550 w/ Casefeeder Owners Poll

[RH45]

I've been running a 550 for at least 10 years, and have run in to the same issues posted earlier with the primer bar sticking and have resolved those issues.

With the original set up, I've never gone too fast because I try to look inside every case as it leaves the powder station and used to load about 300 rounds an hour, but, a couple of years ago, my wife bought me a casefeeder for Christmas, and it has been giving me fits ever since because whereas with the original set up, there used to be what looked like a little paperclip to hold a little tension on the brass to keep it in the shell plate, there are none used with the casfeeder set up and my brass doesn't always stay in the shell plate, where it is SUPPOSED to be, and I have to take a tool to hold the brass so it will line up with the sizing die, and a lot of times, I have to hold the brass in the shell plate so it will line up with the hole the primer comes up. It doesn't seem to matter what caliber I'm loading, and yes, the quality of the brass does seem to make a difference, but, I still have these issues with NEW Starline, .38 Supercomp brass

[Taildraggerdave]

I've been running a 550 for at least 10 years, and have run in to the same issues posted earlier with the primer bar sticking and have resolved those issues.

With the original set up, I've never gone too fast because I try to look inside every case as it leaves the powder station and used to load about 300 rounds an hour, but, a couple of years ago, my wife bought me a casefeeder for Christmas, and it has been giving me fits ever since because whereas with the original set up, there used to be what looked like a little paperclip to hold a little tension on the brass to keep it in the shell plate, there are none used with the casfeeder set up and my brass doesn't always stay in the shell plate, where it is SUPPOSED to be, and I have to take a tool to hold the brass so it will line up with the sizing die, and a lot of times, I have to hold the brass in the shell plate so it will line up with the hole the primer comes up. It doesn't seem to matter what caliber I'm loading, and yes, the quality of the brass does seem to make a difference, but, I still have these issues with NEW Starline, .38 Supercomp brass

Mine did that as well when I first set it up. You'll need to go back and readjust the cam plate so there is no "preload" against the case. I found the instructions in the Troubleshooting portion of the manual much more accurate, than the initial setup instruction in the beginning of the manual. What is happening is, as the bar moves away from the case, the case rebounds back and doesn't line up with the die anymore. Set it up so the case just sits in the shell holder and (hopefully) your problem will be solved.

Take care,

Dave

[RH45]

I've been running a 550 for at least 10 years, and have run in to the same issues posted earlier with the primer bar sticking and have resolved those issues.

With the original set up, I've never gone too fast because I try to look inside every case as it leaves the powder station and used to load about 300 rounds an hour, but, a couple of years ago, my wife bought me a casefeeder for Christmas, and it has been giving me fits ever since because whereas with the original set up, there used to be what looked like a little paperclip to hold a little tension on the brass to keep it in the shell plate, there are none used with the casfeeder set up and my brass doesn't always stay in the shell plate, where it is SUPPOSED to be, and I have to take a tool to hold the brass so it will line up with the sizing die, and a lot of times, I have to hold the brass in the shell plate so it will line up with the hole the primer comes up. It doesn't seem to matter what caliber I'm loading, and yes, the quality of the brass does seem to make a difference, but, I still have these issues with NEW Starline, .38 Supercomp brass

Mine did that as well when I first set it up. You'll need to go back and readjust the cam plate so there is no "preload" against the case. I found the instructions in the Troubleshooting portion of the manual much more accurate, than the initial setup instruction in the beginning of the manual. What is happening is, as the bar moves away from the case, the case rebounds back and doesn't line up with the die anymore. Set it up so the case just sits in the shell holder and (hopefully) your problem will be solved.

Take care,

Dave

Thanks Dave!

I've made SEVERAL calls to Dillon about it, and am surprised that they didn't tell me that!!

[XRe]

I recently won a 550 casefeeder at the Double Tap Championship. After ordering a small pistol plate for it, and a Supercomp conversion kit, I set about installing the press. The posts here on the forum were helpful, but in the end, I had to engineer a couple of corrections on the press to make things work - and I still don't think they work perfectly. So, I gave the casefeeder a 3 above on the poll. The feeder is allowing me to load about 30% more ammo per hour - about 200 rounds an hour more. But, if I didn't have to fiddle with it, I'd be able to load more than that per hour.

