Dillon SL900 Overview | Out of doors Life

Dillon Precision, whereas a family identify in metallic reloading, shouldn’t be as well-known within the shotshell realm. However the Dillon SL900 is as totally succesful as the opposite machines of their lineup, and is gaining better consciousness within the shotgun neighborhood.

Like taking pictures a shotgun, reloading shotshells includes loads of transferring elements working in live performance to attain a desired consequence. The Dillon SL900 is a five-station progressive press that does every thing essential to finish a contemporary shell with every pull of the deal with.

Dillon SL900 Specs

• Out there as a 12-, 20- or 28-gauge loader
• Hundreds as much as 2 ¾-inch shells
• Hundreds No. 6 to No. 9 measurement shot
• Computerized indexing
• Computerized powder charging and priming 
• Adjustable case-activated shot allotting system
• Tilt-out wad information
• Aluminum curler deal with 
• Case-activated powder system
• Heavy obligation O-frame design
• Non-compulsory case feeder accessible
• Interchangeable device head design
• Value: From $1,675

Dillon SL900 Preliminary Setup

The SL900 is user-friendly to get from field to bench, because of Dillon’s step-by-step directions. Even for these amongst us with lower than strong mechanical abilities (that might be me), it’s a comparatively painless course of.  

Mounting the Dillon SL900 to the Bench

The Dillon SL900 comes with a base known as the Robust Mount that’s bolted to the loader after which affixed to the bench or floor. A couple of issues to notice about this course of:

1. Be sure you have a deep nicely socket of the suitable measurement to tighten the ¼ – 20 hex bolts. 
2. Utilizing the Robust Mount, raises the loader by a number of inches. For many, this element could also be immaterial. For my 5 foot stature, I really constructed my bench round a snug person interface peak. In lieu of a regular 36-inch counter, I constructed my bench with a 32-inch floor peak. This allowed me to make use of the mount and be at a snug bodily and visible stage in relationship to the loader. 
3. If you’re trying to shortly swap out loaders, you should utilize T-nuts to facilitate fast and constant loader location modifications. 

Attaching the Case Feed Submit, Shot Submit, and Shot Container

The subsequent step is to put in the case feed put up and the shot put up. These are two metallic parts which might be put in vertically on the left facet of the loader. They’re contoured otherwise from each other and straightforward to inform aside. The diagram for meeting is clear and easy. Ensure that to comply with the order precisely of clamps and washers to permit for correct spacing and alignment. 

The shot container is then positioned on its put up. In contrast to many shot shell reloaders, the Dillon SL900 holds a complete 25-pound bag of shot. This can be a nice profit in terms of element monitoring and storage—no extra partial baggage of shot sitting round to get spilled. You additionally don’t want a funnel to fill the shot container. It’s designed as a hopper that you just simply pour the shot into.

Putting in and Working the Non-compulsory Case Feeder

My overview unit is supplied with the non-compulsory case feeder. Earlier than mounting it to the put up, plug it into an outlet close to your bench and add roughly 10 empty hulls to the hopper. 

Activate the case feeder utilizing the change on the entrance of the unit and manipulate the dial that adjusts the pace of the rotation of the shot shell disc. This offers you a really feel for the unit.

If the pace is simply too quick, hulls will both get caught or flingged throughout the room. However you need it to go quick sufficient in order that it could sustain along with your reloading. 

With the SL900, you possibly can in all probability set the pace to its lowest setting, which is what I did. It’s unlikely you’ll have the ability to outrun the speed at which it feeds hulls into the tube.

The instructions to mount the case feeder are clear and easy. You connect it to its put up, and align the clear case feed tube that transfers hulls from the hopper to the press. 

Putting in the Powder Measure

The powder measure comes pre-assembled and attaches to the powder die. You’ll have to add a pair parts to the measure, such because the powder measure plug and powder bar return rod, however if you happen to learn the instructions rigorously you’ll determine it out. 

Don’t fill the powder measure presently. You do that after the press is totally assembled. 

Wad and Shot Stage Meeting

Station three is the place the wad is seated and the shot disbursed. Just like the powder stage, the shot dispenser is case activated. If there is no such thing as a case current no shot is disbursed. This can be a implausible function your store vac will recognize.

