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

[DLS]

Here's what I'm talking about:



I've had nothing but failure trying to get my 550C priming system to work. It has almost made me regret buying the loader. I've called Dillon a few times, and get the same answers as the owners manual. It's set up properly. If I snug up the attaching screws so that the primer assembly does not move around I get perhaps 50 rounds loaded before the primer arm sticks. It hangs up just long enough during the return stroke of the press handle to allow a gap to form between arm position and the stop. It then "pop" loose allowing the arm to snap forward, launching the primer to who knows where.

The only way I can use the system is to grab hold of the primer arm when the press handle is all the way down. As I lift the handle slowly I slowly push the primer arm forward easing it past the sticking point. By the time I add in this and the time it takes to load primer tubes it slows my production to less than 100 per hour.

If I loosen the assembly so that the arm does not stick the assembly moves around so that the primer cup misaligns with the shell plate opening or it rubs against the spent primer chute causing a groove to be cut in the arm. If I snug it up even a barely perceptible amount the arm goes back to sticking.

I've tried cleaning, no lube, dry lubes, wet lubes. I've polished the primer track bearing on a sheet of glass with jewelers rouge as well as smoothed and polished the primer arm assembly and the housing it sits in. I've done other things as well, and have fiddled and fussed with this for almost the full year I've owned the press.

I'm thinking of trying the bearing plate shown above before I totally give up on the priming system. Does anybody have any experience with this accessory?

Thanks for your ideas and help!

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[DizzyJ]

I don't recall seeing this particular problem as being common to those who own this press. Could be I'm just not tuned into it as I don't own one.

Seems to me it might behoove you to send it in to Dillon for a once over? Not ideal, but I'm sure they would take care of you.

 

[JO JO]

Will the primer bar slide freely with the linkage and spring disconnected and ram up handle down, if you can manually slide it , I found this on a Dillon q/a fourm
Remove the primer slide and measure the dimension from the underside of the primer slide to the top of the cup. THis should be 1.215-1.220", as shown on the exploded drawing. It sounds like the cup and punch are too high. If this is the case, use a c-clamp or vise to reseat these parts and hold them in place while you retighten the set screw.

 

[JO JO]

I have a 550 that works as it should ,
If you want to compare measurements of primer parts let me know

 

[JO JO]

Just measured mine to compare
Worth a try ?

 

[DLS]

The primer cup height is within specs. The binding occurs when the primer arm is back nearly fully retracted. It will pick up a primer, move forward a fraction of an inch then stick for a moment. When it does let loose there is enough slack that the arm snaps forward with enough velocity to launch the primer out of the cup. By the way, this happens with both the large and small primer arms.

I can manually slide the bar with the spring disconnected. When doing this I feel no areas of resistance even if I push the arm toward either side or upward against the top of the assembly housing. Even so I have polished all areas where any contact, binding may occur hoping to solve this problem.

The idea of the replacement bearing is that is extends farther back supporting the primer arm for its full length of travel. The theory is that when using the stock bearing and the arm is fully back, the rearward portion is unsupported and this allows the forward part of the arm to tip up slightly binding the arm.

It sounds good as the position of the return spring does pull the back of the arm downward when the arm is fully back. When the arm is fully back you can wiggle the arm up and down a tiny bit, so this longer plate may solve the problem. If so Dillon should update their system and offer replacement plates to current owners. I'm not counting on that though.

As far as sending the press back to Dillon I'll pass. This only happens when you are actually loading, not when fiddling with it empty. I don't relish paying that much in freight to have them pump the handle a few times and declare operational. They won't actually test it under operating conditions, so they will chalk it up to user error and send it back.

It may be me, who knows? But I'm nowhere near a newbie in loading or operating complex machinery so I highly doubt it.

It's a design flaw in my opinion, bolstered by the several accessories for sale to solve this problem as well as the many YouTube videos addressing the issues with the priming system. I'm not going to get rid of the press, I'll just do the priming off the press, but it's frustrating to have expectations that it would actually work and to not have that expectation realized. As it stands I'll not buy another Dillon press in the future.

