It`s a shame that you won`t pay attention to those who have actual experience with Dillon`s 550, or perhaps it`s your own clumsiness that prevents you from believing that such a rate is possible, if you push it....That`s fine though...Not everyone is as uncoordinated as you are.....Time to move on...
Progressive Reloading: Empirical Results
- Thread starter Onagoth
- Start date
I had my press set up just to pre-process 9mm brass, and after cranking out a 5 gallon pail, I took it apart for a deep clean. I found I had a worn part that I'll mention in a minute.
When loading, I would occationally get a primer inserted a little off center. It would leave a crinkle at one edge, sometimes leaving a raised edge, or in the worst case, fail to stick in the case and drag along the top of the primer slide, and tie up the primer slide.
In cruising the Brian Enos forum, I discovered others had been having a similar problem. I discovered that the rubber bushing that fits over the roll pin at the back of my primer slide was missing. I replaced it and eliminated most, but not all of the primer jams.
Today while deep cleaning the press, I discovered that the primer seating punch is slightly chipped on one side. I'll order a new one and see if that fixes the problem.
Last edited:
So have I...But subjective slamming against people who appear to have better motor skills while using the 550 does nothing to enhance his opinion concerning the 550....
Oh for Christ sakes
Send me your email...I'll EMT you some money and you can put a down payment on a sense of humour...
I'd tend to think it was the chipped primer punch...
I had a similar problem on my 550
...or maybe I was just going too slow
Probably...I'd tend to think it was the chipped primer punch...
I had a similar problem on my 550
...or maybe I was just going too slow
I'm no where near that amount ,I have a Dillon 550 if I can do 100/hr I would be happy all kinds of problems sometimes the primers don't feed, overall height is not consistent and the biggest problem is that the cartridge doesn't fit my gage at the last 1/4 '' sometimes, I load 9mm any suggestions??
I'm no where near that amount ,I have a Dillon 550 if I can do 100/hr I would be happy all kinds of problems sometimes the primers don't feed, overall height is not consistent and the biggest problem is that the cartridge doesn't fit my gage at the last 1/4 '' sometimes, I load 9mm any suggestions??
Check the Brian Enos forums for primer feed tricks.
As for OAL, what bullet type are you using, and what seating stem are you using with it? (Truncated cone bullets sometimes work best with the flat tipped plug and not the round nosed plug, but not always.)
As for loaded rounds not fitting your guage, it could be the brass itself is "Glocked" or swollen at the base from firing in an unsupported chamber.
Is your sizing die adjusted to make contact with the shellplate? Are you using the Lee Factory Crimp die?
- Location
- Regina, SK
I'm fairly new to progressive reloading and right now I find I do not trust the Dillon powder dispenser, I check the load constantly... it's never off I just don't fully trust it yet. Looking to add some stuff to the bench to speed things up a bit without loss of quality like the new Hornady Case Prep center and a decent digital scale.
No data to share yet but I will shortly.
Don
No data to share yet but I will shortly.
Don
I'm using RCBS dies and AIM round nose 124gr bullets the problem started only a few months ago and yes I'm using range brass so who knows could very well be Clocked brass thanks for your advise
OK, don't get terribly freaked out with some fluctuation in OAL when using plated bullets. Odds are that it's just due to some variation in the ogive of the cast then plated bullets. I would probably switch to a Dillon seating die, or go all out and get a Redding adjustable seating die.
For the $25 or so it's going to cost you to get a LFC die from Scot at Aurora, try using it as your last station. It will go a long way towards fixing most range brass issues.
Reloader jitters....Nothing usual about it.....In the beginning, every time I reloaded the primer tube, I would check the powder load....But I have found that flake and ball powders meter very well...Extruded powders may show a slight variation of perhaps .1-.2 grains....The trust will come.....
I'm no where near that amount ,I have a Dillon 550 if I can do 100/hr I would be happy all kinds of problems sometimes the primers don't feed, overall height is not consistent and the biggest problem is that the cartridge doesn't fit my gage at the last 1/4 '' sometimes, I load 9mm any suggestions??
COL on AIM bullets can vary...sometimes the noses are flatter on some bullets than on others. I've never experienced all ill-effects of this.
Don`t forget that you can Dillon, toll free, and explain your problem...The staff are more than willing to help you through any problems you might be having....1-800-223-4570....I'm no where near that amount ,I have a Dillon 550 if I can do 100/hr I would be happy all kinds of problems sometimes the primers don't feed, overall height is not consistent and the biggest problem is that the cartridge doesn't fit my gage at the last 1/4 '' sometimes, I load 9mm any suggestions??
Cocked&Locked
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- S. Ontario
My biggest issue is primer tube filling. I have a LNL with casefeeder, and other then stopping to fill primers i just crank along. If i bought more primer fill tubes and had them filled and ready to go, i could probably do 5-700 rnds of 45 an hour. i can do 450-550 as it is
A lot of this comes down to the difference between cyclic rate and the effective rate. Whether one fills a lot of tubes in advance or does it as part of the cycle, it's all time spent on reloading and really make no difference to the effective rate. To quote from my infamous writeup:
"Machine guns quote two rates: the cyclic rate (raw speed) and the sustained rate (taking into account reloading, barrel changes, waiting for the gun to cool, and so on). People quote wild rates on some presses - I am convinced that these are cyclic rates, not accounting for stoppages or primer, case, and powder refills."
Onagoth's quoted rate is about right for the conditions he posted; I do a bit better loading tubes on the fly because I have a bullet feeder, and load the tubes with a tool rather than by hand.
