Dillon 650 Upgrades

[cworks]

Make your own! I think I used a .38 Spl case that I cut down on two sides. Cut the sides down, then sandwich it between the plate and the press. Tighten the plate back up and it'll stay in place. You'll need to ream/drill the primer pocket out of the piece of brass. Then, put a clamp on it with a tube! I stole the idea from Sarge, he uses a plastic tray directly under the strong mount with a tube that feeds the old primers in. Works like a charm!

As for the primer chute...I had some clear tubing left over from my spent primer on my LCT. What I did was cut a square notch on one side of the tube, and super-glued it to the primer chute. The tubing is probably 1/2"-1" tall, and sits on top of the chute. Doing this, allows the primers to feed into the bottom of the chute, but they won't jump out. For the bottom, I took the same tubing with a removable cap, and super-glued that to the bottom of the chute. The system works great. No primers fall out, or go flying all over the place. And to get the live primers back, all I have to do is take the cap off and dump them back into the flip tray.

I can post pics if you would like.

I learn better from pictures!

Ah, that means I have to go clean off the bench.

Here we go...

Bench overview:

Storage for Bullets, brass, and primers. Ignore the old tea jug, that was for my LCT spent-primers

Also notice the top-notch velcro primer tubes. Thanks Sarge!

Spent Primer Mod:

Ski Jump Mod:

Still waiting on my MBF, still. AHHH!!!

glad I helped you tidy up! I guess I will have to wait until I pull the 650 out and study it to see how the 38 case will fit. Just from the pictures, its not like the 550's primer catch system.

[polizei1]

It's pretty easy...all you have to do is drill out the primer pocket and file two sides until it "fits" into the square opening. If you take the bracket off, it'll make complete sense. Then all you have to do is sandwich the brass between the press and the bracket.

Search the tips and tricks thread, there are various ways of doing the mod with various materials. You can use metal, pvc, pistol brass, rifle brass, etc. I just chose what I had on hand...and used it!

Edited March 24, 2013 by polizei1

[cohland]

I am aware there are several upgrades for the 650 offered by Dillon and other Vendors. I tried doing a search for "Dillon 650 Upgrades" and got 0 results. If anybody would like to share their upgrades with pictures or links it would be greatly appreciated.

Fair warning: this is a

long-winded

post that specifically covers some things I have learned about the Dillon XL650 progressive reloading machine. It was originally posted in a pistol forum, so the information may be

initially

very basic for readers here. Be patient, there's some useful stuff for more experienced reloaders too.

In order to follow along, the reader will need to understand how the XL 650 is built, and for that information there is no better source than the

Dillon XL 650 Instruction Manual

(May 2007), published by Dillon Precision and available at no cost online.

Introduction

As it comes out of the box, the XL 650 is a somewhat complex machine, one that performs a number of functions with each complete down-and-up cycle of the operating handle:

1. Feed empty brass (optional, installed on mine)

2. De-cap and resize brass (de-cap and de-prime mean the same thing)

3. Feed primer

4. Insert and seat primer

5. Flare case mouth (for pistols)

6. Dispense powder charge

7. Check powder charge level (optional, installed on mine)

8. Seat bullet in case

9. Crimp case around bullet

10.Dispense completed round

The XL 650 has a fixed toolhead that holds five dies or devices:

1. Sizing/decapping die

2. Primer, case flare and powder dispenser

3. Powder check system

4. Seating die

5. Crimp die

The cases that are being processed rotate beneath the fixed toolhead on a circular shellplate, which is advanced automatically by the movement of the operating handle and a cam. This feature, automatic indexing, leaves the operator with two manual operations for each cycle: place a bullet into the mouth of a charged case with the left hand, and move the operating handle down and up with the right hand.

Opportunities for Improvement

Before reading further, please understand that this is

not new or original information

: almost all of it came from other sources including the section of Brian Enos’s excellent site that deals specifically with Dillon Precision Reloading Equipment. There is a wealth of information over there, but rather than just link you directly to it I wanted to summarize some of it and add my own impressions.

There are a couple of opportunities for improvement (I won’t call them “weaknesses”) in the XL 650, areas where a small change can make a big difference.

Shellplate

The shellplate holds the cases as they move clockwise from station to station. It has recesses machined in the bottom that stop it in position when it arrives over a spring-loaded index ball in the frame. If the shellplate is the least bit loose, it will jiggle when it reaches the index ball and the ball snaps into position. If it jiggles, a couple of problems can occur, including failure to align primers to insert correctly, and spilling powder between the powder funnel, powder check, and bullet seating stations. It is important that the shellplate bolt remains tight, but not so tight that the shell plate won’t rotate.

