what a rookie bone head move!

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive been mass loading 9mm ammo for my new ar15. Loaded probably 2000 rounds in the last couple days. Was cruising along and happened to glance at a case in the bullet seating position and notice it didn't have much powder. In all the years ive loaded with dillons ive never had powder bridge over. Well it happened this time. Luckily ive been putting them in coffee cans as I go because I used 4 different bullets. This was the last bullet. Well ive got 300 rounds of iffy ammo. I shot off about half of it out the back door and about half of them are squibs but luckily there all clearing the barrel. I checked the other 3 cans buy shooting two 30 round clips of each and they seemed fine and if they weren't the bad ammo would have been on top of the last bullet I used and it seemed fine. So I basically wasted 300 primers and 1200 grains of power and an hours work. Sure do like this gun though. It feeds all but the worse of it. Even bullets that barely cleared the barrel let the brass still eject but don't allways pick up a new round. I found out thought that this gun will run about anything!!

[w5pv]

I try to make it a practice to bump my powder throw pretty often just for that reason,but I don't load no where the amount you do.Good luck.

[C. Latch]

Which 9mm setup did you go with? Years ago I had an Oly 9mm with a mag block that allowed the use of plain Sten magazines, with a paddle-type magazine release. It wasn't fancy but it never, never malfunctioned (except for a squib round of Wolf ammo, one time).

I sort of wish I still had it.

[Lloyd Smale]

this one is a cmmg. It uses the colt 32 round mags. I actually thought about the oly. Heard good things about them and they are actually cheaper. Probably is mags are 50 bucks a crack for them and there hard to come across. compared to 18 bucks for this gun and easy to find.

[MT Gianni]

What powder did you have bridge?

[dverna]

One reason I use the powder check die with the 650 and 1050. On the 550 I check every every time I load a new primer tube

[C. Latch]

this one is a cmmg. It uses the colt 32 round mags. I actually thought about the oly. Heard good things about them and they are actually cheaper. Probably is mags are 50 bucks a crack for them and there hard to come across. compared to 18 bucks for this gun and easy to find.

When I bought mine it came with a big box of Sten mags. They were selling for $3 at the time.

I should have bought a crate of them and stored them.

[Lloyd Smale]

it was surplus aa2

What powder did you have bridge?

[Lloyd Smale]

new olys use a proprietary magazine. Looks like a fulls sized ar mag with a smaller mag built into it. They then can use a standard ar lower with no mag block.

When I bought mine it came with a big box of Sten mags. They were selling for $3 at the time.

I should have bought a crate of them and stored them.

[waksupi]

...and this is why I do not like progressives......

[beezapilot]

I load with a SDB- mounted a small LED light on the left side of the press and it shines into the case mouth before I put a boolit on it I can look at the powder level. When I load shot shells I pull every shell and look at the powder level before I put a wad into the fingers, and I weigh the charge once a box. I grant you that it slows me down a bit, but never had one NOT go bang.

[RKJ]

Lloyd, I don't want you to feel alone. I loaded up over 100 of the Lee 55 grain .223 for a new AR I put together, I had PC'd them and tried them in a Bushmaster that I have and they fired just fine but when I went to the range with them they jammed up not one but both rifles. Turned out that the case mouth was oversized way too much. That was fun (and pulling those rounds down will be even more fun)

[Oklahoma Rebel]

man id love to build me a sten!

[runfiverun]

well I hope I don't have this same problem I just passed the 7-k mark on my most recent batch of 9m's on my Dillon 550.
another 3-k and i'll be done.
ain't no way I'm pulling 10-k rounds down.

[Iron Whittler]

My Dillon 650 is equipped with the powder check system. It will let you know quickly if you are Under or Over on your powder charge. Just my 2 cents.

[Petrol & Powder]

All my years of loading on a 550 and I've never had that issue. Not that it matters but I'm going to blame the powder and not the machine.

I think the 550 is less susceptible to powder bridging than other machines due to the moving powder measure. There's normally more than enough vibration going on to shake up the measure and prevent bridging.

[Lead Fred]

I powder 50, pick the tray up, and look in each and every one since 1961
Yet to have a problem
The difference between precision & SAMMI spec reloaders

[HangFireW8]

I powder 50, pick the tray up, and look in each and every one since 1961
Yet to have a problem
The difference between precision & SAMMI spec reloaders

LOL great quote.

I use a progressive, but I visually check the powder level of each and every one. I can't eyeball a tenth of a grain, but double charges (never had one) or light charges (had some) I catch.

[BwBrown]

...and this is why I do not like progressives......

I respect your opinion, but!
A progressive press, be it used for shotgun, rifle or handgun shells requires a different sort of attentiveness. They are a different breed of loader. I use both, as both have their place in my gun room. In a progressive, two things need to be done, either alone or together.
1) Use a free flowing powder. Winchester ball powder flows like water. Other coarse flake or rod types not so much.
2) The Dillon 650 press has a powder monitor station. Properly adjusted, it will alert on either a high or low powder charge. Till you completely outfit a 650 you will have close to a grand in it with a few quick change heads and all... another couple 20's to insure a safe powder charge is, for me at least, just common sense.

It behooves us to do every thing, great or small, to insure the safety of our hobby, and as we reload for our family, to in sure the safety of those we love.

"Rookie Mistake?" I stuffed my first case over 50 years ago, pounding them in and out of the Lee dies with a brass hammer. And I still have a lapse now and again.
You caught the mistake. Congrats! (In fact it wasn't a mistake - it was a powder flow malfunction.)
Fix it and learn from it. If you're not willing to learn, you'd best quit.
In everything, be safe, shoot straight, and have fun.

[M-Tecs]

I have three 650's and two 1050's. Each one uses the powder check system. Properly setup they alarm at very small variations. Using the powder check system on a progressive makes it the safest system going.