Dillon 550. How can I be sure about the powder charge?

[MBTcustom]

OK, I've been running my new (to me) 550 that Alvarez Kelly sold me. I cranked out 400 rounds and it sure is a sweet setup. However, I kept running into small primer 45s that would cause me to have to stop and take out the offending brass, as well as the one that had just recieved the powder charge, dump the powder into the hopper, insert a new piece of brass, and resume operation. No problem right?
Apparently not.
I weighed most of the finished cartridges and found one that had no charge. I gave up though because I had about ten different headstamps in that batch that had as much as 7 grains difference in weight, which of course made finding the bad ones a real trick.
I ended up pulling about 15 of them which actually had charges in them.
Well, off to the range I go, and I don't get through 5 clips when I hear that dreaded "chunk!". I drove the stuck bullet out of my barrel and continued on shooting about 100 rounds.
Now, I am swimming in 45 brass, the vast majority of which is vintage military (about 30,000 near as I can figure) so I am just leaving these mixed headstamps at the range for some less fortunate individual to mess with, so that I can more accurately weigh them after loading, but I would also like opinions on how to make sure that there is a powder charge in each and every case, as they are being loaded.
I have the press mounted directly to the bench which has a 36" surface. Sitting in front of the press, I cannot see into the casing without positioning my head directly above the left side of the press.
I was kicking around the idea of mounting a mirror to the rear of the press that would give me a good view of the casing, possibly coupled with a light source of some sort, but I figured that somebody here probably has a do-dad that you buy for 98cents at the local dollar store that lasts 30 years and has a lifetime warranty etc. etc. etc. You know, the cast boolit way?
This is my first progressive press, so I'm still getting the method down pat. Usually, loading single stage style, I remove the primed brass from a bin, charge with the powder throw, and place in the block one at a time. This method is foolproof, and I have never had a "chunk!" since I adopted this system 10 years ago. Unfortunately, it kind of defeats the purpose of a progressive press if I continue this way.
How can I be sure that my ammo is perfect? (or at least perfectly charged) on the fly?

[R.M.]

This outfit works in my 450. either that, or they also have one for the smaller machines.


Dillon Powder Check
Stock Number: 21044

Specifications

Fits the XL650 and RL1050/Super 1050 machines.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Tim: "1-9 Twist" here at the forum sells a really neat LED light system that totally illuminates the work area of any press. I have been going to get several of them to put on my presses.

On your other problem: Weighing finished rounds is not a very good way to detect no powder, especially with mixed cases. Obviously the cases weigh different amounts. This doesn't even work well with rifle rounds where all the cases are the same brand and run. There is always inconsistancies.

The powder you use makes a huge difference. My Dillon Powder Measures work pretty well with Bullseye, and W231. I changed to loading all my .40 and .45's with 231 cuz it burns cleaner, and it meters better than Bullseye..

There are many ways to combat this problem, If it was a 650 you could have a powder check die, no place for it on a 550. But in the end you need to look at every case after it is charged and before you put the bullet on it to make sure, until the setup has proven itself reliable.

On my two SDB's (.40 S&W and .45 ACP) I have never had a missed charge. and whereas I'd like to say I look at everyone, I would be lying. I almost never look at the charged case after I get the machine running and the charge bucked into where I want it weight wise. This is also why I run W231, I usually weigh about 10 throws before I start loading a new batch. The Dillon PM is never outside of +/- .1 gr so it 's reliability is what I'm counting on.

It is virtually impossible to get a double charge in a .45 case and still get the bullet in.

What I have found with other bigger grained powders in the Dillon PM's they have a tendency to randomly bridge the powder funnel. I have an old Dillon PM on my Metal Matic II that I have been trying to set up for .223 loading. Everyonce in a while it will throw way short, then the next case gets about 35-40 gr of powder. This happens randomly but at least every 15-20 rounds! This is not a reliable setup so I made a small piece of aluminum rod to stick in the case to probe for powder height, (A-la powder check die). however this is a PITA and slows down the operation, so the fix is to change powders and find a powder that has nice fine grains and will meter perfectly in the Dillon PM.

