Dillon 650-750 - Useful Tricks

[Dusty Devil Dale]

The other day at a match, a seasoned shooter who had just bought a used Dillon 650 had a whole list of questions about how to make the machine perform.  Several of us, being good Cowboys,  started bombarding him with our good advice.  Some of it included new (to me) information.   

 

So afterward, I was wondering what else is out there that people could benefit from.   I got the idea to post this, and share a few things I've learned that are not in the 650 manual, AND to see what else is out there that might help everyone. 

 

We all know there are a number of after-market upgrade parts out there and many are very helpful, so share what you've learned about those too.  Be thinking of new users and things they could benefit from knowing.

Here are eleven  items of mine to get started.

 

1.  Don't load any cases until you first do 6 handle pulls to position the first primer one space short of the priming pin on the primer dispenser wheel.  Then turn on the case loader and wait for the first case to drop before proceeding to load.  Otherwise you'll have to deal with belled cases that are harder to resize, and which have no primers but do get  a powder charge that immediately starts spilling into places where you don't want it. 

 

2.  Attach an 8x10" or larger mirror on the ceiling above case loader. Tell at a glance what is in the case loader hopper.

 

3.  A second small 3x3" mirror attached on the flat of the frame behind station 5 will allow you to watch both sides of cases in stations 3, 4, and 5 for splits or other deformation as you load.  For that to work properly, good stage lighting is necessary.  Hint:  I attached mine with adhesive backed Velcro, to make it fast to reposition/tilt. 

 

4.  Grease all the cams generously, even if you are using aftermarket roller upgrades --and lightly oil the roller journal bearings. 

 

5.  Periodically use a wire probe to clean out the case rim slots on the shell plate, to keep case's positioning properly for depriming (saving bent deprime pins).

 

6 After every 500-1000 rounds, clean the tubes on the seating and crimp dies.  I use spray carburetor cleaner and a cheap spiral wire brush. 

 

7.  Don't spray case lube directly into the case-loader hopper.  After it dries, the congealed residue gums up the rotating table and creates drag against the sidewalls that will shorten motor life (ask me how I know).

 

8.  Put a shallow pan under the press to catch dripped oil, dropped bullets, spilled powder,, etc.  (This requires an elevated stage.)

 

9.  Have an extra depriming pin or two on hand; especially if you wet tumble cases with steel pins.  

 

10.  I also keep an extra indexing ring (cam), because the newer ones from Dillon are made lighter and from cheaper plastic, and they seem to be programmed to predictably break the day before a big Match. 

 

11.  I prefer to stand when operating the press.  But after several hours, my knees tend to hyper-extend and my lower back aches.  With advice from an MD friend, I added a foot rail 6" off the floor (a box works as well) and I find putting one foot up higher relieves both the knee and back pain. 

 

So now it's your turn.  Add anything you think could help others.  Probably most of it is widely known, unless you're a new shooter-reloader.   

 

[Nickel City Dude]

11 minutes ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

10.  I also keep an extra indexing ring (cam), because the newer ones from Dillon are made lighter and from cheaper plastic, and they seem to be programmed to predictably break the day before a big Match. 

Thanks for the post but I am not sure I know what part you are referring too, can you show a picture?

[Hoss]

On 650 get an aftermarket primer catcher. They catch primers that don’t get seated in a little bottle. Otherwise they will fly off the ski ramp and wind up on the floor. (Not needed on 750) 

 

get aftermarket fitting to attach a hose to, run to a 2 liter coke bottle under the bench for spent primers. 

 

RCBS powder check die > Dillon powder checker (IMHO) 

 

dramworx sells a pyrodex powder hopper. Has a good seal on top. I typically leave powder in mine between sessions.  The glass won’t etch or break down like a plastic hopper. Easier than dumping out. 
 

the Dillon tool kit is a good investment. 

[Dusty Devil Dale]

53 minutes ago, Nickel City Dude said:

Thanks for the post but I am not sure I know what part you are referring too, can you show a picture?

