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O/T New Dillon XL650 Reloading Press!

6K views 19 replies 7 participants last post by  TeamRush 
#1 ·
Got a sexy new Dillon XL650 reloading press for xmas, and it's the greatest thing I've ever owned in the way of firearms!

You can crank out 500 rounds an hour with NO PROBLEM,
And we cranked out over 800 .223 Rem rounds in an hour without working very hard at all!

If anyone is on the fence between a 550 and XL650, make the jump to the 650!
Worth EVERY penny!

Caliber change isn't nearly as complicated as I though it was going to be, and it's pretty fast too (about 5 minutes).

HATES STICK POWDER!
If you have a bunch of stick powder laying around,
You might want to use that up before you break into a Dillon,
The Dillon powder droppers use charge bars, and it HATES stick powder,
Charge bar won't return on the upstroke, and you have to nudge the charge bar every single time.
(sometimes the 'Nudge' will need to be a little violent!)

Other than not being able to use the piles of stick powder I have around here,
This thing is GREAT!

I have two calibers right now (.45 ACP & .223 Rem) and it does GREAT with both!
Just super fast compared to my old manual index press!
Charges are consistent, seating and sizing are both very good...
I did spring for the EXPENSIVE Dillon carbide dies for both calibers, so I'm sure that helps cut back on the lubing I have to do for the .223 brass.

I did reuse my Lee factory crimp die,
Works better than the Dillon compression crimp die since I don't resize every single case...
I just check them with a case gauge, and if they aren't over the max, I just reuse them the way they are,
And those compression crimpers don't like that much.

Doesn't care if you use a cannalure bullet or not,
Doesn't care if the cases are all trimmed or not,
Can't beat that Lee factory crimp die!
 
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#3 ·
"If anyone is on the fence between a 550 and XL650, make the jump to the 650!
Worth EVERY penny!" --??

Why, I have had my RL550b for close to 20 years with no problems. The extra "stage" may be nice if you are trimming cases, but what do you use the 5th stage for? I still have the original invoice- $268.00 in 1991.

"Charge bar won't return on the upstroke, and you have to nudge the charge bar every single time."

Isn't there suppose to be a spring loaded powder measure return rod to prevent this?

Last year was the first time I loaded .223's on the Dillon, or any rifle rounds for that matter, and I have been very impressed on the accuracy of the powder charges. I used up some old BLC2 (lot number 2) kind of dirty, really like accurate 2460 and the old faithful H-335, TAC is also nice. They say it is important to use "small base" full length resizing dies in an AR for some reason, which is why I bought the Dillon carbide dies also.
 
#4 ·
Why, I have had my RL550b for close to 20 years with no problems. The extra "stage" may be nice if you are trimming cases, but what do you use the 5th stage for? I still have the original invoice- $268.00 in 1991.
Because I have an RCBS bullet feeder so I don't have to handle anything, and I use a Lee factory crimp die, which works great in this press.

This thing is SO MUCH FASTER than the old 550b 'Square Deal' I used to have it's not funny!
I load somewhere between 300 & 1,000 or more cases a MONTH... Depending on weather and how much or how many people are shooting around the house...
And since my GirlFriend likes me to reload her ammo and thinks this is something I should have,
I'VE GOT ONE!
(good women are REALLY hard to find! She buys me Jeep parts, never complains when I buy guns, Jeep parts,
And she makes GREAT sausage gravy!
How can you go wrong with that! :) )

This XL650 is more accurate also, and I like that part...
Could have been my old 550b & Square Deal was getting some age/wear on them, so I don't have them anymore.

I should have kept the 550, but a yuppie decided to give me WAY more than it was worth, so I sold it.
Now I have a XL650 that is soon to be automated!

"Charge bar won't return on the upstroke, and you have to nudge the charge bar every single time."

Isn't there suppose to be a spring loaded powder measure return rod to prevent this?
You took that out of context, which is usual.

With STICK POWDER the charge bar won't return to battery.
Pieces of the sticks roll up between charge bar and housing and prevent it from returning correctly..
Does fine with flake powder, but not even Dillon says you should use a flake powder with their powder droppers/charge bars.
Now I know why...

