Dillon Press Maintenance and Modifications

[Bob J]

Not for me either.... Should have done what you did and called them from the first but thought I could figure it out on my own..... Certainly know better now.... Was not bad if you knew to take the ram out first..... Probably could have done the whole lube in an hour or so....

Will certainly know better in the future.....

What a difference in the press though..... Much much easier to cycle....

I hear you. When I looked at the press (mine) I couldn't figure out how to take out those
pins to free it. I called to ask them how and that is when they informed me that the one on
the right had the hole in it and they also informed me that I had to tear down the press as
I had to remove the ram. I searched the web looking for that information and not finding it
is when I put the call in. As to why they don't publish it? They probably think that anyone
having that level of problem would be satisfied to send it in to get it fixed. Three hours
instead of three weeks and the cost of shipping it? Not for me.

 

[Bob J]

Adventures with the 550B powder drop

Yesterday was an epiphany for me and I thought I would share what I learned....

Currently have 3 die heads set up with their own dedicated powder drops.... These are 45 ACP (bullseye), 308 Win (BLC(2) and the latest was the S&W 500 Magnum (H110).... I have been checking my powder pretty regular, keeping the powder relatively full and tapping down just like Duke taught me and I started to notice how different the precision of the drops were between the different set ups.... Basically the 45 ACP was typically within +/- 0.1 grain, the 308 was +/- 1.0 grain and the 500 about the same..... For each am not loading anywhere near the max so thought this was not a problem...

Anywhoo, decided to load some 45ACP since we were taking a new shooter to the range saturday and about 15 rounds in had the bottom of the drop (part that clamps on to the funnel) break.... PITA...... Changed over to load the 500 and when I was checking the powder found it was all over the place...

WTH? Some readings were close to the 33.6 grains I had previously been loading and some were like 8.0 grains...

Took the drop off the powder funnel, dumped the powder back in the container and blew out everything (thinking it was bridging or some similar blockage)....

Decided to take out the powder bar and that is when I realized what was going on... I had ordered a magnum powder bar thinking that the 500 probably would need it.... When removed I noticed that there was only a very small gap in the bar for the load I was using and that apparently was easily plugged.... Clearly I was using the wrong size powder bar.

Replaced the bar with the standard large bar and found that my powder now dropped +/- 0.1.... Huge difference in the precision....

Bottom line is that you need to be sensitive to the volume of your drop with respect to your powder bar size.... Most accurate seems to be the cavity open a minimum of 0.5 inch or so.... Smaller than that is inviting problems....

Be aware.... Be safe....

 

[Patriot]

Yesterday was an epiphany for me and I thought I would share what I learned....

Currently have 3 die heads set up with their own dedicated powder drops.... These are 45 ACP (bullseye), 308 Win (BLC(2) and the latest was the S&W 500 Magnum (H110).... I have been checking my powder pretty regular, keeping the powder relatively full and tapping down just like Duke taught me and I started to notice how different the precision of the drops were between the different set ups.... Basically the 45 ACP was typically within +/- 0.1 grain, the 308 was +/- 1.0 grain and the 500 about the same..... For each am not loading anywhere near the max so thought this was not a problem...

Anywhoo, decided to load some 45ACP since we were taking a new shooter to the range saturday and about 15 rounds in had the bottom of the drop (part that clamps on to the funnel) break.... PITA...... Changed over to load the 500 and when I was checking the powder found it was all over the place...

WTH? Some readings were close to the 33.6 grains I had previously been loading and some were like 8.0 grains...

Took the drop off the powder funnel, dumped the powder back in the container and blew out everything (thinking it was bridging or some similar blockage)....

Decided to take out the powder bar and that is when I realized what was going on... I had ordered a magnum powder bar thinking that the 500 probably would need it.... When removed I noticed that there was only a very small gap in the bar for the load I was using and that apparently was easily plugged.... Clearly I was using the wrong size powder bar.

Replaced the bar with the standard large bar and found that my powder now dropped +/- 0.1.... Huge difference in the precision....

Bottom line is that you need to be sensitive to the volume of your drop with respect to your powder bar size.... Most accurate seems to be the cavity open a minimum of 0.5 inch or so.... Smaller than that is inviting problems....

Be aware.... Be safe....

Yeah,

I was close to the edge on the lower end of the small powder bar and was getting erratic
drops for my .32 H&R Mag loads. I purchased the extra small powder bar and now have
setups for the extra small, small, and large powder bars. I don't have complete setups
dedicated to a caliber or I would go broke seeing as how I load a lot of different calibers.

