Dillon mods

[The Antichrome]

Some of my 550 mods:

Strong mount and roller handle.
Bin dam on the acro bin that catches the finished rounds
.45 case on the primer rod
Cheap throw-away pen light stuck down the hole in the toolhead
Micrometer powder adjustment (nice but I wouldnt spend the $ again)
Needle bearing shell plate (nice, small improvement)
1050 powder funnel/die (awesome)
Some creative duct-taping around the spent primer cup to catch some strays and bouncers
Small refrigerator magnet on the spent primer chute.

See posts on the first page for more.

 

[dziamski]

Hey anti, Can you show a photo of what the small refridgerator magnet does? Or where it goes?

Have the strong mount and made my own Bin Dam. Whats the difference in the Powder funnels? Is the roller handle really worth it? Also is the needle bearing shell plate really worth it?

 

[Ksmirk]

I know the roller handle is NICE! I've not heard of the needle bearing shell plate mod though, would you offer some more info please maybe a pic or two? I've not had much trouble with the primer cup. Later,

Kirk

 

[drmitchgibson]

I did this mod to keep the primer bar lever on its track. My brother's first 550 had this thing jumping off track pretty often, and mine has done it many times as well. The rod that forms the lever moves laterally too much in its plain bearing race, or what you might call a "hole". I tapped the other side starting with a taper tap to get a little relief and pre-threading, and finished with a bottoming tap. It's only tapped about 5/16", so that the rod can rest on the full bearing surface it was designed for. An 8-32 standard machine thread tap was used. I thought about using or making a set screw for it to make it look more refined, but ended up reloading.

Also, the roller handle is really way better than the knob. And the strong mount is also great. It puts my machine at a height where I can load for hours with no fatigue whatsoever.

 

[The Antichrome]

Hey anti, Can you show a photo of what the small refridgerator magnet does? Or where it goes?

Have the strong mount and made my own Bin Dam. Whats the difference in the Powder funnels? Is the roller handle really worth it? Also is the needle bearing shell plate really worth it?

I know the roller handle is NICE! I've not heard of the needle bearing shell plate mod though, would you offer some more info please maybe a pic or two? I've not had much trouble with the primer cup. Later,

Kirk

The magnet (its gotta be small/thin) goes on the lower back side of the spent primer chute. I'm not sure it makes a difference, but I like to think it does. (I got this tip from Troy back on page 1)
The 1050 powder funnel is nice. It only flares the mouth of the case and doesnt 'stick' on the upstroke. When I last mentioned this, someone gave me all kinds of warning to not do this...its been nothing but good for me.
The roller handle is as essential as a steering wheel in a car;-)
The needle bearing shell plate is nice. I'd buy it again. It just makes advancing the shellplate a bit smoother.
http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1281

 

[dziamski]

Thanks Robert and Mitch. Have a great Sunday and shoot straight.

 

[poopgiggle]

I just put a 45 case on the primer rod because

1. Why not
2. I couldn't think of anything else to do with a small primer 45 case

 

[RyanReed]

Here are a few I've done on my 550's:

Remove the decapping pin in station 1 and bevel the tip - make it look like a hypodermic needle. My presses were not always depriming cases - this fixed that problem.

Remove the codder pin in the spent primer trap and replace it with a safety pin. This allows it to rotate better & not stick in the open position.

Glued a 200gr bullet to the end of the primer tube rod.

 

[dziamski]

Thanks Ryan. I just changed out my cotter pin with a safety pin and will glue a 200 grainer on after tonights Reloading session. I am also going to order the 1050 powder funnel and the needle bearing for the shell plate. Thanks guys.

 

[nikatkimber]

What's the .45 case and 200gr bullets on the primer rod for?

 

[RyanReed]

What's the .45 case and 200gr bullets on the primer rod for?

Sometimes I had primers skip - they got hung on the tab of the primer tube. The bullet adds a little extra weight to help keep them moving down.

 

[JoesGlock]

I added some LED lights, that I bought at Pep Boys, to my 650. I also purchased an aftermarket case feeder off of ebay. The case feeder works great and it was half the price of a Dillon case feeder.

 

[drmitchgibson]

I put on an Arredondo Powder Measure knob two days ago. I'm not too keen on the purple, but it's a very nice product, install takes one second, and it works really well. Costs $5.

 

[poopgiggle]

I added some LED lights, that I bought at Pep Boys, to my 650.

That thing looks like it should have a spoiler and spinnaz.

THEY SEE ME LOADIN (Bullseye)
THEY HATIN
TRYNNA CATCH ME LOADIN DIRTY

 

[Ksmirk]

JHolmes I had that thought the other day! mind me asking are those AC or DC? I was thinking some of the stick on LED's you can get for under the counter in the kitchen. Later,

Kirk

 

[JoesGlock]

They are 12v DC. I am using a power supply I had in the garage to run them.

 

[Robusto]

I added some LED lights, that I bought at Pep Boys, to my 650.

Brilliant!

 

[JoesGlock]

Brilliant!

I don't know about Brilliant, but it definitely helps me see into the press.

 

[CBR]

Took the Pep Boys tip. They also had an a/c adapter with a switch . Let there be light.

 

[JoesGlock]

Took the Pep Boys tip. They also had an a/c adapter with a switch . Let there be light.

I didn't see the a/c adapter when I was there, how musch did the adapter cost?

Looks a lot better that the powersupply I dug out of the boxes in my garage!