I *WISH* I could use one of the half dozen powder droppers I have around here, but they don't work with this my old 550 or this 650 worth a darn.
Costs you about $100 for the powder dropper, dies ect. (Caliber Change kit) but it's worth the three minute caliber change to have things 'Correct' when you slap it in there and start yanking the handle again!

Last year was the first time I loaded .223's on the Dillon, or any rifle rounds for that matter, and I have been very impressed on the accuracy of the powder charges. I used up some old BLC2 (lot number 2) kind of dirty, really like accurate 2460 and the old faithful H-335, TAC is also nice. They say it is important to use "small base" full length resizing dies in an AR for some reason, which is why I bought the Dillon carbide dies also.
Don't care for TAC, but a lot of people like it.
I like something a little slower burning for my longer barrel varmint/target rifles.
BL-C(2) works OK, but again, it's a little hotter than I like for long barrels.

H335 works about as well as most of the powder I use, but it's a little 'Smuttier' to clean than some of the others,
Since I shoot mostly ARs, that's a big deal when it blows carbon back into everything.
Still use it for the bolt guns, and it's fine in them.

And since I shoot A LOT, carbon wear on the barrels is an issue for me since I don't normally shoot 'Standard' barrels...
Mine cost too much for me to add extra wear when I can just change to a cleaner burning powder.

Same reason I keep the muzzle velocities reasonable...
Barrel lasts MUCH longer!
When I control muzzle velocity, I don't need new ballistics tables for every round I chamber!
Good to be able to whip out the drop tables and it shoot right on the money every time!

Added to that is, prairie dogs and coyotes do NOT get a new lease on life because my ballistics tables were off!
They get just as dead from a bullet that was traveling 3,000 FPS at the muzzle as a bullet that was traveling 3,300 FPS or 4,000 FPS at the muzzle!
 
#5 ·
I'll be looking into reloading soon, and I'll only buy Dillon.. Of course they are 30 minutes from my house and my Dad works there, so i may be a bit bias. But so far I have seen that Dillon's quality is very good.
 
#7 · (Edited)
My favorite has always been,

Women are like Parking Spaces at Wal-Mart,
There are plenty,
But the good ones are taken, handicapped,
And the rest are WAY out in left field!

Nothing like a woman that will total the budget every quarter or so and says,
"We have $X00 dollars left in the monthly budgets, what do you want to buy in the way of Jeep parts, tools, camping gear or guns?"

You just GOTTA love a woman that makes sure everything is paid, the retirement accounts are funded, then gives the rest back to me for 'Toys'!
And did I mention she works full time, makes good money, and never complains about my Jeep/Guns habit?!
 
#8 ·
Dillon presses ROCK! I have had my RL550B for a month longer than the 650 has been out (was kinda pissed about that). I bought my 550 and the next issue of "The Blue Press" had the brand new RL650 in it! I absolutely love my 550 though, the only thing that I see the 650 as an advantage for my needs is the case feeder. It would help to load a little faster, but the 550 is so versatile that I can't 'Not' like it.

As far as stick powders go, the big ones like IMR 4064 won't flow well. Smaller stick powders like Accurate 2495, and any of the 'short cut' powders seem to work pretty well in mine. I load all of my rifle and pistol match ammo on it with exception of .300 mag for my F-Class gun.
 
#9 ·
H322 & Benchmark work fine, they are 'Short Stick' and they seem to do very well in the XL650, with nearly no 'Issues',

The old standbys, Winchester, H335, ect. have ZERO problems and the charge bar works VERY accurately.

RCBS bullet feeder works good with it, and with the case feeder from Dillon, it's truly a pull and push operation!

Working on an air piston that powers both UP, and Down on the ram so all you have to do is push the foot pedal and go to town!

I've tried electric automation before, and I can't control the ram like I can with air cylinder,
Soft approach, good pressure on the ram, then powered 'Down' stroke like I can with an air cylinder.

Adjustable for short pistol or long rifle cases and everything in between...
I don't care who you are, there ARE going to be misaligned cases from time to time, and all the electric units I've seen crush the case,
I wanted something I could control the pressure on the 'Up' stroke to keep that from happening, and this air cylinder is looking promising...

All it took was a way to add extra air pressure when the case neck entered the resizing die, and that was pretty simple,
I expect about 1,000 rounds an hour once I work the 'Kinks' out!
That is sure going to take the 'Pain' out of reloading!

