boatdoc173

and it is appreciated. you contribute quite a bit to this forum and your opinion is valued

thanks for this great post. you understand my post.. it is purely about finding ways to streamline my process to produce 250-300 or more rounds /hour . using the set up i have now( entirely manual on a 55c rl ) sure a 750 or a 1100 would be great but those options are not on the table at this point. I find it interesting to read about why these 2 loaders produce more ammo than I do now and what each loader has to offer someone moving up. the education on this forum is priceless. thanks to those who contribute sorry if this discussion started some in fighting. it was not intended

rudy--thanks for that tip. nic e light set up johnnymazz--thanks again for the info and the encouragement. I am like yourself as far as reloading #s. might take that step as I close in on retirement and hopefully shoot more too. hey,it is not surgery but an automated reloader is a new experience that would take time to get set up right from what I have read. I need to read more on thos e dillon reloaders and just take the leap once I am more comfortable( and have the extra $$) I am in Ct--just a short ride from eastern pa;)-- just kidding. Ihanks again for offering to help I sur e appreciate how members of this forum jump at the chance to offer advice and help. Happy 4th of July to all.

miranda you mentioned lights. I KNOW that there is a "spaceship" set up for the 550c out there I found kms squared UFO--is this the one you use? please let me know

Miranda again thanks for the encouragement. I am all manual right now. I pick up a case. make sure it is ok to load(rejecting the brass that I know will not and any defective brass--all previously cleaned and lubed in advance)= 5-8 seconds while . pulling the handle, i make sure a new primer is in the cup with proper orientation(-- take s less than 1 sec as i pull the handle) ,- after rotating the shell check station 2 powder drop in station #3 as I place a bullet. then grab another brass case... I know automation makes things faster. However( to me anyway,) it also opens up potential for errors by a machine--primers not loading correct side up, powder not dropping( very rare) bullet not feeding as it shield( cases too). having read a lot on this site about set up and problems running automated machines, I chose to stay in the manual mode=ocd @johnnymazz-- I load and shoot about 17,000 rounds of 9mm/ year and 5000 rounds of 185 gr light charged 45 acp. I use the winter months to reload. plenty of time to do so in 6-7 months of cold up north( CT). although I have learned to be more handy with tools since reloading and having some issues to solve on my own as well a s a desire to keep my machines lubed and running properly, I am NOT a mechanically inclined person. I have shied away from RL 1050 and the likes becaus e of this. again thanks for the info and replies gentlemen( miranda, johnnymazz and sarge) your insights have made me think about how to incorporate your tips into my reloading technique

johnnymazz,miranda and sarge--thanks for the info and tips. my safety concerns are for stations 1+2. primer loaded properly? powder dropping as it should? these 2 things rarely slow me down. The real time grabber is making sure I am using the cases that prime properly(one or 2 foreign brands do not) as I do not presort brass. I prefer to do that as I load. It gives me a chance to quickly get rid of stuff that is questionable (cracked bent or wrong caliber of range brass)or not the right brand. Now that the primer tower issue is solved( fingers crossed) and I have a new light for stations 1+2. I can move along a bit faster. I get a quick glance of stations 1+2 during loading. #3 is obvious--either a bullet is there to be seated or it is not. crimping is not something I worry about. hoping to increase production to 250-300 /hour while maintaining basic safety

been reloading about 2 years on my dillon 550c loaders( one for 45 acp large primer, one for 9mm). read(maybe too much) about issue s with powder loads, primers flipping... never want to be the squib/misfire/hangfire guy . I have sat over every round I load to be sure that every case is usable( hand sort out cases that will not load SPP easily or spp 45 acp cases),every case gets a new primer, all powder loads drop...I did have issues with the primer tower screws needing to be constantly adjusted. I fixed that issue. THAT one issue took 15 seconds or more every 5 minutes away from the reloading process). I load 80% 9mm, 20% 45 acp. ZERO errors have been found--all round shot( 30,000 so far) That said, I am wondering what I NEED to do to produce more rounds/ hour. All of you are WAY ahead of me. I produce 150/hour at best( without malfunctions to be tended to) This thread( and others) have left me wondering if I am overdoing safety? and what I can to to increase my production/ hour.? Also wondering how some can safely produce 400-600/hour? Now it takes me all winter to produce the rounds I need yearly. thanks for any advice in advance

