ArrDave Posted July 24 Share Posted July 24 In february I took shipment on an RL1100 and after about 1500 rounds the primer shuttle stopped coming all the way forward. I limped along through about another 3500 rounds or so manually assisting the shuttle forward until I freed up time to call dillon and try to trouble shoot - I understand the depth of that little leg needs to be just so to move the shuttle forward - it's the final probably 1/4" that I have to tap forward about midway through the stroke before finishing it - which obviously slows down my production and is kind of counter the whole purpose of using an RL1100. When I finally got Dillon on the phone when I could be available I sent them a picture of that cam assembly or whatever and it was apparently not correct when it left the factory - they sent a new one - I started loading again and it was good - for not quite 1000 rounds. Same issue as before. So wanted to see what I can do since it's tough for me to be in front of the press and get Dillon on the phone during their support hours - most of my loading is in the evening. Is this somethign I can fix? With proximity to nationals I need to finish loading my practice / match/area rounds through October so I can limp along to that point but it'd be great to get the full promise of the press - any things to be checking out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RePete Posted July 24 Share Posted July 24 Is the shuttle channel clean? Check the channel for burrs and ridges, if found file them smooth - just enough to remove them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddc Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 The shuttle actuating arm is very sensitive to adjustment height. It can be frustrating finding that point where it is not too low and not too high. There is not much of a sweet spot. Too low and the leg jams against the bottom of the channel. Too high and the slide does not move far enough. I just bite the bullet and resign myself to 20 minutes of minute adjustments accompanied by an appropriate amount of swearing and wondering why there can't be a better way. And before people chime in with "just get an FW Arms Prime TIme" I already have one of them on a machine. It is a little better for sure but I don't think it's all that great an improvement. You still have an arm that has to be adjusted for height. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnipTheDog Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 28 minutes ago, ddc said: The shuttle actuating arm is very sensitive to adjustment height. It can be frustrating finding that point where it is not too low and not too high. There is not much of a sweet spot. Too low and the leg jams against the bottom of the channel. Too high and the slide does not move far enough. I just bite the bullet and resign myself to 20 minutes of minute adjustments accompanied by an appropriate amount of swearing and wondering why there can't be a better way. And before people chime in with "just get an FW Arms Prime TIme" I already have one of them on a machine. It is a little better for sure but I don't think it's all that great an improvement. You still have an arm that has to be adjusted for height. Exactly. Also there's an angle too to get it just right. Ideally it should be perpendicular to the primer slide, but that's hard to really see 100%. A Dillon rep said that there should be about a business card between the top of the primer actuator leg and the bottom of the primer channel, but that's also hard to measure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArrDave Posted July 25 Author Share Posted July 25 Yes - I recently used air to blow out the channel and make sure there was no debris in there. So I don't have the arm adjusted properly then is what I'm hearing - is it best to adjust the shuttle actuating arm in the up or the down position for the lever? And the orientation isn't squared away I'm gathering probably too. That's aggravating because I find that with enough use the arm seems collar holding the shuttle actuating arm walks up unless you death clamp it down onto that collar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HesedTech Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 (edited) 17 hours ago, ArrDave said: In february I took shipment on an RL1100 and after about 1500 rounds the primer shuttle stopped coming all the way forward. I will bet that somehow it, the arm, got bent. The arm and process is pretty simple and yes I've bent the arm in the past. Some how the shuttle got jammed and there's enough leverage in the system where the weaker arm bent. So check to make sure the arm that attaches to the shuttle is straight and not slightly bent backwards. If it is put it in a vise and straighten it. Height is not a big issue as long as the arm doesn't touch the surface of the base or comes out of the shuttle slot as it arcs through its movement. Just make sure the arm surface is parallel with the shuttle and does not bind. Better yet, if you have the $$ get the "Prime Time" from FW Arms. Much better! Let me add a couple of things which might help. 1. Polish the shuttle bottom and top with progressively paper until the surfaces shine. 2. Polish the primer hole with a Dremel felt tip, and compound. 