I referred to it as the Indexing Ring, but it's real name is "Ring Indexer" -- Dillon part no. 13677. 

It is quite difficult to photograph, because it wraps around the Mainshaft, just below the Platform.   I've attached  a photo of the Dillon parts diagram, showing the Indexer, #20.  

 

[Nickel City Dude]

1 hour ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

I referred to it as the Indexing Ring, but it's real name is "Ring Indexer" -- Dillon part no. 13677. 

It is quite difficult to photograph, because it wraps around the Mainshaft, just below the Platform.   I've attached  a photo of the Dillon parts diagram, showing the Indexer, #20.  

 

OK, thanks now i understand which part you are talking about.

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

3 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

The other day at a match, a seasoned shooter who had just bought a used Dillon 650 had a whole list of questions about how to make the machine perform.  Several of us, being good Cowboys,  started bombarding him with our good advice.  Some of it included new (to me) information.   

 

So afterward, I was wondering what else is out there that people could benefit from.   I got the idea to post this, and share a few things I've learned that are not in the 650 manual, AND to see what else is out there that might help everyone. 

 

We all know there are a number of after-market upgrade parts out there and many are very helpful, so share what you've learned about those too.  Be thinking of new users and things they could benefit from knowing.

Here are eleven  items of mine to get started.

 

1.  Don't load any cases until you first do 6 handle pulls to position the first primer one space short of the priming pin on the primer dispenser wheel.  Then turn on the case loader and wait for the first case to drop before proceeding to load. I use the Uniquetek case feed stop until I have primers correctly in place. then put the stop back into position and away you go. Otherwise you'll have to deal with belled cases that are harder to resize, and which have no primers but do get  a powder charge that immediately starts spilling into places where you don't want it. 

 

2.  Attach an 8x10" or larger mirror on the ceiling above case loader. Tell at a glance what is in the case loader hopper.

I recently got a 12 inch convex mirror from a truck stop for $14. Figure I will mount to cabinet next to press in the next few days.

3.  A second small 3x3" mirror attached on the flat of the frame behind station 5 will allow you to watch both sides of cases in stations 3, 4, and 5 for splits or other deformation as you load.  For that to work properly, good stage lighting is necessary.  Hint:  I attached mine with adhesive backed Velcro, to make it fast to reposition/tilt. 

I reload sitting down. I position myself to look between station 3 and 4 which allows me to see all the shells currently in process. I added the KMS2 UFO light system and wonder why I didn't add this years ago! $32.99 shipped.

4.  Grease all the cams generously, even if you are using aftermarket roller upgrades --and lightly oil the roller journal bearings. 

 

5.  Periodically use a wire probe to clean out the case rim slots on the shell plate, to keep case's positioning properly for depriming (saving bent deprime pins).

 

6 After every 500-1000 rounds, clean the tubes on the seating and crimp dies.  I use spray carburetor cleaner and a cheap spiral wire brush. 

I use an old worn 357 brush with a cleaning rod to remove the excess wax lube. When brush is gummed up - toss it.

7.  Don't spray case lube directly into the case-loader hopper.  After it dries, the congealed residue gums up the rotating table and creates drag against the sidewalls that will shorten motor life (ask me how I know).

I spray a couple spritz's while they are in my "ready to load" basket. That way the "one shot" has time to dry and spread before I throw a couple three handfuls into the hopper. cleaning the hopper is no fun for sure.

8.  Put a shallow pan under the press to catch dripped oil, dropped bullets, spilled powder,, etc.  (This requires an elevated stage.)

 

9.  Have an extra depriming pin or two on hand; especially if you wet tumble cases with steel pins.  

 

10.  I also keep an extra indexing ring (cam), because the newer ones from Dillon are made lighter and from cheaper plastic, and they seem to be programmed to predictably break the day before a big Match. 

