XL650 Tips and Tricks

[Pharaoh]

I am posting to help out Unclebob. Here are two potos of the Dillon 650 spent primer mods. which Unclebob and a few of us have been using with great success.

If you have any questions please direct them to Unclebob for help.

Thank you

Pharaoh

p.s. thank you too Shooter Grrl for hosting the pictures.

Edited June 10, 2004 by Erik Warren

[lynn jones]

erik warren

I started with my 650 by loading 20 or so cases at a time in the tube before I got the casefeeder. (You can't just put it in the shellplate like you do on a 550 or SDB.) It's not so bad. Anytime I have a Super case nested in a 40 case and the @#$%! thing ties up and I have to disassemble it, I yearn for the simple days of hand-feeding.

erik,

i cut the tube about 1/2 inch to be able to pull the tube out and access the stuck .40 case. hope this helps. see attached image.

lynn

[lynn jones]

check your cases when you use the case feeder. i found a .380 or .32 in my 38 super and this is what happened, below. the smaller case was crushed into the 38 super case.

[Soligen]

I went to look into cliping 1/2 coil from the Dedent ball spring, as recomended in this thread. Problem is, I'm not sure which sprin gthat is. Looking in my manual, I see a dedent ball spring in the primer feed assembly. This just doesn't seem right for correcting the shellplate snap. There is an index ball spring under the shellplate index ball (part # 13997) Is this the right spring? Can someone please post the part number of the right spring. I just don't want to make a mistake.

Thanks

Soligen

[unclebob]

I can not find the part #13997 you are talking about. The spring you want to cut is #14118 #17 index ball spring on page 53 of the Platform Assembly diagram.

[Nik Habicht]

Soligen,

If you remove the shellplate there should be a steel ball under roughly the number four or five die position if I remember the location correctly. Remove the ball and clip 1/2 a coil from the spring under neath. Replace the spring, ball and shell plate and tighten the shellplate bolt following the directions in the Dillon manual. That should improve matters a bit. I still find it beneficial to control shell plate travel by grabbing the incoming case as I get ready to place the bullet on top of it....

[Soligen]

Thanks, its now clear to me which spring to clip.

You guys are the best!

Dennis

[ErikW]

I disavow whatever bastard combination of casefeeding parts I recommended previously for .40S&W. All of a sudden my 650 wants to drop .40 cases upside down, like BigDave mentioned. The solution combination for .40S&W is:

large pistol casefeed plate

white funnel adapter

low speed (high speed will not let them drop and will cause a jam)

I disavow whatever lame contraption I made for catching runaway spent primers. All it did was eventually cause more problems. The current solution is to position the Dillon cup precisely while the platform is fully up, then apply a piece of wide packing tape. Remove to dump full cup; replace with new tape.

I disavow using silicone spray (or any lubricant) on the casefeed slide. It eventually gets dirty and gums up and won't push cases in fully. Periodically remove it and clean the slide bearing surfaces. At most, wipe with a silicone cloth.

Edited June 10, 2004 by Erik Warren

[Big_Al]

I don't claim to have found this--I read about it on the 1911 forum. You can add a knob the the bolt head on the powder measure, which will allow hand adjustments. These are available at Home Depot in a couple of styles, the "T" knob I got has a SKU of 562-514, and they are marketed by Crown Bolt Inc.

Here's a photo:

It is the white knob on the powder charge bar. The round red knob on the left is another style that is available. I find it very handy when I'm making small changes to the charge weight. Total cost is under $1.

Big Al

[Blazer]

Thanks for passing that along. I think I might find it very useful. Bob.

[Skywalker]

It is the white knob on the powder charge bar.  The round red knob on the left is another style that is available.

I've been looking for something similar here in Italy, but to no avail.

Anybody wishing to post a link to a good on-line source for this kind of knobs (possibly giving me a hint on what's the Dillon bolt type and #, since I only know metric ones)?

Thanks!

[ErikW]

Here are the "speedbump" mods I made to my casefeeder to prevent jams. One .223 case, one 12 ga hull, and tape.

[vonfatman]

Probably not a "biggie"...but if you don't think about it when you order...

Regarding setting up stand-alone tool head quick-change(s) for like type calibers:

If you elect to have a designated quick-change(s) for .38 Special, another for .357 & perhaps another for .38 Wad cutter...or perhaps one for .44 Special and another for 44 Magnum...

I did not realize I'd need to order a powder funnel for each additional set-up (beyond the one utilizing the funnel which came with the original conversion kit) unless I wanted to remove the funnel and move it around from tool head to tool head.

I kind of wish I'd have known this as I'd certainly have ordered them when I ordered each quick-change. Because I did not know (had not thought it thru to come to the conclusion I'd need the extra funnels) I ended up having to order them after I'd already paid to ship the other goodies. It cost me an additional shipping charge as well as a time lag.

I realize this is not a biggie, but I would have liked to have known this when I made the decision to set up the different quick-change(s).

Hope this “suggestion” helps someone else.

Bob

[Sherwyn]

I had problems with crushing cases and cases not feeding into shell plate all the way.

I added a small air blow by attaching a length of 1/16" copper tubing to the case feed support.

I flattened the end of the tube to create a fan pattern of air. Then bent the tubing so it blew just below the sizing die. As case moves up to die, the air pushes it fully into place. Small valve was used to regulate air flow - it really doesn't take much.

[renaissance7697]

I had problems with crushing cases and cases not feeding into shell plate all the way.

I added a small air blow by attaching a length of 1/16" copper tubing to the case feed support.

