550 And Egw U Die

[jmaracing]

I've done all the searches, and read everything with 550 or EGW die in it. I see that there are some of y'all that are successfully using the "U" die with your 550 and report almost no crushed cases. I'm trying to get it to work in .40, and would get one crushed every 3 cases loaded or so if I didn't push it a little to guide it in. I've tried leaving it loose, made sure to adjust it with a case in the die, loosened the shell plate mount and moved it as far as it would go, but no love. The plate needs to move a little more clockwise to allow for the small variations in position to still go in the die.

I called Dillon, and they were VERY unhelpful. No adjustments really possible, take it off and use a different barrel or a roll sizer, was their only feedback. Not impressed with that customer service.

I'll be calling EGW, but am starting to despair. I'd prefer to use it, as I'm not the type of reloader to gauge every round, and will shoot range brass right up until it cracks or I lose it...

Help?

jmaracing (John-Mark)

[Kyreb]

I have been using a U die in my 550 for about a month. At first, I crushed a lot of cases too.

I monkeyed around with the cartridge spring ( paper clip looking thing), bent it up to where it touches the empty case about 2/3 rds of the way up, and loosened the set screw to adjust the tension to where the case lined up properly with the sizing die. Finally got it right.

Last night I loaded 500 rounds of 40, crushed maybe two cases.

Edited June 1, 2006 by Kyreb

[eerw]

been using a EGW U-die for 9mm for a year or so..first for 9x23, now for 9x19..no problems..

fine balance having the shellholder tight enough to keep the case from wobbling and being able to turn..

but for the time being..no problems with my setup..

[D.Hayden]

Are you sure you have the right locator pins?

What is hitting first?

There is an alignment tool for the 550, to make sure the toolhead aligns to the shellplate.

Edit: I forgot 550, has that paperclip thingy/dealy like rtr talks about below.. - that's probably the key

Edited June 1, 2006 by BerKim

[rtr]

I load .40 and 9mm with a u-die on a 550. Two things that matter in my opinion, tightness of shell plate, adjustment of paperclip thingy that holds shell into station one.

For shell plate I turn it until it stops turning, back it off one or two stations and then tighten. Paperclip thing I just adjust so that it holds the shell firmly but doesn't prevent the shell plate from turning easily.

[HSMITH]

The paperclip thing is the key. It needs to hold the case in the shell plate, and cannot cock or skew it at all.

[jmaracing]

The paperclip thing is the key. It needs to hold the case in the shell plate, and cannot cock or skew it at all.

Ok, I loosened the shell plate slightly so the cases have a little more room to move, and flipped the paperclip thingy to hold pressure from the right and in, instead of how it normally is. It "seems" to have fixed the problem. I went full speed for around 20 rounds with no worries. I'll cross my fingers and report back after I've loaded a few hundred.

jma

[ipscbob]

I personally have loaded .40 with a U die for 2+ years and have never crushed a case. Obviously, though, this is why Dillon's dies that are optimised for their presses have a pretty big flair at the opening of the die. I always keep the paper clip setup to apply some pressure to the case at the bottom.

[Cuz]

The paperclip thing is the key. It needs to hold the case in the shell plate, and cannot cock or skew it at all.

Now why didn't that occur to me??? I just installed the EGW-U die about a month ago and have been crushing every 25th case ever since. Gotta look into that...

I knew I shouldn't have suffered in silence.

-Cuz.

[jmaracing]

Ok, the springy paperclip thing IS the key! I had to fiddle with it, but rammed through over a hundred fast as I could with zero crushed cases.

Yay.

Here's to not having to gauge your rounds.

jma

[TDean]

Even with my clip positioned correctly, I still crush a case ~ every 20 rds...pisses me off.

[Bronson7]

The paper clip IS the key. Not too tight and not too loose. If the original poster loosened the platform in an attempt to align station one with the sizing die, he now has greater concerns. He can also now expect primer feed problems. It will have to be correctly aligned with Dillon's alignment tool.

Bronson7

Edited June 4, 2006 by Bronson7

[jmaracing]

Even with my clip positioned correctly, I still crush a case ~ every 20 rds...pisses me off.

My clip is actually reversed and bent up to tilt the case in the direction it was off. I think if you look at where the cases hit and make sure that the clip applies a little pressure from that side to keep it from moving enought to hit outside the tiny funnel on the U die, it will quite crushing them.

jma