JW Systems Dillon 550B Primer Track Bearing Plate w/Ball Bearing, anybody use this?

[DLS]

After filling the primer tube I'll grab the black plastic follower that goes in the auto primer. I'll stuff that in the full primer tube and push all primers forward just a hair as I flip the tube over.

I can make a video of this is tough to follow.

I got it, and will give that a try, thanks! It seems this will work.

 

[DLS]

Another question
Does the grooved roller on the side of the primer slide stay out near the snap ring...

Yes it does stay out near the snap ring.

 

[41mag]

They won't actually test it under operating conditions, so they will chalk it up to user error and send it back.

I used the 550B for over 20 years with all sorts of tics to sort out, but nothing like what you describe. The techs always were helpful & solved my issues, often a truly enjoyable learning experience, once the frustration cleared. And they have rebuilt/replaced my entire press without any conflict. After 10 hard years on my 650, there was an issue I attributed to a certain kind of ram slop. Whatever they did to fix it I didn't know, they sent an actual new press.
I'm sure you'll find a solution. Learning the tricks to becoming a 550/650 operator can be annoying at time but well worth the effort. Good luck.

 

[mortar maggot]

I loaded about 1,500 rounds of 9mm today on my 550.

To get the primers to feed right, I leave the plastic rod resting in the tube of primers.

Also I use Hornady Dry lube spray on the plate and the primer feeding bar that goes back and forth. Be sure it is totally dry before placing primers in.

The plastic roller on mine when I am down to the last few primers will occasionally hang up on the frame, it is as if the 1/8" or so rod that pushes on the roller is out of spec. When I say occasionally it happened about 4-5 times today.

 

[Wayne]

A little late but, I had this happen on my 550, sometimes it would snap back so hard the primer would jump out of the cup this after many k's of ammo made. The slide looked like it had little dots of rust that would not sand off using micro mesh. Dillon sent me a new slide and no more problems. Good luck.

 

[DLS]

I got it, and will give that a try, thanks! It seems this will work.

This seems to work for me! Four fills and all the proper orientation so far. I know that's not a lot of testing but it's promising.

 

[DLS]

A little late but, I had this happen on my 550, sometimes it would snap back so hard the primer would jump out of the cup this after many k's of ammo made. The slide looked like it had little dots of rust that would not sand off using micro mesh. Dillon sent me a new slide and no more problems. Good luck.

That's the major issue with this problem. The primer launches out of the cup and if you don't notice it you are having ball powder pouring all over everything out of the unprimed case.

I loaded another 400 over the last few days … and still get the sticking problem. Not one to give up (or being really dense, not sure) I pulled it all apart again, cleaned with brake cleaner, lapped the bar and bearing to each other and still had problems.

The new roller bearing equipped bearing was delivered today. I'll put it into use tonight or tomorrow and hopefully the problems will go away.

Thanks for all the ideas!

 

[Tilos]

Have you tried any dry lube?
This stuff from WallyWorld works for me on all kinds of stuff, even as a cleaner for handguns.

 

[Throckmorton]

my pea brain is recalling another machine I had ,early 550,and when the primer slide was sliding thru the 'ears' of the primer magazine the cup was rubbing against the ears on one side,

 

[DLS]

Okay … it's been a while sorry for the silence (as if you are all here anxiously awaiting my next post <grin>)

I've finally bagged the old slide bearing and installed the JW Systems product and I'm thrilled to say that it is 99% effective!

I've now ran 800 .223 through the press and had just two primers turn sidewise and one jump from the cup. This performance is so much better than the 10 - 12 failures per 100 I was getting previously. I'm still very gun shy of this priming system so I slooooooooowly raise the press handle watching for a primer to be picked up and gently moving it under the shell plate to ensure is stays in place and doesn't tip. So I'm still nowhere as fast as the marketing videos show but I'll take it.

