ddc

It sounds like the lever arm that moves the slide may be too low. That height is adjusted by moving the lever arm bracket up or down the feedbody assembly. There is actually a fairly small sweet spot for that adjustment. Too low and the lever arm hits the bottom of the channel and binds. Too high and the slide won't retract enough to pick up the next primer. As to the problem with the primers not seating...wish I could help. Very curious to find out what the cause and solution is. Edited to add: I don't believe that loosening the screws on the feedbody assembly is a good idea even if it appears to help. If the mechanism appears to work better with them loose then something is not right. Loosening them to make things work is just masking the problem.

Hey, no need for apology! This sort of thing happens all the time on these type forums. The volume of information in a long thread can be hard to digest on the fly. No worries mate!

I would think that would help quite a bit. Especially if you are brand new to reloading. I started on a Lee Classic Turret not knowing anything about reloading. That made the jump to the 650 fairly straightforward. Then the 650 knowledge was quite helpful when I got the 1100. I know people dive in the deep end and are successful but I'm glad I did it the way I did.

The tappet (12995) is what the primer push rod (12819) pushes on which in turn pushes on the rocker arm (13058) which in turn pushes on the primer punch, large or small, different part numbers. Along with the punch is the spring and the bushing (also different part numbers) You could also take the rocker arm off if you were OCD'ish... lol. Basically just rip everything primer related off the press, process a whole sh#tloadbunch of brass, then clean and lube the press, then put it all back on. You certainly don't have to do it that way but I figure if I'm going to disassemble and clean following my processing pass and prior to my loading pass why not do it all up front. None of the primer related stuff needs to be there when only processing brass.

LIkewise. Including the tappet and the primer punch assembly. Not necessary perhaps but that is when I do a deep cleaning of the top end and once again prior to reassembly. Makes more sense when you are processing/loading in 5k or more batches.

That's the basic idea. Many automation stoppages come about from decapping issues. That thread that Cuz referenced is good. There are others as well as I recall. I actually use three decapping dies. On my processing tool head I've got the FW Arms decapper in station 2 and the Lee sizer/decapper in station 8. Then on my loading tool head I've got the the Lee sizer/decapper in station 2 just in case. Yeah it's way overkill for sure. As far as those shoulder bolts are concerned, pick them up from McMaster-Carr, much cheaper than dillon. Part numbers are 91259A619 and 91259A628. In my experience the index roller bolt needs replacing more often. Index lever bolt not as frequently.

I agree with most of what you are saying. My only argument(not really arguing) is the issue with the powder sensor. I didn't want to seat/crimp in one station. But that is certainly a personal decision. Yes the 1100 has to be working perfectly. And I agree that every 10k is too long a cycle between cleaning. I'm using an Ammobot to drive mine. Initially I was tearing my hair out with indexing issues which eventually were resolved after a trip back to Dillon. Now that I'm much more at home with the 1100, at least 50k rounds, I'm finding my stoppages are a fraction of what they were early on. I'd say my issues are entirely Dillon oriented, not Ammobot. Between bent indexing system shoulder bolts, primer system, case feeder, etc. something was always hanging up the process. A couple of bent shell plates also when the indexing was messed up. Although I fought against it initially I've come to believe that a two pass strategy works best with automation. PS: If you are having indexing problems install new index lever and index roller shoulder bolts. If those get bent even a small amount you can have an indexing problem. The bend does not have to be obvious to cause problems either.

It is still listed as "coming soon" on the Frankford website. Optics Planet is a stock churning machine. I wouldn't go there for industry insider information. Having said that it wouldn't surprise me to find out that the introductory date has been pushed back or that the product has been cancelled due to Covid or whatever...

My setup will work at 1800 but I'm a lot more comfortable at around 1500. I don't have any sensors and I really have to pay attention at 1800. I find my mind wanders far too easily when I'm just standing there monitoring things.

