Dillon 650

[ddeaton]

I just set up a new 650 and new D-Terminator scale. All seems fine so far but seeing something I dont like. I am getting a variance of 4.4 to 4.7 between powder throws using Bullseye. I am used to using an old balance scale, the digital seems a little touchy. I think the variance is between the scale and the powder throw. I havent got my old balance scale to double check. Am I being too anal? I would think this should be a little more consistant. I used to use a RCBS powder throw yrs ago and I think I got better results than this.

[hotwheelz]

Thats seems pretty wide range to me,

Did the scale come with a check weight? If so did you use it?
Are you making sure all the powder is dropping out of the case ? I have had some powder stick in a case a time or 2.
Is there any oil or lube on the powder drop tube { flare}? Sometimes it causes powder to stick to it.
If none of the above are the case check with balance beem scale, I had an old one of the first ones,dillon electronic scale and I will tell you it was a touchy sucker I sold it b/c it was a pain to use.

I have a RCBS range master 750 digital scale and I allways re calibrate it before use.

These are just some of the things i have seen with mine hope that helps

[runfiverun]

move your scale out of that draft
with the dillons sometimes you get a little different drop if you measure then start to go
you seem to get just a bit lower reading when all the stations have a case in them.
check that you are getting a full slide on your powder bar.

i dont know what size flake that powder is
but if i set up with flake powder i have to re-check when all case stations are full
and am sometimes i am up to a half grain lower.
this is with large flakes like 800x.

i have noticed though with smaller or ball these drop better than my other powder dumps
like 231, tightgroup, h-110 etc, and stick powders do okay also.

[ddeaton]

Yea, I think I did all that was mentioned. I have run about 25 cases being consistant and it seems to have settled out a little. The dillon scale is very touchy, I used the cover also to keep draft from hitting it. I did the calibrate with the 700gr sinker that came with it. I still wish it would hold tighter. I guess I need to start finishing some and get the 650 broke in.

[ddeaton]

Hey, and thanks for the replies so far. These forums are great and a lot of good people on here.

[38 Super Auto]

I just set up a new 650 and new D-Terminator scale. All seems fine so far but seeing something I dont like.

Sometimes it helps to run a few ounces of powder through the measure before you start loading. The graphite on the propellant helps lubricate the powder measure.

Bullseye can cause problems for some measures, depending on the tolerances. The flake size is about 50mils in diameter and about 5 mils thick, so it can be an issue for some measures.

I'd suggest running some powder through it, and then recheck the range you are getting.

[standles]

Are you saying it is varying ~4 grains or it is varying the 3 tenths of a grain. If the latter than don't worry about it and move on.


If it is the first case then I would check:

Foreign objects in the powder hopper. Pc of paper etc. etc.

Appropriate size bar for the small powder charge

I sometimes wrap a dryer sheet on the outside of the tube and secure with a rubber band. Eliminates static cling.

When you fill the powder resivoir shake it to settle it good before dropping charges.

Recheck the drop when you have all the stations full

Drop 10 charges and get an average drop. see if the inconsistency is still there.

Make sure automatic return is returning all the way on the powder slide.

Be consistent in you movment of the handle. Changes and jerkiness can cause variations.


Steven

[runfiverun]

that tap-tap on the powder hopper is so automatic that i forgot to mention it!
had a spider web kinda thingie in powder funnel once drove me nuts as i was using
2400 and every other drop was heavy and the other was light.

[Lloyd Smale]

I agree with a couple of the above posters. Ive got 6 dillon presses and they all seemed to settle in after a short time. Id consider wiping out the inside of the measure with a bounce sheet and maybe putting a little powder in it and shaking it around to coat the measurer.

[TAWILDCATT]

interesting as the Dillon measure is based on the Lee.

[utk]

I rubbed the inside of my brand new Redding measure (the hopper) with powdered graphite on a cloth. Instant de-staticification. A new and unused wool mop on a cleaning rod could probably substitute the cloth...

Urban

[ddeaton]

So far it seems to have leveled out. I am going to change powder flavors here in a bit and will scope it out further.

[Dale53]

Ddeaton;
Frankly, I doubt that you have a problem with your powder measure. Let me explain. The typical expected variance with a good powder measure operated properly with Bullseye would be "plus or minus one tenth grain (.1). That means that if your intended load is 4.5 grs and you are getting 4.4-4.6 it is within very good tolerances. If yours is only a "half tenth" variance over that (4.4-4.7), you're pretty close to the ideal.

When you are operating a Progressive Press, such as the Dillon, it IS important to try to be as smooth as possible. This CAN influence the weight of powder dropped. Smoothness is the key.

It appears to me that you do NOT have a problem (and that is GOOD:-D).


Dale53

[Lloyd Smale]

a new finding of mine yesterday that may solve your problem. I started loading 454s on the 45 colt square deal with surplus 297 which is a new powder that i hadnt tried yet. Its a fine ball powder just like ww296. As a matter of fact im betting that thats what it is. I was getting charges that swung over a half a grain between 27.6 abd 28.2. Could figure out what was going on. I tried the bounce sheat and no improvement. I figured maybe the measure was plugged so i pulled it apart. When i pulled out the charge bar I noticed something different. It was a new charge bar and is differnt from the old ones. The cavity on this one ends in a triangle shape. Probably so that if a guy is metering smaller charges there would be less chance of a squib. The old change bar ended in about a square shape that was just rounded to prevent the same thing. I swapped back to an old bar and the powder metered like a champ. If you didnt have an older bar it might work to form some jb weld in that triange shaped area of the bar or contact dillon and see tell them your having this trouble and see if they have one of the old style bars. Im sure with powders that were a tad courser that new style would probably work great but with fine powder it didnt cut it.

[38 Super Auto]

I was rehabilitating an old Ideal 55 measure a few weeks ago. It was a little sticky, throwing charges over a wider range than desired. I took it apart and cleaned the grime off the metal parts with naptha. After I reassembled it, I put a few teaspoons of mica in it and a ran it for a minute or two. That freed it up and reduced the variation of dropped charges. I think the stickyness of the mechanism was the primary problem. I think graphite works similarly.

I think mica works as a mild abrasive. I know graphite is considered a dry lubricant, but I don't know if it has mild abrasive properties.

[ddeaton]

Seems to be ok, I am going to give it a complete teardown and inspection here shortly. In between loadings and bored. I am used to a single stage press and not a progressive. When I throw powder on a single I always tap once before I throw to stay consistant. Cant do that on a progressive, other things happen!

[Dale53]

ddeaton;
If you operate a progressive smoothly, the simultaneous actions that are going on will, in themselves, act as a typcial powder measure "knocker". The idea is to do everything exactly the same way with the same force round to round.

You cannot size one case, then check the powder charge and expect the same weight of charge when you do a full cycle. Load about five rounds, then interrupt the cycle and check that powder charge (said powder charge entering the case through the regular cycle), Then load a few more and you can again check it. After you are satisfied that things are normal you can load, load, and load some more.

I hope that I have explained this so you can understand. If you just move the powder measure through it's cycle with out operating the entire press you will get an erroneous idea of the charge being thrown. It's the vibrations of all of the things going on when you are loading that helps to create a "normal" powder charge, including inserting a case, inserting a bullet, dropping powder, seating the bullet, and crimping. All of the action creates a "pattern" and you want that pattern of vibration to be exactly the same, round to round.

Dale53