It’s time to raid your elements bag once more. You’ll have to assemble the clear shot tube, the shot dispenser fittings, the 2 e-clips and the 2 tube clamps. With a bit of love and wiggling, this tube creates a twirly slide in your shot cost. To complete this course of, set up the shot bar return rod as instructed and stress accordingly. 

The Ending Touches

You’re on the house stretch! Connect the spent primer cup to its bracket below the machine’s platform. Place your blue Dillon bin (for accomplished enjoyable seeds) off the best facet of the machine. Hook up the completed shell ramp to the sting and, lastly, connect the blue curler deal with. 

Tuning the Dillon SL900

You’ve bolted it down and put it collectively. Now the actual enjoyable begins. Shotshell loading shares some frequent floor with its metal-centric cousins, however there are some particular variations.

Since we’re loading 28-gauge shells every thing is smaller, pickier, and possesses much less wiggle room for error. The wads are slender with lengthy petals that may get simply mis-aligned. Whereas consideration to element is essential in all forms of shotshell loading, it’s particularly vital with sub gauges. Micro changes can have an outsized affect on how the shells come out. 

One of many key variables is element choice. Take powder choice as an example. Powder burn charge and quantity are as essential in shotshell loading as when reloading rifle and pistol ammunition. Although as an alternative of a strong projectile, shotgun shells have a premeasured amount of shot. And, as an alternative of neck stress and seating depth, shot shells have wad strain and wad seating depth.

Selecting a Load 

I had three forms of hulls available, however knew that my ultimate load was going to make use of Winchester AA HS purple hulls. I acknowledged that I’d waste a number of hulls when tuning my powder cost, shot drop, and crimp settings, so I began with some inexperienced Remington STS hulls that have been almost toast and a few Remington Nitro Gold hulls. 

For powder, I went with Hodgdon Longshot. As with metallic loading, the secret’s to discover a powder that takes up the proper quantity and burns on the proper charge to generate optimum strain and velocity. 

I used Winchester HS substitute wads and chosen ¾ oz of No. 8 lead shot for the shot cost. For primers, I used Federal 209s.

Operating the Dillon SL900

Like a well-executed shot, a correctly made shotshell takes loads of items and processes working in concord to attain that lovely, tightly crimped completed product. Let’s discover the levels of the Dillon SL900. 

How Quick Does the Dillon SL900 Run?

Shotshell loading is, on the finish of the day, a quantity recreation. A day on the vary is usually a couple hundred shells, with an empty ammo field and a smile the one remnants of the day. With that in thoughts, what number of shells are you able to load an hour on the Dillon SL900? My comfy tempo is about 400 shells per hour on the 28-gauge platform. I believe that with 12s and 20s, which aren’t as persnickety, my hourly output could be greater. 

Dillon SL900 Station One: Resizing and Decapping

The case feeder is an non-compulsory merchandise on the Dillon SL900, however one I extremely advocate. It robotically locations a hull on the primary stage of the press as you run the press’s deal with.

As talked about earlier, you need to set the pace of the case feeder appropriately. Don’t flip it up too quick. When you do, empty shells could begin flying over your head. Ask me how I do know. 

The sizing die on this stage re-sizes the hull’s brass and knocks the spent primer free, prepping the shell for the subsequent station. 

A Word on Operating the Deal with

When operating the Dillon SL900, or another progressive press, you need to pull the deal with down easily till it reaches the the underside of its vary of movement and return it again in the identical managed method.

The pace with which you run the deal with determines how briskly the shell plate rotates, so watch rigorously. Go too briskly and you may have BBs flying out of your yet-to-be crimped shells. 

On the finish of the up stroke, you will need to push the deal with firmly away from you to finish all of the processes that the machine must execute. 

Dillon SL900 Station Two: Priming and Powder

Through the downstroke of the deal with, concurrently a brand new hull is being deposited on the shell plate and resized, a primer is shipped down the primer drop tube and whisked into the recess below the second stage on the shell plate. The agency ahead push on the high of the deal with cycle seats the newly deposited primer into the de-primed and resized hull. On my unit, the primer drop tube required no adjustment. 

