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Another 1050 Primer System Gripe Thread


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I was mad enough to chew nails after this, so this is me griping....

I just unpacked my 3rd 1050. My 3rd one. I love Dillon and the 1050, but this thing is making me nuts.

Last year I loaded 30k + on an older one and probably 5k on a new one in 9mm HE. I know how the machine works. I sold them to buddies down South who have trouble getting the goods.

Anyway....

Just unpacked my "factory adjusted" commercial grade machine. So it's clean, and I have not tried to tweak anything.

In the first 100 rounds loaded I had 25 primer malfs. What's the deal there? Winchester spp, not trying to go fast, just get back into things and load a few hundred for testing.

The malfs were split roughly equal between flipped primers and no primer, with about three primer thingy jumping the rail jams.

I LOVE how the 1050 works when it works, but guys let's update and upgrade the primer system.

Edited by dirtypool40
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Tape a 180gr bullet to the top of the little plastic rod. This will add a little downforce to the primers. I have not had this prob since a friend told me about this trick. It works for the 550, 650 and the 1050. I would strongly recommend it to anyone reloading. It will completely eliminate the flipped primer or the tipped on its edge primer. Try it, I tink you will like it.

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A few things I have found on mine that will cause primer problems.

1) The nut that holds the primer tube inside the metal tube being to tight.

I heard (probably on here somewhere) to leave the nut backed off mabey 1/4 turn or less to allow the primer tube to "float" a little.

2) The plastic tip on the primer tube must be in good shape. It may have gotten dinged during shipping. It really doesnt take much to cause the primer to hang up on one side causing it to rotate around instead of falling straight thru.

Take the tube out and try dropping a primer thru it to see if it comes out smooth.

3) Also make sure the plastic tip is fully inserted onto the aluminum tube. If there is a bit of a gap there a primer could rotate around in that spot.

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Take off the primer tube assy. Put the primer slide ONLY in the channel, and move it back and forth. If the rubber sleeve is too long it will bind. I superglue the rubber sleeves on then take an exacto knife and trim the rubber until it doesnt rub in the channel. This part will get bigger as it wears, and then will slow down the primer slide, causing a lot of headaches cuz you forget about it and when you find it you say, duh :wacko: .....Take a stone and smooth the channel and also all the rub areas on the primer slide itself. Big thing is to make sure that the rubber sleeve is tight on the pin, and doesnt stick into the channel, rubbing the slide channel and slowing down the slide timing.

Once that is done look at the primer tube tip, if it looks funky just replace it. Then put the primer tube assy back on. Then put the toolhead into the down position, then put the primer acutator arm that attaches to the primer tube assy and works the slide down into the slide, so it now works. Once the arm is down all the way pull it up a little bit, then try the lever. It should be smooth, not clunky. If it is clunky then it is down too far. I also go so far as to polish the primer slide primer hole, making it supersmooth. Break all the edges on the primer punch, so it is smooth as well. Check the bolt on the primer pivot arm acutator(underneath the shellplate area on the bottom side. I have had that go loose and all hell breaks loose. That is about it for the priming system. The two big things are stoning/polishing the primer slide channel/primer slide and adjusting the actutator arm. I have had several guys that have 1050s have primer problems like you mention. Once I did the above to them they now work like butter.......I hope this helps... :( DougC

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Take off the primer tube assy. Put the primer slide ONLY in the channel, and move it back and forth. If the rubber sleeve is too long it will bind. I superglue the rubber sleeves on then take an exacto knife and trim the rubber until it doesnt rub in the channel. This part will get bigger as it wears, and then will slow down the primer slide, causing a lot of headaches cuz you forget about it and when you find it you say, duh :wacko: .....Take a stone and smooth the channel and also all the rub areas on the primer slide itself. Big thing is to make sure that the rubber sleeve is tight on the pin, and doesnt stick into the channel, rubbing the slide channel and slowing down the slide timing.

