rwmagnus Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 I'm not exactly an expert but heres my take on it. 1. Your shell plate is adjusted too high if brass is catching on it. Make the necessary adjustment to lower the plate. Mine is at the same level. 2. The case feeder shell plate should be smooth like your 45ACP. It obviously got damaged. You might try stoning the gouge out to make it smoother. 3. Also sounds like you have a shell plate out of spec. Hard to believe given how thick they are. Why don't you take apart the shell plate clean and adjust to see if it solves your problems. Again I think you have to smooth up the case feeder shel plate for it to work reliably. 5. I'm sure Dillon will help you out. It still doesn't sound like you have the cam adjusted correctly. Mine pushes the case all the way to the back of the shell plate on the press. I just spent a couple hours reloading on my second 550 w/o the case feeder then 30 minutes on the primary 550 w/ case feeder. WOW what a difference. Once you get it running right you will love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Phillips Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Thanks for the reply. The shell plate is currently adjusted as low as it will go. I have tried different heights, and the lowest I can get it seems to work best. Any lower and it is binding up on the platform. I kinda figured the gouges weren't a good thing in the feeder shell plate, problem is, I'm not quite sure exactly what you mean by stoning, but even If I were to try and smooth them out, they are kinda deep. I've already pulled the press apart and cleaned it. I could almost eat off of it at this point. I must not have explained myself when I mentioned how I set the plunger, but it is pushing the case all the way back into the plate. When the cases hang up, they are only going 1/3 to 1/2 the way into the shellplate. They seem to be clearing the case feed shell plate just fine. Its like they are getting tilted slightly when they hit the lip on the shell-plate platform, and then jam as they enter the shell plate at that angle, because they only make it in about 1/2 way, which makes sense because that is at the widest point of the case head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aclundwall Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) I got my new casefeeder installed last night. I had a few small issues, but for the most part it's working OK. Some things I've noticed: 1. The cam plate that came with my press, when installed, wasn't vertical. The top of the cam plate was tilted toward the back of the press. If I adjusted the plate so that the roller was just touching the plate at mid-stroke, the roller would run almost off the plate at the top, and there would be an interfernce at the bottom of the stroke from one of the parts of the feeder mechanism rubbing into the cam plate as the ram neared it's lowest point. It took a few minutes to get it exactly right, but two very slight bends in the cam plate later, it seems to be correct now. 2. The primer slide activating rod was rubbing on the plastic tube (from the conversion kit) when the primer slide was most of the way back. As the handle is raised, the primer slide is supposed to slide forward smoothly. But with the interference between the rod and the conversion tube, it would hang for a second, and then pop free. This would generally bounce the new primer out of the cup, or turn it over. I had another activating rod, and it does not interfere. Apparently the first one was bent, but you could not tell from looking at it. 3. I have the bounce-back problem common to lots of others... If I operate the ram slowly, it's flawless. Not slow-like-I-shoot but about 2/3 the speed I USED to operate the ram. But if I start operating the lever in the speed I'm used to going, the case will bounce back out. WAY out, far enough that I crused a few cases. I started with the cam plate adjusted like the directions stated, or so I thought. When it wasn't working just right, I tried to go back the other way, thinking that a slight gap at mid stroke between the roller and the plate would allow the feeder mechanism an opportunity to pause for an instant at the point with the shell in position. It didn't fix it, but it didn't seem to make it any worse, either. However, after reading this thread again, it appears I've adjusted it the wrong way, and that the roller should never be out of contact with the came plate. Is this correct? If so, perhaps I need to go the OTHER way, and try to get the cam plate even closer to the roller than I had it the first time. 4. About half of the spent primers miss the funnel, and fall out behind it. They either wind up on the bench, the floor, or worst case, on the press in and around the primer slide. I'll try the adjustment recommended to another poster earlier in this thread to see if I can fix this problem. The case feeder is much quieter than I expected it to be, and I loaded 400 rounds of .40 last night without ANY cases flipped the wrong way. I put a bullet tray on at the same time as the case feeder... wow... until the primers run out, my left arm doesn't move more than an inch or two. Between this and the case feeder, I've no doubt that I can load 30%-40% faster. Edited March 31, 2006 by aclundwall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillon Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 bberkley, Your 550 is being shipped out of her today Jeff Phillips, Call me at Dillon so I can send you some parts. I need to know if the casefeed plunger housing is hitting the underside of the frame, so I can choose the correct platform to send you. aclundwall, The roller must always be in contact with the cam.Try resetting the cam with a piece of brass in the shellplate. I recommend to barely loosen the frame bolts, then use a large flat-blade screwdriver as a lever to pry the cam position. This method allows you to make smaller adjustements. Case bounce is almost always due to the cam being too far away from the plunger roller, allowing the plunger to move forward at an uncontrolled rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 It CAN BE DONE folks ........... I am only slightly mechanically inclined (I do the majority of my work with that in-famous BIGGER hammer) and I got my casefeeder working like a dream after only a couple of hours of tinkering. I have now run over 2000 rounds of .40S&W and I really love to load ammo now! Dont give up hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schoonie Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Gary, The cases enter the plastic drop tube upside down I think. They react differently with the plunger so I notice them before I finish the stroke. The case hangup I get with the plunger pushing the case under the shell plate is greately minimized if I reduce the stroke velocity by about 30% at the point of the case transition onto the ram. