Why don't dillon dies have lock rings/nuts?

[zanemoseley]

I'm new to reloading and so far have got some pieces from Lee, RCBS, Lyman and Dillon. I got a set of Dillon .45 acp dies to use on my Rock Chucker Supreme. I was tempted to go with the Lee .45 dies as they get great reviews and are much cheaper but I plan to buy a 550b reloader next year and want the Dillon dies on it. To my surprise the Dillon dies have the lock nuts but no locking set screw. Is this because they're meant to be permanently installed in a progressive press? Sure would be nice to have the locking set screw.

[375RUGER]

Your right, the idea is that they install onto the Dillon toolhead and you don't have to mess with them again. If you notice the Lee dies don't have a set screw either.

[zanemoseley]

Yeah I saw the Lee dies use a O-ring to "lock" the nut. All I have from Lee right now is a .452 sizing die which works great.

[r1kk1]

Dillons lock ring are also smaller in diameter. They are 1" if I remember right. I can use two of my favorite lock rings (Forster/Sinclair) and the remaing two are Dillon's.

take care

r1kk1

[jsizemore]

If the dies are on a toolhead and the set screw faces the middle your out of luck. Maybe you could double nut them?

[Garyshome]

Nover needed them on my Dillon, the dies don't get loose.

[Petrol & Powder]

The Dillon dies are intended to be installed on a tool head and left alone. Except for the powder die, you don't need to use Dillon dies on a 550. The tool head has standard 7/8" threaded holes for the dies and most standard dies will fit the Dillon tool head. I've been using a 550 for many years and have an eclectic mix of dies on my Dillon tool heads. Some tool heads have all Dillon dies and some have a mixture of Redding/RCBS/etc., depending on my needs.
Now, that being said, the Dillon dies do work well on a progressive machine and have some features that make them particularly well suited for a progressive press. I think most lock rings will fit Dillon dies but there's limited room on a 550 head, so some lock rings may not be a good fit on the Dillon tool head but it's a non-issue when using the dies in a single stage press.

[Copper75]

I use rcbs lock rings on my Dillon dies that get moved. (I don't have enough 550 shell plates). Put them on my lee dies that I use in my rockchucker too. I don't like the o ring lock rings.

[wrench man]

Other than the RCBS hex nuts (and I don't use the set screws on them) I've thrown all the other lock rings in the parts bucket in favor of the Dillon lock nuts.

[VHoward]

The Dillon die adjust by loosening the lock ring and moving the die up or down. But once adjusted, no need to mess with them. Yes they are meant for progressive presses where you leave them installed.

[David2011]

If you're using a single stage press that will accept 1-1/4"x12 dies (removable bushing to expose the 1-1/4" threads) I highly recommend using the Hornady LnL bushings and adapter. It only takes about 3 seconds to change dies once you've set them up and they maintain their settings perfectly in my experience. Been using them about 6 years. For example, I may only load my 6.5x55 once or twice a year but the sizing and seating depth are always dead on. I have had to make minor adjustments when I change lot numbers of the bullet but try to buy 200-300 at a time to maintain consistency.

If you're using a progressive press, "set the station and rip the knob off." The dies will only have to be adjusted if you change boolits/bullets or start experimenting with shoulder setback and seating depth. IMO, experimenting is the domain of the single stage press. It's too much work to experiment on a progressive.

My 2 cents. . .
David

[too many things]

everything Dillon does is centered on Dillon. I bought a 650 and later found that I would have been better off with 3 lees . But after I found that you can change cal with just a few parts I have it set up now to load 6 cals for only about $30 in parts . only thing major is the shell plate and found them on feebay for about 25% of their cost . The powder measure sucks, the after market deal works very good .

[Cadillo]

I'm new to reloading and so far have got some pieces from Lee, RCBS, Lyman and Dillon. I got a set of Dillon .45 acp dies to use on my Rock Chucker Supreme. I was tempted to go with the Lee .45 dies as they get great reviews and are much cheaper but I plan to buy a 550b reloader next year and want the Dillon dies on it. To my surprise the Dillon dies have the lock nuts but no locking set screw. Is this because they're meant to be permanently installed in a progressive press? Sure would be nice to have the locking set screw.

It would seem that you do not know that any standard 7/8" x 14 thread lock ring will work on the Dillon dies. All dies that I use on my Rock Chucker, regardless of brand have Hornaday lock rings, which I consider to be the best for dies that must be easily screwed in and out frequently with no loss of adjustment and no thread damage. My Dillon presses use the Dillon dies and lock rings, and my Forster press uses Forster lock rings on the Forster or Redding dies that it uses.



Try different types, and settle on the one you like best.

[zanemoseley]

Yup I just fitted some hornady locking rings, loaded my first batch of 45's, they look purdy.