Dillon 650 resizing die question

Headgear · December 7, 2008, 06:59 PM

I just got a 650 press and set it up. The resizing die at station #1 is supposed to be set so that the bottom of the die just touches the bullet plate when the press is all the way up. When I run the 9mm casing through it, there is a noticeable taper down to about 2/3 the way down the casing. I measured it w/ a calipers and it is .008 larger at the bottom than at this transition and the rest of the way up to the mouth. I compared it to factory ammo and it has a smooth transition from the head to the mouth. This is almost like a shoulder. I tried calling Dillon. No luck on Sunday (I'll try again tomorrow). I tried moving the die up a little. That just did the same thing up a little higher on the casing. Can this be right?

**Unclenick** · December 7, 2008, 07:26 PM

The 9mm is a slightly tapered case to begin with. I believe the thinking was that it would help with extraction. The sizing die, because of the thickness of the shell plate and the need for a small radius at the mouth of the die (so a fired and expanded case can enter it easily), is unable to recreate that taper all the way to the extraction groove. As a result, it only sizes enough of the case to get it to fit the chamber and to narrow it at the mouth enough to hang onto a new bullet. Just follow the instructions and you will be fine.

MidwestShooter · December 7, 2008, 07:33 PM

Case gauge your rounds after resizing to verify. I case gauge every round after loading. Also a Case Pro is used to return brass to original spec's. I Case Pro all my 9mm, 40, and 38 Super rounds.

Chief-7700 · December 7, 2008, 07:43 PM

Headgear, When you call Dillon on Monday order the following part number #
G24-15161 the 9mm case gage real cheap insurance. I have them for all the calibers that I load on my XL-650.
Chief

Headgear · December 8, 2008, 07:02 AM

Thanks Nick, I also took your advise and ran the graphite through the powder measure. After reading that post "What the heck went wrong" I'm doing everything by the book and what you guys tell me as well.
Midwestshooter, I have a 9mm case gage, but what is a case pro and where did you get it?

Hommbs · December 8, 2008, 08:21 AM

The Case Pro is a roll sizer.

Alleykat · December 8, 2008, 11:21 AM

My answer to Dillon dies' flared mouths is Lee dies.

I own a 650, but the only Dillon dies I own are powder dies. If you set up the sizing die correctly, you won't have any trouble. I wouldn't wa$te any money on a case gage for 9mm.

Headgear · December 8, 2008, 06:48 PM

I contacted the Dillon rep. today and he said since the 9mm casing is tapered, the first half of the casing has to be resized straight. otherwise when you flare the mouth to accept the bullet, it would drop down inside. Makes sense to me!

MidwestShooter · December 8, 2008, 09:44 PM

what is a case pro and where did you get it?

A Case Pro is a brass forming tool that "rolls" brass back specs. It is the only way to take the bulge out of straight wall pistol cases. You can attach it to a Dillon case feeder and roll brass quite rapidly. I use it for .40, 9mm, and 38 super.

Alleykat posts: "I wouldn't wa$te any money on a case gage for 9mm." Well, that's really poor advice. If your not serious about reloading or don't mind malfunctions etc. then by all means don't buy a case gauge. If you can't afford the $12.95 for one, then you better spend more time at work and less reloading!

I buy my brass 5,000 pc at a time. Case gauge EVERY loaded round and never have a malfunction. If it don't case gauge, pull the bullet and toss the whole mess.

MidwestShooter · December 8, 2008, 10:20 PM

For those wanting to see what a Case Pro looks like:

Alleykat · December 9, 2008, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Well, that's really poor advice. If your not serious about reloading or don't mind malfunctions etc. then by all means don't buy a case gauge. If you can't afford the $12.95 for one, then you better spend more time at work and less reloading!

Never said I couldn't afford one; just that I thought it'd be a waste of money. I do have a .45ACP case gage that I bought, back when I was a less-experienced...never use it. I'm using the Lee set with the FCD in the last station. I never have any problems with my reloads. I've loaded a couple of hundred thousand rounds in the last few years...how about you?

WESHOOT2 · December 10, 2008, 06:48 AM

I gauge (either actual barrel or case gauges) every rd I make.
Without exception.

Alleykat · December 10, 2008, 12:03 PM

Quote:

I gauge (either actual barrel or case gauges) every rd I make.
Without exception.

While difficult to treat, there is hope for OCD!

BigJimP · December 10, 2008, 12:56 PM

I case gague every round I make off my 650 as well.

Sometimes there are minor nicks on the base of the case that will cause a round to hang up in the case gague / or a tiny crack in the side of the case that I missed after I cleaned and inspected the brass before I ran it thru the press. The case gague helps me catch all those / rather than have any feeding issues on one of my guns.

