it sticks

[Newboy]

I am loading on a Dillon 650. .38's. Had some failures to fire. Had good firing pin strike.

Started looking, and some of my loads had good firing pin strikes.... before they had been fired.

Noticed that sometimes the decapper is pushing out the old primer, and then pulling it back in. I changed out the pin for a new one, and polished it up, too.

Only happens on the .38's, not on the .357's. Same dies.

I thought it may be old cases, and loose primer pockets, but that doesn't seem to be it. Could it be too tight of pockets?

Has anyone else had this happen?

[Willbird]

Are you using Dillon dies ?? I saw some mention of this on brianenos.com forums, the dillon de-capping pin is differant somehow so this doesnt happen


Bill

[Buckshot]

..............Yup, had it happen to me. ahppened enough so I sit in such a position that I can see between the primer feed and the front of the press casting and can see the primer. First indication is if I don't hear the faint clink sound the spent primer makes hitting the little primer carrier dealie. Mine is an old 450.

............Buckshot

[beagle]

I hear everyone rave about Dillons.

I got broke of loading on progressive machines back in the 60s when Star loaders were all the rage.

Don't want to start any raves or rants here but I enjoy sitting down behind my old Rockchucker and cranking them out one at a time.

I just don't trust anything mechanical when it come to explosives. Maybe that's why I got rid of my electronic scales too even though they were awfully handy for weighing bullets.

Guess I'm just an old fashioned codger./beagle

[Newboy]

Yes, am using the Dillon dies.

There is too much going on at the same time to hear the primer hit the "dinggie".

If I watch the decapper, I can see if it doesn't pop up right, but on this machine, there is so much on top, that you really almost have to get a mirror to watch it.

Thinking about just giving it back to the guy what give it to me (just joking).

[EchoSixMike]

The Dillon depriming/sizing dies have the decapping assembly suspended by a Belleville spring that pops the primers loose at the top of the stroke. I'm not sure if the depriming stem is interchangable with other makers dies. Other than that, perhaps a different radius on on the depriming pin? S/F....Ken M

[imashooter2]

I just can't see it... What exactly is the mechanism by which a depriming pin can grab a primer and pull it back into the primer pocket?

[Buckshot]

".........I just can't see it... What exactly is the mechanism by which a depriming pin can grab a primer and pull it back into the primer pocket?"

I'm thinking the de-capping pin is sticking between the arms of the anvil in the primer. Otherwise I don't see how it could do it.

...........Buckshot

[imashooter2]

".........I just can't see it... What exactly is the mechanism by which a depriming pin can grab a primer and pull it back into the primer pocket?"

I'm thinking the de-capping pin is sticking between the arms of the anvil in the primer. Otherwise I don't see how it could do it.

...........Buckshot

But then the primer would be off center and would be scraped off by the edge of the brass instead of going back into the pocket. For that matter, the pocket should be a pretty good friction fit which would scrape the primer off before it seated back into the pocket even if somehow the primer sticks on the pin perfectly centered.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Why don't you try phoning Dillon? Their tech staff are patient, friendly, and so perceptive about problems with their machines as to be scary. Service and repairs are always free and turnaround is quick.

[BruceB]

On my last run of .38 Specials from my 550, I too had a few fired primers drawn back into the prmer pocket of the resized cases. This occurred with an RCBS sizer die, and I mostly solved the difficulty by adjusting the decapping stem a bit further down, meaning the pin came further through the flash-hole, thus moving the fired primer a bit further out of ther pocket.

For many years, I used a lot of Canadian Industries Limited primers, which had an anvil design quite different from most US-made primers. Rather than three "legs" like our primers have, the CILs had a circular anvil with a couple of holes punched through it. I would swear that these little b^#@*&%s were DESIGNED to clamp onto a decapping pin! Sometimes they'd grip the pin so tightly that I had to remove the decapping stem from the die and clamp the primer itself in a vise and CRUSH the SOB to get it to release its death grip on the decapping pin...and I'm not exaggerating in the slightest degree. I often thought that the design was intended to discourage people from handloading...it was that bad.

This happened very often indeed, like dozens of times in a 100-round run. Frustrating, you betchum, Kemo Sabe! CIL primers were highly instrumental in my adoption of CCI primers, which were about the only alternative in Canada in those days. The resistance of the primer clamped onto the pin frequently pulled the decapping pin out of the stem, too.

[Willbird]

Beagle I'll tellya, I was in your camp for many years, then I bought a used Phelps progro.....and learned to use it. Now that I have a place to shoot I needed more ammo, I like shooting more than loading.

so I bought a 550...........with manual index there really isnt that much going on to keep an eye on. I doubt if I will ever buy a full progro, the setup time on them is longer for one thing, and caliber changes are about double the cost when you add it all up.

I do belive that a newby should buy a good single stage press, it will get used for something anyway, and if they want to work towards progro go ahead and buy the proper dies for that, they will work fine in a one lunger.


Bill

[Newboy]

I used an old Pacific for 40 years. Took about an hour to load a box of .38's.

Then a good friend quit reloading, and gave me the 650 set-up, with every possible option (case feed, primer loader, etc.).

It is more difficult, because there is so much going on at one time. And getting everything adjusted initially is a real pain.

But when I get ready to go, I'm chugging out about a thousand rounds an hour.

I do a lot more shooting now than I used to. That's a good thing.

And spending a lot more time casting to keep up!!!!

As far as the original problem with the de-capper, it is not happening on a new box of cases I bought to test. The de-capping pin is adjusted as long as possible.

If I am forced to throw out all my ancient brass, is there some way to alloy them with my lead and get harder bullets? Maybe make some kind of lampstand?

[omgb]

Don't throw out those old cases...sell them to me! I have a different problem though equally maddening. I use a Hornady AP Lock-N-Load press. It is fully progressive and auto indexing. The thing works like a charm with one exception. If I use new, once-fired Winchester cases, the cheapo ones that come in bricks of 100 loaded with 130 grn RN full jacked bullets, the primers do not always want to enter the case. I can solve it by using a chamfering tool on the flash hole (it was designed to remove crimps from Mil Spec brass) but its a hassle. Nickel plated cases and older, RP and Federal ammon works just fine.

[shooter2]

I have a 550 and have never had a problem with primers that you mention. I did have a problem with seating primers, but finally figured out the operating handle was not going all the way back when seating. That was my fault as I had moved the press and had created the problem in the process. I also had some trouble with the primer slide sticking. Called Dillon and he walked me through the setup process and also sent a new spring and guide which cured that problem. I've found their folks very knowledgeable and willing to spend time to help.