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Thread: Possible issues with the Dillon 550c

  1. #21
    Boolit Buddy
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    Not every round, no. I have a 100 round case gauge and what I typically do is fill it up as I go. Most of the rounds I put in there sit ever so slightly proud (I'm talking half the width of the rim is sticking out) and if I press down on them with light pressure I can usually get them to sit flush in the gauge. I haven't really thought of this as the culprit, since the rounds that feed and load fine and the ones that jam me up all look identical in the gauge.

    It does feel like I'm squeezing them in the gauge when I press down, however. So maybe that's got something to do with my problem

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by asmith80 View Post
    I'm actually using a plug from Lathesmith. He made me up one that is .358 in diameter and has an M style step. One of the things I'm concerned about is that it may be expanding things a little too much. When I was using the Lee PTX on my old setup, I had a 38 s&w plug in there, which if I recall, only measures .356.

    My thinking is if expanding out to .358 is right at the edge of too much then a slight difference in case thickness may be causing the periodic jams I'm getting. But I'm just guessing here
    So you DID change more than just the press and the dies. Your first post didn't speak to the expander.
    I agree with your assessment that the powder funnel (powder through expander or "plug" by your terminology) could be the issue.

  3. #23
    Boolit Buddy
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    Yeah, sorry I didn't make that clear. I never used the stock Dillon funnel, so many people told me it wouldn't work with cast I just got one from Lathesmith immediately and started using that

  4. #24
    Boolit Master
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    When I was setting up my crimp die, I measured the thickness of the wall of the brass case, multiplied it by 2, and added that to the .358 measurement of my boolits. Then I ran that seated case into the crimp die til I got that measurement. Lastly, I lined up my 9mm barrels and plunk tested it. The CZ 75B was slightly tight, but the round slid into the Walther and Glock barrels without issue.

  5. #25
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    I did the same and I had a similar experience with my CZs. A little light pressure got the round in all the way, but it didn't just plop in like in my Beretta. I've also got a lot of different brass brands, so I set the crimp to work with the thickest and went from there

  6. #26
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    There's a pretty high signal to noise ratio in this post.

    1. Millions of 9mm rounds are loaded every month with a 550 and Dillon dies. I've loaded 2K worth of 9mm in the past week on my 650 with Dillon dies.
    2. Your case gauge is VERY tight. In fact IMHO those 100 round case gauges are worthless when you're loading with a bullet that's over jacketed size. I use a .357 boolit for loading 9mm as I have some pistols that have a oversized bore, a 9mm round with a .357 boolit won't fit in ANY case gauge I've seen. Use your barrel.
    3. Put the Dillon powder funnel in there and see if it works. I use custom funnels for my reloading, I got them from UniqueTek, they've been making those funnels for a long time.
    4. Can anyone figure out why a flared case won't fit in a case gauge? If so raise your hand.
    5. Make ABSOLUTELY sure your dies are set up correctly. The resizing die needs to TOUCH the shell plate, WHEN the shell plate is fully populated.
    6. Make sure your shell plate is tightened correctly.
    7. If the resized cases fit into the case gauge and fall out, then the problem is somewhere else in the loading stream.
    8. Make sure your crimp die is set correctly.
    9. If you're loading a boolit with a defined shoulder, like a true SWC, get the SWC bullet seating stems from UniqueTek. They are the bee's knees.
    10. If all else fails, call Dillon.
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  7. #27
    Boolit Bub Coyote3's Avatar
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    I had a similar problem with rounds not fully chambering. Turned out to be a small accumulation of PC at the end of the chamber. Chucked a .40 cal brush in a hand drill and ran it in the chamber for about 5 seconds. That took care of my problem. Worth a try.

  8. #28
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    I think I may have figured it out. I got the RCBS dies in the mail today so I was able to recreate my old setup and systematically go through like jmorris suggested and try each Dillon die until I recreate my issue. It looks like it's the powder funnel over expanding the case. Measured the case thickness on the ones that were jamming and sure enough they were thicker than the ones that fed with no issue.

    I'm going to turn down the stem of the powder funnel to .357 or .356 and run some more tests, especially with the thicker cases.

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by engineer401 View Post
    I had a Lee crimping my that wouldn’t work in my 550B. The Lee die simply wasn’t long enough. I don’t know if that’s your issue but it may be worth looking into.
    The free solution to that is to install the lock ring on the bottom of the toolhead, rather than the top. Newer Lee dies are made slightly longer, to eliminate this problem.
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  10. #30
    Boolit Grand Master jmorris's Avatar
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    It looks like it's the powder funnel over expanding the case.
    You might try the one Dillon sent vs the aftermarket one. Just two socket head cap screws to remove the measure and swap them out. FWIW I have never used any “special” powder funnels in any of my Dillon’s for cast bullets.

