Dillon rl550

[Strtspdlx]

I just got my press oarts over the weekend and got it all together. So today I loaded the primer tube and adjusted all the dies and loaded 100 rounds all In less then an hour. Stoping to check powder charge every 10-20 rounds. And I have a few mistakes. I definetely would like to get a light on the seating station so I can see my powder charge more easily. For now I have an old lamp but more light would be better. I took my good old time and tried to get the process engraved in my head so it's more habit then thought. The machine performed flawlessly. I do have a question though. Seating primers I go until I can't anymore and the primers aren't nearly down in the case as when I hand prime. I also grabbed a factory round and the primer in it was much further. I checked Dillion's manual and it said causes could be shell plate up side down. Shell plate adjustment and primer pocket crimp. They are 45acp federal cases. No crimp and they're probably 5-10 thousandths maximum below flush. Is there anything I can do to seat them further? I'm definetely sold on this press. It used to take me 2-3 hours to load 100 rounds. If the machine was all ready to roll I probably could've done it in 30 minutes. I just have to keep an eye on the powder level. Don't ask me how I know....

[Alvarez Kelly]

If I remember right, you added a failsafe return bracket under your shellplate platform. Did you add the primer track bearing under the priming assembly?

[VHoward]

http://inlinefabrication.com/collections/lighting/products/skylighttm-led-lighting-kit-for-the-dillon-550 For lighting, go with this kit. I have the version for the XL650, but they work the same. Really bright light coming from the center of the tool head.. 5 to 10 thousandths below flush would be good enough for me on seating primers. Are you saying you can't get them below flush with the press? If these are large pistol primer 45 acp, make sure you are using the large primer punch. If they are small pistol primer 45acp, then make sure you are using the small primer punch. You can have issues if you use the wrong size punch.

[Strtspdlx]

If I remember right, you added a failsafe return bracket under your shellplate platform. Did you add the primer track bearing under the priming assembly?
As far as I know the return was already there. I had to get the primer slide bearing and the primer slides.

[Strtspdlx]

http://inlinefabrication.com/collections/lighting/products/skylighttm-led-lighting-kit-for-the-dillon-550 For lighting, go with this kit. I have the version for the XL650, but they work the same. Really bright light coming from the center of the tool head.. 5 to 10 thousandths below flush would be good enough for me on seating primers. Are you saying you can't get them below flush with the press? If these are large pistol primer 45 acp, make sure you are using the large primer punch. If they are small pistol primer 45acp, then make sure you are using the small primer punch. You can have issues if you use the wrong size punch.
thanks for the link. I sorted all my 45 brass to use large pistol primers. And that what I have in the press right now. When I run 40s&w that'll have to be changed.

[W.R.Buchanan]

If your primers are .005 below the bottom of the case you are fine. you don't need to go any deeper. I just loaded 500 .45ACP's on my D550B and all my primers were just below the surface,,, except for the cases with small primer pockets $%#&%^*! which large primers won't go in.

I also ran into some Berdan Primed cases as well as some that had been drilled out to convert them. The primers fell out of them thank God.

Now if they are sticking out, you have a problem. Otherwise don't sweat it.

Randy

[runfiverun]

if they are sticking up you not pushing the handle back far enough.
you can feel the primer seating to the bottom of the pocket after a couple of hundred tries.

anyway look at the priming ram from the top and the bottom when the handle is pushed all the way back, you'll see how it works.
sometimes you just have to loosen the allen screw on the side of the slide and adjust things upward slightly.

[RKJ]

I've found that some brass seats really hard and others very easy. It slows me down but I pull the suspect ones out and check them out. I use a crimp reamer on the troublesome ones and that seems to fix the problem. As for the light I get those cheap book lights at the Dollar store that clip on and adjust them to point into the filled case at the powder station, kind of ugly but it works fine (and cheaply). As VHoward said this is very nice. http://inlinefabrication.com /collect...the-dillon-550 (http://inlinefabrication.com/collections/lighting/products/skylighttm-led-lighting-kit-for-the-dillon-550)

[Strtspdlx]

Okay I guess I'll go with it. I managed to good up and prime TWO cases and then proceeded to deprime those live primers. I felt pretty stupid and extremely lucky. Neither went off. I wasn't paying enough attention to setting everything up and after about 20 cases pushing back to seat a primer was just habit. I went to check charge and being a dummy found the charge was good, dumped it in the hopper and went and recharged it. In doing that I popped out two live primers.

[376Steyr]

Is the handle hitting the bench on the backstroke when you are priming? This first time I mounted my 550 on a bench I had to gnaw a little off the edge of the bench to get full extension of the primer ram.
Also, keep some q-tips handy and swab out the primer reside every 500 rounds or so. If too much primer residue builds up on the cup and ram you will suddenly have problems with primers not feeding onto the primer cup, multiple primers spitting out of the tube, etc.
Safety glasses are your friend. I won't step near a loading press of any kind, doing any kind of operation, until I put my safety glasses on, just in case a primer should pop.