Thanks for the ideas / thinking on this … I appreciate it!

 

[LSWC]

I have the bearing plate you have pictured - it works fine but I don't really attribute normal and reliable primer loading to this plate.

My powder drop started binding up recently and I called Dillon. They didn't have many suggestions other than to ensure the part was clean & lubed as suggested... I spent an hour and stripped it down a week ago and did some minor work on the unit to get it up & running again. The powder bar was clean, appeared in good shape, as did the internals for the powder drop.

What ended up working and returning things to smooth operation was when I got out a small file and went over all surfaces. Just making sure there were no high spots, and all corners were square. I did find a few spots where the file grabbed and did some work - it was just enough and resolved the problem.

Maybe get a small, fine file and see if you can smooth things out. One small burr or edge may be the culprit.

 

[xlsbob]

On the 550 I run large primers on if I tighten the bolts snug it sometimes has issues. I run the bolts just snug with a little Loctite and that seems to take care of it, I run separate machines for large and small primers so it doesn't matter when changing sizes.

 

[DLS]

Lest there be any doubt ...

 

[DLS]

...
What ended up working and returning things to smooth operation was when I got out a small file and went over all surfaces. ...

I've done this on a flat plate with ultrafine Emory cloth (the grit used to polish out automobile headlamp covers) and have not found any burrs. I'll try it again with a fine file, perhaps a single cut file will allow me to feel something that my other methods did not. I'll let you know, thanks LSWC, and everybody else too!

 

[DLS]

On the 550 I run large primers on if I tighten the bolts snug it sometimes has issues. I run the bolts just snug with a little Loctite and that seems to take care of it, I run separate machines for large and small primers so it doesn't matter when changing sizes.

Thanks for the input. In my case too loose and the primer cup misaligns with the shell plate causing problems. Only a bit tighter on the screws (say a 1/64th turn), as little as I can possible turn the screws the misalignment stops and the binding starts.

 

[xlsbob]

My large primer one can be a pain to adjust, that's why it gets lined up and loc tited. The small primer one can be tight or so loose it moves and it just works. Friend hasn't had any issues whatever with either one of hers, think it's luck . I don't know anybody who has the aftermarket bearing setup or I would have tried that

 

[JO JO]

Another long shot could the primer tube and primer arm bind due to a worn tip on the tube , or double feeding primers and binding

 

[Tilos]

Read thru this thread on 550B primer slide sticking:

550b primer slide sticking

I am having trouble with the primer slide sticking in the rearmost position and not pushing forward and delivering a primer. This happens now with about 1 out of every 4 or 5 rounds. In the past I've been able to correct this by sprinkling powdered graphite on the platform the primer track bearin...

forums.brianenos.com

Mostly just suggests the part you pictured:

Amazon.com: JW Systems Dillon 550B Primer Track Bearing Plate w/Ball Bearing : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com: JW Systems Dillon 550B Primer Track Bearing Plate w/Ball Bearing : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

Read the reviews at Amazon for more info...

edit: the stock oem plate wears like in this small pic under the product pic:

550 Primer Track Bearing

550 Primer Track Bearing for Dillon Precision RL 550 reloading press.

www.uniquetek.com

 

[DLS]

Thanks for the links @Tilos, reading through the Brian Enos forum shows a story that seems identical to mine. I've put the primer track bearing with roller on order from Amazon and am looking forward to giving it a try. If I could get this system to work I'd be one happy camper! BTW my track bearing does not show wear like the photo from Uniquetek, but it does show a potential problem that a longer bearing would solve.

In the meantime I've run a file over all contact surfaces as @LSWC recommended. I did not feel any burrs but there were a few tiny "stained" areas the cleaned up nicely. I slightly beveled every corner as well. I then polished everything with Flitz and then an acetone rinse to make sure there is no residue.

I'll be back out at my bench in a bit and will give the priming system a try with the new polishing job. I'm not hopeful as I've done all this several times before, but did not use a file … so we will see. I'll report back later today.

