Dillon 550 9 mm reloading

[alexisjohnson]

Hey guys,

I've adjusted the powder die bell to the point that its almost touching the end of the arm but i've found that the bell is just not sufficient. Many of the bullets are not being stabilized properly and fall over in short order on the seating die. If i continue to screw the die downwards...will that not push the linkage against the arm even further?

Am i missing something here?

[MarikinaMan]

The linkage length is adjustable.

[bruce381]

will that not push the linkage against the arm even further?

No it bottoms out and that "stop" is where the full "belling" takes place just move the DIE lower a little and try again till it is belled enough that boolets start and will stay balanced in the case.

[AG166]

will that not push the linkage against the arm even further?

No it bottoms out and that "stop" is where the full "belling" takes place just move the DIE lower a little and try again till it is belled enough that boolets start and will stay balanced in the case.

Correct. It takes a few tries to get it just right by screwing down the die and making the adjustment. Depending on which bullet you run will require a little more or less of a flare on the case mouth. I will flare my brass just enough to where the bullet sits on top case without falling off when I lower the handle.

[mjmagee67]

Adjust the height of the powder thrower to get proper belling, then adjust the linkage to make work correctly. I've never had an issue getting everything working great.

[Blademan21]

Adjust the height of the powder thrower to get proper belling, then adjust the linkage to make work correctly. I've never had an issue getting everything working great.

I need to try this. Having the same problem as the OP. Question...how can one keep the spent primers from not falling into the primer catcher? Seems like they like to pop out all over the bench most of the time. Any advice on this?
Thanking you in advance.

[DeliveryBoy]

I need to try this. Having the same problem as the OP. Question...how can one keep the spent primers from not falling into the primer catcher? Seems like they like to pop out all over the bench most of the time. Any advice on this?
Thanking you in advance.

Take a picture of the deprimer & primer catch on the first stage... I've never had an issue. (no offense) do you have all the pieces assembled? It should poop it right out into the spent primer catch. Let's see if we can correct it!

[Blademan21]

Take a picture of the deprimer & primer catch on the first stage... I've never had an issue. (no offense) do you have all the pieces assembled? It should poop it right out into the spent primer catch. Let's see if we can correct it!

I appreciate your reply. I need a few minutes to get to the basement where my man cave is located. Waiting for the mailman to delivery some items I ordered.
One is a zippered case for my Randall !4
Didn't have a issue with the primer catcher until about 600 rounds of 9MM where loaded. Then the bell on the brass would start to let the bullet lay over just before it went into the seating die.

[Blademan21]

Sorry for the bad picture. After a real close look I noticed that the (flap) for the spent primer catcher did not open to catch the primer. A little tweak and it now works like it did at first. Thanks again for your reply. Be safe.


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[alexisjohnson]

For the spent primers...whenever that pin (which is pretty flimsy) get a little bent out of shape....the chute fails to open up, causing the primers to pop out all over the place. I still haven't done this myself but i think if you use something more substantial...it should resolve the issue permanently.

[alexisjohnson]

So how would i adjust the linkage itself...i don't see anything that would adjust it (other than tightening the screw way down which would pull the linkage down).

The only adjustment i can see is where i simply adjust the powder die itself...

[jwest]

AJ,
I have one of my RL550B's currently set up for 9 mm. I've done a few enhancements with the mods from UniqueTek and I am using the BR powder charge from Redding as well as Redding dies.

My best advice right now is to make sure the 550 platform is level and the shell plate tension is set correctly. Also make sure the set screw is adjusted properly when setting the shell plate tension.

I use Star Line brass for 9mm and adjust the powder die for a slight bell. Note you have to get a couple of extra parts from Dillon to make that work with the Redding BR.

I also mic and weigh all of my loads as well as check with a chamber gauge.

Since the 550 is a manual index you can't index it too fast.

I can go into more detail if you are interested to know more about my 9mm setup.

Regards,
jwest

[flyinverted]

Yes you can index the 550 too fast. You'll see this with cases that get filled close to the top and powder spills out when indexing. This is remedied with a ceramic index bearing and new spring under the shell plate.

[randomBytes]

So how would i adjust the linkage itself...i don't see anything that would adjust it (other than tightening the screw way down which would pull the linkage down).

The only adjustment i can see is where i simply adjust the powder die itself...

When the machine is properly adjusted and at rest (arm up, ram down), there should be no real tension on anything, the white nut on the powder bar linkage should be just resting (possibly slight tension) against the under side of the arm on the stage.

In the ram up (arm down) position you need to ensure that the linkage has fully moved the powder bar to its furthest open, and in the ram down position that it is moved all the way back.

The belling of the case is just a matter of adjusting the powder die up/down.
Belling won't start until the powder bar has fully moved to the open position.
So you need to get there and then screw the powder die down a bit futher.