Gents, looking for advice here.
I've been reloading for over a year, all 9mm. I went ahead and bought the 650 because I figured I end up there anyway. I still consider myself a rookie. It took me a while to get the loads to be consistent - lots of issues with COL, less so with powder charge. I finally got it, though, and I loaded 1200 rounds recently with almost no issues. I do spot checking for quality control about every 15-20 rounds, and I'll still find some COL out of whack. But I'm loading on the low-mid range of powder so I figure if it is a little short, the pressure is still OK. Still not what I was expecting from the Dillon. I'm using Silhouette powder with Berry plated RN 115gr. The range for that powder is rather wide (5.2 - 5.9), which gives me a little leeway as I try to load 5.4-5.5, and in my QC checking I am getting that, except in a couple of instances where it drops to 5.2 or rises to 5.7 - but still good.
I am out of that powder now and I'm looking at changing to whatever I can get (Titegroup at the moment - I have 4 lbs). Problem is, the range for the charge is very small (4.5 - 4.8). With the variances I've experienced, I am afraid to use it. My thought was to get something with a larger range (Accurate 2 or 5) so I have a "cushion", but then I thought - what if it is ME, not the press causing the variances? As you can imagine with all the issues I have I am even more reluctant to change anything to do another caliber, even though I have everything to load 45acp and .223.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid, perhaps not paranoid enough. I've loaded and shot thousands of rounds with only a couple duds (no powder), and no gun explosions. So I've been successful, but just feel it should not be as difficult as it has been to crank out the rounds with less concern, and certainly to change calibers so I can get my money's worth out of the press.
I've been reloading for over a year, all 9mm. I went ahead and bought the 650 because I figured I end up there anyway. I still consider myself a rookie. It took me a while to get the loads to be consistent - lots of issues with COL, less so with powder charge. I finally got it, though, and I loaded 1200 rounds recently with almost no issues. I do spot checking for quality control about every 15-20 rounds, and I'll still find some COL out of whack. But I'm loading on the low-mid range of powder so I figure if it is a little short, the pressure is still OK. Still not what I was expecting from the Dillon. I'm using Silhouette powder with Berry plated RN 115gr. The range for that powder is rather wide (5.2 - 5.9), which gives me a little leeway as I try to load 5.4-5.5, and in my QC checking I am getting that, except in a couple of instances where it drops to 5.2 or rises to 5.7 - but still good.
I am out of that powder now and I'm looking at changing to whatever I can get (Titegroup at the moment - I have 4 lbs). Problem is, the range for the charge is very small (4.5 - 4.8). With the variances I've experienced, I am afraid to use it. My thought was to get something with a larger range (Accurate 2 or 5) so I have a "cushion", but then I thought - what if it is ME, not the press causing the variances? As you can imagine with all the issues I have I am even more reluctant to change anything to do another caliber, even though I have everything to load 45acp and .223.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid, perhaps not paranoid enough. I've loaded and shot thousands of rounds with only a couple duds (no powder), and no gun explosions. So I've been successful, but just feel it should not be as difficult as it has been to crank out the rounds with less concern, and certainly to change calibers so I can get my money's worth out of the press.
