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Separate press for decapping?


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The only time I ever have any sort of an issue with my Dillon 550 is when the primer area gets dirty from decapping spent primers. In an effort to alleviate this issue I have been contemplating picking up a Lee single stage press and a universal decapping die for this purpose. I realize it will add more time to the process but it really seems like the best way. Thoughts?

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That's actually how most rifle competitors in other disciplines do it, but we use the size die. The decap die goes in station 1 on the 550 to make sure the flash hole is poked clear of tumbling media prior to seating a primer.

Mark

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Get a separate tool head and put a Lee U Die (Sizing Die) in it and lease the other holes empty.

Resize and de-caps (If you have a case feeder this is very fast)

Yup, that is exactly how I do it and it works very well.

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Single stage for all decapping. To each his own I guess. Single stage comes in handy for many other uses as well. I use a unversal decapping die in station one to clean anything in the flash hole. Sizing die in the single stage to decap and size. Tumble lube off, trim, swage if needed and into the case feeder.

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If he wants to keep the priming residue off the press it doesn't seem as though switching tool heads and still depriming on the press would solve the problem he posted ???

It will if you clean the primer slide and plate after decapping.

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Buy the $25 Lee Reloading Press and the Lee Universal Decapping Die and mount in garage with case cleaning equipment.

When I return from the range, I inspect, deprime, and sort all my brass prior to cleaning.

Keep all primer and media residue in one location.

Use 20/40 corn so no media sticks in primer pocket or flash hole, although the sizing die will remove any that is trapped.

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I'd suggest the Lee Classic Cast press as it has one of, if not the best, means of handling the spent primers and residue of any press.

The primer and all falls down the interior of the ram and into a plastic hose and then into a container of your choice with very little mess. It's also healthy enough to do 50 BMG on if you happen to have one.

http://leeprecision.com/reloading-presses/single-stage/

I've got one of the small ones - brand new replacement from Lee - never out of the box I'd sell for $35.00 shipped if anyone would like it.

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Started off depriming while reloading on my 550b. It didn't take long to realize that most of the issues I had with the 550b either were caused by dirt, or primers that got stuck.

I added a Hornady Classic single stage, but after 1000 rounds or so it became munged up with dirt/debris. Ended up switching to a Forster Co-Ax, between the spent primers and debris being captured in a small jar via a tube, and the super nice and easy insertion/removal of cases (jaws work better than any single stage shell holder I've come across).

Can easily resize/deprime about a 1000 rounds an hour. I wet tumble and dry afterwards..... this keeps my Dillon running smooth, with little to no trouble being caused by debris.

~g

Edited by safeactionjackson
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I decap with a Dillon universal decapping die, on my Redding T7 turret press. I started doing this for the exact reason as the OP asked. The 550 craps where it eats and that is the Achilles heel of the 550. I have 2 a 1050's, a 650 and a 550. I decap all brass on the T7, then wet tumble. The presses stay much cleaner.

Edited by Slotbike
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I'm lazy and have thought of adding a Lee pro 1000 or another Loadmaster for decapping duty. The included case feeder works very well for pistol with some initial setup debugging. If/when I start wet tumbling I probably will do what I mentioned as part of the appeal of wet tumbling is getting those primer pockets squeaky clean.

And it's not just the Dillon's that get grimey. My Loadmaster gets bitchy when dirty and more priming issues. If I could keep that press clean, it would be a lot nicer to run.

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I decap on my 650 using a tool head with a Lee Universal Decapper.

Before I put the brass in the case feeder, I give it a few spins in a rotary media separator to get all the range dirt and rocks out, to help keep the press clean and to keep the case feeder from getting jammed up. The press still gets a little dirty, but I give it a good once over before loading ammo again.

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I just use the cheap Lee Reloader press with a Lee Universal decapping die. I think I paid $40 for both of them on Amazon. I built an ejector for it and a little chute to funnel the cases into a bucket after depriming. I also flipped the ring that holds the shell holder in the ram to the other side so the ejector doesnt catch on it. I run the handle with my left hand, and feed cases with the right.

The chute isnt shown in this pic, but it is fast, and if I get it filthy, I dont care.

IMAG0096.jpg

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That's how i do it. Decap with my Lee classic cast and a universal decapping die before running the brass through my ultrasonic cleaner. Keeps a lot of crude off my Dillions. Now if Dillion would just make a single stage press........

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I already had an RCBS single stage press that I use for rifle cartridges set up on my bench, along with one Dillon 550B set up for large primers and one Dillon 550B set up for small primers that I use for various pistol cartridges.

I experienced the same issues as mentioned the original post on this thread, so I began depriming on the single stage press before then running the deprimed cases through a sonic cleaner. The deprimed and cleaned cases then become the feed stock for the Dillon presses.

I am very pleased with how smoothly the 550B presses operate and how clean they stay using this metjhodology.

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The stuff you and JMorris do is really cool and shows a lot of talent but for the average shooter/reloader it is somewhat overkill as far as capacity is concerned.

Yes, and no. There's a lot of people on here who compete, and as such, shoot a LOT. Some have more time than others. Some, this is all they do for a living (shooting).

If you're a guy who simply goes to the range once a week and fires 100 rounds and calls it a week, then yes, it's WAY overkill. Do it all on your 550 and keep compressed air handy.

If you're a guy (or gal) who takes training courses, teaches training courses, and shoots anywhere from 1-2 thousand a week, then it's practical.

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