Trying to set up the 550 ***update***

[matt]

I'm noticing that after about two thousand rounds of .45 reloads, station one of my 550 is not "centering" the case for deprime and I need to nudge the case or it will not seat concentrically in the station one die. I have broken two deprime pins and want to fix this problem Is there a trick to adjusting the seating spring (the one that looks like a bent paper clip) correctly? Am I doing something else wrong? My reloads have been great and I have had no other problems after my initial setup. Any help from the 550 reloaders here would be appreciated.

I'd get a Lee press...

(sorry couldn't resist!)

 

[rscalzo]

I have the problem with loading 45ACP myself. No matter how the spring is adjusted, it still takes some guidance when sizing the cases. I'm used to it by now.

 

[Scrivener]

Dillon dies have a generous flare at the mouth to guide the case into the die. Your RCBS dies may not have been designed to be used with a progressive machine and lack this flare. This means you have to manually center the case. I had the same problem myself, using RCBS dies in a Dillon reloader. I hate to sound like a broken record but Dillon dies will solve these problems.

They will, indeed. However, you may not want to toss all your existing die sets. I certainly didn't.

There is also a PROBLEM with Dillon sizing dies - they don't size as far down as other dies, precisely because of that "generous flare." This can be solved by using a Lee FCD, which you'll want anyway.

My newer 550 came with Dillon .45 ACP dies, so I used them. This eliminated the fiddling to center cases that I had to do with my RCBS dies. However, if I didn't have the FCD, I might not have done so.

 

[TonyD]

Sounds like a Dillon problem. My RCBS .45 dies have no such spring thingy problem in my RCBS press.

 

[adweisbe]

I'd get a Lee press...

(sorry couldn't resist!)

Lee unbreakable decapping pin?

 

[Gammon]

They will, indeed. However, you may not want to toss all your existing die sets. I certainly didn't.

There is also a PROBLEM with Dillon sizing dies - they don't size as far down as other dies, precisely because of that "generous flare." This can be solved by using a Lee FCD, which you'll want anyway.

My newer 550 came with Dillon .45 ACP dies, so I used them. This eliminated the fiddling to center cases that I had to do with my RCBS dies. However, if I didn't have the FCD, I might not have done so.

I haven't had too many problems with the flare in Dillon dies, except for .40 cases fired in loose (Glock) chambers. I prefer to solve the problem at station #1 with an undersized resizing die.

 

[Scrivener]

I haven't had too many problems with the flare in Dillon dies, except for .40 cases fired in loose (Glock) chambers. I prefer to solve the problem at station #1 with an undersized resizing die.

Ah, but then you may get the centering problem! Besides, a standard die works the brass less and I'd use the FCD anyway as a "fail-safe" to catch any cases bulged by the bullet being seated.

Chacun a son gout.

 

[Gammon]

Ah, but then you may get the centering problem! Besides, a standard die works the brass less and I'd use the FCD anyway as a "fail-safe" to catch any cases bulged by the bullet being seated.

Chacun a son gout.

Oddly enough, I don't have a centering problem with the Lee undersized die. I have found, however, that the FCD will not solve a problem that the undersized die will. The FCD die won't get rid of the belt or bulge at the base of the case. I prefer to address the problem at station #1 because you can tell by the resistance to the operating arm whether or not the case has been completely and successfully resized. Cases that require an inordinate amount of force to resize almost always have a "belt" at the bottom which will prevent them from chambering in my pistols; the FCD won't remove this belt. Excessive resistance to resizing is the cue to remove and discard that particular case, before you invest the time and money in completing the reloading of a round you most likely can't use.