3. Polish the surface on the base where the shuttle slides in. Key word, polish so that the shuttle moves easily and freely. Hope this helps. This is my experience with using 2 1050s, 1 1100 and over 100K of loading. Edited July 25 by HesedTech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HesedTech Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 (edited) 12 hours ago, ddc said: And before people chime in with "just get an FW Arms Prime TIme" I already have one of them on a machine. I love it. Far better than the stock Dillon system. I've actually wore a groove in the Dillon actuator pin on the tool head and had to replace it. The smoothness of motion on the Prime Time is fantastic. Edited July 25 by HesedTech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice36 Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 3 hours ago, ArrDave said: So I don't have the arm adjusted properly then is what I'm hearing - is it best to adjust the shuttle actuating arm in the up or the down position for the lever? And the orientation isn't squared away I'm gathering probably too. That's aggravating because I find that with enough use the arm seems collar holding the shuttle actuating arm walks up unless you death clamp it down onto that collar. I had to adjust mine for the same reason, I left it a little loose and worked the arm until it worked correctly and locked it down. No problems sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillon Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillon Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 Product Videos| RL1100 (dillonprecision.com) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillon Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 https://vimeo.com/541877109 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArrDave Posted July 27 Author Share Posted July 27 On 7/25/2024 at 10:08 AM, HesedTech said: I love it. Far better than the stock Dillon system. I've actually wore a groove in the Dillon actuator pin on the tool head and had to replace it. The smoothness of motion on the Prime Time is fantastic. How do you tell which cam roller size you need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HesedTech Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 17 hours ago, ArrDave said: How do you tell which cam roller size you need? I used the roller for the stock Dillon tool head. Did you read the FW Arms info for the thread size? Always get the arm which works with the powder measure. I found it works on both my 1050 and 1100. CAM ROLLER SIZE (see below notes)* 10-24 (wrench will NOT fit hole) 1/4-20 (wrench WILL fit hole) ATTEMPT TO INSERT EITHER A 5/32" OR 4MM HEX WRENCH INTO THE CAM ROLLER HOLE OF YOUR TOOL HEAD AND SELECT THE CORRECT SIZE CAM ROLLER) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m700 Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 On 7/24/2024 at 10:52 PM, ddc said: The shuttle actuating arm is very sensitive to adjustment height. It can be frustrating finding that point where it is not too low and not too high. There is not much of a sweet spot. Too low and the leg jams against the bottom of the channel. Too high and the slide does not move far enough. I just bite the bullet and resign myself to 20 minutes of minute adjustments accompanied by an appropriate amount of swearing and wondering why there can't be a better way. And before people chime in with "just get an FW Arms Prime TIme" I already have one of them on a machine. It is a little better for sure but I don't think it's all that great an improvement. You still have an arm that has to be adjusted for height. I marked the primer tube with a file to get it back quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddc Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 4 hours ago, m700 said: I marked the primer tube with a file to get it back quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnymazz Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 (edited) HesedTechs post is right on the money. The RL1100 is whole new learning curve. I loaded on 2 Dillon 650 machines for years, then stepped right up to the Rl1100 and CP2000 machines fully automated with Ammobots. Im a master automotive tech for 35 years. so I thought this would be a piece of cake, its a simple machine compared to the complexity of automobiles that I have to repair at the shop. I damaged a few parts loading the first 1000 rounds, taking it slow. Maintenance on the machine and double checking everything is a must. Take a look at some of my older posts on issues. Forward 5 years later Im well over 150,000 rounds into the machines and loving the equipment. Load safe enjoy the hobby . I started reloading in 1988 with a single stage press. Edited July 31 by Johnnymazz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esquared Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 On 7/24/2024 at 7:52 PM, ddc said: The shuttle actuating arm is very sensitive to adjustment height. It can be frustrating finding that point where it is not too low and not too high. There is not much of a sweet spot. Too low and the leg jams against the bottom of the channel. Too high and the slide does not move far enough. I just bite the bullet and resign myself to 20 minutes of minute adjustments accompanied by an appropriate amount of swearing and wondering why there can't be a better way. And before people chime in with "just get an FW Arms Prime TIme" I already have one of them on a machine. It is a little better for sure but I don't think it's all that great an improvement. You still have an arm that has to be adjusted for height. Once you have your prime time arm set use a small hose clamp under it so if you have to remove it it stops on the clamp and is lined up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddc Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 5 hours ago, esquared said: Once you have your prime time arm set use a small hose clamp under it so if you have to remove it it stops on the clamp and is lined up. What a great idea. I wish I'd thought of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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