Sticking primer slide.

When the primer feed system was changed, was the primer slide also changed?

 Try this: remove the primer cup/punch/spring from the front of the primer slide, then snug the primer housing bolts, and cycle the handle. See if the slide sticks or cycles freely. then let me know.

I am having the same problem. The primer slide sticks at the end of its travel and I have to pull it back by hand to get a primer. I've cleand it and I've bent the failsafe rod back a little and it works for 2 or 3 and then the same problem. I've only had the press for a few months and it started after the first couple of hundred rounds. Any help would definitely be appreciated.

~Kbo

The primer feed assembly was changed because threads were stripped from one screw hole, so the slides were not replaced at that time. I have/had this sticking trouble with the old and the "new" assembly.

With the assembly tightened down WITH the primer cup/punch/spring installed it binds up solid with the very first stroke.

Without the cup/punch/spring it ran relatively smooth, though every few cycles you could see & hear a slight hesitation in the primer slides return.

e-mail me through sales@dillonprecision.com, include your name and address. I will send replacement primers slides to you.

Thank you... will do.

Ok, I'll try once again to post to this thread.

I am having the same exact problem with my 550B and have been for a long time. I kind of though possibly the return spring was worn out.

Dillon has sent replacement parst twice to cure the problem but nothing seems to work.

I just tried the recommendation of removing the primer cup, etc. from the slide and it works!

If I contact Dillon via phone today and tell them of this thread will they replace the necessary parts for my 550B priming system?

Thanks.

I'll answer my own question.

No, the customer service rep at Dillon suggested that I "dress up" the edges of the primer slide and re-set the depth of the cup, punch and spring to the recommended 1.215". Acording to him, this is the way that repair fixes this type of issue. :-(

I've been told this before and I am familiar with the procedure.

I did was was recommended. The primer slide runs somewhat better but still chatters and tends to stick less but still sticks.

I have three primer slides, two newer versions and one very old one. One slide will not allow the 1.215" specs. 1.218 to 1.2185 is the very best I can get.

What now?

1.215-1.220 is the range for the distance from the underside of the slide to the top of the cup. Do both slides stick, then move freely after removing the cup and punch? IF yes, then roll the punches on a flat surface to see if they are bent. Please let me know what you find. The other possibility is the hole in the prime slide is oval, allowing the primer punch to tip when the set screw is tightened.

I assume you have scrubbed the top of the frame, sides and bottom of the primer slide, then wiped them off with solvent?

"The primer feed assembly was changed because threads were stripped from one screw hole..."

CAS -
Initially my primer slide was also "sticky". I don't want anything I say to displace something from the expert Dillon advice, but speaking as a design engineer of precision devices, the fact that the threaded hole was stripped may be an indicator of the issue.

In my particular case, my 20yo son had unpacked our new press the day it arrived and had already assembled it for use by the time I arrived home. I recognized right away that the primer slide was binding ever so slightly.

It turned out that in his zest, he had simply over tightened the 2 primer slide attach bolts. The act of over tightening these fasteners also skewed the primer slide sideways maybe .008" so that the primer cup no longer centered on the hole in the rotating shell plate.

I simply loosened the 2 bolts, lowered the ram to find the center position for the primer cup, and snugged the 2 bolts up. All that's required on those bolts is 3 to 4 ft-lbs of torque.

In my experience, the general public simply don't realize what excess fastener torque will do to a precision machine. The exerted forces can easily warp nearby surfaces into a "potato chip" shape. And the fact that Dillon supplies high grade socket head cap fasteners exacerbates the issue because they can deliver incredibly high clamping forces. Probably 3 to 10 times what's actually needed to "do the job".

So my advice would be to pretend you are working on an antique watch, and practice tightening fasteners the minimum torque it takes to do the job, rather than the maximum torque the fasteners can withstand. I think you'll quickly have much better results.

RW
Suwanee, GA