[jmorris]

If you could push the handle hard enough without breaking something a 550 would seat a primer .060 or so deep.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=175451&d=1472511026

[BucketBack]

I use a small wood dowel with a sharpie marker line at a verified powder charge level, and insert it in each case to check that powder is indeed inside. Mostly on bottleneck cases.

Yes it adds time to the process, but it's better than a boolit stuck in the barrel with another one coming.

[dverna]

Priming on the upstroke is one of the weaknesses of almost every progressive press out there. The Star and the Dillon 1050 both prime on the downstroke and that will yield more consistent primer seating. BTW, it is one reason I got rid of my 650.

With upstroke priming, you need to develop a "feel" and there will be some variation using mixed brass that comes from different manufacturers and that has been loaded a couple of times vs ten's of times. It is not a big deal on pistol ammo as long as the primer is below flush.

I still have a 550 and do not try to set speed records with it. For short runs of a couple of hundred at a time it does a good job. Just take a second, hesitate a smige to feel the primer seat. For the calibers I run 500+ at a time, the 1050 does not require any hesitation, and primer seating is excellent.

BTW, checking powder drops every 20 rounds is mostly a waste of time. I do it every primer fill on the 550 and it does not vary. If it bothers you, you may want to consider a powder check die and then seat and crimp on the last station of the 550. One hint when starting off. Load in batches of 100 - do not have large batches of ammo. If you find a problem, you can isolate it to the 100 rounds you just loaded.

[jmorris]

The Star and the Dillon 1050 both prime on the downstroke and that will yield more consistent primer seating. BTW, it is one reason I got rid of my 650.

So does the Lee Loadmaster, anyone with a 550 or 650 (hell an SD for that matter) and want to get rid of the inferior upstroke priming system I will trade you straight up, you won't owe me a penny.

[VHoward]

Don't need to hesitate one bit when priming on my XL650. Seats primers just fine in pistol and rifle.

[jmorris]

I do hesitate but it's pretty hard to see unless your looking for it.

If you zoom in on this video so you can see the top of the press and handle pretty good you will notice that the handle comes up and makes contact between the primer pocket and case (the press doesn't move right about the time my wrist is even with the casting) then the push seats the primer and you can see the press rock back a bit.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl63cR9Y_Y0

[mulespurs]

If your shell plate center bolt is not tight enough you will not be able to seat primers as deep as you would like.
The shell plate should be fairly snug and index positively in my opinion. I tighten it gently until the plate will not index any more, then loosen maybe 1/8 or 1/4 of a turn.
Then lock the center bolt in place with the setscrew under said plate on the upper left side of the ram.
Just my experience.

[VHoward]

Yes. Having the machine set up properly is essential. Having the properly set up machine, I am just curious why anybody would think you can't seat primers correctly with it. Or why you would think a hesitation is necessary? I guess I just don't understand since I don't have problems with priming on my XL650.

[jmorris]

Or why you would think a hesitation is necessary?

I am not sure I would call it a hesitation as much as a moderation of force. Nothing is going on. Most of the way down then I feel resistance and "ramp" up pressure as it seats. After a few hundred thousand seated primers it "just happens" and I can tell the head stamp on a lot of brass by how they feel seating the primer.

That at is the "feel" part of them. If your a "slam" home kid of guy because "it will go", I figure at some point a "primer blew while seating" thread is in the future.

[VHoward]

I don't go so fast that it slams in to the stop. And I can feel when the primer is seating. I just don't hesitate. It's more of a slow down when I get to the priming part. But I do that at both ends of the stroke simply because I don't like slamming into the stops. I still manage 600 rounds per hour. When you have pulled the handle on our presses as much as we have, you get a memory built up so you know how far the handle travels and you just automatically slow down in preparation to change direction. You don't even think about that part anymore. I am just saying that I haven't noticed any deficiencies in how the XL650 primes.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I usually grab the back of the press housing when seating primers so I don't push the press back on the table. All of mine are mounted to Aluminum plates and are clamped to tables with C Clamps as needed and they can move if I don't clamp them tight enough.

By using the push/pull two handed method if your press isn't mounted rock solid, you can seat primers with a more consistent pressure because you are "Squeezing" the press between your arms similar to how my Hand Press works.

If your press is mounted solidly to a heavy table that doesn't move or flex then you can use the one hand method to seat primers effectively and you will get the feel quickly.

It's all about table flex cuz the press requires the same amount of force to seat any primer no matter what.

Securely mounting the thing is the key to getting it right.

Randy

[mjwcaster]

Solid bench is a huge issue.
All my primer seating issues can be traced back to flexible bench or dirty press.
Keep it solid and clean and things work fine.


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