Had to get a new case cleaner! Wore the old one out cleaning the scads of cases I had stored!
 
#10 ·
"That is sure going to take the 'Pain' out of reloading!"

I enjoy reloading all most as much as shooting. There is something about polishing the brass to look like gold, "feeling" the brass resize down nice and smooth, and hand selecting your target loads with a good seating primer which was rotated. Even making brass for my new .22 Dasher out of old 30-06, .243, and 22-250's. There is a feel of soft brass like Norma and even LC Match that gives a since of pleasure. Even using different lubes for resizing (old Imperial sizing wax is my favorite). Using different powders, charges, and bullits to tune in your rifle for the tighest group. Logging everything in the book with the data transfered to the target and indexed with temp and wind velocities for future references is fun.

The "pain" for me would be shooting Smokinguns' 300 Win Mag. more that about 5 rounds. In fact I'm thinking about selling my Sendero because I just don't enjoy shooting anything that hurts my wimpy little arms anymore.
 
#11 ·
The "pain" for me would be shooting Smokinguns' 300 Win Mag. more that about 5 rounds. In fact I'm thinking about selling my Sendero because I just don't enjoy shooting anything that hurts my wimpy little arms anymore.
Heh, you wouldn't mind shooting my .300 Mag. It's built on about an 18# gun that lays on front & rear rests. It makes ALOT of noise, but just doesn't move around. It is hardly a "rifle" anymore, but does the job for the class it was built for!
 
#12 ·
"It makes ALOT of noise" - Does it have a muzzle brake?
I just weighed my Sendero 12#, 300WM hurts. Another 6# may tame it, but how do you afford gunpowder for it? Funny though, I also have a 300WM in a post '64 Winchester with a shorter barrel I use for elk, and the recoil is much less. Could be the pad or heavy coat I wear though. Are you shooting the long range 800-1,000yds?
My .257 Ackley with 2" 15X Unirtl, Douglas 1-10 twist comes in at 16#. Heaviest gun I own, and I still wimp out after 20 rounds. I love my 22-250's, have 3 of them. Usually shoot 150 rounds every other day out to 400 yds. By far my favorite and most accurate out to 600 meters is my .22 Dasher. Rem XR-100, 24" Hart 1-9 twist, Leupold fixed 24X, loves 75g A-max and Vihtavuori N150. My range only goes to 600m and I never shot longer than that, but maybe some day.
 
#13 ·
Red Wing 'Mink Oil' for boots is what I used for 'Case Lube' for years, Worked REALLY well for me, and it's CHEAP!
Keeps the brass looking like new for a LONG time, and makes them easier to clean when I reload.
....

Tried some 'One Shot' from Hornady last night for about 500 rounds...
Not impressed. Around $10 an 5.5 oz can and works, but not real 'Slick' like the mink oil is.

The one thing that the 'One Shot' does is it doesn't have an odor after it dries, but the propellant sure does stink up the place!

I really don't mind the smell of the mink oil, but some people comment on the smell once in a while...
Doesn't really stink, but it is unusual for ammo to smell kind of like food!
-----------------------------------

A 'Anti-Static' dryer sheet or two in the separator basket sure takes virtually all the 'Dust' from the polishing media off the cases, and it's CHEAP!
I use the 'used' ones out of the regular laundry, and they still work great to remove the dust.

------------------------------------

Not real impressed with the single feed tube fitment of the Dillon press...
Wobbles around quite a bit when feeding the cases, and it's WAY too short for .223 brass or something larger,
You spend all your time stuffing brass in it since it only holds about 8 or 9 rounds at a time...
And I've had to make a lot of 'Tweaks' to the machine to get things clearanced and working correctly.

The little spring loaded 'Finger' that keeps the brass in the correct position for priming, and lets the brass be taken in and out of the machine for this or that was not doing it's job, and allowing the brass to loose centering over the primer punch,
So I screwed up several primers/brass before I got that corrected,
And the case feed wasn't pushing the brass into the shell plate correctly, so I had to monkey with that to get it working correctly...

And the guy that says you can caliber change in about 1 minute is a flat out LIAR!

