Dillon powder checker question

[Matthew Duncan]

I've got one but have never used it.

 

Out of the 15,000 to 20,000 rounds of 45 Colt we've reloaded we've had one failure to fire. Bad primer.

 

500 reloads of S&W 40, one with no powder resulting in a squib left in the barrel. Son says, "Dad use the powder checker!"

 

Loading some 5.56 for November AND following my Son's advise using the powder checker. About every 7 or 8 rounds the powder checker beeps indicating too much powder (about a 1/4" below the V notch). I weight the suspect round, exactly at 25 grains as it should be! Beep. Twisted the rod to see if it's hanging up on the cartridge lip, nope. Beep. Try tapping the rod to see it will fall down into the case, nope. Beep. Clean the rod and try again. Beep.

 

Any suggestions?

[Gold Canyon Kid #43974]

I've got one but have never used it.

 

Out of the 15,000 to 20,000 rounds of 45 Colt we've reloaded we've had one failure to fire. Bad primer.

 

500 reloads of S&W 40, one with no powder resulting in a squib left in the barrel. Son says, "Dad use the powder checker!"

 

Loading some 5.56 for November AND following my Son's advise using the powder checker. About every 7 or 8 rounds the powder checker beeps indicating too much powder (about a 1/4" below the V notch). I weight the suspect round, exactly at 25 grains as it should be! Beep. Twisted the rod to see if it's hanging up on the cartridge lip, nope. Beep. Try tapping the rod to see it will fall down into the case, nope. Beep. Clean the rod and try again. Beep.

 

Any suggestions?

Is the rod sized for the case diameter. If the rod is too small, it will sorta dig a ditch in the powder and be too low. Does your powder being used have a consistent volume for equal weight load to load? When I use my 650 and load 38s with the 32 sized powder checker it is not as consistent as it should be. I just have to remember when changing calibers I need to use the correct rod.

[Grizzly Dave]

Before buying my 650 I watched a bunch of videos on them. One thing kept catching my notice, the powder check would beep and most times the person making the video would ignore it and often even say 'it always does that, nothing to worry about'.

 

In my mind, a safety device that is ignored would be better not used.

 

Upon recommendations from several folks here, I got an RCBS powder lockout die. No powder, it won't let you continue, a double charge of powder, same thing. It won't validate that your charge is within whatever range, but it will catch a no powder or double charge which is what I want, and it works well.

[Matthew Duncan]

Is the rod sized for the case diameter.

Yes it is. The smallest.

 

Does your powder being used have a consistent volume for equal weight load to load?

Yes it does. My OP states the 25 grain weight is as it should be.

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

Background info.

When setting charge bar, always start with a charge a little more than the desired charge.

Then slowly turn the bolt to reduce the charge down to what you want.

Making sure to do at least ten (10) drops after each time you turn the bolt.

If you go from small charge to larger charge the charge will change to more after a few cycles of the press.

This is due to thread lash.

 

Now you have the charge you want to drop set.

Next you adjust the in case powder check rod.

Make sure to use the correct rod end.

Also set the rod on a flat table top and roll it to make sure the rod is not bent and turns true.

If bent even the slightest, the rod end can come in contact with the case mouth.

Even a little friction and the rod end will not drop in to the case.

To adjust the rod, run a case through the press and stop at the powder checks station.

Adjust the bolt up or down to get the alarm button adjust to just bellow the cent of the deepest part of the groove.

The rod started to rise before the case is all the way up and the alarm button comes in contact a little higher on the rod before entering the groove.

You will know this by the very short chirp the alarm gives off before dropping all the way in to the groove.

 

If the powder you are using is bulky or pencil grain shaped, you may not be able to stop this chirp.

 

I also find that on large calibers like 45-70 and very small and long rifle rounds, I can put a 45-200 grain bullet on top of the rod to make it a little heavier to help with down pressure on the alarm rod.

Similar to the primer feed rod.

 

Setting the powder check rod is something you need to sneak up on.

[Colt Walker 45]

I watch the alarm body as a visual to make sure the level is where it needs to be, I just don't relay on the alarm. After all the years using it I can tell if I need to pull the case and check the load. 99% of the time that I get an alarm it is just touching the top/bottom of the notch and no check is required. I normally load in the "center" of the recommendation so 1 tenth of a grain does not matter.

