Resizing station Dillon 550

kestak · September 26, 2007, 02:11 PM

Greetings,

I am not sure how to explain it, but I think experienced reloaders will understand my question:

The first station on a dillon 550 is primer removing and resizing the case.
I noted that when those actions are done, there is still a small bulge at the base of the case (right now I reload 45acp and 38spl/357mag) because the die does not go all the way down (And it is normal, because the case is held in place by the shellplate.)

My question is: Do I have to be concerned by that small bulge?

Thank you

straight-shooter · September 26, 2007, 02:45 PM

As long as the bullet fits in the cylinder(revolver) or the barrel(semi-auto) easily then I would not be concerned at all. I had the same question when I first started reloading and this was the consensus from everyone who answered.

BigJimP · September 26, 2007, 05:20 PM

It may be semantics - but a visible "bulge" is never a good thing / but I think you mean the case is not fully resized - and that's true because the shell plate holder takes up some space. In general it's not a problem.

I use a Dillon 650 but it has the same issue. As I run my test loads / go thru my setup on any caliber I go thru all of the steps in the manual carefully - but the last step I go thru before I am confident all of my setups are 100% is to drop a finished load into a "case gague" (you can buy one for each caliber you load from Dillon.) It's a very easy way to tell - overall length is ok, resizing is ok, crimp and seating on bullet is ok. If the round easily drops into the case gague - and the primer and case base are flush with the top of the case gague - nose of bullet is not sticking out the bottom - and then as you turn the case gague over the round easily falls out of the gague - it's a good round. I run every round thru a case gague - takes me maybe 5 min per box - but it gives me that one last check that everything is just right before I store my boxes / that all of my setups are 100% on the money before I run any volume. I usually stop the press after every 50 loads - run those loads thru a case gague - and if any problems come up then I only have 50 bullets to pull ......rather than 150 or whatever. All of the Dillon presses are so fast - it's not that big a deal to spend a little extra time checking the loads and the setup.

But not resizing the whole case is no big deal - I load .45 acp, .38 spl, .357 mag, .44 mag, 9mm and .40 S&W. I shoot mostly at an indoor range - and I pick up a lot of stray brass - clean it, polish, sort it by caliber (toss out the ones with dents, or any creases, or anything suspect) I really hate S&B brass ( so I toss most of it) - when I want to run a caliber set up the toolhead, caselube the brass, run them thru the press, and case gague and box em up. It's relaxing - and saves a ton of money these days - and there is just something fun about shooting your own loads. I'd reload even if it wasn't cheaper - but I've been reloading for over 40 years too - and the new Dillon presses are very good. Have fun and be safe - if I can help you with something more specific - drop me a note.

Linear Thinker · September 26, 2007, 08:02 PM

Are you using Dillon dies? Due to their generous mouth, they don't size all the way down.
Easiest and cheapest way of dealing with the problem is to get the Lee Factory crimp die for station 4. Lee FCD has a carbide sizing ring, and usually gets rid of the bulge.
There are other ways of dealing with the problem, eg. EGW U-dies, etc. I use the Case-Pro roll sizer.
Try Lee FCD first.
Good luck,
LT

kestak · September 27, 2007, 11:35 AM

Greetings,

(Here is what I posted on another forum where I asked the question. You may find it interesting)

Finally, I had time during lunch to drive hoem and make some measurements.

First of all, my press is setup for 375/38spl right now, so I was able to put my hand on only one 45acp resized case.
Secondly, I noticed the bulged cases are not from my 45 xd, but from once fired brass I picked up at the range from a shooter I got the permission to pick from. I do not recall what handgun he was using.

.45acp Mouth: bulge:
.4665 .473

I was able to resize the 357 cases shot by me with my Taurus revolver. I did 5 of those and here are the measurements:
Mouth Bulge
.3755 .3805
.3750 .3805
.3750 .3815
.3750 .3800
.3756 .3795

In conclusion:
- It is quite a small bulge
- My XD does not produce any bulge
- The 357 produces a bulge
- I checked the 38 spl cases and they have a bulge too. I did not measure them, I was out of time.

What do you think?

Thank you

Alleykat · September 27, 2007, 11:51 AM

I think you should take the advice given on the other forum! (I did see your same post there.)

