Dillion RL 550B Shell Plate Problems

K

KEYBEAR

New member
I bought a new shell plate from Dillion for my 44 Mag .
I does not set or stop on the ball deterrent just goes right by it .
The holes in the shell plate are very small with no bevel to center the plate ?

Anyone know the size of the holes the ball stops in
 
I just checked it again and certainly no bevel on the shell plate leading into the alignment holes. I've had mine for some time and perhaps they are supposed to be beveled now. And no bevel for the center bolt that doesn't need a bevel of course.
 
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chiefr

Make sure the Allen bolt holding your shell plate is bottomed out. May have to wiggle a bit.

Can you be a little more clear ? Are you talking about the center (main) bolt .
 
I'll try answering for chiefr; hope he won't mind. Yes the center bolt is what is being referred to but of course cannot be too tight or as you know the shell plate will not turn. Check to see that it is down tight enough with no slop in the shell plate. But I think a missing spring is the most likely cause of the problem. Check to see if it is in place. Without the spring the ball will not be forced upward into the alignment holes. Sounds like that is what is happening. I assume you have determined from Dillon that the alignment holes diameter are appropriate and not undersized.
 
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I seat the center bolt and back off until the shell plate moves without much force . The spring is under the ball .

I called Dillion and was told the shell plate alignment holes should have a bevel ? Also I was told the shell plate should not off been shipped to me like that .

I am also having a problem with the sizing die lining up with the brass . All the other cases line up find but the sizing die is off just a little .

I will have a new shell plate next week and hope it helps .
 
Its quite possible that the ball, the spring, or both has escaped from the little hole in which they are supposed to sit.
If they have don't panic!
The most common place to find it, or them, is down inside the bigger, deeper hole the axis bolt is supposed to go into.:eek:
(Don't ask me how I know this):o

What I do to tighten the axis bolt is to place 4 fired cases in the stations of the shellplate. Then I slowly tighten the bolt till I "feel" a positive engagement of the plate at each stop. There should be absolutely minimal wobble of the plate while retaining free rotation.

Tighten a little, rotate 4 clicks, repeat till perfect lock, check one last time, done!
 
The Ball and Spring is in the right spot .

I loaded about 300 44 Mags this morning and it still is not right .
I do think the spring under the ball could be stronger .
The ball is almost bottomed out just setting on the spring .
 
Keybear, Did you buy this press new? Or used? If you bought it used, the previous owner may have cut some of the spring off to solve a non - existent problem with the 550b. On the XL650, some trim the detent spring down to reduce the forcefulness of the detent snap into place. But on the 550b, your fingers should already be there and controlling how fast the shell plate is rotating. Call Dillon and ask for a replacement spring.
 
This is a new press .
I did set the spring on some small washers and give it a little stretch .
It is working a lot better
 
Yep. Call up Dillon, tell them the detent spring got weak and you need a new one. Will probably be in the mail that day.
 
I checked 2 of my shell plates this AM, neither has a bevel on the holes. As for die alignment, there are instructions in the Dillon paperwork for installation of the dies. As I recall there is something about alignment mentioned. I load 9MM, .38 and .45ACP, no alignment problems on any of them. Put a little more tension on the spring under the ball and try that.
 
There is a very, very slight bevel on all of my shellplates. Not really visible to the naked eye, but with a lupe you'll see it. Its almost just "breaking the edge" of the hole, very tiny almost like a deburr.

Alignment refers to adjusting the top (black) plate of the ram to align the holes in the die station with the primer feed hole. It's not really involved in click stops for the shell plate.
 
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As for the primer depth, I think the punch is adjustable but Some brands of primers are easier to seat than others, some brands of brass has tight pockets. One thing I've found on .45 is that Federal primers seat a lot easier than Winchester. I mistakenly bought 3000 Win. and I'll be glad when they are gone.
I find it best to use Fed. primers and steer clear of S&B brass.
 
Issues with the Dillon shell plate

I've been loading with my Dillon for about 10 years and overall its been a good machine. Dillon has always went above and beyond to get me replacement parts usually for free if I give them a good story. One thing that is problematic is the shell plate and I've seen third party bearing kits that allow one to tighten the plate and still have it rotate with wobble cut way down. I have not tested one of these set ups but the shell plate being loose will cause brass to sometimes lean a little and not line up with the dies sometimes I wiggle problem brass a bit to get my stations to go into the dies. Also be very sure you are using the correct buttons for the shell plate as smaller button will cause these kinds of probems. :eek:
 
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