leewongfei
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Posts posted by leewongfei
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My favorite combination is 10 parts 99% alcohol to 1 part of liquid lanolin. Its not to sticky, and works like a charm.
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Call Dillon. The crimp that holds the carbide insert can sometimes come loose.
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1 hour ago, TrackCage said:
I've seen a couple threads on the topic with no real action so here goes. I load exclusively on a 550 and am considering a casefeeder. Is it worth it? Considering I'm still manually indexing the shellplate, is the effect of leaving my hand on the handle going to substantially increase production? I would love to hear from others who have considered this, and ultimately whether or not the forum consensus feels this is worth it.
Before I hear sell the 550 and/or get a 650, I reload for quite a few calibers and it's not realistic at this time for me to switch over to a 650. I also know that the 550 casefeeder only works with pistol brass, and that's not an issue.
I would also say skip it. The beauty of the 550 is its simplicity. Its such a basic press, that it really doesn't need anything fancy like a case feeder. The case feeder does speed it up, but the gains in ammo production are off set when you have an issue with the case feeder. The case feeder honestly complicates a machine that was designed to be uncomplicated.
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1 hour ago, Covfefe said:
So my lead test came back and I was pretty shocked.
Zero....zilch....nada. No lead detected.
I shoot indoors 2-4x a month, so I was expecting to at least register a minimal level ...5-10 was my guess.
I am very cautious otherwise by:
-Washing hands up to elbow after shooting. Face too.
-Not eating around or after shooting
-Keeping my “shooting footwear” out of house in garage
-Immediately tossing clothes in washer and taking shower after range trip
-Range bag comes in house and isn’t put down until at storage location
-Cleaning with gloves on
-Washing hands every time I handle guns, ammo or components
...but moral of the story is that modern ranges with good circulation are probably safe.
YMMV.
This is great news! Congratulations!
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On 12/11/2017 at 8:47 PM, GregInAtl said:
I ended up sucking the primers up with my shop vac, holding the nozzle over the top of the tube. Problem solved
I really hope you are joking. Shop vacs are notorious for static. If you have enough static built up when that primer caps hits the filter and causes a spark, it will ignite. If your sucking up live primers, there is a chance that you are sucking up powder. Powder will sit in the filter of your shop vac. If that primer pops, and you have powder in your filter, you will end up with a fire. Please be safe with primers and powder. You never know what will cause a primer to go off, so its better to be safe than sorry.
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On 11/19/2017 at 8:31 AM, Covfefe said:
I saw one repsponse about lead level checks. Did everyone just call their primary care physician and ask to be checked?
Did you have to get into why or did they just do it?
If I call my downtown Washington DC doctor and ask for lead test they will probably freak! “Hello 911, this guy has a stockpile of bullets...probably hundreds or even thousands!”
Just tell the doctor you are doing stained glass. Most good solder for stained glass contains lead. This is what I tell my doctor and he does the check with no additional questions.
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On 5/23/2017 at 10:51 PM, kornface13 said:
Just started having an issue where my cases are hitting the edge of the shell plate when feeding into station one. This causes a full stop. I have to release pressue off the handle, which I guess lets the shell plate align properly, then the case will feed into the shell plate properly. I don't have an issue with any other stations, so it must be just the tiniest bit out of alignment, or maybe its not rotating fast enough? Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
EDIT: Upon further inspection it appears as though its the primer mechanism. Its moving slightly and appears to not always time correctly.
Have you adjusted your case insert slide? Is it possible it got worn out a bit and isnt pushing the case as forward as it should? I would start with that.
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Loading books have become a bit more conservative over the years with how much powder to use. Additionally, the bullet hardness isnt being taken into consideration. One manufacturer could be printing data from soft lead, rather than hardened lead. this is why most people recommend you start off with a lower charge and work your way up.
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Broski, following basic instruction is part of reloading. I would encourage you to take a class on how to reload. There are a ton of details that NEED to be followed to the letter. Slipping on any one of them can cause damage to your Dillon, your firearm, and most importantly, yourself. All of the posters here gave you solid information on what to try and do. Most of it was ignored. Good luck. I hope you never run into an issue with your Dillon, but if you do, don't waste peoples time on this board by doing the exact opposite of what was recommended.