The First rule of Production Work is,,,,"Find out what works, and do that until you are done.

Obviously the setup must repeat and be reliable. Reloading on a turret type press is just like running a turret lathe, so the above applies, completely.

Try cleaning the powder funnel with some alcohol, and look it over thoroughly maybe there is something obstructing the flow.

There is something simple going on here as this cartridge is one of the easiest to reload there is, and the Dillon Powder Measures are among the best out there. The powder is the biggest variable, so that's where I would start..

Keep at it you'll figure it out, I have faith in you!

Randy

[375RUGER]

I don't quite understand why you have to remove the case that received a charge if the offending case is in station 1.
I just take out case in station 1. Case in station 2 should have the correct charge.
Advance the shell plate and now you just have an empty space in station 2.
If you are concerned about the charge of the case in station 2--pull it and dump it on the scale, verify weight, put the charge back in the case and back in station 2 and advance the shell plate.

If you are not getting a powder charge in some cases- the only thing I can think of to cause this is that the powder clumped in the bin just enough to not put a charge in charge bar.
What's your powder?

Is the powder bin cap vented?

The inside of the powder bin, lower funnel portion, can be polished with a dremel or bear hair or both to reveal a mirror finish that helps powder flow consistently.

If the powder measure is malfunctioning then you won't be able to complete the upstroke and you would know that.

I heard of using a little mirror before on progressive presses to visual check for powder.

[Alvarez Kelly]

To use Dillon's powder check, you'd lose a station. You could seat and crimp in one station, but I, and many others, don't care to do that. Some don't have a problem with it.

But... to really get the most out of any progressive, you have to spend time on the brass before you start loading. Pull out the small primer cases, dump out the rocks :-) , etc... You want to prevent any stoppages you can.

Anyway, I have seen a few examples of clip on mirrors and extra lights added to verify powder in in the case. There is a vendor on this board that sells cool, add on lights. 1 in 9 twist if I rememebr right. Anyway... they probably work for their owners.

BUT, once you get the feel for the press, because it's doing so many different things at one time, I believe you will not have that problem again. If I have a stoppage, I control every action until I can get started again. I won't advance the shellplate until I am sure what is going on and have fixed any malfunction. Like you, I will pull a case and dump the powder if I am unsure if it got a correct charge.

I have never had a squib load. Now that I typed that, I'll probably have one next week... I have had failures to fire because of gun and primer issues, but lack of powder is not an issue. The point is, once you are confident in your own abilities, you will know when something is wrong.

Your idea of reloading same headstamp cases to do a QC check after loading is a great idea. When I reload for a match, as opposed to practice or plinking, every case will have the same headstamp. It just makes some reloading tasks easier.

Keep cranking them out. You'll be an ammo factory soon enough. :-)

[MBTcustom]

I'm using 4 grains of H clays. The powder measure meters extremely well. It's just the fact that I screwed up somewhere, and I never had a clue that there was a missed charge. I have seen the funny little lights, but in true MBT form, I'll be making my own setup.

[Alvarez Kelly]

I have seen the funny little lights, but in true MBT form, I'll be making my own setup.

I would be surprised if you didn't!

You'll have to show us some photos when you get it done.

[C.F.Plinker]

I sit off to the side a little, just enough that I am lined up with stations 2 and 4. It's no problem to reach around the press a little to put the brass into station 1. Next, I have a little battery operated LED light with a fiber optic gooseneck. The battery part fits into the recess in the main casting and the gooseneck is long enough to poke the light down through the hole in the center of the toolhead. This gives good light for looking down into the short cases. (For long cases I use a toolhead with a 1/2" hole drilled between stations 2 and 3. If the light is there it won't cast any shadows when because it shines straight down.) Then you just look at every case to make sure it goes up on station 2 empty and has the proper level of powder in it when it comes down. Don't short stroke or double stroke the operating handle. If something doesn't "feel" right STOP. Take all of the cartridges that are on the ram off and disassemble all of them. This way you know that any possible double charges have been emptied and can see if there were any squibs. You can feed the primed cases in at station 2 for recharging and when that is done start feeding the unprimed cases in at station 1 and continue from there.

