Other Powder measures on a Dillon?

[jcadwell]

Has anybody ever used another brand powder measure on a Dillon RL550B and retained semi-auto operation? The Dillon powder measures are 65$. The Lee Auto Disk setup is 20$, and the Lee Pro Auto is 31$. If it would be possible to use either and retain automatic powder throwing that would be great...

[Dale53]

I have not actually done it, but offhand I see nothing to prevent using a Lee measure on a Dillon. As a matter of fact, Dillon pays Lee a royalty for use of their powder measure technology on every powder measure that Dillon sells.

FWIW
Dale53

[David R]

Why use a LEE when you have the best? I have a spare Dillion, but its manual. Still far better than the LEE.

David

[Swagerman]

I have nothing against the Dillon PM, in fact, using an old RL 450 manual push knob model in my C-H 4-die station pistol press.

I have a Dillon 550-B and an upgraded automated RL-450 presses. The 550-B has an RCBS Uniflow powder measure stacked on a Hornady automatic case-activated powder drop system that is really neat.

The RL-450 has a Hornady Powder measure with the case-activated powder drop system.

Both of these work extremely well for me.

So, it don't have to be a Dillon PM, unless you want it to be.

Jim

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/P5250005750Xrtpcropped550B.jpg

[garandsrus]

Here's a link to a thread that talks about what is required to add a different powder measure...

http://www.jouster.com/cgi-bin/reload/reload.pl?noframes;read=13431

John

[shootingbuff]

[QUOTE=Swagerman;110616]I have nothing against the Dillon PM, in fact, using an old RL 450 manual push knob model in my C-H 4-die station pistol press.

I have a Dillon 550-B and an upgraded automated RL-450 presses. The 550-B has an RCBS Uniflow powder measure stacked on a Hornady automatic case-activated powder drop system that is really neat.

The RL-450 has a Hornady Powder measure with the case-activated powder drop system.

QUOTE]

Great, more ideas to play in my head with :-D

Thanks,

sb

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

The 550-B has an RCBS Uniflow powder measure stacked on a Hornady automatic case-activated powder drop system that is really neat.

The RL-450 has a Hornady Powder measure with the case-activated powder drop system.

Both of these work extremely well for me.

So, it don't have to be a Dillon PM, unless you want it to be.

As Jim suggest here, both of these powder measures would be excellent solutions to your problems. I have the Hornady LnL progressive and the LnL PM is an excellent powder measure as well as being extremely easy to set up. The Uniflow is about the same thing and I hear it works just as well.

As far as the Lee goes, I absolutely totally disagree with David R. Another buddy of mine uses the Lee Pro Auto Disk and Perfect Powder measures. He gets great results with both and his bench is clean enough to eat off of. I'm speaking of rbstern that posts on this website. I've been impressed enough with his setup I have plans of adding a Lee Classic Turret to my current setup. With, of course, the Pro Auto Disk. This will be my "smaller run" setup, saving my LnL for high production cartridges like 30.06 and .45ACP.

I think you'll be happy with either of these setups, regardless of which you choose. Just take the time to ask and make yourself aware of the limitations any brand of and type of measure has. Some are better are certain types of powder than they are others. Choose the one based on your needs.

BTW, you can automate the Lee Pro Auto Disk fairly easily (comes with everything you need) on your Dillon press. The Perfect Powder measure may take a bit more work I'm suspecting, based on how it's reset.

Hope this helps,

Dave

[Swagerman]

Here is a picture of both Dillons, the RL-450 with the Hornady PM and case-activated powder drop system is the blue painted Hornady unit. Forgive me, Hornady.

The Hornady case-activated powder drop systems will allow just about any powder measure that has a side arm attachment screw holes, like RCBS, Hornady, maybe the Redding line...but not sure there.

It would work great on the new Lee Classic turret press as well.


Jim

PS The picture and snow outside is from last years winter, we have yet to get snow this year.


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/P5250005750Xrtp.jpg

[No_1]

Very nice setup. I guess you could say I am "green" with envy.

Robert

[jcadwell]

I'm interested in other powder measures because the Dillons are expensive. Most of the other solutions are looking expensive too. The Pro Auto Disk is attractive because it is half the price of any other option. I reload enough different calibers to want more measures on my toolheads...

Thanks for the pictures of the setups. Most appeciated.

[hpdrifter]

My Pro Auto Disc rocks. I have just about quit trial weighing. It's always, ALWAYS, within ~.2 grain of set point, most of the time....exact.

I used to adjust and weight every round for the first 10 or so, then every five, now it's ?????

I do run a powder checker tho.

[georgeld]

I've got an old RL 450 set up with .45 acp and a Lee not quite Perfect and it get's going just fine. Had to rig up a heavy wire for a connecting arm at first though.
Trouble is, I seldom load these shells, and that's the only caliber set up I have for the dillon so far.

