Dillon XL650 press

[Sabertooth]

Just set up my new 650 press. I ordered it set for 9mm. Set up was straight forward and no problems. Son and I ran about 1000 rounds this week end and the only problems where operator errors. I also ordered quick change kits and caliber conversion kits for 40S&W, .45acp, 38/357, and 44mag. Still need to get .223 stuff.
Also got the no powder check alarm and low primer alarm and shell sorter feeder.
Buy the way, anyone who calls this a quick caliber change machine has never changed calibers in one.

And I got a stainless steel pin tumbler. That was a wow for the case cleaning.

So for those who already have a 650 press are there any problems that I should look out for??
45 years reloading and picking speed.

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[My 3 sons]

Watch that your shell plate doesn't snap into station too hard especially when using powders that fill the case. Clipping the dent ball spring is a good fix.

When changing from pistol to rifle or vice versa don't forget to turn around the black plastic part that is attached to the brass shuttle into stage one. Don't ask how I figured out that one. It wasn't from reading the directions unfortunately

Don't put a lot of pressure on the handle no matter how close you think it is to completing the cycle. It really does take very little if your brass is prepped correctly. Again don't ask.

Use masking tape on your powder dispenser to label what you have on it and what load you want.

The brass fill tube for the case dispenser can be twisted left or right to help the brass drop effectively

The Franklin aresenal primer filler is amazing for the money

Label the increase and decrease direction of turn on your powder bar bolt. Took me too long to realize I could save a lot of frustration with a simple label.

Hope that list of of some benefit for you and your son. I love my 650 and so do my boys and their friends lol! Have fun!

 

[Sabertooth]

Have to pick up some more sticky notes, got that one. Figured out the case dispenser thing, notices it was not so much of a problem if I kept the feeder tube full. Going to label the powder bar. Noticed that when changing from 3.9 to 4.1 powder charge.
Mine does not fling much powder when it advances the case, 4.1 of 700x in the 9mm cases is right up there.
I won't ask how you know about some of the stuff, but from the last few days I have accumulated some operator error stuff, but nothing fatal, The manual was very well written so I avoided a lot of problems. It even has warnings in it on some of the stuff.

 

[mjbskwim]

If you get the tool heads and the powder thru dies for each head, the change is a snap.
When I got mine,I bought a bunch of tool heads and powder dies.
Then all you need to do is loosen the silo ,remove arm and replace tool head with preset dies.
The other thing I did was buy a small primer set up,as mine came set for 45acp,(large primer). It's way easier to replace the whole primer feed than rebuild it for large or small. 5 seconds instead of a couple minutes.
I bought extra primer tubes but wanted to keep it slow to make sure I was doing everything correctly.
Kinda cool when you just start loading and the low primer alarm goes off.Heck, 15 minutes for the first 95 rounds!
But,alas I sold the press cause I just didn't like reloading as much as I wanted to.
Hey,got my money out of it with the 6k? rounds I made and selling it to a friend

 

[Sabertooth]

Like the idea on the primer change. Going to order some more powder dies when I get my allowance.
With two sons and my self shooting, this should work out well.

 

[AMProducts]

The absolute #1 thing you need to look out for on that press is blowing up the priming station. It is really not a matter of if, but when.

How to avoid this: Keep a 5/32" allen wrench handy, and whenever you run the press "dry" meaning no brass, use the wrench to remove the black plastic thing that drives the primer ratchet. If your machine misses a case pickup it feeds more primers regardless, MAKE DAMN SURE THE PRIMER FALLS OUT OF THE DIAL AFTERWARDS!!!!!!!!

In the past what I have seen is primers will not fall out of the dial wheel, and will get pinched on the far side of the opening. Next time you run the ram up, KAPOW! you crap your pants, and it usually blows the primer rod through your ceiling, along with a bunch of primer fragments.

Also, as far as "quick change" it's really not that bad, it takes me 3-4 hours to change over an ammoload, and about another 8 hours to get it running right.

 

[mjbskwim]

The absolute #1 thing you need to look out for on that press is blowing up the priming station. It is really not a matter of if, but when.

How to avoid this: Keep a 5/32" allen wrench handy, and whenever you run the press "dry" meaning no brass, use the wrench to remove the black plastic thing that drives the primer ratchet. If your machine misses a case pickup it feeds more primers regardless, MAKE DAMN SURE THE PRIMER FALLS OUT OF THE DIAL AFTERWARDS!!!!!!!!

In the past what I have seen is primers will not fall out of the dial wheel, and will get pinched on the far side of the opening. Next time you run the ram up, KAPOW! you crap your pants, and it usually blows the primer rod through your ceiling, along with a bunch of primer fragments.

Also, as far as "quick change" it's really not that bad, it takes me 3-4 hours to change over an ammoload, and about another 8 hours to get it running right.

Not sure what machine you were running or how drunk you were,but with a little care and concentration, this would never be a problem.
Maybe reloading isn't your thing?
It's kinda lie running any machine,you get used to all the little sounds and when one of them changes,you slow down or stop to check it out. Don't hear a case fall? Stop pulling the lever and check it out. This happened mostly with .308s,but never just kept pulling the lever to see if I could blow something up.
I just watched what was going on also.Just seemed like a good idea.
And if the last sentence is for real then put the bong down too

 

[HappyRoman]

I bought a 2nd 650 so I would not have to change anything except the preloaded toolhead , and conversion plate and pins; extra powder measures, so I could keep several powders ready, and a 3rd one set up for rifle calibers.. WHEN THE BUG BITES, it bit me hard..

