Dillon tr1500

[ghideon]

Still fighting with this thing to get it set up correctly. Trimming on station 3 is a little sub optimal for the 650.

Once you screw the trimmer into the size/trim die, there's interference with the tool head pin, and you'll have to unscrew the trimmer to pull the tool head. Getting the vacuum manifold on there with the tool head pin in is questionable. Read somewhere that someone replaced that front pin with a nail in one case.

Station 4 trimming looks a lot easier, but the Lyman M die won't fit underneath the trimmer. Going to try to find a small resizing die to fix the case mouth after trimming.

Also, putting the lock ring for the trimmer on the bottom of the tool head makes life easier.

[Coal Dragger]

I use mine in station 4, and run the neck expander mandrel on the final load tool head. Haven’t stuck a case yet, and the otherwise horrid Hornady one shot has finally proven useful as lube for this operation. No damn good for full length sizing but works for the inside of case necks.

On the lock ring I run one on the top of the tool head and one on the bottom. The RT1500 has considerably more torque and more mass than the old RT1200 and can spin itself loose if not secured well on initial start. You can also hedge your bets by firmly grasping it as you turn it on.

Once set up it simply chews through sizing and trimming duty.

[ghideon]

I use mine in station 4, and run the neck expander mandrel on the final load tool head. Haven’t stuck a case yet, and the otherwise horrid Hornady one shot has finally proven useful as lube for this operation. No damn good for full length sizing but works for the inside of case necks.

On the lock ring I run one on the top of the tool head and one on the bottom. The RT1500 has considerably more torque and more mass than the old RT1200 and can spin itself loose if not secured well on initial start. You can also hedge your bets by firmly grasping it as you turn it on.

Once set up it simply chews through sizing and trimming duty.

Yup, it spun on me tonight at least three times, I freaked out like a little girl thinking it was going to eat the top of the size/trim die. It wasn't a full spin, but it made me respect the amount of torque involved. For that amount of torque, the motor is actually quieter than I thought it would be.

The Dillon wrench is not well suited for this, so I started using a real wrench. Then later I had to use two adjustable wrenches (one on the Dillon trimmer lock nut, and one on the trimmer itself) to get them separated.

When you say you use a top and bottom lock ring, are you referring to the standard reloading die lock rings, and not the 'extra' one that secures the trimmer? I've got a lock ring with a set screw that I'm going to use, at least on the bottom.

If I weren't in CA, I could totally see me using this to make .300 Blackout brass. One day maybe...

[ubet]

Ok. I hate you guys. You’ve talked me into one. Now just to find it in the budget


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ghideon]

Ok. I hate you guys. You’ve talked me into one. Now just to find it in the budget


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

FYI. Dillon's website lists the item as out of stock, with an ETA of 2-6 weeks. I ordered mine on 10AUG, and it had the same out of stock message on the item's description. Shipped two days later, and arrived on 15AUG. Best of luck!

Also, one more thing. While you do have to order a separate trim die, you don't need to order a separate trimmer lock ring:
https://www.dillonprecision.com/rt-1...8_8_25289.html

That lock ring comes in the package that has the exhaust manifold for the shop vac.

[Coal Dragger]

Yup, it spun on me tonight at least three times, I freaked out like a little girl thinking it was going to eat the top of the size/trim die. It wasn't a full spin, but it made me respect the amount of torque involved. For that amount of torque, the motor is actually quieter than I thought it would be.

The Dillon wrench is not well suited for this, so I started using a real wrench. Then later I had to use two adjustable wrenches (one on the Dillon trimmer lock nut, and one on the trimmer itself) to get them separated.

When you say you use a top and bottom lock ring, are you referring to the standard reloading die lock rings, and not the 'extra' one that secures the trimmer? I've got a lock ring with a set screw that I'm going to use, at least on the bottom.

If I weren't in CA, I could totally see me using this to make .300 Blackout brass. One day maybe...

Oops sorry gave you bad info, the standard lock ring on the trimmer to size die is in the position you think it is, never an issue with that one. The size/trim die I use two Dillon lock rings, I tried one up top and one in the bottom. Actually looked at it just now and moved both to the bottom underneath the tool head stacked together. Hasn’t budged, before it would spin the whole trimmer and size die. Which screws up all the work in getting headspace adjusted.

[markm]

Once set up it simply chews through sizing and trimming duty.

What do you do for chamfering and deburring? I ask because the Giraud does that as a part of its trimming cut.

[Coal Dragger]

I don’t bother. I want that nasty lanolin lube off the cases despite Dillon’s claims that it is fine to leave on. So the cases all go back in the wet tumbler with stainless media, which knocks all that flash/burring right off while the cases get cleaned up.

On final load the neck expander mandrel takes care of ensuring consistent neck tension and also knocks any remaining imperfections off the inside diameter of the neck.

I suppose if a case was really really bad I might touch it up by hand, but I have yet to have a case come out of final cleaning that needed it.

I was hand chamfering and then cleaning and realized upon looking at my brass that the SS media made the chamfered surface look different. That’s when I made a trial run of just dumping all the brass in and letting the tumbler take care of an additional step.

No issues so far in a 5.56 NATO chamber sizing brass to the minimum step on a case gauge. A tight match chamber might not get along with the process, but I haven’t tried it in my bolt gun.

[Coal Dragger]

Keep in mind the cutter blade on the Dillon is slightly angled, so the cut is ever so slightly slopes down on the outside edge of the case mouth. Very little flashing or burring is left.

[markm]

Very cool. I normally neck size while the brass is lubed and then dry tumble. I actually wouldn't mind if the giraud left a smaller chamfer in the neck. It's a little aggressive, but it works. I set mine to cut a little over spec length to get a little more neck contact on the bullet.