[Kid Rich]

In 5.56 you will get different levels of powder with the same measure of powder unless you have all of your cases uniform. Measure the length of the cases to make sure they are the same or reasonably close and then weigh them. The heavier cases will show more full than the lighter ones. kR

[Blastmaster]

Dillion powder check does an adequate job. Don't count on it having a tolerance of a tenth or two of accuracy vs actual weight, but rather a tolerance of double charge or no charge (probably better than that). There are several plastic pieces that distort, powder laying not level within, loose connection between checker and screw in die tube and other considerations and double lock nutting of checker rods not being used properly.

 

As Grizz mentioned, the RCBS lockout die only works for both extremes (double charge or no charge)

 

I recommend the reloader uses one or the other, because on a progressive press, a lot of things are happening at once and it is easy to be distracted with a hang up (malfunction) at one station and forget what is happening on an earlier stage.

 

I can usually tell by both visual and audio the degree of chirping/buzzing and adjust the rods accordingly as I go along.

[Chuckaroo #13080 Regulator]

I was shooting 45 Colt in real Colts and was concerned about an over charge after seeing a fellow shooter blow a nice 2nd gen Colt apart.

As the Colt has thin cylinder walls I bought the Dillon powder checker. I've have never had a problem with bad alarms unless the adjustment went out. I now use it in all of my calibers.

 

I view it as cheap insurance. Not perfect but better than nothing.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

I have a hard time hearing the Dillon buzzer so i switched to the RCBS powder checker lock out die. If there is no powder or to much you cannot pull the press handle.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

 

 

the RCBS lockout die only works for both extremes (double charge or no charge)

 

 

Hmmm, I can detect about 15% low and 15% high charges with my RCBS powder lockout die, when I throw 4 to 5 grains of common pistol powders. It saves me on more than just empty case and double charge situations! How would it know where "empty case" or "double charge" height occurs anyway?

 

Good luck, GJ

[Matthew Duncan]

In 5.56 you will get different levels of powder with the same measure of powder unless you have all of your cases uniform. Measure the length of the cases to make sure they are the same or reasonably close and then weigh them. The heavier cases will show more full than the lighter ones. kR

All cases are resized and trimmed to length before reloading. I hadn't thought about the cases having different internal volumes. I'll watch the head stamps....

[Assassin]

Different brands of brass have different head thickness, and wall thickness that may allow the powder check system vary in the groove. One of my 650's that is dedicated to 38 spec. gives me a quick beep on occasion, it's always a different brand of case, no big deal. I watch the rod on the powder check with every load.

[Buffalo Bill Mathewson, 37826]

The only issue I have had with the Dillon was a dead battery. I now test for a tone every time I sit down to load. Adjusted properly the chirp described doesn't happen.

[J. Frank Norfleet]

Are you mixing commercial 223 and Mil 5.56? Mil brass has a lower volume and could be giving you a beep.

[Kid Rich]

All cases are resized and trimmed to length before reloading. I hadn't thought about the cases having different internal volumes. I'll watch the head stamps....

When I am doing target loads I measure each load and use only the ones that show the same level in the case. That way the compression is the same for each batch. If they are the same length and weigh the same they will have the same capacity. kR

[Buck D. Law, SASS #62183]

Another vote here for the RCBS Powder Lockout Die. I stopped using the Dillon Powder Check because of its "chirping" while loading faster than it thought I should.

[Matthew Duncan]

Are you mixing commercial 223 and Mil 5.56? Mil brass has a lower volume and could be giving you a beep.

Yes I am.

[Matthew Duncan]

When I am doing target loads I measure each load and use only the ones that show the same level in the case. That way the compression is the same for each batch. If they are the same length and weigh the same they will have the same capacity. kR

No compression on the reloads in question. Using H335 powder.

[Matthew Duncan]

Another vote here for the RCBS Powder Lockout Die. I stopped using the Dillon Powder Check because of its "chirping" while loading faster than it thought I should.

 

Buck,

 

Clicked on the link you proved. One reviewer states it isn't compatible with .223 and the web site states, "For use with straight-wall pistol calibers..."

[Blastmaster]

No compression on the reloads in question. Using H335 powder.

Wondering,

 

The Dillion powder check has a vertical rod that goes down, into the case, and the other end of the rod (above the plastic housing beeper) is a 'V' looking notch that the other part goes into and if dead center, the pin does not activate the beeper. Question, when you are checking the 223 ammo, just what is the variance in that 'V' notch does the pin hit to cause the beep?