Oh, BTW @JO JO , I tried changing out the tips a couple of times, same results. Thanks for the idea though!

Again thanks for all the input, and I'm happy to hear more ideas / comments!

After all … I need to load up all my brass since there is an Apocalyps coming!

 

[ageingstudent]

Thanks for the links @Tilos, reading through the Brian Enos forum shows a story that seems identical to mine. I've put the primer track bearing with roller on order from Amazon and am looking forward to giving it a try. If I could get this system to work I'd be one happy camper! BTW my track bearing does not show wear like the photo from Uniquetek, but it does show a potential problem that a longer bearing would solve.

In the meantime I've run a file over all contact surfaces as @LSWC recommended. I did not feel any burrs but there were a few tiny "stained" areas the cleaned up nicely. I slightly beveled every corner as well. I then polished everything with Flitz and then an acetone rinse to make sure there is no residue.

I'll be back out at my bench in a bit and will give the priming system a try with the new polishing job. I'm not hopeful as I've done all this several times before, but did not use a file … so we will see. I'll report back later today.

Oh, BTW @JO JO , I tried changing out the tips a couple of times, same results. Thanks for the idea though!

Again thanks for all the input, and I'm happy to hear more ideas / comments!

After all … I need to load up all my brass since there is an Apocalyps coming!

Maybe try not cleaning the flitz off with acetone. The acetone might make it too clean and kind of etchy and might make the sticking worse. I don't think flitz would leave enough residue to be an issue. Just buff it down very well. I use flitz on the inside of my dies when I clean them and have never had an issue with contamination.

 

[DLS]

Well last night after the filing and cleaning I got through 200 rounds of .223 with the arm only sticking five or six times. Much better but still a pain. I cleaned the parts again with Tri-flow and wiped them totally dry. I'll get out there again tonight and see if the residual Teflon from the Tri-flow makes any difference. If it still sticks I'm quitting on the primer system until the new bearing plate arrives, and hopefully it will solve my problems.

On another issue … does anybody have problems with the last primer in the tube flipping upside down? When loading the primer magazine this last primer sticks in the primer feed tube and I use the cotter pin to push it free from the plastic housing. I'm careful to push straight down and not tip the primer, but it still comes out on the primer cup upside down about a third of the time.

 

[DizzyJ]

Well last night after the filing and cleaning I got through 200 rounds of .223 with the arm only sticking five or six times. Much better but still a pain. I cleaned the parts again with Tri-flow and wiped them totally dry. I'll get out there again tonight and see if the residual Teflon from the Tri-flow makes any difference. If it still sticks I'm quitting on the primer system until the new bearing plate arrives, and hopefully it will solve my problems.

On another issue … does anybody have problems with the last primer in the tube flipping upside down? When loading the primer magazine this last primer sticks in the primer feed tube and I use the cotter pin to push it free from the plastic housing. I'm careful to push straight down and not tip the primer, but it still comes out on the primer cup upside down about a third of the time.

I've never had that problem on my 650 or the RCBS Ammomaster 2000

 

[LSWC]

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.

 

[Tilos]

Well last night after the filing and cleaning I got through 200 rounds of .223 with the arm only sticking five or six times. Much better but still a pain. I cleaned the parts again with Tri-flow and wiped them totally dry. I'll get out there again tonight and see if the residual Teflon from the Tri-flow makes any difference. If it still sticks I'm quitting on the primer system until the new bearing plate arrives, and hopefully it will solve my problems.

On another issue … does anybody have problems with the last primer in the tube flipping upside down? When loading the primer magazine this last primer sticks in the primer feed tube and I use the cotter pin to push it free from the plastic housing. I'm careful to push straight down and not tip the primer, but it still comes out on the primer cup upside down about a third of the time.

Another question
Does the grooved roller on the side of the primer slide stay out near the snap ring when the slide is in it's rear position.
If not and drifts inward towards the slide, it can get caught on the back of the housing.
Some have put a collar/sleeve behind the roller/follower to keep it out near the snap-ring.
Pic stolen from Emos site