• This Forum is for adults 18 years of age or over. By continuing to use this Forum you are confirming that you are 18 or older. No content shall be viewed by any person under 18 in California.

Dillon 550b primer issue

upload_2019-3-2_9-52-18.png

Hey re-loaders, I'm using a Dillion 550b loading 9mm and having primer feed issues. These are CCI small pistol but it happens with the Winchester also. In speaking with Dillion they suggested replacing the slide bar and feed tube, they provided the parts free, however it is still happening. Have any of you experienced this issue or know the cause, thanks for the help in advance.
Tony
 
The primers are hitting the primer holder on edge. I get that sometimes on my RCBS II when I am priming and become a little sloppy on pressing the primer pickup hard enough. Only occasionally happens on the Dillon when I am down to the last 3 or 4 primers.
I suggest you remove the primer tube assembly and completely clean it. Also clean the little plastic pin that supports the primers at the bottom of the tube. You must use the plastic rod on top of the primers that helps weigh them down. Also make sure your stroke on the press is full, smooth and repeatable.
 
Sideways?
I had an issue where a primer got misfed and lodged in behind nylon screw that adjusts throw on charge bar below primer tube.
 
Are they coming out in the primer cup sideways are are they hitting the deck on the way into the brass and turning...? If the press is out of time Dillon will send you the tool to get it back in time for free...
 
Is the primer slide sticking / hanging up and then snapping forward occasionally?

Mine did that, and the primer would literally 'flip' in the cup and if I didn't catch it, would end up seated like shown in the pics.

There are some primer slide extensions out there that address that problem... I got mine off ebay a few years back; I think now UniqueTek sells a more refined version of the same thing.
 
Is the primer slide sticking / hanging up and then snapping forward occasionally?

Mine did that, and the primer would literally 'flip' in the cup and if I didn't catch it, would end up seated like shown in the pics.

There are some primer slide extensions out there that address that problem... I got mine off ebay a few years back; I think now UniqueTek sells a more refined version of the same thing.
Just FYI , if your primer slide is sticking , Dillon will send you the treated bottom slide for free also.. they call it a bearing but I don't see why....
 
Just out of curiosity, are you using the correct primer tube. A friend had this happen when using a large tube with small primers. Also, do any of these cases have a military crimp?
 
Clean under the shell plate then watchwere the primer come up to se if it is coming in the whole smooth or it is popping in
Do this Without primers
 
The primers are hitting the primer holder on edge. I get that sometimes on my RCBS II when I am priming and become a little sloppy on pressing the primer pickup hard enough. Only occasionally happens on the Dillon when I am down to the last 3 or 4 primers.
I suggest you remove the primer tube assembly and completely clean it. Also clean the little plastic pin that supports the primers at the bottom of the tube. You must use the plastic rod on top of the primers that helps weigh them down. Also make sure your stroke on the press is full, smooth and repeatable.






Powderbrake
Thanks for the suggestion and advice. In the past when i cleaned it I did no clean the plastic pin you spoke of, I will. I had not thought to keep track of when the press does this in relationship to how many primers are in the tube, I will monitor that also. Thanks again.
vr
 
Are they coming out in the primer cup sideways are are they hitting the deck on the way into the brass and turning...? If the press is out of time Dillon will send you the tool to get it back in time for free...


I think they are hitting the deck and turning, I will call Dillion and ask about the timing tool, thanks
 
Just FYI , if your primer slide is sticking , Dillon will send you the treated bottom slide for free also.. they call it a bearing but I don't see why....

Dillon has sent me the entire new primer assembly, I will call about the bear you spoke of. I did not know there were extended slides for this I will have to look into that, thanks.
 
Just FYI , if your primer slide is sticking , Dillon will send you the treated bottom slide for free also.. they call it a bearing but I don't see why....

That's all well and good... but doesn't actually fix the problem.

There can be two (or more) potential issues if the slide is sticking / hanging up and then snapping forward.

One is that it's very easy to over tighten the two screws that hold the primer tube assembly to the press. The threads are *very* close to the inner surface, and the housing that holds the tube, and that the slide runs thru, is fairly soft aluminum. Overtighten those screws just a little, and you can warp the interior surface of that housing just enough to where it causes additional friction on the primer slide as it passes through. On mine, I could literally feel a little bit of 'wave' on that surface with a finger tip, once I knew where to go looking. A few licks with a small, fine file fixed that easily enough. This fixed about 90% of the flipped primers for me, but there were still a few that were driving me nuts.

