Priming system problems
Quote from Reloader on October 16, 2019, 3:31 amDamon,
Here is what I have done and I now have very few issues. This is MY first Progressive and we are in the same boat. It IS a learning curve. BUT after a lot of tweaking, I ran over 500 tonight with NO issues...CALL TECH SUPPORT.....and they will go THROUGH each step...
Mine is a 9mm....so maybe you are having other issues....but here goes.
Station 1. Had to adjust the long black nylon rod down against the cam. Tech Support will walk you through it. Mine was way off. Therefore the shells were not going all the way over and the decapping pin was hitting. What you want, I figured out....
When you move the handle forward (priming stroke) STOP THERE. NOW take your finger or a screwdriver and see if you can move the shell FURTHER to the LEFT or into the shell holder. IF SO....then keep moving down the rod.
once you are close.....then push up and put the shell in all the way with the shuttle. NOW....do the opposite push. Hold handle UP. Use left hand or screwdriver or finger and push horizontally on the BASE or bottom of the case. Should be maybe 0.020 or barely moved. I have run mine down a little since the tech said it "OK"" Now shells seat properly.
IF you have SHELL dropping problems like I did, there is a little shuttle or cast piece that swivels back and forth under the shell drop tube. Allen screw on the outside. BACK that out so you get more MOVEMENT....IF THE SHELLS DO NOT DROP.
Station 2.....PRIMERS. STOP. You need the UPGRADE wire form and the small (upper) pulley. Dillon will mail to you. I bent mine after I figured it out. NOW....my issue was NO PRIMER FEED....in other words, the larger white pulley on the slide or shuttle was hitting the side of the primer slide housing. IF you look at where the wire form is when the arm is fully extended (top of stroke and push forward)....PUSH the wire form to the LEFT in the top block where it is hinged. There is a Ledge or stop there. When you push it to the left against the stop.....if you follow the wire form down....it is banging or trying to bang into the housing. That pulls the larger pulley OVER and it hits. Mine works great now after two "adjustments", but I will install the new parts.
PRIMERS....I had "indents". With NO primer in the holder, push the handle FORWARD (prime position). Look on the TOP of the primer punch. Mine had some "Debris" or gunk on it. Scraped off with my fingernail. BOTTOM LINE....fixed that.
Damon, IF you are reloading Pistol cartridges.....go to Amazon and order the LE Wilson case gage. I used that.
I ran the sizing down until it almost touched the shell plate. THAT fixed "Sized" cases will not drop into gage. Set it up like a single stage where the sizing die has just a smidge of daylight....say 0.040 or so. You want FULL LENGTH sizing.
Same thing for the CRIMPER. Measure the crimp. On your SHORTEST case, it should be 0.010 - 0.012. THEN when you crimp.....use the case gage. I was afraid I was OVERCRIMPING. NOPE....under. The completed cartridges would not drop in to the gage. i kept barely cranking it down. BINGO. Works like factory ammo now.
I have spent over 10 hours on tech support.....one problem at a time. RUN a few....try to noodle it out....then call and they HELP>
Damon,
Here is what I have done and I now have very few issues. This is MY first Progressive and we are in the same boat. It IS a learning curve. BUT after a lot of tweaking, I ran over 500 tonight with NO issues...CALL TECH SUPPORT.....and they will go THROUGH each step...
Mine is a 9mm....so maybe you are having other issues....but here goes.
Station 1. Had to adjust the long black nylon rod down against the cam. Tech Support will walk you through it. Mine was way off. Therefore the shells were not going all the way over and the decapping pin was hitting. What you want, I figured out....
When you move the handle forward (priming stroke) STOP THERE. NOW take your finger or a screwdriver and see if you can move the shell FURTHER to the LEFT or into the shell holder. IF SO....then keep moving down the rod.
once you are close.....then push up and put the shell in all the way with the shuttle. NOW....do the opposite push. Hold handle UP. Use left hand or screwdriver or finger and push horizontally on the BASE or bottom of the case. Should be maybe 0.020 or barely moved. I have run mine down a little since the tech said it "OK"" Now shells seat properly.
