Question for Dillon XL650 owners ?

[André]

A few days ago I retired my Hornady Pro-7 progressive press, after 24 years of intensive service. Its successor entered my home the following day, a Dillon XL650 with electric case feeder and caliber conversions in .45 ACP, .357 Mag, .44 Mag and 9 Para. I'm now playing with the "big blue" to familiarize. I've a question and can't find the answer in the manual. I have no doubt help is to be found on our esteemed forum. Let's have a go :

Q : when the primer magazine of the press is freshly filled, it seems to take 7 (?) strokes of the lever before the 1st. primer is ready to be seated in station 2. How do you proceed in order to avoid unprimed cases being powder charged ? I would also expect the 1st. primer to meet the 1st. resized case.
Should I "dry" pump a number of times to advance primers before switching on the case feeder ?

Many thanks in advance for counseling.

[ColoYooper]

I only have the Dillion 550, but I believe the primer feeding is the same. A primer "should" be picked up with every full down stroke of the handle. It won't be used on the first station, but should be there. On the second downward stroke of the handle, another primer won't be picked up because there is already one there, so when you push up on the handle it should be pressed in and seated into the primer pocket in the second station. From there after, 1 primer should be picked up and pressed into the primer pocket in the second station with each full down/up stroke. Obviously, thats not what you are seeing. First, make sure you are doing full, downward, followed by full upward strokes of the handle. Beyond that, you may need to fine adjust some of the alignment of the primer transport. Make certain the primer cup is centered beneath the primer plate hole, and that the cup fully retracts beneath the primer holding tube. The last is most likely the problem.

DaveS

[André]

DaveS,
I don't know the 550 but the 650 seems to operate differently. It uses a primer disk which has to be filled -that takes about 7 cycles of the lever- before the 1st. primer hits its seating cup.

After asking around, I came up with this procedure :

- turn on the case feeder & fill the primer magazine ;
- lift the platform half-way and hold it there ;
- with left hand, give the primer indexing arm 6 clicks forward ;
- finish the up/down movement of the lever and voilà, the 1st. primer shows up in station 2 on the down travel, awaiting the sized/deprimed case coming from station 1.

[tommyt]

Go here and you'll get many answers

http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php

[Hi Ball]

Andre......I had the same problem with my XL-650 Dillion at first! :( :eek:

However, I got on the phone and spoke to a person that helped me out, I don't like the reading "BS" and got in a hurry to crank out loaded ammo. :D
I more or less do the same proceedure you listed and all is well at my reloading bench.

I don't try to go all out with the press but don't seem to have any problems pushing out 700 per hour. I know I can go faster but don't believe I will hit that 1200 rds an hour mark anytime soon, as some people have suggested this press will certainly do with an experienced loader. :cool: :)