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bberkley Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 bberkley, Your 550 is being shipped out of her today Sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillon Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 schoonie, Are you using a large or small case feed plate? Have you retried it with a smaller quantity of cases in the bowl? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schoonie Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Gary, I have not tried the reduced qty yet. The case feed plate is the larger one. When I bought the case feeder I specified 45 and 40 cal. The literature indicates that 40 cal cases works with both plates. Maybe the smaller feed plate is the answer. I am travelling until Wednesday. I'll check in after I get a chance to reload again. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoofy Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 (edited) I have limited overhead room at my reload bench, what is the overall height from the base of the press? Edited April 3, 2006 by Hoofy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aclundwall Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 After spending 1200 rounds of quality time with my press since my last post, I have a few more observations. First, I thought that the cases were occasionally bouncing out of the position. After watching it very closely, I have found that this isn't what's happening at all. Instead, the cases were tilting slightly when they would come off the insert, onto the platform (which was slightly lower). And, being tilted down some, the leading edge of the cartridge rim was getting snagged on the circular edges that are machined into the platform, just in front of the hole that the primer cup comes up through. The case was stopping right there. I have alleviated this to a large extent by removing the sharp edges of these circular machined edges, and I've also lowered the insert a hair so that the shell doesn't tilt downward as it passes over the edge. As long as I'm not working that lever too fast, it works great. Last night, I loaded 500 rounds in 40 minutes, including the time it took to stop and remove a primer that got stuck in the primer tube because it had a burr on it. It also includes the time it took to fill three of the primer tubes with the vibra-prime. I wasn't trying to go exceptionally fast, either, so I can see this machine easily being capable of 800 rounds per hour. Another thing I noticed is that dillon chose to use the same part for the primer chute as they used with the press itself. But, the primer chute is about 3/16 of an inch farther away from the ram, so I was seeing about 1/2 the primers falling behind the chute, and the crud was building up around the primer slide at an alarming pace. I used some masking tape to extend the primer chute, and now all the spent primers and residue fall into the spent primer bin. That has kept the primer slide area much cleaner, and that's a very good thing. But it needs a permanent fix, since the tape won't last forever. Home depot has some sheet metal about that thickness, I'm going to go get some and make an extended chute that will permanently solve the problem. An earlier post mentioned something about loosening the screws that hold the primer chute assembly, and adjusting it's position... but there is no way to do this since the holes are the same size as the diameter of the screws that pass through them. Dillon needs to ship the case feeder with a longer chute, IMHO. Art Lundwall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aclundwall Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 (edited) I have limited overhead room at my reload bench, what is the overall height from the base of the press? About 36", give or take an inch, from the top of the case feeder to the top of the strong mount (or workbench, if your 550 mounts on the benchtop). The strongmount is about 8.5" more, putting the top of my casefeeder about 44-45 inches above the benchtop. Edited April 4, 2006 by aclundwall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamB Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Hello Gary, New to the forum and have a question about the case feeder for the 550 b. My press was purchased in 1984. It started out as a 450 and in 1991 sent to Dillon for the up grade to 550b. Will the new case feeder work with my press???? Hello every one. Your tips are great and have solved more than on issue I had with my Dillon. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bberkley Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 (edited) Got my press back from Dillon, don't know what they changed, but I had to readjust my dies, and think I have a bit of bounce back, and the new primer chute has knocked some primers out of the cup. I think I've got it dialed in now, and will load some more tomorrow. My press has never worked smoother than it does right now. The primer system, everything. Did have some brass turn sideways in the upper tube from the casefeeder, and one upside down, but other than that, its working good. Once I'm all healed up and can put in a marathon session at the press, I'll post some stats on how much I can actually load in an hour. Normally I can get about 400 an hour done, then another half hour or so to case gage and box them. =ADDED= My primer slide seems to stop, then slam home the last 1/2" or so, and has caused some primers to bounce out. Still getting the sideways brass, will need to track down some unused binder at work tomorrow. I haven't tried readjusting the cam yet. I think I've crushed about 5 pieces of brass out of 100 that I loaded, so I'll have to do some tweaking before I load anymore. Edited April 7, 2006 by bberkley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aclundwall Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 =ADDED=My primer slide seems to stop, then slam home the last 1/2" or so, and has caused some primers to bounce out. Still getting the sideways brass, will need to track down some unused binder at work tomorrow. I haven't tried readjusting the cam yet. I think I've crushed about 5 pieces of brass out of 100 that I loaded, so I'll have to do some tweaking before I load anymore. This happened to me originally, too. In my case the rod that activates the primer slide was rubbing on the side of the plastic tube that fits into the feeder mechanism ( the plastic tube I'm referring to is the colored one that is part of the caliber conversion for whichever caliber you're loading). It would rub when the primer slide was a little past half-way, and that would stop the slide for a second, then it would slip around the side of the tube and the primer slide would slap home. The rod didn't look bent to me, but I happened to have another of those rods anyway. Simply swapping them cured my problem (indicating to me that the first one probably WAS bent). If you don't have another rod, I guess you could try to 'adjust' the one you have, but bending that rod too much is probably a bad idea, since it needs to retain it's strength in order to effectively activate the primer slide. . One other option I pondered was sanding a flat on the side of the plastic tube nearest the primer slide, to allow that rod to pass unobstructed. The walls of that tube are plenty thick, and I only needed about .050" clearance or so... but since swapping the activating rod cured it, I didn't have to take that step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillon Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 SamB, I suspect you will have problems installing the case feeder due to the age of your machine. It can be done, however I suggest you contact us for return authorization to send the machine in for us to install it for you. I susoect at least the platform will need to be changed, as well as possibly the crank, and maybe a modification of the frame. aclundwall, How old is your 550? