That's right. I hate my new Dillon 650. Why?

Well, I get home from the USPSA match tonight, and I'm in a gun mood. I'm in that mood where you've been prepping brass all day, then go shooting, have dinner and a brewskie with the guys afterwards, and you just want to keep the gun thing goin. I wanted to load all night.

I get less than 100 rounds in, I'm excited that I might get rid of all my 231 powder tonight (I don't like that powder) and the case feeder starts spinning. I'm out of brass. At least clean, sorted brass. I am not in an all night brass sorting mood.

So that's reason number one I hate the Dillon. It runs me out of brass too quick. All I have ready to go is a ton of .223 I swaged the primer pockets on today. I am also not in a caliber change mood.

Reason number two is, it runs me out of everything else.

In 2 years of reloading, I've bought 2lbs of powder, 2,000 primers (half small rifle, half small pistol) and 2,300 bullets (half .40 and half .223) and never come close to running out of anything. Then I got the Dillon. In 3 days, I've bought 4,000 more primers, I've gone through half of my .40 bullets, almost all of my pistol powder, and I can see the end of my brass.

They say a nice reloader like a Dillon 650 saves you money. That's bulls___. That press is a one armed bandit. This damn thing is going to run me into the poorhouse just to keep pulling the lever.

I am so laughing at you.

In a good way.  

Really.

You have now become a true reloader.



A responsible shooter reloads his brass, to stretch his shooting dollars.

A reloader shoots all his ammo to generate more brass to reload.


You have come far, Padiwan.









(I am also jealous.)

That's reason number 3 to hate the Dillon. It actually has me considering stealing brass from the range (they made the mistake of showing me how much brass they have in the back, waiting to be sorted and sold) and looking at DOD auctions for brass by the ton.

Just go to the range when only the NCOIC is there, give him a 6 Pack and ask nicely if you can just dip a bag into the pile and grab some brass so you can reload it.  He'll let you.  Then you come back every month for another dip, with another 6 pack.  Every time, the bag is slightly larger..

Just go to the range when only the NCOIC is there, give him a 6 Pack and ask nicely if you can just dip a bag into the pile and grab some brass so you can reload it.  He'll let you.  Then you come back every month for another dip, with another 6 pack.  Every time, the bag is slightly larger..

I tried that. Last time I went to qualify on the M9, I saw the brass we generated just qualifying, and the box we were dumping it in. I offered the NCIOC $50 for the box of mixed 9mm and 5.56. He declined.

I'm a brass scrounge.  Almost every time I go to the range, I time it so I'm there shortly before public closing time.  Then I tell the RMs I'll sweep up.  Which I do after they leave.  Our range has a rule that if it's on the ground, it's fair game.  Once it goes in the bucket, it belongs to the club.

Same at the ranges I frequent. Tonight after the USPSA match, I scooped up about half of the brass. Luckily, all of the guys were shooting 9mm and .40, so I made out pretty good. Haven't even taken it out of the bag yet, but there's a couple lbs there.

Once I get it all sorted, it'll last me an hour or two on the Dillon.

I usually say nice things to my machines, because I believe machines have personalities. I talk to my truck on long road trips, I talk to my guns, I talk to the airplane...a lot, etc. I never speak bad about them when they're in ear shot, because I think machines are vengeful creatures.

I'm talking straight up s___ to my Dillon.

I don't like how the range keeps it and still charges lame fees to shoot there when the place is mediocre at best.  It's not like it's putting money into keeping up a nice avant garde facility. But cest la vie, I guess.

The RO's are taking it. Either loading it themselves or selling it. I bet the range doesn't see any of it.

I do most of my shooting at the indoor range 5 minutes from my house. They're my favorite FFL, I shoot with the owner and I drink with the manager (owner's son) and most of the of the guys that work there. We have a good relationship. They keep whatever brass is left at the end of the day, sort, clean and sell it.

The outdoor range is owned by the city. I pay $35 a year for membership, so it's worth it for 5-6 times a year I use it. I'm pretty certain that one or two RO's are taking all the brass. They don't have a brass can for people to dump in. Just leave it on the ground and someone will pick it up. I sweep up everything for two or three benches to either side of what I'm using. The only thing you see on the ground at the end of the day is rusted steel cases.

Once I find some powder I like, I'll do that. Till then, it's 1-pounders. I'm already buying primers by the 1,000, and I'm trying not to buy brass. Either free brass or buying and shooting factory ammo.

Seems to me that you got a pretty good deal with your FFL relationship and your range membership.

I've easily spent over $35 on range fees alone this year, for example.  Sounds like you have it good--even if you don't shoot the long guns that much.

$185 a year for unlimited access to indoor and outdoor ranges. I use them enough to make that worth it.