3rd Square Deal

[jgh4445]

Well, I have just gotten a 3rd square deal for my bench. When I called Dillon about a part I needed, he mentioned that it was for the "Gen 2" unit. (I guess everything has to be a "Gen" something or other now days) Turns out the Gen 1 had a spring around the powder bar, Gen 2 had a spring around the powder bar plus a return rod that is anchored at the spent primer chute bracket and the Gen 3 has the entire fail safe mechanism on the powder measure. Turns out I have one of each now. Guess I'll add one more in the near future so I can just go to a machine and pull the handle for 9's, 10's 45ACP's and 45 Colt's. No more changing dies or primer sizes.

 

[Catpop]

I have 2, a SD and a SDB. First made in 80s has the spring, second made in 2012 or so has failsafe.
I love both.

 

[jmorris]

The first linkage is the black one in the pliers. They requires the springs around the body of the measure and the "saddle horn" on the powder bar to return them. If they got stuck "open" and you didn't notice you were throwing squibs.

The second linkage with the fail safe rod, pulled the powder bar back even it it happened to need more force to return that the springs could provide on their own. You can still run the springs as I do.



With either of the spring return measures, if the operator failed to preform complete strokes they could raise the ram, charging the case, then lower it just enough to reset the measure but not index the press. Now raise the ram again and you have a double charged case. The fact that the 3rd generation linkage exists means someone did it and it cures the problem. With it the powder measure doesn't return until after the shell plate has indexed and the ram is at the bottom of the stroke.





FWIW That won't be the only differences between the 3 presses, the frames are different too.