modex

Hello- I've been using my 1050 for a while now to reload .223 and it has been working great. Recently, I purchased a conversion kit to 40SW. I'm having a lot of trouble with cases feeding into the shell plate. They seem to get stuck on the rim of the shellplate if they don't go in perfectly straight. Is anyone having a similar issue with 40SW or other pistol rounds?

I purchased a Super 1050 configured for 223 and I've been having a problem with resizing the brass. I believe the length between the shoulder and the head is a few thousands too long. This is due to a couple of reasons. First, when checking the sized brass in a case gauge, I notice that the head sticks out just a little too far. I've compared this with factory rounds to confirm. Also, the reloaded rounds chamber very hard into my AR-15. And I really have to yank pretty hard on the charging handle to cycle it out. Some of them don't even chamber at all. The most logical thing to try would be turning the sizing die into the toolhead a little more. However, I think I have it as low as it can go. It is already making contact with the shellplate and then some (at the end of the stroke). If I cycle the handle slowly and watch the die, I can see it make contact with the plate, and then move down with the plate a couple thousands more. I'm pretty sure if I turn the die in anymore I will risk damage to the press. Do you think the die could be defective? Are Dillon full length sizing dies standard or small base? If regular, do they have a small base version I could use?

okay.. per Dillon's recommendation I will keep the knurled cap snug so that there is no room for the primer magazine to float around... but without cranking it down tight.. I checked the rubber sleeve at the back of the primer slide. I've included a picture. I think this is what everyone was talking about. It looks a little beat up. I've only put a couple thousand rounds thru it. How much do they cost? I just got the press this spring.. hopefully it's covered under the warranty.

The "knurled cap" is the metal cap that screws on top of the primer safety tube, covering the top of the primer magazine. I'm never really sure how tight it should be. I've been doing "finger tight". However, I am noticing some witness marks on the top of the primer slide, and wonder if I should back the knurled cap off just a little so that there is some play with the primer magazine tube. Also, the manual doesn't mention anything about lubing the primer slide or the groove it sits in. I would assume to leave it dry, however I have noticed some witness marks forming on the sides of the primer slide as well. I assume grease would be too much. Last thing I tried was just a tiny film of Rem Oil on the sides of the primer slide. Seems to move okay but I'm not sure if this is a no-no. The main reason why the priming system has come under scrutiny is that every 200 rounds or so, it will not prime a case. Usually the primer ends up falling out from under the press a few cycles later, but by then there is powder everywhere. On a 650 or Hornady LnL AP I'd be fine with a little hiccup now and then. But for a $1600 press, my standards are much higher, and find that to be unacceptable.

I have a carbine buffer.. maybe I'll try a heavy one. Someone else suggested that as well. I believe the BCG has the full auto cuts in it. I got it from PSA.

It was just weird that it started out ejecting at around 4 o'clock and now it's more like 2 or 3. I didn't know if it was an indication of improper bolt cleaning or something. My buddy has a few ARs and they all eject between 4 and 5.

When I first started shooting the rifle, the brass would eject back and to the right as expected. After a few cleanings, I am noticing that the brass ejects straight out to the right.. maybe even slightly forward.. It's hard to tell. It is a PSA upper and BCG. I clean the ejector pin by putting a drop of CLP on it, then pressing up and down on it with a spent case. Is there a better way to clean that? All ideas are welcome.

Okay I knew about the M die but I didn't know Lee made a universal expander too. Looks like they were originally made with cast bullets in mind but they seem to do the trick. The swage backup rod on the 1050 sounds like it could be viable as well. JJ- have you had any issues with that backup rod going into cases that haven't first been flared by the expanding ball? The X-Sizer die looks nice if it meant never trimming again. Tho I tend to pick up a lot of once fired 556 at the range, so I think I will always have some brass to trim.

Here's a video demo of what I'm talking about. I'm probably just over thinking a non-issue. I just want to make sure my baby is okay.

This is the part I'm caught up on.. how do you bell a 223 case? Are you using a separate die (like the Lyman M series)? The trim die is going to remove any belling/expanding since it's a full length sizer, right? Or does the trim die not work the neck like regular sizing dies do?

So the multiple sizings don't put any strain on the brass?

The facts (correct me if I'm wrong): - The trim die is a full length sizer - The trim die does not have a decapping rod - The universal decapper rod does not have an expanding ball - The decapping rod of a standard sizing die does have an expanding ball - The trim die will squeeze the neck, requiring the use of an expanding ball to open it back up again. I've read various posts about 1200B and how it's set up with other dies. The most common is: univ decap -> trim die -> clean -> univ decap to remove media -> prime -> powder -> seat -> crimp. This setup leaves out one minor detail: the expanding ball. The expanding ball opens the neck a little so that you won't shave any lead or copper jacketing off when seating the bullet. It seems like everyone is overlooking that one detail and just seating their rounds in unexpanded cases for 223. Is it just not that important? Some of the following workarounds are suggested: Use a standard FL sizing die with decapping rod and expander ball after trimming. Will this stress the brass twice as much since it's getting pushed thru a FL sizer twice? Use a decapping rod with expander ball in the univ decap die on second pass. I would do this, but I can't seem to find a decap rod w/ expander ball that will fit in a univ decap die.

