Gussers

I use several Lee die sets in my 550b and have had no issues. For the price, I can buy 2 sets of Lee for one set of Dillion. Additionally, I have encountered occasional feeding issues while using the Dillon sizing die. As near as I can tell, the flare it has doesn't allow the die to size as low as other sizing dies. A Lee FCD will probably fix this. Finally, there's a lot of discussion about accuracy all through the sport. Pistols are inherently inaccurate due to sight radius, mating of parts, and general slop when in battery. The best you usually see is 1-2" groupings at 25 yds. That's 4-8 MOA! Terrible! Go with whatever die meets your needs. A little variation in cartridges isn't going to affect your accuracy like the wrong twist rate it bullet weight will. Nothing wrong with Lee if that's what you want. Nothing wrong with Dillon or any of the others either if you don't mind the cost. Just avoid the TiN plated dies and stick to carbide. Carbide will last you many many thousands of rounds as long as the brass is relatively clean so you don't chip it scratch them.

Hmm nI 3d printed pins. You can also print various tabs that go on the pins to make them easier to grab. Check out Thingiverse.com for stl files.

I actually have a very good story about FA customer service. I ordered several items from them at once. I got the box and was excitedly unpacking it when I discovered the Universal seating die set wasn't in the box. I looked on the packing slip and it was listed. Uh oh! How do I explain this? It's just my word against theirs. So, I called and got someone on the phone within a couple minutes. He was obviously skeptical, but I think began to accept they just may have screwed up and not packed all my items. I remained very nice through the whole conversation. He asked that I take a few pics of the box and items for their insurance. I did that and emailed them so they were added to the ticket that was opened. They shipped out within a couple days. I received the die set within a few more days. I am very pleased with service like that. They could have just said, 'Sorry buddy. We don't believe you." Obviously, I could then go through my credit card and contest it, and they would have lost me as a customer. But, they did the right thing and they did it quickly and gave me no crap about it. THAT is impressive to me.

I had a similar problem, but it may have had a different cause. In my case, the press ran great for a little while out of the box. Then it started doing what you were explaining. Primers getting crushed sideways and a few flipped over completely. I called Dillon and they suggested the turret base was not properly aligned. Once they explained it, I tried cycling the press empty and a few times caught the "clicking" of the primer cup catching on the edge of the hole in the turret base and then snapping in to place. This was enough to flip the primer a bit. They sent me the alignment tool free of charge and some careful aligning fixed the issue. I haven't had a single issue since. It's just a shaped tool that fits in a powder die and just barely fits through the primer hole. You move the PD to position one, drop in the tool and loosen the two screws that adjust the turret so there's just a little friction. Then you adjust by turning left and right until the tool passes through the hole with no catching. Then you tighten down the screws and put it all back together. Worth a shot. You can always call Dillon support and ask them what they think. Their support is fantastic. I suppose it's possible something got knocked out of whack while your press was stored. It really wouldn't take much to make that happen - a couple hundred thou would do it. Good luck! Hope this helps!

1. A little permanent marker in the primer pocket shouldn't cause you any issues. I've done the same and I can't see how it would contaminate the primer if it's allowed to dry before priming. 2. I assume, since you're trimming, that you're reloading something with a shoulder... rifle? If you're worried about the primer pockets, then you should deprime then tumble. I have had great luck tumbling with primers in, though I tend to only do so with 9mm and .40 as I shoot a lot of them and it saves me a step, thousands of times. I would recommend you skip the second size and deprime. The deprime is totally unnecessary and the size will change the case dimensions from what they were the first time around. You will have also put lube on the cases you just washed off. You definitely need to lube any time you run through a sizing die if you want to avoid stuck cases. Here's what I do for rifle: Deprime (optional) Wet tumble and dry Lube and size (depriming if not done previously) Quick tumble (optional again, depending on the lube I used) Trim charge, seat, crimp in my Dillon If doing military brass, I'll deprime and swage before I do the first tumble. If using Hornady One Shot, and not concerned about the look of the case, I'll typically skip the second tumble and leave it on. It's very dry and doesn't hurt anything. Hope this helps!

