Match Grade Reloading

[XDshooter]

Getting all the info I can on reloading.

Are the Dillion 550 or 650 capable of loading match grade rounds in their perspective rates?

What about others from Hornady, etc?

Thanks
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Web

[Trapper]

No. It will load quality ammo and you can use match grade bullets but to increase consistancy you will want to sort cases and weigh the powder charge for each round which will slow the process.

[XDshooter]

So, most higher speed presses would not be able to produce the quality of say Federal Gold Match?

You could still sort the brass, but are the powder dispensers not accurate enough?

[dlouie87]

to get more precise measurements... I've observed that most people use a single stage....

[EmmaGoldman]

"match" hangun ammo? they'll do it fine, just buy good bullets and ONE kind of brass, then develop your load. Case trimming for even bullet pull helps too.

"match" rifle ammo? Get a single stage press and every measuring device you can find and go crazy. The fussier the better.

[XDshooter]

Thanks for the comments.

I have come to a conclusion that reloading for "plinking" just takes up too much time or if I went with a nice progressive like a 650, it just means that I'll have to load 10K rounds to break even. Still doesn't mean I wouldn't get one someday.

I really want to make precision rounds. I'm seeing single stage setups are far superior for this task.

[Revoman]

I dunno....a friend of mine used to do the 'match grade' ammo loading on a single stage for prairie dog shooting long distance (22-250). Another friend told him that a Dillon 650 could produce ammunition that could come close to matching that. After trying his 650 loads on long distance prairie dogs, the first friend is now a convert and swears that the 650 puts out just as good ammo for that purpose.
I dunno what your 'match' would consist of, but that is a good recommendation in a nutshell.
YMMV of course.

[TimRB]

So, most higher speed presses would not be able to produce the quality of say Federal Gold Match?

You could still sort the brass, but are the powder dispensers not accurate enough?

I have never used a progressive, but I have shot NRA high power for some time now, and I can say that for that purpose, at least, "match quality" ammo is easy to make. It is much less fussy than most people admit. Most shooters will only weigh charges for their 600 yard ammo, and some don't even do that.

You can easily make ammunition that is as good as, or better than GMM for a third the price.

Tim

[joelogic]

Match ammo is much more about consistency. If you started with virgin lapua brass I am sure you could make quality ammo. The dillon powder drop with h322 is almost always on the mark. Maybe 1 time out of 5 it's +/- .1 grain. Most progressive users are loading once fired range pickup. That alone creates all kinds of variables. I also have done the thrust bearing mod and have taken out most vertical play in the shell plate. Match ammo people also need fewer rounds so they can take the time. I on the other hand shoot 500 rounds a month and just crank them out on my dillon. I get at least 1 moa with my guns and loads maybe less with a bench rest and better shooter.

[GeoffLinder]

No. It will load quality ammo and you can use match grade bullets but to increase consistancy you will want to sort cases and weigh the powder charge for each round which will slow the process.

The correct answer here is yes. The caveats being you need to know what it takes to produce "match" grade ammo in the first place.

The quality of your ammo is not dependent on whether you use a single stage process or a progressive process, but fully dependent on how you control your process. Do it poorly on a single stage or a progressive and you will get sub-standard ammo every time. Do it properly and there really is no difference.

I know several High Master High Power shooters who load ammo on Dillon 550's using some very specific tricks in their process and the ammo they crank out is as good as it gets.

Final answer, understand and control your process properly and you can create match grade ammo on any type of reloading equipment.

[XDshooter]

I'm assuming understanding the components of a match grade round, IE, correct bullet, case sorting/prep, powder measure, seating, etc. Lastly, consistency.

The question is the 550 or 650 or "other progressive" capable mechanically of doing this without modifications?

I would be willing to invest in something like this if it could produce 3/4moa rounds. (also assume the correct rifle, ability, etc.)

No matter what, I'm still going with a few singles stages at first. I'm hearing that the most precise rounds will still be loaded on a single stage. And you can never have too much, right!

[FLIGHT762]

I would recommend to you a good reference for making match grade ammo is Glen Zediker's book "Handloading for Competition". It is not a reloading recipe data book, but he explains in plain English what techniques it takes to reload accurate rifle ammo.

http://www.zediker.com/books/handloading/hlmain.html