Dillon Primer Tube Detonation

[Baja_Traveler]

Well, I now know that 50 primers going off at once sounds like. Running a Dillon 650 for 45 acp, and midway into my run of 100 the press went off in my face, launching the low primer sensor rod into the ceiling, and blowing the whole steel blast shield completely out of the primer station mount and across the room. I caught a tiny bit of shrapnel in my right arm, but otherwise injury free - not even ringing in my ears surprisingly.
I completely disassembled the priming station and could not find an obvious cause, just alot of shrapnel and black soot. Cleaned everything up, and no parts were damaged on the press itself. Cant say as much for the primer tube though, I had to drive it out of the blast shield with a drift punch - looks like every primer in the tube went off. I'm thinking a primer got caught half way into the index wheel and got pinched as it rotated, setting it off. The blast shield did its job though, and I pressed it back into the station mount. The aluminum primer tube is split the whole bottom 6 inches.

http://www.pbase.com/baja_traveler/image/146371058.jpg

[RED333]

DAMN, glad you came out all right.

[Adam10mm]

Yup. Happened to me a few times with my 1050. Call Dillon and they'll send in a replacement for free.

This is why I always wear eye protection when reloading. It saved my eyes a few times.

[parrott1969]

Freakshow, what caused you primer detonation?

[Oreo]

This is why I prefer the LNL-AP. Never heard of this happening on an LNL-AP.

Glad you're ok.

And, I agree that eye protection is an absolute must when reloading.

[Alvarez Kelly]

Federal primers by chance?

[kd185]

as long as everyone is ok
and minimal damage done to the press and surrounding area
good reason not to keep to much stuff (jugs of powder and sleeves of primers)
on the bench top when your reloading

[hunter64]

Seen this happen on a Lee 1000 with my shooting/hunter partner. It left pieces of plastic embedded everywhere including his face just below his chin and neck. His wife took him to the hospital and had to have a few stitches and lots of plastic removal.

He was wearing glasses but wears a full face shield now and has bought a LNL.

[jmorris]

I have at least one of every dillon they make and have been using them for 27 years and (knock on wood) have never lit a primer off. I've even crushed primers in a bench vise before without them igniting. That being said I was at a friends house a few years ago when he lit a tube off much like you did, he was having problems and getting frustrated right before it happened.

I think you should treat reloading like a first date, forcing things and jerky movements are only going to work against you.

FWIW this does show a good reason not to weigh down the primer rod.

[r1kk1]

My suspect would be primer dust. I wash my tubes in hot soapy water but no rinse. Ive seen a rifle barrel split like that once. Thanks to the blast shield/tube covering the priming tube.

Most of all glad your not hurt.

I use to worry about the old Remington 97s with the open flash hole and plastic trays. Luckily, never had a detonation. I wash those trays with the same soapy water solution to remove primer dust.

Take care

r1kk1

[Doc Highwall]

I think I read somewhere about the primer dust causing the problem.
Think about it, when was the last time you cleaned the primer tube.
I think we all just think about it being filled to make sure all the cartridges have a primer and nothing else. Then go shooting and repeat the process.

[Tazman1602]

Glad you are OK but this is exactly why I use a Lee nutcracker to size/deprime and then RCBS hand primers to prime. Then they go to the Dillon to reload.

I know it sounds stupid but it's kind of cozy. I sit there running my nutcracker or hand primer while wife is crocheting with the TV in the background.

Just my oddball preference

Dillon will fix your press for free by the way...

Art

[dauntlessdave]

Dayum! Glad you're OK. Guess it's time for me to clean some primer tubes!

[Adam10mm]

Freakshow, what caused you primer detonation?
First time it was the rubber sleeve that got torn and a primer got inserted on the slide cock-eyed and got set off. Same thing happened again when I replaced everything. Third time it was a double feed.

[Larry Gibson]

I think I read somewhere about the primer dust causing the problem.
Think about it, when was the last time you cleaned the primer tube.
I think we all just think about it being filled to make sure all the cartridges have a primer and nothing else. Then go shooting and repeat the process.

