I've been reloading 327 Federal (357's little brother) on my T-Mag turret press. Your videos got me over the initial learning curve hump. Now you're on to progressive reloading. Excellent instructive videos. Thanks!
wow 8 years later and im watching this as I get started reloading on the identical setup. Purchasing mine from a friend almost fully equipped, minus some of the accessory stuff like case cleaning and calipers, scale, etc. I picked a crazy time to start reloading! finally came across 2k primers for myself, bought a load of blue bullets, and i FINALLY get to use the stash of thousands of 38 spl brass Ive been hoarding since starting shooting revolver back in 2012/2013. Was nice to see your video as a solid confirmation of a lot of the knowledge Ive been picking up. Got HP38 for my powder, using 4.5 grains for roughly 840fps. Great steel plinking easy shooting load!
You're welcome! The Lee classic cast is a great press. The RCBS Rock chucker ia great and so is the Redding big boss 2. I'm gonna pick up a Redding soon... Good luck! I think you're gonna love reloading. To me, sometimes its just as fun as shooting!
In my opinion, starting out on a single stage press is a good idea. The initial investment isn't as expensive. It's also much cheaper to change calibers. A person has the learning curve of each die and the reloading process in general. I started out this way and I think it makes me a better reloader as a result. Now, when I load on a progressive, I understand every station and can spot an issue on a station much quicker because of my understanding of the process.
@9:43 good tip on putting follow rod into pickup tube. That extra internal weight will help reduce chance of primers flipping over when they drop into primer tube. Annoyingly (for me) station #2 powder charge and bell case mouth tool comes with resizing kit not the dies.. When I set my 550 up all I could do without conversion kit was load primers.. Also .38 Special loads to overall length of 1.59" or 40.386mm not 1.47" - unless you prefer a shorter round for cycling maybe in a carbine?
Thank you for the kind words and also for the support to my channel. I'm happy to hear that youre reloading experience is going well.Have a good evening! :)
Caution is always good in reloading. Having a patient personality and doing the right research on load data in my opinion are the 2 most important factors. I agree with DrDaveArson. It's not that bad. Have a great day! :)
Man! Thats a hrad one because there are so many good powders out there. As far as primers go I try to use any name brand primers. Get small rifle primers for .223. When it comes to powder, I believe it's a personal choice that each individual needs to make. Some people like Ford trucks, some like Chevrolet, and some like Dodge... Some of the powders that I like for the .223 are: IMR 4320, IMR 4064, Winchester 748, HODGDON varget, HODGDON cfe 223... I hope this was helpful. Have a good day! :)
Let's see. You took out the primers which were oriented correctly for pick up, reversed them and then flipped them over so they were as they were originally as you took them out of the box? Is there an incantation that goes along with that?
For peace of mind and safety since you are seating and crimping your bullet at the same time (as I also do with cast bullets) I would recommend moving that to stage four and purchasing an RCBS Powder Lockout die and installing the lockout die in station three where if you have light/empty charged or a heavy/double charged case it will stop the press until the offending case is removed...it is an easy die to setup and adjust and works like a champ...👍👍👍
I want to book class first before I commit. Videos have made it all less scary. But we are still talking about explosives, metal, and high pressures and I, as you do, treat such with a lot of respect.
Thank you. The more I see the more accessible reloading appears to be. I won't be shooting lots. .38spl will probably the first calibre I will reload. There isn't much to be saved over say Privi Partisan. But I think quality and consistency benefits make the process worthwhile. I like the look of the Lee Classic sets for the bigger stuff like 45-70 and even 7.62x54r which I will shoot in smaller batches if everything goes to plan.
Thanks for those words of encouragement. I am very cautious soul and know my own shortcomings. I still think it is a bit scary. But I think I now know really given prices (plus cheaper ammo isn't always a saving in real terms) and a true interest in the field that it is the only way to go as well. :)
I have a Dillon RL550C machine I bought it last year how ever I wound up in the hospital. with a Hart attack I just got the ok from my DR. So now I'll be able to set up my Dillon for 38/357
The fact the Lee bullet moulds are aluminum and have a tendency to not hold the heat gives these casts bullets that frosty/ringed appearance. The RCBS and Lyman steel moulds really hold the heat and retard those imperfections. With the completion of the 50 rounds, primers we did not hear the warning buzz. I like to check the powder weight a couple of time in the course of 50 just in "case" there is drift in the settings. Great job, straight to the point and very informative.....
Would you recommend a progressive press for a beginner? I don't the like of reloading with individual tools. To me, for me, setting everything up in one place and the cartridge being made in one go seems a better idea. Swell 4 stages equals 1 go! That is opposed to say resizing all your cases, then priming all your cases, etc. and son.
+FortuneCookie45LC Thank you for stopping by brotha. I often do the same. I'm always in the "hot lead zone" and I love it there! I can't wait to get my reloading stuff out of storage. I'm planning on doing some newer Dillon stuff. I love Dillon! Happy Thanksgiving as well to you and yours my friend! God bless!! :-)
@@russboyd8842 Good catch. I was waiting for him to notice the powder in the bullet tray, but it just goes to show how much attention is needed when reloading.