IF you have SHELL dropping problems like I did, there is a little shuttle or cast piece that swivels back and forth under the shell drop tube. Allen screw on the outside. BACK that out so you get more MOVEMENT....IF THE SHELLS DO NOT DROP.
Station 2.....PRIMERS. STOP. You need the UPGRADE wire form and the small (upper) pulley. Dillon will mail to you. I bent mine after I figured it out. NOW....my issue was NO PRIMER FEED....in other words, the larger white pulley on the slide or shuttle was hitting the side of the primer slide housing. IF you look at where the wire form is when the arm is fully extended (top of stroke and push forward)....PUSH the wire form to the LEFT in the top block where it is hinged. There is a Ledge or stop there. When you push it to the left against the stop.....if you follow the wire form down....it is banging or trying to bang into the housing. That pulls the larger pulley OVER and it hits. Mine works great now after two "adjustments", but I will install the new parts.
PRIMERS....I had "indents". With NO primer in the holder, push the handle FORWARD (prime position). Look on the TOP of the primer punch. Mine had some "Debris" or gunk on it. Scraped off with my fingernail. BOTTOM LINE....fixed that.
Damon, IF you are reloading Pistol cartridges.....go to Amazon and order the LE Wilson case gage. I used that.
I ran the sizing down until it almost touched the shell plate. THAT fixed "Sized" cases will not drop into gage. Set it up like a single stage where the sizing die has just a smidge of daylight....say 0.040 or so. You want FULL LENGTH sizing.
Same thing for the CRIMPER. Measure the crimp. On your SHORTEST case, it should be 0.010 - 0.012. THEN when you crimp.....use the case gage. I was afraid I was OVERCRIMPING. NOPE....under. The completed cartridges would not drop in to the gage. i kept barely cranking it down. BINGO. Works like factory ammo now.
I have spent over 10 hours on tech support.....one problem at a time. RUN a few....try to noodle it out....then call and they HELP>
Quote from Reloader on October 17, 2019, 2:44 amUPDATE. New parts came in. The link or wire form may have had some dimensional corrections. The upper guide roller DEFINITELY. The Link by itself will NOT fix the problem.
TWO COMMENTS.... If you do NOT have the parts, then pull out the old link. Lay it on a flat surface with the part that goes into the bracket (top) UP and pointed to the LEFT. You will have to soft of "hold" it in place. I checked my "bent link", that worked great. Here is what I did. If you put about a 5 deg bend in the main portion of the link (the one that is flat on the table), that should fix it. Don't go crazy. If you put a straight edge down the left side of the flat piece all the way to the end....my bent rod is about 3/16 - 1/4" BENT TO THE RIGHT at the END..... That is all it takes.
NEXT UP. NEW PARTS. If you get them, you will have to pull the Primer feeder off. The two small knurled nuts on the bottom are how you do it. NOW....there is a TRICK to replacing the upper guide (small pulley). Put a piece of duct or masking or some tape on the RIGHT side where the pin is (on the housing holding the pulley). Use a small 1/8 or so...maybe 1/16" Drift Gunsmith punch). Tap the pin out from LEFT TO RIGHT. The pin has a KNURL (locking knurl) on the RIGHT side. Once you pop the pin loose....it will shoot like a rocket across the room.....YES....I found it. SO, if you put on the tape, that will keep it from getting lost. Replace the pulley and put in the NON-Knurled end in first....from the RIGHT SIDE. Use the punch to reseat the knurled portion into the housing.
THAT should do it.
Hope this helps someone else. I DID talk to a tech support person this morning who had NARY a clue that there was an issue. He wanted me to adjust the top bracket holding the pin. THAT was a disaster.....as there was a LOT of shifting and not smooth. You either BEND your old link or get new parts and replace BOTH.
GREASE THE END OF THE LINK THAT GOES INTO THE BRACKET.....then you are good to go. I ran over 400 today and had only ONE primer issue.....one got stuck in the magazine or holder. Had to pull the primer feeder off and take out the tube and clear it with the "Primer Alarm Rod". Then I ran about 150 more.....NO ISSUES...
