Dillon Powder Measure Sticking?

[daverich4]

I've been reloading for a long time but am in the process of setting up a Dillon 550C for the first time. Everything appears to be fine with the exception that the powder bar seems to stick a little part way through the upstroke and downstroke of the ram. The measure gives a little jump and I can hear it in both directions. It doesn't seem to affect the amount of powder dropped itself but as this press is new to me, I don't know if that's just normal behavior or if something is out of adjustment. I loaded 50 rounds of 357 Magnum with 4.8 gr of HP-38 and out of a sense of caution, weighed the charge every 5 rounds. Most were right on 4.8 with one at 4.7 and a couple at 4.9. Seems pretty normal to me but I'm not sure about whatever is sticking in the middle of the stroke. Can someone with Dillon experience give me some advice? Thanks.

 

[Soonerpesek]

Just make sure the bar is clean and dry.....I clean it occasionally with rubbing alcohol....NO lubrication...
The measure will rise up when the case meets the expander/funnel....this is normal...there may be a slight "pull" when the expander is released from the case...also normal...
It helps to wipe the expander with alcohol to keep it clean and dry also...
I have found that all the powder measures I have from Dillon work pretty much flawlessly for me...and drop very consistently...
Hope you enjoy loading on that press as much as I do...

 

[kalielkslayer]

Make sure you aren’t hitting anything with the top of the powder slide.

My brand new 550C required I put that part in a vise and slightly bend it to get clearance.

This was a year ago so I don’t remember exactly what part it was. If you need more info, I’ll go downstairs and look at it. I can take a picture if that helps?

Brand new, high quality press and I had to “Jerry rig” it.

But it worked so well after that I forgot about it until I saw your post.

 

[Soonerpesek]

Make sure you aren’t hitting anything with the top of the powder slide.

My brand new 550C required I put that part in a vise and slightly bend it to get clearance.

What exactly did you have to bend on a properly assembled measure...?

 

[Nature Boy]

If I recall there’s a screw that holds the linkage to the powder dispenser housing. If you tighten it too much it will cause what you’re experiencing. I’ll look at it when I get home. I have 8 of them

 

[daverich4]

Just make sure the bar is clean and dry.....I clean it occasionally with rubbing alcohol....NO lubrication...
The measure will rise up when the case meets the expander/funnel....this is normal...there may be a slight "pull" when the expander is released from the case...also normal...
It helps to wipe the expander with alcohol to keep it clean and dry also...
I have found that all the powder measures I have from Dillon work pretty much flawlessly for me...and drop very consistently...
Hope you enjoy loading on that press as much as I do...

Thanks for the response. It’s not the measure just rising up, it’s more like the powder bar is slightly catching on something coming and going but I don’t see anything that might be doing that.

 

[jmorris]

The latest Dillon linkage is known by many as the “clunker” linkage.

It is designed to prevent both squib and double charge loads.

The first linkage they had was the black one in this photo. It was spring return (see the two coil springs around the horn on the powder bar) if it got stuck and you didn’t notice, you were loading squibs. So they came up with the linkage on the measure that had a fail safe rod to force the return of the measure when the ram was all the way down.



However, if the operator raised the ram enough to charge the case then slightly lowered it enough to return the measure and raised it again, they double charged the case. Their solution was to not allow the measure to return until the failsafe rod was under tension at the bottom of the stroke. There are people that disable the feature but I am not one of them.

Might watch this 2 minute video and see if anything jumps out at you as different from what you have. It’s easy to lose that little plastic square and it’s important.

 

[EricBu]

I've been reloading for a long time but am in the process of setting up a Dillon 550C for the first time. Everything appears to be fine with the exception that the powder bar seems to stick a little part way through the upstroke and downstroke of the ram. The measure gives a little jump and I can hear it in both directions. It doesn't seem to affect the amount of powder dropped itself but as this press is new to me, I don't know if that's just normal behavior or if something is out of adjustment. I loaded 50 rounds of 357 Magnum with 4.8 gr of HP-38 and out of a sense of caution, weighed the charge every 5 rounds. Most were right on 4.8 with one at 4.7 and a couple at 4.9. Seems pretty normal to me but I'm not sure about whatever is sticking in the middle of the stroke. Can someone with Dillon experience give me some advice? Thanks.

