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Posted: 5/13/2014 5:41:49 PM EDT
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Gentlemen,
Having a couple issues with my 550b: 1) The shell plate bolt (part number 13794) has started tightening when I rotate the index sprocket. It slightly rotates every time I turn it and I get about 10rds until it won't move and I have to loosen it. This is a recent problem for me. I've cleaned all the parts and it helped temporarily but now, even with everything clean, it does it. What am I doing wrong? There's nothing missing or damaged that I can tell. 2) On my second head, I run a universal decapper for my .223 brass. I have had a couple instances where I hit a tough piece of brass or hit it wrong and it not only breaks or deforms the decapping pin but it torques the upper decapping bolt and pushes it off center. I'm tired of ordering extra decapping pins and I just bent my 3rd decapping bolt (on the 1st frigging piece of brass). The first time it happened, it was my fault. A piece of berdan primed brass sneaked into my stash. The past two times, this has been on standard primed brass - 1 LC brass and 1 commercial primed brass (remington I believe). The die appears to be at the correct height and I'm at a loss. Has anyone run into these problems and have any advice? Yell if you need pictures. |
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Gentlemen, Having a couple issues with my 550b: 1) The shell plate bolt (part number 13794) has started tightening when I rotate the index sprocket. It slightly rotates every time I turn it and I get about 10rds until it won't move and I have to loosen it. This is a recent problem for me. I've cleaned all the parts and it helped temporarily but now, even with everything clean, it does it. What am I doing wrong? There's nothing missing or damaged that I can tell. Make sure that the lock screw on the left side of the ram is tightened down, it's there to keep the shell plate bolt from rotating, it can be easy to forget. 2) On my second head, I run a universal decapper for my .223 brass. I have had a couple instances where I hit a tough piece of brass or hit it wrong and it not only breaks or deforms the decapping pin but it torques the upper decapping bolt and pushes it off center. I'm tired of ordering extra decapping pins and I just bent my 3rd decapping bolt (on the 1st frigging piece of brass). The first time it happened, it was my fault. A piece of berdan primed brass sneaked into my stash. The past two times, this has been on standard primed brass - 1 LC brass and 1 commercial primed brass (remington I believe). The die appears to be at the correct height and I'm at a loss. Check your shell plate tightness, I had a similar issue with cases tipping outward and hanging up because the shell plate wasn't tightened down enough. Tighten the shell plate bolt down all the way and then back it off a quarter turn and lock the set screw. See if either one of these help. Has anyone run into these problems and have any advice? Yell if you need pictures. |
Fantastic. #1 solved and I hope it will take care of #2. The brass was loose because I had to keep loosening the bolt to get it to turn. Now there is no movement and I spun it 20x. I expect that I loosened it (the set screw) when I cleaned everything and forgot that step.
My primer chute just started acting up too. There was a primer stuck in the top causing the chute to malfunction. I pulled the cotter pin but now I'm having a tough time getting the cotter pin through the second hole. I just googled it and came up with this thread - http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/342014_Spent_Primers_missing_the_collector_on_a_Dillon_550B.html Looks like I'm going to use a paper clip and bend the two ends to prevent it from sliding out. I was away in Afghanistan for a while and it looks like all my reloading sense/knowledge fluttered out of my head. |
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Dillon. I try to keep my stuff universal. I'm a relative new guy to reloading (bought everything in early 2012) and try to stick to known entities. I just ran through 100 and everything works well. No movement on the shell plate and the paper clip trick works perfectly.
I recently worked up a load using 55gr Hornady FMJBTHP, once fired brass, CCI 400, 24.5gr WC842. I didn't chrony it but that was the load that grouped the best with no signs of overpressure, ejection swipes, and best accuracy. I pushed it up to 27.3 (which was the second best grouping but exhibited slight ejector swipes with a slight amount of flattening). WC842 is a surplus/pull down powder that was supposedly mimicking CFE223/H335 loads. It was rumored (and proven I believe) to be hotter than the CFE. I started at 23 and pushed it to 27.3 (hoping I wouldn't kaboom my rifle  .
