Howdy all. been away for some time due to workload (home life and work)

I have moved and compiling 24 years of stuff is overwhelming. My reloading area will be reduced considerably and no time soon.

I have enough ammo to sustain my shooting events for the year and hoping in 2018, I will start to my reloading room

I have 3 Dillon 550 that I need to store till then and they will be in a non climate controlled metal building in the heat of south Texas. I thought about sticking them in plastic bin (whatever wally world has) with some desiccants packs but thought I would ask to see if someone had a better idea for storage.

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if you're gonna be a bear...

I would coat all the bare metal parts with some form of oil, perhaps WD40.

Sounds like a good plan. About the only thing a could add would be a light coat of lube on the moving parts , Rem Oil or one of the dry lubricants like Liquid Wrench RV Dry Lubricant.

My reloading room is not conditioned either, I find the dry lube a good protectant for my reloading tools and bullet moulds that live out there in our Louisiana heat and humidity. It dries to a non greasy film and I get no rust.

If pressed for space, pick up a Lee Hand Press, you can reload just about anywhere with it. I have two and reload in bedroom, den , kitchen table and my office desk...it's ummm handy !

I will apologize those two pathetic puns now...they are bad !

I have a 450 upgraded to a 550b. While I had it stored in the barn (coated in oil and inside an ammo crate) the ram rusted over 90% of the surface. I emery cloth polished all the surface rust off and oiled it. If it is humid at all it rusts while you look at it! When I did the upgrade to 550b, I wish I had either bought a new press or had replaced the ram!

Ivan

I would suggest you call Dillon and ask their recommendation for storage.

Bob

The ram is about the only thing that's going to rust. Cover it with some oil or grease and wipe it off when you pull it out. I'd maybe spray the rest of it with some sort of aerosol oil just for giggles and grins.

I happen to have a 450 of approx 1980 vintage. Have never used it. I found it stored under the shelf in the vault downstairs. It is as new and I lived in Md tween the ocean and the Chesapeake Bay... Humid is the key word. 25 years there and 12 here in Wyoming. The only rust is on the caliber conversion shell plate(blued steel). For a year of so just spray with a light oil..wipe off when you are getting ready to load again. All surely should be OK.

I agree that the most important part that will rust is the ram, but I would think a coat of all purpose grease would be better for long term storage. That will not dry up and disappear and when you get it out of storage you can use something like starter fluid or brake cleaner to wash it off, then oil it up lightly.

There is no way...I repeat no way you can protect them while being unused.Your only solution is to pack them in a good crate and send them over to me.I promise I'll take very good care of them 3 presses as if they'd be mine.
I won't even charge you a penny for the fuss!Like they say:''My pleasure sir!''
Qc

I recommend Boeshield T-9, it was developed by Boeing to protect their tooling that was stored when not being used. (we do have a bit of moisture in the air up here). Pretty good stuff, an aerosol can will last a very long time. I use it to protect the top of my table saw, drill presses, and bandsaw (as well as blades) I haven't been using the woodworking stuff very much lately and the cast iron tops look like new. Here's a link

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Minimize the variables

Yep, just put a thin coat of grease or even motir oil on all exposed steel. Put in a plastic bin with a large dec pack, should be fine.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Haha haha! I guess life was good as I was too lazy to change tops. So I obtained two additional 550s each set up in .38, 9mm and .45acp.

I will probably have to thin my herd as my space will be smaller and I am sure I will have a difficult time changing calibers. I think I remember how to do that.

Thanks for the advice.

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if you're gonna be a bear...

Keep the machines set up..put them on strong mounts and mount that to a board. Just attach the board to the loading bench. Trade 'em off when you need to change calibers. I have 7 presses set up that way. Works good.

Apply a preservative on exposed metal and store in an old pillow case or the like. It will keep dirt and dust off and allow any moisture to evaporate.

As I tell myself often, it's easier to clean off oil and grease than rust. Spray grease or heavy motor oil. Military firearms a hundred years old in cosmoline, are like new when cleaned up.

Kroil on any steel parts.

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Hebrews 9:27

I've used BoeShield here is hot, humid Florida. I would also recommend it.

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Reg. Magnum wants/Rossi wallet

I would coat them with Rig Universal grease and place them in plastic totes with lids. This way they are protected from dust, moisture, vermin etc. Do not wrap them in towels or any other absorbent material.

Coat it with Rig Universal Grease and wrap with heavy duty Saran Type wrap. I'd coat your Dies and small steel parts as well. Find the least humid area and store away. If you have no such good area maybe a friend could store it for you.

At Dillon, we often advise customers in humid areas to coat ferrous metal parts with automotive paste wax. This is a very effective vapor barrier. I'm sure there are spray greases that can do as well. The military used the evil cosmoline as a preservative. Either way, just remember to remove the preservative and relubricate before resuming use.

I have had a constant battle trying to prevent rust on RCBS or Lyman bullet molds since 1976. Three years ago I found something that is 100% effective at preventing rust and is easy to remove for immediate casting.

The secret compound is USED Mobil 1 engine oil. I'm too cheap to use new Mobil 1, and the used oil clings to bare metal better. It does not dry out but remains oily after sitting for 2 years.

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S&WHF 366