Dillon XL650 & Ebay Upgrade Parts...

J

JeepHammer

Moderator
OK, the Dillon XL 650 is a VERY good press.
There are areas that can be upgraded...

The SNAP the shell plate makes will throw powder out of your cases if they are even close to being full.

The powder loss isn't huge, but it's annoying and the powder gets into the 'Guts' and causing grinding/gritty feel, wears parts, ect.

That's the fault of the spring and ball detent under the shell plate 'Snapping' the shell plate into final position.

Too much spring pressure, too heavy of ball, too much SNAP.

Low mass ball, weaker spring locks the shell plate into position without the 'SNAP',
Less spilled powder, less mess.

It's cheap too!

LINK: http://www.ebay.com/itm/22131650043...l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT#ht_1260wt_918

The 'Rod' is shown is a replacement for the solid rod that works the casing mover,
From feed position into the shell plate under the sizing/deprime die.

Dillon has a pointed rod end that rubs on the plastic ramp, Which is 'Gritty' feeling since you are scraping the rod down the plastic.

Dillon tells you to lube the ramp...
First off, the lube gets scraped off the spot where the rod runs,

Secondly, EVERYTHING sticks to the lube on the ramp.

Third, a pointed metal rod raking the PLASTIC ramp is wearing a groove in my ramp.
The plastic is VERY durable, but the groove is starting, and I'd rather not have a failure.

The rod shown makes the ram stroke MUCH SMOOTHER, and doesn't wear a groove in the plastic Dillon part...

Fit and finish isn't pretty, but it works well, and that's what counts...


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The second thing I can highly recommend is these powder charge bar adjustment knobs.
They are JUST DANDY.

LINK: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dillon-Powd...RL-550-SL-900-SDB-/281650474811?#ht_494wt_918

No more having to buy the Dillon wrench,
Or fish around and find the wrench that fits the hex bolt head...

I got a set of 'Knobs' that were supposed to fit over the hex head, but they fall off, wobble, are way oversize and generally get in the way/don't work.

The thumb screw on this little screw replacement is VERY well machined, fits VERY tightly with precision threads that keep things from sloping around,
And the knob is just large enough to change the powder drop without a wrench, but don't get in the way.

My Dillon powder charge thrower isn't the most accurate to start with (no bar thrower is particularly accurate),
But these adjustment screws fit tighter than the factory Dillon screws and keep the charges a little more consistent.

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After buying some real half-baked parts for this thing that weren't thought out very well, this is three things I can recommend.

And it sure beats Dillon wanting an arm a leg and a couple of toes off the other foot for even the smallest parts!
 
The guy selling those powder screw replacements will entertain offers when your buying multiples. I offered him $40 shipped for 4 of them. He accepted. They are worth the price.
 
The second thing I can highly recommend is these powder charge bar adjustment knobs.

There are FAR BETTER powder charge bar adjustment knobs available...

My biggest problem is trying to remember which way to turn the knob...

I bought (also on ebay) several IN DIFFERENT COLORS that also had a direction arrow on it...


EVEN BETTER...

UniqueTek sell MICROMETER ADJUSTING powder charge bar knobs and charge bars with the micrometer already installed...

They also sell the" Arredondo Powder Drop Slide with Micrometer"...

I have one of each of these installed...


UniqueTec sells a lot of different products, many for the Dillon (and some other brand presses)...

Both of these Dillon powder measures also have the "2X Powder Hopper Tube" which cuts the time you stop to refill in half...

T.
 
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Powder stops, along with primer refill stops, is when I do some quality control spot checks on the rounds,
It's my reminder to sweep the powder off the shell plate, ect.

I still gauge EVERY round before it gets boxed, Duds are rare because the basic design of this press is pretty darn good! It just has some annoying 'Issues'.

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I've been running Benchmark, and it's REALLY HARD little granules, the more I sweep off that doesn't make it into the internals the smoother the press runs...

Having the shell plate not 'Snapping' into place is keeping a bunch of that spilled powder OUT of my machine,
So I'm running longer before I have to stop, tear it down and clean, reassemble.

The powder spilling wasn't a big cost, but it was a BIG PAIN in the butt!

I also noticed the machine itself running smoother lets me feel tight cases, the primer seat, and the crimp better.