Even if you have your dies and power dropper set up already, it takes about 20 minutes to change over since I shoot large pistol and small rifle, I have to change the primer wheel, primer feed tube, primer punch, shell plates, ect.
The primer punch (from large to small) took 20 minutes alone! It's REAL awkward to get in/out when you have to change primer sizes...

If you are setting up from scratch with a new caliber, expect the first change to take about an hour or more since you have to set all the dies, powder dropper adjustments, ect.
...

I am VERY impressed with the adjustability and repeatability of the charge bar powder dropper that came with both die sets!
You CAN adjust to about 1/10 grain,
And you CAN keep consistency to about 1/10 Grain throughout your run!

What I DO NOT like is having to remove the power dropper from the dies, which entails removing the linkage to the dropper/fail save system, and removing two Allen screws to empty the power tank!
There SHOULD be a quick coupler to take that power tank off the dropper so you can change powders quickly!
It's an off the shelf item, so no engineering involved, just cast the dropper/funnel to accept the quick couple and they would be done with it.

You DO want to get TWO powder droppers,
And if you can afford it, powder dropper for each caliber you get...
One set up for SMALL pistol charges, One set up for rifle calibers.
If you shoot large magnums, you should have three...
(my third is on order)

-------------------------------------

Since I'm old, fat, with bad back and I bruise easily now,
I've started using 'Trail Boss' for 'Practice' rounds for my Weatherby and Winchester .300 rifles.

It's virtually NO recoil and lets me stay familiar with the rifle between hunting seasons without having to visit the emergency room every time I go to the range!

Trail Boss lets me bang away at the 100 and 200 yard range I have in the back yard with no issues for practice, but I sure wouldn't use it for hunting!

I've been using it in the 'Cowboy' guns, .45-70 and .45LC and my .44 revolvers/rifles in particular and they work great for pistol range targets without beating my shoulder into mush with those old steel butt plates!
Makes shooting cowboy calibers as fun as .22LR was when you were a kid again!

One thing about Trail Boss is,
It's designed to be IDIOT PROOF if you don't compress.
You simply CAN NOT get enough in the cases to cause pressure problems!

Don't use it in anything smaller than a standard .38,
(Smaller than .38, and you probably won't get the bullet out of the barrel),
And it works GREAT for reduced 'Practice' loads, target loads, ect.
I started using it in the 7mm Mag first, but I use it in all the big bores up to my .458 Win Mag, and it makes a HUGE difference in recoil for paper punching loads to keep my eye and hands working together and keeping the recoil reasonable...
 
#14 ·
My father always used lanoline, which I think is the same thing as mink oil. I do have 2 powder measures, one with the small charge bar and the other for large. I think if you wanted to shoot magnum charges, I would look into the 450's powder die and Dillons adapter for conventional powder measures which would work on the 650. It allows the use of measures like RCBS or Redding with the 7/8 threads, but you have to remember to throw it manually every time. I never tried TrailBoss, but lately I have been loading real fffg black powder and Pyrodex loads in the 45LC, which won't work at all with that little finger spring, just loosen it and move it out of the way for those large rimmed rounds.

The Cowboy stuff is new to me, but I am having fun with a early "Viquero" I picked up from a pawn shop (hurts the front side of my middle finger with hot loads). I like the fact that I can load 230g .452 round nose bullits I cast for the 45ACP with my H-G 6 cavity mould using old wheel weights and outlawed lead solider. I still have about 10,000 of those bullits I cast about 10 years ago. You don't want to shoot round nose in a tublar mag lever gun, but in the wheel gun it is ok. I am on the lookout for a 45LC rifle, would like to find one of those new Colt Lightnin' clones or a 1873 case hardened lever. On windy days I have been shooting clay birds from the deck with a 12guage "stage gun" loaded with Pyrodex. Everytime you break a bird you laugh your butt off from the smoke and different push of the recoil.
 
#15 · (Edited)
I LOVE blackpowder guns, and when we do cowboy shoots, I take along my muzzle loading revolvers shooting real black powder and everyone seems to get a large charge out of it!

Other competitors on the line don't like me much,
So I often wind up an 'Exibition' shooter if there are national points on the line,
But I do it just to show what it was REALLY like before the days of smokeless powder,
And there were a WHOLE LOT of muzzle loaders on the ranges in the early days compared to cartridge guns and the silky smooth revolvers they use today in the shoots...

