Dillon Users Only!

[deadshot2]

Over the time you've owned your Dillon Press, how many parts have you had break and what were they?

I've had my XL-650 for about 5 years now (I forgot what year I bought it) and after a round count that would rival some small "factories" I've only had two pieces break. One was the chute/bin mount (a faulty spot weld) that failed around the 50k mark and the other was the spring inside the case inserting slide, again at about the 50 k mark. Tried to tell the Dillon people that one was worn out and I may have caused the other to fail so I would be happy to pay for both parts. They refused to even accept my C/C number. Parts arrived in 2 days.

Just thought I'd ask if other DILLON users had had any parts fail on their presses, what they were, and about how long was the press used before they failed.


PS: Those with Red and Green progressive presses please start your own thread on this topic if you wish.

Read More

 

[kevlar]

Running two 550b's rifle and pistol calibers. No breakages yet.

 

[giddyupgo55]

The only thing to not work right on my 650 ( about 10,000 rounds ) was the spring on the primer seat. Replaced at no charge.

 

[BANE]

I have a XL650 and love it! Had it for 5yrs now. Put around 45,000 rds through her and no breakage so far. go blue!

 

[BillCh]

Dillon 550.

The plastic tip on one of my large primer feed tubes had to be replaced after 6 years and many thousands of rounds.
I had a spare.

B

 

[MarkAd]

Who has a good deal on dillon presses

 

[Grunwald]

I bought a SDB and the low primer alarm was faulty. They shipped out a new one right away. No other problems so far, but I've only made about 1500 rounds ... or maybe 2500

 

[Mason3379]

Since we are talking Dillon....How much does your press vary on powder charges when reloading? I have had issues up to about a whole grain of powder hi or low.

 

[AMProducts]

hmm stuff that breaks on dillons...

550:

The primer pickup arm always deforms and stops picking up primers, eventually breaks
Primer shuttle return spring

650:

Case feed shuttle spring, fails about every 6 months or so (really annoying to replace)
Advancing thing (that black plastic thing) broke on me a few times
Case feed singulator spring, broke on me once or twice
priming system explosions - wipes out whole priming system except for the seating punch assembly

1050:

RL1050 - had the main shaft break where it attaches to the crank
Advancing pawl return spring (breaks about every 3-4 months)
Primer seating punches get rounded off (I just regrind them on the surface grinder)
Primer seating punch return spring
Main return spring (for the head)
Priming system explosion - requires a new primer feed tube and good cleaning, that's it.

I'm sure there's more, but I know that's all stuff I've had to replace at annoying times. The springs are usually the weakest point.

 

[wichaka]

They need to be cleaned regularly...especially around the priming area. Decapping brass tends to spew particals all over, and eventually gums the works.

As for replacing parts...just the plastic tip on the primer tube on the machine of my 550B. The primers would end up on their side, upside down etc.

 

[humdrum]

More than ten years on a 550 without any breakages that I can remember.

 

[OregonPlinker]

Ive had mine a week, Havent loaded a single round and havent had a single problem...

 

[FarmerTed1971]

I bought a SDB and the low primer alarm was faulty. They shipped out a new one right away.

Same thing here, internals were corroded. Sent me a new one pronto. Love me some Dillon!

 

[Phrank]

Wave bearings and 9mm shell plate on a 20 year old SDB. Bearings were split in the middle, shell plate just plain worn out from unknown 10's of thousands of rounds. New shell plate looks to be a more robust piece than the original, I'll let the group know in 30 or 40k rounds what it looks like.

 

[bullethead]

I have had an RL450 since the mid 80s, and have loaded LOTS of ammo on it. I wore out the little plastic do-hickies on the end of the primer tubes. They were replaced at no charge. Other that that, nothing else has had to be replaced or repaired. Kept clean and lubed, it works great.

 

[deadshot2]

hmm stuff that breaks on dillons...

550:

The primer pickup arm always deforms and stops picking up primers, eventually breaks
Primer shuttle return spring

650:

Case feed shuttle spring, fails about every 6 months or so (really annoying to replace)
Advancing thing (that black plastic thing) broke on me a few times
Case feed singulator spring, broke on me once or twice
priming system explosions - wipes out whole priming system except for the seating punch assembly

1050:

RL1050 - had the main shaft break where it attaches to the crank
Advancing pawl return spring (breaks about every 3-4 months)
Primer seating punches get rounded off (I just regrind them on the surface grinder)
Primer seating punch return spring
Main return spring (for the head)
Priming system explosion - requires a new primer feed tube and good cleaning, that's it.

I'm sure there's more, but I know that's all stuff I've had to replace at annoying times. The springs are usually the weakest point.

And after how many MILLION rounds?

 

[AMProducts]

Most of these machines load probably about 10-30K a month depending on demand. This was in a commercial environment. Usually when the 1050's start to get around 5 million rounds they are pretty worn out, lots of wobble on the main shaft. I wanted to replace them, instead I milled out the shaft channel and put in bronze sleeve bearings, they probably have another 5 million on them since then and are doing ok.

The time the main shaft broke on the 1050 and dillon wanted to charge me a few hundred bucks for a replacement shaft really pissed me off. If I do something wrong and break something I don't mind paying for my mistake, if a part breaks due to bad engineering I tend to get a bit hacked off.

The thing with dillon, they arn't the best game in town, they are the only game in town when it comes to the 1050.

 

[deadshot2]

Most of these machines load probably about 10-30K a month depending on demand. This was in a commercial environment. Usually when the 1050's start to get around 5 million rounds they are pretty worn out, lots of wobble on the main shaft. I wanted to replace them, instead I milled out the shaft channel and put in bronze sleeve bearings, they probably have another 5 million on them since then and are doing ok.

The time the main shaft broke on the 1050 and dillon wanted to charge me a few hundred bucks for a replacement shaft really pissed me off. If I do something wrong and break something I don't mind paying for my mistake, if a part breaks due to bad engineering I tend to get a bit hacked off.

The thing with dillon, they arn't the best game in town, they are the only game in town when it comes to the 1050.

With that kind of volume you need a Camdex or Ammo Load. They're easier on the arm too

 

[AMProducts]

At that job we had 2 ammoloads, and somewhere between 5 and 9 camdex' up and running (4 of them were JS6300's which were constantly needing replacement parts, so would often get cannibalized until I could make new ones). The problem was we loaded 93 different calibers, some of them were quite small volume, or were too big and got loaded on the dillons (.45-120, .50-90, 32 S&W-Long, 41Colt).

Ammoloads take a day or two for change-over, to get them tweaked and running right, if it required a cam replacement, it's a solid 2-3 day job, as you have to hammer the mainshaft out the back. I really don't know WTF ammoload was thinking when they came up with that design. However, the ammoloads, after you change them over and get them running right, you can crank out 40K rds/day. I remember back in 2008, we were insanely backordered on .38SPL, when our brass order came in from starline, I think we had like 60K pcs delivered... I loaded it all, in a single 18 hour day. It took 2 days to get out of packing and QC, but then it went off to the customers who had been calling constantly.

 

[Cheezit]

More than ten years on a 550 without any breakages that I can remember.

Me, too. Maybe more. And during nine or ten of those years I was reloading for about five IPSC matches, one pin match, and a speed steel match a month plus practice ammo. It's had a lot of use with no breakage.