I tried one more round with the old bearing with and without lube (@Tilos I've used the exact silicone spray before and it was the last I used this time as well). While the polishing and lube helped it still failed multiple times. I hate to not "fix" broken things, but this system is just not well thought out and prone to binding, as the many YouTube videos dealing with the subject demonstrate.

The old bearing shows wear that you would expect if the primer arm was tipping up and back (from the operator's perspective) and this has to be what was causing the binding. The attached picture does not really show the wear well, I can't get the lighting to not wash it out when photographed.



The new slide bearing extends back quite a bit, supporting the primer arm over its entire range of movement. I can't understand why Dillon would not make this change on their current machines and solve a problem before it starts.

Oh well … problem mostly solved. I've got 1,000 124gr FMJ-RN bullets and a pile of empty 9mm brass that will just have to test the system a bit more over the next day or so … as soon as the shop warms up a bit!

Thanks for all the support and suggestions. I appreciate it. BTW, I have a spare slide bearing if anyone wants one . Just let me know.

Even with this working so much better I'm still probably going to do a lot of priming off the press. By the time you pick up primers in the primer tube I can dump them into my Lee hand tool and have 25 or 30 primed. We'll see ... I'm going to give it a bit more time to see if I can get the production speeds up to where I think they could be if the system allowed for reasonable speeds moving the operation handle. Time will tell!

 

[Tilos]

Good to hear about your success even if it's not perfection (yet).

As far as "dry" lube goes, my go to for plastic stuff is Armorall, put on with a Q-Tip.
Mostly on Lee stuff though, it's a lot of plastic, primer troughs/flip trays, etc.
One time I MacGyvered a Lee hand primer tool flip tray into a primer tube filler, way faster than stabbing primers, vibrated it with something like this: Amazon.com: TACKLIFE EGD12AC Classic Multi-functional Engraver Precision Carving Machine with 4 Replaceable Tungsten Carbide Steel Bits, Includes Letter/Number Template and Shape Template: Home Improvement

Here's the tray packed out with cardboard to center the primer tube:

Tray with tube installed, I wrapped a rubber band around the tray where the tube goes to hold the tube in:
Something you might want to try,

 

[DLS]

That is an excellent idea @Tilos!

Even is this is rather clunky in use, it's far better than the $300 plus Dillon wants for their primer tube filler!

I have two of those Lee primer tools one set up for small, the other large primers. If it fills the tube quickly I'd be more than happy to use one for that new duty. I have an old battery operated electric toothbrush that I can no longer get replacement brushes for. I wonder if that will vibrate enough to work … dang, now where did I put that thing? Somewhere where I would never lose it of course .

 

[Tilos]

That is an excellent idea @Tilos!

Even is this is rather clunky in use, it's far better than the $300 plus Dillon wants for their primer tube filler!

I have two of those Lee primer tools one set up for small, the other large primers. If it fills the tube quickly I'd be more than happy to use one for that new duty. I have an old battery operated electric toothbrush that I can no longer get replacement brushes for. I wonder if that will vibrate enough to work … dang, now where did I put that thing? Somewhere where I would never lose it of course .

I've used a Sonic tooth brush for this, but if my wife asks, that never happened

 

[Tilos]

… and there's this, I have one
Amazon.com : Frankford Arsenal Vibra Prime Universal Automatic Large and Small Primer Tube Filler for Reloading : Hunting And Shooting Equipment : Sports & Outdoors

 

[scrandall01215]

… and there's this, I have one
Amazon.com : Frankford Arsenal Vibra Prime Universal Automatic Large and Small Primer Tube Filler for Reloading : Hunting And Shooting Equipment : Sports & Outdoors

This ^^^^. I have been using one for about6-8 yrs it works great. Definitely recommend it cost me about 50.00 well worth the money

Stacy

 

[Lar45]

The problems that you are describing are probably caused by tightening the 2 bolts on the bottom too much. This squashes the aluminum housing and bulges the sides of the holes that the bolts go through.
To fix it, disassemble it and take a couple of strokes with a fine file to make the channel flat again. Then don't overtighten it when reinstalling.