Wst in a 900 dillon

[Hells Comin]

I'm getting powder everywhere it's creates a big mess anyone else having this issue. About every 50 rounds or so I have to vacuum the mess it makes.

  Hells Comin 

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

H C'n fine grain powders tend to leak more out of the Dillon measures than flake powders like Clays.  One thing that can happen on the 900 is the little plug in the powder measure can fall out.  It should go in the hole on the top of the measure.  If it is there you might want to have Dillon look at your measure to see if there are any worn parts.

 

 

 

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

I run WST through 3 Dillon measures on 550 cartridge presses and get VERY little dribble of powder.  Yeah, I'd say you have some sort of problem.

 

good luck, GJ

[Scrub Oak Willie 53737]

Im getting the same on my 900 , still trying to find the cure.

 

Willie

[Scrub Oak Willie 53737]

Larsen:  Were did you get the springs ?

 

Willie

[G W Wade]

They were on all the older Dillon powder measures       GW

PS   Before pull off

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

43 minutes ago, Scrub Oak Willie 53737 said:

Larsen:  Were did you get the springs ?

 

Willie

This is out of the SL900 manual.  The spring is shown but with no part number.  You could buy them from Dillon for several years after they went to the new style measure.

 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

2 hours ago, Scrub Oak Willie 53737 said:

Larsen:  Were did you get the springs ?

 

Willie

A rubber band works too

[Tennessee Snuffy]

For my education only

 

What does the spring wrapped around the powder measure and while plastic piece accomplish?  I have a 550 and it does not have the spring.

 

Thanks for the education.

[Texas Jack Black]

17 hours ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

I run WST through 3 Dillon measures on 550 cartridge presses and get VERY little dribble of powder.  Yeah, I'd say you have some sort of problem.

 

good luck, GJ

  As things age a little dribble is inevitable.😉

[Idaho Gunslinger]

1 hour ago, Tennessee Snuffy said:

For my education only

 

What does the spring wrapped around the powder measure and while plastic piece accomplish?  I have a 550 and it does not have the spring.

 

Thanks for the education.

The spring makes sure that the powder bar returns all the way back in every stroke. The newer powder measures use a rod that attaches to to the ram to do the same thing. 

 

The white piece is when you are using the small powder bar. It holds the upper bar in place that the small powder bar slides underneath. If that bar were to slide out the powder measure would drain itself onto your press. 

 

 

On the topic of this post I have this video in my queue to watch but haven't got there yet. Maybe it will help. I get minor leakage with Red Dot, Titegroup and WST. Probably on par for a flake powder.

https://youtu.be/KpGZArdOp5k

 

 

[Blackwater 53393]

I’m just now going through setting up my xl750.  While exploring the powder measure system, I noticed that that little white plug has a short tip on the opposite end from the retaining pin.  
 

Am I correct in guessing, (the manual doesn’t say) that the short tip is there to use as a plug for that hole so the powder doesn’t migrate out from there??

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

To elaborate with a little history on what Idaho Gunslinger said.  All of my measures are the old spring style as I find them to be much smoother in operation than the new style.  The springs (they all had two) served to close the measure but in case it got stuck the measures had a safety rod.  Purple arrow. Despite explicit directions in the manual not to use the measure without the safety rod some dummies did anyway and when the measures got gummy and started sticking they started having probems.  (Which also indicates they had never heard of preventative maintenance.)

 

 

In order to address the dummy factor Dillon redesigned the measure so it would not operate without the safety rod.

 

 

Why was this necessary?  For the same reason these labels are found on every lawn mower sold in the US.

 

 

 

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

10 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

Am I correct in guessing, (the manual doesn’t say) that the short tip is there to use as a plug for that hole so the powder doesn’t migrate out from there??

 

Yes, I posted a photo showing it above.  Much of the time it is not needed with the large charge bar (you must use it with the small charge bar) unless the charge is large enough that the power is exposed to the hole in the top of the measure.

 

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

back to the springs

 

I found some larger diameter ones at ACE hardware that work--added a couple of links of pull chain to make it a bit longer which reduces the force needed.

 

also:  Dillon still has those springs--you probably have to email/phone--if memory serves me, they are $3.50 each--ACE was much cheaper, and no shipping

[Blackwater 53393]

1 hour ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

 

Yes, I posted a photo showing it above.  Much of the time it is not needed with the large charge bar (you must use it with the small charge bar) unless the charge is large enough that the power is exposed to the hole in the top of the measure.

 

 

I thought so.  I put it in when I changed bars. Mine came set up for small charges and it seemed like a good way to keep up with it as well.

[Medicine Creek Johnny]

Hey Phil.  Sell the 900 and get a Spolar 🤣

[Johnny Meadows,SASS#28485L]

On 8/24/2024 at 5:55 PM, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

A rubber band works too

I use a couple rubber bands on all my Dillon measures.

[Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646]

   As told to me by Frank Buckshot, I dont know who told him. When using the Dillon powder measure and the small bar with the spacer that is retained by the plastic pin, referenced by Larsen, fine grain powder can escape from above the spacer bar. The solution is to empty the measure, remove the linkage and small powder bar, then pull the pin and remove the spacer bar. Now comes the tricky part, place a single layer of cellophane packing tape on the TOP side of the spacer bar, not in contact with the moving powder bar. With a sharp hobby knife cut the tape to size and shape , remove for the pin hole and drop through for the powder, then reinstall the spacer bar and pin, the reinstall the powder bar and move the bar back and forth . If there is any up-down slop add another layer of tape. the tape is only a couple of thousandths thick so it should not lock up the measure with a couple of thicknesses. Congratulations, you have made a shim.  

   My experience with my 900 is that the indexing can be key to powder spilling. If everything is right the indexing will be very smooth. It is a complicated machine and fully capable of being balky and jerk every stroke. That shakes powder everywhere. I finally have mine running smoothly, after lots of tweaking. I have not had to shim the powder measure and I run Cleanshot in mine.

   I dont run the spring on any of the four Dillon powder measures I have but I DO have the failsafe rod setup on both machines.

Imis

[Scrub Oak Willie 53737]

That's OK if you have a small powder bar and spacer , but the 900 has a one piece bar. Do you use the small powder bar and spacer on your 900?

 

Willie

[Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646]

1 hour ago, Scrub Oak Willie 53737 said:

That's OK if you have a small powder bar and spacer , but the 900 has a one piece bar. Do you use the small powder bar and spacer on your 900?

 

Willie

I do, for 14.4 gr of Cleanshot

 

Imis