I got curious about double charging 45ACP one day. After loading was done and all loaded rounds were put away I got out one round of brass land 1 boolit. I deprimed the case and set the fired primer back in it upside down. Then I double charged it with a total of 10 grains of 231, and seated and crimped the boolit without noticing any increase in effort required. OK, you can't easily tell and difference if you double charge a case. Pulled the boolit and tried a triple charge (15 grains). It was harder to seat but it was doable. And when crimped, I couldn't tell the difference visually from by dummy rounds. Then I pulled it down again dumped the powder back in the hopper and decapped the upside down primer. I proved to myself that it would be easy to double charge 45 ACP target loads and that if I tried I could triple charge them and wouldn't be able to see the difference.

You've got to devote your full attention to the loading when you use a progressive press. If you have other things on your mind stop loading if you have started and finish another day.

[oldscool]

A little mirror and a light source are cheep insurance if you pay attention.

[Sonnypie]

Had a bridge in my 45 ACP press just last Saturday.
Not a Dillon, but I caught it before I went to far.
I did the weigh thang and the uncharged rang truely light. Something like 8-9.
I just brought one of my bench magnifier lights over and set it up and got it where I could peak in and see the powder pile down in the brass before setting my bullet.
You might could get one of those little fish eye mirrors (http://www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=29952&langId=-1) like for a car mirror and stick it where it helps you get a view into the casing. Or maybe a small inspection mirror.
That is what I'm going to do for my RCBS Auto 4X4. Then train a light.
But empty cases could be a real hazard.

"'Scuse me Mr. Burglar, I need to clear my barrel of a mis-fire." :-?

[sparky45]

RCBS Lock Out Die is the best I have found so far. I also have the Dillon Powder Check but much prefer the RCBS. Both are better than none.

[pastor]

I use a RCBS lock-out-die on my 550 and it works great, I seat and crimp in the same station, i have read several people who say that doing this causes problems?

I have always seated and crimped in one station since i began reloading, whether using my Hornady LNL or the Dillon 550 and i have never had a problem, i also us the lock out die in both presses and it is definitely worth the money

there are also several who dont like using a powder check die, but, i would not load without one, i know you should look in every case to verify, but this die takes me out of the equation, it is mechanical and if the charge is not there or if there is a double charge it will stop the press, using a lock out i have never had a squib in probably 20,000 rounds loaded

hope this helps and i mean no disrespect to anyone

[3006guns]

I seat and crimp .45 acp in separate stations, so all of my die holes are full. Although I haven't had a problem yet I'm looking into a small LED goose neck light as described above. Even though I position myself so that I can see the case in station 3, I STILL end up pulling it out occasionally.......just to make sure.......so the light just makes sense.

Stick with it. You're going to love that Dillon after awhile ;).

[garym1a2]

I will trade you a loadmaster for that #@$%o. I find WST and Bullseye works much better for me in 45acp and 40S&W thanclays. I learned after sticking a few 45acps to always check by bright lights the powder charge while placing the boolit. Its easy to spot under charges and overcharges. P.S i also seat and crimp 45's in same step. Just don't over expand the cases.

[dragonrider]

I use a small flashlite that has a rubber hood, actually it is a bore lite, the rubber hood holds the plastic rod that directs the light down the barrel. Anyway remove the plastic rod and the rubber hood fits well into a hole in the shellplate of my 650, almost directly above station 3, where the powder check die would be. Make for any easy visual inspection.

[Plate plinker]

I set up my press so as to be able to look into the case before I set the bool it on the case and I have a powder check before that! You should get used to looking into the case soon enough. On the 1050 I have gotten to the point were I can see the powder, also notice the charge bar moving and the primer tube descending. Point is you will develop these habits.

