Posted: 11/16/2016 5:10:40 PM EDT
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So I have been doing research for reloading for the past year now. I am still uneasy of what to get and how I should approach my reloading set up. I need some expert opinions of what I should do. I know you all have responded countless times but I'd really be thankful for some ideas. I am not sure if i should go for the single stage where most have said it is perfect for precision loads, but takes time. Or should i go for the progressive multi stage press that bring high output of rounds. Is there a press that has the ability for a good output and precision loading?
Goal: Reload .308 bench precision shooting, 5.56 plinking, .30-06 plinking, and eventually .45ACP plinking. What I found and somewhat have in mind as per gear for all. Dies, i have no friggen idea for any of them....I am beyond confused when it comes to that. Press: Dillon XL650 without the electric brass dispenser All other gear as far as measurement, cleaning, and prep would be RCBS. I was thinking of wet tumbling my brass because i hear that dry tumble releases toxic dust in enclosed spaces. Any thoughts on that? Bullets would be SMKHBT 168gr for .308, Remmington 55gr for the 5.56, and I am not sure about .45ACP Brass i have plenty of Though a big question that I have is annealing. Is it worth it? I hear people having brass they shout of out of a bolt for the 90th or so time. I have seen some personalized rigs for annealing and i would preferably not have any propaine where I would be doing the reloading. I saw the salt bath Annealing, which is actually something I would consider. Anyway, am i on the right track so far? |
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Learning on a single stage is time and money well spent IMO.
The 650 is auto-indexing, so I don't think that press can be used single staged (650 guys chime in, please). Die choices are mind-boggling, as is the money you can spend on them. I get by with 'hunting' grade RCBS & Hornaday dies, but I could use an upgrade. Dry tumbling isn't toxic, just dusty. I put the tumbler outside when in use, problem solved. Your bullet choices are good. I like plated for 45s, quite a bit cheaper than jacketed. Annealing is a great process, but not mandatory (especially just getting started in handloading). I now anneal my rifle brass every two or three cycles, but I didn't for years. Im sure others will be along to offer more 
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every Dillon XL650 should have the casefeeder
yes, it is auto indexing, which means when you operate the handle, it automatically rotates like a beer bottling plant. 
I've used mine for all the calibers you've mentioned and more. It's a wonderful machine, many folks will say you're better off starting out on something simpler, like a single stage, turret press, or even a Dillon 550b ....I know others who've started out on 650's with success. I think step one should be to buy a good reloading book, from Speer, SIERRA, Lyman, etc. https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-49th-Edition-Reloading-Handbook/dp/B001MYEU0E 
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Quoted:
So I have been doing research for reloading for the past year now. I am still uneasy of what to get and how I should approach my reloading set up. I need some expert opinions of what I should do. I know you all have responded countless times but I'd really be thankful for some ideas. I am not sure if i should go for the single stage where most have said it is perfect for precision loads, but takes time. Or should i go for the progressive multi stage press that bring high output of rounds. Is there a press that has the ability for a good output and precision loading? Goal: Reload .308 bench precision shooting, 5.56 plinking, .30-06 plinking, and eventually .45ACP plinking. A progressive press makes sense if your reloading batch size is (arguably) ~300 or more.when you are reloading multiple calibers. The reason is setup, adjustments, and the issues those steps cause take time at each changeover. If you are going to do 100 rounds, changeover, 100 rounds, changeover, etc . . . progressives make less sense. Keep in mind the issue is not how many rounds you shoot per range session, but how many rounds you load per bench session. Your "plinking" calibers are certainly candidates for a progressive press. Your 308 "bench precision" is likely not suited to a progressive. Issues like concentricity, shoulder bump, base to ogive length, powder charge weights, etc are not likely to have the consistency to meet bench precision's standards. What I found and somewhat have in mind as per gear for all. Dies, i have no friggen idea for any of them....I am beyond confused when it comes to that. There's nothing wrong with Lee dies for a progressive, though some say the Dillon dies are better suited (length, shape of base) to use on a Dillon progressive. Personally I use Lee die for pistol and a mix of vendors for rifle calibers. You could start with some Lee dies, learn, and as you gain experience upgrade IF and WHEN you personally find the need. Press: Dillon XL650 without the electric brass dispenser The 6450 is designed to be used with the case feeder . . . you get half of it when you buy the base press. Watch some videos showing how cases are fed without the electric attachment (if you can find some) and decide for yourself.. All other gear as far as measurement, cleaning, and prep would be RCBS. Don't forget to get a set of RCBS checkweights too :) The subject of scales has become quite controversial. Basically, any digital scale less than ~$550 is a strain gauge scale which can give you fits if there are transmission sources nearby. Think Wifi, microwaves, telephones, fluorescents, and lots more. Some of those digital scales perform better than others . . . but a good beam scale like the 5-0-5 isn't a bad place to start. I was thinking of wet tumbling my brass because i hear that dry tumble releases toxic dust in enclosed spaces. Any thoughts on that? I dry tumble outdoors and avoid the dust that way. I use a cheap 1-2-4-8 hour timer to shut it off after a fixed run time. A tumbler and a media separator that have closed tops helps a lot. But yes, there will still be dust. Wet tumbling (eg using stainless steel pins) can produce bright and shiny brass, but takes more of your "enforced attention" to be there near when the cycle is ended, separate and retain the pins, keep them out of the flash holes if you have decapped before tumbling, and drying the brass. Either one works and each has their advocates. I haven't done ultrasonic cleaning, but there doesn't seem to be as much support for that method as for wet-pins and dry tumbling. Bullets would be SMKHBT 168gr for .308, Remmington 55gr for the 5.56, and I am not sure about .45ACP Brass i have plenty of I've used the 168 SMKs and 167gr Scenars and yes, they are good for ranges where terminal velocity remains over (arguably) ~1250fps. The 175gr TMKs may be a better choice.from the Sierra line. And heavier bullets with still higher BCs might be better if your shooting will go truly long range. For 223 plinking, Hornady 55gr HPBTw/c are very inexpensive (~$0.09 ea) and perform OK for that role . . . some find the flat bottom version even more accurate. For 45ACP, lead is cheapest, plated cost a bit more and are cleaner and work fine, I think it's fair to say most of us find jacketed unnecessary. Though a big question that I have is annealing. Is it worth it? I hear people having brass they shout of out of a bolt for the 90th or so time. I have seen some personalized rigs for annealing and i would preferably not have any propaine where I would be doing the reloading. I saw the salt bath Annealing, which is actually something I would consider. Personally, I don't think any new reloader should start out annealing. There's too much to learn about reloading and brass at the start and it's easily added later after a couple of reload cycles on your existing brass. But if you choose to do it, most annealers use small bottles of propane so not having an existing source is not an issue. Bottom line: when you know what annealing can do for you, when you have the rest of your reloading process under control, when you see that it can help you . . . then maybe :) Anyway, am i on the right track so far? |
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Just a comment/observation on ultrasonic cleaners.
