Dillon vs Lee dies for reloading

[cw4usa]

Hello, New to the forum and relatively new to reloading. I have been using a single stage press to load, and recently came across a bargain in a Dillon 550B 4 stage press. Question, will Lee Dies work in this press? The powder dispensing die looks significantly different than the than the one in Dillon die set that came with the press. Would like to hear from anyone who could give me guidance in this area.
Thanks

[Jim Watson]

Lee size, seat, crimp dies will work in Dillon, same 7/8" 14tpi thread as standardized by Pacific many years ago. (Old Lee dies have short threaded section and you have to play games with lock rings, but later models are OK, I use several.)

The Dillon powder die + "powder funnel" (expand/flare) are specific to the Dillon loader. If you want to use the Dillon powder measure in progressive loading, you have to have it.

[cw4usa]

Thanks for your response. I have a Dillon powder funnel, but it is much longer than the Lee funnel. I haven't looked at it too closely as of yet, but it appears on the surface that the Lee funnel would not work. Sounds as if you are suggesting a Dillon Powder die is an absolute necessity if I plan to use the on board powder dispensing system. Or...is is possible to use the Diullon funnel in the Lee Die? Your thoughts?

[sevt_chevelle]

You can not mix match the parts of the powder system.

[Shadow9mm]

the dies will work, but not the powder system.

[jetinteriorguy]

Or just get the Lee Auto Drum or ProAuto Disc powder measure to go with the Lee die. They aren’t too expensive and work good. For pistol ammo I prefer the Pro Auto Disc.

[44 AMP]

DId you buy the 550? or are you just considering it?

Is it complete?

I had an RL 450 same system as the later 550 just without the removable tool head.

IF the press you are looking at has the Dillon powder measure, why waste it by buying Lee??

It is, however, a bit tricksy getting it fully and properly adjusted. Dillon powder measure, designed to work with the Dillon "powder through" Expander die. This means their die body, their expander/powderfunnel and their powdermeasure all together. Change parts with something from another maker and its a good bet that even if it fits you won't get correct adjustment.

So, no, don't stick your Dillon measure on top of the Lee die or Lee measure on the Dillon die, its not going to work right, if it works at all.

The other die stations can use anyone's standard dies, resize, seat, crimp any Lee Lyman RCBS etc will do fine, but not the expander /powder drop station.

Look at the way it works. (also are you looking at loading pistol or rifle??)

For straight wall cases (pistol primarily) the powder drop tube is ALSO the inside neck expander and case mouth flare. So, for a pistol case, you run the case into the die, the neck expander tip of the drop tube enters the case mouth, and gets LIFTED as you raise the ram.

This lifting of the drop tube operates the powder measure and proper adjustment is that when the measure is fully "dumped" (cavity all the way open) this stops the tube from going any higher, and THEN the last bit of ram travel pushes the case up a bit more onto the now stationary drop tube, completing inside case expansion as the powder is dumped into the case.

Now for a bottle necked case, the process is similar but slightly different and the difference is in the adjustments of the die body location.

So, for a bottle neck case the powder drop tube does not do inside neck sizing or mouth flare, it is just a tube made to fit against the case mouth. Ram goes up, tube is pushed up by case mouth, but this time, you want all the ram travel at the same point as full powder measure cavity travel.

This is how it works with the Dillon parts I have no idea what it would do with Lee parts, sorry. If you have the Dillon parts with the press, use them. Learn how to adjust them correctly and they will work. Don't get it right, and there will be issues.

ALSO, keep an eye on the powder measure, see that it cycles all the way both ways when operated. They can stick.

[jetinteriorguy]

From what I’ve been reading about getting your hands on a set of Dillon dies, getting a set of Lee dies is probably the best way to get up and running faster. The Lee powder measures I’ve mentioned will most definitely work using the Lee powder through die, in fact they work very well. The Pro Auto Disc is great for pistols and can be double stacked for rifles and is very very accurate. The disc cavities can be reamed for fine tuning once a load is developed and then set aside for the specific load you need. The Auto Drum works well with a little tweaking, but it is a little less accurate than the disc depending on what powders you’re using. The drum can also have a tendency to leak with real fine powders.

[cw4usa]

Thanks for all the various responses. You have been most helpful

[Unclenick]

Dillon resizing dies have a couple of features that can be useful in a progressive press. One is the mouths of the pistol dies are radiused a little wider than the Lee dies. This allows for a little more slop in exact case positioning in station 1, where there is no retaining button. This makes it less likely that when you get into a fairly prompt pace, that you will crush case mouths against the edge of the die.

The other feature they have is a spring-operated decapping pin system designed to kick primers off the tip of the decapping pin. It operates as an automatic centerpunch. This is done because firmly seated primers can stretch out at the bottom due to the added depriming effort needed to clear the crimp, and then they can stick to the decapping pin so the edges can reseat the primer partway during withdrawal of the decapping pin. This hangs the press up because you now have a case with a primer protruding below flush with the case head and into the primer drop hole, so you can't index or remove the case. The 550 is not auto-indexing, so you just pull the tool holder off and stick a 1/16" drift punch down into the case to clear the spent primer. But letting the die clear it automatically is easier.

Dillon's lifetime warranty applies to all owners of the press, and not just the original owner. This also qualifies you to take advantage of their rebuild service. It isn't free, but they will rebuild the press and replace any missing or worn parts for a fixed fee and send it back to you already set up for one caliber, IIRC. You have to call them during business hours and get a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) number, and pack it up and ship it to them. They will tell you the current price and turnaround time if this service appeals to you.