[Dan Cash]

Hang in there Tim. When something hangs on station one, stop, remove the case from station one and complete the cycle for the other stations until the machine is empty. Thin figure out the problem at station one. Pulling a cartridge from the powder station, dumping it and then recharging it plus all the other things you are doing at your experience level is inviting a double charge.

I would not worry about trying to look in each cartridge case for powder. You are adding another step which will add confusion in the long run. Concentrate on a full, smooth cycle of the press each stroke. Advance the shell plate, add a bullet and a cartridge case, pull the lever smothly and completely. Repeat. Never try to make adjustments with more than one cartridge case on the shell plate and you won't make mistakes. By the way, congratulations on your new 550B. It is a wonderful machine.

[MBTcustom]

By the way, congratulations on your new 550B. It is a wonderful machine.
Thanks Dan. I really love it.
I just need to get this figured out.
I want to be able to see the powder level. Right now, I can easily see if I have a double charge, but no charge is undetectable. I don't know if its because I tried to fix problems without breaking motion in the process, or if its that I had a bridge in the powder measure, but whichever it is, I have to be able to say that I visually inspected each and every charge. Once the boolit is seated, there is no telling what is going on inside.

[Dan Cash]

Tim, with the .45 I doubt you could have a bridge in the powder drop. The hole in that funel/expander is big. I have not used your powder; I use Unique. Guys say it will bridge and give non uniform drops but if you operate the measure in a uniform manner you will find the Dillon measure dropping within .1 of your desired charge. You will need to make your final adjustment after throwing several charges with a full shell plate as the vibration from resizing and seating cause the powder to settle differently. Pull the operating handle one time then rotate the shell plate. You will have only one charge of powder.

[runfiverun]

you have to remember to full stroke the machine also.
it's quite easy to partly stroke the handle and not get the handle fully down.
i watch the primer feed through the gap by the tube then shift my eyes to the powder before seating the primer.
then rotate and put the next case in and set the boolit in place.
once you develop a rythmn and your eyes get trained where to go things progress quite smoothly.
flipping over the case before putting it in station one will become secondary too if you make it part of your routine.

[btroj]

Omits all about developing a rhythm and method that works for you. If I need to stop and pull a case from station one I always put it back first then pull the case in station 2 and verify powder level. If in doubt I dump the powder from that case, set it aside, and reset it at station 2 once all other cases are loaded.

What works for me may not work for you. Find what works then don't ever stay from it.

[milprileb]

Tim: "1-9 Twist" here at the forum sells a really neat LED light system that totally illuminates the work area of any press. I have been going to get several of them to put on my presses.
Randy

Yes indeed: the Inlinefabrications.com LED system is a charm and you can eye ball that charge and that is how I over came all the drama with my 550 and I use one for my 650 too. I have a powder check die buzzer system Dillon sells on the 650 and here is what I did for 45acp on my 550 : Station 1 is size deprime, Station 2 is bell/ powder drop, station 3 is a RCBS powder check die and station 4 is bullet seat/crimp. I used to crimp separately but todays dies do that when seating bullets. If die is set up right, it is fine. I don't much like doing that but use of seat & crimp at one station allows me to use that powder check die and that is the price I pay for "Certainty" on powder charges.

So my approach: LED lights and powder check systems. Hey... its over kill but its way safe and at age 64, I like having the double safe system of M1 Eyeball with LED lights and that powder check die.

I can't say seat/crimp in one die has hurt my 45acp shooting , or made my loads less accurate. I still hold onto the notion crimping ought to be a separate station for a progressive but.... for the 550 Dillon, I bite the bullet.

[Colorado4wheel]

1) Look in every case before you seat a bullet.
2) Never stop your process for anything. Always do the same thing every time. So if you get a SP .45 case set it aside and just resume the process. Never try and fix it mid stream by pulling the handle twice or doing some other strange thing.

[MtGun44]

No outside distractions - TV, talk radio, kids 'helping', pets needing attention, etc.