It's a good press, but I've got 2 weeks of tinkering in the last 2 years trying to tune the quirks out of it,
And I've probably spent $300 on 'Extras' trying to get it running smoother/better/more consistent.

Some of that stuff is in the trash, some of it is in the 'Spares' box,
The best money I've spent has been the low mass ball/weaker spring to get rid of that 'Snap',
And the roller tipped action rod to smooth out operation and get rid of the powder/dust/crud collecting lubricant.

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When small cases (.223) drops onto the replaceable feed ramp, some like to bounce/turn over and not feed.

I put a piece of 'Mole Skin' with an adhesive back on the face of that plastic pusher/feeder,
Now the case drops and settles nice and clean, I get maybe 1/100 cases that doesn't settle down nicely.

The thickness of that Mole Skin also was just enough to push that case SOLIDLY into the shell plate when that plastic shuttle move the case.
No more short seating in the shell plate, the cases line up directly under the sizing die now,
Which is REAL handy!

Buying an 'Automatic' press then having to 'Bump' half the smaller cases into place is a pain in the butt too.

My press CAME with a weak spring in the plastic case shuttle,
When I called Dillon, they say they are aware, and the 'Updated' spring will cost about $27 to get to my door...
Then I'll have to tear the assembly down to install the spring...

The Mole Skin solved the issue, and the case wobble problem at the same time, cost about 5¢ and took about two minutes...

I bought a replacement spring, issued from Dillon, on Ebay for about $5, free shipping when I got some extra 'spare' parts at the same time...

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I bought 4 of those little thumb screws,
I tried the plastic knobs that won't stay in place on the bolt heads, I tried the flat 'Epoxy On' knobs,
Neither worked.
The both managed to fall off, get in the way, generally not what I was looking for.

These little thumb screws could have a little bigger head for my thick/arthritic fingers, but generally, they work REALLY good.

I was fixing to turn some knobs that would fit in the factory adjuster bolts and say in place with a set screw,
But just the computer time to make the drawings for the CNC machine would have taken up more time than they cost,
I can buy them cheaper than I can make them, and there is $12 million in CNC equipment on the shop floor at work...

And the precise threads/tighter fit in the charge bar closed up the under/over range the charge bar throws,
Which wouldn't even have crossed my mind!

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The other thing that is REAL handy is the little aluminum fitting with a hose nipple that fits between spent primer bracket and press head,
Tube attaches to aluminum fitting and drops spent primers down the tube.

Right into my scrap brass catch can!
No fiddling with emptying cups, no fuss at all.

I had a Lee Turret press, and catching primers on that thing was a full time job since you have no idea what direction they are going to come out of the press...

NOT having to chase spent primers for the next week after you get done loading is one thing I don't miss!
 
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My fix for the shell plate "snap" was a thrust bearing from a local bearing supply, I think Napa even has them.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/reloading/bearing.jpg[/quote]

[img]http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/reloading/650bearing.jpg

For a spend primer tube adapter, drill the bottom out of a 44 mag case and install it between the frame and original bracket.

IMG00069-20110424-1355.jpg



I don't use the knobs because I keep my powder bars set for the different loads I use along with the tool heads and swap them into the measure when needed. It's faster than adjusting them to throw the proper charge.

I have yet to wear out the plastic part due to no bearing on the rod in hundreds of thousands of rounds but when I do I'll have Dillon send me a new one for free.

The case falling over issue might be because the "triangle" part is installed backwards (one side is for rifle the other for pistol) or not adjusted (note the slot) correctly. Once set right the case won't have to fall as far and will still be inside the bushing when it does, preventing it from falling over.

IMG_20150316_075640_635_zpsvxlcf60r.jpg
 
My Square Deal did that snap thing, too.
It turned out to be the pawl that rotates the shell plate.
The tip had worn down and the plate wasn't quite making it over the primers, catching on them sometimes.
And it would get worse if the shell plate screw loosened up.
A new pawl and all was well.
Except for getting to it.
The replacement was made out of harder material and has never worn down again.
My press is an early one, dating from 1985, so if anyone has a Square Deal made later, don't sweat it.
Not much to complain about after all those years of faithful service.
 
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