JLarsson

Thanks, Jack. I do have an LED light on a gooseneck that clamps to the rear of the press frame. I put one on all my progressives, or switch it back and forth, and once I see how far up the case the proper powder charge goes, it's easy to confirm that it is at least in the ballpark before placing and seating the bullet. Is that some kind of artillery piece in your avatar pic? What is that?

Ha - interesting development. I had ordered a spare parts kit for the press, as I like to have whatever I need on hand. It came yesterday, but it didn't occur to me until now to take a look at the ejector wire included in the kit. In this picture, the wire in front is the one that came with my press. The wire in back is the one that came in the spare parts kit. I guess Dillon "got" what I was saying after all. They probably took one look at the original wire and said, "This guy has an old-style wire. We'll send him a new one. I'm learning. Need to pick up the pace a bit, though.

I emailed Dillon and said this: Hello, I recently acquired a Square Deal B set up in 32 H&R Magnum. It loads great, and it's nice to have this machine in addition to my 2 550B's. In loading 100 rounds, about 20 of them ended up either on the floor or on top of the shell plate. I tried to check and double-check to make sure everything was set properly, and it all seemed good. So I tried making my own ejector wire out of a heavy paper clip. The wire size is almost identical to the original ejector wire. I ran 100 rounds through and they all went down the chute. Not one hit the floor or was left on the shell plate. I have attached photos of my wire and the original factory wire in case you're interested. Are there other recommended solutions? I searched the web, but never found anything. Thanks. Jon Larsson This is what I got back: No charge part(s) on the way! Thank you! Dillon Precision Products, Inc. Very nice of them, though I'm not sure they "got" what I was saying. Perhaps they thought that my wire is the one that wasn't working and they are sending another one. I'll update this after I receive the part(s) mentioned.

Thanks, Jack. I think I'll send Dillon an email and see what - if anything - they say.

So I loaded up 100 primers, filled the hopper with powder, and thought I would load until a round failed to go down the chute, at which point I would call Dillon. Yep, you guessed it. 100 rounds, and they ALL went down the chute. So I didn't call them. I varied how quickly I raised the operating arm - nothing crazy, mind you - and it didn't make any difference. I think it's possible that with the new contour of the wire, the case is held against the side of the shell plate until is forced completely out, at which point it is far enough out to go down the chute no matter what. But that's just a theory. So now I can use the original wire if and when I change over to 9mm or .357, and I can use my wire for 32 H&R. And I realize that more testing is needed, but I'll have to shoot some of what I have loaded. I'm running out of empty cases! Thanks for the help.

I have had this problem on my Dillon 550b with the Dillon PTX, and the problem was I was using new brass. Brass that is new or too clean will do this, regardless of expander brand, although some of the Dillon expanders have LONG necks before you get to the flare. I actually sent a few of mine away for some super-slick coating, similar to TiN, and that certainly helped. It was an experimental thing, worked out with a guy who had access to a shop that applied such coatings to other parts, but as far as I know it is not something that is commercially available now.

I'm sure the wire that came with the press is shaped as Dillon sent it out. But I got to wondering if "one size fits all" is the best approach here. So I started playing. I need to do a lot more testing. So far, not being ready to actually load more, I took the locator button out of station three and fed loaded rounds into the press there. I ran about 20 of them through, varying how fast I raise the operating handle, and they all ejected down the chute. That was after a bit of tweaking. I had a little different shape that was flipping the rounds back onto the shell plate when I raised the handle quickly, probably more quickly than I would when loading. Here's what the two look like, side by side. The second one is the one that is working better.

Yep - that's the next thing. I figure they will want me to be at the press when I call, which means Saturday only, I think. I guess I don't know what kind of hours they keep down there. Thanks for taking a look. Maybe I'll play with making my own wire and trying some different profiles.

Here's the picture:

I can, but it will be after I get home from work. The longer bent end is in the hole at the right side of the frame as the operator looks at the press, and the shorter bent end is in the groove between the shell plate and the shell plate bolt, on the side of the bolt away from the operator. The wire has a curve in it that is away from the operator between the two bent ends. As far as I can tell, the wire looks unaltered. I have a spare parts kit coming, so I will be able to compare them after it gets here.

I checked the shell plate bolt. It was maybe BARELY snug. I removed it, greased under the head, greased the ball, and replaced the shell plate and bolt. I snugged it down, but just bordering on firm, not "gorilla" tight. When I replaced the ejector wire, I pushed it in just far enough to engage the end next to the bolt head. At the full height of ram travel, the wire touches the top of the press, but it didn't get pushed down any farther. So now there is a slight space between the shell plate and the ejector wire. Ran another 100, and had maybe 15 miss the chute. Maybe it's just the way it's going to be with the 32 H&R. I'll keep looking at it. Any other suggestions or ideas would be good, too.

Thanks. As someone who doesn't shoot competitively, and who has relatively little experience with competitive shooting, I feel like I don't have a lot to contribute to the forum in general, but there is a LOT to be learned here, that's for sure!

I will check the shell plate bolt. To which spring do you refer? The ejection wire, or something else? Thanks!