I have a small reading lamp arranged and adjust my seat so I can see the powder
in the case, and I conciously LOOK AT the powder level just as I set the boolit on
the case. EVERY TIME. This can be challenging with some cartridges. I find .45 ACP
easy, .357 Mag a PITA.

I had a double charge back in 1982 or 1981. Last one. Never have had a no-powder
round yet. Knock on wood!

Bill

[Jim]

Man, I'm the same way. Janet knows when the gun room door is closed, I'm loadin'. I got no time for dogs, radios, ringin' phones.....

When I start chargin' and seatin', I go into tunnel vision mode.

[HDS]

Yes indeed: the Inlinefabrications.com LED system is a charm and you can eye ball that charge and that is how I over came all the drama with my 550 and I use one for my 650 too. I have a powder check die buzzer system Dillon sells on the 650 and here is what I did for 45acp on my 550 : Station 1 is size deprime, Station 2 is bell/ powder drop, station 3 is a RCBS powder check die and station 4 is bullet seat/crimp. I used to crimp separately but todays dies do that when seating bullets. If die is set up right, it is fine. I don't much like doing that but use of seat & crimp at one station allows me to use that powder check die and that is the price I pay for "Certainty" on powder charges.

So my approach: LED lights and powder check systems. Hey... its over kill but its way safe and at age 64, I like having the double safe system of M1 Eyeball with LED lights and that powder check die.

I can't say seat/crimp in one die has hurt my 45acp shooting , or made my loads less accurate. I still hold onto the notion crimping ought to be a separate station for a progressive but.... for the 550 Dillon, I bite the bullet.

I saw that LED setup but decided to make my own in a different way. I installed it in my reloading closet, so the whole space is illuminated. I see the powder levels very clearly, and everything else too.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7709851262_d865f33a58_z.jpg

[7of7]

I use Unique also, never had a problem. I do deprime, and clean first. The Dillon does not deprime anything anymore. I went to stainless steel media, and have a universal decap die I made from an older 357 size die, that I bored out.. accidently crushed a few long cases.. but they were deprimed...LOL
When I do have an issue at station 1..the station 2 case gets removed dumped, and a new case goes into station 1 and the primed case goes back into station 2. I then cycle the machine, and check to make sure everything is good before continuing.
I also bag my brass in 100 piece bags, because bullets, and primers come in 100's, unless you buy the Fiocchi primers, they are 150 per package.. (1500 box, for the same price as 1000 CCI)
The main thing is when there is a stoppage, to check all stations, and then continue.

[Moonman]

I deprime with a universal decapping die in a single stage press, then tumble with Stainless Steel Media pins, let dry, put into plastic ammo boxes.

When I have time I prime the cases with an RCBS BENCH MOUNTED priming tool, then back into the ammo boxes until time to load.

My 550 is equipped with inline fabrications LED LIGHTS. (member 1in9 twists company) I also use his lights on my Dillon Square D press.

No distractions when reloading, and anything that's not right, the shell plate gets cleared and started over.

My 5 Hornady LNL station is also equipped with LED LIGHTS and a LOCK-OUT Powder Die.

I have brass in many different conditions, to be deprimed, to be cleaned, to be dried and boxed, to be primed, to be boxed and stored as primed brass, brass that is currently being loaded, and loaded stored ammunition.

I'm inspecting and reinspecting at every step of the way.

I'm retired and have the time to be REALLY CAREFUL as I'm an old learner at this new hobby along with the new casting hobby to start soon as the weather starts to cool down.:drinks:

[John Boy]

you have to remember to full stroke the machine also.
it's quite easy to partly stroke the handle and not get the handle fully down. The best advice there is loading with the Dillon 550B! And insure that the tension on the fail safe rod provides a full stroke of the charging bar

One can also check every 10th case after the powder drop

http://www.dillonhelp.com/manuals/english/Dillon-RL550B-Manual-May-2007.pdf

[FISH4BUGS]

I have blown up two guns in my days - a S&W 76 submachinegun and a S&W 3914. Both were 9mm double charges. The 76 is as strong as an ox so it really didn't hurt anything. The 3914 bent the slide out and trashed the gun.
I learned that the best powder device is your eyes. Look into the case before seating the bullet. While it might not tell you it was +/- 1/2 grain, it will show an empty or overfilled case.
It has worked on my 550 for many years.