With the "newer" model and the fail safe rod, there is a bit of jumping around. However, sometimes the powder bars do stick a little bit. Either the retaining nut is too tight (it should only be tight enough to keep the little white plastic square from jumping out of the track) or because of a rough surface. I pretty much take any new measure, and take the bar out and sand it down with super fine paper, give it a nice polish on all the contact surfaces. Then every couple of thousand rounds I do that again to knock down any powder residue that may have built up. When you reassemble, tighten that retaining nut just enough to hold the plastic square in the slot. You should be able to easily pull it away, but not clear the edge of the slot. If you tighten that too much, it will bind up at the end of the stroke.

 

[daverich4]

The latest Dillon linkage is known by many as the “clunker” linkage.

It is designed to prevent both squib and double charge loads.

The first linkage they had was the black one in this photo. It was spring return (see the two coil springs around the horn on the powder bar) if it got stuck and you didn’t notice, you were loading squibs. So they came up with the linkage on the measure that had a fail safe rod to force the return of the measure when the ram was all the way down.

View attachment 1059792

However, if the operator raised the ram enough to charge the case then slightly lowered it enough to return the measure and raised it again, they double charged the case. Their solution was to not allow the measure to return until the failsafe rod was under tension at the bottom of the stroke. There are people that disable the feature but I am not one of them.

Might watch this 2 minute video and see if anything jumps out at you as different from what you have. It’s easy to lose that little plastic square and it’s important.

Thanks for posting the video. It doesn’t address my exact problem but it does give me a better idea of how things are supposed to work.

 

[Nature Boy]

When you reassemble, tighten that retaining nut just enough to hold the plastic square in the slot

I think this is what I was referring to in my post above. If it’s too tight it will cause things to bind up

 

[daverich4]

With the "newer" model and the fail safe rod, there is a bit of jumping around. However, sometimes the powder bars do stick a little bit. Either the retaining nut is too tight (it should only be tight enough to keep the little white plastic square from jumping out of the track) or because of a rough surface. I pretty much take any new measure, and take the bar out and sand it down with super fine paper, give it a nice polish on all the contact surfaces. Then every couple of thousand rounds I do that again to knock down any powder residue that may have built up. When you reassemble, tighten that retaining nut just enough to hold the plastic square in the slot. You should be able to easily pull it away, but not clear the edge of the slot. If you tighten that too much, it will bind up at the end of the stroke.

I found the problem but I’m not sure if it’s something I have adjusted wrong or if it’s a problem with the part. There is a metal piece that’s bent and is hitting the edge of the powder measure frame as it moves forward and back. I’ve looked at pictures of the assembly and the part looks like it’s supposed to be bent but maybe it’s too much or I’ve done something wrong?

 

[Soonerpesek]

I found the problem but I’m not sure if it’s something I have adjusted wrong or if it’s a problem with the part. There is a metal piece that’s bent and is hitting the edge of the powder measure frame as it moves forward and back.

Looks like your failsafe rod nut needs to be set tighter.....the rod isn't pulling the linkage down far enough to clear....

 

[daverich4]

Looks like your failsafe rod nut needs to be set tighter.....the rod isn't pulling the linkage down far enough to clear....

Thanks for the suggestion. I tightened that up quite a bit which didn’t seem to have much effect so I tried loosening up the nut that holds that assembly on as was suggested earlier in this thread. That helped a lot. I left it so there’s just a slight tick as it goes past that part of the measure. If this was an RCBS Pro 2000 I’d know exactly what the proper setup was and I’m sure I’ll get settled in with the Dillon as I get more experience with it. Thanks again for your help.

 

[EricBu]

I found the problem but I’m not sure if it’s something I have adjusted wrong or if it’s a problem with the part. There is a metal piece that’s bent and is hitting the edge of the powder measure frame as it moves forward and back. I’ve looked at pictures of the assembly and the part looks like it’s supposed to be bent but maybe it’s too much or I’ve done something wrong?View attachment 1059909View attachment 1059910

Failsafe rod isn't adjusted correctly, need more tension on the flynut. Also, the linkage tensioning nut (below the number on your first picture) is too tight. Put a wrench on the nut side, and use an allan wrench to loosen it 1 to 2 turns. Pull out on the arm with the white plastic square. You should easily be able to pull it away from the powder bar, but it should not pull away so far that it can come out of the tracks.

