Dillon RL550 (powder measure)

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  • Moorvogi

    Firearm Advocate
    Dec 28, 2014
    855
    Okay really it's with the powder measure w/in the RL550 i guess. Anyway, here's the problem. I inherited a RL550 with some old and broken parts. I replaced parts and can crank out .223 loads using extruded powder just fine. They are within 0.2 gr of target amount, which is fine for my needs.

    HOWEVER when i switch to 300blackout, using fine powder (lil gun) i get completely inconsistent loads from 3gr to 14.3gr (trying to get 14gr). To speed up the caliber conversion i have a separate tool head and thus also a separate powder measure. It's still issued by dillon but it's different physical. They both have a LARGE bar... why is there such a significant difference in inconsistency??!

    I guess... the first thing i should do is switch powder measures to see if it's powder, brass, measure related. I SUSPECT.. it's the measure but i've got no idea what would be wrong with it to know what to replace.
     

    DaemonAssassin

    Why should we Free BSD?
    Jun 14, 2012
    23,970
    Political refugee in WV
    The Dillon powder measure is not supposed to work with extruded powders, like IMR 4895. I saw charges range from dead on, to 5+ grains on either side of where I wanted it. The Dillon powder measure is designed for ball or flake powders. Lil' Gun runs flawlessly in my 550 powder measure and is dead on the money, with each charge. If you are having problems, call Dillon. They have a lifetime no BS warranty and they will take care of you.
     

    Jmorrismetal

    Active Member
    Sep 27, 2014
    468
    i get completely inconsistent loads from 3gr to 14.3gr

    The Dillon measure will do a lot better than that even with powders it doesn't like.

    Is the powder bar making a complete stroke, all the way in and all the way out?

    Remove the measure and make sure the little white bushing is in there too (where pencil is pointing).

    IMG_20150120_093459_853_zpsa2e0a92e.jpg
     

    Ian

    Dontre member
    Mar 13, 2012
    208
    Damascus-ish
    Every time I've had a problem with the 550 measurer, it's been a setup issue, i.e. Not a complete stroke, even with long, gnarly powders.
     

    Jmorrismetal

    Active Member
    Sep 27, 2014
    468
    I would be in search of the problem if my charges throwing 231, 748 were as much as .5 grain different.

    I have a measure that has been set in the same spot for more than a decade and even with different lots of powder over the years (VVN310) it always drops 3.1gn. If it all of a sudden dropped 3.6 I'd be in trouble if it were not for my powder check catching it.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    Not 550, but my 650 measures run dead on (less than 0.1 grain +/-) with all ball powders.

    If you are seeing .2 to .5 grain swings, something is wrong.
     

    PowPow

    Where's the beef?
    Nov 22, 2012
    4,712
    Howard County
    I've not had issues with CFE pistol, bullseye, w231 or titegroup being more than +/- 0.1. on my 550. Its powder measure versus IMR 4350, however, was enough of a variance +/- .5 that I decided to use the ChargeMaster. Most of the time the 550 did well on 4350 when I used slow steady pull motions, but I just didn't trust it.
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,818
    Lil Gun can be a little sticky. Try tossing a silica pack inside the powder tube if it's going to spend any time in there.
     

    Jmorrismetal

    Active Member
    Sep 27, 2014
    468
    I would rather return the powder to its original container than put anything other than powder into a measure. I try to not ask for trouble these days.
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,818
    I would rather return the powder to its original container than put anything other than powder into a measure. I try to not ask for trouble these days.

    I do the same, but I have seen others do this during extended loading sessions.
     

    inkd

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 4, 2009
    7,512
    Ridge
    There is also an area on the front of the powder measure that gets a little dab of grease as well.

    My powder measure was hanging up and I went online and found a Dillon video to see if I could troubleshoot the problem.

    I put some grease on it and found a couple other small tweaks that I missed and it's been good to go ever since.

    http://www.dillonprecision.com/dillonvideos.html
     

    Moorvogi

    Firearm Advocate
    Dec 28, 2014
    855
    I went home.. took the measure apart. But really what i should say is i TRIED to change the powder bar, and it stuck. it stuck BAAAD. I ended up beating the bar out. I inherited it with some extra rust/mold. This prevented the powder bar from going all the way to the side.

    Once i got the bar out, i trimmed it down a bit. used liquid graphite to lube it up a bit and got it "free flowing". Wrapped some springs around it to give it some natural resistance/tension and now.. the powder bar now traveled full left to full right.

    That being said, it was also a little sticky for the powder. For the first 70 rounds, i would measure the resized/primed brass.. then add powder to double check consistency. 70 out of 70 throws 14gr. I was happy and cranked out the remaining 430 rounds.
     

    Moorvogi

    Firearm Advocate
    Dec 28, 2014
    855
    Every time I've had a problem with the 550 measurer, it's been a setup issue, i.e. Not a complete stroke, even with long, gnarly powders.

    This was exactly the issue. Setup. The bar had some build up and didn't do a full travel/stroke.
     

    Moorvogi

    Firearm Advocate
    Dec 28, 2014
    855
    The Dillon measure will do a lot better than that even with powders it doesn't like.

    Is the powder bar making a complete stroke, all the way in and all the way out?

    Remove the measure and make sure the little white bushing is in there too (where pencil is pointing).

    IMG_20150120_093459_853_zpsa2e0a92e.jpg

    Thanks for the picture, i resolved the problem before i had a chance to see the picture. It wasn't making a complete stroke. That being said.. i have a square deal b to setup now too for 357mag or 9mm. The dies in it right now are 357 though, might just stick w/ that.

    Thanks for ALL THE HELP GUYS/GALS. You guys are amazing!
     

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