[MBTcustom]

I loaded 600 45s yesterday. I visually inspected the powder charge in every single one of them. Also, I used all one headstamp and all one brand of primer. I was easily able to inspect afterwards whether I had a powder charge by weighing the finished cartridges.

My system failed twice while loading. I don't quite know what the problem was, but the little square plastic guide bushing on the powder measure was jumping its track and preventing the powder measure from returning home. I monkeyed with the bolt that holds the two plates in place along with the little pin that goes in the middle of that plastic piece, and I got it to quit messing up most of the time, but it still tried to wrench its way loose every time I pulled the handle.

This is my first Dillon, so I'm still figuring all this out, but it seemed like there was too much pressure on the powder measure charging arms. I don't understand how this could be though, because the powder measure drop tube is what is used to flare the case mouth. It has to have quite a bit of pressure on it in order to flare the case mouth.

I'm going to dink with it a little more, because I hate having to keep such a close eye on something that is so easy to take for granted.

The silver lining here, is that I will never ever run this press again and assume that it is throwing a charge every time, which is as it should be I suppose.

The bummer is that I don't see how I can get 400+ rounds per hour using the press so carefully. Oh well, its still a step up from the speed I was going before.

[Alvarez Kelly]

The white plastic cube on the powder measure bar should never jump out... The failsafe arms on the powder measure may be a tad loose... Try snugging them up. If the screw is backing out, try the old nail polish on the threads trick, or locktight...

If the white cube is worn at all, PM me and I'll mail you a new one.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Tim" it sounds to me like you have some worn parts on your PM. I'd call Dillon and ask them what is causing the problem. They will probably send you the parts for free or nearly so.

No reason why that PM shouldn't be just about dead reliable. Both of my SDB's are, and even my very old one is with ball powder.

Keep at it, you'll get it figured out. Remember, I have faith in you. :holysheep

Randy

[MBTcustom]

Here's some pictures of what is happening. These were taken as a piece of brass was pressed into the PM. The square block rides loosly in its track until the arm meets the casting on the PM, then it twists like you see in picture #3 and almost jumps out. If I tighten the bolt any more than it already is, then the PM becomes almost too stiff to operate. I am posting these pictures because it is very possible that I am doing something wrong. Dillon wastes no money on their black and white instruction manual.
Anyway here's some pictures:
This is where the powder measure just made its stroke, but the drop tube/expander has not entered the casing yet.
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_3495.jpg
This is what happens when I complete the stroke:
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_3494.jpg
Better view:
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_3496.jpg
It seems like I have something wrong here. Any thoughts?

[375RUGER]

Can you explain a little better what you mean by the drop tube has not entered the case? The case and drop tube should have been engaged long before the powder bar has reached this point.

[375RUGER]

So i was giving it some thought. You do have the correct drop tube, right?

[MBTcustom]

The drop tube contacts the mouth of the case which actuates the PM. I adjusted the drop tube so that it hits the correct depth when the handle bottoms out.

That being said, I made my own drop tube. I wanted an M die configuration and Dillon has no such critter.

I don't understand how that would make a difference though. Even with the original, the drop tube entering the case mouth is what actuates the PM. The rifle tube does the same thing except the case mouth does not get flared, rather it stops solid on a shoulder.

I am using brass that has a tendency to size the boolits when they are seated, so I want the M die setup so that I can shoot soft boolits in my 45.

[375RUGER]

so in post 34 when you said "but the drop tube/expander has not entered the casing yet" that was a misprint then?

I can adjust my PM to full stoke with out any flare on the case, with regular drop tube. It requires very little extra depth to the drop tube to add flare with only a small amount of extra felt pressure on the handle.
You have a different situation because of a custom drop tube, so your PM will require different adjustment.

