[MAC10]

hi, just started using 550 to load a couple of mths. ago. had a lee prog. for years. this machine(dillon) is the cats meow x 1000!! one reason i went to dillon besides quality, warranty etc. is i was tired of powder spillage when in dump station. the lee was horrible at that. was told by several friends of mine who have one, is that there is hardly any if not any on the dillon. i`m loading .223 and almost every time the shell comes down there is a small amt. of powder spillage. i do wait a second or two to make sure all powder goes in before lowering ram. am i doing something wrong. i had a friend who has used one for years set it up for me to make sure it was set up right so i know it is not that. any help please! hope i just don`t have to put up with this because before i bought it i read many an advertisement saying NO powder spillage as with other(lee) manufactures.

[MAC10]

hi, just started using 550 to load a couple of mths. ago. had a lee prog. for years. this machine(dillon) is the cats meow x 1000!! one reason i went to dillon besides quality, warranty etc. is i was tired of powder spillage when in dump station. the lee was horrible at that. was told by several friends of mine who have one, is that there is hardly any if not any on the dillon. i`m loading .223 and almost every time the shell comes down there is a small amt. of powder spillage. i do wait a second or two to make sure all powder goes in before lowering ram. am i doing something wrong. i had a friend who has used one for years set it up for me to make sure it was set up right so i know it is not that. any help please! hope i just don`t have to put up with this because before i bought it i read many an advertisement saying NO powder spillage as with other(lee) manufactures.

[pruav]

What type of powder are you using? The stick powders sometimes can form a dam in the drop tube.

[ChuckS]

800-223-4570 or 480-948-8009

Call today, operators are standing by...


Welcome to the forums!

Later,
Chuck

This post has been edited by ChuckS: 24 September 2009 - 06:36 AM

[98sr20ve]

Mine seemed to have some spillage with normal pistol powders at the very start. It's worn in some now and I just don't see it any more. Things like static can hold the powder and then release it at the wrong time. So it could be a variety of different things.

[dillon]

Using what powder? Be sure to move the handle down slowly when actuating the powder bar. It should take at least 1 full second to move the powder bar from one side to the other.

[High Lord Gomer]

Any chance you are using the small (pistol) powder bar instead of the large (rifle) powder bar?

[MAC10]

pruav, on Sep 24 2009, 02:23 AM, said:

What type of powder are you using? The stick powders sometimes can form a dam in the drop tube.

i`m using ball type powder h335 and blc2

[MAC10]

High Lord Gomer, on Sep 24 2009, 12:34 PM, said:

Any chance you are using the small (pistol) powder bar instead of the large (rifle) powder bar?

nope, using large bar! sorry about the double post on same sub. could not find the a delete button to rid the other post.

[irishman]

MAC10, on Sep 23 2009, 10:00 PM, said:

hi, just started using 550 to load a couple of mths. ago. had a lee prog. for years. this machine(dillon) is the cats meow x 1000!! one reason i went to dillon besides quality, warranty etc. is i was tired of powder spillage when in dump station. the lee was horrible at that. was told by several friends of mine who have one, is that there is hardly any if not any on the dillon. i`m loading .223 and almost every time the shell comes down there is a small amt. of powder spillage. i do wait a second or two to make sure all powder goes in before lowering ram. am i doing something wrong. i had a friend who has used one for years set it up for me to make sure it was set up right so i know it is not that. any help please! hope i just don`t have to put up with this because before i bought it i read many an advertisement saying NO powder spillage as with other(lee) manufactures.

Did not see the post about the large bar. Make sure it is not the Magnum bar. The magnum bar starts at approx 40 gr and goes to 80. This problem can still ocur. If you still have a an issue ,try lowering your powder die. I had the same thing happen to me and this worked. The powder die should just high enough to slide the bar completely.

This post has been edited by irishman: 25 September 2009 - 04:55 AM

[dillon]

Sounds like static electricity could be a culprit. Wipe the plastic hopper tube with a dryer sheet, then set the sheet over the top of the tube and set the lid in place to retain it. Also, be sure the powder bar is travelling the full distance when you cycle the powder measure. The powder bar should be moved all the way over to the opposite side at the same time the handle bottoms out on the downstroke.

[gmantwo]

I've never had an issue with powder spillage. I've got 2 550's and load .223 as well. And I take no time to make sure the powder bar moves slowly, I crank out rounds asap. Are you sure you have the correct powder funnel? That would be my first check. Just because your friend set it up doesn't mean he didn't make a mistake.

[MAC10]

gmantwo, on Oct 2 2009, 12:01 AM, said:

I've never had an issue with powder spillage. I've got 2 550's and load .223 as well. And I take no time to make sure the powder bar moves slowly, I crank out rounds asap. Are you sure you have the correct powder funnel? That would be my first check. Just because your friend set it up doesn't mean he didn't make a mistake.

powder funnel was the one it came with (.223). the friend who set it up has been using one for years. i hope none of you misunderstood me, the spillage is not much, maybe 7-10 specs of ball powder(h-335) but what i understand from the dillon co. and many of you, you don`t any, none, nada. and thats what i expect for what i paid for the equipment.

[Tooldummy]

I suddenly had a problem spilling powder one night after changeing to a new set of dies. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was going wrong. One time it would drop the same amount, one time not as much, one time nothing at all, next time spill powder everyplace. I was sitting scratching my head wondering what it could be when suddenly it dropped powder on it's own! I took the powder die apart and noticed what appeared to be a ledge halfway through the die. I took a drill bit and drilled the ledge or step or whatever you want to call it out of the die and fixed the problem. I called Dillon the next day and spoke to a tech. He assured me the inside of the drop tube should not have had a ledge on it and that is should be perfectly smooth. He couldn't believe I could drill it out with a hand drill that the die (or drop tube) should have been made out of tempered hardened steel, but I did. You might check and see if you can see or feel a ledge in your powder tube. By the way, this was a brand new set of Dillon dies. Maybe one slipped past quality assurance, I don't know. Despite my one problem, all my future dies will be Dillon!