DILLON 550 AND PRECISION SHORT RANGE AMMO

[ar10ar15man]

there is a lot of talk around about what one can and cannot do on a dillon 550.
back ground, i am an ex dillon dealer, i have 2 550's and have been using them for about 20 years.
( lets clarify that. i use to do such high volume loading that i would send a press in after about 4 years for a rebuild, buy a new press(bare) and sell the rebuilt one when it got back)
Can precision short range ammo be loaded on a 550 ?
YES
this is 223 used in ar's
i load in 2 steps. i process all the brass on one tool head and load on a second.
tool head one: with clean brass, deprime, size brass may get trimmed to length, and then polished.
tool head two: neck size and prime, powder dump, seat with a micrometer seater.. no crimp
i use a powder that meters well less than plus or minus 0.1.
i worked up a load for one ar using 50gr vmax and xterminator. when i was done with handloads i had a load the shot 0.204 at 100.( this is a scoped target ar with a 1/14 twist hart bbl).
i loaded about 25 rounds on the 550 with this load and went back to the range. the 550 loads were just a tad over 1/4".

brass was new winchester weight sorted only, no other prep.
so if the rifle is capable, the load developed with the 550 in mind, yes precision can be done on a 550. i have done similar work for 308 for 600yd any any matched with an ar10. not as precise loads but the target is big 6" x ring is 1 moa.

 

[engineer40]

I've loaded tons of 223 on my Dillon 650. With tailoring loads for the rifle my groups are half the size of decent quality factory ammo still. My ammo from my progressive press is more accurate than any of my friends that shoot factory ammo. Measured concentricity is not as good but OAL's seem mostly consistent as long as I keep the shell plate full. H322 meters VERY excellent for me.

I also run the cases through in two steps like you do.

I remember an old David Tubbs video where he stated the US shooting team used a progressive press for many thousands of rounds of practice and competition.

I'll be honest though, that little bit of play in the toolhead and shell plate always has me thinking my ammo isnt as good as it could be... but it's still better than factory ammo and its quick!

 

[engineer40]

Do you do anything special to the Dillon tool heads or pins when reloading rifle ammo? Seems like some guys modify them to make sure they dont move at all... while other guys seem to think it's best to modify them so they are "floated". Thanks!

 

[ar10ar15man]

i have not used modified tool heads or presses.
they say you can get better that way.
do a search the parts are out there.
i shoot low round count matches so my ammo is hand loaded
prarrie dog ammo is medium volume and this process works well with MY guns

 

[Mustang72]

I don't have any accuracy problems with my 550. I use it mostly for my pistol ammo though. I enjoy reloading so I do most of my rifle ammo on a single stage but nothing like the 550 to turn out a big batch of 223 or 308 if I am short on time.

 

[entoptics]

I don't normally do the entire process in one go, but I often use my 550 for decapping, sizing, and priming (and occasionally seating) for my 300 WM. I see no measurable difference in concentricity or OAL vs my single stage lyman press. Both produce ≤ 0.002 runout without much effort.

As with others, I always use it for "volume" calibers like 308 and 556, as well as all my pistol reloading. The only problem it presents is powder selection. I've done several ES/SD tests, and the Dillon just won't throw stick or disk powder nearly as consistently as ball powder.

 

[benchracer]

I have a problem with my 650 throwing powder out of the cases when it advances them. Have never really figured out how to get it to advance more smoothly. Other than that, the powder measure seems to perform decently, even when using stick powder. As mentioned, I either do case prep off the press or set up two tool heads to do case prep and loading in separate runs.