 

11.  I prefer to stand when operating the press.  But after several hours, my knees tend to hyper-extend and my lower back aches.  With advice from an MD friend, I added a foot rail 6" off the floor (a box works as well) and I find putting one foot up higher relieves both the knee and back pain. 

I prefer to load sitting down while on my "bar stool" type chair, but I use the bottom shelf of my bench to rest my foot as well. Roughly 5 inches off the ground. I did cut the chair legs with a tubing cutter till it felt right for me.

So now it's your turn.  Add anything you think could help others.  Probably most of it is widely known, unless you're a new shooter-reloader.   

 

Good stuff DDD

Regards

   

Gateway Kid

[Matthew Duncan]

2.  Case loader Mirror doesn’t need to be that large.  A circular 1” mechanics mirror is sufficient.

 

 

[Tequila Shooter]

1.  Get the Dillon spare parts kit it’s got most of the stuff that wears/breaks.  When you use a part call Dillon for a free replacement. 

2.  Clean and grease regularly, wash the case feed drop tube.  Especially take apart and clean the primer feed system. 

3.  After every 100-200 rounds use compressed or canned air and blow off the shell plate.

4.  Reload in a place with no distractions. 

5.  If something doesn’t feel right stop.  I’ve had primers jam in the feed disc, wrong size cases (44-40 instead of .45C), spent primers jam up in the chute under the indexing plate. 

 

[Jack Spade]

There are several of the aftermarket add on's that are very handy.  I like the primer tube holder that hooks on the edge of the case feed hopper.  I also have a spare primer feed assembly stand.  I order the full upgrade kit from Snowshooz on ebay that has the roller bearing case insertion index rod, the case feed shut off block, the primer feed shut off, the roller bearing for the shell plate and the replacement ball and spring that goes under the shell plate.  These make the machine much smoother.  The little plastic tabs that go on the locator pins are also very handy and make the pins easier to remove when you have big fingers. 

One of my tips would be to always make sure you are not getting too fast or lazy and push the handle all the way forward to fully seat the primers.  Early on before I figured this out I would be going at a fast rate and short stroke the handle resulting in high primers. 

I deprime all my brass using a frankford arsenal hand deprimer while watching TV before I wet tumble.  I use a rotating media separator after tumbling to remove the pins from the brass.  I haven't had any trouble with a pin stuck in a case but I do plan on replacing my pins with the chips someday. 

Buy extra primer tubes. I have ten of each size so I can load up 1k of primers at a time. 

Edward Hook on MeWe makes and sells a great light kit for the 650/750 loaders.  I have the center light, a light strip on the back frame and the on/off switch.  I think the whole kit is $25.  Worth every penny! 

[Captain Bill Burt]

My favorite aftermarket part is pricey, and not really helpful for quite some time after you get one. But once they’re ready, reloading becomes effortless.

 

The one in the middle is ready to go, the one on the left isn’t ready, but should be by the time the one in the middle is no longer available.

 

The one on the right belongs to my brother, though he’s been offered to me on long term loan many times.

 

 

[Irish Pat]

My shop vac sits nearby and I vacuum my 650 every so often. Also, I bought one of those little stick on lights from that company that makes add on stuff for Dillion reloaders it sticks over top center hole and I turn it on and a case feeder at the same time. That’s all I have ever done to mine. Merry Christmas, Irish ☘️ Pat

[Hoss]

While not specific to Dillon 650/750 these gizmos work pretty darn good. Certainly beat pecking primers! 

my only knock is the tray should have concentric circles instead if straight lines for flipping primers. The circles seem to work better (at least for me) 
 

https://www.doublealpha.biz/primafill

[Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903]

16 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

I referred to it as the Indexing Ring, but it's real name is "Ring Indexer" -- Dillon part no. 13677. 

It is quite difficult to photograph, because it wraps around the Mainshaft, just below the Platform.   I've attached  a photo of the Dillon parts diagram, showing the Indexer, #20.  

 

Don’t use any type of spray lube on a Dillon!

