Guy's,
New to the forum, and have been out of reloading for the past, wow, almost 30yrs due to service obligations, doesn't seem like that long. I was out at Dillon last week for their minigun course and couldn't help myself, I bought the 550B and everything that goes with it, any suggestions on the operation of the equipment or glitches that I might encounter, I'll be loading 45-70, 375HH and 378GNR for a Encore pistol

Mount it to a stout bench as the forces applied are pretty high. Follow the directions and don't get ahead of yourself. FYI the 500 rounds per minute is a cyclic rate not actual ammo output. So don't be disappointed if you're only making 100 rounds per hour. Although for the caliber mentioned 100 rounds per hour would be more then enough.
From time to time retighten all the bolts. as the will loosen over time.
And have fun. My RL550B has been in operation since 93 with no parts worn out or broke.
I'm also a machinist so I take care of my machines.

Great thanks for the info

The powder measure can benefit from some cleaning up. The SEARCH function (use the FIND tab above) will help you locate the details.

mine came with an (optinal) video....ot was well worth the $10!

You have purchased the best there is. Between the manual and their phone customer service, there is nothing they can't talk you through anytime you have a problem.

The Dillon powder measure is known to have problems with extruded rifle powders (like most IMR powders, and others), more so than typical drum type measures like the Redding, RCBS and Hornady measures, though they are not flawless either. Either choose a ball-type powder that will meter well in the Dillon PM, or look into other powder measures, such as the Quick Measure and linkage, or RCBS/Hornady with a Hornady case activated operating linkage.

Enjoy!

Andy

Hi Toad,

Sorry, off topic, but what is shooting one of those miniguns like? I've checked the Dillon website it looks like a lot of firepower. You were using belted ammo 4 ball - 1 tracer? 6000rpm?

Cheers

pete

If you do a little searching you should be able to find some instructions for simple modifications for the powder thrower.
You can take it apart and polish the contact surfaces of the charge bar and the area it rides in with a bench stone, a polishing wheel on a dremel, and some flitz polish. Also, polish the funnel to a mirror finish. Doing this will improve the consistancy of charge wieghts, as well as operate a little more smoothly. A rubber band or two around the funnel and the stud on the charge bar has helped me also.

I also use a very small amount of dry lube spray on the primer bar(s) after my intial set up, this helped with it's smooth functioning.

Enjoy your new press.

Airtoad, I can sympathize with your not reloading while in the service. I started reloading while in the military and assembling my own ammo was fun, but moving on PCS orders was a trial. I designed and built a reloading bench that was easy to break down, and made sure I boxed up my tools and materials before the movers arrived. The fun part was explaining to the movers, most of whom were ignorant about ammo and handloading, that "no, these crates of brass are not loaded ammunition. No, this crate of component bullets is not loaded ammunition either. It's not hazardous." Primers and powder I hauled in my truck or car. And when I moved to Europe during a restriction on firearms by the DoD, I just said the hell with it and put everything in storage before I went there for a tour. So you saved yourself some trouble, even if you missed making some awesome handloads. Good luck starting again!!

keep an eye on the primers slide bar they hang up every now and then.
i have learned to glance down at it during my up stroke.

Also - a handy little thing for the powder measure, next time you're shopping at Home Depot or ACE hardware: a press-on knob to fit over the adjustment nut. At Home Depot in the drawers in the nuts and bolts section.

A little help, please, if anyone knows the part number and where exactly located in the store bins.

Just a couple reminders - don't forget to remove the spring below the primer assembly before you swap out assemblies. It may go flying otherwise.

And, use the setscrew on the side of the ram to keep the shell holder in place. Out of sight, out of mind it seems.

If you didn't already get them, extra tool heads and powder funnels for each die set, and extra primer tubes all come in handy.

Mike