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Thread: Dillon 650 Mods

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy Gunners Mate's Avatar
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    Dillon 650 Mods

    I have started to make a few mods to my Dillon 650. So as I get each Mod completed I thought I might share these.

    So my first modification was to polish the inside of the powder funnel to a mirror finish. I used a rigid cordless drill with (Mothers Power Cone (pictured below) the power cone is available at most automotive stores. I used 3m Ultrafine Machine Polish also pictured below. Total time for this project was about 20 minutes. The before and after pictures are also pictured below. The end result is that powder measure weights are now extremely consistent. If you have a dillon powder measure this is a really easy and cheap mod that anyone with a phillips screw driver and a cordless drill can do.


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    I will keep updating this thread with pictures as I complete more mods.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    To be clear, you're talking about polishing the metal at the bottom of the powder hopper?

  3. #3
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    And this will provide better drop that the simple weight that can be purchased and used? What were your before and after load variaces? Mine holds 1 tenth of a grain and I suspect that your before and after polish drops are going to be 1 tenth of a grain polished or not. There is enough powder weight to maintain the 1 tenth of a grain tolerance that most if not all powder measures will provide.

    Attachment 204196

    Adding a simple weight with this low powder sensor will help eliminate inconsistencies.
    Last edited by 6bg6ga; 09-17-2017 at 08:02 AM.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Yes

    Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master jmorris's Avatar
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    The GSI tool heads were the best money I spent on mine.


  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master jmorris's Avatar
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    A thrust bearing and two washers were under $5 and make the shell plate index smooth as hot butter.


  7. #7
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    What jmorris said plus shorten up the spring under the shell plate and continue to use the steel ball as opposed to the plastic one that i being pawned off as a better replacement. Also, if you look at the picture posted by jmorris under the plate assembly there is a black piece being held on by two allen head screws. That piece is available with roller on the top of it and it makes for a better running machine in my opinion.

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master



    M-Tecs's Avatar
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    I have polished mine. With ball powder I can't tell a difference but with stick powder it does improve consistency.

    Roller bearings and tapering and polishing powder tube are also very beneficial.

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...illon-upgrades

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...Powder-Measure
    Last edited by M-Tecs; 09-17-2017 at 01:39 PM.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    Of all I have tried I have only found two worthwhile they are an oversize primer catch bin and the cam roller brg shown above. I saw no gain what-so-ever from the shell plate needle brg. or the plastic ball.

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  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy Gunners Mate's Avatar
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    Ok so I changed out the Indexing Cam Block (pictured below) for the rotary shell plate holder to a roller bearing, I bought it on ebay for twenty bucks pictured below. This is an easy swap a few minutes is all it took. I am curious to see how long it will last, if it fails after a few thousand rounds I will update and let you know. I also added the roller thrust bearing at the same time, (pictured below) also purchased on ebay for about 10 bucks it came with the "low Mass detent ball" I will run the press with the steel detent ball and the low mass ball and let you know if there is any difference. Overall the Dillon 650 press runs much smoother with the Indexing Cam Roller Bearing and the Shell Plate Thrust Bearing. You will have to bend the Shell Ejector Spring for the Thrust Bearing Mod and don't forget to apply grease to the Thrust bearing.
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  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gunners Mate View Post
    Ok so I changed out the Indexing Cam Block (pictured below) for the rotary shell plate holder to a roller bearing, I bought it on ebay for twenty bucks pictured below. This is an easy swap a few minutes is all it took. I am curious to see how long it will last, if it fails after a few thousand rounds I will update and let you know. I also added the roller thrust bearing at the same time, (pictured below) also purchased on ebay for about 10 bucks it came with the "low Mass detent ball" I will run the press with the steel detent ball and the low mass ball and let you know if there is any difference. Overall the Dillon 650 press runs much smoother with the Indexing Cam Roller Bearing and the Shell Plate Thrust Bearing. You will have to bend the Shell Ejector Spring for the Thrust Bearing Mod and don't forget to apply grease to the Thrust bearing.
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    I ordered my thrust bearing and washers from McMaster-Carr. I had replaced the stock steel ball with the low mass ball and had the low mass ball actually gall so I removed it and went with the stock ball and a cut down spring....much better than the so called low mass ball.

    The case feed arm with the bearing actually did nothing for the 650's function and feel but I left it in since I wasted my money. The indexing arm with the bearing actually did help and made for smoother operation.

    My suggestions.... Purchase the shell plate bearings and washers directly from McMaster-Carr.

    Leave the steel ball and simply cut the stock spring down a bit.