Here's the scoop -

- I had to fit the locator plate to some degree. It sat about 5-6 thou above the platform, and caused the cases to tip quite a bit, causing them to hang up on the shell plate. The original locator also had some kind of a burr or sharp edge where the cases would slide into it, causing cases to get hung up there, where they would tip forward, and eventually dug a semicircular gouge into the locator the same diameter as the case head. A call to Dillon got a replacement locator, which fit perfectly, and seems to be working well.

- I had to smooth and bevel the edges on the shellplate where the cases enter it, and also had to slightly widen the opening on one of the stations as it was a little sticky. These things would cause cases to either not fully enter the shell plate, or tip forward when they were pressed into the shell plate. Either way, a dead case was the result

- I had to learn to not operate the handle with the same speed I used without the casefeeder - I have to go slower and more deliberately. Otherwise, it seems to outpace the case pusher

- I had to figure out a slightly different spot to sit and watch to insure that each case enters station 1 correctly - and also have to be able to feel if I'm hung up going into the sizing die, so that I can correct it before nuking a case (still have this happen)

- even with all that, I'm still destroying cases at the rate of .3% (which means 1 case every 300 rounds or so). I never crushed a case with the 650 I used to have - I had other occasional issues, but the casefeed portion worked quite well. This definitely feels like an add on, so...

- I've added masking tape to the top of my primer catch, etc, but I'm still spraying primers all over the place, including up between the ram and the primer slide, causing a stoppage occasionally. I need to work on this issue some more and get it dropping primers reliably into the bin.

In the end, I wouldn't recommend purchasing a press built specifically this way - buy the 650 with casefeeder instead. But, this seems to work reasonably well, and is an OK upgrade to an existing platform. I'm going to keep using it until I buy a 1050, so... it works well enough at this point that it seems useful. I'd like to clean up that case destruction rate, and fix the primer spray - I'd bump my rating up to a 4 for that, and a 5 if I could crank faster on the production rate. I think I could get to 1K/hr, honestly, if I could just move the handle faster... THAT would be wicked, to me... truly a poor man's 1050 at that point...

[benos]

Thanks for the detailed feedback Dave.

You might talk to Jim Thompson on the handle speed thing. I think he's running around 1200/hr on a 550 w/Casefeeder and a Bullet Feeder.

be

[TONY BARONE]

I did what Jim Thompson did to eliminate case tipping at the station one locator with 38 s/c. I moved the entrance to the station one locator foward 3/16". The case feeder is now worth the money.

Edited April 15, 2010 by TONY BARONE

[TGibe]

I'm considering a casefeeder for my 550 and am running a EGW undersized die (in .40 S&W) in station 1 as I end up with glocked brass. Currently I need to make sure when I place brass in the first station that I position it properly so that it enters the die smoothly. If I don't it won't enter the die, etc., etc. I have learned how to do this through muscle memory (about 8k rounds) and if I run at a smooth pace I on't have issues...

Is the casefeed assembly capable of being setup to "hit" the smaller EGW die or am I asking for trouble trying to amke it work on my 550?

Thanks,

Allen

[Crash Corrigan]

I started out loading .38's with the casefeeder. Wonderful improvement. A steady and deliberate pace is what is required. There is a lot going on there. The most resistance is from sizing the fired case and punching out the old primer. Once I learned how to do it it really sped up my production.

What is the deal with the casefeeder. I cannot put more than two handfuls of cases in the feeder at a time or it just slows down and stops. It is a pain in the butt. Almost as bad as having to stop every hundred rounds to refill the primer tube. I need to buy a handful of prime tubes.

I then set it up to load 45 Colt rounds. Wow! This really came into it's own in this cartridge. A true pleasure to use. Then I went to 45 ACP's. My favorite round behind my 9 MM's. Another success story.

However the 9's are kinda fiddely. I have too many 380 cases mixed in and it really stops up the works. I picked up a Square Deal Press which I have dedicated to 9 MM only and it is a pleasure to use. It is not as fast as the 550 but it is a no brainer and I can reload whilst listening to music or carrying on a conversation. I just need to keep tuned into the feel of the sizing and priming. The primer alarm is nice and the powder feed is great. It makes a dandy round and it is very simple to run.