I've also been loading on Dillons for many years w/o this problem. I do, periodically, clean the press and blow out dust and debri with compressed air.

Popped a few primers with a Lee Loader years ago........scares the bejesus out of you:not listening: and you don't mind forking out for a real primer seating tool..........:happy dance:

Keep all priming tools clean and free of primer dust is all I can recommend:Bright idea:

Larry Gibson

[btroj]

I suppose I should clean my primer tubes. Have had my 550 for about 15 years and have never cleaned the primer tubes.

[MtGun44]

Never cleaned a primer tube in Dillon since 1981. Never detonated a primer. Use
CCI almost exclusively. The seamless steel tube works as intended.

Bill

[Baja_Traveler]

Federal primers by chance?

Winchester primers -

Buddy at the range told me that he also hand prime's everything before dumping them into the feed hopper. After this experience I'll probably do the same. Since I clean the brass using stainless pins, I might as well have clean primer pockets...

[rollmyown]

50 compelling reasons to wear eye protection. Thanks for the wake up call.

[quasi]

Does the Hornady LNL have a blast shield on its primer system or is this a Dillon only requirement?

[jmorris]

The Hornady has the blast shield too.

[Oreo]

The hornady has a blast shield steel tube but it's also designed so that the primer shuttle operates under spring tension that isn't strong enough to crush a primer. Plus, the priming operation is its own separate stroke so you really feel what's going on while priming. Its a very safely designed system. I don't see how its possible to set off the whole tube on an LNL-AP unless you're using rods down the tube (bad idea imo) or this mythical primer dust (I don't believe in).

[cheese1566]

Primer dust?

Frome new primers or old?

Not doubting anyone, but I have never cleaned a tube in my 20 years either.

I do know that a very reputable ammo manufacturer down the road from me primes everything away from the loading machines on seperate euipment. They have an occassional POP and have little holes and dents in the ceiling above it...but it was an automated machine and not done by the fine feel of a person.

[Casting_40S&W]

Pushing a large primer into a small primer pocket on 45 ACP will do this, regardless of the press manufacture, Federals will chain fire, CCI not so much.

[Moonman]

I use a RCBS BENCH PRIMING UNIT, it's mounted to a 3/4" oak board and I move it around and c-clamp it to where I'm at, like watching TV in the kitchen or something.

I have plenty of brass and DE-PRIME, TUMBLE, DRY, RE-PRIME on the Bench Unit, Box it up until ready to go to the loader.

[DukeInFlorida]

Here's my take:

The Dillon numbering system is loosely based on the number of rounds per hour the machine can make. 450 is 450 rounds per hour, the 550 is 550 rounds per hour, etc.

People get very hung up on making "at least" that rate..........

Big mistake in my book............

It causes you to start to get sloppy. Cranking the handle as fast as possible is NOT the way to get good assembled ammo.

You'll miss the occasional mistake as brass and parts flow through the machine.

The way a primer goes off in your gun is that it gets hit hard and fast. Hit it slow and soft, and nothing happens.

I'm guessing that you had either an upside down primer get through your system, or you put one in sideways, too hard.... and too fast.... and the primer did that it was designed to do.

In my 40 years of installing primers, I have installed tons of them sideways and upside down. But every single one, including the ones on my RL550b, were installed slowly, carefully, and with a "feel" for the machine. I have never ever had a primer detonate in any installation, whether sideways or upside down.

I never try to achieve anything even close to 550 rounds per minute. Anything faster than my single station press is great in my book.

I suggest slowing down............

[cajun shooter]

That is something that may take place on any fully progressive machine as you can't feel the bind when it starts and therefore you have the blast.
I ran a Camdex for many years while a range officer for the Sheriffs office and City Police Metro range.
WE replaced more than one light that was above the machines primer station. I've seen CCI, Winchester and Federal all do the same thing. Federal always gets blamed but the truth is that any brand may do the same if placed in that machine at the wrong time.
I prefer to use my manual index machines like the Dillon 450 I started with and now for many years the 550.
Unless you are loading for many others and feel a need to rush through this short life of ours, it's better to slow down a notch or two.