That is the place issues get fascinating. Our pre-set powder cost will get dropped into our newly primed shell on the subsequent downward pull. The primed and powdered hull is rotated into the Station Three slot on the corresponding upstroke. The powder cost is adjusted with easy clockwise or counterclockwise changes on the bolts of the powder measure bar, relying on in order for you kind of deposited. 

Dillon SL900 Station Three: Wad and Shot

On the SL900, the wad information and swing arm meeting handle the location of the wad. On the agency ahead push of the deal with on the high of the stroke, the wad swing arm tilts out, at which level the operator locations a wad within the wad information. 

It sounds easy, however some finesse is required. When you push the wad down too onerous on the spring-loaded sleeve it should get expelled via the underside of the information. When you go too comfortable and don’t seat the wad deep sufficient, the wad gained’t clear the shot drop tube, thus making a multitude. Have your store vac shut at hand till you get this one discovered. 

After the wad is pressed into the primed and powdered hull the shot is deposited with a satisfying “swish” on the down stroke.

Dillon SL900 Stations 4 and 5: Starter Crimp and Ultimate Crimp

One factor I like about this machine is how straightforward it was to regulate the crimp in stations 4 and 5, which you do with the included instruments and commonplace sized wrenches. It makes working with completely different size hulls a lot simpler. 

Station 4 begins the crimp. Station 5 completes the crimp and deposits the now completed shell within the blue bucket on the facet with a pleasant “clunk.” When you hear one thing that seems like a salt-shaker or a waterfall, you probably did one thing mistaken and want to return to the drafting board. 

Dillon SL900 Execs and Cons

Execs:

• Properly engineered
• Solidly constructed
• Environment friendly to function
• Excellent technical and elements assist
• Nice guarantee
• Convertible between gauges, yielding the next worth long run for multi-gauge shoppers
• Easy to assemble
• Runs fantastically as soon as tuned

Cons:

• Difficult for a really non-mechanical, very unskilled individual to tune with out tech assist.
• Expensive preliminary funding
• Doesn’t load shot bigger than No. 6s. 

Ultimate Ideas on the Dillon SL900

The SL900 is made in 12-, 20-, and 28-gauge platforms with conversion kits accessible. In lieu of buying a wholly new loader to load a special gauge, the SL900 is designed to transform from one to a different with minimal effort. I haven’t explored that side presently, so I can’t converse to it personally. 

Let’s discuss what I’ve found to date. First off, the instructions for meeting are fabulous. They’re clear, concise, visually efficient, and fantastically sequenced. As soon as the factor is put collectively and bolted up, it seems like a flowery espresso machine or an azule-hued nonetheless. (My nail woman really waxed poetic about what a reasonably shade my new “espresso maker” was. Personally, I can’t think about consuming sufficient caffeine to justify a bean grinder as massive because the non-compulsory case feeder however, you realize, completely different strokes…)

Dillon SL900 Studying Curve

Getting the SL900 making shootable shells was a harder proposition than placing the factor collectively. The directions, whereas terrific, have been geared towards the 12-gauge model, so all settings wanted to be adjusted accordingly. Moreover, the directions described Winchester AAs, however the check shell Dillon included was a Remington STS. These can differ in size, thus altering the crimp and taper settings. 

Dillon’s Glorious Buyer Help

Whereas the courtship was a bit of rocky with the SL900 as a result of my lack of mechanical acumen, the ethical and technical assist have been past exemplary. Enter, Gary Kieft. Gary is the voice, face, and loader-whisperer extraordinaire for Dillon Precision. Gary patiently responded to my barrage of emailed questions and cellphone calls with the professionalism and aplomb of a skilled therapist. 

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With that blue deal with in hand, it’s issues like feeling the primer seat, watching the shell plate rotate cleanly, seeing the shot fill the ready hull and observing the crimp for consistency. 

There may be artwork, science, and a bit of little bit of magic when the items come collectively in concord on the “pull”—whether or not taking pictures shotshells or reloading them. The Dillon SL900 encapsulates all three components to make making a pile of shells shortly a snap.