Dillon 550/Newbie question

Mylhouse · September 11, 2000, 07:18 PM

Greetings.
I finally (after knowing for years that I SHOULD buy one), nutted up and bought a 550B. I got alot of the necessary accessories (CV-500 tumbler, electronic scale, sturdy work bench, and calipers). I have the dies and caliber conversion for .45ACP. I have the money to buy one more caliber conversion/dies right now. I have guns in 9mm, 40, .45, .44 Mag and .308. So here are my questions.

1) I have more 9mm handguns and shoot more 9mm than anything else. Is it worth it to reload for 9mm, given all the cheap practice ammo (S&B, PMP, etc) out there?

2) Which caliber would you go for (given the ones I have)?

3) Do you only need one caliber conversion and set of dies to load BOTH .40 and 10mm?

4) Is loading rifle rounds (.308) that much more of a PITA than loading straight-walled handgun cartriges?

5) What more do I need to buy if I were to load .308? Case trimmer? Anything else?

Thanks a million for the help in advance. I haven't loaded anything yet. I got the setup Saturday night, assembled it Sunday, and I'm still reading Lyman's 47th. I am about as mechanically inclined as Algore is honest, and I want to make sure I know what I'm doing before I start making stuff that could blow me up.
:0

karlfitt · September 11, 2000, 08:28 PM

Yes it is worth it to reload 9mm.
I can still reload JHP cheaper than anything I can buy. If I load lead it is even less.
If you shoot more 9mm than anything else, get that kit next.
The .308 you want to reload, what does it go through? If a bolt action you can neck size only, but a semi auto you will need to full length size so you will need a case gauge as well. You can wait a little on the trimmer, you should get a couple of reloads out of the brass before it grows that much.
I don't think it is any harder to do rifle vs pistol on the press.
for 10mm & .40 you can use the same caliber conversion kit and dies, but you will need to reset the dies between calibers.
If you buy one conversion kit and two sets of dies and toolheads, you can set one for each, How many .40 & 10mm rounds do you shoot?
That's about it I think,
Karl

Mylhouse · September 11, 2000, 09:25 PM

Karlfitt,

Thanks for the info. The .308 is a bolt action (Savage Scout), so that's good news. I don't own a 10mm, but if I can load for both 10 and 40 with one set, I would strongly consider going that route and buying a G20 or a Witness 10mm. I only shoot about 100 rounds a month of .40, but if I reloaded for it, I can guarantee I'll be shooting a WHOLE LOT more.

On a different topic, when I was leafing through the Lyman's handbook, I noticed that the Max CUP for .40 was about 23,000 and the 9mm was listed at about 33,000. That's strange. I seem to remember people referring to the .40 as a "high pressure round" that doesn't have a +P loading for it because it is already up there in pressure levels. .45 ACP is always referred to as "low pressure", yet it is only 5,000 CUP lower than the listed .40 max stats. What gives?

Steve Smith · September 12, 2000, 09:31 AM

Why do you have to full length size for autos vs. neck sizing?

Mikul · September 12, 2000, 11:10 AM

You need some lube to reload rifle.

Alan B · September 12, 2000, 12:00 PM

well if you have the .45 caliber change kit you can load .308 by buying only a powder funnel (Same shellplate and locator buttons)

As far as the rest which do you use the most as 44 spec/mag, 9mm and 10mm/40 cal all use different shell plates, locator buttons and powder funnels.

and yes with rifle cartridges sooner or later you will have to trim cases. Get a dial caliper too (so you know when to trim)

Watchman · September 12, 2000, 02:26 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Frontsight!:
Why do you have to full length size for autos vs. neck sizing?[/quote]

Because most semi-auto dont have the strenth to load a once fired case into the chamber.The brass becomes expanded upon firing and must be resized to original specs for it too chamber.
A bolt action has much more strenth in the way of "camming" a once fired case into the action.That is why most people only neck size, becuase the shell filling the chamber exactly makes it more accurate as the centerline of the bullet matches the centerline of the bore more correctly.The neck size die provides the proper tension to hold the bullet...whereas the next size only is not strong enough to withstand the slamming of a semi auto action slamming the bullets back and forth upon firing and cycling the action.
For accuracy..you neck size only.
For reliablity in a semi, you must full lenth resize . Got it ?

Alan B · September 12, 2000, 03:35 PM

To add to what Watchman said

spend $20 and get the wilson case gage for the .308 if you are loading for a semi-Auto. Its a fast way to see if your newly loaded cartridge is within spec enough to chamber without actually loading it.

Beats loading 100 rounds only to find out you need to turn the die down another 1/4 turn.

There are other musts for auto-loaders. i.e no high primers, and in some auto-loaders you have to stick within a certain range of burning rates on powder, to slow or to fast and you could have real trouble.