If you call Dillon, make sure that you get a tech that says..."Oh YEAH....you need a NEW link and a NEW upper (small) guide rod....". If he is not aware of the issues, then ask for a supervisor or Steve Frew. Steve has been great to work with and is extremely knowledgeable....
UPDATE. New parts came in. The link or wire form may have had some dimensional corrections. The upper guide roller DEFINITELY. The Link by itself will NOT fix the problem.
TWO COMMENTS.... If you do NOT have the parts, then pull out the old link. Lay it on a flat surface with the part that goes into the bracket (top) UP and pointed to the LEFT. You will have to soft of "hold" it in place. I checked my "bent link", that worked great. Here is what I did. If you put about a 5 deg bend in the main portion of the link (the one that is flat on the table), that should fix it. Don't go crazy. If you put a straight edge down the left side of the flat piece all the way to the end....my bent rod is about 3/16 - 1/4" BENT TO THE RIGHT at the END..... That is all it takes.
NEXT UP. NEW PARTS. If you get them, you will have to pull the Primer feeder off. The two small knurled nuts on the bottom are how you do it. NOW....there is a TRICK to replacing the upper guide (small pulley). Put a piece of duct or masking or some tape on the RIGHT side where the pin is (on the housing holding the pulley). Use a small 1/8 or so...maybe 1/16" Drift Gunsmith punch). Tap the pin out from LEFT TO RIGHT. The pin has a KNURL (locking knurl) on the RIGHT side. Once you pop the pin loose....it will shoot like a rocket across the room.....YES....I found it. SO, if you put on the tape, that will keep it from getting lost. Replace the pulley and put in the NON-Knurled end in first....from the RIGHT SIDE. Use the punch to reseat the knurled portion into the housing.
THAT should do it.
Hope this helps someone else. I DID talk to a tech support person this morning who had NARY a clue that there was an issue. He wanted me to adjust the top bracket holding the pin. THAT was a disaster.....as there was a LOT of shifting and not smooth. You either BEND your old link or get new parts and replace BOTH.
GREASE THE END OF THE LINK THAT GOES INTO THE BRACKET.....then you are good to go. I ran over 400 today and had only ONE primer issue.....one got stuck in the magazine or holder. Had to pull the primer feeder off and take out the tube and clear it with the "Primer Alarm Rod". Then I ran about 150 more.....NO ISSUES...
If you call Dillon, make sure that you get a tech that says..."Oh YEAH....you need a NEW link and a NEW upper (small) guide rod....". If he is not aware of the issues, then ask for a supervisor or Steve Frew. Steve has been great to work with and is extremely knowledgeable....
Quote from Reloader on October 23, 2019, 9:15 pmHi everyone, at the beginning I was undecided about buying it, reading all the problems of the new dillon XL750. Then I decided to do it in caliber .223 I changed from the beginning the primer tube with that of the DILLON XL650. and I set the screw to align the primer tube with the primer seat. Now it works perfectly. For now I have loaded 150 cartridges without problems.
Hi everyone, at the beginning I was undecided about buying it, reading all the problems of the new dillon XL750. Then I decided to do it in caliber .223 I changed from the beginning the primer tube with that of the DILLON XL650. and I set the screw to align the primer tube with the primer seat. Now it works perfectly. For now I have loaded 150 cartridges without problems.
Quote from Reloader on October 25, 2019, 7:40 pmI'm up to 1050 9mm loaded. Have NOT had any issues after I installed the new parts and paid more attention to primer loading in the tubes. I MUST have somehow got a primer that had a lip or something. I NOW count or load a box of 100 and maybe add 5 or so to it. I am converting to Large Primers during my first change over and do not see any issues.
TOTALLY PLEASED. BUT, I still recommend an LE Wilson Case Gauge to get the crimping correct. I tested samples from the 1050 randomly in a very TIGHT Springfield Armory Range Officer SS 9mm barrel. The chamber on that PROBABLY meets the minimum dimensions....but it is pushing them. NO ISSUES....all went plunk and 90% fell back out when I inverted the barrel.