I don't reject or have to pull bullets on more than a few rounds out of every 1,000 / so you could certainly argue it's a waste of time. I reload about 10,000 - 15,000 rounds a year for my pistols in a variety of calibers ( 9mm,
.40, .45 acp, .38 spl, .357 mag and .44 mag ). I use the case gague primarily because it makes me feel better about ensuring I have a high quality reload that I'm boxing up. Some of my guns, like a Les Baer or Wilson Combat 1911's in 9mm, .40 and .45 acp - have fairly tight tolerances on the chambers and it only takes a couple of minutes to check a box vs the aggravation of a feeding problem.

Alleykat · December 10, 2008, 01:10 PM

BigJim. I shoot almost all of my excellent reloads through Glocks, so tight tolerances don't enter into the equation.

BigJimP · December 10, 2008, 01:27 PM

AlleyKat,

But just think how much better you'd be if you shot a steel gun ...

( only kidding ).

I understand your perspective .....and sometimes I'm tempted to quit doing it as well, as I box up 30 or 40 boxes and don't reject a single round ...

But the other reason I do it, I shoot at an indoor range, and pick up all kinds of brass off the floors ( shot by all kinds of guns ...) - and it gives me that little extra check since I have no way of knowing if the brass is once fired, fired 20 times, etc - and being a little OCD isn't a bad thing anyway .....I keep all the drawers in my shop labeled, the boxes of ammo I load labeled and stacked properly, my press clean, my guns clean .... anyway ..

About 6 months ago I found a problem on a .45 acp case / and Case Gague alerted me to the issue ..... On Amerc brass cases ( a junk ammo being sold around here by someone at the gun shows I think ...) but I was having a resizing problem with it / and it was jamming in the case gague - near the bottom of the case. I alerted my buddies to the issue - we all started sorting all of the Amerc brass out of our stock. Some of my buddies even had a few stick in station 1 on their presses inside the die causing a big aggravation.

I know Glock prides itself on feeding any ammo / and sizes their chambers accordingly ... but if you run into a problem with a case you might see if its an Amerc head stamp. I'd recommend you keep it out of your mix of brass. But that's a case where the Case Gague saved me a lot of trouble. Take care and good shooting...

WESHOOT2 · December 12, 2008, 12:29 PM

I gauged all that, too.
Sometimes, someone's life may be on the line, so I could do no less than ENSURE the cartridges would at least fit those chambers (oddly, not all always do).

"Test to confirm".

Alleykat · December 12, 2008, 08:45 PM

Even my dog, Daisy, knows not to pick up Amerc brass...don't need a case gage for that!

December 7, 2008, 07:26 PM	#2
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	The 9mm is a slightly tapered case to begin with. I believe the thinking was that it would help with extraction. The sizing die, because of the thickness of the shell plate and the need for a small radius at the mouth of the die (so a fired and expanded case can enter it easily), is unable to recreate that taper all the way to the extraction groove. As a result, it only sizes enough of the case to get it to fit the chamber and to narrow it at the mouth enough to hang onto a new bullet. Just follow the instructions and you will be fine. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

December 7, 2008, 07:33 PM	#3
MidwestShooter Junior Member Join Date: November 30, 2008 Location: Chicago Burb, Illinois Posts: 12	Case Gauge Case gauge your rounds after resizing to verify. I case gauge every round after loading. Also a Case Pro is used to return brass to original spec's. I Case Pro all my 9mm, 40, and 38 Super rounds.

December 7, 2008, 07:43 PM	#4
Chief-7700 Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Location: Carmel Valley, CA Posts: 112	Headgear, When you call Dillon on Monday order the following part number # G24-15161 the 9mm case gage real cheap insurance. I have them for all the calibers that I load on my XL-650. Chief __________________ COLT M-1911 DOB 1918 and more a XL-650 to feed them

December 8, 2008, 07:02 AM	#5
Headgear Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2008 Location: Southeast, IN Posts: 123	Thanks Nick, I also took your advise and ran the graphite through the powder measure. After reading that post "What the heck went wrong" I'm doing everything by the book and what you guys tell me as well. Midwestshooter, I have a 9mm case gage, but what is a case pro and where did you get it? Last edited by Headgear; December 8, 2008 at 04:01 PM.

December 10, 2008, 06:48 AM	#12
WESHOOT2 Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 1999 Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country) Posts: 14,324	me I gauge (either actual barrel or case gauges) every rd I make. Without exception. __________________ . "all my ammo is mostly retired factory ammo"

December 7, 2008, 06:59 PM	#1
Headgear Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2008 Location: Southeast, IN Posts: 123	Dillon 650 resizing die question I just got a 650 press and set it up. The resizing die at station #1 is supposed to be set so that the bottom of the die just touches the bullet plate when the press is all the way up. When I run the 9mm casing through it, there is a noticeable taper down to about 2/3 the way down the casing. I measured it w/ a calipers and it is .008 larger at the bottom than at this transition and the rest of the way up to the mouth. I compared it to factory ammo and it has a smooth transition from the head to the mouth. This is almost like a shoulder. I tried calling Dillon. No luck on Sunday (I'll try again tomorrow). I tried moving the die up a little. That just did the same thing up a little higher on the casing. Can this be right?

