Dillon primer filler

[charliez]

I've had the Dillon small primer filler for a little over a month now and wanted to ask folks who use it whether they find it as noisy as mine is.

It sounds like an old fashioned metal bell alarm clock. The vibration (and hence the noise) can be adjusted, but adjusted too slow and the little buggers won't advance enough up the ramp to make it to the tube opening. Adjusted too fast, the noise level is high, and also results in a high occurrence of upside down primer fill.

I've experimented with holding the primer tube (the blue tube that holds the primer tube) tight, and it did cut down on the noise significantly. So I began to fill gaps with paper insert wherever there is a metal to metal gap inside the blue tube (the top is easily screwed out, the bottom requires a bit of strength with a tight vise but it will unscrew).

For expediency I just tore some scrap post-it notes enough to make the circumference of the gaps. I suppose for longer term use I should have taped them to the tube or something, and/or I could've used a vinyl insert instead of paper to reduce the noise even softer.

It's now noticeably quieter

Q for Dillon: I see the upper assembly has a rubber O-ring to space the gap, why weren't the other gaps spaced with rubber O-rings as well? Seems a very low cost and simple mod to make the filler quiet. In my experience the vibratory function is only required for the primer advance action, damping noise of the primer holding tube does not affect the primer advance function at all

Edited June 28, 2009 by charliez

[Braxton1]

Mine is a little noisy, but since putting a rheostat on it, it has worked fine. I have one of the earlier ones (before the Dillon-installed rheostat). I made a rheostat for it, and then did the Dillon upgrade when they offered it.

I think that your ideo of sound-insulating the tube itself is the way to go. Mine is quiet as a church mouse without the tube in it.... I wonder if packing some open-cell foam down in the tube would work. I may have to try that later!

[dillon]

Quite honestly, the noise was never a primary concern for us. For safety reasons, you must have a gap surrounding the primer tube, so that in the event of a primer detonation, the primer tube has room to expand and slowly tear, absorbing the energy of the exploding primers. If there is no room for the tube to expand, then the primers get directed out of the tube, like a projectile out of a firearm. Instead, turn the radio up louder

[al503]

I'd just get a thick cardboard box and put it over the entire unit.

[Jim M.]

Braxton1 said:

Mine is a little noisy, but since putting a rheostat on it, it has worked fine. I have one of the earlier ones (before the Dillon-installed rheostat). I made a rheostat for it, and then did the Dillon upgrade when they offered it.

Dillon had (has?) an upgrade for the primer filler? I never heard about that!

Is it still available?

Jim M.

[dillon]

YEP.

http://www.dillonprecision.com/#/content/p...tat_Upgrade_Kit

[charliez]

you must have a gap surrounding the primer tube

Ah, well, I wasn't suggesting an all metal gapless design that would make the tube a barrel ... was thinking the bottom end could use a rubber o-ring as well (the top already has it). Another material that could possibly be used is a thin sheet of foam. From a gap perspective, the foam or thin sheet of paper is much softer than metal and could serve as a "gap".

But in any case, the gap, hence the noise, appears to be "by design" due to safety reasons. Heed the safety information folks!