I bought 40lbs a while back with another local guy and kept 27lbs. There was a thread a while back about it. My next project is to set up my Dillon 1200 trimmer. Almost all of my brass is once fired (my unit shot at the local Sheriff's office and they let me take back boxes of spent brass - I'm sitting on close to 10k, slowly processing it). Everything headspaces correctly in my case gauge but I know that time will come where I need to trim. |
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I just wanted to say, and I know most everyone already knows, that the Reloading subforum on Arfcom is one of it's best assets. There's a ton of knowledge and researchable information here and none of the herp&derp that Arfcom is known for.
You run a tight ship Dryflash. But I'm sure you're aware of that 
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I buy cheap LEE universal decapping dies and lots of extra decapping rods/pins I thought about going that route but I'm a relative nooooooob  when it comes to this stuff compared to a lot of you guys. I like to stick with known entities - not that there's anything wrong w/ Lee. There's not a lot of local reloading places here in Memphis unless I want to drive an hour to Sportsman's Warehouse in Southaven or deal with the stupid high prices and nonsense at Bass Pro. There's one other place here but I've never been to it. Therefore I order stuff online and Dillon works for me.
I moved to a second head because I have a few thousand factory primed LC and I want to use them for my 69gr Nosler HPBT when I work up a load for my SPR. I had my 1st head set up for setup/depriming and didn't want to deal with removing the die to remove/insert the decapping pin. So I removed it and run a 2nd head and plan on using station #1 for decapping and station 3 for trimming. |
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http://www.midwayusa.com/product/136543/lee-universal-depriming-and-decapping-die http://www.midwayusa.com/product/274540/lee-universal-depriming-and-decapping-die-pin LEE decapper die works fine on the 550B and XL650 
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That's exactly what I have in position #1 on my 223/5.56 setup. |
 You can see the Lee decapping die in station one and the rest of the dies are Dillon. With the Lee die you can adjust the collet that holds the decapping shaft to it will slip before it breaks, but still decap. Thanks for the kind words OP. I had a good teacher. (AeroE)
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Fantastic. #1 solved and I hope it will take care of #2. The brass was loose because I had to keep loosening the bolt to get it to turn. Now there is no movement and I spun it 20x. I expect that I loosened it (the set screw) when I cleaned everything and forgot that step.
My primer chute just started acting up too. There was a primer stuck in the top causing the chute to malfunction. I pulled the cotter pin but now I'm having a tough time getting the cotter pin through the second hole. I just googled it and came up with this thread - http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/342014_Spent_Primers_missing_the_collector_on_a_Dillon_550B.html Looks like I'm going to use a paper clip and bend the two ends to prevent it from sliding out. I was away in Afghanistan for a while and it looks like all my reloading sense/knowledge fluttered out of my head. Drill out the hole in both pieces of the primer chute. Use a piece of solid rod the will fit easily into the hole. On the piece that moves you can solder a spot with solder to add a little extra weight to it on the top and help it go back to the closed position and keep the primers from falling out. |
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Gentlemen, Having a couple issues with my 550b: 1) The shell plate bolt (part number 13794) has started tightening when I rotate the index sprocket. It slightly rotates every time I turn it and I get about 10rds until it won't move and I have to loosen it. This is a recent problem for me. I've cleaned all the parts and it helped temporarily but now, even with everything clean, it does it. What am I doing wrong? There's nothing missing or damaged that I can tell. Make sure that the lock screw on the left side of the ram is tightened down, it's there to keep the shell plate bolt from rotating, it can be easy to forget. 2) On my second head, I run a universal decapper for my .223 brass. I have had a couple instances where I hit a tough piece of brass or hit it wrong and it not only breaks or deforms the decapping pin but it torques the upper decapping bolt and pushes it off center. I'm tired of ordering extra decapping pins and I just bent my 3rd decapping bolt (on the 1st frigging piece of brass). The first time it happened, it was my fault. A piece of berdan primed brass sneaked into my stash. The past two times, this has been on standard primed brass - 1 LC brass and 1 commercial primed brass (remington I believe). The die appears to be at the correct height and I'm at a loss. Check your shell plate tightness, I had a similar issue with cases tipping outward and hanging up because the shell plate wasn't tightened down enough. Tighten the shell plate bolt down all the way and then back it off a quarter turn and lock the set screw. See if either one of these help. Has anyone run into these problems and have any advice? Yell if you need pictures. this.. |
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