Loading .45 ACP and using Winchester 231 powder, I don’t have the cases more than half full, so I don’t spill too much powder. For a case with powder loaded closer to the top of the case, spilling powder will be more of a problem, so a solution is needed. In my case, I just didn’t like the mess of spilled powder, even a little spilled powder. Among my other faults, I am very clean and neat.

The first solution to this is simply to check and adjust the shellplate bolt’s tightness. Loosen the brass-tipped setscrew, remove the shellplate bolt, the ejector wire and shellplate, put a little dab of light grease along the path of the alignment holes on the bottom of the shellplate, insert and tighten the shellplate bolt until it will not move and then loosen it just enough to allow it to rotate smoothly. Then put the ejector wire back on and re-tighten the brass-tipped setscrew, which maintains the adjustment of the shellplate bolt.

The second solution is to insert a needle-roller bearing at the top of the shellplate, fitting between the head of the shellplate bolt and the shellplate. With a bearing installed, friction can be reduced and the wobble in the shellplate will be reduced because the washers and bearing stabilize the shellplate bolt. I found it was necessary to bend the ejector wire to clear the bottom of the case insert assembly when the bearing and washers were installed on the shellplate bolt.

This bearing is available as a set of parts from McMaster-Carr in California. The parts needed are:

5909K31

Cage Assembly for 1/2" Shaft Diameter, 15/16" OD, Steel Thrust Needle-Roller Bearing (quantity 1)

5909K44

.032" Thick Washer for 1/2" Shaft Diameter, Steel Thrust Needle-Roller Bearing (quantity 2)

The total price of the parts plus tax and shipping is $4.87, which I thought was very reasonable.

Powder Measure

The original powder measure on the XL 650 is very, very consistent, just as steady as my bench-mounted powder measure, so there is no problem here. However, it does not have a graduated meter, so if you need to change powder measure settings as you change powder or loads, the change process is going to be extended due to the need for more checks with the scale as you adjust the powder measure adjusting bolt. The solution is to have a graduated powder measure that can be dialed in to a given setting with some precision, provided by Uniquetek Incorporated, at a price of $59.95 plus tax and shipping. Before purchasing, I recommend that you read the instructions, because you may wish to have Uniquetek install the parts on your powder bar for a nominal charge instead of doing it yourself.

Once installed, the micrometer-adjustable powder measure keeps its setting with no problem, and it makes changing loads back and forth very easy because you are moving from one known reference point to another.

Powder Baffle

As the powder flows down through the powder measure, it’s possible that it will “stack up” or not flow smoothly at the bottom as the volume of powder in the measure is reduced. A cure for this problem is a powder baffle, which will even out the flow of powder. I have used one with good results on a different powder measure, so I did not resist the idea when I saw one available, again from Uniquetek, for the Dillon XL 650. It’s a good idea to deburr the edges of this aluminum powder baffle, but once that was done, I found it was easy to simply drop it into the powder chamber.

Toolhead

One of the design goals for the XL 650 was apparently to allow the customer to use the XL 650 for several calibers by including features to make caliber changes quick and easy. The removable toolhead plays a major role in providing this capability.

The toolhead on the XL 650 is mounted on the top of the frame so that it and all of the dies can be swapped out quickly with another set of dies for a different caliber. To be able to move the toolhead in and out of the machine, it was manufactured to provide enough clearance with the frame to enable it to be changed. The problem is that, once in the frame, the toolhead is held in place by two steel locating pins, and these pins allow some vertical movement of the toolhead when the press is in operation. This vertical movement results in an inability of the XL 650 to provide very precise OAL consistency and I think it contributes to some degree to primer seating problems.

The solution to this problem is to fix the toolhead securely to the frame once it is installed, but to allow it to be removed for caliber changes when necessary. This is done pretty easily with a toolhead clamp kit, again provided by Uniquetek Incorporated. I chose to buy their precision toolhead that already had the clamp kit installed because the price of the clamp kit alone was close to the cost of the toolhead.

Summary

Having an XL 650, beyond using it as a tool to reload ammunition, has provided me with yet another gadget to understand, maintain, and tinker with. I hesitate to say that it has become a hobby in itself, but it could be close!

Chris

Edited March 25, 2013 by cohland

[cworks]

Thanks for the info!

[Rynnäkökivääri 62]

I cut the spring under the shell plate to reduce the snap, also got the bearings, very smooth now. I have a small thingie thats just a small washer with a thin handle, I shove this onto the primer indexing arm so I can stop the indexing when I want to.

The primers being fed all the time was annoying as heck so this is my most useful mod. I do tend to tweak & fiddle with new loads and unloading the press of primers for every time would be cumbersome. The other thing I want is uniquetek micrometers on some of the measures.

