XL650 question

[Jeryray]

OK, so after a month or so and 1200 rounds, I find 2 strange occurrences.

1. Sometimes the completed round seems to hang up on the metal spring. A slight push and it falls down the chute.

2. When I go to the forward stroke sometimes I feel like something is stuck, when I apply more pressure there is a slight jump like the primer is not quite lined up.

I do not snap the arm. I am firm but not fast.

I can see it indexes OK.

Perhaps it's just some brass.

I might start marking those to get an idea of which one seem to be harder to insert the primers into?

 

[JeepHammer]

1. Call Dillon, tell them you need a new spring.
They will send you one for free, with the 'Extra' you can bend yours a little and see if that helps with the discharging into the shoot.

Sometimes the 'Tail' needs to be pushed into the hole, when it works it's way up a little mine likes to hang the rounds right on the lip of the eject ramp.

2. Call Dillon and ask for the tool head alignment pin that goes into the powder station.
That pin is free for the asking, and it's the ONLY way to get the tool head to align with the primer punch.
Mine came with instructions, with a little fine tuning the press ran MUCH smoother than it did out of the box and removed that 'Chunk' from primer insertion.

Raise the ram about 2",
Look on the left side of the press under the shell plate/ram head,
Mounted to the LEFT side of the press frame you will see a 'Black' piece of metal bolted on the frame,
It will have an angled top.
That is 1/2 the shell plate indexer.

Look under the ram head, find an opaque/white PLASTIC ring around the ram right under the ram head.
It will have an angled surface 'Pointing' down.

That is the other half of the indexer.

Work the press empty a few times, watch those two pieces interact on each other...

Then work the ram a few times watching the shell plate over the primer punch,
MAKE SURE the shell plate 'U' notch stops EXACTLY CENTER the primer punch.

Adjusting the 'Black' frame bolted on piece forward or backwards a little will determine where that shell plate stops in rotation.

Dillon likes to OVER index the shell plate, actually going just a little too far,
Then letting the ball/spring Detent under the shell plate 'Snap' the shell plate backwards into position...

Two things I don't like about that...
1. The detent ball/spring have to be heavier than nessary to pull that shell plate backwards creating a 'Snap' in the locking of the shell plate, spilling powder.

2. The heavy duty ball/spring detent might not be exactly aligned with your primer punch, snapping the plate out of alignment with the primer punch AND HOLDING IT MISALIGNED!

The 'Low Mass' balls & lower pressure spring kits are REAL popular for these two reasons.
Lower mass (weight) balls don't snap the shell plate so hard,
Lower spring pressure allows the shell plate to move easier so the primer can align with the case/shell plate, smoother primer insertions result.

Watch to see if that shell plate is over/under indexing, or aligning with he primer punch, that will be your issue 99.99% of the time with 'Hard' primer insertion...
Assuming the primer pocket is the correct size, decrimped and has the proper taper, either cut or swaged.

 

[Jeryray]

Great info, thank you. I already have the ball, stock spring so far.
I have the roller bearing 1/2 index piece for the side.
Have the shell roller bearing rod.

Just think I need a little alignment.

 

[JeepHammer]

The one thing you can count on from Dillon is the machine 'Running out of the box.

Dillon can't possably fine tune every machine to the Nth degree, and some compromises have to be made for both cost of production & to accommodate all the calibers people are going to try to run...

Being a machine builder myself, I understand this as well as anyone...
And I'm a little bit of a press geek, tried most of the machines on the market, and no one can currently run with a Dillion when it's tuned for your specific load.

People complain when the machine is $600, and you still have to tune on it when you get it, maybe buy a few aftermarket parts...
I've had mine for close to 4 years, probably loaded half million rounds on it,
And it keeps adjustment, cranks out nearly flawless rounds, and gives me virtually no issues that can't be traced to components instead of the press.

I am so impressed with it I bought two more, and a Dillion Super 1050.
Something better comes along, I'll be the first to say it, always room for improvement, but currently for the 'Hobbyest' reloader (more serious than the occasional reloader) my money is best spent on the XL650.

I do wish Dillon would use a bearing/bushing in the press ram bore, and make all parts out of aluminum or steel, but keeping costs reasonable is a priority, not many hobbiest reloaders would spend $4,000 for a press even if it lasted for a lifetime or beyond...

 

[Road_Clam]

1. Sometimes the completed round seems to hang up on the metal spring. A slight push and it falls down the chute.

I've had my 650 for about a month now and I had a situation where I disconnected the ejection wire from the center bolt (but left it in the hole). I was working the ram up and down and unknowingly jammed the ejection wire and bent it out of position. After this I was having a lot of issues with the casings cocking and jamming in the shell holder. My final fix was the re-bend the 90 degree angle (end at the insertion hole) so as to have the ejection wire perfectly parallel and as close to the surface of the shell plate as possible. The function of the eject wire is to allow the base of the casing to slide along the wire, slide out of the shell plate groove. If you observe the casing immediately start to cock you need to re adjust the wire bend. I also use some Imperial sizing wax on the surface of the eject wire. This greatly helps the casings slide along the wire. Good luck hope you get it sorted out.