I tried to do a search, both Google and here on the BE forums and I didn't find anything about this. I recently acquired a barely or non-used SDB set up for .32 H&R Magnum. The press HAS been sitting around awhile, so I cleaned and lubed according to the instructions here on the website and the Dillon YouTube video about lubricating the SDB. My issue is that out of 100 rounds, 20 or more are hitting the floor or sitting on top of the shellplate instead of going down the loaded round chute. The ejection wire kicks the rounds out of the shellplate, but the 32 H&R with 100 grain bullets is a tall, skinny, top-heavy round, so it acts like it's kicking the legs out from under it. The inertia of the bullet holds it in place, the bullet base is kicked out, and the round falls straight down instead of toppling over and down the chute. I have checked the manual and all online information I can find, and it appears that the wire is correctly installed and has not had its profile altered from the factory configuration. Are there any tips and/or tricks about this situation on the SDB? Can the wire be subtly reshaped to change the ejection force curve.....or something? I experimented with operating handle speed, and it seemed at times that if I slowed the handle significantly toward the top of the upstroke, it was less of a problem, but then I'd get two or three in a row that hit the floor. Any and all help regarding this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks!

I guess loading for 22 different calibers might just "require" another 19 or so reloading presses. Have you ever thought of dropping a few calibers? I forgot .38 Spl. Actually, what I've thought about doing is not adding any MORE to the list. I say that, and then - quite unplanned - I added two more in the past month and a half. Reloading is one of my favorite things to do. It's very relaxing and keeps me sane....kind of.....more or less.

Thanks. I got my Square Deal yesterday. Couple of minor (relatively) missing parts, and the powder die was GLUED into the toolhead....somehow. I had to use heat and a pipe wrench to get it out (I wish I were joking). I think it was glued in because the previous owner lost the powder die clamp, one of the aforementioned missing parts. Got it all cleaned up and cleaned the old, gunky lube off and lubed the bushings with a Mobil 1 synthetic grease designed for use with airplanes. WOW! What a difference! Smooth and easy functioning. I drilled out a .38 Spl case to put in as a spent primer funnel. 3/8" ID plastic tubing goes from there to...some place, haven't decided yet. The proper spent primer cup plate and the cup itself were also MIA, but it did have the plate that is used (I think) with the strong mount and the blue plastic extension chute. Not sure what else that would be for. I don't think this press has been used much, as the shellplate is immaculate. I've got a couple of other conversions and it looks like someone took a punch and a hammer to the shellplates in various places. Weird, but I think they will still load okay. So now I just have to decide on what load for my .32 H&R's and start cranking out ammo.

That's a lot of good information. I really appreciate the video post. Thanks.

Okay - I finally found the answer in a Dillon YouTube video about cleaning the SDB. The "nubs" are called "compression bumps", they DO eventually wear out, and Dillon will replace the plastic plate under warranty at that point. The test is whether the sizing die touches the shellplate when sizing a fired case. If it does, and if the sized brass freely chambers fully and freely falls out of the chamber, all is well. If the sizing die does NOT touch the shellplate when sizing, the plastic plate needs to be replaced. I'se learnin'. It's slow goin' some days.....

Let's try this:

Yeah, this is the part I'm not sure about. Around the hole for station 1 are three "nubs", which look as though they have been compressed or even somewhat deformed. I didn't know if that was normal, or if the plastic part will need to be replaced. I'm working on uploading a picture.

Oh yeah - forgot about .22 Hornet also.

Who said anything about NEED? I loaded for many years on a single-stage press, which I still have one of mounted to my bench because it performs all sorts of convenient tasks. Then I had a different progressive for awhile, got tired of fiddling with it and sold it and got my first 550. I load for hunting, recreational shooting, and self-defense in a bunch of different handgun and rifle cartridges. So then I ran into a great deal on another 550 and it seemed like "nature's way" to have one set up for large primer and one set up for small primer. The Square Deal B fell into my lap, so to speak, and will probably be devoted to a single cartridge, though I'm keeping my options open on that. I guess you could say I'm more of a "progressive stockpiler". I load a few thousand of one kind, say .40 S&W, put those in ammo cans and load up a few thousand .45 ACP. Turning to small primers, I'll load a few thousand .357, a few thousand .32 H&R Mag, a few thousand 9mm, and a few thousand .223. After that, it's hunting rounds in .44 Mag, .41 Mag, and .454 Casull. Probably just a few hundreds of those at a time, though a guy needs to practice to stay sharp, y'know. Somewhere in the middle of all that are the rifle hunting cartridges, .243, 25-06, 270, 7-30 Waters, 7-08, 7 Mag, 30-06, 300 H&H, 300 Wby, 375 H&H, and 444 Marlin. Then there are the "niche" cartridges like 7mm TC/U, 30 Herrett, and .358 Bellm, which are all shot in Contender handguns. Everyone in our family of 5 hunts, so it's good to have plenty of ammo and backup rifles, just in case. At some point, it's time to start the cycle again with whichever cartridge is closest to running out. I don't get a lot of time to devote to loading, so I like to maximize my production when I have the chance. It's working for me for now, anyway.

Yep. I'm VERY happy with my Dillon experiences so far - 2 550b's that are GREAT! Thanks. Do you have a Square Deal B?

Hello, all. I was registered on the site what seems like a lifetime ago, and found out today that I'm not. Perhaps I never was. Some people remember things that never happened. I FORGET things that never happened... I've been a hunter/shooter/reloader for going on 40 years. I don't shoot competitions, though I once shot bullseye competitively, years ago. I reload primarily on two 550b's - one set up for large primer and one for small, of course ( ), and I am in the process of acquiring a SDB once the seller digs out from the four feet of snow that covered his car in New York. I came back to the site with a specific question concerning the SDB, but I hope to continue to read and learn. Thanks to Mr. Enos for making this forum available.