Dillon XL 650

B

Blackwater

Private
Banned !
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 5, 2013
79
1
US
#1
Evening ya'll,

I'm having a .308 rifle built by Accuarte Ordnance and I will be getting into reloading. My question is the XL 650 to much of a press to reloading precision rounds? I plan on reloading .243, 7mm-08 and 9mm out of it also. So I would prefer to stay with one press.
 
#3
I have an XL650, I honestly haven't loaded too much on it in the years I've owned it. But I bought it mainly for bulk reloading of .45 ACP and 5.56. I have heard people claim it's got a little too much slop in it for precision stuff.
I don't know if that's true, but I typically do my 308 bolt action stuff on an RCBS Turret press.
 
#5
I also have a 550 and IMHO would be better for rifle reloading unless you are only going to use ball powder and load an absolute shit ton of ammo. Nice thing about the 550 is its easier to use as a single stage. When I use mine with the Chargemaster I can still load about 100 rounds per hour and when used as a progressive 250 rounds per hour is fairly easy. Whatever you decide take your time and read as much as you can.
 
#6
The first press I got when I started reloading was a 550. I was mainly loading for .45 ACP and 40 S&W. I can't say enough good things about it for loading pistol ammo. Later on I got into loading .223 and .308. While it did an OK job, producing precision ammo for the rifles was difficult. After struggling with it for a good while I did end up getting a Co-Ax for the .308 and 'precision' .223 ammo. I've upgraded to a 650 now. As a matter of fact I've only had it for a little over a week now. It is the bomb for pistol ammo or .223/5.56 for the AR. I wouldn't even attempt loading for my .308 on it. I'm not saying it can't be done. It's just that I don't think it can do it to the accuracy level I require for my bolt rifle.
I'm into the blue Kool-Aid.

As a side note:
Ya should have seen me do my first run of 45's the other night. Holy crap! That thing is sweeeeeet! The worst thing about it was it was all over with so soon. 'Pretty sad when I feel like I need to go shooting so have a reason to come home and reload more. Backwards, but fun.

B
 
#8
I'm reloading 45 ACP, .223, and .308 on my Dillon XL650. When loading the 308, I do use the press like a single stage for adding powder and the loads are very accurate. Here's something to keep in mind. You can use a progressive press like a single stage but, you can not use a single stage like a progressive! Unless you crank out a lot of 9mm, the Dillon 650 may be a little big. The 550 is a great machine with manual indexing. I use to shoot 15-20K rounds per year out of my 45 ACP and 1K/year from my .223 all loaded progressively on the XL650.
 
#10
I crank out a ton of 9mm, 40 SW, 45 ACP, 223, and 308 on my 650. I do all my case trimming and everthing else there is to do to a brass case except cleaning with a 650. All load development and precision loading I do on my old Rockchucker. I can load months worth of ammo in a weekend for all my hunting and plinking needs.

Edit spelling
 
#11
I load nearly all my ammo, including precision rifle ammo, on my 650.

The way I shoot/load, I like to keep about 500pcs of brass "in circulation" at a time. I generally do batches of 250-300 rounds at a time. The 650 is beautiful for this.

I lube up the brass, dump in casefeeder, and pull the lever for 10-15 minutes, which provides me with decapped, resized (neck slightly undersized), and then final neck-sized brass (sinclair expander mandrel).

Then I clean the brass in stainless for a little while.

Then I install my tool head with only a funnel in one of the holes, and a seater in another. I use my chargemaster to throw charges.

The huge advantage to using the 650 this way is CASE HANDLING. The casefeeder does all the work of handling cases and inserting them into the shellholder. You just pull the lever.
 
#13
For precision accuracy, I use a single stage press, so I can control all aspects of the reloading process. For pistol and bulk 223, I use my Dillon and just crank them out as fast as humanly possible.
 
#15
turbo54 said:
I load nearly all my ammo, including precision rifle ammo, on my 650.

The way I shoot/load, I like to keep about 500pcs of brass "in circulation" at a time. I generally do batches of 250-300 rounds at a time. The 650 is beautiful for this.