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aclundwall Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 aclundwall, How old is your 550? Not very... I bought it new in early 2003. I think it has about 80-90K rounds through it now. When I first got it, I had a lot of problems with the primer slide getting stuck, and not travelling back far enough to pick up a new primer. They sent me a new primer slide activating rod as one thing to try to remedy the problem. It made no difference, but I kept the rod just in case. Actually, I think I used that rod until now, and the one I just put back on is the original.... Art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamB Posted April 8, 2006 Share Posted April 8, 2006 SamB, I suspect you will have problems installing the case feeder due to the age of your machine. It can be done, however I suggest you contact us for return authorization to send the machine in for us to install it for you. I susoect at least the platform will need to be changed, as well as possibly the crank, and maybe a modification of the frame. aclundwall, How old is your 550? Thank you for the reply . I would send it in but it works so darn well. I well call Dillon and talk directly with them. After 20 years and still going strong. Thank you very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bberkley Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I figured out what was causing the primer bar to slam home the last 1/2", it is the operating rod catching the spent primer tub. My press is pretty old, and the tub is pretty tall. I just relieved the top of the tub, and it doesn't catch. Readjusted the shell plate, because it was too loose for my preferences, and I was catching the powder measure on the brass and ruining it. Now my cam bar seems to make too much contact, no matter how much I adjust it, and readjust it. At the bottom of the stroke, it makes too much contact, and I can feel and hear it grinding. Other than that, it seems to be working much better. Still get some bounce back, which is starting to irritate me, and the occasional smashed primer (WCC brass sucks). The occasional sideways or upside down brass brings everything to a screeching halt too. It goes much faster, but the occasional hangup takes more time to clear than without the casefeeder. Does the 650 work better? I may just have to get a 650, as I am pretty much sold on the case feeder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillon Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 (edited) bberkley, remind me what caliber you were loading, please. The loader worked 100 % when we finished with it here, but then it must be disassembled for shipping. For the bounce back, try this:How I set the cam was to barely loosen the cam mounting bolts;they should still be very snug;then use a large flat blade screwdriver as a lever to gently push the cam towards the plunger. Have a case in the shellplate when you do this, and hold the handle in a position to allow the plunger roller bolt to be in the center of the cam.Set the cam so that it barely touches the roller, and snug the mounting bolts. This method works better for me, as it allows for tinier adjustments. Regarding the cases sliding into the shellplate, it is normal that the station one locator is a couple of thousanths taller than the top of the platform. Try greasing the underside of the head of the shellplate bolt where it recesses into the top of the index sprocket. Then, after adjusting the shellplate bolt tension, push down on the edge of the shellplate between stations 2 and 3. If it feels very springy, then snug the shellplate bolt a bit more. Additionally, in 40S&W, check for tweaked rims on the cases, and try the small pistol case feed plate. I will have the aluminum sleeves ready to send in a day or so, they just need a final deburring, which is going on now. Edited April 10, 2006 by dillon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bberkley Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Gary, I'm loading 9mm right now, I still have a bunch of .40 loaded. I'm only using the small case feed plate. I've done those steps, I think I'll eventually get it figured out, just with my back problem, I don't have much tolerance to standing in front of the press right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Phillips Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 My casefeeder is finally working properly, and it is fantastic. Dillon sent me a new shellplate, platform, and casefeed insert, these parts reduced the amount of misfeeds from about 1 in 5 down to about 1 in 10, which wasn't much, but it was something. I had noticed the same thing Art did, which was that the case wasn't bouncing back out of the shellplate, it wasn't going all the way in to begin with. The case head was catching on the machining grooves around the priming hole in the shellplate. So using a dremel, I smoothed out the sharp edges, and I've loaded 500 rounds so far without a single hitch, the casefeeder just lets the machine fly now when loading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 Has anybody received their metal sleeve or insert for the drop tube yet? I thought Dillon said it would be sent out last week ........... Do you have to request it to be sent, or are they going to send it to anyone who ordered a 550 case-feeder ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aclundwall Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 When I ordered the case feeder, I asked about this insert, because I had been reading this thread already. They told me at the time that they would send it to me automatically, as soon as they were available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillon Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 Instructions for installing the sleeves came in today, labels are printed. We will probably begin mailing sleeves out tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now