 

 Randy 

[Geronimo Jim SASS # 21775]

Don't load up a bunch of primer pick up tubes!   Stop after 100 rounds, load new tube, start over going very slow.

As you speed picks up and you get really going, you just finished 100 rounds.  I used to have automatic primer filler

and tried to load fast.   well, just one screw up will take a long time to fix.   I found that that little break to load a new

tube and then starting over slow will in the long run be MUCH faster.   Been loading on progressive presses since

1970's.  Had a Star machine back in the 70's when shooting ppc.  By the way, I have loaded thousands of rounds without

short stroking, or otherwise screwing up.

[Dusty Devil Dale]

Practice what you preach.  (referring to myself).

Here a miss-fed primer deformed and became stuck in the shell plate.  When it reached the ejector wire, it stopped the shell plate from rotating and snapped the Indexer Ring.  I don't have a spare Indexer, as I preached in #10 of my original list, above).  It's Christmas day, so guess I'm dead in the water until I can make contact with Dillon and request a replacement.  In the past, it only took a couple days to receive parts from them.  But now it can take that long just to get through the Dillon phone tree to a Trch Support person.   Shame on me!

 

 

[Captain Bill Burt]

DDD brings up a good point. It might not be wise to do ‘just in time’ reloading. If your press goes down you might end up missing matches. I try to keep around 10,000 loaded rounds on hand. That way if my Dillon goes down we’re still good for several months.

[Dusty Devil Dale]

So here's an add-on thought about primer mis-feeds.

  When you feel that subtle crunch of a possible primer mis-feed, it might be wise to remove/inspect the round right then from stage position #2 to avoid what happened to me.   

To save time and fuss, I typically have just advanced the round on through the remaining positions  then caught it as it ejected.  Doing it that way cost me a Ring Indexer this time, because of the protruding primer that wedged in the shell plate's deprime opening.   I've never had it happen before --and I never will again!  

[Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903]

3 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

Practice what you preach.  (referring to myself).

Here a miss-fed primer deformed and became stuck in the shell plate.  When it reached the ejector wire, it stopped the shell plate from rotating and snapped the Indexer Ring.  I don't have a spare Indexer, as I preached in #10 of my original list, above).  It's Christmas day, so guess I'm dead in the water until I can make contact with Dillon and request a replacement.  In the past, it only took a couple days to receive parts from them.  But now it can take that long just to get through the Dillon phone tree to a Trch Support person.   Shame on me!

 

 

The first time I broke one I rotated the shell plate by hand and got a ways ahead on ammo before I tried to replace it. 
 

Randy

[Hendo]

Outside of the Snowshooz pieces, I added a UFO light and an Inline Fab Ergo roller handle.

I had added both to my Lee turret and wanted them for my 650. The light is awesome, but I'm still not sure on the handle. It's taking some more getting use to than the one I put on the Lee.

I also had added a dead primer drop tube to an old bottle under the bench.

[Dusty Devil Dale]

3 hours ago, Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 said:

The first time I broke one I rotated the shell plate by hand and got a ways ahead on ammo before I tried to replace it. 
 

Randy

I'd probably get my timing off and  raise the platform while I had my fingers in there --ouch!

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

54 minutes ago, Captain Bill Burt said:

DDD brings up a good point. It might not be wise to do ‘just in time’ reloading. If your press goes down you might end up missing matches. I try to keep around 10,000 loaded rounds on hand. That way if my Dillon goes down we’re still good for several months.

Good advice CBB.

Solo shooter here.

3-4 thousand rifle, same for pistol, about the same for SG.

Only real downside is if component availability changes you have to keep track of what was your "standard" or "normal" load and what is the new "because it is what I had" load.

Regards

   

Gateway Kid

[Joe LaFives #5481]

tape a couple of old shot shells under the small holes at the bottom of the case hopper.  catches random dirt/media that would otherwise hit your bench.  Also I would NEVER use carburator cleaner on a dillon.  Many brands are not kind to plastic.  A mild brake cleaner at most.

