hwevers

I REMOVED THE BUZZER AND TURNED IT AROUND. MADE A 1"" HOLE FOR THE SOUND TO COME OUT. YOU HAVE TO GRIND OFF A SMALL EAR FOR IT TO GO BACK IN. WASN'T ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH THE RESULT, SO I HAD A FRIEND WIRE IN A "WHEAT GERM" BULB. NOW IT'S A LOT BETTER. BUT I SURE WISH DILLON OR SOME AFTERMARKET GUY WOULD COME UP WITH A REPLACEMENT BUZZER. THE LOW PRIMER ALARM IS FINE AND I'M SURE I'M SMART ENOUGH TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE PROBLEM IS EVEN IF THEY SOUND ALIKE. HOWARD

I have one and like the idea, BUT: I am very hard of hearing and the buzzer is too high pitched. I turned the speaker around and drilled a large hole in the case. I also had a friend wire in a small bulb (wheat germ?) and it hangs down close to the die. Somehow or other I missed a squib load that lodged a bullet in the barrel, but was loud enough to sound OK, and strong enough to cycle my 1911 and chamber the next cartridge. My new barrel will be ready next week. Howard

I always wondered why the on/off reed switch was so close to the top of the feeder tube. At my normal (casual) loading speed it only allows one, sometimes two, cases to drop before it shuts off. Wouldn't it be more efficient if it could drop, say, 6 or 7 cases? I guess it just bothers me that the motor is constantly turning on/off, on/off. I think I saw mention of a wiring diagram with an electronic gizmo that allowed you to put in an adjustable delay when the on position was selected. Any ideas, suggestions, opinions? Howard

Sarge: I can assure you there is NO bench movement. Regards, Howard

Finally solved it. After checking everything that was mentioned I called Dillon. (I waited a while so the guys who got a press for Christmas and were having problems could call in with their questions.) Talked with them, all obvious points were mentioned and checked. Couldn't find anything that was out of place, alignment, etc. So.. I started loading as per usual, but at first checking every cartridge at the powder check station, then every 5th, then every 20th. No problem. Then In realized I was taking plenty of time with the checking, so I ran a batch of 50. All good. I finally caught on-I was going to fast. Not that I was in a hurry to load a lot of cartridges, but with a 650, when you hit a rhythm, it's so easy to go fast, fast, faster. Thanks for all the responses. Regards, Howard

This happened to me once, so I guess it's possible that someone else could run into it. The primer indexing arm (#13362) was skipping and not returning properly and generally being a real pain. Talked w/ Dillon and they sent me replacement pieces- indexing arm, the return spring, primer disc-all to no avail. I just happened to notice that the cavity in the housing body (#21279) has the shaft of a rivet in it. It is possible to insert the return spring so it is seated on this shaft. You have to have it seat ALL the way into the cavity, past the rivet shaft. This fixed the problem for me and I've had no problems since then (4 years ago) I hope this helps. Howard

Sorry-forgot to mention the machine is a 650. Howard

After 2+ years of no real problems, all of a sudden I have started to get primers that are pushed in sideways. WW brand. At first I found one in a box of 50. Yesterday I found 4 out of 24 in the loaded cartridge bin. Any help would be appreciated. Howards

It's been a few years since I've used a 550 (Went to a 650) but when I had this problem Dillon had redesigned the block and if I remember correctly, instead of a threaded hole in the aluminum they had what looked like Heli-coil inserts. See acpie360's picture above. Over-tightening those 2 screws can cause the piece to bulge. Dillon sent a new one, no charge,of course. Howard

+1 for the Redding die. Great when changing bullet weights or styles-IF you remember to have written down the correct setting. There was a time when they had a problem with an epoxy joint but it is easily repairable, also they will replace it with a phone call. Just like Dillon! Howard

If you are a vet, the VA will supply hearing aids. You have to apply and be tested. You probably have tinnitus as well. No test for this. I also wish there was a better/louder/lower frequency buzzer on the powder check. I turned mine around after drilling a hole in the case, and had a friend wire in a small bulb. I can hear the low primer buzzer just fine. Regards, Howard

I've searched the net and there are videos on how to make them work with cast bullets. In the case of the .45 ACP's, it seems that the problem is with the usual .452" diam., as opposed to a jacketed diam.of .451". It would appear that a little bit of careful Dremel work on the collets will solve the problem. I would think/hope that they would make a suitable set of collets. There are a lot of .45 shooters using cast bullets. Also, I use Rooster Jacket to tumble lube and I imagine that would help eliminate the problem of greasy lube making things sticky. The Mr. Bullet die uses 3 balls and would seem like a good way to go as well. Howard PS: Rooster Jacket is GREAT stuff and Midway has it available. JMHO.

Jim: I found the MBF feeder die on their site, but it was more than that. I also found the RCBS feeder die, which claims to work w/all bullet types. Most customer reviews were good+; one guy had trouble with lead. This was not on their site but on Midway's. RCBS doesn't have any reference to feeder dies. Somebody will find the answer, and I bet sooner than later. Howard

I've seen the Dillon video on the Hornady bullet feeder die system on a 650XL and it looks very workable. But it isn't not supposed to be used w/ cast lead bullets. Who is going to come up with a workable solution to using this die for cast bullets? One of the reviews, on Midway, said he tried it w/'cast bullets and it didn't work. Come on, I know there's a Mensa member out there somewhere! Get cracking! Howard

I have a question regarding the 650 case feeder. Wouldn't it make more sense for a delay in the motor start up? Why have the motor start/stop for 1 or 2 cases. How about a delay so that when the motor starts it would feed 5 or 6 cases? Just curious. Looking for opinions or experience. I load .45 ACP at a very comfortable rate and stop to reload my primer tube. Howard