I think you are adjusting the PM to reach it's full stroke too soon. First clue is the white square being forced up against the body. This could also be your drop tube is the wrong length.

Adjust the powder die up until you achieve a point that the powder die reaches full stoke just before you get the desired amount of case expansion. Are you adding a little flare too?

The Dillon PM is very reliable and I have never doubted that if threw a charge on a full stoke. I think your's needs adjustment.

If that don't work I have another possible solution in mind.

[MBTcustom]

If I adjust it upwards, then the expander tube does not enter the case far enough.
What I meant in post #34 was that the die had not gone very far into the case. The die touches the case and begins to move it upward, and I can see the plastic square start to twist a little. When the powder measure has reached full throw, the die still has about 1/8"-3/16" left to go. By the time the full stroke has been reached, the last two pictures are what it looks like. Everything is the same as with the original Dillon drop tube, except that it has two diameters rather than one diameter leading into a flaring angle.

I suppose the increased surface area of the M die configuration could be exerting more pressure than the original design, but I guess I am surprized that they would use a design that requires a sizing operation to be kept to a minimum pressure.

I keep wondering if I have something put together wrong here. The way it is now, the metal tube coming out of the bottom of the powder measure is the only thing that provides power to the drop tube/sizer. Seems like they would design it so that the tube stops on something a little more robust.

For instance, the powder drop tube has a groove in it about 1/4" from the top. What is that used for?

[375RUGER]

Maybe we should talk tonight when I get home and I can have my PM in hand and you also.
You should have a white nylon flange spacer up inside the powder measure. Of course, your's is newer and it may not have that.

[Alvarez Kelly]

The white cube looks like it is bending in photo #3. (Edited to remove irrelavent info)

Edited to add: Something is out of adjustment. The gold annodized arm looks to be deflecting too much too. I would carefully inspect the mounting parts for the failsafe arm also.

[375RUGER]

Alvarez,
can you clarify for me the operation of the new style PM. You make it sound as though the failsafe rod should be operating to charge the case. Does it also work to return the powder bar to battery after ram is lowered?

[Alvarez Kelly]

Alvarez,
can you clarify for me the operation of the new style PM. You make it sound as though the failsafe rod should be operating to charge the case. Does it also work to return the powder bar to battery after ram is lowered?

I'll admit I re-thought that whole post right after posting it. The failsafe rod hangs loose while the ram is raised. It has no bearing on Tim's problem.

I am mailing him a powder measure off one of my presses, just in case it was my assembly work on his powder measure that caused his problem. At least we can eliminate one variable.

Tim and I also had a conversation about powder funnel lengths. He is going to explore that while waiting for the powder measure to arrive.

Hopefully, we can get him all squared away.

[David2011]

Hi Tim,

Congrats on the new press. You've already identified the major weaknesss of the 550B. For the record, I've had one since 1991 and had 2 for a while. I like them very much. For refrence, I also have a SDB and a 650. IMO the 550 requires an extra measure of attention while loading because it doesn't auto-index. I believe the auto-indexing of the other models reduces the no charge and doule charge risk. With all that said, I am very much a fan of the machine. It just requires absolute attention to load every round perfectly.

I've had similar experiences with small primer non-toxic .45 ACP and .45 GAP cartridges. They cause the press to come to a sudden stop and really mess with the rhythm of the 550 which does create an elevated risk. I started inspecting evry .45 case to make sure it wasn't NT or .45 GAP. I can't tell the difference between a .45 GAP and a .45 ACP when picking them out of the brass bin to set into the press so visually culling became very important. It pretty well eliminated primer pocket stoppages.

I've had one double charge in a .45ACP case but it was fortuantely an overcharge of a fairly light load but it did get my attention. I've also had a few squibs in my early days of loading .45 ACP. Each time I could look back and recall something interrupting the rhythm. WIth any progressive press it's important to make sure the lever hits the stop at both ends on every stroke. Any interruption on the smooth rhythm of the 550 can result in no powder charge or a double if your powder doesn't fill the case.