 

[mjbskwim]

Yea a guy up here had the money and bench space ,and hates changing anything so he claims 5 or 6 550s.
2 are set up for 38spc,cowboy action.1 for himself and the wife likes a little different load.

 

[AMProducts]

Not sure what machine you were running or how drunk you were,but with a little care and concentration, this would never be a problem.
Maybe reloading isn't your thing?
It's kinda lie running any machine,you get used to all the little sounds and when one of them changes,you slow down or stop to check it out. Don't hear a case fall? Stop pulling the lever and check it out. This happened mostly with .308s,but never just kept pulling the lever to see if I could blow something up.
I just watched what was going on also.Just seemed like a good idea.
And if the last sentence is for real then put the bong down too

Don't be a jerk. I worked for a commercial loader/reloader and we had 6 of these machines, this is why I described exactly how a chain detonation starts and exactly how to prevent it.

The problem with any of these things, is cases don't feed, the case falls over before it gets locked into the shell plate (or that feed thinger), etc. The 650 is an OK machine, but it has it's limitations, which is why dillon makes the 1050, and other companies make other machines.

 

[mjbskwim]

Don't be a jerk. I worked for a commercial loader/reloader and we had 6 of these machines, this is why I described exactly how a chain detonation starts and exactly how to prevent it.

The problem with any of these things, is cases don't feed, the case falls over before it gets locked into the shell plate (or that feed thinger), etc. The 650 is an OK machine, but it has it's limitations, which is why dillon makes the 1050, and other companies make other machines.

That's cute....."Don't be a jerk" Golly gee
Anyway,as I would expect,you used a home machine commercially and I would guess any machine has it's limits.
Kind of like when the people that say the have seen LOTS of Glocks have catastrophic failures ,they have all been armors at police facilities.
And maybe if he and his sons run it 24/7 for a month,they will have the primer problems you described

 

[rutilate]

Don't be an even bigger jerk. As a commercial user of a tool, he's logged far more time on the tool than perhaps any of us. When you have done the same you can point fingers.

I've seen the condition he has described. Empty the primer chute often or get a primer feed cutoff switch.

 

[My 3 sons]

Mjbskwim you should chill.
Accusing someone of being drunk while operating a machine earned you the title of jerk. You don't know the man anymore than I do but now everybody knows you.

Nice job showing your backside to everyone that reads this string.

 

[Sabertooth]

Was talking to my son about getting another 650. Didn't know the wife was paying attention to our conversation and had seen the bill. Her comment was . So I guess I won't be getting another 650. But she didn't say anything about getting more parts.
Yup, blew a couple of primers before, years ago. Loaded another couple hundred rounds and am getting the feel of the press so I can tell if something isn't right.

 

[HappyRoman]

Dillon's are not bullet proof, No pun intended. If you have loaded hundreds of rounds or more and are paying attention to all that is going on, you can feel when you mis a primer, a brass did not deprime, or the powder funnel nicks the top of the case. Many other little glitches can cause a 650 to produce a bad round or stop. Not Paying attention will result in some bad stuff... True with all the progressive presses. !An automatic press like the ammo load can make a mess or bunches of bad ammo, until you get it dialed in.. Then You make lots of good ammo.. All in Practice, patience's, an paying attention to detail.

 

[My 3 sons]

Was talking to my son about getting another 650. Didn't know the wife was paying attention to our conversation and had seen the bill. Her comment was . So I guess I won't be getting another 650. But she didn't say anything about getting more parts.
Yup, blew a couple of primers before, years ago. Loaded another couple hundred rounds and am getting the feel of the press so I can tell if something isn't right.

The tool head change out is pretty easy. If you have the money for the quick change kit it's worth it. The combined ease of the additional powder dispenser that is already set for the calibre you have on the tool head is great and the storage stand is very convenient. Don't put your conversion kit parts on the stand though. They are too easy to knock over and lose the parts.

I loaded about 500 9mm last week with my dad. He'd never seen a loading press so we had a great time talking about it while we made up the new rounds for him.

 

[Sabertooth]

Got the tool head kits and the bottom change kits when I ordered the press. Looked like a good idea and it was. Next item is the large prime set. $80.00.

 

[rutilate]

There are two mods you might enjoy: the primer feed disconnect that enables you to stop the advance of primers if you don't have a deprimed case in station #2, and the spent primer tubing that allows you to eliminate throwing spent primers anywhere but the primer cup by mounting a manifold under the tool with a tube that goes down into a bucket/soda bottle. Both of these can be found on eBay.

 

[mikeptc9107]

Hey, you guys all have the Dillon I just bought. What height is best for the workbench to mount it on? Did any of you find or make a sketch or drawing of the "preferred" Dillon 650 bench? Thanks for any assistance you might provide...

Mike

 

[AMProducts]

Hey, you guys all have the Dillon I just bought. What height is best for the workbench to mount it on? Did any of you find or make a sketch or drawing of the "preferred" Dillon 650 bench? Thanks for any assistance you might provide...

Mike

32-35" from the floor seems to be about optimum if you've got the strong mount attached. Also, these machines are intensely frustrating to use without the strong mount as the rounds just dump out onto the table. I usually put mine up about 37" but I'm 6'7, most of the other guys who use the machine like to stand on a platform that's about 3.5" tall when using it.