Another thing to think about is the question of what do you want to load more. Rifle or pistol? Again, In my opinion, Rifle is better on a single stage and pistol is better on a progressive. I hope all of this was helpful. Have agreat day! :)
Just an FYI for the XL650 guys, or any progressive loaders. My shell-plate for .38 special wouldn't cycle PMC brass because the head of PMC brass is thicker than other mfg's. I took a case that WOULD fit, chucked it into my drill, put a bit of lapping compound in the 5 - shell-plate cartridge stations & lapped them. Worked beautifully.
I thought you got rid of the 550, hadn't seen it in a while.. Do you think its possible to reload match .308 from the press with standard dies or would you suggest a single stage with match dies?
Nope. ha ha. I love my Dillon. It's a great press. In my opinion you can absolutly load match .308 on a 550, but if it were me I'd do it on a single stage. Have a great night! :)
Just curious on why you didn't just flip over the two anvil up primers rather than turn them all over and shake them. BTW, very nice video. I also have a 550B and love it.
Love the video sir, gonna suscribe. Very educational and I'm thinking of getting into reloading and when i turn 21 get a S&W chambered in 357 so i can reload both the 357 and 38.
I've been reloading 327 Federal (357's little brother) on my T-Mag turret press. Your videos got me over the initial learning curve hump. Now you're on to progressive reloading. Excellent instructive videos. Thanks!
wow 8 years later and im watching this as I get started reloading on the identical setup. Purchasing mine from a friend almost fully equipped, minus some of the accessory stuff like case cleaning and calipers, scale, etc. I picked a crazy time to start reloading! finally came across 2k primers for myself, bought a load of blue bullets, and i FINALLY get to use the stash of thousands of 38 spl brass Ive been hoarding since starting shooting revolver back in 2012/2013. Was nice to see your video as a solid confirmation of a lot of the knowledge Ive been picking up. Got HP38 for my powder, using 4.5 grains for roughly 840fps. Great steel plinking easy shooting load!
This is true beauty. I had no idea how this system worked until now.
You're welcome! The Lee classic cast is a great press. The RCBS Rock chucker ia great and so is the Redding big boss 2. I'm gonna pick up a Redding soon... Good luck! I think you're gonna love reloading. To me, sometimes its just as fun as shooting!
In my opinion, starting out on a single stage press is a good idea. The initial investment isn't as expensive. It's also much cheaper to change calibers. A person has the learning curve of each die and the reloading process in general. I started out this way and I think it makes me a better reloader as a result. Now, when I load on a progressive, I understand every station and can spot an issue on a station much quicker because of my understanding of the process.
@9:43 good tip on putting follow rod into pickup tube. That extra internal weight will help reduce chance of primers flipping over when they drop into primer tube. Annoyingly (for me) station #2 powder charge and bell case mouth tool comes with resizing kit not the dies.. When I set my 550 up all I could do without conversion kit was load primers.. Also .38 Special loads to overall length of 1.59" or 40.386mm not 1.47" - unless you prefer a shorter round for cycling maybe in a carbine?
I bought a 550b based on yours and others recommendations. I don't think I'll ever regret that purchase. Thanks for the video.
I used to use the 550. Fantastic piece of kit.
Great job Sir !!!! Ive been reloading for yr's .you can never get enough info .
Thank you for the kind words and also for the support to my channel. I'm happy to hear that youre reloading experience is going well.Have a good evening! :)
Caution is always good in reloading. Having a patient personality and doing the right research on load data in my opinion are the 2 most important factors. I agree with DrDaveArson. It's not that bad. Have a great day! :)
Man! Thats a hrad one because there are so many good powders out there. As far as primers go I try to use any name brand primers. Get small rifle primers for .223. When it comes to powder, I believe it's a personal choice that each individual needs to make. Some people like Ford trucks, some like Chevrolet, and some like Dodge... Some of the powders that I like for the .223 are: IMR 4320, IMR 4064, Winchester 748, HODGDON varget, HODGDON cfe 223... I hope this was helpful. Have a good day! :)
Let's see. You took out the primers which were oriented correctly for pick up, reversed them and then flipped them over so they were as they were originally as you took them out of the box? Is there an incantation that goes along with that?
For peace of mind and safety since you are seating and crimping your bullet at the same time (as I also do with cast bullets) I would recommend moving that to stage four and purchasing an RCBS Powder Lockout die and installing the lockout die in station three where if you have light/empty charged or a heavy/double charged case it will stop the press until the offending case is removed...it is an easy die to setup and adjust and works like a champ...👍👍👍
I want to book class first before I commit. Videos have made it all less scary. But we are still talking about explosives, metal, and high pressures and I, as you do, treat such with a lot of respect.
Thank you. The more I see the more accessible reloading appears to be. I won't be shooting lots. .38spl will probably the first calibre I will reload. There isn't much to be saved over say Privi Partisan. But I think quality and consistency benefits make the process worthwhile. I like the look of the Lee Classic sets for the bigger stuff like 45-70 and even 7.62x54r which I will shoot in smaller batches if everything goes to plan.
