Big Kaboom Xl650

[AGYoung]

My 650xl also went KaBOOM. Forced a primer and bang. I posted the pix on this site in case anyone wants to see. Only casuality was my underware needed changed. That was a LOUD bang.

Anyway, I called Dillon and they sent me a COMPLETE primer system. Not only is the equipment bullet (me) proof but their warranty is also the same.

[ryucasta]

I have it happen before on one my 650's but to date it hasnt happened on my 1050's.

[Rico567]

For my own benefit, I will try to summarize this incident, as I understand it. Like any 650 user, I think I have a vested interest in knowing EXACTLY what happened.

From the sequence of posts by "packed," my take on this is that the big top fitting on the black tube was unscrewed and the interior aluminum tube (the one that LOOKS like a dispensing tube, but ain't- it has a brass fitting on the bottom) was removed, so that when the primers were loaded, there was basically just a mass of primers sitting every which way in the black tube (since the interior feed tube was missing). The explosion then occurred because a primer probably dropped sideways into the mechanism, got crunched, and good night, nurse.

There are a few points that can be made about loading primers into the 650, from my own experience:

1) Don't get the primer dispensing tubes (the ones with the yellow & green tips on them) mixed up. I once tried loading my green (large) dispensing tube with small pistol primers, and couldn't understand why I was getting some that were flipped. There was a reason.

2) When filling the primer feed mechanism from the dispensing tubes, don't keep your finger on the top end of the tube. The column of primers fits very tightly in the dispensing tube, and this will create a vacuum (air lock) and prevent the column of primers from descending into the primer feed mechanism. This was very frustrating to me for about 5 minutes until I figured out what was happening.

[shred]

2) When filling the primer feed mechanism from the dispensing tubes, don't keep your finger on the top end of the tube. The column of primers fits very tightly in the dispensing tube, and this will create a vacuum (air lock) and prevent the column of primers from descending into the primer feed mechanism. This was very frustrating to me for about 5 minutes until I figured out what was happening.

As a bonus, think about what would happen were that tube o primers to go off when you dropped them into the press..

[Rico567]

2) When filling the primer feed mechanism from the dispensing tubes, don't keep your finger on the top end of the tube. The column of primers fits very tightly in the dispensing tube, and this will create a vacuum (air lock) and prevent the column of primers from descending into the primer feed mechanism. This was very frustrating to me for about 5 minutes until I figured out what was happening.

As a bonus, think about what would happen were that tube o primers to go off when you dropped them into the press..

Yes, it would be quite nasty, but this assumes that the same air pressure phenomenon doesn't exist as the primers drop into the feed tube....but it does. The air cushions the primers as they drop down and the air is expelled out the bottom. On my machine, it takes 1-2 seconds for 100 primers to fall completely from the "charging" tube into the feed tube. Now if they were to drop without that air cushion, it could be as you say

Edited December 3, 2006 by Rico567

[Matt Griffin]

considering the number of full detonations, methinks Dillon should develop some sort of cutout on the primer tube at the top of the stroke.

H.