so i just blew up my 650

[Chickamauga Charlie, SASS #47963]

no problem. we'll send you all the replacement parts on Monday.

gotta love those boys in blue!

cc

[Grizzly Dave]

We know their support is great, what we don't know, and really WANT to know is HOW you blew up your 650!

[Gold Canyon Kid #43974]

I am betting primer tube chain fire.

[Yul Lose]

I am betting primer tube chain fire.

+1

[Sparky Nelson]

Everybody's okay I hope.

 

Is there video?

[Badlands Bob #61228]

A friend of mine had lightning strike his storage building and burn it to the ground. Unfortunately, that's where he had his Dillon Square Deal press set up. As soon the the fire dept learned that the storage building was full of reloading supplies, they backed waaaaaaay off and let it burn. The fire melted that press into a blob. A couple of weeks later, he called Dillon and they told him to ship it to them. About 2 weeks later he got a new press with a letter saying they couldn't salvage his old press. Now that's a no BS warranty.

[Silver Sam, SASS #34718L]

Several years back my 550 got hit by a truck.... literally !

Dillon made it just like new, free of charge, No BS !

[Colt McAllister]

That is why I don't own a 650 anymore. That primer feed system is junk. If you haven't blown your 650 up yet you haven't loaded enough ammo.

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

Wow...and we KNOW that it was the primer system that failed?

 

Might have...Might not have...

 

I'll wait to here from CC.

 

Phantom

[Gold Canyon Kid #43974]

Properly maintained it works well.

[KingSnake]

That is why I don't own a 650 anymore. That primer feed system is junk. If you haven't blown your 650 up yet you haven't loaded enough ammo.

So, how many rounds did you load before you blew yours up ???

[Snakebite]

My Primer tube went up a few years ago. It was my fault... I tried to force a primer into a Winchester case that was a bit too tight and POW, the whole tube with off. Sure made a mess............................... in my pants!

 

Snakebite

 

O-yeah.... they sent me complete primer mechanism at no charge.

[Lunger]

Had problems with mine once. It was outta time. Primers didn't line up properly with the primer pockets and created all kinds of problems. Found two large allen bolts loose under the shell plate. It allowed the top assembly to turn separate of the ram. I just turned the top assembly back, and tighten the two mounting bolts, and replaced the shell plate. Its ran good ever since.

[Lunger]

A fellow shooter had the same problem a yr ago. His bolts were loose also. He blew his up, got new parts, and he still wasn't fixed until he reclocked it, and tightened the two bolts.

[Marshal TKD, Sass # 36984L]

The Dillon Primer system is junk. I had to rebuild mine after about 10 years of reloading. I had to dig around to find the spar parts kit.

Pure absolute junk.

Unlike the Lee system which needed tweaking and fixing every time I walked away from the press.

 

Sarcasm mode off.

[Dewey Cheatem, SASS #75620]

Wow I guess I never knew it was junk. I've only loaded a little over 35000 rounds in 5 different calibers though. Guess I haven't loaded enough yet.

 

DC

[Tuco Forsyth #72674]

Wow I guess I never knew it was junk. I've only loaded a little over 35000 rounds in 5 different calibers though. Guess I haven't loaded enough yet.

 

DC

 

YEP, haters are going to hate!

[Colt Walker 45]

Buy another press and have fun if the dillon is junk.

[twelve mile REB]

Since 1994 I've loaded a lot, did blow one primer system up. Dillon does a nice job of protecting the operator from this in my opinion little problem.

Opinions will vary.

12

[Harvey Mushman]

The Dillon Primer system is junk. I had to rebuild mine after about 10 years of reloading. I had to dig around to find the spar parts kit.

Pure absolute junk.

Unlike the Lee system which needed tweaking and fixing every time I walked away from the press.

 

Sarcasm mode off.

Wow. Guess some posters after you missed that you had the sarcasm mode ON!

 

WHile the internet is great for inforamation exchange, it is just marginal for communication - as this stuff seems to happen all the time - will never replace REAL human communication, face to face.

[Chickamauga Charlie, SASS #47963]

wow, there is always at least one guy that needs to denigrate most any topic.

 

yes, I popped the primer tube. zero resistance involved. I have crushed primers in the past but this just chain fired and it was almost a full tube (90+). I'm thinking the pocket was blocked but we'll never know.

I've only loaded some 40k rounds on it so I guess they aren't built to last

I am grateful for the great design that puts the bulk of the frame between the primer seating and my face.

no real harm done to me and new parts in the mail.

no complaints.

cc

[Harvey Mushman]

Charlie,

 

Glad you suffered no ill effects!

 

I suspect you may have had a larger laundry load this week, however?

 

Harvey

[Chickamauga Charlie, SASS #47963]

Harvey,

my old buddy BT Blade welcomed me to the "crapped my pants did the snoopy dance" club.

that about summed it up

cc

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

The machines will shake & vibrate during use.

If you use your machine a lot, some of the bolts will work loose.