I'd go with shell plate too loose as well. Seat the bolt fully, then back it off only enough that the shell plate turns freely. No more. I find its only about 1/8 to 1/4 turn. Closer to 1/8. Bear in mind, the set screw will increase the tension slightly. Check yours. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

I had a similar problem with my 550. While I'm not familiar with the SDB, I believe the way the primer is presented through the shell plate is the same. My problem was the base was out of alignment. It was occasionally catching the primer cup and letting it pop up, flipping the primer sideways - sometimes completely upside down. I called Dillon and they sent me an alignment tool to fix the issue. Once properly aligned, I haven't seen the issue since. Something to check anyway. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

I'm going to concur with Lefty on this one. If you're just starting out, a good single stage is best. 1. It's a lot less money to start. If you decide it's not for you, you aren't out a huge investment. 2. It's going to be needed even after you have a progressive press. I still use mine for small batches (load work up), precision rifle loads, depriming, swaging, etc. 3. There's a lot less going on. You can focus on one step of the process at a time and get familiar with proper seating, crimping, and primer seating. If you go this route, you'll find you can do one, make some small adjustments, do another, repeat. You'll learn a lot about what works and doesn't. This is much harder to do with a press loaded up with 4-5 other rounds in varying states of assembly. Going for the 550 vs the 650 is a personal choice. The 650 is much more expensive up front and the tool heads, conversion kits, etc are also more expensive. I have two 550s and and perfectly happy with them. I can load about 500-600/hr if I have the primer tubes, bullets and cases ready to go, then get a good rhythm. You can't go wrong with a Dillon, though. Whatever you decide to do, that's my recommendation for a progressive press.

With any of the 550 too, you have to tighten the shell plate as tight as possible without it binding. I typically tighten until it's seated, then back it off a little at a time until it's moving freely. It's usually only about 1/8th turn. It will snug up a bit when you tighten the set screw, so double check it after doing so. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

30 carbine and .308 maybe? It's more likely they are just different ages and were made to different lengths. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

What the others said: Check to ensure you have the small primer tube in the machine. Additionally, I was getting sideways and flipped primers when the press was new. The shellplate platform was catching the primer cup and "flicking" the primers while loading. Contacted Dillon and they sent me an alignment tool. Since then, it's been smooth sailing. You didn't mention the press, so this may not apply. If you have a 550, I'd check this though.

It shouldn't need that much weight. Mine works almost perfectly with the rod alone. I added an empty .45 shell and it's perfect. If you have to add 2-300 grains to make it trip, it's broken. Dillon will fix you up. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

My CZ75b gets cleaned a couple times a season. Routinely goes 4k rounds with just lube being added. A lot of powders have graphite in them - a lubricant. The ammo is all non corrosive too, so a malfunction due to carbon buildup is about all you have to worry about. It's not going to hurt the gun. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

You are correct. The .40 barrel can be fitted to the 9mm slide, but the breech face is too small for .40 brass. So, 9mm TS to .40 TS conversion is not possible. I have a .40 TS in which I've fitted a 9mm barrel. The breech face is a little large for 9mm, but it works flawlessly. As for mags, I've used .40 in the TS 9mm mags too. It fed and cycled fine, but the capacity wasn't as it should be.

THAT is the answer I was hoping to get from someone. At 25 yds, my POI shifts about 6-8" high with 9mm when swapping from the .40 barrel. I'm thinking I have to do a little more fitting. It does seem to lock up well and it never failed to function, but I think I may not have gone far enough. So you were basically able to go from one barrel to the other without touching your sights? Are you using the factory, fixed ones? When you fit the barrel, did you only have to file the breech face, or did you also have to monkey with the top barrel lugs? Thanks for chiming in. This info is most helpful.