Jimmy Mitchell, a 1911 'smith, encouraged me to try CCI primers in my Dillons saying that they feed more smoothly than some other brands. I found this to be true. All of my 1911 pattern pistols have full power mainsprings so light strikes are not an issue in them. A a reduced power mainspring is unnecessary, IMO, unless you want a trigger pull under 2 pounds. The primer feed in the 550 has to be kept clean, properly adjusted and unlubricated for best function. Any lubrication will hold burned ignition residue and make it sticky.

Have you tried adjusting the powder die up and down to get the depth and bell you wanted with the Dillon powder funnel? I've never felt the need for an M die using Dillon's powder funnels. In over 30 years of reloading I've probably loaded less than 1000 jacketed pistol bullets and most of those were in 9mm. I've loaded over 100,000 cast boolits on the Dillons using their powder funnels with no problems shaving lead.

Mixed headstamps have never been a problem in the 550 as long as the small primer pocket brass is sent to the scrap brass bin and military primer pockets are swaged. I've reloaded some of my .45 ACP so many times the headstamps are getting hard to read.

Please call Dillon. They will send you any parts they think you need (often more than you are requesting) at no charge. They're very good at analyzing problems and providing repair parts. Their spares packge is good to have. While they will send you anything in it at no charge, having he spares on hand minimizes down time and you just call Dillon, tell them what you used and they send replacements.

A parallel arm desk lamp with a bright flourescent bulb positioned over the left side of the press illuminates the cases prior to seating the bullets.

Later,
David

[MBTcustom]

Well, Brian is working with me on the problem. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. I want to know if its my drop tube, or something else. If Brian and I cannot figure it out (highly unlikely) I will call Dillon and get it right.
I need to understand what is happening.
In my entire reloading career, I have made 7 bad cartridges. Until Saturday, it was two. My fault, I got in a hurry, and I trusted my life to a piece of machinery.
The good news is that the system cannot throw a double charge unless I physically do something wrong.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Tim: what I am seeing is the little plastic part is worn out and after looking at all three of mine, New style with failsafe like yours, older style no failsafe but large return spring, and really old style no plastic shoe in the slot and very simple arm.

What I see is your arm driving the plastic part is too far away from the plastic part. It should not allow the plastic part to be anywhere but inside of it's slot in the charge bar.

Mine has the arm right next to the plastic part, almost touching the charge bar, not spaced out any. The plastic shoe has enough lubricity so the arm doesn't bind.

There should be no spacer behind the arm at it's pivot point, other than maybe a very thin plastic shim so it doesn't physically touch the body of the PM.

Just spacing the arm correctly will solve your problem. If it is spaced right then bending the arm in so it contacts the plastic is what is needed, But I doubt this is the problem, I think there is probably a spacer behind the arm that shouldn't be there..

None of this has anything to do with your powder funnel, you just need to adjust it up or down so you get the amount of flare on the case you want. There will be enough throw on the charge bar to function correctly as it has a very wide window of operation.

Only one other thing. All of that mechinism needs to be disassembled and cleaned. No lubrication on the charge bar or any of the parts . Maybe a smidgeon of grease on the pivot point of the arms, but all excess needs to be removed. It just attracts dirt.

Lightly Buffing all the parts with a fuzz wheel (Remember the fuzz wheel?) would remove all corrosion and make things bright again.

Powder measures must be completely clean to function properly. That one is dirty.

Here's some pics of mine to show the relationship between the arm and the charge bar/ plastic shoe. They are kind of fuzzy but you can see the arm is right up against the plastic shoe.

Your's is spaced out which allows the shoe to come out of it's slot in the charge bar.


Randy

[MBTcustom]

Well, right off the bat, I can see that I am missing that wave washer on the pivot bolt, and I don't have that wrap-around spring either (not sure how necessary it is).
375Ruger tagged this problem last night when we were talking also. Looks like that could be the biggest issue.

[W.R.Buchanan]

See,,, I knew you'd figure it out.

Randy