    Replace indexing assembly with the one with the roller bearing.

    I chose a primer catch assembly that has a little bottle that catches the missed primers over the stock ski-jump version and over the enlarged assembly.

    The powder I used which is mainly a ball type powder instead of the grain type would see no benefit from a polish job. Instead I recommend using a weight to insure the same amount of charge all the time. Without the weight when the powder level get lower the charge gets a little lighter.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    Installed a new one today and it is priceless!! Allows you to stop primers from advancing when needed by moving the ramp out of the way. Love It! Got it off ebay.

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  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    WOW you pay that much and have to FIX it ??????
    thats why lee looks so good
    I have one
    i would never have any dillon **** again 10times over priced for junk
    lee has some problems BUT not anything like dillon junk

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by too many things View Post
    WOW you pay that much and have to FIX it ??????
    thats why lee looks so good
    I have one
    i would never have any dillon **** again 10times over priced for junk
    lee has some problems BUT not anything like dillon junk
    Every tool can be improved upon, you even say that the Lee has problems. Why the hate?

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by too many things View Post
    WOW you pay that much and have to FIX it ??????
    thats why lee looks so good
    I have one
    i would never have any dillon **** again 10times over priced for junk
    lee has some problems BUT not anything like dillon junk
    Over the years I have corrected a lot of problems for Dillon owners the ones that cussed Dillon simply because they weren't smart enough to properly set the reloader up themselves. Its easy to cuss a piece of equipment because your not mechanically smart enough to make a few simple adjustments. The Lee is a simple device so simple an idiot can run it.Bottom line is you get the Dillon set up and running and generally if your smart enough to be able to observe the machines operation things don't bend or break and if your not then the ability to produce ammunition is questionable without parts breakage. Some people cannot understand basic setup. Some like jmorris for example can go far above and beyond the normal and some fall somewhere in between. The Dillon is designed to run properly for years but like any machine sooner or later things can get out of adjustment or require a slight little tweek. The main differences between a Dillon and a Lee is price and quality. Long after the Lee has been replaced with another Lee the Dillon is still working cranking out ammunition. But I guess if you can't understand Dillons the best thing to do is knock them.

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master OS OK's Avatar
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    These threads sure turn around on a dime...huh? I didn't see that one coming!

    An old millwright once told me that..."You have to be smarter than the machine your trying to operate...nuff said!" I was using a pinch bar at the time...never forgot that good advice and was never embarrassed again.
    The Lee Boy got butthurt over someone's comment in the past...he'll get over it.
    a m e r i c a n p r a v d a

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    “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” G. Orwell

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by OS OK View Post
    These threads sure turn around on a dime...huh? I didn't see that one coming!

    An old millwright once told me that..."You have to be smarter than the machine your trying to operate...nuff said!" I was using a pinch bar at the time...never forgot that good advice and was never embarrassed again.
    The Lee Boy got butthurt over someone's comment in the past...he'll get over it.
    Back when I was 19 an old set up man told me several things. Don't be afraid to ask how something works if you don't understand it. If it doesn't seem to work right don't force it. You'll never get in trouble for checking on something if you feel it isn't working correctly, making noise, or some other problem. You will however get into trouble for something breaking that you could have avoided that you didn't check. Those things served me well for the years that I was a setup man, a machine operator, and a machinist.

    By the way.. just got done running my 650 and loaded probably 600 rounds. Didn't break a thing or have any malfunctions. I did however cycle the machine several times and I cleaned the case feeding assembly that moves the case into the shell plate. It was dirty and stuck several times so a little cleaning and a light coat of oil and she worked perfectly. Heck I missed my chance to blame the 650 for not feeding the case into the shell plate far enough.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master


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    while not a 650 I really enjoy going to the garage, putting powder in my SDB and just start reloading. Nothing to mess with and everything works.

    I do pull maintanence at the end of the run so it's ready to go for the next time. Never leave powder in it for a number of reasons and always cover it up.

    It is just nice to work with a well designed machine.
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  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master jmorris's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by too many things View Post
    WOW you pay that much and have to FIX it ??????
    thats why lee looks so good
    I have one
    i would never have any dillon **** again 10times over priced for junk
    lee has some problems BUT not anything like dillon junk
    That's pretty funny. To get a Lee to run with a 650 requires some substantial "fixes" as well.

    Last edited by jmorris; 09-24-2017 at 09:49 AM.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    now if only someone will come up with a fix for when .380 ...9mm...and .40 cases get hung on the ejector wire.

    there has to be a way!

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check