Once that is done look at the primer tube tip, if it looks funky just replace it. Then put the primer tube assy back on. Then put the toolhead into the down position, then put the primer acutator arm that attaches to the primer tube assy and works the slide down into the slide, so it now works. Once the arm is down all the way pull it up a little bit, then try the lever. It should be smooth, not clunky. If it is clunky then it is down too far. I also go so far as to polish the primer slide primer hole, making it supersmooth. Break all the edges on the primer punch, so it is smooth as well. Check the bolt on the primer pivot arm acutator(underneath the shellplate area on the bottom side. I have had that go loose and all hell breaks loose. That is about it for the priming system. The two big things are stoning/polishing the primer slide channel/primer slide and adjusting the actutator arm. I have had several guys that have 1050s have primer problems like you mention. Once I did the above to them they now work like butter.......I hope this helps... :( DougC

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;) I use a 230 grain .45 bullet.

I just use a .45 case over the top of the plunger . . . fits perfectly (snuggly) over the top . . . a friend got this tip directly from Dillon . . . the only problem I have ever had with the primer system on my 1050 is if I have a funky, oversized primer that clogs up the tube . . . hardly ever happens. Hate it when it does if I have run 20 or 30 rounds through with no primers . . .

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Hmmm... I have a 650 that works almost flawlessly.

Primer issues do happen but are very rare.

If I paid mucho dinero for a 1050 (and I plan to in the near future) I would expect it to work as delivered.

You shouldn't have to stone parts, super glue parts, trim parts with exacto knives or tape bullets to anything.

As a mechanical engineer and designer of machinery, I can tell you that my customers expect my equipment to work and its up to me to see that it does.

Primer handling presents a lot of challenges for a mechanical designer and reliably getting the little suckers into position is no small trick.

If there is an inherent problem that is common to this machine, they need to refine the primer system a bit.

If this is specific to a few machines then they have a few parts out of tolerance which is easily corrected.

Dillon is a top notch company and I have no doubt they will address any reliablity issues that come up.

Tls

Edited by tlshores
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Aftermarket manufactures have made a bundle by making the mousetrap a better/cleaner performer. Ralph Arrendondo comes to mind. If there truly is a design problem on the Dillon primer loader assembly.....??

Step right up with your replacement and get a piece of that aftermarket pie! :D

As I had to have help putting my 1050 together..I think I need not apply. :rolleyes:

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I should have clarified why I do what I do to my 1050s. My machines worked when I got them. By using them for 10s of thousands of rounds I noticed scuff marks here or there, the rubber boot getting out of round, etc. and then would have primer problems. The machines worked fine, and the "wear" parts needed to be replaced, cleaned, etc. While I had it apart I did the polishing and stone work. It made a big difference in the smoothness in my machines and they continue to work flawlessly.

When I am around other people's 1050s I like to try them and see how smoothly they run. Mine seem to be smoother. When people ask me for advice on them I suggest what I suggested here, as it has worked for me, and I dont have to replace the rubber boot as much by gluing it on.

Those things are not required to make the machine run like it is designed to. I personally think they help though. I have no doubt that Eric will figure out what needs to be tweaked with his unit, and will have it up and running soon. If not, Dillon will figure it out. That is their reputation and in my experience they will deliver! DougC

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If there truly is a design problem on the Dillon primer loader assembly.....??

Step right up with your replacement and get a piece of that aftermarket pie!

Just to follow up on my previous post, I am not suggesting there is anything wrong with Dillon's design.

I doubt that what Eric experienced is related to a design flaw.

However, there is alway room for improvement.

If end users around the country have discovered that the machine can benefit by adding some weight to the primer plunger, maybe Dillon should consider making the plunger heavier.

When a new unit comes out of the box and produces 25 primer malfunctions out of 100 it clearly has a defect.

Most likely a bad part or assembly error.

My point is that when something like that happens I don't want to spend a lot of time and effort trying to identify and correct the problem. I prefer to punt.

Pick up the phone and put the ball back in Dillon's court.

Tls

Edited by tlshores
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ok, I don't want this to turn into a rumble, let's stay on topic, how to check tweak and otherwise live with the 1050, but get it running 100%.