Overall the casefeeder is a nice improvement to the 550 but my dream is to buy two 650's. I would leave one set up for .38's and the other for .45 ACP. I would leave my 550 with the casefeeder for my 45 Colt rounds and the few rifle rounds which I love to shoot.......223, 6.5 x 55 MM and 30-06. I use only cast boolits for all my weapons unless it is going to be a hunting round and then I use a jacketed bullet for my .223 only. I am getting over 2400 FPS with my 6.5 and excellent accuracy with cast and ditto with my Garand in 30-06. Not as much speed in the Garand as I only plink with it at 1800 FPS or so and I enjoy reduced recoil and the brass piles up directly in front of me and I save a buncha money reloading my cast boolits.

[TGibe]

Went ahead and added the caseffeder to my 550 and it is really cool. I have not had a problem with the EGW undersized die through a few hundred rounds. I don't think I am that much faster right now, but can see that I will speed up over time...

The only drawback I can see is that there is not a way to lock the actuator back when I want to check the powder drop amount (I do this every time before loading a batch and again at the end. I may drill a small hole in the flat part so I can still a cotter pin or something in there to keep it from going forward on the upstroke.

Cheers,

Allen

[srrch]

I recently won a 550 casefeeder at the Double Tap Championship. After ordering a small pistol plate for it, and a Supercomp conversion kit, I set about installing the press. The posts here on the forum were helpful, but in the end, I had to engineer a couple of corrections on the press to make things work - and I still don't think they work perfectly. So, I gave the casefeeder a 3 above on the poll. The feeder is allowing me to load about 30% more ammo per hour - about 200 rounds an hour more. But, if I didn't have to fiddle with it, I'd be able to load more than that per hour.

Here's the scoop -

- I had to fit the locator plate to some degree. It sat about 5-6 thou above the platform, and caused the cases to tip quite a bit, causing them to hang up on the shell plate. The original locator also had some kind of a burr or sharp edge where the cases would slide into it, causing cases to get hung up there, where they would tip forward, and eventually dug a semicircular gouge into the locator the same diameter as the case head. A call to Dillon got a replacement locator, which fit perfectly, and seems to be working well.

- I had to smooth and bevel the edges on the shellplate where the cases enter it, and also had to slightly widen the opening on one of the stations as it was a little sticky. These things would cause cases to either not fully enter the shell plate, or tip forward when they were pressed into the shell plate. Either way, a dead case was the result

- I had to learn to not operate the handle with the same speed I used without the casefeeder - I have to go slower and more deliberately. Otherwise, it seems to outpace the case pusher

- I had to figure out a slightly different spot to sit and watch to insure that each case enters station 1 correctly - and also have to be able to feel if I'm hung up going into the sizing die, so that I can correct it before nuking a case (still have this happen)

- even with all that, I'm still destroying cases at the rate of .3% (which means 1 case every 300 rounds or so). I never crushed a case with the 650 I used to have - I had other occasional issues, but the casefeed portion worked quite well. This definitely feels like an add on, so...

- I've added masking tape to the top of my primer catch, etc, but I'm still spraying primers all over the place, including up between the ram and the primer slide, causing a stoppage occasionally. I need to work on this issue some more and get it dropping primers reliably into the bin.

I purchased by casefeeder about 4 months ago. I've only loaded 9mm so far, however, I also have parts for .45 acp, .40 s&w, and .38/357. I caused me fits from the beginning. I had all of the same problems listed above. The most annoying and frustrating being the cases getting caught on the locator plate. It took me a while to figure this out, but I had to raise the it about the same amount so that the cases would not get stuck. I just cut a few strips of paper from a yellow sticky pad that I had on my bench and placed that under the locator plate. That raised it sufficiently enough to stop the cases from being tipped. I'm not destroying as much brass now. When cases start getting stuck, I just replace the few strips of paper. My locator plate also has a bunch of semi-circle indentations from shell hitting the sizing die. I'll order a new one soon.

