Spent primer problems
Quote from mboy67 on June 16, 2023, 11:06 amI have two 550 presses and experienced the same issue with both. I also found the problem to be the spent primer sheet metal deflector but, in my case the problem was the very small cotter pin used to hold the actual moving flapper to the chute. The cotter pin would get hung up, slightly stuck or something. My wife is a quilter and I borrowed some of her push pins for holding layers of quilt in place when seweing (very thin diameter pins) and replaced the Dillon cotter pin with her push pin. I bent the end of the pin and cut off any excess and it has worked perfect since. The push pins have a very small diameter and some sort of chrome coating that makes them very low friction. You can find them by the zillions on Amazon.
I have two 550 presses and experienced the same issue with both. I also found the problem to be the spent primer sheet metal deflector but, in my case the problem was the very small cotter pin used to hold the actual moving flapper to the chute. The cotter pin would get hung up, slightly stuck or something. My wife is a quilter and I borrowed some of her push pins for holding layers of quilt in place when seweing (very thin diameter pins) and replaced the Dillon cotter pin with her push pin. I bent the end of the pin and cut off any excess and it has worked perfect since. The push pins have a very small diameter and some sort of chrome coating that makes them very low friction. You can find them by the zillions on Amazon.
Quote from Xiphos on June 16, 2023, 7:25 pmMy problem was dirt!
The little "door" on the spent primer catch had gotten so cruddy, it would not reliably close to catch the spent primer. Then, it would fall into someplace bad or onto the floor.
Remember, the door is held open when the ram is down and at rest. My 550 sometimes sits for months without being used so it's held open the entire time.
A thorough disassembly, cleaning, and replacement of the cotter pin resolved my issue.
Lubrication collects more crud, so I washed everything down with brake parts cleaner.
Hope this helps,
X
My problem was dirt!
The little "door" on the spent primer catch had gotten so cruddy, it would not reliably close to catch the spent primer. Then, it would fall into someplace bad or onto the floor.
Remember, the door is held open when the ram is down and at rest. My 550 sometimes sits for months without being used so it's held open the entire time.
A thorough disassembly, cleaning, and replacement of the cotter pin resolved my issue.
Lubrication collects more crud, so I washed everything down with brake parts cleaner.
Hope this helps,
X
Quote from Overkill_1 on June 20, 2023, 4:03 amI have this problem with my 550 to the point where I no longer use it for depriming - I clean and deprime brass with other tools so I always start a session with empty primer pockets. I get 25-45% of primers going out the side in all directions. Sometimes the strays fall down onto the frame and bounce into the primer cup, but mostly they go in all directions. It happens with a Lee Universal Decapper die and with Lee and Dillon sizing dies in both rifle and pistol calibers (9mm, 44 Mag and 223, so far.) All spray primers out the side at about the same rate.
What keeps me from starting with expended primers in the cases is that sometimes a stray primer drops down into the bin of cases being reloaded. I do NOT want an expended primer mixed in with the powder charge, so I have to focus on each primer being punched out, and when one goes into the bin with the empty cases I have to stop the process and find the stray. Sometimes that means taking out each case and turning it upside down until I find the culprit - a real drag when I'm going to do 2-300 9mm rounds. It's faster to just deprime with a hand tool and not think about expended primers when using the 550, although it sure reduces the utility of the press design.
The pivoting primer catcher moves perfectly, and the path down through the shellplate platform is clean and completely unobstructed. One of my calls to Dillon service got me an alignment tool for the shellplate platform, but aligning things didn't make any noticeable improvement. Other calls to Dillon service produce no suggested solutions (and I frankly get the impression they don't really believe what I'm telling 'em.) It's a real frustration.
I have this problem with my 550 to the point where I no longer use it for depriming - I clean and deprime brass with other tools so I always start a session with empty primer pockets. I get 25-45% of primers going out the side in all directions. Sometimes the strays fall down onto the frame and bounce into the primer cup, but mostly they go in all directions. It happens with a Lee Universal Decapper die and with Lee and Dillon sizing dies in both rifle and pistol calibers (9mm, 44 Mag and 223, so far.) All spray primers out the side at about the same rate.
What keeps me from starting with expended primers in the cases is that sometimes a stray primer drops down into the bin of cases being reloaded. I do NOT want an expended primer mixed in with the powder charge, so I have to focus on each primer being punched out, and when one goes into the bin with the empty cases I have to stop the process and find the stray. Sometimes that means taking out each case and turning it upside down until I find the culprit - a real drag when I'm going to do 2-300 9mm rounds. It's faster to just deprime with a hand tool and not think about expended primers when using the 550, although it sure reduces the utility of the press design.
The pivoting primer catcher moves perfectly, and the path down through the shellplate platform is clean and completely unobstructed. One of my calls to Dillon service got me an alignment tool for the shellplate platform, but aligning things didn't make any noticeable improvement. Other calls to Dillon service produce no suggested solutions (and I frankly get the impression they don't really believe what I'm telling 'em.) It's a real frustration.
Quote from Xiphos on June 20, 2023, 6:41 pmMy 550 was doing essentially the same thing and I figured out the spent primer catch device was not closing on the upstroke every time. The darned things bounced everywhere.
I wound up disassembling the chute, cleaning everything (brake cleaner), and installing a new cotter pin (very carefully to not bend it).
When the machine is at rest, the catch device is held open and only closes during the upstroke. Crud from spent primers coats the device, and combined with the atmosphere's moisture, it turns to hard sticky pooky (a technical term), making operation erratic at best.
It only took a few handfuls of my hair to get the problem resolved. Now, when I begin operations, I check its function before starting.
The hardest part was finding a small enough makeshift "pin" until parts from Dillon arrived.
My 550 was doing essentially the same thing and I figured out the spent primer catch device was not closing on the upstroke every time. The darned things bounced everywhere.
I wound up disassembling the chute, cleaning everything (brake cleaner), and installing a new cotter pin (very carefully to not bend it).
When the machine is at rest, the catch device is held open and only closes during the upstroke. Crud from spent primers coats the device, and combined with the atmosphere's moisture, it turns to hard sticky pooky (a technical term), making operation erratic at best.
It only took a few handfuls of my hair to get the problem resolved. Now, when I begin operations, I check its function before starting.
The hardest part was finding a small enough makeshift "pin" until parts from Dillon arrived.
Quote from Robtrubiano on September 12, 2023, 1:38 pmQuote from Archive on March 3, 2021, 12:16 amI replaced mine with a straight section of a paper clip, never had a problem in over 30 years.
Same.
Quote from Archive on March 3, 2021, 12:16 amI replaced mine with a straight section of a paper clip, never had a problem in over 30 years.
Same.
Quote from m234 on December 21, 2023, 10:28 pmMine seems to shoots primers out all over the place when my upstroke is fast. Stroking slower cures most of the issue, forming the chute a bit wider and dousing the chute area with Motor Mica dust cleared the rest.
Mine seems to shoots primers out all over the place when my upstroke is fast. Stroking slower cures most of the issue, forming the chute a bit wider and dousing the chute area with Motor Mica dust cleared the rest.