I'm up to 1050 9mm loaded. Have NOT had any issues after I installed the new parts and paid more attention to primer loading in the tubes. I MUST have somehow got a primer that had a lip or something. I NOW count or load a box of 100 and maybe add 5 or so to it. I am converting to Large Primers during my first change over and do not see any issues.
TOTALLY PLEASED. BUT, I still recommend an LE Wilson Case Gauge to get the crimping correct. I tested samples from the 1050 randomly in a very TIGHT Springfield Armory Range Officer SS 9mm barrel. The chamber on that PROBABLY meets the minimum dimensions....but it is pushing them. NO ISSUES....all went plunk and 90% fell back out when I inverted the barrel.
Quote from Reloader on October 28, 2019, 1:37 amHey there, I too have a 750. I was having the same issue with the plastic wheel hitting the back of the priming bar. Quick fix is to install a spring between the wheel and the bar.
Hey there, I too have a 750. I was having the same issue with the plastic wheel hitting the back of the priming bar. Quick fix is to install a spring between the wheel and the bar.
Quote from Reloader on October 28, 2019, 12:16 pmWhatever works. I bent mine. You COULD have installed a short plastic bushing (think a small piece of a hollow plastic coffee stiring straw) on the shaft where the back roller is.
Your machine....your call. If you call Dillon, they will send you the two parts (new link and new roller). It take more time to tell you how to fix it than it does to do it. That is written up in a prior post. The pin knocks out from LEFT to RIGHT on the upper roller. THAT new design fixes it and it is now aligned. USE masking take or have someone put their hand over the pin as when it pops out....it goes quickly to the side.
Good thought on the spring....I ASSUME that you cut off a spring and put it on the shaft....same concept as a bushing.
Creative....!!
Whatever works. I bent mine. You COULD have installed a short plastic bushing (think a small piece of a hollow plastic coffee stiring straw) on the shaft where the back roller is.
Your machine....your call. If you call Dillon, they will send you the two parts (new link and new roller). It take more time to tell you how to fix it than it does to do it. That is written up in a prior post. The pin knocks out from LEFT to RIGHT on the upper roller. THAT new design fixes it and it is now aligned. USE masking take or have someone put their hand over the pin as when it pops out....it goes quickly to the side.
Good thought on the spring....I ASSUME that you cut off a spring and put it on the shaft....same concept as a bushing.
Creative....!!
Quote from Reloader on December 14, 2019, 8:14 pmProblem on the primer system, is that Dillon is using a bent wire (coat hanger) for the guide to begin with, and will bend over time of use.
What they should be using for the guide is a piece of flat stock in the needed angles (that will hold the needed angles shapes for decades) and have a round shaft of the top of the flat stock piece protruding to the left that will go in the top channel for the guide shaft to pivot on. Also to point out, since your going to have the upper guide side rod pivoting in the upper block (wear), the block channel should have a snap in nylon sleeve that can be replaced as needed (like the rollers), as you get wear from the guide shaft side pin to the sleeved channel as well.
Granted that over time you going to get wear on the rollers and upper sleeve guide (need to be U channel and not V channel rollers) and will have to change them out on the cheap, but your not going to have to play the on going change/wire bend game to keep the primer carrier moving the needed directions both strokes.
Simply, upper tube block for the primer guide left shaft gets a wider channel and is nylon sleeved so it can be replaced as needed, Rollers go to U channels, and instead of wire for guide, flat stock metal piece with the needed angles instead. Hence the guide wire on the 550 system is fine, but a 750 that will see more rounds per hour of use, needs a guide rod system that is going to hold it shape, and has parts that can be replaced cheaply as you get the increase wear of parts on a progressive reloader. Cost wise, would be about $10 more on the original cost of the machine, and regarding the upper block sleeve and 2 U channel rollers, $5 for these as wear replacement parts.