I flattened the end of the tube to create a fan pattern of air. Then bent the tubing so it blew just below the sizing die. As case moves up to die, the air pushes it fully into place. Small valve was used to regulate air flow - it really doesn't take much.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

******************************

Seems like an "extreme" enhancement to me'but

If it works for you AND you have the "resources" .........GO MAN!

Where does the "Air" come from?

Compressor?....Vacuum Exhauset ??

You don't "blow" do you ???

[vonfatman]

Sherwyn,

That's a very cool "upgrade". I have the same issues with cases and many times just use my finger to slide in to place so the die can come down and do it's job.

So how do you provide the air?

Bob

[Sherwyn]

Sherwyn,

That's a very cool "upgrade".  I have the same issues with cases and many times just use my finger to slide in to place so the die can come down and do it's job.

So how do you provide the air?

Bob

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When I first tried it, I used a small compressor (worked fine, but have a cheap one and it is noisy).

But since I happen to have a permanent compressor in my shop, I just ran a small air line to a holding tank by my bench. Really handy to have air available.

Sherwyn

[ctgun]

First thanks to everyone for the idea of putting on a drop tube for the spent primers. I tried the .223 case as mentioned earlier in this thread but couldn't get to work quite right (probably my lack of patience)so I came with something a little different on the same idea. I cut and butterflied open a .45 long colt case and cut off the bottom of the case. Then I removed the bracket that holds the spent primer cup and put the split end of the case against the machine and attached the bracket over the case so that it would stay in place you don't need longer screws the stock ones work just fine. I attached a clear plastic tube (don't remember what size) to the bottom of the case with a small pipe clamp (the kind you turn the screw to tighten) I proceeded to load about 1,000 rounds with no problems. The reason that I chose the .45LC case is because it is wider than the hole where the primers come out of the machine so they have nothing get caught on and is still long enough to attach the tubing to. Not to mention I had some laying around. Hopes this helps anyone else who tried the .223 trick and had it not work for them.

[Berzerker]

I haven't had my 650 that long - loaded about 3K of 40's on it - but got tired of all those spent primers ereywhere.

I liked the idea of a tube leading into a reservoir - a closed system.

I took a piece of chromed soft coper pipe - used to connect toilets to the water suply - as it is plieable but still rigid.

connected it to the 650 with an (waste) aluminum plate using the original holes and screws.

as a reservoir i took a small ( 20cl) soft drink botlle were i drilled a hole in the cap where the tube went thru. This way i can easly unscrew the reservoir to empty it - about every 1000, 2000? rounds loaded.

the tube is bent so the reservoir comes out right of and behind the roller bar handle so it doesn't interfere with the working of the press.

tested about 150 rounds, and it worked flawless

Already made a similar system for my SQB

some pictures:

[attac

ment=4148:attachment]

ok: i'm looking foor a blue bottle and the large dillon bin is ordered so i can get rid of the green

Mark

Edited March 12, 2006 by Berzerker

[Berzerker]

I forgot to mention : i spend about $2.00 on this modification.

0.85€ on the tube - cut it in half and used the other half to mod my SQB

0.45€ on the bottle - the drink didn't taste half bad either

>0.01€ on the glue

0.00€ on the alu plate - found it laying around in my workspace

Mark

[buddy_fuentes]

OK guys, I know this is a few years late, but if you are still alive and able to reload on your 650, I can help. To stop primers from falling all over the place I use a small binder clip (spring paper clip) on the side of the plastic catch bin. I just slide the bin back as far as possible and then clip it on. It stops primers from getting on the floor.

Use another clip and clamp it on the end of the chute where the live primers slide out. It stops them and keeps them from going everywhere.

Buddy

The primers on the floor just drive me nuts too.

I can't tell from Dillon's site, but if the 650 is like the 550 and has a little trapdoor device to catch the spent primer on the upstroke, I've found that the door frequently gets stuck open and the primer get ejected onto the floor.  My current solution is to replace the worn out cotter pin that works as a hinge with a small nail.  That's better, but not perfect.  

I think my final "fix" is going to be to ream out the hinge holes and use a proper steel pin with an e-clip.  Finally, I think that the door needs to be a bit heavier to ensure that it always closes - so maybe I'll epoxy a lead weight to it.  

If this is totally not applicable to the 650, I'll start a 550 thread and put it there.  Please let me know.

Eric

[n2299]

... To stop primers from falling all over the place I use a small binder clip (spring paper clip) on the side of the plastic catch bin...

Hi buddy, any chance you can post of pic of your setup? I'm not quite sure which side of the bin you place your clip.

[Gun Geek]

Finally got a few pics -

To stop the case feeder from shaking, and to make it easier to access (adding cases, changing plates, etc) I did away with the black pole going from the press body to the bottom of the case feeder.

I made an L bracket out of some 1" steel tubing that I had from another project (can be had at Lowe's, HD, Ace, etc), and mounted the fedder on top of it. Below are the pics:

Overall height off bench - about 35"

Floating case feeder

L Bracket

Edited March 26, 2006 by Gun Geek

[KentG]

Anyone have a easy way to mount something to catch excess tumbler media from the 2 holes in the case feeder???? I cant belive Dillon doesnt have something like a spent primer catch for this.

[spook]

Anyone have a easy way to mount something to catch excess tumbler media from the 2 holes in the case feeder???? I cant belive Dillon doesnt have something like a spent primer catch for this.

I got this trick from a buddy of mine. Just tape two empty shotgun hulls under the holes. The will fill up very slowly. I had to empty them about once a year.