 

[Rustystud]

I own one 450B, two 550B, and one one 1050, and one Super 1050 Dillon Presses. My 1050 and Super 1050 have Mark 7 digital drives. Quality brass and brass prep is paramount in quality reloading. Accurate powder measuring is second in importance. Never had a Dillon powder measure throw better than plus or minus .01 of a grain on a 100 rounds. Out to 600 yards that can provide you with a plus or minus 1.moa accuracy. For someone shooting iron sights that may be good enough. I load hundreds of thousand rounds for customers with that known expectation. For benchrest and long range I use my 550B loaders as a turrent loader instead of a progressive. I process my brass in steps and measure my powder on a digital scale, double checking each load to less than .01. My 6 BRX loads 32.6 grains shoot chronograph less than 6 feet per second and regularly shoot sub .5 moa at 1000 yards. I load .223 Rem., .243 Win., 6mm Creedmoor, 6mm/47, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5/47 and .308 Win all on my Supper 1050. All will shoot 1 moa if the shooter and his equipment do their part. I use John Widden's floating tool heads on my most accurate loading. I have considered making a floating die toolhead for my Super 1050.
Nat Lambeth

 

[ar10ar15man]

you need to adjust the shell plate to not stop so quickly, smother.
and your handle movement

I have a problem with my 650 throwing powder out of the cases when it advances them. Have never really figured out how to get it to advance more smoothly. Other than that, the powder measure seems to perform decently, even when using stick powder. As mentioned, I either do case prep off the press or set up two tool heads to do case prep and loading in separate runs.

 

[ar10ar15man]

nat,
the first 0.01...maybe 0.1 ??

I own one 450B, two 550B, and one one 1050, and one Super 1050 Dillon Presses. My 1050 and Super 1050 have Mark 7 digital drives. Quality brass and brass prep is paramount in quality reloading. Accurate powder measuring is second in importance. Never had a Dillon powder measure throw better than plus or minus .01 of a grain on a 100 rounds. Out to 600 yards that can provide you with a plus or minus 1.moa accuracy. For someone shooting iron sights that may be good enough. I load hundreds of thousand rounds for customers with that known expectation. For benchrest and long range I use my 550B loaders as a turrent loader instead of a progressive. I process my brass in steps and measure my powder on a digital scale, double checking each load to less than .01. My 6 BRX loads 32.6 grains shoot chronograph less than 6 feet per second and regularly shoot sub .5 moa at 1000 yards. I load .223 Rem., .243 Win., 6mm Creedmoor, 6mm/47, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5/47 and .308 Win all on my Supper 1050. All will shoot 1 moa if the shooter and his equipment do their part. I use John Widden's floating tool heads on my most accurate loading. I have considered making a floating die toolhead for my Super 1050.
Nat Lambeth

 

[del2les]

Started using the 550 series about 30 years ago, and almost all of my varmint loads in 222/223/5.56/223AI and 22-250 are loaded on one. They have always produced very good groups that keep me on Pdogs to a 1/4 mile and beyond.

Many years ago (late 90's) I did a simple test and loaded a few of my short range BR 222 loads on a 550, and while not guilt edge, their groupings from my BR rifle were in the mid .2's. Using my inline press and if I did my part, it would produce .1's or smaller, so for anything other than BR comp, they are very acceptable for most other purposes.

When shooting 3-500+ rounds a day on the Pdog towns, a quality progressive is the only way to go.

 

[lrlouie]

I also use 2 tool heads for loading on the 550. While doing the seating process I have removed one or both tool head pins and let the tool head line up where it wants to kind of like a floating head. I've noticed that runout is less than with the pins installed. I've had lots of 1 and 1/4 inch 10 shot groups at 300 yards with the 223 using this method

 

[engineer40]

I also use 2 tool heads for loading on the 550. While doing the seating process I have removed one or both tool head pins and let the tool head line up where it wants to kind of like a floating head. I've noticed that runout is less than with the pins installed. I've had lots of 1 and 1/4 inch 10 shot groups at 300 yards with the 223 using this method

Interesting idea. Do you only have 1 round on the shell plate at a time then so the other rounds dont get in the way of the tool head to truly floating?

 

[ar10ar15man]

if you do a pinless tool head, you are asking for issues.
you have to set up any dies on the tool with a single pc of brass.
you have to mark and use a single slot of the shell holder
so it is a single stage turret not a progressive.
if i can shoot 1/4 " with pins and progressive, i see no real advantage.