If you clean your machines and check the bolts tight every so often, you can avoid this sort of thing.

 

Now I'm not one to clean my machines often.

Maybe once every couple of months.

But I do take hold of the parts on the machines and give them a twist and lift to see if they move in ways they shouldn't.

I do this every time I start reloading and when I change calibers. (which might be three times a session)

 

I have been using two 650 Dillon machines since 1997..

Not very long.

I have never had a primer go off.

I have sheared a few in half.

Crushed lots.

But never had one go POP!

 

Now consider I was reloading an average of 3 to 400,000 rounds of various cowboy calibers, each year.

This sounds like a big number but it really isn't.
This is roughly 1400 a day 6 days a week.

For me this was about 3 hours work a day.

I tend to not work after noon.

 

I forgot, I reloaded commercially until Nov last year.

Closed business because like every one else, I could not find enough supplies to fill customer orders.

I can get everything but powders I used.

Last order I got was ordered in Feb 2013 and received in September 2013.

Problem was it was my third choice powder and it was only 8 pounds.

I was going through 8 pounds every 10 days. This wouldn't do.

----------------------

Enough about me.

 

Glad no one was hurt.

The machine can be replace or fixed.

And you have a Dillon.

Their customer service is great.

[Bear Saint Paw]

Can some one explain how this happens exactly? I don't understand how this "Chain reaction" occurs, the primer tube drops the primer down into the primer wheel near the back of the system then rotates one primer at a time about 6 positions into the primer seating location which is where I would expect the mishap to take place and should just POP that one individual primer. Does it just arc/blast over to the next primer in line and so on until it reaches the tube of primers?

[Gold Canyon Kid #43974]

Can some one explain how this happens exactly? I don't understand how this "Chain reaction" occurs, the primer tube drops the primer down into the primer wheel near the back of the system then rotates one primer at a time about 6 positions into the primer seating location which is where I would expect the mishap to take place and should just POP that one individual primer. Does it just arc/blast over to the next primer in line and so on until it reaches the tube of primers?

As I understand it, when the primer drops from the tube, due to loose bolts or a dirty wheel mechanism, it gets turned/fipped side ways in some manner and when rotation starts the primer sets off and somehow shoots fire up the tube igniting the rest of the primers, sending them skyward. Good friend just built a beautiful new home with a really nice loading room inside his home. He installed a large stainless sheet above his reloading area just in case it ever happens to him-not so far. I have never had it happen or seen it happen but it does. Shooter is likely at fault not the machine. Machine is designed to protect the shooter tho.

[Griff]

_{Glad to hear you're ok.}

[Irish Red OToole, #48939]

Glad you're OK, Charlie. Had one go off on me several years back. Fortunately, only the one I was trying to seat went off. Still made me do the "crap in my pants, do the Snoopy" dance. And I'm with you that Dillon is the best as far as customer service goes. As for their primer system being "junk".....100K plus rounds loaded so far and still going strong. Some folks just feel the need to thread-crap.

[Samuel "Doc" Eells]

That is why I don't own a 650 anymore. That primer feed system is junk. If you haven't blown your 650 up yet you haven't loaded enough ammo.

And stories such as these is why I never have owned a 650!

[Springfield Slim SASS #24733]

Any loader will pop a primer if you try and force it. I have installed about 25 sideways primers in the last 18 years on my 550, it is obviously wrong in feel so you just stop and pull the case and pick out the primer. To use an old movie quote " slow down and you will have a more harmonious outcome". At least the Dillon is designed to blow without harm to the operator. Kinda the same theory as airbags in your car, bad things happen, as long as you come out of it OK, all is good. Never blown a primer in a press, not even the old LEE hand press. I have had a couple of them go off in my casting pot, though!. I learned to never sweep up loose lead and toss it in the pot without and extremely careful going through.

[SlicLee SASS #16638 Life]

When filling primer tube over & over a bit of primer dust sticks to the side o the tube. Hold yours up to the light only look around. I use a very long qtip push it thru from one end to the other slowly.

[Colt McAllister]

So, how many rounds did you load before you blew yours up ???

Probably around 30,000 rounds which I don't consider a lot of rounds through a press.

 

Dillon does make the best presses but the 650 is the worst primer feed system they make. The 1050, 550, and the square deal all have more reliable primer systems. And yes the 1050 is worth the extra money compared to the 650.

 

There does that satisfy people?

[Von Dutch, SASS # 7995]

I think Coit McAllister is right, I have had problems with my primer feed on my 650 and it's cheaper for Dillon to give parts to the people who blow them up then fix the problem and recall them all. So everything I feed my 650 is hand primed takes longer but it's worth it ! Von Dutch

[Litl Red]

When filling primer tube over & over a bit of primer dust sticks to the side o the tube. Hold yours up to the light only look around. I use a very long qtip push it thru from one end to the other slowly.

 

fondu or kabob skewers and patches work too.

[Cherokee Gambler, SASS # 33915]

I blew up a primer tube on Dillon 1000 years ago. Hate it when that happens.