time. 

[dannyd]

David Tubb did it all the time

[MG08]

I use a newer 550 to load plain old 308.  I do case prep on separate equipment, and use a surplus ball powder. I am not really sorting cases by HS, but do gauge them all before loading. the ammo goes in MGs and semi auto rifles. I use the same load in the 550 as I do for my "fancy, loaded on a single stage" 308 for bolt guns. I really do not see any significant difference in group size for a given load in a rifle between them.

[Joe4d]

not 308, but 243 and 3006,  tumble, put brass in a loading block lube inside and out, then load like anything else. Was using 4350,  but dillon powder measure wasnt perfect. went to small grain powders and weihed each charge, but zero improvement at 100 yards over just running 4350, or 4831SC in the dillon,, I think OAL and bullet makes more difference.

[Yondering]

19 hours ago, Joe4d said:

not 308, but 243 and 3006,  tumble, put brass in a loading block lube inside and out, then load like anything else. Was using 4350,  but dillon powder measure wasnt perfect. went to small grain powders and weihed each charge, but zero improvement at 100 yards over just running 4350, or 4831SC in the dillon,, I think OAL and bullet makes more difference.

 

I load 308, 223, 6.5 Creed etc and other bottleneck rifle cartridges on my 550. For the stick powders you describe, with the exception of very short sticks like Benchmark, I use an RCBS Uniflow instead of the Dillon powder dispenser. The Dillon measure just doesn't do well with most stick powders.

I made a simple adapter to mount my RCBS dispenser on the Dillon powder die, and actuate the dispenser by hand. It works pretty well, but I prefer to avoid longer stick powders anyway. 

 

[Joe4d]

oh I agree, but found out Dillon thrown 4350 inconsistent charges was still more accurate than fine grain powders of near same burn rate.

[RGA]

I combined a Harrell's measure with a XL650 to avoid using the Dillon powder measure when using coarser powders.