CNC Machined 550/650 Toolheads

HomeDillon Press EnhancementsCNC Machined 550/650/750 Toolheads

By Whidden Gunworks

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The Original CNC Toolheads for Dillon 550 & 650 Presses

The toolhead is the final link between your dies and your press so it only makes sense that quality is extremely important. With over $100.00 of dies, powder measure, and other accessories mounted in your toolhead, don't you want to know it's the best available!

Tighter Tolerances
These toolheads are made to the highest standards by Whidden Gunworks. All critical machining is done on one operation, yielding tolerances of 0.0002" on all critical dimensions. This means that all die mounting holes are positioned precisely relative to each other and are exactly perpendicular to the flange. The flange is also flatter than possible with a cast toolhead. The 7/8"-14 die mounting threads are machined to Class 2B tolerance to better mate with the threads on your dies. This results in the dies being more accurately centered in each hole and reduces offset when tightening the die locknut.

6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy
The toolheads are machined from 6061-T6 aluminum alloy. The T6 tempering process yields an ultimate tensile strength of at least 42,000 psi. These toolheads are thinner (0.95″)† but have no voids or cavities on the bottom. The result is a toolhead that is about 50% lighter than a cast toolhead, but also much stronger.
† Being thinner, these toolheads require a spacer when placing the die lock nut on the bottom of the toolhead. Instructions for making you own die lock nut spacers is available in Tips File #22 "Die Lock Nut Spacer".

Toolhead Clamp Kit™ Parts are Pre-installed
These toolheads come with the UniqueTek Toolhead Clamp Kit™ parts pre-installed. The Clamped toolheads mount with Grade 8 alloy screws (that come with the toolhead) instead of the Locator Pins. The major benefit of clamping the toolhead is a significant reduction in Cartridge Overall Length (COL) variation. You can read more details about the benefits of clamped toolheads on the product page for the UniqueTek Toolhead Clamp Kit™.*

Toolhead Prices
• For RL 550 Presses (T1333-5C) = $54.95
• For XL 650 & 750 Presses (T1333-6C) = $62.95

Customer Feedback
"I am delighted with the 650 toolhead and have ordered them previously. Quality and precision are excellent. They are the only toolheads we use. No Dillon's. We also use your powder baffles and look forward to trying more of your innovative products."
Best regards,
Brian S. – Morocco, IN

"I recently purchased a machined tool head with a clamp kit installed for my 550B press. I have the clamp kit components installed on factory cast tool heads, and found the kit to be an excellent addition. Having a machined tool head with the clamp kit installed sounded like something I wanted to try. I bought one tool head to test out, and I am very impressed with the results. I setup the tool head for 9mm loading, and the finished product is some the best ammunition I have loaded to date, and I've been rolling my own since 1958."
"The one thing that has always bugged me is OAL variances of finished cartridge length. Using your tool head with clamp kit has dropped that variance to a very acceptable number. I loaded up 200 rounds, and took a random 20 count sample for measurement. The variance was .001″ for the 20 rounds. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't get any better that that."
"Thanks for offering us reloaders/shooters products that are not gimmicks, but are practical and affordable."
Regards,
— Tim F. – Mineral Wells, TX

"The toolhead arrived yesterday, so I installed it and set it up. This morning I ran off just one box of .45ACP ammo to see how it worked, and the results were excellent. I had almost no powder spilled on the press, better primer seating consistency, and much better OAL consistency. Since there is noticeably less movement in the toolhead, I have convinced myself that the "rhythm" to operate the XL650 has changed and it is a little easier to maintain a steady pace. Please pass along my thanks for a product well made! I am now using the clamped toolhead, the micrometer powder measure, and the powder measure baffle. Good stuff."
Regards,
— Chris O. – Beaverton, OR

Toolhead Clamp Kit is a trademark of UniqueTek, Inc.

Specifications
Material	6061-T6 Aluminum
Tolerance	0.0002" (all critical dimensions)
Thread Tolerance	Class 2B
Thread Size	7/8″-14
Toolhead Thickness	0.95″
Weight	550 = 8.0 oz 650 = 11.5 oz

Features	Benefits
Tighter Dimensional Tolerances	Positions Dies More Accurately
T6061-T6 Aluminum	Lighter but Stronger than Cast Toolheads
Toolhead Clamp Kit (Preinstalled)	For Reduced COL Variation
Floating Dies (Resize & Bullet Seat)	For Reduced Runout

Customer Reviews

Dillon XL650 Clamped ToolheadFirst I would like to start by saying I have made all of the available upgrades to my new XL650 as I could. Most of them from Unique Tech and others from a few online vendors with the same goal in mind and that is to smooth out the operation of the 650. Now on to the issue. I was having serious issues with powder (+/-0.5) and overall length(+/- .009 variation). I called Unique Tech and asked for some help to see if I was doing things properly. I was on the phone with Lee for a quite a while and he was more than helpful and gave me some great ideas for improving my process, however the one thing we both agreed upon was the fact that my tool head was pinned not clamped allowing movement. Which yes that's how Dillon designed it. However I was willing to try the clamped tool head because the "idea" made perfect sense. How can I be consistent with all of that movement. Originally I was trying to throw 5.0 grains of VV N320 but I was getting anywhere between 4.9 to 5.4 grains and my extreme spreads where outrageous which is a scary thing when running a custom 2011 and trying to make power factor at a match or be a consistent shooter. I received the clamped tool head and installed it immediately following the included instructions to the letter. I began to "dial" in the press also dialing in the Unique Tech micro adjust powder bar(which is a must have!!!) and threw about 15 or 20 drops of powder. Once I was getting a consistent 5.0 gr. I then threw 15 straight drops and the final number was 75.2gr. on my digital scale which is an average of 5.013333gr!! Amazing! Then I checked OAL, now I know there is some variation in the bullet making process especially when dealing with hollow points. However, my goal was 1.184in for my .40cal and I was able to adjust the die to consistently get 1.183/1.184 which is +/- 0.001!!! I called Lee back to thank him and he was not surprised. I looked online and read some comments that made the clamped tool head sound like "snake oil" and was worried that it may not be what I needed. That information couldn't be farther from the truth! I have been away and have not been able to check the numbers on my Lab Radar but I'm going to guess they will be much more consistent! VERY VERY PLEASED!!!! Written by Andy on Thu 27 Sep 2018 5:25:56 PM GMT

Clamped tool head (550)I have 14 clamped tool heads now. They are all for rifle cartridges that I reload regularly. The main reason for this is that I found variances in OAL and crimp locations. Going to a clamped tool head has remedied the problem and my OAL variance is now+ or - .001". Using the clamped tool head for my recently added case trimmer resulted in zero variances in case length. Enough said. Now, every tool head will now be a clamped tool head. Just bought 4 more. Written by Ron Crim on Mon 10 Sep 2018 2:31:38 AM GMT

550 running better than everJust received a machined toolhead with the clamping screws. What a difference this makes. It doesn't depend if you are running a single shell through or toolhead is completely full you get less variance in the OAL than the original toolhead. Only using on 9mm at the time but when I start loading more with other calibers will be buying more. Written by Jeff on Mon 21 Aug 2017 11:50:16 AM GMT

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