in or the info--plenty of it so far thanks

my #s match @Cuz same load info,same powder. same gr of bullets

I have loaded many rounds with them --zero issues at all I understand some companie s use them as well

capital cartridge has ginex with free shipping

thank you dmshozer1

THis is what I wrote to Dillon about a small issue I have with my 550C primer bar: I have noticed that the small primer bar torques as I use the reloader(instead of sliding straight--back and forth) although it does no t affect the primers being loaded, it does cause the screws that hold the primer tower in place at just the right tension --to loosen the rear screw and tighten the front screw. at its worst-This causes primers not to be loaded as it affects alignment of the primer bar and loader.( as well as slowing down my reloading)I can get the screws to hold in place(most of the time) by using pipetape.Any ideas why the primer bar does not just move straight back and forth? any ideas about getting the set up to work without constant adjustment of those tower s crews? this is their reply(makes sense too) The op-rod can apply uneven pressure on the primer slide if the bracket that the top of the rod goes into isn't parallel to the primer slide, or if the op-rod is bent outward to the right too far. if you disengage the op-rod from between the 2 rollers, and point it straight up, the tip of the rod can be up to the rod's diameter to the right of being parallel to the primer shield, but not more than that. also in a thread post by our own @youngeyes, I saw this item which may help the primer bar to ride back and forth with no torque( or quite a bit less: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L9Q2TX4?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details just wanted to post this info. hope it helps others

zero rust in the years I have ha d mine. I do clean and lube the whole machine at least once a year. add oil to the shaft every week and lube to the shell plate/bearing area at least once pe r month. I keep the loaders and supplies in a dehumidified basement- humidity less than 40 % all year. I live near the shore in CT

did you use the flat tip nose for the seating die? it is reversible. one side is used to seat round nosed bullets, the othe r is for flat tipped bullets the slight bulge seen in the last pic seems to be just how the case molds to the bullet you are using. nothing abnormal there

one more thing to "watch out" for during reloading. the list grows longer every day

nice-safe packaging they used ( rolleyes). guess the primers are a lot safer to handle than we have been told if they can ship from Europe like that.

I'd offer $550 for the 550B. great pick up if you can swing it. you would be getting a never used unit for less than todays new stuff

asym and atlanta arms make some great 185 gr JHP--light recoil ammo. winchester 185 gr is an option as well. remington 185 gr is a bit potent if you want light recoil. the others listed recoil like 9mm 124 gr fmj rounds

@Bakerjd --always BEST to create a few dummy rounds( sans primers and powder) to be sure your reloaded ammo has a OAL that is going to feed properly

thanks Mike appreciate the info

good suggestion @kletus thnks

Mike how easy is it to get unblocked? I have to remove the primer tower sometimes as primers and metal shards sometimes get stuck behind the slide locktite is too hard to use for this reason. thanks rob

vibra tite or pipe tape sounds like a good solution. thanks for the replies

I have an annoying issue to solve. Dillon offered zero response to multiple emails. One the phone,, their tech offered no suggestions the issue is this: when I load small primer 9mm on a 550c , the screws holding the primer tower in place( which also allow proper alignment with the primer feed stop pin and movement of the primer slide) need CONSTANT adjustment. the rear screw tightens with the slide torque after every 10 rounds. it makes the slide harder to work and the slide plate( that the slide rides on) is torquing back and forth. If I loosen the rear screw and slightly tighten the front screw, the primers are fed perfectly. However, if I ignore that torque is tightening the rear screw and loosening the front screw, the slide does not align with the primer feed stop pin and primers do not feed as they normally would. any suggestions? BTW My 550c for 45 acp doe s not have this issue at all