Dilion press ires!

[Guest Mauser_KAR98K]

My dad, last year, bought a Dilion press and placed it at my disposal. For the life of me, I can't remember which one it is, but to describe, it has five positions for the resizing and de-capping, powder charger, bullet press, crimp, and the last hole for Margaritas. Tiss like a Jaguar: nice machine...when it works.

I've found the setting up the Dilion is like changing garters on a rhino. And by the time I have the next round changed over, I could have had 200 rounds re-sized and de-capped on my RCBS rock chukcer. Granted, it will take more, and more experience in speeding this process up, and doing so accurately. Plus, I've gone so far as to buy multiple heads to leave the die-sets at the ready, though, I do find that I still have to readjust after every swap of calibers.

What I have listed, though, doesn't come close to the angst that plagues me from going out and pulling the handle (plus the cold, me getting ill due to said cold weather, and school). First of all, my COAL lengths vary, by sometimes .020 to .050 of an inch. Is that the die, the press, or mighty me?

My priming insert, (the station where the powder gets inserted afterward), seems to jam more than is desired. For instance, I get primers that turn sideways that cause a whole slew of headaches and naughty words. Other times, the leaver that pulls the primer wheel over doesn't either latch, or doesn't reset. I've lost the original spring that pushed the lever to the set position and have replaced it with, actually, a strong string, however, not by much. It seems I keep have the spring jettison out when I clean, or change the priming wheel. Hence, the loss of the original spring. I understand that the reason why the primers get turned sideways is due to the improper loading of the primers down the tube. I've solved this by loading full "sticks" with primers; however, it seem that some get hung up in the stick itself and I have to use some jiggling to get the rest down. Do I forgo those and run what I have?

Powder pan and charger, this thing eats me up. For one, when I run the rifle side, the powder gets everywhere and gunk's up the press. Second, I get inconsistent powder charges that sometimes go a full grain to five grains off after running about ten casings through. This after all the fine tunings and extra set-up run through. I also keep loosing the square plastic washer that fits in the slot to the powder pan. The rod and gizmo (that rocker looking brass thing) seem to pull away from the powder pan, which then gives me serious hang-ups the result to powder getting wasted. I pistol rounds seem to be okay without many headaches, but the rifle, particularly .223, gives me bad mojo problems. My latest run with this was when I used H4895 stick powder. Had some difficulties with H335, but not on the scale of the 4895. What am I doing wrong?

Last thing is, how do I clean the press without causing undo malfunctions later in the game? Recently my shop that I run the press through has had some moisture issues, cause rust on my press (should I have mentioned this before...well, yeah)! The main cylinder arm (that big hunk of round steel) has been the main victim. Break-free cures some of the problems, but keeps coming back. This is with the press covered. I haven't seen rust anywhere else, but my suspicions lie with the dirt and rust as the main culprit to my ires with Dilion. Granted, I love the press, just like I loved my old pre-Ford Jaguars...when it works.

[McAllyn]

5 positions would be a 650

Differences in COAL can actually be a couple of things. The rotating plate could have the old style bearing wheel, which according to some has caused some issues. A moderate smooth lever pull is very important. From all the way up to all the way down and back up should be the same smooth motion.

The auto priming system on the 550, 650, and SDB is known to be troublesome from time to time. First thing to check would be the nipple inside the priming system the drops the primer onto the priming cup. These are small plastic pieces that get mangled pretty easily. Replace as often as needed or desired. Next, replace that spring with an original as soon as possible. Make sure a primer has not fallen off the primer cup into the system and could be hanging up the movement of the priming arm. Make sure you're using the correct "sticks" (or primer tubes) for their respective primer sizes. You'll be using the small tubes for .223 with small rifle primers. These should be blue on the end with the pin and yellow on the pickup end. If you're using the green end, you've got the large tube, and the primers can get jammed in there pretty easily.

