Dillon Precision RL 550B - Manual (Page 15)

15
Lubrication
Use 30 weight motor oil on the main shaft and bearing
grease on the pivot pins. Do not use spray type penetrating
lube such as WD40 or Break Free as you run the risk of
contaminating powder and primers.
Troubleshooting
Problem One. Primers not seated deep enough.
A. Shellplate too loose.
B. Shellplate upside down. You should be able to see a
stamped shellplate number facing up.
C. The crimp in the primer pockets of military brass will
cause this problem. Crimps can be easily removed by use of
a Dillon Primer Pocket Swage.
Problem Two. Erratic powder bar operation:
A. Turn the powder die (#20064) clockwise in one-eighth
turn increments. This will insure complete powder bar
activation.
B. Extruded pencil type powders will not flow smoothly
through smaller sized powder funnels because of their
length. Another problem with extruded powders is getting
them into small necked cases. Many times these powders
will “bridge” across the case mouth and cause spillage and
erratic charges, There is no fast way of dispensing these
powders and if you insist on using them in small mouthed
cases it is best to weigh every charge by hand. Modern ball
type powders will do for most reloading situations. These
powders will do everything the pencil powders will do, but
without this problem. Warning: Do not use I.M.R. pencil
lead type powder in cases smaller than .30 caliber.
Problem 3. Primer jams or misfeeds.
A. Primer misfeeds can be caused by misadjustment of
the set screw (#13961) in the primer feed block, Fig. 12.
B. The most common cause of primer misfeeds or jams is
the primer punch not seated fully into the primer slide. This
will cause the primer seating cup to strike the flexible orifice
on the bottom of the primer magazine tube. See the
photograph on page 5 for adjustment tolerances.
W ARNING : If the primers are jammed and will not feed
from the bottom of the primer magazine, DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO FORCE THE PRIMERS OR THE PRIMER
SLIDE. Never force primers in any situation, an explosion
resulting in injury can occur.
C. Another common problem is that the primer slide fails
to return fully forward with the new primer. Periodically
wipe the primer slide with rubbing alcohol. This removes the
spent primer residue that causes the slide to drag.
Problem 4. Crushing cases:
A. If your dies do not have a radiused lead-in you must
guide the cases into the die. The best solution is to replace
the offending dies with dies having the proper radius.
B. Always tighten your die lock rings with a case in the
die. This will assure you of proper alignment between the
die and the shellplate. Adjust your depriming stem in the
same manner and it will always be on center.
REMEMBER
Be sure to use the necessary precautions when loading
lead bullets or when casting lead bullets. Exposure to lead
can cause cancer, birth defects, and reproductive problems.
Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling lead.
When firing lead bullets, be sure that you have adequate
ventilation. Keep any lead items out of reach of children.
Press forward firmly on the handle once it is at the aft
position to seat your primers fully.
Watch the powder bar function to make sure you’re
getting powder.
Set the bullet straight on the case at Station Three so that
it enters the die correctly.
Watch your supply of powder, you’ll be using it faster
than you think you are.
Take your time and learn the machine and its function.
The RL 550B will deliver hundreds of trouble free rounds in
short order, just relax and take your time in the beginning.
Keep it clean – primer residue, spilled powder and just
plain dirt can jam your machine.
Clean your powder bar about every 500 rounds. Some
powders build up and will eventually stick the powder bar.
Paint thinner, acetone or lacquer thinner works well to
remove any build up.
NOTICE
This machine is designed specifically to be a manually
operated handloading machine. Any attempts to automate
this product will void any and all warranties offered by the
company. We specifically warn against converting this
product to automated or motorized operation.
All Dillon machines are warrantied for life from defects in
material or workmanship (except the Super/RL 1050), plus a
one year 100% warranty against normal wear. All
electrical/electronic components in Dillon equipment are
covered by a one year warranty.
* Indicates a caliber specific part. See the caliber conversion
chart on page 16 for the caliber you are loading for.
About Powder Bars:
Dillon Precision manufactures four types of powder
bars.
1. Extra Small – use for dropping less than 3 grains of
powder
2. Small – use for dropping 3 to 20 grains of powder
3. Large – use for dropping 20 to approximately 45 to
50 grains of powder
4. Magnum – use for dropping 50 or more grains of
powder
The extra small powder bar is used when loading
.32 Auto, .32 S&W and .32 SWL. Both the extra
small powder bar and the magnum powder bar are
non-standard items and are ordered separately. The
large and small powder bar are standard equipment
and are included with every reloader.
RL 550B, May 2007 5/17/07 2:21 PM Page 15