Dillon powder bars and primer slides

[kevin c]

My 12+ year old SDB has a hundred thousand rounds loaded on it, all done in a clean environment. The frame and linkages for the ram have been changed, as well as the handle itself, but not parts for the powder measure or primer mechanism.

Recently the press has developed the habit of flinging primers out across my bench. I noticed that there was some excess play in the primer slide guideway, making the slide hang up before it returns completely. Once it slipped off the edge of the frame, the spring tension on the slide slammed it against the side of the shell plate (the return of the slide is mistimed because of the hangup), kicking the primer out of the cup.

Another recent problem was metal galling that bound up the small powder bar against the insert spacer - had to pound them out of the frame with a mallet. I'm not sure if there was something that fell into the slide from the powder measure, from outside when the bar is in it's exposed position outside the measure, or from the bar or insert themselves (the insert has some scoring on it).

A shim took care of the primer slide, and Dillon is sending me a replacement powder bar and spacer, even though it seems to work OK after taking down the burr with a carborundum stone, but I thought I'd pass on what happened and how it got taken care of, as well as asking if this is common.

Edited July 10, 2008 by kevin c