Dillon 650 5.56/223 Reloading Workflow & Clarification

[tonewheelz]

Please let me say thank you in advance! This place is a wealth of information and I truly am grateful for it!

I’ve been looking at some videos of the Dillon 650 with the purpose of loading 5.56/223, trying to learn as much as I can so that I can get a good idea of a workflow and what I'll need before I begin purchasing equipment. Naturally, I will do my due diligence by reading the necessary manuals texts prior to loading.

There was, however, a question I had regarding the resizing/depriming die and contrary information I found in two videos...

https://youtu.be/Nukbk2_9mDk?t=1098

According to this video at 18:18, the following occurs:

Station 1: deprime/resize on the downstroke, prime on the upstroke

Station 2: load powder

Station 3: bullet seating

Station 4: crimp

https://youtu.be/YEdFj2uZst0?t=376

According to this video at 6:16, however, the stations are as follows:

Station 1: deprime/resize

Station 2: primes & loads powder

Station 3: checks powder

Station 4: seats bullet

Station 5: crimp


Is the gentleman in the second video mistaken that the powder loading die also primes the case as well? I was under the impression that the 550 & 650 used the same dies? Also, why is he resizing without trimming? Doesn't resizing usually lengthen the case?


Now an additional question. Ideally, I'd like to make the process as streamlined and as effortless as possible. With a powder checker (which I think is pretty crucial for a beginner like myself), there is no room for the RT-1500 trimmer. So if I assume if I want to use such a trimmer (which I've read cuts cleaningly enough that most don't bother chamferring or deburring afterward), then I'll need an additional Toolhead and sizing die to set up the toolhead as a resizer/decapper & trimming station.

So my workflow would be the following:

1. Tumble/clean brass

2. lube brass

3. Deprime & Resize & Trim using additional toolhead loaded with resizing die & Dillon RT-1500 trimmer

4. Swage using Dillon Super Swage if using military spec cases

5. change toolhead and begin loading. (resizing die should not affect case because it was already sized, correct?)


Any input on this workflow or how this could be made easier would be much appreciated!

[ar15barrels]

Did you read my stickied thread on processing brass in bulk?
One pass through the press to size/deprime/trim.
Then you tumble the brass to remove the burrs from trimming as well as the lube.
Then a second pass through the press with a different toolhead to decap again (removes the media in the flash hole from tumbling), then prime, charge, check powder charge, seat and crimp.

[tonewheelz]

Did you read my stickied thread on processing brass in bulk?
One pass through the press to size/deprime/trim.
Then you tumble the brass to remove the burrs from trimming as well as the lube.
Then a second pass through the press with a different toolhead to decap again (removes the media in the flash hole from tumbling), then prime, charge, check powder charge, seat and crimp.

Thanks for pointing me there, somehow I missed that; my apologies.

That is definitely a wealth of information, and it's nice to see the workflow you've fleshed out already. I had a few questions about the process.

It looks like you using the 650 with an RCBS lube/decap die in station 1, the Dillon trimmer in station 3, and a powder die in station 5 simply to add stability to the toolhead. Could you offer some clarification if the brass gets resized at all during this process, and if so, at what stage does it get resized?

Secondly, it looks like you reload on the 1050, and mention that the brass neck gets resized in station 2. It was my understanding that sizing should be done prior to trimming and not after because sizing can expand the brass lengthwise.

This will help me better understand the process and workflow. Thanks so much in advance!

[ar15barrels]

It looks like you using the 650 with an RCBS lube/decap die in station 1, the Dillon trimmer in station 3, and a powder die in station 5 simply to add stability to the toolhead. Could you offer some clarification if the brass gets resized at all during this process, and if so, at what stage does it get resized?

Secondly, it looks like you reload on the 1050, and mention that the brass neck gets resized in station 2. It was my understanding that sizing should be done prior to trimming and not after because sizing can expand the brass lengthwise.

The case gets sized and trimmed in the Dillon trimmer but NOT neck expanded.
The neck expanding I do in station 2 of the 1050 could also be done in station 5 of the 650 with a lyman M die.
Then, I would only need a decapping die in station 2 of the 1050 to clear any media from the flash hole.

[tonewheelz]

The case gets sized and trimmed in the Dillon trimmer but NOT neck expanded.
The neck expanding I do in station 2 of the 1050 could also be done in station 5 of the 650 with a lyman M die.
Then, I would only need a decapping die in station 2 of the 1050 to clear any media from the flash hole.

That's amazing, did not realize that about the Dillon trimmer. Any reason for using the lyman M die to resize the neck instead of the regular resizer/decapper in Stage 1 on the 1050?

[ar15barrels]

Any reason for using the lyman M die to resize the neck instead of the regular resizer/decapper in Stage 1 on the 1050?

A regular die sizes the neck again.
There is no need for that.
All you need to do after the Dillon trimmer is expand the neck.
You can do that before the intermediate tumble or after.
It really makes no difference.