Even now, for the .30-06 loads, I am close to the top end of the large powder bar but not
over. The powder I was using (2700) was pushing me slightly over and it seemed to be
OK but I switched powders to 2520 which puts me just below the max (47-49gr). The
large powder bar was dropping good for me even out to 55gr.

 

[Bob J]

Wow, good to know it wasn't just me....

BTW, did you make it to the range when I had duty? I was up at the rifle end for most of the day with Paul but was able to get down to the pistol for a bit.... I carry the chrony in the car everywhere I go (so I don't forget it) so any time I'm on you are welcome to borrow it....

Yeah,

I was close to the edge on the lower end of the small powder bar and was getting erratic
drops for my .32 H&R Mag loads. I purchased the extra small powder bar and now have
setups for the extra small, small, and large powder bars. I don't have complete setups
dedicated to a caliber or I would go broke seeing as how I load a lot of different calibers.

Even now, for the .30-06 loads, I am close to the top end of the large powder bar but not
over. The powder I was using (2700) was pushing me slightly over and it seemed to be
OK but I switched powders to 2520 which puts me just below the max (47-49gr). The
large powder bar was dropping good for me even out to 55gr.

 

[Patriot]

Bob, I didn't make it. I got involved in a yard sale and it was supposed to be
over around 1PM but with the cleaning up and all I wasn't finished until around
2 and by then was too bushed to give it a go. I'll catch up with you some time
in the near future. I want to load up my .32 H&R's and try those out as well as
some .38 loads I made. Nothing special, just want to base line starting loads.

Wow, good to know it wasn't just me....

BTW, did you make it to the range when I had duty? I was up at the rifle end for most of the day with Paul but was able to get down to the pistol for a bit.... I carry the chrony in the car everywhere I go (so I don't forget it) so any time I'm on you are welcome to borrow it....

 

[Bob J]

No problem..... Am there most weekends anyway while I'm doing load development so if you are planning on going some time send me a PM.....

Bob, I didn't make it. I got involved in a yard sale and it was supposed to be
over around 1PM but with the cleaning up and all I wasn't finished until around
2 and by then was too bushed to give it a go. I'll catch up with you some time
in the near future. I want to load up my .32 H&R's and try those out as well as
some .38 loads I made. Nothing special, just want to base line starting loads.

 

[DukeInFlorida]

As I started to read your posting (before getting to the description of what you discovered what was the cause of it), I was thinking that it was the wrong size charge bar. Even on the single station type RCBS powder dispensors that I use in my class, I am always certain to show students that the adjustable cavities come in two sizes (for the RCBS), and that you have to use the right one to get good results. Small for small powder loads, and for flake powder, and large for large loads and extruded powder.

Glad you figured it out, and thanks for sharing.

Yesterday was an epiphany for me and I thought I would share what I learned....

Currently have 3 die heads set up with their own dedicated powder drops.... These are 45 ACP (bullseye), 308 Win (BLC(2) and the latest was the S&W 500 Magnum (H110).... I have been checking my powder pretty regular, keeping the powder relatively full and tapping down just like Duke taught me and I started to notice how different the precision of the drops were between the different set ups.... Basically the 45 ACP was typically within +/- 0.1 grain, the 308 was +/- 1.0 grain and the 500 about the same..... For each am not loading anywhere near the max so thought this was not a problem...

Anywhoo, decided to load some 45ACP since we were taking a new shooter to the range saturday and about 15 rounds in had the bottom of the drop (part that clamps on to the funnel) break.... PITA...... Changed over to load the 500 and when I was checking the powder found it was all over the place...

WTH? Some readings were close to the 33.6 grains I had previously been loading and some were like 8.0 grains...

Took the drop off the powder funnel, dumped the powder back in the container and blew out everything (thinking it was bridging or some similar blockage)....

Decided to take out the powder bar and that is when I realized what was going on... I had ordered a magnum powder bar thinking that the 500 probably would need it.... When removed I noticed that there was only a very small gap in the bar for the load I was using and that apparently was easily plugged.... Clearly I was using the wrong size powder bar.

Replaced the bar with the standard large bar and found that my powder now dropped +/- 0.1.... Huge difference in the precision....

Bottom line is that you need to be sensitive to the volume of your drop with respect to your powder bar size.... Most accurate seems to be the cavity open a minimum of 0.5 inch or so.... Smaller than that is inviting problems....

Be aware.... Be safe....