December 8, 2008, 08:21 AM	#6
Hommbs Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2005 Location: La Puente, California Posts: 102	The Case Pro is a roll sizer.

December 8, 2008, 11:21 AM	#7
Alleykat Junior member Join Date: July 26, 2007 Posts: 3,668	My answer to Dillon dies' flared mouths is Lee dies. I own a 650, but the only Dillon dies I own are powder dies. If you set up the sizing die correctly, you won't have any trouble. I wouldn't wa$te any money on a case gage for 9mm.

December 8, 2008, 06:48 PM	#8
Headgear Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2008 Location: Southeast, IN Posts: 123	I contacted the Dillon rep. today and he said since the 9mm casing is tapered, the first half of the casing has to be resized straight. otherwise when you flare the mouth to accept the bullet, it would drop down inside. Makes sense to me!

December 8, 2008, 09:44 PM	#9
MidwestShooter Junior Member Join Date: November 30, 2008 Location: Chicago Burb, Illinois Posts: 12	what is a case pro and where did you get it? A Case Pro is a brass forming tool that "rolls" brass back specs. It is the only way to take the bulge out of straight wall pistol cases. You can attach it to a Dillon case feeder and roll brass quite rapidly. I use it for .40, 9mm, and 38 super. Alleykat posts: "I wouldn't wa$te any money on a case gage for 9mm." Well, that's really poor advice. If your not serious about reloading or don't mind malfunctions etc. then by all means don't buy a case gauge. If you can't afford the $12.95 for one, then you better spend more time at work and less reloading! I buy my brass 5,000 pc at a time. Case gauge EVERY loaded round and never have a malfunction. If it don't case gauge, pull the bullet and toss the whole mess.

December 10, 2008, 12:56 PM	#14
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I case gague every round I make off my 650 as well. Sometimes there are minor nicks on the base of the case that will cause a round to hang up in the case gague / or a tiny crack in the side of the case that I missed after I cleaned and inspected the brass before I ran it thru the press. The case gague helps me catch all those / rather than have any feeding issues on one of my guns. I don't reject or have to pull bullets on more than a few rounds out of every 1,000 / so you could certainly argue it's a waste of time. I reload about 10,000 - 15,000 rounds a year for my pistols in a variety of calibers ( 9mm, .40, .45 acp, .38 spl, .357 mag and .44 mag ). I use the case gague primarily because it makes me feel better about ensuring I have a high quality reload that I'm boxing up. Some of my guns, like a Les Baer or Wilson Combat 1911's in 9mm, .40 and .45 acp - have fairly tight tolerances on the chambers and it only takes a couple of minutes to check a box vs the aggravation of a feeding problem.

December 10, 2008, 01:10 PM	#15
Alleykat Junior member Join Date: July 26, 2007 Posts: 3,668	BigJim. I shoot almost all of my excellent reloads through Glocks, so tight tolerances don't enter into the equation.

December 10, 2008, 01:27 PM	#16
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	AlleyKat, But just think how much better you'd be if you shot a steel gun ... ( only kidding ). I understand your perspective .....and sometimes I'm tempted to quit doing it as well, as I box up 30 or 40 boxes and don't reject a single round ... But the other reason I do it, I shoot at an indoor range, and pick up all kinds of brass off the floors ( shot by all kinds of guns ...) - and it gives me that little extra check since I have no way of knowing if the brass is once fired, fired 20 times, etc - and being a little OCD isn't a bad thing anyway .....I keep all the drawers in my shop labeled, the boxes of ammo I load labeled and stacked properly, my press clean, my guns clean .... anyway .. About 6 months ago I found a problem on a .45 acp case / and Case Gague alerted me to the issue ..... On Amerc brass cases ( a junk ammo being sold around here by someone at the gun shows I think ...) but I was having a resizing problem with it / and it was jamming in the case gague - near the bottom of the case. I alerted my buddies to the issue - we all started sorting all of the Amerc brass out of our stock. Some of my buddies even had a few stick in station 1 on their presses inside the die causing a big aggravation. I know Glock prides itself on feeding any ammo / and sizes their chambers accordingly ... but if you run into a problem with a case you might see if its an Amerc head stamp. I'd recommend you keep it out of your mix of brass. But that's a case where the Case Gague saved me a lot of trouble. Take care and good shooting...

December 12, 2008, 12:29 PM	#17
WESHOOT2 Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 1999 Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country) Posts: 14,324	I made ammo for hundreds of Glocks I gauged all that, too. Sometimes, someone's life may be on the line, so I could do no less than ENSURE the cartridges would at least fit those chambers (oddly, not all always do). "Test to confirm". __________________ . "all my ammo is mostly retired factory ammo"

December 12, 2008, 08:45 PM	#18
Alleykat Junior member Join Date: July 26, 2007 Posts: 3,668	Even my dog, Daisy, knows not to pick up Amerc brass...don't need a case gage for that!