Thanks for those words of encouragement. I am very cautious soul and know my own shortcomings. I still think it is a bit scary. But I think I now know really given prices (plus cheaper ammo isn't always a saving in real terms) and a true interest in the field that it is the only way to go as well. :)
Just got a 550, doing the un-boxing and set-up tomorrow
I have a Dillon RL550C machine I bought it last year how ever I wound up in the hospital. with a Hart attack I just got the ok from my DR. So now I'll be able to set up my Dillon for 38/357
I'll pray for your recovery and happy reloading
Thank you. I do have video's for that. One for rifle and one for pistol. Have a beautiful day! :)
The fact the Lee bullet moulds are aluminum and have a tendency to not hold the heat gives these casts bullets that frosty/ringed appearance. The RCBS and Lyman steel moulds really hold the heat and retard those imperfections. With the completion of the 50 rounds, primers we did not hear the warning buzz. I like to check the powder weight a couple of time in the course of 50 just in "case" there is drift in the settings. Great job, straight to the point and very informative.....
How was your shot group with this load. No demonstration results with this load. How accurate is it.
Would you recommend a progressive press for a beginner? I don't the like of reloading with individual tools. To me, for me, setting everything up in one place and the cartridge being made in one go seems a better idea. Swell 4 stages equals 1 go! That is opposed to say resizing all your cases, then priming all your cases, etc. and son.
Came over to check out the happenings - Nice video to see again...Happy Thanksgiving!!
+FortuneCookie45LC Thank you for stopping by brotha. I often do the same. I'm always in the "hot lead zone" and I love it there! I can't wait to get my reloading stuff out of storage. I'm planning on doing some newer Dillon stuff. I love Dillon! Happy Thanksgiving as well to you and yours my friend! God bless!! :-)
I think you missed your primer when you were showing the double charge. You punched the new primer when you pulled the handle twice.
I was thinking the same thing.
@@russboyd8842 Good catch. I was waiting for him to notice the powder in the bullet tray, but it just goes to show how much attention is needed when reloading.
Another thing to think about is the question of what do you want to load more. Rifle or pistol? Again, In my opinion, Rifle is better on a single stage and pistol is better on a progressive. I hope all of this was helpful. Have agreat day! :)
I wonder if any of those primer tubes have ever blown up.
The lube grooves look awful shallow in those cast bullets.
Suppose they're not really meant for .38 spl
Just an FYI for the XL650 guys, or any progressive loaders.
My shell-plate for .38 special wouldn't cycle PMC brass because the head of PMC brass is thicker than other mfg's.
I took a case that WOULD fit, chucked it into my drill, put a bit of lapping compound in the 5 - shell-plate cartridge stations & lapped them. Worked beautifully.
If they wouldn’t fit in the case length ga, what is the cause?
Do you still reload?
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words and the interest to my channel. Have a great day! :)
Exactly! Good eyes!
another great video man thanks for giving up your time to instruct
i am new at reloading and still need to get powder and primers for .223 which powder and primers are better than one another so i do not mess up
Why didn't the low primer alarm sound?
Nice video! Thanks! 👍
Thank you! Blessings from Arizona!!
I thought you got rid of the 550, hadn't seen it in a while..
Do you think its possible to reload match .308 from the press with standard dies or would you suggest a single stage with match dies?
Nope. ha ha. I love my Dillon. It's a great press. In my opinion you can absolutly load match .308 on a 550, but if it were me I'd do it on a single stage. Have a great night! :)
What’s a good powder to use for 45 colt, out of a lever gun? Thanks
Good video
Thank you!
Just curious on why you didn't just flip over the two anvil up primers rather than turn them all over and shake them. BTW, very nice video. I also have a 550B and love it.
when you showed the double charge that case you missed the primer in station one.
how are you lubing your lead bullets?
+Delbert McCord Dillon DCL.
The fifty at the end of the video sure were neatly done - ready for doin' some shootin'
Thank you sir!
Curios have you ever used titegroup for 38 specials and do you recall how much grain did you use for it.
I've used it before and it's a great powder, I don't recall what the recipe was. happy new year!
Thanks, Happy New Year to you to happy reloading.
+John B 3.grains tite Group will give you abt 900 fps ... basically a mouse fart.
Love the video sir, gonna suscribe. Very educational and I'm thinking of getting into reloading and when i turn 21 get a S&W chambered in 357 so i can reload both the 357 and 38.
+Josh Aguirre Sweet! Thank you! I have other casting and reloading video's for the .38 and the .357. Enjoy!
Cool! Thanks! :)
usually you dont save any money from casting bullets and reloading, but you will shot more for your money
Man I loved your video. I wish you had one for setting up the dies. I found that to be a pain the a@#
I've used the 550 for since ( 1985) you will mush happier with Dillion's 4 die system . rick young
+maduro169 Thank you! I like them too. :-)
that General caliper you have is terrible it is not accurate get a good dial caliper
I've never had a problem with them. They work just fine for me. :-)