I lube up the brass, dump in casefeeder, and pull the lever for 10-15 minutes, which provides me with decapped, resized (neck slightly undersized), and then final neck-sized brass (sinclair expander mandrel).

Then I clean the brass in stainless for a little while.

Then I install my tool head with only a funnel in one of the holes, and a seater in another. I use my chargemaster to throw charges.

The huge advantage to using the 650 this way is CASE HANDLING. The casefeeder does all the work of handling cases and inserting them into the shellholder. You just pull the lever.
Click to expand...

Thanks turbo54 that is a great idea.
 
#17
PJ BAD said:
If you really shoot a "crap ton of 9mm" buy a 1050. I have a 550, 650 and 1050. Each has its pluses and minuses but for loading a "crap ton" the 1050 cant be beat.
Click to expand...

My "crap ton" may differ from yours, I'm talking 1000 rounds a month so may not a big crap ton but we shoot to hone our skills and practice practice practice.
 
#18
You will find it frustrating trying to work up loads. I generally don't touch the 650 unless I am doing a 1000 or more. Setup to do 10 or 20 is a pain in the ass. I use a turret press for accuracy ammo, it's easier to change loads and check the loads during the process. The 650 does load accurate ammo but I think if you go straight for the 650 it will be like driving finishing nails with a 10lb sledge.
 
#19
I have a 650 and a single stage press.

I typically use the single stage press to work up loads, but you can do it on a 650. Just don't put any powder in the hopper.

You can add powder at stage 3 (between the powder measure and the bullet seating), or just cycle them through, add powder separately, then run the press without powder or primers, and insert the cases with powder at stage 3.

Sometimes I prep cases on the 650 (size, decap, prime). Then use the single stage for powder/bullet seating.
 
#20
You can reload precision ammo on a Dillon 650. I am working on doing that. For a first press, I don't recommend a progressive, though. While you are learning, a single stage is great for taking measurements between each reloading step. You can focus on each step individually. Once you have that mastered, you can switch over to the 650 and set it up competently. For a beginner, there are too many moving parts to try and learn on a progressive.

You could buy a 550 and effectively use it as a single stage press. With a 650, that is really difficult to do.
 
#21
Dillon 650xl is a reliable, accurate and fast progressive press. I use it for all my handgun calipers and my 5.56 rounds with little to no variation in charge weight. Best part is my friend bought it, i just drink his beer and use his machine! The old school and OCD in me will not reload my long range rounds on it. My buddy and me both discussed and trued a couple rounds on it and decided that single stage for consistency was the way. Good luck and good shooting.
 
#22
I have a 650 for all of my pistol ammo and 2 550's for rifle ammo. One of the 550's is set up for loading progressive 308's that I use in a JP LRP-07 in 3 gun. The other 550 is set up to use as a single stage press. I measure all of the powder charges individually for precision ammo.
 
#23
clmayfield said:
You can reload precision ammo on a Dillon 650. I am working on doing that. For a first press, I don't recommend a progressive, though. While you are learning, a single stage is great for taking measurements between each reloading step. You can focus on each step individually. Once you have that mastered, you can switch over to the 650 and set it up competently. For a beginner, there are too many moving parts to try and learn on a progressive.

You could buy a 550 and effectively use it as a single stage press. With a 650, that is really difficult to do.
Click to expand...

I found that loading precision LR ammo is definitely possible on a Dillon 650. I have added the Unique-Tek Took Head Clamping kit and pay close attention to the shell plate pivot bolt tension so I can maintain very close tolerances for OAL.

Also use powders selected for their ease of consistent metering through the Dillon Powder Measure. For .223 and .308 "bulk" ammo I just use CFE223 for both and let the charges fall from the Dillon Powder measure mounted on the press.

For powders like Varget, I merely change out the powder measure for a Lee universal powder die and a funnel. Charges are then "dropped" with an RCBS Chargemaster. Using this method, one MUST remember to only pour powder while the ram is in the UP position but it's very possible to still produce 100 + rounds per hour with little effort.

