mpssrh Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 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. The distance from the top of the metal cap on the powder storage to the top of the case feeder measures 15.25 inches on our unit. Hope this helps. Best wishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 I got mine two days ago (thanks Brian!) and it's been a bit of a pain but I've only loaded 150+ rounds so far. I'm sure it will get better as I get used to the process. The only problems I seem to have all relate the the shell plate. Sometimes the metal "star" hits the case feeder bracket and won't advance, which is weird. Sometimes the cases don't go in quite perfectly into the sizing die but that's not too big of a problem. Also, after loading for a bit the bolt holding the shell plate in seems to want to tighten itself down too far, causing too much friction(it's always don't this though, unrelated to the CF) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Oh and this big problem! I think the tube that attaches to the bowl needs to be like half an inch longer. The middle tube (with the switch in it) pops free from the top tube on the primer seating stroke. I had to pull the CF support arm forward, and zip tie it to the frame of the 550 to keep it closer and working better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Also, after loading for a bit the bolt holding the shell plate in seems to want to tighten itself down too far, causing too much friction(it's always don't this though, unrelated to the CF) You know there is a set screw in the left side of the shaft to hold the bolt in place right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 I just discovered this after talking with a friend. Been two years with my 550 and never knew it was there. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero-down Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Oh and this big problem! I think the tube that attaches to the bowl needs to be like half an inch longer. The middle tube (with the switch in it) pops free from the top tube on the primer seating stroke. I had to pull the CF support arm forward, and zip tie it to the frame of the 550 to keep it closer and working better. Sounds weird, any chance you could share a picture of whats going on? Is the bracket that holds the CF tube backwards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 (edited) This is a picture of the tubes at rest. When I push forward to seat a primer it looks like the second pic. If I didn't have the arm pulled forward with the zip ties the tube would pop out. If the tube was 1/4" longer I would never have this problem. Edited April 15, 2011 by waktasz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I am really liking this thing now. I've loaded 1100+ rounds since I got it set up on Friday afternoon. That is way more than I've ever done in a month. Once I get about 2000 9mm done and boxed up I'll switch it over to .40 and make a couple thousand too. Hopefully everything lines up and I don't have any issues with switching back and forth a few times a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tollarja Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Well, I think I end up ahead, but it is hard to tell because occasionally things go wrong. The problems seem to come in groups. I am getting quicker at diagnosing the problem and I think I have had just about every problem. I can get around 100 rounds in 13 minutes when it is running smooth. I used to do this in 20 minutes before the case feeder. I'll do around 200-300 rounds clean and then have a batch when everything goes wrong. I lose a lot of time if it is something new or complicated like a feed tube brass jam and I'll end up with around 300 in an hour which may not be faster than before. I would say if you are lucky like TGibe or mechanically inclined then this is a good investment. If you don't like the hassle of refining it I would skip it. I feel I am getting closer and closer to getting all the kinks worked out. Here are a list of problems I've had and my solutions. I think my 550B or feeder were out of spec from the beginning because I had to dremel the feeder bracket hole about an 1/8" so that it would fit my machine. 1. Brass does not enter resizing and depriming die. Make sure that the part that pushes the brass does not push so far that at speed you can see the brass tip towards the center bolt. When it releases at speed it will sometimes rock and slide out enough that it will not go in the die. 2. Brass falls on side and gets skewered by depriming pin...don't know yet. I suspect that every once in a while a case falls in upside down and just tips over when pushed into position. 3. Handle hits housing. I tried adjusting everything, but ended up filing the feeder housing corner down until it didn't hit. 4. Primer rod rubs on case feeder caliber adapter and popped in and out of pulley/wheels. I knocked the pin on the primer arm wheel so it would have better alignment, but what really solved the problem is using case lube. There is very little friction when resizing now and I think there is less torque in the machine due to the reduced force required. I notice it doesn't even come close to the spot it used to rub on. 5. Brass jam at the top of the feeding tube. Put some double sided tape where the top of the brass hits to slow it down so it has a bit more time to rotate and fall vertically. Thank you Chris F. 6. Switch doesn't shut off the feeder. I put a kink in the bottom of the metal part that contacts the brass so it puts more pressure on the switch. The machine will drop one or two cases now rather than three, four or overflow. 7. Brass wedged in the metal part of the feeder tube before the switch...I think this had something to do with the overflow problem. Cases would back up and then get wedged in hard when I operated the machine and the tube system moved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero-down Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I am really liking this thing now. I've loaded 1100+ rounds since I got it set up on Friday afternoon. That is way more than I've ever done in a month. Once I get about 2000 9mm done and boxed up I'll switch it over to .40 and make a couple thousand too. Hopefully everything lines up and I don't have any issues with switching back and forth a few times a month. The upper tube looks upside down. The end with the rim should be attached to the case feeder. The smooth end goes into the mid tube with the switch. It looks backwards in the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 It's not backwards. The lip is at the top, clipped the the metal clip. I don't think it could possibly fit in the other way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero-down Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 (edited) It's not backwards. The lip is at the top, clipped the the metal clip. I don't think it could possibly fit in the other way. Ah. must just be a shadow. Is the casefeeder fully seated on the pole? I'm not quite sure otherwise why it would be popping out on the primer stroke. Must be a royal PIA. Edited April 18, 2011 by zero-down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 The bowl is all the way down on the arm, yes. The thing runs great as long as those zip ties are there . I could probably loosen all the bolts and try to pull it forward a bit then tighten everything down again but it's running like a top now. Maybe my bracket is out of spec or bent somehow. When I first installed it I did notice it didn't quit want to sit perfectly flush on the rear of the press where it sits. No big deal now, but it was a frustrating first two hours using the machine when I go it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfilbey Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I bought my case feeder soon after I bought my used 550. I did have some trouble with it feeding 9mm but I corrected that problem with a 1050 for 9mm. I currently use the 550 for 45 and it works like a charm. The only problem I have is when a small primered case slips past me. I also use the 550 for all other large primer ammo I load. I also have used the case feeder for 38 and it was a bit fussy. I do not shoot a lot of 38 any more so I have not used that set-up recently enough to remember any details about how it worked. My experience generally has been that with experience and practice the machine will smooth out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmc45414 Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Last night I setup my 550 case feeder and am having a problem not mentioned in any of the threads I could find, the primer op rod is interfering with the case feeder. This is a very old machine, I converted it from a 450 I got about 29 years ago (right after we got married, still married, guess I stick with what works! :<) ) and I am wondering if there could be issues with the position of the holes in the bottom of the main plate. After I struggled through about ten rounds I realized what was happening (the rod was riding on the feeder, not on the roller) and this morning I took the feeder off and reinstalled the original chute with the roller and it is feeding primers better than I ever remember (of course I cleaned and shined everything while I had it apart) so I would say the rod and position is OK. It also interfered with the (older) roller handle so I reinstalled the original ball handle also, more reason to suspect something might be a little off. Turns out maybe I like the ball handle better so that forced experiment might have been a happy accident! It seems a little faster because it is closer and a little shorter, and I do almost all pistol on it so I don’t need extra leverage. My typical MO is to setup for something and load what I will need for the foreseeable future over a number of months, and by the time I finish doing that I probably need to do it for another cartridge so there is almost always something to load when I need a brain vacation in the basement. My plan is (if I like the case feed) is to get a second 550, that way I can be setup for volume, but be able to kick out a few rounds of something I might need on the second press w/o the feeder if I need to. Consequently if my old press is somehow incompatible with the feeder I might not bother with trying to fix it, I might just go ahead with the new (second) press. I plan to email Dillon also, but thought I would throw this out here since it is the weekend. What say you all? :<) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted July 9, 2013 Author Share Posted July 9, 2013 I bought my case feeder soon after I bought my used 550. I did have some trouble with it feeding 9mm but I corrected that problem with a 1050 for 9mm. Nice! That is the POWER MOVE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmc45414 Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Last night I setup my 550 case feeder and am having a problem not mentioned in any of the threads I could find, the primer op rod is interfering with the case feeder. This is a very old machine, I converted it from a 450 I got about 29 years ago... I plan to email Dillon also, but thought I would throw this out here since it is the weekend. Turns out my press is old: The sprocket is on its way. The issues is with the older frame. This will work fine on a newer 550B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quag Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 (edited) Ok after reading thru these posts I noticed they stretch over a couple years. So what I wanted to ask, are the problems with the case feeder for the 550B 9mm ironed out? I have a newer 550B, I have loaded about 6000 rds, I pretty much have all the bugs worked out. However I'd really like to increase by production rate without sacrificing quality. I load about 150 rds/per hr and I need to increase my production for this next shooting season. Edited January 11, 2014 by Quag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aug1911 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I got my case feeder for my birthday last March and I load 9mm,45acp,38 super,38/357mag,44mag, and 45colt,and the only time I ever have a problem is when I short stroke the machine or not rotate the shell plate because my 2yr old made his way into the shop. And when either short strokeing or not turning the shell plate it will feed another case and that is a plus for me because it keeps me from the dreded double charge. I've never had a double charge or a squib in 18yrs I've had my 550 and I will continue to try and keep it that way. When get into my rythum I can load an average of 800rds an hour in 9mm,38 super, and 45acp. I only load for handgun on my 550. Bottom line I love my case feeder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quag Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Thanks I use my 550B only for handgun. Right now only for 9mm. I was think of selling my 550B and getting a 650 but I've only loaded for a year and I'm finally really used to my machine. If I add the casefeeder I'll be a production rate that's acceptable even if I am manually indexing. I might get a revolver and try 38s but that's in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atbarr Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 BTTT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba04 Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 has anyone tried this with the 28 buck bullet feeder set up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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