September 11, 2000, 07:18 PM	#1
Mylhouse Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 1999 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 446	Greetings. I finally (after knowing for years that I SHOULD buy one), nutted up and bought a 550B. I got alot of the necessary accessories (CV-500 tumbler, electronic scale, sturdy work bench, and calipers). I have the dies and caliber conversion for .45ACP. I have the money to buy one more caliber conversion/dies right now. I have guns in 9mm, 40, .45, .44 Mag and .308. So here are my questions. 1) I have more 9mm handguns and shoot more 9mm than anything else. Is it worth it to reload for 9mm, given all the cheap practice ammo (S&B, PMP, etc) out there? 2) Which caliber would you go for (given the ones I have)? 3) Do you only need one caliber conversion and set of dies to load BOTH .40 and 10mm? 4) Is loading rifle rounds (.308) that much more of a PITA than loading straight-walled handgun cartriges? 5) What more do I need to buy if I were to load .308? Case trimmer? Anything else? Thanks a million for the help in advance. I haven't loaded anything yet. I got the setup Saturday night, assembled it Sunday, and I'm still reading Lyman's 47th. I am about as mechanically inclined as Algore is honest, and I want to make sure I know what I'm doing before I start making stuff that could blow me up. :0

September 11, 2000, 08:28 PM	#2
karlfitt Member Join Date: October 11, 1999 Location: Loveland,CO,USA Posts: 34	Yes it is worth it to reload 9mm. I can still reload JHP cheaper than anything I can buy. If I load lead it is even less. If you shoot more 9mm than anything else, get that kit next. The .308 you want to reload, what does it go through? If a bolt action you can neck size only, but a semi auto you will need to full length size so you will need a case gauge as well. You can wait a little on the trimmer, you should get a couple of reloads out of the brass before it grows that much. I don't think it is any harder to do rifle vs pistol on the press. for 10mm & .40 you can use the same caliber conversion kit and dies, but you will need to reset the dies between calibers. If you buy one conversion kit and two sets of dies and toolheads, you can set one for each, How many .40 & 10mm rounds do you shoot? That's about it I think, Karl

September 11, 2000, 09:25 PM	#3
Mylhouse Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 1999 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 446	Karlfitt, Thanks for the info. The .308 is a bolt action (Savage Scout), so that's good news. I don't own a 10mm, but if I can load for both 10 and 40 with one set, I would strongly consider going that route and buying a G20 or a Witness 10mm. I only shoot about 100 rounds a month of .40, but if I reloaded for it, I can guarantee I'll be shooting a WHOLE LOT more. On a different topic, when I was leafing through the Lyman's handbook, I noticed that the Max CUP for .40 was about 23,000 and the 9mm was listed at about 33,000. That's strange. I seem to remember people referring to the .40 as a "high pressure round" that doesn't have a +P loading for it because it is already up there in pressure levels. .45 ACP is always referred to as "low pressure", yet it is only 5,000 CUP lower than the listed .40 max stats. What gives?

September 12, 2000, 09:31 AM	#4
Steve Smith Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 1999 Posts: 4,131	Why do you have to full length size for autos vs. neck sizing?

September 12, 2000, 11:10 AM	#5
Mikul Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2000 Posts: 1,396	You need some lube to reload rifle.

September 12, 2000, 12:00 PM	#6
Alan B Senior Member Join Date: August 26, 1999 Posts: 335	well if you have the .45 caliber change kit you can load .308 by buying only a powder funnel (Same shellplate and locator buttons) As far as the rest which do you use the most as 44 spec/mag, 9mm and 10mm/40 cal all use different shell plates, locator buttons and powder funnels. and yes with rifle cartridges sooner or later you will have to trim cases. Get a dial caliper too (so you know when to trim)

September 12, 2000, 02:26 PM	#7
Watchman Junior member Join Date: August 8, 2000 Location: ARKANSAS Posts: 484	<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Frontsight!: Why do you have to full length size for autos vs. neck sizing?[/quote] Because most semi-auto dont have the strenth to load a once fired case into the chamber.The brass becomes expanded upon firing and must be resized to original specs for it too chamber. A bolt action has much more strenth in the way of "camming" a once fired case into the action.That is why most people only neck size, becuase the shell filling the chamber exactly makes it more accurate as the centerline of the bullet matches the centerline of the bore more correctly.The neck size die provides the proper tension to hold the bullet...whereas the next size only is not strong enough to withstand the slamming of a semi auto action slamming the bullets back and forth upon firing and cycling the action. For accuracy..you neck size only. For reliablity in a semi, you must full lenth resize . Got it ?

September 12, 2000, 03:35 PM	#8
Alan B Senior Member Join Date: August 26, 1999 Posts: 335	To add to what Watchman said spend $20 and get the wilson case gage for the .308 if you are loading for a semi-Auto. Its a fast way to see if your newly loaded cartridge is within spec enough to chamber without actually loading it. Beats loading 100 rounds only to find out you need to turn the die down another 1/4 turn. There are other musts for auto-loaders. i.e no high primers, and in some auto-loaders you have to stick within a certain range of burning rates on powder, to slow or to fast and you could have real trouble.