Dillon XL650

[Cowboy1629]

What do you owners of the Dillon XL650 think of the powder check system (part #21044)? I have ran a Dillon RL550B for over 15 years without an issue but I was in control of the shell plate and pay attention to what I'm doing. Do you guys with the 650 think the powder check is a must have since this unit is more automated?

I ordered my XL650 from Brian Enos Monday but when I talked to him about the powder check he thought it was a waste of money. Like I said, in over 15 years of use with my 550 I haven't had an issue but I have never ran a 650 or had an open spot in my tool head for a powder check.

 

[Zimm1001]

Waste of money. The powder charge can be easily visually checked. Many posts on different ways to make it easier to visually check it as well.

 

[42769vette]

i got the powder check system with mine and will still be checking visually. it may not be needed but i figure it cant hurt. i will say this is the first time in my reloading carreer that ive trusted a powder thrower so mabye thats why i want it. the rds out of my dillon will be the first rounds i have not trickle charged

 

[LLDJR]

Bought my 650 from Enos as well @ a month or so back,,, I did not buy it because, I can see visually that there is or isn't powder, if it was able to determine load volume inconsistencies , then that would have been attractive.

 

[Cowboy1629]

Not sure if I will be able to see mine or not since I got the strong mount. My 550 sits on the bench and I can see it just fine but Brian said I should have the handle at shoulder height which mine wasn't so I got the strong mount. I guess I could mount it without the strong mount if it's too tall.

 

[bigcraig]

I passed on the powder check.

 

[j706]

Waste of money IMO. Beside being a un needed item do you really want to trust a electronic device to give you information that is staring you right in the face? Low Primer warning? Yes as it is easier to miss low primers IMO.

 

[msquared]

LOVE the powder check. That is one of the reasons I upgraded. Yes I try to check it manually and I am careful etc. BUT anything that can help keep me from loading a bad round is a good thing. Id ask, WHY NOT?

With everything going on while loading any automated check is worth having.

And it does catch inconsistencies. Mine caught the fact that there was mud in the bottom of a case so it was a tad high, doubt I would have caught that visually. If you dial it in it catches low and high charges. Im not talking 10ths, but it caught a couple grains worth of mud.

 

[Aszerigan]

I have a powder check for EVERY ONE of my caliber conversions. My eyes are good, but its a safety check, and any extra layer of safety is a good one.

Also, I load commercially on XL650's. And it eliminates the possibility of a squib. That's worth every penny of the $67 price tag, in my opinion.

Remember, its not just your own safety that you should be concerned about. Its the guy sitting next to you on the firing line that hopes you didn't miss something too.

 

[Chuck26287]

My father and I are just preparing to set up our new XL650. I wouldn't even set it up without the powder check. It's a safety thing. I plan to be as careful as possible. I plan to visually check things as I go. I know that I'm a very thorough and detailed person. I also know that I'm human. I have in the past been distracted, and I will in the future as well. This is not a device to do something for me, but a device to back me up.

When I was actively flying planes, there was nothing that made me feel better than equipment redundancy, particularly when I knew it could save my health or even my life. That's what the powder check is to me... a redundant set of eyes watching the powder level. Not needed at all if my eyes work right, but still watching if mine fail momentarily.

I'll further illustrate my point with a story from the NTSB where a very experienced pilot did his walk around visual inspection before a takeoff. He completed his checklist, which included a cap-off visual look into each wing fuel tank. He then climbed in, did his preflight checklist, took off, flew for a few minutes, ran out of fuel, and safely crash landed in a field. It was pure repetative task complacency. He looked right into the nearly empty tanks and didn't even notice.

Reloading is extremely repetative. Everything about an XL650 is about faster production. With every increase in production comes a decrease in time to observe. That one-time cost of $68 bought me a lot of peace of mind.

 

[LLDJR]

He completed his checklist, which included a cap-off visual look into each wing fuel tank. He then climbed in, did his preflight checklist, took off, flew for a few minutes, ran out of fuel, and safely crash landed in a field. It was pure repetative task complacency. He looked right into the nearly empty tanks and didn't even notice.

Not trying to be funny, but did the plane have a fuel gauge?

 

[Chuck26287]

Not trying to be funny, but did the plane have a fuel gauge?

I would certainly think so, but it wasn't mentioned. It was just a segment of an NTSB investigation report published to raise awareness of how easy it is to get complacent with things were do over and over. Ironically, you visually check tanks so you don't depend on a fuel guage that might be indicating wrong.

Kind of equates to looking in the case and not noticing it had no powder, then turning off the powder check buzzer because the sound was distracting you from your reloading, doesn't it!

 

[Litlratt]

An inexpensive Lee Universal decapping die works very well as a powder check system. Around $10 I think.

Sorry for the blurry picture.

For rifle, simply loosen the lock ring, turn the decapping pin upside down and use a small o-ring to prevent it from falling through the die body. Make an index mark on the decapping pin for the correct amount of powder.

For pistol, I had some long nails that were app. .2 in diameter and cut them to length. Then turned the head down to a diameter that would fit in the case.

 

[Cowboy1629]

I ended up second guessing myself... Even though I have loaded hundreds of thousands of rounds over the years on my 550 without an issue I thought what the heck, spending this much money on the 650 with all the extras what's a few dollars more for the powder checker.

Press came in Saturday at 16:00. Sat it up pretty quickly between football games. Sunday morning I cranked out 1200 rounds of 45 ACP (FMJ & SWC) a whole lot faster than I ever could have with the 550.

Setup and adjustments are a pain with the 650 compared to the 550 but once you get everything set, let em rip!

Since this press is mounted on the strong mount it is impossible to see the powder level in the 45 case without some type of mirror or standing up so the powder check came in handy.

The new style powder measure/dispenser seems to hold the charge real well but then again I'm comparing it to one that is probably wore out.

Overall I'm happy with the purchase but it will take a while to have the confidence in this press that I have in the 550.

 

[Trickpony]

Powder checker takes up the spot where the bullet feeder goes... Ran a powder checker for a while but decided it was not doing any good, never seen a dillon powder measure fail.

 

[Aszerigan]

Powder checker takes up the spot where the bullet feeder goes... Ran a powder checker for a while but decided it was not doing any good, never seen a dillon powder measure fail.

I have. Especially with extruded rifle powder. Often.

 

[j706]

I have. Especially with extruded rifle powder. Often.

X2!!

 

[DougBarnes101]

I ran one on my 650 when I had if and have one on the 1050. $67.00 (or whatever the cost is now) vs $700.00 to $1,500.00 or up for a new gun - I will take all the help I can get.

 

[Aszerigan]

I ran one on my 650 when I had if and have one on the 1050. $67.00 (or whatever the cost is now) vs $700.00 to $1,500.00 or up for a new gun - I will take all the help I can get.

A little added piece of mind is how I see it.