Second loading session was worse than the first and I literally have about a 30% failure rate. I now have a pile of flipped primers, and a pile that got no primer.

I have tried weighting the plunger, no effect. I have tried "floating" the primer tube, again no effect.

I am a little unhappy that five days before the FL Open, I have components for 60k rounds, and no assurance that I will be able to crank them on my 1050. Right now it's Sunday night and I have to attempt a primer system tear down on a brand new machine before I can load, practice or chrono.

:angry:

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That rubber sleeve is break hose, so a foot or so and a razor blade is a lifetime supply.

The vertical arm which moved the primer slider can bend in the counter-intutive axis over extended use (it warps in the wide direction, not the flat asis like a sheet of paper). This is subtle and most obvious next to a new arm and no, there is no way to straighten it - in fact, I doubt you could manually introduce such a bend. I had this problem in a 10+ year old 1050 and a replacement actuator arm vastly increased my priming system reliability.

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My latest problems with primers on my 1050, was that platic price that lines up the case at the primer station - it was too tight, backing it off, seems to allow the case to slide into the right position, cleared up a lot of the problems.

I was getting alot of cases with sideways primers.

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Ok, one mystery solved, and a new problem.

I started to tear down the whole thing, and first thing I checked was the little adapted, primer feeder at the bottom of the tube. It was the LARGE one and was letting primers do pretty much what they wanted.

I swapped it out for a spare small I had around. Put it back together and cranked out about 20 rounds. One two came out sans primers and no flips.

Then nothing. Yes, there are primers, yes I weighted the stick, yes, I even tried to help it along, but no dice. Not feeding primers. Mmmmkay.

Tear the assebly off, which is a HUGE pain in the ass with the way those bolts allow about 1/4 turn each time on the inside one. So any way, I get the thing off and a primer had jammed sideways in the tube. OK, great, 20 mintues of my life gone, but let's get it back together and get back to loading....

NEW PROBLEM.

The primer slide is REALLY tough to move. I don't know what's different, but it feels really jammed. What's the deal. There are no primers in the machine.

Any ideas?

I'm too sick of fighting with it tonight, I'm going to bed.

Edited by dirtypool40
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Dumb question, check and see if the primer tube itself is the large tube. Since it had the large plastic adapter on it, chances are that it had the large tube as well. That would explain the sideways primer in the tube. Clean the primer slide channel and the slide itself and then set it up again. You should be in business....hopefully :(

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The primer slide is REALLY tough to move. I don't know what's different, but it feels really jammed. What's the deal. There are no primers in the machine.

Any ideas?

I'm too sick of fighting with it tonight, I'm going to bed.

Sorry to state the obvious but check the rubber boot. Sometimes it will get compressed and elongate, which will rub the side of the slide slot.

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Dumb question, check and see if the primer tube itself is the large tube. Since it had the large plastic adapter on it, chances are that it had the large tube as well. That would explain the sideways primer in the tube. Clean the primer slide channel and the slide itself and then set it up again. You should be in business....hopefully :(

Not a dumb question, I didn't even think of that. I don't think they gave me the other one. This sux.

what rubber boot? :mellow:

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what rubber boot? :mellow:

there is a little rubber 'boot' for lack of a better term. Its on the back right of the primer slide where the arm moves the slide back and forth. I know your machine is new but the rubber boot might be out of spec and rubbing in the slot.

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Quick fix if you have a Vibra prime or know someone who does. You can take the small primer tube(it is much longer than Dillon primer tubes) off a vibra prime unit since it is so close..(.310 vs. Dillon .312), put the blue adapter on it and put it in the primer tube housing. You will have to tape the top, and the primer warning system wont fit, but it will feed primers.....i just loaded 20 rounds with this quick fix. If not scab a small primer system tube from someone else out of a 650 and see if it is the same one, which I would bet it is...that may get you up an running if it is the wrong primer tube in the machine now....

Like Rob said, the little rubber hose is either vaccum or brake line hose, you can get it a Napa or any of the auto shops. Get a foot and you will be set. Good luck, DougC(can you tell my machine went down before a major match as well....... ;) )

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