[cheese1566]

My thoughts exactly. People have scoffed and ridiculed me for having progressives, yet only making 100 rounds in an hour. I like to enjoy the hobby and take my time.


Here's my take:

The Dillon numbering system is loosely based on the number of rounds per hour the machine can make. 450 is 450 rounds per hour, the 550 is 550 rounds per hour, etc.

People get very hung up on making "at least" that rate..........

Big mistake in my book............

It causes you to start to get sloppy. Cranking the handle as fast as possible is NOT the way to get good assembled ammo.

You'll miss the occasional mistake as brass and parts flow through the machine.

The way a primer goes off in your gun is that it gets hit hard and fast. Hit it slow and soft, and nothing happens.

I'm guessing that you had either an upside down primer get through your system, or you put one in sideways, too hard.... and too fast.... and the primer did that it was designed to do.

In my 40 years of installing primers, I have installed tons of them sideways and upside down. But every single one, including the ones on my RL550b, were installed slowly, carefully, and with a "feel" for the machine. I have never ever had a primer detonate in any installation, whether sideways or upside down.

I never try to achieve anything even close to 550 rounds per minute. Anything faster than my single station press is great in my book.

I suggest slowing down............

[Oreo]

Popping one primer is far different then popping the whole tube. Completely different modes of failure.

I can crush primers in the seating step all day on my LnL and it will not ignite the tube.

[quasi]

I know when I had my Dillon 550, I could not come close to 550 rds per hour. I think to get 550 rds per hour out of it, you would have to flail around like you were killing a bunch of snakes .

[bruce381]

I had 2 kabooms on my 650 BOTH were caused by stupid SMALL primer hole 45 ACP.
I would bet thats your cause. Big primer goes boom on a small primer hole.

[runfiverun]

i couldn't get close to 550 rds an hour if i had help and everything sitting there ready to go.
best i could do is probably 300 an hour.
even with primer tubes filled and ready to go,and an extra lb of powder waiting to be poured in etc.. which is how i am normally set up to go.
i concentrate on smooth and full strokes of the handle, watch the primer slide, and eyeball the powder on each stroke.

[btroj]

I have run Ito some small primer 45 ACP, never set off a primer. It isn hard to tell that things don't feel quite right.

The primer system on the 550 is fine, the operator needs to pay attention.

Changing a time proven system is sort of like putting a safety button on a lever action..........

[jmorris]

The hornady has a blast shield steel tube but it's also designed so that the primer shuttle operates under spring tension that isn't strong enough to crush a primer. Plus, the priming operation is its own separate stroke so you really feel what's going on while priming. It's not a spring that is crushing the primer and every Dillon except the 1050 primes at the end of the down stroke just like the LNL, the LNL shuttle is pretty much the same as the 550 and SD.

The problem is the guys that are crushing the primers are too strong to "feel what's going on" and crush a problem primer with more force than is normaly required to seat one and set it off.

This is why you have some folks say they have reloaded for 30 years and not had one go off and others say it happed every week before they started hand priming. It's not the machines fault, its the handle pusher.



It causes you to start to get sloppy. Cranking the handle as fast as possible is NOT the way to get good assembled ammo.
Factory ammo is not assembled slowly. Speed also is not the cause of setting off primers, force is. My computer controlled 1050 loads around 1800 rounds and hour and doesn't set off primers (it has a clutch).

[Oreo]

It's not a spring that is crushing the primer and every Dillon except the 1050 primes at the end of the down stroke just like the LNL, the LNL shuttle is pretty much the same as the 550 and SD.

Incorrect.

The LNL-AP seats the primer in a separate forward push of the lever at the top of the stroke. So loading goes: insert empty case in shell plate / place bullet on case in bullet seating station, lever down / ram up, lever up / ram down, LEVER FORWARD TO SEAT PRIMER, repeat.

