Dillon Square Deal B for .32

[Bill Poole]

I got the .32 conversion including the xtra small charge bar.

Loading about 1.3gr of VVN310.

I noticed a very few "squib" loads. ( 6 ring at 6:00!) so I started pulling the case out after the powder drop and found that about 2 rounds in 50 would have 0.4 gr or so instead of 1.3gr (and the next one would NOT have 2gr, so its not hanging up in the die as sometimes happens with stick powder).

Its a REAL PAIN to weigh pistol charges when trying to load on a progressive. So I'd like to resolve the problem.

it appears to be in the powder measure system, which I believe is common across the Dillon product line.

I figured I'd ask here before carrying it into the store, although there is probable no one on targettalk who lives closer to Dillon than I do, if Dillon is open, I'm either at work or at the range usually.

Also, .32 is very specialized and someone here may have identified and resolved the problem and understand it better than the guys in the store.

is 1.3gr a common load? it sure shoots good.

Poole
http://arizona.rifleshooting.com/

[Fortitudo Dei]

To go off on a slight tangent...
I've been reloading my .32's on an old single stage RCBS press using Lee .32 carbide dies. They seem to be a great die for .32 and the having the powder-through / expander die together is excellent. I have been toying with getting a progressive press for some time, but almost everyone I know has had problems trying to load .32 on a progressive. The main problem seems to be that so many charge bars just aren’t happy about throwing such small measures (I load 1.5 grains of Winchester Super Target). A press which will happily throw 4 or 5 grains for .45 ACP can be a pain when it comes to the tiny amounts in comparison for .32. I use the little powder dipper that comes with Lee dies with a little blob of blue-tack in the bottom as filler and it consistently throws 1.5 grains.
All of the cursing and swearing I've heard from people firing squib loads of .32 that they have reloaded on their progressives has put me off. As such I am thinking about a compromise solution which is Lee's semi-progressive auto-indexing turret press with 4 station holes so I can use a separate crimp die. If anyone has used this to reload .32, I would be interested in their opinion.

[Jimmy B.]

Hi Fortitudo,
If I understand you correctly, you plan on using the Lee semi progressive in conjunction with the dipper? If so, may I offer another suggestion? Try the Dillon AT 500. This is the RL 550, a manual index 4 station press, but without the powder system or auto primer. It is upgradeable to the RL 550 specs, if you wish, in the future. In the mean time, it has a powder funnel built into the expander die so you can pour in your dipped powder load. It is a MUCH higher quality press than the Lee.
As for the original question, Bill, if you don't mind me saying so I find the Square Deal press to be much rougher and stiffer in operation than the other Dillon presses. Depending on how securely it is mounted, it is possible these factors may contribute to an instability in operation leading to erratic powder measure operation. If you are already using the x-small bar, the problem should not be inherent to the powder measure per se. Afew people I know successfully load the 32 on Dillon 550s or 650s. I'd check the mounting first. If that's OK, ask Dillon. I had a problem with a brand new powder measure from them once and it turned out the erratic charges were caused by an error in the thickness of the bar. They knew about this, had thought all the units affected had been accounted for, fessed up to the problem, and replaced the part in Dillon's awesome customer support tradition. Might be worth investigating?
Maybe a different powder is in order? A ball powder or something else maybe a better choice? One does hate to give up on an otherwise good load.

[Rob]

I use IMR PB only because of its small powder size. My therory is that it meters better in my Dillon with the small metering bar. I use to use Trap 100 which was even finer grain than PB but thats been discontinued for years. Trap 100 burned very dirty compared to PB. I have a SP and an HP Pardini. I can sandbag my SP as a referance gun and score 100,7-8x's at the 50yd. NRA target. MY HP will only hold the 10 ring at 50 yards. It needs the entire 10 ring on a calm day. Add any amount of wind and my realistic average drops to 96. Pull out the SP and I start putting them back in the x- ring. I do ocasionally hear shots fired from my wifes 280 that don't sound as sharp as the others, but never noticed a "drop" in the shot or a malfunction. The Hammerli needs a stouter load than the HP to function the slide. SO i can't explain the sound differance I hear maybe 1 in every 100 shots. The Speer book lists the powder range of PB at 1.5 and 1.7. The Hammerli needs the upper end of the scale to work the bolt, were it seems to beat up the Pardini at that load. BTW, last night we shot a 2700, indoors at Falls township, PA and when we got there and opened the trunk my wife forgot to put her guns in the car! Thats something that I would do. Oh well.

[Lee Jr]

I load 32 S&W LWC on a Dillon 550B, but I use the Lee Deluxe Auto Disk powder measure with great success (with the Micro Disk kit for smaller charges). In fact, I prefer the Auto Disk powder measure for almost all my reloading. Obviously, you are stuck with the various cavity sizes offered, but I've not found this to be a problem. In my experience, the Auto Disk throws very consistent charges (I also shoot Cowboy Action, so I do quite a bit of reloading!), and setup is quick. By the way, the 32 S&W load I use is 1.8 gr of HP38, behind the Hornady 90 gr swaged lead HBWC. The only trouble I've had is with the Lee Dies I use for 32 S&W; the sizing die tends to catch the edge of the case and occasionally smash it, so I would recommend a different brand of dies.

