Dillon powder measure help

[ebitney1]

I picked up the Dillon XL750 and I'm loading 308 with varget. It seems like the powder measure is cutting the powder and not metering very consistently. It also spills a little out when the case is lowering. Any advice?

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[Sfc Jack]

I picked up the Dillon XL750 and I'm loading 308 with varget. It seems like the powder measure is cutting the powder and not metering very consistently. It also spills a little out when the case is lowering. Any advice?

Having the same problem with h110

 

[ron]

I picked up the Dillon XL750 and I'm loading 308 with varget. It seems like the powder measure is cutting the powder and not metering very consistently. It also spills a little out when the case is lowering. Any advice?

Varget meters like crap. Varget I like to weigh each charge due to inconsistent charge weight. Ball powders meter very
consistent weight. H110 meters great for me?

 

[dmatzinger]

i have 110 problems on my 650, but i think its the brass, as it only does it on 300 blackout

 

[4x401]

Extruded powders are a problem in almost all makes of powder measures. That problem is compounded in progressive presses.
I have decent success running Varget with my 550B as long as I'm attentive and purposeful with my movements. Solid down stroke, solid up stroke of the handle. Anything else and there will be problems.

 

[Member 5605]

You can avoid this by giving a little jiggle once the ram is fully up. I had the habit of doing this on my Lee powder measures as well on those large throw charges.

Have not loaded 308 on the 750 yet but maybe @tarster has some insight from his 550 that he loads a lot of 308 on.

As far as cutting grains of powder, this is going to happen with stick powder. The extruded doesn't get out of the way like ball/flake so when it is cut you notice it.

 

[ebitney1]

Ok this is all good stuff. I was worried that I was doing something wrong. What kind of powders do you guys like for 308?

 

[DizzyJ]

IMR4064 but I wouldn't try it in a powder dispenser. As mentioned, the stick powders suck A.

I hand weigh every rifle charge except for the ball powder types. They meter like butter. I'm usually not using those types of powders for rifle though.

Varget, IMR4064, H4350, H4895, IMR8208XBR are all favorites of mine for rifle reloading.

TAC is the exception as far as powder type goes for rifle. So far I only use that for .223

 

[Pappa]

I have a dillon 550. I had the same problem with a different powder. I contacted dillon and the sent me a new powder bar that's slightly larger free of charge. It helped a lot

 

[ebitney1]

What powder was it? Because the guy I talked to said that "I was gonna hate" trying to use a extruded powder like varget.

 

[Pappa]

Accurate no5

 

[4x401]

??? AA #5 is a ball powder...should run like water.

 

[ebitney1]

Yeah that's probably why they sent out a new powder bar

 

[Pappa]

Mine was leaking
Sorry I'm not familiar with the different powders

 

[giddyupgo55]

Just loaded some 150 gr FMJ using W760. Worked great for me.

 

[tarster]

So I load 3031, Varget and more recently CFE223 on my dillion 550 for 308, You might need to add a spring around the bottom of the powder funnel and to the bar to give it some positive pressure coming back, I have never felt or noticed "cutting" of grains with my powder measures, They consistently throw +- .1 gr or better across a 5 or 10 throw of powder I verify it with my gem pro 250.

I had a really bad problem with 223 and spilling powder on the down stroke, someone posted in a forum forever ago to use a spring, so I used one and it wasn't quite enough so I used two long springs and its been a rock solid thrower since then.

 

[tfbit]

You may want to try a couple of different powder bars, looking for a tighter fit. This solution won't work with a large powder bar but may give you some ideas. Loading 300 Blackout with H110 was a pain on my 550 till I figured this out. Use a small powder bar and shim the red arrow side of the spacer with layers of packing tape till you have a tight fit that just cycles freely. This keeps the smaller powders from getting flattened between the powder bar and body of the powder measure, causing binding.

 

[ebitney1]

You may want to try a couple of different powder bars, looking for a tighter fit. This solution won't work with a large powder bar but may give you some ideas. Loading 300 Blackout with H110 was a pain on my 550 till I figured this out. Use a small powder bar and shim the red arrow side of the spacer with layers of packing tape till you have a tight fit that just cycles freely. This keeps the smaller powders from getting flattened between the powder bar and body of the powder measure, causing binding.

View attachment 823363

Hmm that's a good idea. I'll see if I can figure out something for the large powder bar. Thanks!

 

[bbbass]

Ok this is all good stuff. I was worried that I was doing something wrong. What kind of powders do you guys like for 308?

I use IMR 4064, but it is also a cylindrical extruded powder so is doesn't meter well from a volume type measure. I can't afford one that weighs out each load, so I do it myself by throwing a lower charge with my RCBS measure, then trickle up to the weight I want. It's slower, but I'm only loading 20 shells at a time for accuracy or hunting. So I use my Dillon for pistol, and an old Lyman turret for rifle.

 

[Labradorian]

I use IMR 4064, but it is also a cylindrical extruded powder so is doesn't meter well from a volume type measure. I can't afford one that weighs out each load, so I do it myself by throwing a lower charge with my RCBS measure, then trickle up to the weight I want. It's slower, but I'm only loading 20 shells at a time for accuracy or hunting. So I use my Dillon for pistol, and an old Lyman turret for rifle.

This is my technique with crunchy powders, I throw a low volume charge and then trickle up. All I really every make is small quantities of that kind of ammo anyway, playing with powder, charge size, bullets, primers, COAL, etc.

But for small volumes of grainy pistol powders, a volumetric measuring device is perfect and I trust mine just fine. I do have a detonated 45 barrel on the shelf to keep me sharp though.