The problem with this is forgetting to push the lever to seat a primer. You send the unprimed case to the powder charging station on the next down stroke and then powder leaks through the flash hole making a mess.

[Oreo]

Another note of difference (and I'm not certain of this, correct me if I'm wrong) is that the primer shuttle on a Dillon, once loaded with a primer from the tube, returns to the shell plate under direct manual pressure controlled by the operation of the lever. If a primer loads into the shuttle incorrectly the operator can crush it right there under the tube. Right?

On the LNL-AP the empty shuttle is pushed by operation of the lever under the tube but once the shuttle is loaded with a primer it returns to the shell plate under spring tension only. If a primer loads incorrectly into the shuttle it binds up the priming system but I can still operate the ram / lever through its entire range of motion without applying pressure to the bound primer shuttle. You'd have to do something real extraordinary to crush the primer this way on an LNL-AP.

The LNL-AP I own, the Dillons I do not so I have limited understanding of them.

[David2011]

Incorrect.

The LNL-AP seats the primer in a separate forward push of the lever at the top of the stroke. So loading goes: insert empty case in shell plate / place bullet on case in bullet seating station, lever down / ram up, lever up / ram down, LEVER FORWARD TO SEAT PRIMER, repeat.

The problem with this is forgetting to push the lever to seat a primer. You send the unprimed case to the powder charging station on the next down stroke and then powder leaks through the flash hole making a mess.

That's exactly how all 3 of my Dillons work. I've never found it a problem to remember to seat a primer. Been using Dillons since 1991.

I've had one primer go off while seating and that was in my 650. It happened loading .45ACP but the pocket and primer were both large. The primer started going in crooked. I could tell by the feel immediately. As with most presses, you're stuck with a halfway inserted primer so I pressed it in with extra force. While I expected that it might pop, I still jumped and still didn't like it. On the 650 the primer tube is well away from the primer being seated. Primers are delivered by a rotating disk so there was no chain reaction to detonate all of them.

David

[jmorris]

Incorrect.

The LNL-AP seats the primer in a separate forward push of the lever at the top of the stroke.
I guess it depends on what stroke your talking about, the handle or the ram/shell plate.

In any case the LNL primes exactly the same as all of the Dillons except the 1050.

[jmorris]

Another note of difference (and I'm not certain of this, correct me if I'm wrong) is that the primer shuttle on a Dillon, once loaded with a primer from the tube, returns to the shell plate under direct manual pressure controlled by the operation of the lever. If a primer loads into the shuttle incorrectly the operator can crush it right there under the tube. Right?

On the LNL-AP the empty shuttle is pushed by operation of the lever under the tube but once the shuttle is loaded with a primer it returns to the shell plate under spring tension only. If a primer loads incorrectly into the shuttle it binds up the priming system but I can still operate the ram / lever through its entire range of motion without applying pressure to the bound primer shuttle. You'd have to do something real extraordinary to crush the primer this way on an LNL-AP.

The LNL-AP I own, the Dillons I do not so I have limited understanding of them.

I have all of the Dillons and have had a few LNL's.

The SD and 550 more or less are the same as the LNL, little coil spring returns the shuttle under the shell plate.

The 650 has no shuttle at all. A disk rotates around bringing primers from the tube around to the anvil.

The 1050 does return positively with the operation of the lever.

However, the movement of the primer from the tube is not what sets them off, or everyone would have it happen, crushing them when something isn't right is the cause.

[Oreo]

Ah, the disk on the 650. That's what I've seen. The only one I've seen in person, and just briefly.

And please don't take my posts as Dillon-bashing. Dillon makes excellent presses. I am of the view that all presses, being mechanical equipment, have their quirks of operation and priming is one of those areas with subtle but important differences.

Having said that, I suspect people are setting off primers under the tube on some Dillon models. I read about it with some regularity. Not so much on the LNL. Other issues on the LNL priming system yes, but not chain detonating the primer tube.

[DCM]

As others have said one needs to pay COMPLETE attention to the task at hand and NOT FORCE anything!
I am willing to bet this is one reason why Jmorris has a clutch on his fully automated machine.

