Precision loading with a Dillon 550

adamsgt said:
Al do you have your Dillons set up with auto bullet feed? I have the case feeder on one of mine but it's just set up for pistol calibers. I bought another 550 to use for rifle calibers. As far as I know Dillon doesn't support bullet feeding or rifle case feeding on their 550s. I'd love to be proved wrong.
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Nope, no bullet feed on the 550. IIRC the 650 is also manual bullet feed.
 
PAUL REVERE said:
there are bullet feeders that work with the dillon family...just do the search...
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I found two pretty quickly, GSI and Mr Bullet Feeder. The GSI for the 550 is not in production yet. Maybe next year. I'd estimate that the GSI and Mr Bullet feeder will cost in the neighborhood of $500 and caliber conversion kits 200-300. Just checked my reloading bench and I've got two 550s and a rock chucker in four feet of space. No room for bullet feeders.
 
I emailed Lee Precision support and asked them "Is the Dillon powder measure a licensed version of a Lee product?".

Just received their answer:

Hi Michael,

No, we have no affiliation with Dillon.

Sincerely,


Lee Precision, Inc.
4275 Highway U
Hartford, WI 53027


I wrote to Dillon too, but no answer from them yet.
 
half asa bench rest shooter who shoots parrie dogs

Dillion presses and the powder measurer on it works ok with the right powder. Watch out for not having a full plate of brass and ammo as you do the first two and last two shells on the plate as seating depth changes a bunch. Ball or small sphere powder works the best. Make sure plate is uniformed and as snug as it will turn. You will be amazed at how well the ammo shoots with the right powder. jim casey
 
I know there's a difference...I swear I do...

But...how do bullets go through the same hole at 200 yards and then somehow become errant at 600 yards because the powder wasn't weighed?
 
Wilbur said:
But...how do bullets go through the same hole at 200 yards and then somehow become errant at 600 yards because the powder wasn't weighed?
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Well, it's because the Coriolis Effect is 3 times as strong at 600 yards as at 200 and it sucks those bullets right out of the group.
 
Technically Correct Differences

PAUL REVERE said:
actually from the above, the wind does not blow bullets out of a group..it sucks them out....
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No, the wind blows them out. The Coriolis Effect sucks them out. It's a small but significant difference.
 
Wilbur....

When two bullets go through the same hole at 200 yds EITHER they are traveling at nearly the same velocity OR the gun is "tuned" to launch slower bullets higher.

period

Two bullets CANNOT go through the same hole at different velocities, unless the gun is tuned to compensate.

This is what "benchrest tuning" is....tuning to compensate for velocity differences.

Now, draw the trajectories on paper, one higher (slower) and one lower or flatter (faster) and then continue them to 600yds to see many inches of vertical.
hth
al
 
Jim- im not being sarcastic so dont take it that way. I'm asking for my own knowledge. if i'm tuning a dasher at 200yds what should I see? cause if I shoot a 1.5" group at 600 it wont shoot a .100 at 100 so why is that?
 
It's known as the "expectance effect".

You can prove it to yourself easily...take your bench rifle, shoot a group at 100yds, and note the size of the group. Using the same rifle and same loads, turn the scope around so 100yds looks further and shoot another group. Behold - it will be much larger!
 
Dusty that barrel is a 600yd hummer not a 100yd or 200yd hummer. When you order a hummer you have to specify what yardage you will be shooting at. I used to hear a lot of talk of long range bullets (boat tail VLDs) not going to sleep till they got a little ways out there, is there any truth to that idea?
 
If you are shooting boat tail bullets, they often are not fully stable by the time they get to 100 yards. They might stabilize by 600.

I believe this is why the 100-200yard BR guys use flat base bullets. They are stable when they get to 100 yards.
 
michaelnel said:
If you are shooting boat tail bullets, they often are not fully stable by the time they get to 100 yards. They might stabilize by 600.

I believe this is why the 100-200yard BR guys use flat base bullets. They are stable when they get to 100 yards.
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boattail bullets dominate 100/200yd comp now
 
Dusty Stevens said:
whatdoes a normal 600yd group look like at 100 or 200yds? say you shot a 1.5" group at 600- then immediately shot it at 100 why is it not a .100?
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A normal 1.5" 600yd group is a knot at 100 or 200.....it IS a .100 if your velocity is tight. It will be taller if your velocity spread is large.

This is a picture through the scope of me setting up some loads in a new barrel



6X47L workup.jpg




105's at 100.....for a 600yd NBRSA comp





If your gun does NOT do this you certainly won't bring much wood home here in the left.

al



BTW, these would be unacceptable groups for a 6PPC in the same conditions.

Good PPC groups are round holes.
 
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Redux

michaelnel said:
If you are shooting boat tail bullets, they often are not fully stable by the time they get to 100 yards.
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Haven't we been down this road (several times?) in the past on this forum?

I think you will find that opinions vary and those who hold them are convinced that only they know the truth (and not only on this topic).
 
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