Dillon Square Deal 'B' press die threads

[Swagerman]

Dillon makes the Square Deal 'B' press, it has four small threaded die stations. My question is...are the Dillon dies threaded 5/8 X 30, just like the old Lyman 310 dies???

Are the Lyman 310 dies usable in the Dillon SDB press.


Jim

[Mk42gunner]

Swgerman,
I don't know for sure, but I remember reading somewhere they would work. It would be worth a try if you have any of the old Lyman dies laying around.

Robert

[NVcurmudgeon]

I don't know about Lyman 310 dies, but I just measured my SDB 45 ACP powder through expander die and got 5/8 X 16. The other die threads were buried in the tool head and I didn't want to readjust everything.

[Swagerman]

I've got Lyman 310 dies, but no access to a Dillon SDB press to try them for a fit.

Hope someone has.

The Lyman 310 dies work amazingly well for being so tiny. I find the seating crimp die is really great to adjust, must be the small threads.

Jim

[Bodydoc447]

Won't work. The threaded part of the diehead has to work with the inserts under the diehead. For example, the decapping pin assembly is threaded into the diehead but the carbide sizing piece is a collar held in place under the diehead which is attached to the top of the press.

Doc

[Swagerman]

Doc, you are so right. I looked in an issue of the Blue Press, it has two smaller die thread holes and two larger ones like the bigger inserts.

However, I think a reducer adapter insert could be fashioned much like the Lyman ones that allow 310 dies with 5/8X30 threads to work in 7/8X14 threads...a reducer is the word I'm looking for here.

Perhaps a reducer could be made to fit the SDB tool head where the larger insert dies go. Just a thought, but probably not practical.

Thanks for your imput.


Jim

[diathermic]

If anyone is curious the actual thread pitches are:
1/2-20 for the small dies
11/16-16 for the large dies (a much less common thread)

[Walter Laich]

Remember on the SDB we're talking about two different things and calling them both dies.

The actual dies don't have threads, they just drop into holes on the press. There is a shoulder in the holes that keep them from going all the way through.

There are adjustment screws on top of each die that adjust the upward travel of the dies in the press. The screws do the job of the normal screwing in or out of standard dies.

since I started with a SDB it wasn't a problem to amass SDB dies--yes they won't work in standard presses but that's not a problem for me. Only use the Lee Classic Cast for .45-70 which won't load on SDB anyway (pistol only press)

nice little press for those of us that don't have gorilla hands.