WIth my tiny little (read: cheap) u-cleaner, I was not impressed. Maybe with better equipment, more effective cleaning solutions, it'd be a more worthwhile process. After some experimentation, I went back to dry media tumbling. I now use ultrasonic to clean small parts; i.e. bolts, pistol barrels, etc Anything (not aluminum and/or anodized) that will fit into the tub, it does a pretty good job. I can plop parts into it, turn it on, and spend my time doing something other than scrubbing 
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A lot of good information from all of you thank you!!!
Though i am still highly confused of what the hell to do with the die sets. What do i buy to have the correct set up? I know i need a deprimer, resizer, and seater. Is there anything i am missing from that? The tool head is simply the piece on the press that allows the interchanging of any other die sets i may have, but i would need a powder die that would be put on there for that caliber or can i use a previous powder die? I am definitely going to pick up a couple books on the reloading and from the PDF of the 49th edition of the Lymans Reloading Book, for a 55gr round i would need 23gr (+/- 2gr to cater to the rifle) of powder. Check me so i can at least know i am reading it correctly. Or is the round that i would like, the remmington 55gr, completely different from the one they said to load for? I assume the book basically says Xgr round would equal Ygr powder from Z powder brand, right? |
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Quoted:
A lot of good information from all of you thank you!!! Though i am still highly confused of what the hell to do with the die sets. What do i buy to have the correct set up? I know i need a deprimer, resizer, and seater. Is there anything i am missing from that? The tool head is simply the piece on the press that allows the interchanging of any other die sets i may have, but i would need a powder die that would be put on there for that caliber or can i use a previous powder die? I am definitely going to pick up a couple books on the reloading and from the PDF of the 49th edition of the Lymans Reloading Book, for a 55gr round i would need 23gr (+/- 2gr to cater to the rifle) of powder. Check me so i can at least know i am reading it correctly. Or is the round that i would like, the remmington 55gr, completely different from the one they said to load for? I assume the book basically says Xgr round would equal Ygr powder from Z powder brand, right? That will expose you to the actual process, step by step, and the answers to the above will become clear. |
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OP - Read a reloading book or two This has a lot of good info, too You are too far down in the weeds without knowing which way is up |
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There is no do all manual. The best manual for teaching is the Lyman 50th. This serves as a great resource for loading handgun rounds as it is the only good source for hard cast lead bullet data. Which works for plated bullets and coated bullets, too.
When loading a certain brand of rifle bullets get that manual. One can never have enough manuals. The Hodgdon website is a great resource The Dillon 550B is the better press to start with. Because you will have manual control. The 45 ACP conversion with the addition of the 30 cal rifle funnel has you loading 308/30-06. Easier on the pocketbook, and it is easier to troubleshoot for a novice reloader. We could give the best of the best equipment and if you have no clue it by itself will not load consistently reliable and accurate ammo. That is the person doing the loading. People turn out accurate ammo with limited resources as the are well versed in minimizing the variables with the equipment they have. Reloading rifle is more detailed and can not be done progressively from start to finish, unlike loading most straight wall handgun rounds. |
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Quoted:
A lot of good information from all of you thank you!!! Though i am still highly confused of what the hell to do with the die sets. What do i buy to have the correct set up? I know i need a deprimer, resizer, and seater. Is there anything i am missing from that? The tool head is simply the piece on the press that allows the interchanging of any other die sets i may have, but i would need a powder die that would be put on there for that caliber or can i use a previous powder die? I am definitely going to pick up a couple books on the reloading and from the PDF of the 49th edition of the Lymans Reloading Book, for a 55gr round i would need 23gr (+/- 2gr to cater to the rifle) of powder. Check me so i can at least know i am reading it correctly. Or is the round that i would like, the remmington 55gr, completely different from the one they said to load for? I assume the book basically says Xgr round would equal Ygr powder from Z powder brand, right? Regarding die sets, the sizing die is also the de-priming die. In the center of the die there is a rod that holds both a de-priming pin and expander ball to size the neck properly. A cartridge is sized and de-primed in one process. If you prefer to de-primed before tumbling, and universal de-capping die can be purchased. Bullet seating and crimping are both done with a seating dies. The knob on top sets bullet depth, while the die depth controls crimp amount. I recommend starting with a single stage, then move to progressive. You'll always have a use for a single stage for lower production and test or precision runs. If you're concerned about time and speed, involve a friend or family member. As one sizes, the other trims. As one primes, the other charges powder. |