 

[Bob J]

As I started to read your posting (before getting to the description of what you discovered what was the cause of it), I was thinking that it was the wrong size charge bar. Even on the single station type RCBS powder dispensors that I use in my class, I am always certain to show students that the adjustable cavities come in two sizes (for the RCBS), and that you have to use the right one to get good results. Small for small powder loads, and for flake powder, and large for large loads and extruded powder.

Glad you figured it out, and thanks for sharing.

Thanks Duke..... The thing that made this tough is that I assumed I had the right size powder bar.... It was only when I saw how erratic the drop was, took it apart and saw how small the gap was that "light dawns over marble head" as they say....

BTW, called Dillon to see what I could do for my broken powder dispenser.... Feared the worst since this is a *very* old model which is significantly different design from the current model (coiled spring assisted, single stamped metal bell crank etc)....

Turned out to be no problem at all.... Found out that these early models had 2 cast ears (part that broke on mine) to cover this possibility and all I had to do was use the unbroken one.... Nice! They also said they would put a replacement (they still had them in stock!) in the mail to me that day...

+1 to Dillon for great customer service....

 

[Bob J]

Came across this in my research on Dillon powder drop precision and thought it would be worth sharing...

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=41727&hl=powder

Here is what I have done to make my Dillon powder measures throw more consistent charges with all powders. Not just coarse grained powders like Varget, 4198, ect…

First remove the plastic hopper from the measure. If its yellow and cracked, order a new one.

If you look inside you see how rough the inside of the measure is. Its just a aluminum casting.

Before Polishing

I start by hitting the inside with some 440 wet/dry sandpaper to take off the high spots. I also break the edge where the hole is in the bottom. Then I fire up the Foredom (AKA Dremel) and start polishing. I use a small Scrotchbrite wheel for the majority of the work. After it starts looking better, I start up with the felt tips and polishing rouge. Once it looks like a good mirror finished feed ramp, I apply some car polish. Several coats just to make sure it stays pretty and more importantly, slick.

After Polishing

It is a royal pain to get inside the track where the adjustment bar slides, but it seems to help. Using a piece of flatbar, I just knock off the highspots with some 440 sandpaper. Then using a large diameter felt wheel, I polish the bottom and left (side away from lever linkage) side. Just polish, don’t remove any metal. Try as I might, my camera wont focus that close.

A big part of adjustment repeatability is the addition of the Uniquetek adjustment knob. With absolutely zero backlash, turning it to X.XX on the dial equals what it did the last time you used it there. Before installing the Uniquetek, I polish the powder bar also. I lightly break the sharp edges on the corners. Try not to remove much metal. Just get it slick. Don’t forget to polish the little notch where the square plastic washer rides. Once installed, consider adding a *very* small amount of grease on the backside of the washer. Probably cant hurt, might help. Here is what the measure looks like with the Uniquetek installed.

Finished

I have a grounding wire running from my 1050s to an outlet to keep the whole machine grounded. I also keep anti static spray close by if I see powder sticking to the side of the measure. Some guys tape a static cling sheet to the outside of the powder hopper, but then I cant see how much powder I have left…

I also polish the inside of the powder funnel that rides inside the powder die and also where the powder flows through the measure itself. If it is for 223 or another case where compressed charges are likely, I heavily polish the hole and make it as much of a taper as I possibly can. This allows the powder go in the case faster and keeps spilling down to a dull roar. With a good taper and polish job, I can throw 27.0 gns of Varget in a Lake City 223 case without occasional spilling. Before, 26.6-ish was about it.

Don’t forget to grease the outside rear of the measure where it rides up and down. That is the only place where grease/oil *should* be used.

After doing all this, I can throw 10 charges of Varget and only have a 0.2 (0.3 on a bad day) variance, 0.1 either side of the desired weight.

As a technique, I pull the handle down somewhat fast and smooth, stopping abruptly at the bottom of the stroke. Every time. This keeps the powder settled so even amounts get dropped. I go up much slower as I am using an auto indexing machine.

I don’t use any graphite or other dry lubes on the powder bars. It can build up and make the powder bar bind. Gunpowder has enough graphite-ish stuff in it to keep things moving.

Don’t leave powder in your hoppers, it attracts moisture and can klump up leading to powder “jams.” Fine grained pistol powders are really bad about this. Ask me how I know.

Lastly, I hate the Dillon low powder sensors and powder check dies and don’t recommend them.

