Again with my 650...
- Thread starter peter2772000
- Start date
Exactly what I was thinking, the only brass that needs lube in carbide pistol dies is 500 S&W, RCBS recommends that every 10th case be lubed. 44 mag should not need lube though it is a tougher push into the die than a 9mm or 45 ACP for sure. Forget the Lee Pro Slow 1000 unless you have lots of money for ruined primers.
My Lee sizing die is a POS!
In my fifty years of reloading not one Lee product I have tried has been satisfactory. NOT ONE!
From bullet moulds to reloading dies they have all been a POS.
This year I bought an undersize FL die in .38 super to load for a friends' gun that has a very tight match chamber. How bad could that be? When I backed off the collet that holds the decapping pin the collet stripped the threads out of the die body. What a POS! A US$28.00 POS. I understand most of their stuff is made in China. It shows. It is expensive junk.
The bitter taste of poor quality lasts a lot longer than the pleasure of a low price.
You will never regret buying quality be it from Dillon, Hornady, Lyman, Redding, Ponsness Warren, MEC, etc. You get what you pay for.
The Lyman 310 nutcracker tool I started with in .22 hornet was a far better outfit than anything I have seen from Lee.
Just my humble opinion from many years of experience.
Lee-haters. A predictable bunch.
For the OP, it might be worthwhile borrowing a carbide die from someone and seeing if that's the issue. If not, it's almost certainly something odd on the brass.
.44 mag is a straight-walled cartridge so, big or not, it shouldn't be that hard to size.
For the OP, it might be worthwhile borrowing a carbide die from someone and seeing if that's the issue. If not, it's almost certainly something odd on the brass.
.44 mag is a straight-walled cartridge so, big or not, it shouldn't be that hard to size.
peter2772000
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
OMG
There is a problem with a dillon press. It can't be! If you need to borrow my Lee Pro 1000 just let me know
Why am I detecting sarcasm
You think?
I may very well give that a try. The brass was, however, tumbled with the same corn media I always used. The same tumbled batch has been in my case feeder for a month. The 1st coupla hundred of tumbled cases from the feeder gave me no grief.
Again, I may just try that. Thanks!
I never never lubed case with a carbide die and my Dillon has more than 100000 , yes you read right 100000 rounds through it !! The problem is probably with the brass..you purchased brass that could have been shot in an oversize chamber and expanded too much. Check the brass also for the proper headstamp...it really .44 mag ? The brass is the only thing you changed..and the 650 worked fine before... so ?????
Have you centered your sizing die when you adjusted your set up ??. You should also make sure the decapping pin is not bend now and is centered with the flash hole. Check this with good brass. If you do not know how to center your die...read the instruction or ask here.
Two use two hands on a press and then claim warranty for user abuse is definitely not honest. You break it you should BUY your parts ! Stop blaming the equipment - no matter the brand - look at the operator in front of the press in this case....(the issue is with you ...probably AGAIN !!)
Merry Chrismass anyway and if you do not like your 650... make a poor reloader happy somewhere !!!
Well Janeau, I dunno where to begin. You seem pretty sure I'm the root of all things evil in relation to Dillon. Regardless of your apparent issues with me (why don't you have a beer on me and chill, huh?
), I think you may be right about one thing. My new brass was a charm to load. My used brass came from a few different sources. It is possible that some of the brass was fired from fat chambers. So it may very well be the issue here.My decapper pin is straight. I didn't know you could "center" the die, so I will look thru the instruction maual (yet again) to see where this procedure is outlined.
I bought it from the states and picked it up from Plattsburgh. Big mistake. I shoulda bought it locally from a dealer, at which point I woulda been able to simply return whatever parts were defective and pick up replacements rather than have to wait for them to come thru the mail. Live'n learn!
Guys, I know that Dillon's got a great reputation. Which is why I bought one. And customer service has been good to date, they've sent me (darn quickly, I might add) replacement parts in the past for things such as incorrectly-machined shellplates and replacement shellplate springs (which still pop outta place depending on the calibre). I'm not saying that Dillon is a piece of crap. But I know what I've experienced. AND, I'm mechanically inclined. I rebuilt my 1st engine at age 15, have been an HVAC tech for over 30 yrs and recently stuffed a big block into my mini van. I'm not completely useless.
Anyways, I will now get on the horn with Dillon to ask for their input as well as order parts. Now that I have quite a few valid suggestions from you all as to what could possibly be the problem, maybe I can figure this out. Thanks for all the replies (even yours, Janeau) and sorry for the delay in answering. I've been sick in bed for the last week. I think I may have contracted R2D2...
peter2772000
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Oh, so you are back from Florida eh?
I still have your primer punch remember? Let me know when I can pass by, I will have a look at your press... Again...
No problem, Antoine. But there's nothing you can do 'till I get a replacement Station 1 locator.
poor peter, so much problem in one year
those damend dillon eh?
Like I said, I'm surely paying for past sins
Live'n learn, Hedgy!
You can't centre a die. "J" may have been talking about centring the decapping pin, but if so it's a red herring. Either it's centred enough to enter the flash hole or it isn't, in which case you'll know when the decapping pin snaps off and the shaft becomes s-shaped (you're using two hands, so it would go the whole nine yards).
Back to lubing the cases...yeah you don't actually 'have' to, but try it, you'll like it. As someone said earlier, new versus vired cases are vastly different.
BTW, I don't like the Lee presses but their dies seem to be good stuff and in fact, the .38 Super EGW undersize die is a Lee so the legend goes.
BTW, I don't like the Lee presses but their dies seem to be good stuff and in fact, the .38 Super EGW undersize die is a Lee so the legend goes.
My 550 came with an alignment tool. It was used to align the shell plate. It just dropped into one of the dies. The 1050 doesn't have it...but I would assume the 650 does?
Well, that's a shell-plate-centring tool. Not a die-centring tool. Dies can't be centred.
I don't think my 650 had an alignment tool, but it's been a while.
Since the OP has identified that the press works fine with new cases and is struggling with his range pickups, I think it's a brass issue.
I too am having issues with 9mm sticking and being jerky when moving handle. And yes there is an alignment tool (Dillon sent me one for 650). I have loosened the shell plate which helped some, Lubed brass which may have helped a little. I have misc. brass but I still have not fixed issue. A friend also loads 9mm with his machine with no issues.
I have not used alignment tool yet as I am hoping to avoid it (got to empty tool head and insert - pain in a_s) but is probably next step.
GL
I have not used alignment tool yet as I am hoping to avoid it (got to empty tool head and insert - pain in a_s) but is probably next step.
GL
If you have to align two things...and for kicks let's just say it's the shell plate and the dies...and you can't align the dies...what would you do
No...mine came with the press...long before I added a case feeder. I don't recall if it was included, or if I had to buy it (I didn't get one with the case feeder)
I'd align the shellplate with my shellplate-aligning-tool. Because you can't centre dies.
