Great uncles Reloading estate questions

[Mblackmon4]

So recently I inherited my great Uncle's reloading equipment from his estate. He didn't live near me and no one really knew what to do with his stuff so it's fallen on me to sort through and figure out. He and I chatted on the phone regularly but I never saw his set up but it sounded impressive to me. And based on what I got it must have been something to behold.

So to start with I got
2 Dillon 550
1 Dillon 1050
Dillon electric case trimmer
29 pounds of various gunpowders and 10,000 various primers
And well everything else you can see in the pictures

Now I reload and can figure out a lot of the things like dies and what makes a set. A lot of the dies were just loose in a cardboard box.

BUT!! I've never messed with Dillon so I have zero idea as to what goes to what or if I have complete sets. As yall can probably tell, alot of the die holders looks still setup or partially set up. Any and all help would be appreciated with that

I'm probably looking to sell most of the Dillon stuff as I like my setup the way it is and is perfect for me and what I do. But idk how to go about making sure I don't screw someone by forgetting something major or how is best to package some of this.

I've asked around locally and no one really uses Dillon near me nor is interested in helping me sort through stuff (I'm also in a pretty remote spot in Texas). I can take more picture of anything really easily.

 

[FireFlyFishing]

You can call Dillon and they can walk you through the stuff.

 

[ShtrRdy]

You can probably put together the die sets by looking for markings on each die.

The square shaped die holders are for the 550 presses. You could take the dies out of them to complete each die set.

There is probably some cartridge/caliber conversion kits in the smaller blue boxes.

Those blue stands with a large stud are to hold one of those die holders with the dies mounted.

Otherwise, we could probably help you out if you separate things and label each with an 'A', 'B' , 'C', and so on.

 

[akdad]

I just looked and you can download a manual for a 550 online. Hope it helps.

 

[epoletna]

I'm gonna suggest you NOT take anything apart at this point. Those square plates with dies in them are indeed for the 550, and the dies are very likely adjusted. Take them off and someone will have to dig through stuff to make sure he has everything for one caliber, and then when he gets it, will have to adjust it again. If you sell things assembled, someone can pretty well know he's getting all the parts he needs or that caliber and it's ready to go.

I would suggest you ask around to see if anyone nearby is familiar with Dillon. Having a person look through it, even just for an afternoon, will get you pretty far along in knowing what you have and how to sell it.

 

[xsn10s]

Sorry about your uncle's passing. I agree with the above statements of not taking things apart. Since you already reload this won't be as bad as you think. It's just a bit overwhelming right now. I'd start off by sorting out the lose dies first. Then get the Dillon manuals or look for set up guides on youtube. That will help you figure out the parts for each press. It would be nice to have someone nearby that uses Dillon presses, but it's not 100 percent necessary. When I used Dillons they were one of the easiest progressive presses to use/ setup. I didn't use the 550's much, but it's the simplest Dillon press. I used 650's and 1050's the most. As far as a market to sell your presses I'd find the nearest, larger gun range to you. One with competitive shooting sports, which would be the intended market for the 1050.

 

[slick Nick]

So recently I inherited my great Uncle's reloading equipment from his estate. He didn't live near me and no one really knew what to do with his stuff so it's fallen on me to sort through and figure out. He and I chatted on the phone regularly but I never saw his set up but it sounded impressive to me. And based on what I got it must have been something to behold.

So to start with I got
2 Dillon 550
1 Dillon 1050
Dillon electric case trimmer
29 pounds of various gunpowders and 10,000 various primers
And well everything else you can see in the pictures View attachment 632995View attachment 632996View attachment 632999View attachment 632993View attachment 632994
Now I reload and can figure out a lot of the things like dies and what makes a set. A lot of the dies were just loose in a cardboard box.

BUT!! I've never messed with Dillon so I have zero idea as to what goes to what or if I have complete sets. As yall can probably tell, alot of the die holders looks still setup or partially set up. Any and all help would be appreciated with that

I'm probably looking to sell most of the Dillon stuff as I like my setup the way it is and is perfect for me and what I do. But idk how to go about making sure I don't screw someone by forgetting something major or how is best to package some of this.

I've asked around locally and no one really uses Dillon near me nor is interested in helping me sort through stuff (I'm also in a pretty remote spot in Texas). I can take more picture of anything really easily.

I would call Dillon they are VERY good at helping with their equipment. I have several for pistol and small rifles. You can also go onto their site and look at the various set ups. Seems like a good amount of quick change sets if set up right. Sorry for your loss and Good luck.