For your middle finger, get yourself a grip that keeps your middle finger out from behind the trigger guard,
Or get yourself a piece of that adheasive 'Mole Skin' and stick on the back of the trigger guard.

You and me must have about the same size hands... I have the same issue!
Since they wouldn't let me use 'Hogue' grips in the shoots, I finally carved me a set of grips that had wood in front of grip strap/behind trigger guard to keep my finger out of 'Banging' range!

They get bent when I use hot loads at the shoots since they make so much more overpressure than reduced or black powder loads.

And I know what you mean about SMOKE!
I rip off 6 rounds from my Remington and it makes enough smoke to hide me AND the Jeep!
My girlfriend actually get excited from the smell of blackpower!
Hows that for the perfect woman!
She love shooting the big old brass frame muzzle loaders, and I encourage it since she cleans her own guns!
The only issue we have is she's a COLT fan, and I like Remingtons...
I can live what that! :)
 
#16 ·
I like Black Powder guns too, them new in-line jobs ain't Muzzle loaders, they're cheating. The .300 win is a pussycat to shoot, my buddy has one and couldn't believe I was banging it so many times without a puss pad for the shoulder. Try shootin a .50 Cal Barrett all day, now thats fun, and no soreness either. TR have you ever slugged the barrels on your handguns? I have and keep a slug for every gun. If the bulletts are sized correctly they will reduce recoil significantly and greatly improve accuracy. I have been behind the bench doing my thing since 1968, in that time I've gleaned alot of info from different people, was shooting 300 grain bulletts from my .44 10 years before some of them other "wildcat load/bullett maker" guys developed their stuff and put it in publication, Been shooting wheelweights/tin/antimony combo since the early eighties, only use lead for BP loads. I like the dillion, but I already had the Pacific pistol/rifle progressive and shotgun progressive presses. Think a .300 win mag holds alot of powder, try loading a .50, its 231 grains of W860 and it handles like a dream. I have a tool maker friend who makes parts or "new" ideas I have to make improvements to my stuff, he's even made a few molds for me too. I also have 2 single stage RCBS presses, a small one and the extra large one for the .50. I have to use my 20 ton shop press to size and swage bulletts for my .50. TR thats a pretty slick setup with your woman, but I think I got ya, my money is no good around my woman and my money is my money, to do with it whatever I want, we go out she pays, drives and I don't have to worry about a thing, she won't go anywhere without reservations, and takes care of that too. Makes me feel like a bum but if she is happy thats fine. Anyway back to reloading, I reload for everything except rimfire, some mothers polish mixed in with the media of your tumbler will reduce the dust and polish the cases very well also. If you would like to know more let me know.

BOOGER

IKSS Now
 
#17 ·
I had a 'Ferret .50' top end for my AR lowers and it was just too light and was ABUSIVE.
I have an AR 50 now, and it's MUCH more accurate than the Barrett rifles we shot in the military.
At 33 pounds, I don't want to pack it around much!
I weighted mine to reduce recoil and that helped a lot, but bolt guns are always going to kick harder than autoloaders will...
I don't get much call for 2,000 yard shots in southern Indiana, so mine usually just takes up space until I get the urge to do some range shooting up on the military reservation.
It's a waste of money really, but it sure is fun to shoot (once in a while!)...

Most of my favorite barrels have been gaged, hand lapped and are consistent,
I usually chase them out to fit my favorite bullets so I don't have issues shooting off the shelf bullets.

But anymore, I just order a Kregier barrel and forget it.
At my age, the barrels are already more accurate than my hands/eyes are, so I just screw them in, check head space and break them in lovingly,
And go to waisting ammo!

I used to turn down my own bullets and do all that silliness, but I have better things to do with my time, and with the availability of turned bullets and super accurate factory made bullets, I don't mess with that anymore.

I do wish I could get my hands on one of Ronnie Barrett's new .416 rifles and see if it's actually as accurate and easy to shoot as they say!
The old M99 & M82 rifles we used in the military were .50 cal, but they had 'Issues'...
Mostly because we were shooting plain old mass produced machine gun ammo, and the bullets alone would be 15-20 grains off in weight so you really couldn't do any super accurate shooting...
Now the guys have 'Match' ammo for them, and they are VERY consistent.