I wouldn't buy a 650 unless I had a need for large quantities of ammo but if one has one, it does a great job of loading precision LR ammo.
 
#24
I have a dillon 650 with all the accessories and I love it! However, it is only really used for producing mass quantities of ammo. I have heard some pro shooters reload on them, but I needed something different. So I got a Lee classic cast and I have the ability to do things slowly, yet faster than other SS presses.
 
#26
I've got a 650 I hardly use any more. I just don't shoot enough to bother with it - I only load 100-200 at a time and don't shoot much pistol ammo anymore. The only issues I can see that might matter is that it would be easier for the dillon shell holder to be out of square since it's large and spins, and the dies are in a loose-fitting block, which could be a source of poor alignment if yo had a bad one. I haven't measured my press to see if that's an actual problem, but there are more places for things to go crooked on you with a Dillon.
 
#27
damoncali said:
I've got a 650 I hardly use any more. I just don't shoot enough to bother with it - I only load 100-200 at a time and don't shoot much pistol ammo anymore. The only issues I can see that might matter is that it would be easier for the dillon shell holder to be out of square since it's large and spins, and the dies are in a loose-fitting block, which could be a source of poor alignment if yo had a bad one. I haven't measured my press to see if that's an actual problem, but there are more places for things to go crooked on you with a Dillon.
Click to expand...

The shell plate support on the 650 is nice and flat and rigid as all get out. This keeps the cases at 90 degrees to their axis. As for the tool head movement or shell plate movement, this can actually be a benefit as it allows the case to align with the die. Some loaders go to great lengths to have their dies "float", buying Whidden floating die tool heads, adding o-rings, etc. You'd be amazed at how straight finished ammo can be when produced on a "650", and at the accuracy possible if you use powders that meter well in the Dillon Measure. Maybe not accurate enough for "smallest hole" competitions but more than adequate for "bell ringing" at long distances.

One thing for sure, if you want to sell that press you don't use that much, this is definitely the time to do so. Even when you can get same day shipping from Dillon on a new one, the used ones bring a great percentage of their original cost. Today someone will snap it up just so they don't have to wait until fall to get a new one.
 
#28
I've thought about selling it, but as soon as I do, I'll need it again. It's about 20 years old, so it's a little tough to part with.

I'm all for floating the dies if needed, but I don't think the dillon head accomplishes that necessarily. You will still be putting steel on steel at the top of the motion, and the dies will be wherever the tool head (or whatever it is that block is called) settles for better or worse. The lateral float that exists is a non issue of course. Like I said, I've never measured mine, and I would guess it's probably just fine, but for the OCD among us, it's an area to think about that doesn't exist on a Rock Chucker. But yes, this is well into hair splitting territory. I'd shoot dillon loaded rounds in high power competition all day long without a 2nd thought.
 
#29
Blackwater said:
Evening ya'll,

I'm having a .308 rifle built by Accuarte Ordnance and I will be getting into reloading. My question is the XL 650 to much of a press to reloading precision rounds? I plan on reloading .243, 7mm-08 and 9mm out of it also. So I would prefer to stay with one press.
Click to expand...

I would love to have a 1050 with auto drive for things like sizing huge quantities of brass. If you were to pre-lube the cases with something like the DIY variant of Dillon's case lube, you could just put them up in that hopper and let them pass through the press with the push of a button. This would save a lot of time, especially since the 1050 removes the military crimp automatically.

A 650 would also speed things up a good bit, but I would be hesitant to use a progressive for loading the most precise rounds. I say this because I check the ogive to base measurement on each and every single round, and a progressive would make this a cumbersome process. I would, however, load the hell out of pistol calibers and bulk ammo for rifles.

M1Amen
 
#30
I work up loads on a single and then do bulk reloading with my 650. For my 223 blasting ammo using the Midway Dogtown 55gr almost all my AR's shoot under 1.25" at 100 yds with many doing much better. I usually load these about 5k a time. The ammo I shoot steel with in the monthly matches are all loaded one at a time on the ole Rockchucker as is all my 308 ammo. I load my 9mm and 45ACP about three times a year with about 5k of each loaded.