I was also getting lots of upside down cases (9mm)comming out of the case feeder. It was happening every 7 cases or so. It was a pain in the a@@. I don't recall what I did to fix this, but it is not happening as much now. I also have an issue with use primers all over the place. This is still happening.

Before I fixed the issues with the locator plate, I was ready to throw the casefeeder off of a bridge. I'm happier now that this problem is "fixed". My production rate prior to adding the shell plate was about 350 to 400 per hour. When the case feeder is working properly, I can increase that by about 150 to 200 rounds per hour. However, any issue that you encounter while reloading will eat up that increased production rate.

The casefeeder for the 550 requires much more maintenance to ensure smooth operation. You have to be more diligent in sorting your cases (as with any case feeder)

I still think that the case feeder is a good option, but be prepared to do all of your maintenance checks before you start a big batch of reloading. This will save you lots of frustration.

[waktasz]

I found a link to this thread from Brian's website in the Dillon section. I have a 550 and would love to speed up my loading process without dropping $$$ for a 650, etc. I do not load rifle.

The only thing that worries me is this sentence on the Casefeeder FAQ

The beauty of the 550 lies in its simplicity. And although hanging a Casefeeder on it may give you 200 rounds/hour, it will substantially increase your "fiddling with it" time. Especially every time you change calibers.

If I gain 200 rounds an hour in output, but it takes me 30 minutes to switch calibers when I go from 9mm to .40, or if I have issues with it working right, is the casefeeder really going to benefit me?

[zero-down]

For me, the case feeder has changed my life. I load mostly 9mm, 38 Super and 38 SC. Switching takes under 10 minutes. Switch the shell plate, case feeder conversion, die plate, powder, load some different primers and I'm off. Its honestly improved loading by 300+ rounds per hour. Now the only caveat that I'll mention is that I'm a lefty. So my dexterity there helps with advancing the plate and loading the bullet. My right hand loading cases always slowed me down. Now my right hand just has to man the handle and the left does the work. I also like the manual index on the 550 b/c if I have an issue I can stop and the plate is not always moving forward.

Significant caliber conversions such as going to 223 or LPPs is a PIA but comes with the territory.

[TGibe]

I load .40, 9mm, and .38 super on mine and can't imagine doing it without the casefeeder any more. It takes me about 7 minutes per 100 rounds with a smooth pace. For me that is plenty fast enough. I load up 10 primer tubes and make sure I have brass and bullets ready for 1000 rounds.

I have complete toolheads setup for each caliber on stands ready to switch out and it takes only a couple of minutes to switch out the caliber specific case feed ramp, tube adapter, shell plate pins, and the toolhead. Since all of my setups use small primers and the same shellplate it is pretty easy to switch back and forth.

FWIW - some of my friends have problems with their casefeeder, but my experience has been good so far with about 15,000 rounds loaded with it. YMMV

I found a link to this thread from Brian's website in the Dillon section. I have a 550 and would love to speed up my loading process without dropping $$$ for a 650, etc. I do not load rifle.

The only thing that worries me is this sentence on the Casefeeder FAQ

The beauty of the 550 lies in its simplicity. And although hanging a Casefeeder on it may give you 200 rounds/hour, it will substantially increase your "fiddling with it" time. Especially every time you change calibers.

If I gain 200 rounds an hour in output, but it takes me 30 minutes to switch calibers when I go from 9mm to .40, or if I have issues with it working right, is the casefeeder really going to benefit me?

[TGibe]

For me, the case feeder has changed my life. I load mostly 9mm, 38 Super and 38 SC. Switching takes under 10 minutes. Switch the shell plate, case feeder conversion, die plate, powder, load some different primers and I'm off. Its honestly improved loading by 300+ rounds per hour. Now the only caveat that I'll mention is that I'm a lefty. So my dexterity there helps with advancing the plate and loading the bullet. My right hand loading cases always slowed me down. Now my right hand just has to man the handle and the left does the work. I also like the manual index on the 550 b/c if I have an issue I can stop and the plate is not always moving forward.

Significant caliber conversions such as going to 223 or LPPs is a PIA but comes with the territory.