When I stumbled into this AR-50 I was wanting a Gail McMillan 'Big Mac', but they were about $3,000 than I had at the time, and virtually NO BODY that has one will let go of it, so the used market is pretty skinny.
Still, I have to say this AR-50 is one of the more accurate rifles I've ever owned, even being a REAL NUT BUSTER to shoot, it's just hyper accurate, especially with Barret match ammo.
Nothing like delivering the energy of a speeding Buick to a target 1,000 yards down range!
 
#18 · (Edited)
Dorf's, I started shooting F-Class, (800, 900, 1000 yards) this past summer. I've been shooting my DPMS LR in 6.5 Creedmoor. The couple times I shot it, I did pretty well, finished middle of the pack. My .300 Mag hasn't been shot at long range yet, but thats what it is built for. Need to get a load sorted out first. No muzzle brake, I hate them, I'd rather add weight to a rifle than put a brake on it.
 
#20 · (Edited)
DITTO!
I weight them regularly!
There are some places that won't let you use a muzzle brake unless it points straight up so you don't blast the other competitors off their positions!

Some places won't send you out with a guide because the muzzle blast is so intense on some of the magnum rifles!
I can't blame them, I can't hear out of my right ear because I believed I was 10 feet tall and bullet proof when I was a kid, and John Wayne never wore ear plugs!

I haven't tried the 6.5 Creedmore round yet, but I'd sure like to see one in action!
-----------------------------------

I never shot anything further than 600m. I had to put those Burris Pos-Align Offset Inserts to correct the almost 4 feet of drop using the 168 HPBT match Sierra's at that distance. Scopes bust up easier when you come close to the end of adjustment with the big mags. I also don't like brakes, they work, but really make it noisy and for some reason I think the old 11 deg target crown is the most accurate. I use the 168 HPBT's because I picked up 30 new boxes of both Sierra and Hornady at a lawn sale for $20. total!
I shoot between 175 and 180 grain bullets because I can't keep the bullet accurate at 1,000 yards anymore with the current powder charges listed.
I know I'm going transonic because I'm getting keyholes.
Heaver bullet will stay super sonic longer, and the 178 grain molly coated seem to do the best for me.

Molly gives me between 150 & 250 more fps at the muzzle with the same powder charge (depends on what bore I'm pumping them down), so it's just easier for me to go that route.
I just REALLY like those 178 Grain Hornady molly coated bullets!
When the muzzle velocity drops with the same loads, I know my bore is getting worn pretty good that way!

I'm using a steel, full receiver length mount with several MOA built in, and I started using a 30mm optic so I had more adjustment.
I started with Ken Ferrel mounts and rings, and they did a REALLY good job out to about 600 yards, but I didn't have enough adjustment for reaching out to 1,000+ yards,
So I switched over to a Badger Ordnance receiver mount with a bunch of MOA built in...
The 'Spin Drift' (I hate that term) adjustment required I fork over more $$ for new 30mm optics to keep up...

Bedding the mount on the receiver helped me, I don't know if it will do anything for anyone else, but it did prove to me the optics mount was moving around on the receiver even with 4 ea. #8 screws trying to hold it down...

What they guys around here can't seem to grasp is when I start talking about 350+ inches of drop to the target!
For some reason, they all seem to think a bullet shouldn't drop more than 6 or 8 inches no matter how far you are shooting!
I get that 'Mouth Open' look a lot when we are talking about this stuff at the gun shop, and I ALWAYS get challenged on my numbers when there is a group of guys standing around...
Some people just can't believe how much a bullet will drop or pull off (Windage) when we are discussing this stuff!
 
#19 ·
I never shot anything further than 600m. I had to put those Burris Pos-Align Offset Inserts to correct the almost 4 feet of drop using the 168 HPBT match Sierra's at that distance. Scopes bust up easier when you come close to the end of adjustment with the big mags. I also don't like brakes, they work, but really make it noisy and for some reason I think the old 11 deg target crown is the most accurate. I use the 168 HPBT's because I picked up 30 new boxes of both Sierra and Hornady at a lawn sale for $20. total!
 
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