223 in a Square Deal B?

[pull the trigger]

Has anyone finagled some 223 thru a sdb? I dont have a progressive and it looks like the b has enough room to fit 223 in it. I know the b has proprietary dies but you guys do cool stuff all the time. Thanks!!

[bosterr]

Like you said, the B uses proprietary dies, but even if a person is handy enough to make the dies, I don't know what handgun shell plate is used to accommodate the .223 case. Look at the list of conversion sets that are available for it. All are pretty short handgun type calibers.

I tried to set a .223 case in one of my B's and the case mouth is pretty close to the bottom of the seat die. You would have to insert the bullet up into the die and let it fall to the case mouth. Just not much room there at all. I don't see the SDB as an option for loading .223.

[jmorris]

The 380 shell plate would work but you would have to machine your own dies and hope the round would be clear of them before it tried to index.

Ok, I saved you the time, you would also have to disconnect the auto advance feature because the shell plate tried to rotate on the (ram) down stroke before the case mouth woul be clear of the frame, no way a case with a bullet clear.

Like Booster said its going to be difficult to get the bullet up there so you might want to copy a "window" bullet seat die like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_zfIAou-WE

Be sure to post photos if you carry on.

[pull the trigger]

Thanks guys. Now I know that I might as well go all the way and figure on a 650. Thanks again!!

[pjames32]

You might try the Brian Enos forum. They have a section specifically for Dillon reloading equipment and many of them shoot .223 competitively. Maybe someone has tried it!
PJ

[Lloyd Smale]

one big obstacle is like you said theres not dies available

[tstowater]

I know a guy who claims that he has a SDB set up for 223. I haven't seen it to verify but I do know that he likes his SDB's as he has all his handgun loads set up on SDB's that he can. Wish I could be of more help but I do have the impression that it can be done. Send me a PM and I will try to get you in contact with the guy.

[Lloyd Smale]

another thing id worry about is wear on it. I used square deals about exclusively for 20 years. Had 5 of them and one about allways needed bushings ect. not a big deal. The wear parts are easy to change and Dillon gives them for free. But I wonder if the increased efford of sizing a bottleneck round would cause one to wear a lot faster.

[jmorris]

If you had them that long they also may have been the delrin bushed ink arms, they now send out another set of link arms with bronze bushings.

[Lloyd Smale]

mine were not bronze bushed

[HATCH]

I would just spend the money and get a 550.
You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Lifetime warranty replacement parts. And before someone pipes up about that. I have had NO issues getting warranty parts for my dillons.
My brother Robert (No_1) bought me a new 550 almost 2 decades ago. I have purchase a couple more 550s since, some SDB and even a 650. All of those used.
They have had no issues getting me replacement parts for any of them. Heck I just called them up Monday about some parts for the 650. No issues and it was just a 5 min phone call.

Now, what my brother Robert mentioned a long time ago is that they should make a SDB conversion kit for 22 TCM.
I think that would be really cool and really easy for Dillon to do that.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup if its an only press id sure buck up for a 550. Not quite as fast as a square deal but more versatile.