 

[Bob J]

Uniquetek Micrometer for the Dillon Powder Measure - Product Review

Finally broke down and installed one of the Uniquetek micrometer heads on my S&W 500 powder bar..... Since I have gotten into casting I've been loading a lot of different bullets for this gun and the constant dial in for the powder has been somewhat a pain so thought I would give this a try.....

http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1231

Ordered mine in the kit form and I have to say it was pretty easy to install.... Basically it replaces the adjustment screw on the powder bar.... The only area where you have to be careful is with the locktite (don't want it getting into the micrometer) and the alignment of the zero mark (needs to be where you can clearly see it when the bar is installed in the powder measure.... Instructions are clear and have lots of pictures......

Once installed in the powder measure you need to calibrate it to the specific powder(s) you will be using..... This entails making a number of settings on the micrometer and then weighing the corresponding powder weight dropped..... Initially I started doing this at small intervals on the micrometer but soon moved to larger intervals over the range of the micrometer when I realized how linear the results were...

Plotted the results on a graph (micrometer scale setting vs weight).... This makes it very easy to pinpoint the micrometer setting necessary to drop any given powder weight.... This needs to be done for each different powder that you are planning to use.....

Now that I have had a chance to use it I have to say that this is a wonder.... I still need to weigh the powder after making a change in the charge but all the adjust/clear/drop/weigh/adjust again "hunt for the right weight" cycle has completely gone away..... It's as easy as set the micrometer, clear the measure and weigh..... First time is always dead on....

Would highly recommend this for consideration for anyone who is doing a lot of frequent change overs between different powders and/or different powder charges..... Really not necessary if you are only loading a few different powders or consistent loads.....

The only down side I have seen so far is the cost....

 

[DukeInFlorida]

Bob, I bit the bullet, so to speak, and bought extra Quick Change Kits, which comes with the powder measure. So, I now have one, permanently set up, for each of the more common rounds that I load, 9mm, .40 S&W, and 5.56. Everything else, I still do on the RCBS single station set ups with the RCBS powder measure. So, for me, the cost of the micrometer isn't worth it. Sure, I have to do a little tweaking every time I set up to run. Even after calibrating your micrometer, it still won't account for humidity changes in powder weight (which you have to adjust for).

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

Here is what to use for the arms on the Dillon 550 press.

This is a sprocket grease gun with a pointed tip. You put the tip in the small hole on the arm and push and it greases the entire pin area nicely. This tool is the best I've ever seen for this type of small grease jobs.

http://international.husqvarna.com/node3002.aspx?nid=68805&pid=5289

I use a moly grease on mine.

 

[Bob J]

Here is what to use for the arms on the Dillon 550 press.

This is a sprocket grease gun with a pointed tip. You put the tip in the small hole on the arm and push and it greases the entire pin area nicely. This tool is the best I've ever seen for this type of small grease jobs.

http://international.husqvarna.com/node3002.aspx?nid=68805&pid=5289

I use a moly grease on mine.

Very cool! I'll have to check that out.... Right now am using the syringe lube that came with the dillon maintenance kit but this looks perfect when that runs out.... How hard is it to load?

 

[Bob J]

Bob, I bit the bullet, so to speak, and bought extra Quick Change Kits, which comes with the powder measure. So, I now have one, permanently set up, for each of the more common rounds that I load, 9mm, .40 S&W, and 5.56. Everything else, I still do on the RCBS single station set ups with the RCBS powder measure. So, for me, the cost of the micrometer isn't worth it. Sure, I have to do a little tweaking every time I set up to run. Even after calibrating your micrometer, it still won't account for humidity changes in powder weight (which you have to adjust for).

Hi Duke..... I hear you on this.... I am pretty much in the same boat with 8 die heads set up for the various calibers I am loading.... I only have sprung for the money for this (you know how cheap I am) for the two where I use different powders and charge weights a lot to map to the different weight bullets and loads.... All the others are pretty much set and forget so do not justify the expense (in my mind anyway).... That having been said, this works great for the die heads that I have installed them on...

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

Very cool! I'll have to check that out.... Right now am using the syringe lube that came with the dillon maintenance kit but this looks perfect when that runs out.... How hard is it to load?

Its easy.......pop off the cap on the top of it and slap in some grease with some type of spatula........a tongue depressor works well. put on the cap and pump a few times and its primed.

It really forces the grease into the pins very well. After a few cycles of the press, just wipe off any excess that extrudes.

 

[Bob J]

Its easy.......pop off the cap on the top of it and slap in some grease with some type of spatula........a tongue depressor works well. put on the cap and pump a few times and its primed.