As much as I seriously doubt the "primer dust" theories I will be cleaning my tubes out before the next session for good measure. Heck the press needs a good cleaning anyways.

If it doesn't look, feel, smell right STOP!!

[220swiftfn]

As others have said one needs to pay COMPLETE attention to the task at hand and NOT FORCE anything!
I am willing to bet this is one reason why Jmorris has a clutch on his fully autmated machine.

As mush as I seriously doubt the "primer dust" theories I will be cleaning my tubes out before the next session for good measure. Heck the press needs a good cleaning anyways.

If it doesn't look, feel, smell right STOP!!

I was going to chime in on the "I don't believe in primer dust" comment too.... Just to say that a quick cleaning of the tubes will hurt nothing, take little time, and might even be beneficial (whether you believe in it or not, if it happens to you, it happened!!!)


Dan

[jmorris]

I have progressive presses that go back 27 years and have never cleaned primer dust from tubes and never set off a primer.



I suspect people are setting off primers under the tube on some Dillon models. The SD, 550 and 1050 all have plastic tips on the primer tube that are designed to just dump primers everywhere if something goes wrong, instead of lighting off a primer. I also have never heard of anyone setting off a primer with the ram at the top of its stroke (when the shuttle would be picking up a new primer).

The rotating disk on the 650 is the best priming system IMO but has one draw back, for some. Unlike all other presses where a shuttle moves some distance from picking up a primer to the position under the shell plate, the 650's primers are only a tenth of an inch or so apart from one another. So if you set one off they are more likely to domino around and up the tube. Again the key is to not set one off in the first place.

[Baja_Traveler]

I can absolutely say that speed had nothing to do with it - at the time I was slowly and methodically using the press as I was re-adjusting the seat and crimp dies for a different bullet configuration.
I've rechecked all the brass - no small primer pockets - but the primer seating station was not where the issue occured anyway. All the primers in the disk were fine, the whole blast was under and in the feed tube.

[Springfield]

Anything can happen with reloaders at one time or another. That being said, I have been reloading with my first 550 for 18 years and the second for 6, and have installed at least 100 primers sideways and never detonated one. You just have to be careful and get a feel for the press and KNOW when something isn't right. I feel better knowing that IF the tube goes it has a blast shield that will do it's job. And MAYBE we don't hear about LNL presses detonating as much as Dillons because I bet there are at least 300 Dillons for every LNL. OK, I gotta go clean my primers tubes now, for the first time ever. Couldn't hurt.

[Bullwolf]

I used to work at a local indoor range, that had a small reloading company that worked out of the back room. I had a primer tube blow up on me while I was working there.

I was using one of the older big Dillon presses. I believe it was a Dillon RL1000, but it could have possibly been one of the early RL or XL1050's.

We also had an Ammo load machine, and two of the big Dillon progressives mounted on the bench with case feed set ups, and one well used Lee O frame press, with the wooden ball handle.

At the time, I was loading a batch of J-word 9mm on the Dillon progressive. The employee who did the case sorting had missed a 9x18 berdan primed 9 Makarov case. and It got mixed in with the 9x19 stuff. When I fed the 9 Makarov case and then went to prime it... The whole tube of small pistol primers went BANG.
(I don't remember what brand of primers I was using for that batch)

I had just recently changed to a full primer tube, so it was an almost full tube that went bang. It was VERY loud, and it made my ears ring for quite a while afterwards. It felt like someone had fired a small caliber rifle right next to my head.

A bunch of spent primers shot straight up, and then bounced off the ceiling raining down on all of us in the back room. It was very startling, but luckily no one was hurt, I was just shook up pretty good. The primer tube didn't look as bad as the one pictured either, but it was somewhat bulged. It seemed like most of the blast had gone upwards.

The range would load and sell re-manufactured ammunition to the public, and for range use. We also sold at some of the local gun shows as well. All of our ammunition was made using recycled range brass, and we sold a fair amount of brass as scrap too. It's really amazing just how much brass can move through a small, popular indoor range.