 

[EricBu]

Thanks for the suggestion. I tightened that up quite a bit which didn’t seem to have much effect so I tried loosening up the nut that holds that assembly on as was suggested earlier in this thread. That helped a lot. I left it so there’s just a slight tick as it goes past that part of the measure. If this was an RCBS Pro 2000 I’d know exactly what the proper setup was and I’m sure I’ll get settled in with the Dillon as I get more experience with it. Thanks again for your help.

The correct way to adjust the fail safe rod: Push lever all the way forward like you are seating a primer. Tighten fly nut until the spring coils are approximately one business card thickness apart. Business card should be easily put in between the coils and pulled out.

 

[daverich4]

The correct way to adjust the fail safe rod: Push lever all the way forward like you are seating a primer. Tighten fly nut until the spring coils are approximately one business card thickness apart. Business card should be easily put in between the coils and pulled out.

I had adjusted the fly nut with the business card as shown on the video on the Dillon site but your suggestion about loosening the linkage tensioning nut is what fixed the problem. Thanks for helping me get this worked out.

 

[KB Hill]

Might be a little late to the party here, but I found that the angle of the 550 failsafe rod had quite an impact on the magnitude of the "clunk". The bend in the rod tended to cause binding of the assembly if not just right. I read that others with the same problem modified the bend, but I ended up swapping it for a 1050 failsafe rod which uses a R cotter pin instead of the bent rod. Also makes expansion adjustments and powder hopper changes easier.

 

[daverich4]

Might be a little late to the party here, but I found that the angle of the 550 failsafe rod had quite an impact on the magnitude of the "clunk". The bend in the rod tended to cause binding of the assembly if not just right. I read that others with the same problem modified the bend, but I ended up swapping it for a 1050 failsafe rod which uses a R cotter pin instead of the bent rod. Also makes expansion adjustments and powder hopper changes easier.

Thanks, I haven’t been able to completely eliminate the problem with adjustments so maybe I’ll try that as well.

 

[243winxb]

Powdered graphite may help on the bar.

 

[BIZERKO666]

Might be a little late to the party here, but I found that the angle of the 550 failsafe rod had quite an impact on the magnitude of the "clunk". The bend in the rod tended to cause binding of the assembly if not just right. I read that others with the same problem modified the bend, but I ended up swapping it for a 1050 failsafe rod which uses a R cotter pin instead of the bent rod. Also makes expansion adjustments and powder hopper changes easier.

I'm going to agree with KB hill. Had the same issue on the new rod design for my XL650. make sure the bend is closer to 90* angle.

 

[loadedround]

As Dillon states in their manual ''Don't suffer in silence''. Give them a call, explain your problem, and allow them to fix it for you. I'm sure it's a problem they've heard before and have an answer for you. Don't start bending parts just yet. Advice from a long time Dillon customer/user...35 years!

 

[BIZERKO666]

As Dillon states in their manual ''Don't suffer in silence''. Give them a call, explain your problem, and allow them to fix it for you. I'm sure it's a problem they've heard before and have an answer for you. Don't start bending parts just yet. Advice from a long time Dillon customer/user...35 years!

And that what was suggested before an offer to send me a new rod. Simply fix, Dillon customer for 27 years.

 

[cfullgraf]

I have later model Dillon presses but I added the spring returns as shown in jmorris’ post #7. They are, or were, available when I bought mine and the charge bars still have the post to wrap the spings around.

 

[RBRK]

As stated above in the picture, bent that rod so it’s more of a 90 degree bend. You will need a vise for this. I have 3 Dillon presses and had to do it to all to get the same problem you have to stop. Also make sure your rod is not binding when going up and down, by leaving the 1 inch powder funnel die loose and turning the whole assembly left or right while moving the handle up and down, once its smooth, tighten it down. I’ve had to slightly bend the failsafe rod as a whole to get smooth non binding operation while moving the handle up and down too. Once it’s all set up, you won’t have that kickback issue.

 

[daverich4]

As Dillon states in their manual ''Don't suffer in silence''. Give them a call, explain your problem, and allow them to fix it for you. I'm sure it's a problem they've heard before and have an answer for you. Don't start bending parts just yet. Advice from a long time Dillon customer/user...35 years!

They don’t have a support phone number on their web site and the support contact form says it’s taking several weeks to respond. Do people just call the main number for support questions?