[Hendo]

3 hours ago, Joe LaFives #5481 said:

tape a couple of old shot shells under the small holes at the bottom of the case hopper.  catches random dirt/media that would otherwise hit your bench.  Also I would NEVER use carburator cleaner on a dillon.  Many brands are not kind to plastic.  A mild brake cleaner at most.

I bought a part off of Ebay that attaches under the case hopper,, holds 6 primer pick up tubes and has 2 square catch tunes held up to the debri holes on the hopper.

[Hells Comin]

I like Joe Lafives idea using shot shells on the case hopper so I'm going to give it a try. 

Instead of tape I hot glued them  to the hopper and drilled the holes a little larger. 

[Hells Comin]

I made this because tired of picking primers off the floor 

[Hells Comin]

Best upgrade Ever !

[Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903]

18 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

I'd probably get my timing off and  raise the platform while I had my fingers in there --ouch!

You’ll only do it once!

Randy

[Skinny snake eyes pickins]

There are a few aftermarket devices I picked up for my 650.  I added a bunch of these to mine. Makes it run right and you can shut off the case feed, primer feed and other adds.

 

https://usa-shop.armanov.com/collections/dillon-650-upgrades

[Nickel City Dude]

I have also purchased some upgrades to my 650.  But I think that the most useful one is the primer shut off switch.

https://usa-shop.armanov.com/products/primer-stop-switch-for-dillon-xl650

[Max Payne]

On 12/25/2021 at 12:34 PM, Hoss said:

While not specific to Dillon 650/750 these gizmos work pretty darn good. Certainly beat pecking primers! 

my only knock is the tray should have concentric circles instead if straight lines for flipping primers. The circles seem to work better (at least for me) 
 

https://www.doublealpha.biz/primafill

I like this one.  https://www.doublealpha.biz/daa-primer-pro-collator

Saves a TON of time.

And, a Mr. BulletFeeder is a great add-on also. I can make my 1050 really sing with these. I was going to add a bullet feeder to my 650 also, but I use that one to load my wife's 32's, & I'm told the bullet feeder won't work properly with bullets smaller than 38's or 9mm.

 

[Hells Comin]

32 minutes ago, Max Payne said:

I like this one.  https://www.doublealpha.biz/daa-primer-pro-collator

Saves a TON of time.

And, a Mr. BulletFeeder is a great add-on also. I can make my 1050 really sing with these. I was going to add a bullet feeder to my 650 also, but I use that one to load my wife's 32's, & I'm told the bullet feeder won't work properly with bullets smaller than 38's or 9mm.

 

I didn't mention Mr. Bullet feeder, because I thought everyone had one already. 

[Matthew Duncan]

1 hour ago, Hells Comin said:

I didn't mention Mr. Bullet feeder, because I thought everyone had one already. 

Not for the price!

[Krazy Kajun]

4 hours ago, Max Payne said:

I like this one.  https://www.doublealpha.biz/daa-primer-pro-collator

Saves a TON of time.

And, a Mr. BulletFeeder is a great add-on also. I can make my 1050 really sing with these. I was going to add a bullet feeder to my 650 also, but I use that one to load my wife's 32's, & I'm told the bullet feeder won't work properly with bullets smaller than 38's or 9mm.

 

While the Double Alpha bullet feeder doesn't work well for .32s the Ophelia Payne version works rather well with the small fingers to place the bullets!

 

Kajun

[Buckshot Bear]

I put this jar with a tube for spent primers and also that little bottle at the end of the ski ramp -

 

 

I bought this cheap analogue off eBay and rigged it up to count rounds made, works terrific -

 

 

 

 

Put a rifle shell in here (I use a .303) to halt shells dropping when your working on a problem. Super easy and super quick to stop shells dropping down -

 

 

 

 

[Southpaw Gringo, SASS # 74217]

This primer shut off switch for the 650 is the greatest upgrade I've done to my press. I can shut off the primer advancement any time and it works phenomenal.  Bought mine off of Ebay.