Help putting together a Dillon parts list

[Dan-O]

I'm new to reloading and I'm wanting to put together a legit reload setup. I've pretty much settled on the Dillon XL650 but beyond that I'm not entirely sure what I need (other than an instructional DVD). I was hoping some of you guys could help me put together a necessary parts list. I'm wanting to reload 7.62x51(.308), 5.56x45(.223), .270WIN, .45, .40, 9mm. I appreciate any help or input

[morrow]

It depends on if you want dedicated setups or not. I personally just have 3 toolheads:
1. utility - this toolhead I use for random stuff, mainly I just put the sizing die and run the brass through before I trim (necked brass only or 30 carbine, basically i only do this on brass that stretches)
2. small powder bar - this toolhead is setup with a small powder bar powder measure. I throw dies in that use that (pistol dies) and reload. Switching out the dies is easy enough, especially if they have lock rings.
3. large powder bar - like above this toolhead is setup with a large powder bar powder measure. I put in the rifle dies when i'm ready to reload sized/trimmed rifle brass.

If you want a dedicated tool head setup for each caliber it will speed up the process a bit, but be much more expensive. For me personally I just use lock rings on the dies and I have those cheap press-fit adjustment knobs on the powder measures. It doesn't take too much longer for me to change calibers.

What you are for sure going to need is 4 case feeder plates: small pistol, large pistol, small rifle, large rifle.

I would also highly recommend getting a 2nd priming setup, that way it's much quicker to switch between small and large primer assemblies. Also highly recommend the roller handle. Figure out if you want the strong mount + bullet tray too (I like it a lot). I also find the tool set which bolts onto the press handy.

Don't forget to read about the bearing mod, that's a definite must and is very cheap!!! http://www.brianenos.com/forums/inde...howtopic=86570

Oh also, as far as dies, that's your call. I just bought RCBS dies because they're cheap yet good quality. They work fine for me. For precision rifle rounds I like the Redding Competition Dies though. Dillon makes great dies but I opted for the less expensive RCBS ones. IMO regardless of the brand you should always go carbide for pistol dies.

Almost forgot, for the caliber conversions you can save money going on here:

http://gunwiki.net/apps/calconversion/

Some of those calibers will share parts. For instance you don't need both a 308 and 45acp conversion kit. They use almost entirely the same parts. You will have to play around with it a bit, or just look at the parts list on Dillon's site, but you can get away with buying less caliber conversion kits and just labeling the plastic parts themselves. The main part you want to look at is the shellplate. Those are the $$$ piece of the kit. As long as you have the specified shell plate for each caliber you can then start comparing the rest of the pieces. If you need more pieces you can put the cost of the individual pieces vs the cost of that caliber's kit.

[Dan-O]

Awesome info, Thanks!

[koehn,jim]

You also need a good scale to check and verify your charges. Boxes to put the finished bullets in and lubricant for the press and cases. You will also need a way to clean the brass and after awhile a way to trim it after 2-3 uses. I would suggest RCBS x-dies for the rifle and as mentioned carbide dies for the pistol. loading is a great hobby all its own.

[morrow]

Wait, do you mean a parts list for ALL reloading tools needed? Or just Dillon stuff?

[nokarma]

The more I shoot the more I want one press for each caliber I reload.
When I want ammo I just want to sit down and crank out a few 100 rounds not play with the press and the quick change kits.

[Dan-O]

I was just talking about the Dillon stuff but I'll welcome any input/suggestions as far as everything else goes

[morrow]

Calipers - Just get cheap ones (harbor freight, frankford arsenal, something with a good rating yet inexpensive off a site) and decide on dial or digital. Digital = batteries.

Tumbler - I recommend vibratory tumblers as it's just easier to deal with. Dillon and Thumlers are the best ones but they're expensive. There's several cheaper ones, the one I like is the Berry's one: http://www.eabco.com/Berry's_Brass_Tumblers.html

Media/Polish - You can get a big bag of ground corn cob media from Drillspot, Grainger, or your local feed store (if you have one). If your tumbler comes with polish just use that, if not get Nu-Finish car polish.

Digital Scale - IMO this is one of the best digital scales for reloading and it's very inexpensive: http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh...s=powder+scale

Beam Scale - it's also good to have two scales so you can check them against eachother. It's also good to have a good quality beam scale. Having one of each (digital and beam) is the best of both worlds. Dillon and RCBS have great quality yet affordable beam scales made by Ohaus.

Case Gages - Mostly necessary for rifle rounds, especially if you're just making plinking ammo. Dillon makes the best case gages as they're stainless steel. Also good for pistol rounds if you don't want to use your barrel to check fitment.

Powder Trickler - These make life easy when reloading match grade ammo. There's several good brands especially the Redding and RCBS ones.

There's always more stuff, check the stickys at the top of this forum.

[GeoffLinder]

Go to the following link and read what is there. Brian Enos has put a lot of effort into guiding folks on purchasing Dillon systems.

http://www.brianenos.com/pages/dillon.html

BTW, Brian does NOT recommend the 650 as a starting progressive for those new to reloading and I agree with him 100%. I would highly suggest giving him a call and discussing this before you make your final decision. You will look far and wide and not find anyone with better advice to give on buying your first Dillon system.

[Dan-O]

Thank you for the info. I decided to go with the 550 instead to save a little money. I appreciate everyone's input though, I got everything ordered so now all I have to do is wait!