Another is that the very design of the 550 primer slide and the way it is supported and the way the return springs bear on it are a little questionable. Basically when the primer slide is out all the way, well over 50% of its length is unsupported... and the return springs attach to a pin on the bottom side. They don't just pull it forward, they pull the back end *down*, ever so slightly. This can bind the slide up just a little, just enough, that it will hang for a fraction of a second as you lower the ram and the pressure holding the slide back eases. Then the slide snaps forward, catching up with its operating rod and stopping suddenly, which can flip the primer in the cup... or completely out of it. The solution here is not a replacement OEM primer slide 'bearing', but an extended plate that keeps the slide more fully supported all the way out at full extension, never letting it be levered down by the return spring. Some version also include a roller bearing to help keep the slide better aligned side to side.

Like I said, there are a number of places on the Internet now where you can get this little 'fix-it' part nowadays. The guy I bought mine from years ago had made his by hand as he was testing the design. Trust me, it works *amazingly* well. Not everyone experiences the same problem(s); I know people who swear they've *never* had the primer slide hang on their 550. Mine... went largely unused for a number of years because having to grab the primer slide every single time and ride it forward to keep it from snapping and flipping a primer made it effectively useless to me. So for me, it turned the 550 from a POS collecting dust, to something that has become my primary loading press.

YMMV,

Monte
 
I think they are hitting the deck and turning, I will call Dillion and ask about the timing tool, thanks
Yuppers , tell them that and they will get you hooked up... On the 550b if you have taken the deck off like during a major clean I think you need the tool to get it back into alignment... No expert just done a ton of reading on Dillon before I bought mine last year....
 
That's all well and good... but doesn't actually fix the problem.

There can be two (or more) potential issues if the slide is sticking / hanging up and then snapping forward.

One is that it's very easy to over tighten the two screws that hold the primer tube assembly to the press. The threads are *very* close to the inner surface, and the housing that holds the tube, and that the slide runs thru, is fairly soft aluminum. Overtighten those screws just a little, and you can warp the interior surface of that housing just enough to where it causes additional friction on the primer slide as it passes through. On mine, I could literally feel a little bit of 'wave' on that surface with a finger tip, once I knew where to go looking. A few licks with a small, fine file fixed that easily enough. This fixed about 90% of the flipped primers for me, but there were still a few that were driving me nuts.

Another is that the very design of the 550 primer slide and the way it is supported and the way the return springs bear on it are a little questionable. Basically when the primer slide is out all the way, well over 50% of its length is unsupported... and the return springs attach to a pin on the bottom side. They don't just pull it forward, they pull the back end *down*, ever so slightly. This can bind the slide up just a little, just enough, that it will hang for a fraction of a second as you lower the ram and the pressure holding the slide back eases. Then the slide snaps forward, catching up with its operating rod and stopping suddenly, which can flip the primer in the cup... or completely out of it. The solution here is not a replacement OEM primer slide 'bearing', but an extended plate that keeps the slide more fully supported all the way out at full extension, never letting it be levered down by the return spring. Some version also include a roller bearing to help keep the slide better aligned side to side.

Like I said, there are a number of places on the Internet now where you can get this little 'fix-it' part nowadays. The guy I bought mine from years ago had made his by hand as he was testing the design. Trust me, it works *amazingly* well. Not everyone experiences the same problem(s); I know people who swear they've *never* had the primer slide hang on their 550. Mine... went largely unused for a number of years because having to grab the primer slide every single time and ride it forward to keep it from snapping and flipping a primer made it effectively useless to me. So for me, it turned the 550 from a POS collecting dust, to something that has become my primary loading press.

YMMV,

Monte
This pulling down and not out on the slide I also noticed right away myself.... Thanks for posting about the upgrade I will see if I can find one myself for mine before I have the problem..... While mine doesn't pop it isn't exactly what I would call silky smooth either... Do you know if they have a name I could look up..? I have seen the actual little bearings that mount at the 9:00 position to stop any side to side wiggle , but I am interested in what you're talking about.... It seems like it would stop alot of wear in the future being more fully supported... Thanks for telling us about not over tighten the screws on the primer dispenser... All this real world knowledge can't be beat....



To the OP , there's an old trick of putting a .45 brass on the big end of the plastic rod that pushes down on the primers in the tube to give it a little bit more weight.....
 

Upgrades & Donations

This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.


Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.

You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.


To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.

Forum statistics

Threads
165,670
Messages
2,200,434
Members
79,039
Latest member
J.FISHER
Back
Top