I used to find all sorts of interesting stuff in the range pickup brass, like rear dovetail sights, magazine floor plates, and just other small dropped gun parts, and ammunition that didn't go bang the first time. I cringe to think about how much range lead they disposed of. Especially when I try to find a bucket of wheel weights now, or other salvageable lead, but I digress.

I doubt that we ever cleaned the primer tubes on the presses, and we did a LOT of loading there. It was common to keep the more popular calibers topped up in plastic 55 gallon drums, before being packaged and shrink wrapped on skids/pallets.

I have never blown another primer, or a tube since. I am also extremely careful now when sorting my own brass, and I try to never force a press handle, since you really do have quite a bit of leverage there.

Speaking of force, I recall that 44 Magnum was really hard to do through the big Dillon's for some reason. (carbide dies and no lube perhaps?) It ended up being much easier if we had someone - and it was often me - size and prime ALL the 44 Magnum brass first, before running it through the Dillon's progressively. I recall doing many drums full of 44 magnum brass that way, with the old Lee O frame press. I can still feel the wooden Lee ball in my hand some days.

I loaded ludicrous amounts of J-word ammunition, on the progressive Dillon presses while I was worked at the company.

Now I seem to prefer quality over quantity. Since I don't shoot massive amounts for competition or anything else along those lines, I like to load single stage, and at a much slower pace for myself. I figure I have loaded more than enough ammunition on progressive presses to last many lifetimes. The fastest way to get sick of something that you really like to do, is to do it for a living day in and day out.

I have found that I prefer to cast my own boolits, and assemble quality hand loaded ammunition, rather than buying and loading bulk J-word components manufactured by someone else.

I also find that I prefer to take my time while hand loading, rather than loading in volume.



- Bullwolf

[DCM]

I did some more research in an attempt to find answers and...
I have to eat some crow on the primer dust apparently. http://www.saami.org/specifications_and_information/publications/download/SAAMI_ITEM_201-Primers.pdf &
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=354856

Just because it hasn't happened to me yet doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Poor QC happens everywhere nowadays and a few improperly sealed primers would be all it takes. :shock:

And one has to think there is a reason Lee offers this. https://fsreloading.com/lee-lm-explosion-shield-90363.html
You may want to read the note on primer manufacturers.

[Lloyd Smale]

My best friend is about the most avid loader I know. His loading setup even makes mine look bad. Hes had it happen to him twice on 650s now.

[r1kk1]

I glad it got posted about what SAAMI said on the subject of dusting. I remember the old Remington 97s would occasionally leak a little. I've seen remnants of old flour mills that exploded. I guess the makings of bread, being ground into a dust, a little spark, can level a building.

Take care

r1kk1

[Shiloh]

Never had it happen. Any post-mortem evidence of what caused it for sure??
I have pinched primers under the index wheel but nothing ever went bang.

Shiloh

[DCM]

Never had it happen. Any post-mortem evidence of what caused it for sure??
I have pinched primers under the index wheel but nothing ever went bang.

Shiloh

Yes inquiring minds need to know for everyone's safety sake. PLEASE keep us updated.

[Wal']

Only ever had one primer pop on me & that was self inflicted on a Hornady Pro-Jector same system as the LnL's.

Trying to force a tight fitting primer, & for whatever reason, pop, had primed hundreds of tight shell cases before, but this one decided to let go, much to my surprise. :shock:

Primer dust I've never seen as gravity seems to take care of it on the Hornady.

:cbpour:

[AMProducts]

The Dillon 650 is well known around the commercial loading world for doing this. Usually happens about 2-3 times a year depending on volume.

There are generally two causes for this problem:

1) Small primer pocket when you're trying to put in a large primer (this is generally considered an "operator error" as they should have felt the added force)

2) If the system "misses" a case, the priming wheel will continue to feed primers, and will usually drop them out the bottom of the wheel into that little plastic tray... sometimes that doesn't happen, and next time you're going up, as the wheel advances, it will pinch the primer in the wheel and *kaboom!*

Other than the first case, there really isn't a lot of mitigation for this. In most shops you can tell where the dillon machines are located by the number of primer tube followers stuck in the ceiling.

