Dillon 550B

[Newbie]

I am having all kinds of trouble with the primer feature on the 550B. I have tried everything Dillon has recommended and continue to have problems . 7 out of 10 times when I pull the handle down a primer will not load in the cup. When I pull the assembly back manually 2 or 3 shoot out across the room. I have reseated the primer cup, replaced the plastic end of the tube, cleaned everything, adjusted the screw on the back of the arm and still the same thing happens over and over . If anyone can help before I jump out a window it would be appreciated. Thanks.

Dave

[diehli]

Call Dillon, tell them it needs to be repaired/replaced.

[texasag93]

mine came ready to go and I haven't had a lick of problems. Just disassemble on occasion and clean. It runs great. I would call them and explain that their suggestions aren't working. They should have a better suggestion. TXAG

[Vlad]

Two things I can think off, but you didn't tell us what Dillon did so they may be the same things. First make sure that your inner primer tube is correctly seated. It sound like it might not be deep enough, you should be able to see the plastic tip if you look in from front. Also make sure that it has the correct orientation. The second thing I would check is that the plastic tip on the primer tube is not damaged. If it is, your kit should include a spare one.

What did Dillon suggest?

Vlad

[Guest Larry Cazes]

The first thing is.......Is the primer bar coming all the way back and bottoming out against the housing completely on every stroke? If not I would clean out the primer system completely using a clean solvent like alcohol. No break free or other cleaner here which may leave residue. Pay special attention to cleaning out between the bar and the shim and reassemble leaving everything dry (no Lube). I apply a little powdered graphite to these surfaces to make everything run smoothly. This system is meant to run DRY. I would also be sure to follow dillons instructions on tightening the 2 screws underneath that hold the housing. Remember, only finger tight on these and an added help to alignment is to push forward fully on the handle while tightening these screws.

If the bar is running smoothly, then try to adjust the travel using the hex screw on the back of the housing. Sounds like the primer cup might be coming back too far so back off on the screw. You mentioned that you reseated the primer cup. Did you follow dillon's instructions for setting the height? I have never been able to get mine set to within their required tolerances but they dont appear to really need that much precision. Thye used to ship a jig for this purpose years ago.

It took me about 6 months to come up the learning curve and to get the primer system on my 550B to work 100%. This is the weak part of this press and it needs some extra care to setup and some regular maintenance.

For my curiosity, are you running large or small primers or both when this occurs?