Short answer is I would start with a single and then move on from there.
 
#31
damoncali said:
it's an area to think about that doesn't exist on a Rock Chucker.
Click to expand...

Strangely enough there's a lot more opportunity for misalignment of die, shell holder, and ram with the Rock Chucker. Put a dial indicator on the side of the ram when it's raised and see how much side-play there is. Also, unless you are using "Dead Length" dies, both presses have issues with uniform ram extension especially when the links and pivot points wear.

That said, this is not where "ammo goes bad". It's in the other areas such as inconsistent neck tension, crooked cases (most times due to uneven wall thicknesses) and then "loader error".

Being OCD is OK I suppose. They need to have something in that Psychiatric Manual under the letter O.

To me, being cautious is good, in fact a desired trait. I tend to see "OCD" as a valued trait when your hobby is "picking fly poop out of pepper flakes". When I watch someone shooting his Benchrest Rifle and he's loaded his rounds by just dropping charges from his powder measure, no scale, and then proceeds to put all 5 rounds into the SAME hole. Wasn't his press that did that.
 
#32
Deadshot2 said:
Strangely enough there's a lot more opportunity for misalignment of die, shell holder, and ram with the Rock Chucker. Put a dial indicator on the side of the ram when it's raised and see how much side-play there is. Also, unless you are using "Dead Length" dies, both presses have issues with uniform ram extension especially when the links and pivot points wear.

That said, this is not where "ammo goes bad". It's in the other areas such as inconsistent neck tension, crooked cases (most times due to uneven wall thicknesses) and then "loader error".

Being OCD is OK I suppose. They need to have something in that Psychiatric Manual under the letter O.

To me, being cautious is good, in fact a desired trait. I tend to see "OCD" as a valued trait when your hobby is "picking fly poop out of pepper flakes". When I watch someone shooting his Benchrest Rifle and he's loaded his rounds by just dropping charges from his powder measure, no scale, and then proceeds to put all 5 rounds into the SAME hole. Wasn't his press that did that.
Click to expand...

I don't know. Press alignment strikes me as potentially important. I have measured my Rock Chucker and it's as straight as I can measure, and the ram extension is also as repeatable as I can measure. I just did as you suggested and the ram moves .003" at the top under firm sideways pressure - certainly less than the shell holder allows the case to float.

I suppose it's all speculation at this point as to how much it matters, but I bet my Dillon does not measure up quite as well. (It's in a box in the basement, or I'd have measured that too.)
 
#33
damoncali said:
I don't know. Press alignment strikes me as potentially important.
Click to expand...

Only the "Squareness" of he shell holder/plate to the centerline of the sizing die. As long as you aren't sizing the case with the head "cockeyed" to it's centerline then everything will pretty much center itself. Consider what would happen if you had a shell holder that didn't allow for ANY movement of the case and a Die that was offset by a small amount. Then force the brass into the die with NO freedom of movement.

Let the run-out measurements you take on finished ammo determine the quality of the tool for the job, not just the fact one may have more moving parts than the other.

BTW, check out the size of the ram on your dillon vs that of the Rock Chucker. More surface, less wear.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

806guns
New to me Dillon XL750
Replies
3
Views
251
Threadcutter308
Threadcutter308
bluepkp
Reloading Equipment WTS Dillon 650 W/extras
Replies
4
Views
465
bluepkp
bluepkp
maximusdecimusmeridius
Which Dillon or Apex for Training / Precision 223 and 9mm
Replies
8
Views
356
pmclaine
pmclaine
rubiconscott
Reloading Equipment WTS/WTT Dillon 650 223/9mm w/upgrades and dies
Replies
15
Views
1K
rubiconscott
rubiconscott
bluepkp
SOLD WTS Dillon 650 w/ RCBS Chargemaster Supreme, MagnetoSpeed V3 Package Deal
Replies
1
Views
305
bluepkp
bluepkp
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Merch
Alerts