[Fate0n3]

So much great info in this thread. Def going to try the shell plate bearing kit and powder measure in my 550B. Never even knew there were things like this out there.

Thank you guys for taking the time to respond with detailed info

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

Edited March 25, 2013 by Fate0n3

[cohland]

I cut the spring under the shell plate to reduce the snap, also got the bearings, very smooth now....

I am interested in cutting the index ball spring, but I'm concerned that I will trim too much. Will you be kind enough to post a photo of your spring, and indicate how many coils were removed?

Thanks,

Chris

[polizei1]

I cut 1/2 coil off mine, and also have the bearing kit (using 1 washer). I wouldn't cut more than a full coil.

[cohland]

I cut 1/2 coil off mine, and also have the bearing kit (using 1 washer). I wouldn't cut more than a full coil.

Thanks, it does feel different with just a half coil cut off.

Regarding the bearing kit, did you use just the top washer? Was there a particular reason that you chose to use just one washer? I'm not arguing, just trying to learn.

Chris

Edited March 26, 2013 by cohland

[polizei1]

Yes, I just used the top washer. The reason is because with both washers, the ejector rod wasn't functioning properly, so it ended up binding up the press. I did not, however, bend the ejector rod like you did. It looks like with the rod being bent, it's out of the way and would work just fine. The easier solution for me was just to take out the bottom washer.

[cohland]

Yes, I just used the top washer. The reason is because with both washers, the ejector rod wasn't functioning properly, so it ended up binding up the press. I did not, however, bend the ejector rod like you did. It looks like with the rod being bent, it's out of the way and would work just fine. The easier solution for me was just to take out the bottom washer.

Makes sense, thank you. I think your solution is better than two washers because it avoids modifying another part.

The XL650 is becoming a hobby unto itself. At least it's cheaper than fast cars....

Chris

Edited March 26, 2013 by cohland

[J_Clan]

Ugh, I'm still waiting...and I ordered on Dec. 27th. FML!!!

Note about the bearing kit. When you install it, just use the top washing (on top) of the bearing. I tried using both, and it bound the ejector rod.

I don't know what I've got wrong, but purchased identical parts from Graingers and the ejector rod is binding against the completed round as it attempts to eject it from the shellplate. I've tried with a washer above & below bearing, one washer only below bearing, one washer only above bearing & with no washers and bearing only. With each configuration the ejector rod binds. I tried each configuration listed prior with the brand new ejector rod from my spare parts kit with the same results. The parts I purchased from Grainger match the exact dimentions as those from McMaster-Carr. On occasion I can get 3-5 rounds loaded, then the binding begins. It's amazing when not binding, but as of now I've removed both washers & the bearing. I'm frustrated and confused, what's the deal...?

Any advise...?

[jmorris]

I wouldn't just start off changing things. Sometimes everything is fine before you start "fixing" the machine.

I have done some mods to 650's but also had them work just fine stock.

This is a video of one I made before I sold it, that was stock, except for the tool head/bullet feeder.

It was an " If it's not broke, don't fix it" machine.

Edited April 26, 2013 by jmorris

[congewe]

J Clan. You have'nt done anything wrong. I run the washer on top. No need to have a washer on the bottom.

Running only one washer helps keep the ejector wire closer to the tool head.

May have to bend the ejector wire to get it closer to the tool head.

I'm still working on getting my ejector wire bent properly to eject 5.56 cases.

My XL650 did not eject 5.56 cases even before installing the bearing and washer.

Pistol cases not a problem with and without the bearing and washer..

[cohland]

Ugh, I'm still waiting...and I ordered on Dec. 27th. FML!!!

Note about the bearing kit. When you install it, just use the top washing (on top) of the bearing. I tried using both, and it bound the ejector rod.

I don't know what I've got wrong, but purchased identical parts from Graingers and the ejector rod is binding against the completed round as it attempts to eject it from the shellplate. I've tried with a washer above & below bearing, one washer only below bearing, one washer only above bearing & with no washers and bearing only. With each configuration the ejector rod binds. I tried each configuration listed prior with the brand new ejector rod from my spare parts kit with the same results. The parts I purchased from Grainger match the exact dimentions as those from McMaster-Carr. On occasion I can get 3-5 rounds loaded, then the binding begins. It's amazing when not binding, but as of now I've removed both washers & the bearing. I'm frustrated and confused, what's the deal...?

Any advise...?

I found it was necessary to bend the ejector wire to clear the bottom of the case insert assembly when the bearing and washers were installed on the shellplate bolt.

Chris

[Jim Norman]

A word to the wise, this mod does NOT work on an XL 900 Shotshell loader. There is not enough space in the tool head for the added height of the bearing under the bolt.