[Fred]

Rob wrote:
The Hammerli needs the upper end of the scale to work the bolt, were it seems to beat up the Pardini at that load.

Rob,
Are you aware that there are 2 quite different recoil springs available for the 280? They come with the stronger spring (actually a double spring) basically set up for Lapua, a fairly hot ammo. You can get a lighter (single) spring from Larry Carter, which will work well with ammo like Fiocchi, which is quite mild. HTH.

Fred

[L Barton]

I reload the 32 S&W using 1.6 WST and a 98 Grain H&N bullet. I have a 450 Dillon Reloader which is the same reloader as the 550 with out the auto primer or the autopowder. The powder bar I use is I beleave the large one and I have to be just off the bottom of the adjustment but it will reach 1.5 grains with this powder. The load works very well out of my Pardini HP and I've not experianced any squib loads. Although ,I am very deliberate while reloading and make a point to look into every case to verify powder charge with a permanatlly mounted bright light. Hope this helps.

[Rob]

Thanks Fred, I did'nt know there were two different springs for the 280. As soon as she shoots up the ammo loaded for it I'll change the spring and have a common load for the HP and the 280. Thanks again

[.32 S&W gunner]

I load the bulk of my practice ammo in .32 S&W on my lovely Dillon 650. I have tried different powder measures. The Dillon seems to throw uniform charges when the extra small slide bar is installed. However, when I used the new model of the Dillon powder measure I got uneven charges. The new model incorporates a rather violent "slamming" effect, intended to release any stuck powder in the funnel at each loading. The action of this "slamming" is a bit violent, it seems ,for the ultralight .32 charges. I now only use the older model of the Dillon powdermeasure. For safety i weight the charge at about every 20 shots or so. They do not vary more than 1/10th of a grain usually.
(By the Dillon powdermeassure, be sure to fix the nut ( on the left hand side) of the throughgoing bolt with thread-locking selaant. This nut is prone to loosen, which will then after several hundred rounds start to let the drive pass by the powderbar, thus charging no powder at all).

The VV310 is a very fast powder, but your 1,3 gns charge is a very soft one. 1,35 gns behind a 98 wc was about the weakest that vould operate a semiautomatic target gun.
The Rotweil 801 is a little slower, and so is the Tubal As. I usually use the two latter. The useful charges with these powders are in the 1,45 - 1,6 gns ballpark behing a 90 - 98 gns WC.
the Vithavouri (VV) powders have grown offendingly expensive. The shooting public in my country are now turning to the french Tubal powders. The experiences from using the Tubal powders in pistol/revolver loading are very promising.

[top end]

"As such I am thinking about a compromise solution which is Lee's semi-progressive auto-indexing turret press with 4 station holes so I can use a separate crimp die. If anyone has used this to reload .32, I would be interested in their opinion."

I did exactly this, and also mounted a redding powder thrower to the powder though die, which is operated by hand. The powder thrower with the pistol adapter is infinitely adjustable, and has no problem throwing 1.5 gns of WST + or - 0.05. This speeds up the operation considerably.

I found that the taper crimp die is a not really necessary when using Lee seating dies as they have a modified taper crimp in them. It just saves another pull of the handle.

These Lee presses are cheap and not strongly built ( in comparism to other major brands) but they dont have to be - it is only a .32 you are loading. Accuracy from this set up is very good.



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[dsingh]

I also found the small powder bar to give inconsistent results with large flake powers. However, all fast powders need to be flaky so that they provide a large surface area for ignition. The ball powders are typically slower.

I took the intermediate powder bar ( the one with the triangle edge slot ) and ground out the inside bar edges so that it is also somewhat triangular. This lets it slide further in and it can be used to meter small loads. I have successfully used 1.14grn bullseye with 98 grn lapua in my SP. It cycles sloowwwly but its too cool to shoot in timed and rapid.

Below is a crude line art representation of the powder bar. the '0' is the small charge of powder at the very tip of the bar. It is important to note that this bar allows for a triangular cavity that will allow powder flakes to fall into easily. The orginal small powder bar from Dillon will clog if the width of the powder cavity is close or lesser than the dia of the largest powder flake you use.

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[JohnK]

Bill,
I have loaded a few thousand rounds for my Unique .32 on a 550B with good success. If the powder measures are common make sure your "fail safe rod" operates fully with some authority. This is regulated by the wingnut that controls the little return spring. If this "fail safe rod" doesn't operate in a positive manner I believe you can have short stroking of the powder slide. A good test would be to operate the press dry, without powder, primers or bullets, and cylce the press as though you were loading rounds allowing the cases to progress through the stations. Pay special attention to the cycling of the powder bar. It shouldn't take long for you to identify the problem if this is it.
Good luck!
JLK

[JohnK]

Bill,
One other thing...
I am loading the exact same powder and charge you are.
JLK

[Bill Poole]

After posting, I went into Dillon's with the measure and the guy explained the short stroking problem to me... so I changed my cadence to hold for a second at the top of the stroke and physically look at the powder bar.... I have not yet seen a squib load, but have only shot a fraction of the rounds I loaded.

Poole
http://arizona.rifleshooting.com/