It really forces the grease into the pins very well. After a few cycles of the press, just wipe off any excess that extrudes.

Perfect! Thanks!

 

[Bob J]

Automatic Casefeeder for the Dillon 550B

For those of you with a 550B and who might be considering the case feeder option...... Pretty good review on Gunblast.....

http://www.gunblast.com/Dillon-Casefeeder.htm

February 5, 2006

It has been almost a full year since I first saw the prototype for an electric casefeeder for the Dillon 500B loading press at the 2005 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ever since, the folks at Dillon have been hard at work perfecting the design, and now they are ready to ship.

The Dillon 550B is, in my opinion, the best and most versatile progressive loading press on the market. It has been around for a couple of decades now, and is perfect for loading pistol, revolver, and rifle cartridges. Its versatility lets the operator load one at a time, as on a single-stage press, or fully progressive, getting a loaded cartridge with each pull of the handle. For more information on the 550B, I refer the reader to my review of the machine here: http://www.gunblast.com/Dillon550.htm.

While the 550B allows the operator to achieve a high production rate, Dillon now has an automatic casefeeder available which allows an even faster rate of production. In use, the 550B requires the operator to use his right hand to place an empty cartridge in the first station, while the left hand loads a bullet into the case at station three, and indexes the shell plate. With the casefeeder, the operator never has to release the operating handle with his right hand, except to load the primer feed and case hopper every 100 rounds or so.

The automatic casefeeder works with just about any pistol or revolver cartridge. Dillon lists 32 different cartridges that can work with the casefeeder, most requiring only a separate conversion kit, which are caliber specific.

The conversion kit shipped with the sample casefeeder was for the .45 Colt cartridge. Once the casefeeder is installed on the machine, changing to another caliber is quick and easy, and requires no tools. The casefeeder comes with good assembly instructions, and I had it installed in less than an hour on my 550B.

Getting started with the casefeeder was easy, and I quickly could see how this will speed up production. I had only one minor glitch with the casefeeder, and it was easily corrected. Sometimes, the case falling down the clear plastic tube would hang its rim on the edge of the lower tube. Slightly chamfering the inside edge of the tube, as can be seen in the pictures, immediately corrected the situation, and it never exhibited that problem again.

I was concerned about the case having to slide from the feeder onto the shell plate, but the casefeeder slid them in quickly and smoothly. It worked just great. The casefeeder ran much quieter than I expected. There is an automatic shutoff that only runs the feeder when the tube gets low on cases, so that the motor is not running when not needed. Pouring in about 100 cases at a time, I tried to outrun the feeder, but could not. It kept the cases ready to load, and inserted them as fast as I could pull the handle and advance the shell plate, as I was cycling them through without actually loading the cases, to see how fast it would run. I ran several hundred cases through the machine this way, before actually loading any ammo, to check for potential problems. It of course also ran smoothly when loading ammo, whether I used the Dillon powder measure, or another measure such as the Lee. There was plenty of room for any die set or powder measure that might be used on the 550B.

As stated earlier, changing to another pistol or revolver cartridge is fast and easy, but the casefeeder will not handle most rifle cartridges. To load these, the lower feed assembly must be removed, which requires a couple of Allen wrenches and a few minutes' time. If a person loads mostly handgun cartridges, or rifle cartridges which are of handgun length, such as the .32 and.44 WCF cartridges, the casefeeder is a very worthwhile investment. It will save time and operator fatigue while loading a large batch of ammo. Ideally, I would like to keep one 550B set up with the casefeeder, and have another set up for rifle cartridges. I will most likely buy another 550B, and just leave the casefeeder on one of them at all times. Either way, it only takes a few minutes to remove the lower feed assembly. The case hopper and related hardware is not in the way when going back to manually inserting cases into the machine.

Like all Dillon equipment, the new casefeeder for the 550B is a high quality piece of equipment. It adds speed and ease to the job of loading quality ammunition, while still keeping the versatility of the 550B intact. I like it.

Check out the extensive line of America’s best loading machines and accessories online at: www.dillonprecision.com, or order by phone by calling 1-800-762-3845.

Jeff Quinn

 

[DukeInFlorida]

I've had and used one of those small grease thingies for decades with my chainsaws. Most of the chain saw bars that I buy have a grease hole up near the sprocket end.

Couple of pumps on each side of the bar, and the sprocket is lubed with grease.

My 550 is capable of making enough ammo in a period of time that the only thing that slows me down is refilling the primer feed tube. The case feed for that thing would be overkill.