In Memoriam: Mike Dillon

by
posted on February 9, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
dillion.jpg

Mike Dillon, a former member of the NRA Board of Directors and a giant of the ammunition reloading industry, passed away Nov. 7, 2016, in Arizona. He was 81 years old.

Dillon started reloading as a hobby, initially seeking to produce only enough ammunition to keep his own firearms fed. But in 1979 he founded Dillon Precision Products and began manufacturing reloading equipment and shooting accessories from the family garage. By selling directly to his customers instead of through distributors, and due to his willingness to stand by his company’s products with a lifetime warranty, Dillon quickly established a fiercely loyal customer base. That allowed his firm to grow rapidly into a major player within its industry.

In October 1990, Dillon also started publishing The Blue Press, a catalog/magazine with an emphasis on reloading and competitive shooting, which is still in production today. Around that same time another of Dillon’s business ventures, Dillon Aero, started work to redesign the U.S. military’s M134 Minigun, eventually successfully achieving adoption by the armed forces.

Dillon served as an NRA Director from 1993 to 1996, and sat on the Collegiate Programs, Membership, Public Affairs and Finance committees. An NRA Life member, during his tenure with the association he was particularly active in, and passionate about, efforts to increase membership, educate new shooters and combat political assaults against the Second Amendment.

“I feel that we are now at a ‘do or die’ point in the life of the NRA. I have enough historical hindsight to see that others have felt that way in the past; however, I don’t believe that the forces arrayed against us have ever been as powerful as they are now,” he once said. “The one-two punch of Hollywood’s violent television shows and movies, combined with the liberal left’s anti-gun messages, are having a telling effect on the public’s attitude towards gun ownership. Only a strong and well-financed NRA is positioned to oppose this juggernaut.”

Affiliated with the National Reloading Manufacturers Ass’n and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Dillon was also a founding member of the Cactus Combat League in his home state of Arizona, a competitive shooting group dedicated to USPSA, 3-Gun and Steel Challenge matches.

In addition to his work within the firearm industry, Dillon was an avid aviator. Prior to his transition into the reloading business, he had worked as a flight instructor, a crop duster, a commercial pilot for Trans World Airlines from 1966 to 1980, and a writer for Air Progress magazine from 1967 until 1974. Dillon was also a member of the Experimental Aircraft Ass’n, the EAA’s Warbirds of America, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Ass’n and the T-34 Ass’n, and had restored several dilapidated aircraft back into working order.

Dillon is survived by his wife, Carol; their three children, Stephen, Christopher and Stephanie; and nine grandchildren.

Latest

springfield armory kuna
springfield armory kuna

Springfield Kuna: A PDW For The Masses

Small, yet fierce, the namesake of Springfield Armory’s latest large-format pistol is a revered forest dweller in the land of its Croatian manufacturing partner, HS Produkt. The new Kuna is poised to be just as welcome in America.

The Armed Citizen® June 30, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Book Review: Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers Of Elisha Collier & Artemas Wheeler

The result of a decade of research, Clockwork Basilisk is a comprehensive, two-volume history of the rare revolvers that preceded the development of the well-known Colt guns of the 1830s.

Preview: 1791 Gunleather Cobra Gun Belt 01

Employing the same rugged and rigid 0.25"-thick American steerhide as 1791 Gunleather’s original Gun Belt 01, the new Cobra Gun Belt 01 offers enhanced ease of use by taking advantage of a high-strength Cobra quick-latch/release buckle.

NRA CEO Hamlin and President Bachenberg Hold First Virtual Townhall

In the interests of transparency, NRA CEO and EVP Doug Hamlin and NRA President Bill Bachenberg held a live Townhall event, where both answered direct questions from NRA members.

Benelli Adds New 28-Gauge Models to Super Black Eagle 3 Line

Benelli initially introduced the 28-ga. chambering to its Super Black Eagle 3 line in 2022, but this year, the company added three new models tailored specifically to hunters.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.