Sounds like the powder dropper might be too low. When adjusting it's height, you want to make sure that the arm with the small plastic square is moved all the way to the right at the very bottom of the lever stroke. If it gets there too early, then you've got the powder measure too low, and can potentially damage it by forcing the arm too far and breaking the screw in the bell housing (please don't ask me how I know this).

The rust issue can be a big deal. This is a fairly precision machine made with quite a bit of steel. The problem is that the machine was not designed to be oiled or lubed. They use delrin and nylon in a lot of places to make sure that there isn't an issue with contamination with lubricants.

When all else fails, call Dillon. They will answer ANY question except load recipes, and they won't quit till you have your machine up and running and pumping out rounds like mad.

Mac

Edited January 24, 2010 by McAllyn
left something out

[MemphisMechanic]

Your press isn't bolted down nearly securely enough. A Dillion 650 that's on a bench must be bolted to the wall. Period. My bench is massive. Weighs over 250 pounds and has 100-150 feet of 2x4 in the frame... and a 1/5" thick top. Still needed lag-screwed to the studs.

Secure the bench to the wall, make sure it's rock solid, and you will NOT have flipped primers in a 650 unless something is incorrectly adjusted, or you're loading them into the machine wrong.

Use motor oil on the main ram for the press. Works great, doesn't rust, and hardly ever needs reapplied.

On average, I crush 2 or 3 primers (crappy brass, it's always the same headstamps) and *might* have one wind up upside down. This is in a 1,000-1,500 round reloading session.

Tell Dillon you lost the spring. Don't bother to lie and say it broke. Tell them you lost it. They'll have a new one in the mail the next day at no charge.

Get the spare parts kit sometime soon, too. All frequently lost or damaged parts are found in it.

Bolting the machine to the wall, taking *all* the slop out of the shellplate, and operating the handle exactly the same every time will cure your OAL issues. Even then, it's a progressive machine. 0.010-0.015 variation is what you will see from any press like this. If you want better match-grade ammo, well, that rockchucker is very tough to beat for it.

I can't help with the parts loss or any of that. I have never changed calibers, and never will, on my machine. IMO, the 650 is not what you're looking for. The 650 is for the person who wants to load 2,000+ rounds very quickly, change calibers, and do the same thing. So you're only changing calibers every few months. Even with multiple toolheads, there are a lot of things to change, and adjustments to be made. Especially the priming system.

IMO, if you're going to load a couple hundred rounds or less, switch calibers, and repeat... You would like your Dillon much more if you'd bought a 550.

Edited January 28, 2010 by MemphisMechanic

[Hershmeister]

Definetly call Dillon - their customer service is top notch. They can hook you up with spare parts - usually at no charge - Its still a good idea to buy the spare parts kit so you have stuff on hand and don't have to wait for it to show up.

As the above poster said, you need to keep the ram lubed - motor oil does the trick nicely and is what Dillon recommends.

As far as primers go, your lack of a sprign is an issue, but another often missed item is properly aligning the primer seating cup which is a bit of a PITA but when you're done, your done for a long time. also - be sure the cup itself is seated properly - it rests on a little spring on the primer arm on the 550 (not sure if this is the same on the 650) and you need to use significant pressure to pop the cup in place to the right height - it easier to do out of the machine frankly. As i said the 650 may be different here, but the point is theres a lot of tips and tricks that come with just taking the time to figure out how it all works together and talking with the nice folks at Dillon.

[Guest GenNBForrest]

Stick with the Dillion 650, and learn the machine. Call Dillion tech. They great to deal with. It won't take long and you love it as it will put the rock chucker to shame in time!

[Guest Mauser_KAR98K]

Thanks y'all. That phone call will be done soon.

[MemphisMechanic]

Also, a lot of powders are well known for not playing well with the Dillon measure. Especially stick powders for rifle loads. Even the most rabid dillon fan will admit this. I know of people who have swapped a green or red powder measure onto their 550/650, and Dillon makes an adapter themselves to facilitate it. That says something.

