At least I'm not like doc and the medical bunker.Just be careful if DA cuddles up while you bend over the press. There have been rumors .... 2:2:2:
Just messing. Good man DA.
So the double charges are operator error and not a mechanical problem, correct?The 550 is a good press, but you need to be careful using it, especially loading pistol. The place most people get in trouble with it is that they space out while using it and miss an index, leading to a double charge. Unfortunately, since it's only a four station press, you can't really get a powder check in to catch it. (Yes, mk1 eyeball should catch this. It clearly does not always judging from stories on the interwebs.)
I'm sure there's tons of dudes out there who've loaded 50k on a 550 and never had a double charge, but it is a common enough issue I wanted to bring it up.
So the double charges are operator error and not a mechanical problem, correct?
Yup. If you forget to index them you end up running the same case into the powder die twice. If you’re paying a little attention, it’s hard to do.
Much easier to avoid on a 650/750 though.
Well, looks like this initial deal fell through. On the hunt for a new or well condition used 550
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I have done just about every screwup possible on a Dillon. Fortunately, anything I've double charged was obvious due to powder everywhere! It's finally become mostly muscle memory for me, save the occasional un-primed cartridge slipping buy(but I case gauge every round, so...)And, forgetting to index also means you're ignoring that you haven't placed a new case into the press and a bullet on for seating. It also means you'd be decapping a live primer (if you are priming on press). And, you ignored not hearing a finished round drop into the bin. That's a lot of things to overlook, but I suppose it is possible. I've never double charged a case on mine yet.
The one thing that I have done (once so far) is forgotten to prime a case. As I was emptying my bin, I noticed powder everywhere. Argh! So that puts you into the "What else did I mess up" mode. But, you could also do that on a 650/750 just as easily. How did it happen? My wife called my name in the middle of the process. Interruptions are the sworn enemy of reloaders!
I've been considering a small fish-eye mirror hung from the rear vertical frame member to allow a peek into the case in the seating position, just to make sure it IS properly charged.So the double charges are operator error and not a mechanical problem, correct?
I have done just about every screwup possible on a Dillon. Fortunately, anything I've double charged was obvious due to powder everywhere! It's finally become mostly muscle memory for me, save the occasional un-primed cartridge slipping buy(but I case gauge every round, so...)
As for your last point on interruptions, absolutely positively true.
I've been considering a small fish-eye mirror hung from the rear vertical frame member to allow a peek into the case in the seating position, just to make sure it IS properly charged.
Question, the 550 is manual indexing where the 650/750 is progressive, correct?
Are there any local dealers around central MD?
Yup. Even a wandering mind can get you into trouble, but what you say is correct. Find your rhythm and pump out the rounds. It is very relaxing, in that you try to shut out all other stimuli. Still some would consider it monotonous, repetitive work. I do not, but then again, I've laid millions of square feet of flooring, one piece at a time.Yup, no music, no tv, no drinking, no conversations. Complete concentration. Oddly enough, when you are in the rhythm, it is quite relaxing and therapeutic.
The saving money is a mixed thing. If you do your work properly, you are making match grade ammo, not Winchester white box. That said, you will likely just shoot more.
I don't look at it as saving money. It's more like buying ammo on layaway. Just like building ARs. You buy all the parts as you can afford them, taking a lot of the sting of maybe buying a $2K rifle. Once you have all the ingredients for a particular round, you dive right in and start churning them out.
I've been considering a small fish-eye mirror hung from the rear vertical frame member to allow a peek into the case in the seating position, just to make sure it IS properly charged.