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That's probably why it voids the Dillon warranty. I would stay far and away from this
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3 minutes ago, jhgtyre said:
Wow, is using this worth losing the Dillon warranty? Why even risk it? To the original poster, I would stay away from this. Just buy a Dillon super swage and keep your warranty.
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Don't these void your warranty on the 650? I personally wouldn't take that chance.
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I used to have that problem. It happeend with lighter powders like W231. As the hopper emptied, the charge would go higher and higher. The more weight on the powder, the smaller the charge (AT least in my case). Either way, i fixed it by installing a baffle in my powder hopper.
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This is very sad news indeed.
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I prefer the 550 over a SDB, and in some ways (not all) i prefer the 550 over the 650. I have used all 3 machines extensively, and the 550 is faster than the SDB. It has a bigger opening for you to work on than the SDB, and if something is off/wrong, its super simple to fix. The 550 is balanced. The BIGGEST difference, and the main reason i stopped using the SDB is the operating lever. The SDB's lever makes you stand at a strange angle in order to cycle the machine. The 550's level is at your right side, not at the center of your chest. This is one of the biggest differences between both of the machines. Also, the 550 loads just about EVERYTHING, and you can use any standard die set. Lastly, the 550 will grow with you. While you can get faster with the SDB, at a certain point, its really not worth it, especially if you are loading 3 or more calibers.
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I installed the Prairie Dog today. I was only able to screw it in part way, but it looked like the picture they had. I am just not sure how it will work. I put the loc tite on it and left it sit. I will see if it works tomorrow.
I wonder if the uniquetek excel form will work with this.
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I think I'll be fine as well, I just wish there was a published list for us to view.
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Not to rain on anyone's parade, but use of unauthorized equipment on a Dillon machine (such as an aftermarket swager) voids the warranty. Just so no one says they didn't know.
Is there a list of what's approved and what isn't? For example, will the spent primer chute and hose void the warranty? Will a powder baffle? How about the uniquetek micrometer? I am being completely serious, I don't want to lose my warranty.
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It will go up a bit as you apply pressure to it to seat it. You can minimize it by making sure the shell plate is on tight enough to reduce movement, but not so tight that it doesnt cycle without a struggle.
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I think we are saying the same thing here, maybe I just wasn't clear. The 550B is fine to load rifle on.
I disagree. In my opinion, the 550 is a much better press for loading rifle ammo. Also, the 550 is simple. Hell, the 550 is Dillons best selling press for a reason. I have a 550 and a 650. I load all my pistol on the 650, but the 550 is for my rifle ammo.I think most people will say that you are good to go with a progressive press for target rifle ammunition. The big push between the Dillon Square Deal B and the 550B is the fact that you can reload rifle on the 550B. If nobody reloaded rifle cartridges on a progressive then I don't think te 550B would exist.
I was at work and couldn't give the full response i intended to.
The 550 is also a great press for pistol. It isn't as fast as the 650, but if something goes wrong, it's easy to fix it. In some ways, I prefer it over my 650.
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I think most people will say that you are good to go with a progressive press for target rifle ammunition. The big push between the Dillon Square Deal B and the 550B is the fact that you can reload rifle on the 550B. If nobody reloaded rifle cartridges on a progressive then I don't think te 550B would exist.
I disagree. In my opinion, the 550 is a much better press for loading rifle ammo. Also, the 550 is simple. Hell, the 550 is Dillons best selling press for a reason. I have a 550 and a 650. I load all my pistol on the 650, but the 550 is for my rifle ammo.
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Tighten your shell plate a bit more. That thing should be loose enough to move, but tight enough to keep the wobble to a minimum.
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The nylon nuts that they come with can be a pain for some people to tighten. It does take a considerable amount of force to tighten it correctly. Dont take this the wrong way, but if you cant do it, have a friend who is stronger than you are do it.
Using blue loctite will only hold for a short amount of time if the nut isnt tightened all the way...
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I just bought one. Let's hope it's not $13 wasted.
Dillon 550 (Operator bar) primer issue
in Dillon Precision Reloading Equipment
Posted
Ive loaded over 15k on my 550 and never had that bar go on me. It worked just as good on the day I sold it as it did when I originally bought it. I only had my 550 for a year. It is entirely possible that the bar can lose its form over time with all of the back and fourth pressure. I was actually surprised it lasted through those 15k rounds without a single hiccup.