September 26, 2007, 02:11 PM	#1
kestak Senior Member Join Date: June 13, 2007 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 157	Resizing station Dillon 550 Greetings, I am not sure how to explain it, but I think experienced reloaders will understand my question: The first station on a dillon 550 is primer removing and resizing the case. I noted that when those actions are done, there is still a small bulge at the base of the case (right now I reload 45acp and 38spl/357mag) because the die does not go all the way down (And it is normal, because the case is held in place by the shellplate.) My question is: Do I have to be concerned by that small bulge? Thank you __________________ abundans cautela non nocet

September 27, 2007, 11:35 AM	#5
kestak Senior Member Join Date: June 13, 2007 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 157	Greetings, (Here is what I posted on another forum where I asked the question. You may find it interesting) Finally, I had time during lunch to drive hoem and make some measurements. First of all, my press is setup for 375/38spl right now, so I was able to put my hand on only one 45acp resized case. Secondly, I noticed the bulged cases are not from my 45 xd, but from once fired brass I picked up at the range from a shooter I got the permission to pick from. I do not recall what handgun he was using. .45acp Mouth: bulge: .4665 .473 I was able to resize the 357 cases shot by me with my Taurus revolver. I did 5 of those and here are the measurements: Mouth Bulge .3755 .3805 .3750 .3805 .3750 .3815 .3750 .3800 .3756 .3795 In conclusion: - It is quite a small bulge - My XD does not produce any bulge - The 357 produces a bulge - I checked the 38 spl cases and they have a bulge too. I did not measure them, I was out of time. What do you think? Thank you __________________ abundans cautela non nocet

September 26, 2007, 02:45 PM	#2
straight-shooter Senior Member Join Date: June 12, 2007 Location: North Central Indiana Posts: 436	As long as the bullet fits in the cylinder(revolver) or the barrel(semi-auto) easily then I would not be concerned at all. I had the same question when I first started reloading and this was the consensus from everyone who answered.

September 26, 2007, 05:20 PM	#3
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	It may be semantics - but a visible "bulge" is never a good thing / but I think you mean the case is not fully resized - and that's true because the shell plate holder takes up some space. In general it's not a problem. I use a Dillon 650 but it has the same issue. As I run my test loads / go thru my setup on any caliber I go thru all of the steps in the manual carefully - but the last step I go thru before I am confident all of my setups are 100% is to drop a finished load into a "case gague" (you can buy one for each caliber you load from Dillon.) It's a very easy way to tell - overall length is ok, resizing is ok, crimp and seating on bullet is ok. If the round easily drops into the case gague - and the primer and case base are flush with the top of the case gague - nose of bullet is not sticking out the bottom - and then as you turn the case gague over the round easily falls out of the gague - it's a good round. I run every round thru a case gague - takes me maybe 5 min per box - but it gives me that one last check that everything is just right before I store my boxes / that all of my setups are 100% on the money before I run any volume. I usually stop the press after every 50 loads - run those loads thru a case gague - and if any problems come up then I only have 50 bullets to pull ......rather than 150 or whatever. All of the Dillon presses are so fast - it's not that big a deal to spend a little extra time checking the loads and the setup. But not resizing the whole case is no big deal - I load .45 acp, .38 spl, .357 mag, .44 mag, 9mm and .40 S&W. I shoot mostly at an indoor range - and I pick up a lot of stray brass - clean it, polish, sort it by caliber (toss out the ones with dents, or any creases, or anything suspect) I really hate S&B brass ( so I toss most of it) - when I want to run a caliber set up the toolhead, caselube the brass, run them thru the press, and case gague and box em up. It's relaxing - and saves a ton of money these days - and there is just something fun about shooting your own loads. I'd reload even if it wasn't cheaper - but I've been reloading for over 40 years too - and the new Dillon presses are very good. Have fun and be safe - if I can help you with something more specific - drop me a note.

September 26, 2007, 08:02 PM	#4
Linear Thinker Senior Member Join Date: February 10, 2007 Location: Blue State, NE US Posts: 202	Are you using Dillon dies? Due to their generous mouth, they don't size all the way down. Easiest and cheapest way of dealing with the problem is to get the Lee Factory crimp die for station 4. Lee FCD has a carbide sizing ring, and usually gets rid of the bulge. There are other ways of dealing with the problem, eg. EGW U-dies, etc. I use the Case-Pro roll sizer. Try Lee FCD first. Good luck, LT

September 27, 2007, 11:51 AM	#6
Alleykat Junior member Join Date: July 26, 2007 Posts: 3,668	I think you should take the advice given on the other forum! (I did see your same post there.)