Keeping your priming assembly clean is an important task, doing so on the RL and XL 1050 can occasionally keep the explosion from propogating into the magazine, but not always.

Generally after this happens, you need to:

1) change your underpants
2) call dillon and ask for replacement parts
3) wait 3 weeks until you get replacement parts and can finish that box of 9mm you were loading

Welcome to the club! :)

[r1kk1]

Generally after this happens, you need to:

1) change your underpants
2) call dillon and ask for replacement parts
3) wait 3 weeks until you get replacement parts and can finish that box of 9mm you were loading

Welcome to the club! :)

I agree with points 1 and 2 but never had to wait three weeks for anything from Dillon. You must live overseas somewhere.

take care,

r1kk1

[dauntlessdave]

3) wait 3 weeks until you get replacement parts and can finish that box of 9mm you were loading

Welcome to the club! :)



Sounds like sour grapes to me.

[AMProducts]

I have a very love/hate relationship with dillon, as far as I'm concerned dillon is kinda like that high spot in your floor you stub your toe on a few times a year... Fixing the problem would be more hassle than dealing with a stubbed toe.

They don't make the best reloading machines in the world, but no one else makes machines that are in the same class as the 1050, and while I own a hornady LNL, I'm under no illusions that it does the same thing a 1050 does, but it's way better than a 650, doesn't throw primers all over my floor or need as much maintenance.

[M-Tecs]

but it's way better than a 650, doesn't throw primers all over my floor or need as much maintenance.

I have had three 650’s since they first came out and a two 1050 Supers for 4 or 5 years. Other than normally cleaning and lubing I have not have any issues with the 650’s. I do like the old style powder measures better and I did have a couple of powder measure springs break but I have spares and consider that normal maintenance. I have about 110K to 125K on the 650’s. That’s mostly on two machine as one is dedicated to 45/70. I only have about 7 or 8K on that one.

What type of maintenance do you have to do on yours? As to throwing primers on the floor are you refereeing to spent primers? I put a drop tubes on mine so I don’t use the collection cup. Never had a primer detonate. I do use compressed air to blow the machines off before and after each session.

[AMProducts]

Spilling primers on the floor is usually a result of case feeder/feed descriminator jamming.

I work for a commercial loader and do consulting, so the 650's I have to deal with at work and for customers probably have 250K rounds on them per year, usually about once a year, I try to do a complete tear-down and rebuild of each machine. This includes both RL and XL1050.

Common problems with the dillons: broken springs are the most common every-day problem, the auto-index springs on the 1050 break regularly about every 3 months, the case feed descriminator springs on the 650 are another frequent annoyance, and probably my least favorite is replacing the case-feed shuttle spring as it requires significant disassembly and then re-adjustment after replacement. The priming feed wheel indexing springs have broken on me more than once, and take quite a while to fix, as it requires a total disassembly of the priming system in order to replace.

Dillon in the past has given me headaches about replacing broken parts, like when the main shaft on the RL1050 broke. Getting replacement priming systems for the 650, because when it blows, it takes out the whole module (frequently shattering the cheap casting). I usually just try to keep spares in stock.

Were it not for the fact that the XL1050 just won't handle longer cartridges, we wouldn't even use the 650's. The priming system explosion is a common problem, and a frustrating one as the amount of clean up and parts it destroys is quite frustrating. When the 1050 explodes, all you need is a new primer feeding tube, the little arm on the end of the primer tube arm usually gets blown off, and a primer magazine follower rod (which is now embedded in the ceiling), usually you're back up and running in an hour.

I've graduated a bit, and spend most of my time rebuilding or running camdex and ammoload machines, it's so nice to not be stuck to cranking the machine by hand.

[aa1911]

hmmm...

glad the OP is OK, I will be cleaning my press more thouroughly before I finish this batch of .40's!