[Buck D. Law, SASS #62183]

Buck,

 

Clicked on the link you proved. One reviewer states it isn't compatible with .223 and the web site states, "For use with straight-wall pistol calibers..."

You just educated me. I had never used it on bottle neck ammo. With bottle neck calibers I'm always so focused on accuracy that I load on a single stage and weigh every charge. It's possible that the rod on the RCBS that goes into the case is too large in diameter to fit. Even in larger bottle neck cases, because of the small amount of powder that it takes to go from safe to unsafe, I can see why RCBS (or Dillon for that matter) might want to shy away from suggesting that their powder checking die should be used.

 

After pondering this a bit I suspect that Assassin and J. Frank Norfleet are on to something regarding the variation in the cases. While the Dillon beeps at you because the same amount of powder is filling the case differently, even if the rod of the RCBS would fit, it would drive you crazy constantly locking up the press. I have a sticker on my press reminding me that Cavim headstamp brass will lock up the press. The brass has very thick walls (which would be great if I had a ton of it) and causes the powder to be higher in the case and locks it up every time. It drove me insane until I figured it out.

 

If I were you I'd sort brass and see if that fixed your problem.

[Caddo Kid]

Interesting timing on this topic.

 

I have a relatively new Dillon 650, loaded less than 10K 38 SPL. A couple of weeks ago, I blew a column of primers. Scared the he_ _ of of me, called Dillon and they sent me a new primer mechanism, told me to throw the old one away which I did. This week I started up again and the powder check was erratic (never had the problem before, and weighed the charges, all Ok).

 

While trying to figure out what was happening, I found out the brass rod end was loose on the steel rod. It would just slip on and off very easy.

 

Called Dillon again and expect new adjustment rod today!

[Nickel City Dude]

Never had a problem with the powder checker on my 44-40 cases. Perhaps the bottle neck on the 44-40 is not defined enough compared to something like a 223.

[Blastmaster]

The Dillion powder check design is pretty straight forward. I would think the RCBS powder lock die is equally simplistic.

 

A calibrated rod, with locking nuts goes down into the case mouth, and touches the powder column. The rods height is then know, for that weight=volume of that powder, in that particular case (caliber, manuf, ect). If the powder is fine granuals, then it should ly in the case with a pretty flat surface for the rod to interface with. If powder is course or extruded, then there could be doming or varying loose density at the top of the powder column.

 

Double check to see that you have the largest, but easily incertable brass tipped rod, that does not drag along case mouth or body.

Double check that the dillion check is adequately fixed to die.

Double check that all lockling nuts are adjusted and snugged tight.

Double check that the second rod that makes contact with ram platform base , that pushed beeper up so rod engages 'V' slot isn't under/over adjusted.and mashes/distorts under full upstroke of press handle.

 

If all the adjustments are good & if powder weight is consistant and true, then the only other variable is the actual case interior volume the powder has to occupy and that can be caused by wall thickness variance by manufac or lot #.

[Matthew Duncan]

Wondering,.. just what is the variance in that 'V' notch does the pin hit to cause the beep?

...checker beeps indicating too much powder (about a 1/4" below the V notch.

[Matthew Duncan]

For those that suggested it could be case capacity...I think you nailed it!

 

The first 8 beeps tonight I checked the head stamps (all 223)

2 Wolf

1 D

2 PAC REM

1 TZZI

2 REM

 

I also check a few of the no beeps...all Lake City headstamps.

[Blastmaster]

i am glad you are getting a handle on it.

[Kirk James]

We have been using the Dillon powder check die for three or four years now and are very satisfied. As mentioned in several posts, just keep a visual of every load.

[SlicLee SASS #16638 Life]

You all sound like your looking for an EXCUSE.

The powder check does EXACTLY what its supposed to do. YOU are the problem. One of the reasons, the most important to me in choosing the 650 is the 'POWDER CHECK'.

No more, is that filled, does that one have powder and so on. I removed the battery, don't want a beep, only want to hear the machine noise.

What do I look for, the mark on the rod is right there exactly in front of me on my 650, I look at that as it comes around, thats my "tell", thats why I have the 650, actually

I don't have a 650, I have 2 650's, this way they have company. All you have to do is adjust it properly, set it and forget it. My dedicated 650 is for 38/40.

Along time ago I got DILLON to make me up a conversion kit for 38/55 on my 650.

I won my first 100 yard SS match using a PROGRESSIVE. Everyone,almost said you can't use a progressive for accuracy,HA. I got 1/2 at 100 almost every round.