Thinking hard about Automatic Primer System for my old Dillon presses

[oley55]

A couple years ago I upgraded my two ole 1986/87 Dillon RL450's with the case ejection system (slick). Last year I added the Hornady Case Activated Powder Drop and Uni-Flow powder measures. I just can't get over how much I like the automatic powder dispensing and Uni-Flow accuracy over the old manual Dillon push/pull powder measures.

That's got me to thinking how handy an automatic primer feeder would be, but at $135 each I don't want to end up with problems I don't have now. Except for the required concentration to always slide the primer bar back and forth the old primer feeder works flawlessly. In fact I have never needed to fix or replace any primer related components (well except the old clear plastic primer fill tubes did go bad many years ago). A note: I have the two RL450's, one for small primer and one for large so I don't have to hassle with realignments between large n small primer applications.

All that said, are the Dillon Automatic Primer Systems mostly boolit/idiot proof or sometimes problematic?
https://www.dillonprecision.com/20055

[Dave W.]

For the most part they work pretty well. I bought my 550b well used, so most of the problems I had were due to worn parts. I would gladly upgrade.

[John Wayne]

For the most part they work pretty well. I bought my 550b well used, so most of the problems I had were due to worn parts. I would gladly upgrade.

Dave W. has it right. My 550 was used and it needed the long spring stretched out a bit and it's nearly flawless. I always glance at it each stroke to be sure and check powder as I place the projectile anyway. You would love the 550 for the swap out tool head if you decide to go for the gusto ;^)
JW

[imashooter2]

If the press is mounted on a stiff bench or "strong mount," the priming systems are pretty robust. The only problems I ever had were primers flipping due to the bench flex.

[oley55]

If the press is mounted on a stiff bench or "strong mount," the priming systems are pretty robust. The only problems I ever had were primers flipping due to the bench flex.

my mount is rock solid but your point is taken. I forgot that I have to be careful to not let my current manual primer feed fly home or it will occasionally flip a primer. Been doing it so long, it's automatic to hold the knob and control the return speed.

I presume the actuator rod mostly controls this motion and keeps it from snaping forward too fast.

[dillonhelp]

The op-rod return rate is controlled by how fast you move the handle up and down. Remember, if you buy it from Dillon, you have 30 days from date of purchase to return it for refund if you're unhappy with it. Mike Dillon always felt the auto index and the auto prime features were the biggest time savers on the 450. Getting into a rhythm of pushing one one part while pulling on another wasn't natural.

[Iowa Fox]

I have a 450. I have been working the manual feed for so long its second nature. The 450 is excellent and has the 550 beat for loading precision long range ammo due to its solid top. If I really felt like I needed a auto primer feed I would apply the 135 toward a nice used 550.

[oley55]

I have a 450. I have been working the manual feed for so long its second nature. The 450 is excellent and has the 550 beat for loading precision long range ammo due to its solid top. If I really felt like I needed a auto primer feed I would apply the 135 toward a nice used 550.

Well....there you go. Out of mostly nowhere I stumbled onto a 550b for sale less than 7 miles from the homestead Friday. A few extras on it, inline fab quick detach plate with a Dillon bullet tray, bin hanger, roller handle and two toolheads/conversions for $480.

I spent a good amount of time yesterday disassembling, cleaning, lubing and learning about the automatic powder/primer systems. Haven't loaded anything yet but I did feed it more than a few empty cases and found the primer actuator rod is in the way and I have to contort my hand to feed brass between the actuator rod and the handle. No doubt the stubby 9mm cases aren't helping.

[Tatume]

I have a 450. I have been working the manual feed for so long its second nature. The 450 is excellent and has the 550 beat for loading precision long range ammo due to its solid top. If I really felt like I needed a auto primer feed I would apply the 135 toward a nice used 550.

I have two RL450 machines, and both have Dillon automatic primer systems installed. I still have to tug on the primer slide every time, because the dogleg spring doesn't get the job done. I have rebent it many times, and soon afterwards it starts malfunctioning again. Dillon has replaced the spring for both machines, and still no joy. They are so troublesome that I no longer use them. Instead I remove cases after the size/deprime stage and install primers with a hand tool. Then I feed them into the machine at the bell/powder dispense stage. Since I only load and shoot a few hundred cartridges per week, it's not worth the trouble and expense to fix it.

[oley55]

I have two RL450 machines, and both have Dillon automatic primer systems installed. I still have to tug on the primer slide every time, because the dogleg spring doesn't get the job done. I have rebent it many times, and soon afterwards it starts malfunctioning again.

I am too new to these to be an expert but, when I reassembled I probably overtightened the two castle bolts and distorted the primer housing. The primer slide kept hanging up just before the primer cup could pick up a new primer. Then I looked at the Dillon instructions and was warned about overtightening, (Fig. 13 - Removing the primer feed body to change primer slides. Caution do not over tighten these bolts (#14014)). I put a straight edge along the inside of the housing and discovered raised areas at each of the two bolts. I ran a very fine flat file over the humps and took off just enough material to allow the slide to operate without hanging up. I believe overtightening caused the metal to distort but didn't strip the threads.

[Tatume]

Thanks Oley, I'll look into that.

Update: This was not the issue with my primer feeds, but thanks for the suggestion.

[jetinteriorguy]

I picked up a used 550 last spring and tore it apart, cleaned, lubed, and reassembled it according to Dillons help videos and couldn’t get the priming system to work right. I wound up purchasing their timing tool and used it to reassemble the press and lo and behold it worked perfectly. Best investment for this press I’ve made yet.

[upr45]

I use powdered graphite on the primer slide on my 550B. Just enough to keep it gliding. Try to only keep it on slide and bearing surface below as graphite and aluminium are not friends! i apply light dusting when changing from small to large or back to small.

[oley55]

I use powdered graphite on the primer slide on my 550B. Just enough to keep it gliding. Try to only keep it on slide and bearing surface below as graphite and aluminum are not friends! i apply light dusting when changing from small to large or back to small.

I did a search and didn't find anything suggesting graphite powder on aluminum was a problem. Could you clarify?

[Tatume]

I use powdered graphite on the primer slide on my 550B. Just enough to keep it gliding. Try to only keep it on slide and bearing surface below as graphite and aluminium are not friends! i apply light dusting when changing from small to large or back to small.

So much so that airplane mechanics (A&P) will not use a common pencil when making marks on aluminum. The graphite will etch the aluminum, eventually causing a crack in the structure,

[TurnipEaterDown]

Galvanic corrosion is created at the graphite / aluminum interface.
Chemistry / materials science.

There are tables that you can look up that show materials ranked in terms of anode/cathode pairing, and what to stay away from unless you are making electrical charge generators.

[MOshooter]

I have 2-550B's and 1-450
After using the 550's I upgraded my primer system on the 450, and it was the best thing I did with that machine. The 450 is my dedicated 223 press, which works really well.

[jsizemore]

Getting the auto prime is fine but requires regular upkeep. I got to clean and lube every 400-500 rounds. There's a reason they provided grip texture on the rear of the primer slide. A light touch of the Super Lube goes a long way. More is definitely NOT better.