  11. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by jmorris View Post
    You might try the one Dillon sent vs the aftermarket one. Just two socket head cap screws to remove the measure and swap them out. FWIW I have never used any “special” powder funnels in any of my Dillon’s for cast bullets.
    not to take this thread down a rabbit hole but I went with aftermarket powder funnels for my 45 Colt/44 Mag and 38/357 set ups.

    The after market will expand the case further down without increasing the belling of the mouth.

    helps me place the bullet 'square on the case at position 3.

    There was a bit of $$ involved but worth in for me--I try to enjoy reloading as much as possible
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  12. #32
    Boolit Buddy
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    So I loaded up 100 rounds yesterday after turning down the powder funnel stem. All but two sat flush in the case gauge and the two that were (very slightly) proud plunked easily in my CZ P10F barrel, which has the tightest chamber of all my pistols.

    Now I'm going back through all my loaded 9mm and putting everything through the case gauge. If it sits flush it goes in the good ammo bin, if it doesn't but passes the plunk test I'm segregating it for now so I can test individually to see if it'll still function fine. If it doesn't pass either test it goes in a bin to be broken down

  13. #33
    Boolit Grand Master jmorris's Avatar
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    Sounds like a good plan to me.

  14. #34
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    The Dillion sizing dies have a flare to allow easier case placement. As a result, they don’t size to the base and sometimes the cartridges won’t fit a tight chamber.
    ”We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, yet they are still lying.” –Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

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  15. #35
    Boolit Buddy Rick459's Avatar
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    the problem using the early lee short dies on a 550 and trying to put the lock nut on the bottom of the tool head is that the lock nut will hit the the shell plate indexer fingers and won't let the shell plate go all the way to the top to complete the cycle. had this problem yesterday when trying to install a lee .357 carbide sizer die in the tool head. when screwed down to touch the shell plate i only had 2 threads on the die showing at the top of the die and putting the dillon lock nut on the bottom of the die the lock nut would hit the shell plate indexer fingers. so i took the dillon lock nut and and used my belt sander and took a little of it until i was able use it at the top of the die. it only held on by only 2 threads but it seems ok as i loaded 100 rounds on it and all is still tight.

  16. #36
    Boolit Bub
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    Had a similar thing happen to me in a 1911. Tried all kinds of reloading adjustments, nothing. Put a heaver wolf return spring in all good.
    I'M FROM THE GOVERNMENT....I'M HERE TO HELP!!

  17. #37
    Boolit Mold RSB's Avatar
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    When I load major 45 ACP match ammo on my 550 I Roll and full length size. I trim and gauge all the brass after this point. Sometimes the rims get distorted or have burrs. If the brass falls in and out I load it. Despite this I still get a few rounds that will not gauge after loading. I'm not speaking of the ones where the bullet is Katy whom-pus either. Look straight, but wont gauge. I add those to the practice ammo lots. Personally I am not fond of the Dillon dies.

  18. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by RSB View Post
    When I load major 45 ACP match ammo on my 550 I Roll and full length size. I trim and gauge all the brass after this point. Sometimes the rims get distorted or have burrs. If the brass falls in and out I load it. Despite this I still get a few rounds that will not gauge after loading. I'm not speaking of the ones where the bullet is Katy whom-pus either. Look straight, but wont gauge. I add those to the practice ammo lots. Personally I am not fond of the Dillon dies.
    What diameter of bullets are you using?

    I know that as long as I use .452 everything will gauge just fine. My reject rate for .45 ACP coming off my Dillon 650 with Dillon dies is around 0.1-.0.2%. If I go up to .453 bullets it jumps to around 10-15%. Big difference.
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  19. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by asmith80 View Post
    I'm actually using a plug from Lathesmith. He made me up one that is .358 in diameter and has an M style step. One of the things I'm concerned about is that it may be expanding things a little too much. When I was using the Lee PTX on my old setup, I had a 38 s&w plug in there, which if I recall, only measures .356.

    My thinking is if expanding out to .358 is right at the edge of too much then a slight difference in case thickness may be causing the periodic jams I'm getting. But I'm just guessing here
    I had the same thing happen with my home brew expander.it is set up like an M die.when i run it a bit to deep in the case.the step from the M die setup is to deep and my crimp setup will not take all the step out.if this is the problem there will be a spot just below the crimp that is to big.Back off the M die a bit and it will go away.Hope this helps

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check