My 650 has suffered through 11 years or so of heavy abuse with nary a hiccup. This is the final push to get me to wear eyepro when reloading. I'm religious about eyepro when shooting but have been kinda lax when farting around the loading bench.

[Sonnypie]

Well, that's another thing to be very careful about...
Farting around the reloading bench(es) can lead to all sorts of mishaps, including soiled shorts which after clean-up can have made you forget where you were.
Not to mention the watery eyes from the vapors.
Please, fart outside the reloading area. Farts are also flamammable.

(Now, you have to admit, you done left the door wide open for that one...)
Ducks. Runs. > > > > > > > > > > > *

[jmorris]

, and while I own a hornady LNL, I'm under no illusions that it does the same thing a 1050 does, but it's way better than a 650, doesn't throw primers all over my floor or need as much maintenance.


I work for a commercial loader and do consulting,

Why don't they get rid of the 650's and get new LNL's. If you have the FFL to manufacture ammo you can get new LNL's for $325, and you can get more than that for the used 650's.




Were it not for the fact that the XL1050 just won't handle longer cartridges, we wouldn't even use the 650's.
I don't know about the XL1050 (or that there was such a machine)but the RL1050 will load up to .223 length and the super 1050 works for 308, 30-06 and other rifle rounds

[Dennis Eugene]

Geeze, why don't you guys take it outside. Dennis

[Adam10mm]

Because this is what happens when you get a guy that knows what he's talking about versus a guy that doesn't. It doesn't need to be taken outside. It will be over much faster on the inside.

[AMProducts]

Why don't they get rid of the 650's and get new LNL's. If you have the FFL to manufacture ammo you can get new LNL's for $325, and you can get more than that for the used 650's.

I don't know about the XL1050 (or that there was such a machine)but the RL1050 will load up to .223 length and the super 1050 works for 308, 30-06 and other rifle rounds

XL1050=Super, at least the way ours are marked. The 1050 requires some mods to load cartridges up to a length of .30-06, this is why dillon has special dies for loading '06. I don't know if you ever tried to put anything bigger in there, but there just isn't enough clearance while indexing for the longer/larger cartridges. It can be difficult to load .45-70 on these presses if you're loading the longer 500 gr single shot bullets.

As far as replacing the presses... not my call. I suppose if the boss spent more time actually using them, he might agree but until then I do the best I can, which is stock the spare parts, and keep them running.

Sorry if I'm hijacking the thread here guys, just trying to add some info.

[jmorris]

I don't know if you ever tried to put anything bigger in there, but there just isn't enough clearance while indexing for the longer/larger cartridges. Never have loaded anything longer than 30-06 on a 1050.

I did load around 1000 308's on an LNL before I sold it. At first I thought the 1/2 index on up stroke and 1/2 index on the down stroke was genius (at least for powder spill) but when I had to put the bullet up into the die and lower the handle enough to finish the index on the shell plate so I could set the bullet into the case mouth, I thought differently.

Where the Dillon machines fully index at the bottom of the ram stroke and go straight up into the dies with the bullet on top of the case. If I sat a bullet on top of the case with the LNL the tip would already be even with the base of the seating die and the final half index would knock it off.

[Baja_Traveler]

Well, I never did find a definitive answer as to why I had the blow up, but I guess I'm lucky in that the only thing I had to replace was the aluminum primer carrier - and it arrived within a few days.
Speaking of Dillon annoyances - my main annoyance with this machine is the case feed wheel in the hopper. The teeth between the pockets are just small enough that an upside down .45 case will fit right over it, then jam at the top. This happens to me about every minute and a half.

[aa1911]

Well, that's another thing to be very careful about...
Farting around the reloading bench(es) can lead to all sorts of mishaps, including soiled shorts which after clean-up can have made you forget where you were.
Not to mention the watery eyes from the vapors.
Please, fart outside the reloading area. Farts are also flamammable.

(Now, you have to admit, you done left the door wide open for that one...)
Ducks. Runs. > > > > > > > > > > > *

Ha!

they are quite flammable! I need to be more careful! :D