That's what I initially thought. But when I took the toolhead and shell plate off for cleaning, I noticed that I could feel the over-rotation on both the upstroke and downstroke.

It's brand new. It's been doing it since I took it out of the box. I just recently took it down for cleaning and inspection; still behaves the same way.

Sounds just like mine. I try to look and see where the extra movement comes from but I can't see it anywhere. Also, with the toolhead off, I can feel the extra movement in both directions.

I noticed this when I first set up the press. After completing a stroke and returning the handle to the upright position, I'm able to push the arm another half inch forward after the ram is all the way up. I can also see the toolhead rotate counter clockwise ever so slightly. Everything lines back up on the way down. Does anyone else notice this? Is there a way to eliminate it?

Man it was on there good but I was able to break it loose with a 12 point wrench. Is it really necessary to raise the bracket assembly up out of the way or can you kinda just jimmy the toolhead out?

Ok lots of good info. Glad I checked here first. Will let you know how it goes. Thanks!

Ok I'll just grab the proper wrench. What about the toolhead? Is it safe/better to loosen the nut with it all the way down? Will it hurt it?

I tried removing the toolhead so that I can take the shellplate off and do some cleaning underneath.. but man that sucker is on there good. Before I break something, I'm coming on here with a some questions. I initially tried loosening the toolhead nut with the toolhead in the upward position (per the instructions). But I was wondering if it is okay try and loosen it with the toolhead all the way down. This way those guide rods are running thru the frame of the press.. holding the toolhead nice and firm. It even says in the instructions to do this for *tightening* the nut. I was gonna try doing it with the toolhead down and a little more force on the wrench. Also, I don't have a 15/16" wrench. Can I get by with one of those adjustable crescent wrenches?

Thanks again to everyone for their advice and input on which press to get. My wallet, however, does not thank you Out of the box.. we literally had this thing humming in about half an hour tops. We were giggling like little girls as we effortlessly cranked out a few hundred 223 rounds w/o batting an eye. A couple gotchas we ran into in case people were wondering: The powder measure was set up with the smaller slide bar.. so it wouldn't throw enough Varget at the max setting. We had to figure out on our own how to change the slide bars, as the manual does not mention how to do it at all. Wasn't too bad.. we basically took apart the linkage.. but the point of instruction manuals is to show you how to do something properly the first time. If there's a simpler way to do it let me know. Also, the information on Stage 3 (swage) is scattered throughout the manual. On page 15 the Die Adjustments section begins... there is a part for station 3 that is labeled "Adjustment of the Expander Die". It says to turn the die down until it makes contact with the case. That doesn't make sense as the die itself never touches the case.. the back-up rod inside does. And for pistol, the back-up rod itself screws right into toolhead (based on my research). So I'm guessing maybe these instructions are old or something.. but Dillon should just remove it from the manual. On page 12 it touches on swaging again.. this time focusing on the actual swage rod underneath. Then on page 18-19 it once again talks about swage adjustment. This time it breaks it down into two configurations. These instructions make more sense.. but are kinda towards the end of the manual (like they were added in later) and directly conflict with the instructions on page 15. For pistol, it says the screw the backup rod directly into the toolhead until it makes contact with the inside bottom of the case. It also mentions that this is for "hot loads" that have been shot a few times. I'm not sure why it mentions that, as rounds that have been shot and reloaded many times no longer need to be swaged. For rifle, it has you screw the die in first until it touches the shellplate then back it off. Then screw the back-up rod in until it touches the inside bottom of the case. These seem more up to date. All that info should be consolidated to one section of the manual.. and the stuff on page 15 should probably just be deleted... or just make the DVDs free and put em on youtube. I've also included a picture of my setup. The casefeeder is cut off.. but we all know what the casefeeder looks like. Maybe I'll make a video at some point.

The first die in the trimmer tool does do that. But then you're driving it thru the trim die, which is a full length sizer minus a decapping pin. That die squeezes the neck tight again. Bottom line: you have to expand the neck after putting it thru the trim die.

Hasn't arrived yet. The suspense is killing me.

Decapping dies don't have a neck expanding ball on the decapping rod like full length sizing dies do. Since the Dillon trimmer die is a full length sizer without a decapping rod, you will need a way to expand the neck on the 2nd pass.

Got it. Thanks guys, I will give that a shot when the time comes to change shell plates.