Is Your New 550 Primer Bar Different?

[Bronson7]

Has anyone purchased a new 550 lately? I was looking at a new one in the gun shop yesterday, and it had a different style primer bar. It reminded me of the bar that was on my old 1988 550. It wasn't the solid bar with the cut grooves but rather it was hollowed out. How does your primer bar look on the underside? The solid bar with the cut grooves, has become a real pita for me.

I never had to disassemble the primer system on my old 550 to clean it, but frankly, this solid bar with the cleaning grooves is slowly driving me mad.

I've never been able to get it to work smoothly ( I've tried everything). So, for the folks who just bought a new 550: What type of bar do you have?

Bronson7

[HSMITH]

My old 550 had the hollow bar, the second one had the slots in the bottom. I really didn't notice any difference in how they ran. I have worn a few primer bars out and all of the replacements I have gotten from Dillon over the last 6 or 7 years have been the hollow ones.

If anything I think I liked the one with the slots in the bottom better, seemed like it shuttled the crud out as it moved.

If I don't take the primer feed apart and clean it every 1000-1500 rounds I am in for a fight with the machine. Missed primers, upside down primers, primers flung across the bench, enough to really irritate me.

[Bronson7]

My old 550 had the hollow bar, the second one had the slots in the bottom. I really didn't notice any difference in how they ran. I have worn a few primer bars out and all of the replacements I have gotten from Dillon over the last 6 or 7 years have been the hollow ones.

If anything I think I liked the one with the slots in the bottom better, seemed like it shuttled the crud out as it moved.

If I don't take the primer feed apart and clean it every 1000-1500 rounds I am in for a fight with the machine. Missed primers, upside down primers, primers flung across the bench, enough to really irritate me.

H, I hear that. It's the only weak point of the 550. One of those irritations we need to endure in what is otherwise an excellent machine. On my old 550, perhaps primers were made differently then and not depositing the crud like they do now? I don't know, just thinking outloud.

Bronson7

[dillon]

The current primer slides are cast, whereas the older solid bottomed slides were MIM steel, ground to dimension, with dirt grooves ground into it.Regardless of the style of primer slide, we strongly suggest you use steel wool or a scotchbrite pad to lightly scrub the bottom of the slide, the top of the frame where the slide rides, and the interior of the primer housing where it fits over the primer slide, then wipe these surfaces off with alcohol. Do this every 2-3000 rounds or so. The current hollow bars have a teflon coating on them to reduce friction, so no lube is needed on the slide bar.

[Bronson7]

The current primer slides are cast, whereas the older solid bottomed slides were MIM steel, ground to dimension, with dirt grooves ground into it.Regardless of the style of primer slide, we strongly suggest you use steel wool or a scotchbrite pad to lightly scrub the bottom of the slide, the top of the frame where the slide rides, and the interior of the primer housing where it fits over the primer slide, then wipe these surfaces off with alcohol. Do this every 2-3000 rounds or so. The current hollow bars have a teflon coating on them to reduce friction, so no lube is needed on the slide bar.

Thanks for the info, Dillon.

Bronson7