As for the Lee Perfect measure, I've got five of them and everyone is just about as perfect as they can be when it come's to throwing the same charge everytime once they are adjusted right. Long as a courser powder is used. When running a fine grained powder like H110, or AA2200, they bind up and leak. But, that's the only problems I've had with them in over 15 yrs use. They are cheap enough to have one for each powder and or charge wt to keep from having to adjust them for everything.

I also have a disk type Lee for pistols and run Red Dot thru it without any problems at all, or leakage either. The only time that throws a bad charge is if I short stroke it and don't let it fill the cavity up. But, that's my fault, not the equipments.

Until Sept '05 when I crippled up my back I was loading and shooting over a thousand rounds a week of various pistol ammo with these so they've got a whole lot of use over the years.

For the amount of equipment on the bench, that's about as neat as I've seen. Nice job setting it up.

[Swagerman]

My picture clarity is pretty poor, here is a better camera of the same scene.

Jim


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/100_0118cropped650X.jpg

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Swagerman,

That looks suspiciously like Hornady, RCBS, Lee and Lyman equipment on the same bench with a Dillon. You better watch out, people will think you're easy and you'll fool around with anybody. (grin)

Have you seen any accuracy differences between the RCBS and Hornady units? Which do you like better? I've always suspected they were real close performance wise.

[Swagerman]

Show me a reloader that doesn't fool around with everyones product at least once in awhile. Grinn

I've never been closed minded when it comes to reloading...I like to use what works well for me.

jacadwel, the powder measure has to have the throw lever arm on the side of the steel rotor powder drum. The Lee plastic stuff can't cut the mustard when using a Hornady case-activated powder drop system, it don't have the 7/8X14 threads.

Jim

[Bubba w/a 45/70]

That Hornady measurer activator kit looks like it is much more complicated than need be. My RCBS activator is much simpler and still works without fault on my old 4x4 press.http://www.rcbs.com/images/updates/Linkage-Kit.jpg

And it is case activated just like the Hornady....

[Swagerman]

How much does the RCBS case-activated dispenser sell for.

The Hornady is around $55.

I heard a long time ago that RCBS made a deal with Hornady so they could make those units.

Wish we had a close up on one.

Jim

[Bubba w/a 45/70]

On Midway, the RCBS version sells for about $60.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=802477


And I'd gladly put up a pic of mine if I had a digi camera....

[Firebird]

My understanding was that Hornady designed the linkage, and RCBS got to use the design if Hornady could get a real good price on the Uniflow powder measures. So both companies supply the RCBS Uniflow measure with the Hornady activation linkage for their progessive presses. The Midway RCBS linkage picture shows everything put together, and the Hornady linkage picture shows just the linkage disassembled into the individual parts; including the extra pieces to adapt to long & short cases.

RCBS
http://www.midwayusa.com/mediasvr.dll/highresimage?saleitemid=802477

Hornady
http://www.midwayusa.com/mediasvr.dll/highresimage?saleitemid=591344

[Bubba w/a 45/70]

Just looking at the pics of the Horn. version, the linkages of the two are not the same. They work in the same way (activated when case is pushed into the mouth of "die" body) but the actual linkage arms are not in same places, nor do they look the same. Ditto for the internal parts to adjust the activation for different case lengths.

Judging from the pics above, the linkage on the Horn. version is much more "excessive" on the size/area required as compared to the RCBS version. RCBS is much more streamlined.

The principle is the same, just achieved with different activation arms and location of activation arms.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Gentlemen,

The RCBS version is Hornady's original case activated powder drop and while it appears different, they are the same. Check with Bob in Hornady technical support. He'll tell you. They've been selling that case activated powder drop to RCBS for a while.

Hornady has two version out of their case activated powder drop. Both work well, but the newer version has the ability to take powder through case expanders for pistol. This is the reason they changed the design slightly, because the older design won't work right with the powder through expanders.

Dave

[Swagerman]

Yes, they appear to be one in the same, but have different spring system.

At one time I had changed the one big spring to two and four shorter springs, and it still worked.

However, the one big spring seems to work best.

Jim

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Jim,

I believe the one big spring is the original design. It's the one that came with my early (Pre serial #7000) LNL I have. Works really well.

Dave

[jcadwell]

Well, I bought an Auto-Disk powder measure, and got it to work great on my Dillon 550. All I had to do was thread the Dillon Powder die inside for 5/8-18 threads, and screw the Auto-Disk on. Then I slowly ground off the dispensing tube of the Auto-Disk until it gave me the throw I wanted. I use the Dillon Conversion Kit, and have a 20$ powder measure that I can leave on the toolhead. Seems to work well. It threw 25 charges in a row that were identical on my scale, and isn't leaking yet.

Thanks for the encouragement and ideas. Time to order another one for my other pistol cal.

[Willbird]

A minor point, as I recall Dillon and Lee traded use of patents, Lee is allowed to use a Dillon patent, and Dillon is allowed to use the Lee patent (if it is still valid) on case activated powder dropping. The Lee patent should be pretty old by now.

Bill