A lot of these guys have done quite a bit of mixing and matching with all sorts of aftermarket: https://www.sigtalk.com/forums/p250-p320-p320-x-5-m17-m18-pistols.54/

Excellent.

I have not but that would be way cool. Based upon my experience with an Ammobot and the 1100 I would think the Achilles heel would be the indexing mechanism.

I'd love to see someone actually loading at 3500rph. And not just for a few minutes; hour after hour. Processing only? Ok.

Good point. I do recall hearing of instances where that actuating lever got bent. That would mess things up.

It is adjustable up and down and also rotationally. When adjusting it you need to make sure the lever operates in parallel with the slide motion. Rotate as necessary to get the proper orientation. That doesn't have to be 100% perfect but it is something to take note of. If it is up too high then the lever loses contact with the slide too early and it doesn't retract far enough. My 1100 came with that clamping mechanism loose enough so that during the first 100 rounds or thereabouts it gradually got pushed up the primer tube shield enough where the lever wouldn't engage the primer slide sufficiently. As far as the springs are concerned I have not had any issues that could be traced to weak springs. I also recall having issues when the lever was too low. It's been a while since I had to deal with all that so I'm going on memory here... that could be a little shaky, lol...

Assuming the mechanism is clean and lubed and the slide and channel are clean... The primer slide actuating lever may need adjustment. There is actually a fairly narrow window where things will work properly. Only retracting 3/4 of the way seems odd though. My recollection (faulty?) is if the lever is misadjusted you'll get 90% at least of the necessary travel. Without going out to my press to refresh my memory I'll guess you may try lowering the mechanism just a hair.

It is disappointingly low. The size of the hopper is a lot bigger than it has to be given the motor limitations. There are aftermarket motors available with more torque.

Same here; kept my 650. I use it to run small batches and I want it around as a backup also. Now that I'm used to my 1100 every time I go back to the 650 it feels like a toy in comparison. There is a definite learning curve; a lot of your 650 experience will help but it has it's unique idiosyncrasies.

I'm guessing this will be a very valid option. Their universal decapper die is built like a tank. Plus it just plain works.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think Immortobot is reselling the TNT plate. FW Arms is also making them.

Most people would consider the MBF funnel a marked improvement over the stock Dillon. I dedicate several pieces of brass to go through the shell plate cycle while setting up dies. Once I've got the dies set up I toss that brass as I feel it's been worked enough as they've gone through multiple sizing, belling, crimping, etc., operations. I'm not sure what you are talking about concerning "can't see the powder funnel when the press if fully actuated".

About the same here, hope it doesn't get any worse.

That's about it. Makes it impossible to take it seriously. I keep checking back to see if maybe things have changed but of course they haven't.

So a similar question was asked over on the IDPA forum. The response, by a known rules guy but not from HQ in any sense, was as follows: "What’s going on is two separate rules, for different situations, being confused.If a “loaded” magazine is dropped there is no PE as long as it is picked up AND STOWED BEFORE the last shot is fired. Holding it in your hand is NOT stowed. Dropping a loaded mag normally happens during a fumbled reload or while running around the stage.Second rule is that if you perform a NON EMPTY GUN reload, the removed mag must not be left behind. There is NO requirement for the removed mag to be stowed. Carrying it in your hand is fine as long as that mag is not later reused which would be considered “staging”.So, a dropped “loaded” mag must be stowed before the LAST shot but a “removed” mag during a tac reload must not be left behind, and can be held in the hand as long as it is not reused later in the stage."

When I first read the rule I interpreted "dropping" to mean the magazine was dropped in the sense that I dropped my dinner plate on the ground, dropped by mistake. After thinking back on similar conversations I believe the rule is referring to "dropping" in the sense that you are intentionally releasing the mag from the gun as necessary to perform a reload. Assuming that is true then the issue comes down to what "stowed" means. Apparently that means it needs to be someplace on your person other than being in your hand. Sorry for the confusion; I guess its been a while since I've worried about the finer points of the IDPA rulebook.