Problem on the primer system, is that Dillon is using a bent wire (coat hanger) for the guide to begin with, and will bend over time of use.
What they should be using for the guide is a piece of flat stock in the needed angles (that will hold the needed angles shapes for decades) and have a round shaft of the top of the flat stock piece protruding to the left that will go in the top channel for the guide shaft to pivot on. Also to point out, since your going to have the upper guide side rod pivoting in the upper block (wear), the block channel should have a snap in nylon sleeve that can be replaced as needed (like the rollers), as you get wear from the guide shaft side pin to the sleeved channel as well.
Granted that over time you going to get wear on the rollers and upper sleeve guide (need to be U channel and not V channel rollers) and will have to change them out on the cheap, but your not going to have to play the on going change/wire bend game to keep the primer carrier moving the needed directions both strokes.
Simply, upper tube block for the primer guide left shaft gets a wider channel and is nylon sleeved so it can be replaced as needed, Rollers go to U channels, and instead of wire for guide, flat stock metal piece with the needed angles instead. Hence the guide wire on the 550 system is fine, but a 750 that will see more rounds per hour of use, needs a guide rod system that is going to hold it shape, and has parts that can be replaced cheaply as you get the increase wear of parts on a progressive reloader. Cost wise, would be about $10 more on the original cost of the machine, and regarding the upper block sleeve and 2 U channel rollers, $5 for these as wear replacement parts.
Quote from Reloader on December 29, 2019, 2:36 pmI am having the same problem with an additional one the cases are not feeding properly. I tried calling but that did not work as I had a 1 hour delay and finally hung up. I am a Mechanical Engineer and I am getting frustrated.Today is the first Sunday after Christmas and there is no service. If I cant figure it out today I am going to pack it up and ship it back to them. Spending this much on the XL 750 and I have made 10 bullets in three days. All that BS about customer service seems to be exactly that. I cant get the damn primer system to work. The way they shipped it is not adjusted properly. Instructions are not specific on adjustments.
I am having the same problem with an additional one the cases are not feeding properly. I tried calling but that did not work as I had a 1 hour delay and finally hung up. I am a Mechanical Engineer and I am getting frustrated.Today is the first Sunday after Christmas and there is no service. If I cant figure it out today I am going to pack it up and ship it back to them. Spending this much on the XL 750 and I have made 10 bullets in three days. All that BS about customer service seems to be exactly that. I cant get the damn primer system to work. The way they shipped it is not adjusted properly. Instructions are not specific on adjustments.
Quote from Reloader on January 15, 2020, 10:25 pmI had the same issue just now, i already assembled the new 750. Take the iron rod that move the primes slide. Bend the bottom end a little to the right. So it will keep the white plastic weel on the right. You should fix as i did
I had the same issue just now, i already assembled the new 750. Take the iron rod that move the primes slide. Bend the bottom end a little to the right. So it will keep the white plastic weel on the right. You should fix as i did
Quote from Reloader on February 24, 2020, 1:56 pmI too got a new XL750 about a month ago and have struggled with my first two attempts at loading 38 and 9mm. Luckily I have factory primed brass because the primer system was NOT functioning. I finally found the issue by filming from one side and watching the video. I would post the video so others don't struggle but it does not look like this forum accepts pictures or video. If anyone will suggest a great Dillon forum that accepts posts please reply.
I ended up using a nylon bushing I cut but I really like the spring idea. Not sure why Dillon doesn't include that spring, perfect and simple fix. I wonder if a spring out of a ball point pen would work?
I too got a new XL750 about a month ago and have struggled with my first two attempts at loading 38 and 9mm. Luckily I have factory primed brass because the primer system was NOT functioning. I finally found the issue by filming from one side and watching the video. I would post the video so others don't struggle but it does not look like this forum accepts pictures or video. If anyone will suggest a great Dillon forum that accepts posts please reply.
I ended up using a nylon bushing I cut but I really like the spring idea. Not sure why Dillon doesn't include that spring, perfect and simple fix. I wonder if a spring out of a ball point pen would work?