[leroy]

My priming insert, (the station where the powder gets inserted afterward), seems to jam more than is desired. For instance, I get primers that turn sideways that cause a whole slew of headaches and naughty words. Other times, the leaver that pulls the primer wheel over doesn't either latch, or doesn't reset. I've lost the original spring that pushed the lever to the set position and have replaced it with, actually, a strong string, however, not by much. It seems I keep have the spring jettison out when I clean, or change the priming wheel. Hence, the loss of the original spring. I understand that the reason why the primers get turned sideways is due to the improper loading of the primers down the tube. I've solved this by loading full "sticks" with primers; however, it seem that some get hung up in the stick itself and I have to use some jiggling to get the rest down. Do I forgo those and run what I have?

Mauser:__________

Had some of these same problems with my 650 that i bought used. I wound up taking the primer assemblies and the powder measure apart and completely cleaning them up. Remove every last speck of surface rust and powder and primer residue from everything. I cleaned it all up with crocus cloth and denatured alcohol. I replaced every spring in the primer system and put a new spring on the powder return for the powder measure. Make sure you adjust the vertical rod from the powder measure to where it is snug against the spring so the powder measure will stroke correctly when the machine cycles.

I completely cleaned and replaced every consumable part (springs and index lever) in the primer assembly. I also keep the primer magazine pretty full and add a length of the appropriate diameter wire (i bet a piece of heavy duty coathanger wire would work; i used some spare 1/16 welding wire) to add weight to the primer stack in the primer magazine. I always keep a sharp eye on the primer stack and make sure the magazine stays at least 1/3 to 1/2 full at all times.

The other (and i believe, most likely) source of problems with primers (for me, at least) is the adjustment of the shell plate to the top of the ram on the 650. I replaced all the springs and ball detents under the shell plate and still had problems. The most important thing is to make sure that the main lock screw (the one that holds the shell plate on ) is adjusted so it will just index without being too tight. Make sure it is just snug enough to operate correctly; but not too loose. If they are too loose, they tend to wiggle and make the primers flip in the primer wheel. That was the main cause of the problems with primers for me, anyway.

Dont give up on the dillon, it is a great machine. But like all machines, it has its individual quirks. Call the dillon guys; they are very helpful. All the instructions for machine set up are on the net at dillonprecision.com. By the way, all the springs and do-dads for rebuilding the indexing parts come as a kit for the machine. look at the dillon partslist or talk to the tech guys and they can get the parts to you quick. They are very thorough and efficient in sending stuff you need.

By the way, the best way ive found to change the calibers on the dillon is to buy a bunch of the toolheads and set a separate set of dies up for a particular bullet. That saves all the adjusting of dies and bad words when you want to change calibers. I also add a powder die to each caliber set. The only thing i change on a toolhead is the powder check die (i use a hornady). All you have to do is to change the powder measure out, adjust it, and you are ready to go. I always use a single stage press to work up new loads and get the experimentation done. Then i set up the dillon for the "production loading". If you try it usind the dillon, it will drive you to distraction and cause you to use bad language the majority of the time!!

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Leroy

[Guest davidz71]

Also try Brian Enos - Competition Shooting Books, Slide-Glide, DVDs & Reloading and look at the forum index for tips on the Dillon 550, 650 and 1050. I picked up some great tips while I wait for my new 650 to be delivered and I unbolt my 550 for sale to some lucky individual.

[deerslayer]

Don't think anybody above said this, but make sure you are not loading small primers with a large primer cup.

[Guest GenNBForrest]

Also try Brian Enos - Competition Shooting Books, Slide-Glide, DVDs & Reloading and look at the forum index for tips on the Dillon 550, 650 and 1050. I picked up some great tips while I wait for my new 650 to be delivered and I unbolt my 550 for sale to some lucky individual.

Great advice. The Brian Enos site is a wealth of info!

Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!