I never thought about this, but I am a lefty as well so keeping my right hand out of fine motor skill areas is usually a good idea. Funny thing is that I shoot right handed Which probably explains my "C" classification

Cheers,

Allen

[Corey]

I bought my 550 with the casefeeder so I've never lived without one. And I dont want to. Mine can be a little finicky with the case pusher but after tweaking the shellplate a bit and ajusting my stroke speed (slower and smoother) things are moving pretty slick now. Im really glad I have it on there and any future presses i buy will have a casefeeder on it.

[waktasz]

You guys are good salesmen.

I think I will order one tonight.

[CZinSC]

One question I have for the 550 with the Casefeeder is: Currently on my 550, if I feel that i short stroked the primer seating, I can pull the case out, check it, and have it back in the station 1 in about 3-5 seconds. With the Casefeeder, do you still have this flexibility? Or would you have to wait for it to get to station 2 before you could pull it out and check it? That seems like it would be a big PITA because you would then have to take out the locator pin to accomplish.

I know, just seat it correctly and I don't have the problem, but you know, things don't always work that way.

I've looked at the manual online and it seems that you can't pull the case out once it is sized and primed. Am I offbase? Anyone that has one care to take a quick close up picture of the station 1 so I can see what it's like for myself?

Thanks!

[TGibe]

Yes, you are able to pull a case out of station one to inspect it using your left hand without advancing the shellplate. I don't find it difficult and it takes just a couple of seconds to pull it out, inspect, and return it to station 1.

One question I have for the 550 with the Casefeeder is: Currently on my 550, if I feel that i short stroked the primer seating, I can pull the case out, check it, and have it back in the station 1 in about 3-5 seconds. With the Casefeeder, do you still have this flexibility? Or would you have to wait for it to get to station 2 before you could pull it out and check it? That seems like it would be a big PITA because you would then have to take out the locator pin to accomplish.

I know, just seat it correctly and I don't have the problem, but you know, things don't always work that way.

I've looked at the manual online and it seems that you can't pull the case out once it is sized and primed. Am I offbase? Anyone that has one care to take a quick close up picture of the station 1 so I can see what it's like for myself?

Thanks!

[CZinSC]

Yes, you are able to pull a case out of station one to inspect it using your left hand without advancing the shellplate. I don't find it difficult and it takes just a couple of seconds to pull it out, inspect, and return it to station 1.

One question I have for the 550 with the Casefeeder is: Currently on my 550, if I feel that i short stroked the primer seating, I can pull the case out, check it, and have it back in the station 1 in about 3-5 seconds. With the Casefeeder, do you still have this flexibility? Or would you have to wait for it to get to station 2 before you could pull it out and check it? That seems like it would be a big PITA because you would then have to take out the locator pin to accomplish.

I know, just seat it correctly and I don't have the problem, but you know, things don't always work that way.

I've looked at the manual online and it seems that you can't pull the case out once it is sized and primed. Am I offbase? Anyone that has one care to take a quick close up picture of the station 1 so I can see what it's like for myself?

Thanks!

Wow, not the answer I was hoping for. Now I will need to find $280 in order to buy one!!

Thanks TGibe!

[JFlowers]

While I like the case feeder, I don't think mine is lined up correctly. The shell plate to toolhead seems fine, the issue is between the feeder and the guide. You can see the bow in the feed tube. This, I think, puts stress on the feed slider cause every now and then it fails to push a case forward. Feels like the case mouth is hanging on the case above.

I also have the spent primers flying everwhere issue. But since I am loading for a Carmoney Revo, I deprime and prime off the 550.

[benos]

I also have the spent primers flying everwhere issue.

Did you replace the spent primer cup's cotter pin with a big safety pin or paper clip?

[kalebg]

Mine works great

[NoSteel]

OK, now I GOTTA GET ONE.......

[bkeeler]

I don't know how I ever lived with out the case feeder. Went from about 400rds per hour to 600 per hour and that's at a moderate pace!

BK

[Ty Hamby]

What is the distance between, lets say, the top of the powder storage cap and the top of the case feeder. I have limited headspace in my loading room. Want to see if one will clear. Can someone measure that.