Dillon 650 Upgrades Must Haves/Must Do's?

[Psychbiker]

Picked up a used 650 with case feeder. It arrives likely in 5 days.

What upgrades if any should I look into?
Read the spent primer catch can be a mess.

What about one of the swage add ons?
I have an LNL Progressive I plan to sell so I'm familiar with reloading.

[G-Man WC]

Roller Handle.
-g

[thmpr]

Roller Handle.
-g

This is a must!

[baranski]

Powder micrometer

[Nuuze]

+3 on Handle

Lighting a must. (Make sure you scuff the areas for cable management tabs to stay)

https://inlinefabrication.com/products/skylighttm-led-lighting-kit-for-the-dillon-650

Primer upgrades was a must for me since I reload in extra bedroom and I have small dogs.

http://www.dillonupgrades.com/xl650missedprimerupgrade.html

http://www.dillonupgrades.com/xl650spentprimerupgradenomount.html

These two smoothen things out for me.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dillon-XL-650-SL-900-Rotocam-Actuator-/222412345759?hash=item33c8cf119f:g:rA8AAOSw4CFYo7ff

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dillon-XL-650-SL-900-performance-improvements-Roller-Cam-Follower-/321117491057?hash=item4ac4180f71:g:RRQAAOSwX~dWktqG

Powder check!

Micrometer, scale, case gauges, dies/conversion kits and case cleaning equip.

[noylj]

Must Do:
Use the press for about 6 months before you ever do add anything. It's your press and you have to decide what you want, if anything.
Other than replacing the handle, a lot of the "improvements" also cause a lot of folks problems--make sure you really have a "need" for any improvements.

[five.five-six]

Meh, the only must is that you must make ammo with it.

I've used roller handles and the factory ball works fine

Every time I set up a new caliber, I wish I had the powder knobs but once I set it, and check it, I forget it.

Obviously you need good lighting.


The only "must" I would say is a supply of spare decamping pins.

[cyclopes85]

Their warranty is awesome. That said, I picked up an extra parts kit. Why? I hate downtime! When a part breaks in the middle of a session it's a total bummer. With the extra parts kit I can quickly replace the broken part, finish my batch, and then call tech support for the part that gets tossed back in my spare parts bag. Deprimming pins are a must if you wet tumble with steel media.

Nuuze has some great suggestions I didn't know existed.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Mayor McRifle]

I agree with the roller handle and the spare parts kit. If a strong mount is not included with your press, you might want to order one before you set yours up.

https://www.dillonprecision.com/dillon-rl550-xl650-strong-mount_8_3_23596.html

And if you're new to the Dillon presses, the instructional DVDs are very helpful.

https://www.dillonprecision.com/dillon-s-instructional-dvds-for-reloading-machines_8_1_25562.html

[tylenol9999]

Must Do:
Use the press for about 6 months before you ever do add anything. It's your press and you have to decide what you want, if anything.
Other than replacing the handle, a lot of the "improvements" also cause a lot of folks problems--make sure you really have a "need" for any improvements.

I agree completely. For lighting I figured that a small led flashlight sits right on the toolhead and shines through the middle hole. Works great. I did have the skylight from inline, but prefer the flashlight as the light is better/nicer. Roller handle is a nice to have but again not crucial. You won't have any issues with the ball handle. I would say get more components instead.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Malthusian]

+1 on the spare parts kit. Dillon will replace broken springs and parts. Use the parts in your kit to hold you over until your replacement part arrives and place spare back into the kit

The spent primer system sucks on the 650. The spent primer upgrade is worth the effort

The swagger attachment does not support the inside of the case. Swagging is best done with the Dillon Swagger or on the Dillon 1050

Roller handle as above

[bigdrunk92037]

Roller handle is nice. I really think these are essential though:

https://inlinefabrication.com/collections/dillon/products/toolhead-holder-for-dillon-650

Also did one of these along with the low mass detent ball. It did make a difference on smoothing the "snappy" indexing.

https://ballistictools.com/store/dillon-press-enhancements/dillon-650-bearing-kit

If you do plan on getting a mount and have not ordered one yet I recommend the Inline Fab version over the Dillon. Its beefier and can be set up with the quick change system which is nice.

Lastly, i also moved from an LNL and ended up staying with the LNL powder measure system on my 650. Best of both worlds in my eyes.

Oh, get the spare parts kit. I have used mine more than once. Every time was due to my stupidity, not parts breaking on their own.

Primer pickup tubes: buy more!

[G-Man WC]

Roller handle is nice. I really think these are essential though:

https://inlinefabrication.com/collections/dillon/products/toolhead-holder-for-dillon-650

Also did one of these along with the low mass detent ball. It did make a difference on smoothing the "snappy" indexing.

https://ballistictools.com/store/dillon-press-enhancements/dillon-650-bearing-kit

If you do plan on getting a mount and have not ordered one yet I recommend the Inline Fab version over the Dillon. Its beefier and can be set up with the quick change system which is nice.

Lastly, i also moved from an LNL and ended up staying with the LNL powder measure system on my 650. Best of both worlds in my eyes.

Oh, get the spare parts kit. I have used mine more than once. Every time was due to my stupidity, not parts breaking on their own.

Primer pickup tubes: buy more!

How much an improvement is the bearing kit over a stock rig?
Thanks.
-g

[bigdrunk92037]

The bearing kit and ball were noticeably smoother. not a big deal with rifle rounds but nice for pistol rounds as powder could get slung out of the case when the shell plate snapped into place while indexing. For $20 its worth it.

The only real upgrade i still have on my list is for the spent primer catch. The stock primer catch cup does work absolutely fine for me but I kind of miss having the spent primers fall down a tube into a old laundry detergent bottle like I used to have happen on my Lee Classic Turret and LNL.

How much an improvement is the bearing kit over a stock rig?
Thanks.
-g

[rcslotcar]

On my 650 the bearing kit helped stop the "snap" on the press while rotation indexing. This eliminated the the powder from being snapped out of the case and made the press very smooth. Prior the press would have gun powder thrown every where. I agree to get familiar with the press before you change things. There "IS" a learning curve to the Dillon 650. Ebay is a great source for upgrades. You will enjoy the press when it is set up the way you feel it best suits you. Remember all safety precautions as this press can crank out finished rounds at an amazing rate. "Enjoy The Blue"!!!