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Old August 20, 2012, 11:03 AM   #1
McClintock
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Broke my sizing die...

Hi, all.

Thought I would share my recent experience loading 9mm for a competition this past weekend.

I was merrily loading away, happily churning out 147 gr. LRN rounds, when my Dillon 550B went 'Clank' as the ram was at the top of its stroke.

Clank? Hmmm, that's an odd sound, I thought. I pushed the handle to lower the ram, and it was a little sticky, so of course, I pushed a little harder. The ram lowered, with the case in position 1, with the carbide sizing ring still attached!

Wow, I've never seen anything like this before. The dies were new Dillon dies I bought after acquiring the press (used, or should I say, previously enjoyed) from a fellow shooter. The dies themselves had about 12,000 rounds through them, according to my records.

The story does have a happy ending, though. I called Dillon, and the total phone call lasted about 30 seconds:

Dillon Representative: Hi, this is Dave, how can I help you today?
Me: Well, Dave, I have a bit of a problem. I have a 9mm sizing die that had the carbide sizing ring just pop out. My customer number is (xxx)
Dave: I see. We will send you a new one right away. Is (xxx) your current address?
Me: That is the correct address, Dave.
Dave: Okay, that should be all I need. Thank you very much.
Me: That's it?
Dave: Yes, sir, that's all the information we need.
Me: Well, thank you very much, Dave, you have yourself a great day!
Dave: Thanks, you too. (click).

I got the e-mail confirmation that the die had shipped the next morning. Now THAT's customer service! Hats off to Dillon. No questions as to how it happened, if I was being ham-fisted in my use of their equipment or anything, just "We'll get you a new one right away.". I will definitely continue to use their products.

Cheers!
McClintock
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Old August 20, 2012, 12:05 PM   #2
CharlieDeltaJuliet
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Glad to hear your story has a happy ending. I had some issues when I started reloading 50 bmg. I had loaded other calibers for a while, but had a poblem with the decapping rod. Mine was a Lee brand but they did the same for me... Always good to hear about good customer service.....
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Old August 20, 2012, 02:26 PM   #3
Sevens
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You certainly don't hear of a sizing die breaking all too often.

I doubt anyone will be surprised at how Dillon handled the situation.
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Old August 20, 2012, 03:02 PM   #4
Bigdog57
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I've had similar happen with the RCBS sizer dies in .223Rem and 8mm Mauser - the sizer balls stripped their threads and came off in the case. It seems that the balls can get loose and then start wobbling - strips them eventually. I check them often now.
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Old August 20, 2012, 03:24 PM   #5
Misssissippi Dave
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I had that happen to my 9 mm die as well. Contacted Dillon and received a new die in very short order. No hassel of any kind. I did drive out the stuck case and the carbide ring seemed to be intact. I pressed it back in the die and then used a small punch to the base of the die to flare it enough to hold it in there. This is the Stainless steel portion and I did this in quite a few places. Now I have a spare die to use if it ever happens again.

I don't know just how many thousands of cases have been through that die. I do know I will keep buying Dillon products for some time to come. Their no BS warrenty is not just a slogan. I broke mine on a weekend evening so I just E-mailed them. It took probably an extra day to get mine. Still impressive.
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Old August 20, 2012, 03:44 PM   #6
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I have been happy with Dillon and their "No BS" Warranty. Great company.

Maybe you can super glue the insert in as you wait for the new sizing die.

Worth a try at least!
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Old August 20, 2012, 04:19 PM   #7
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Loctite makes a product called Quick Metal that's specifically for installing bearings where the hole has worn sloppy. That or one of the high strength Loctite's might be just the ticket.
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Old August 20, 2012, 04:32 PM   #8
dahermit
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I have a couple of Lee Factory Crimp Dies for pistols that I want that to happen to. The carbide ring at the bottom sizes the loaded cartridge in the last station of my 550b and crimps it. I do not like the carbide ring working the bullet and the case, would prefer that the did just crimp. Tempted to try and knock the ring loose...but they are likely brazed in. Now if the OP would just teach me how to do it to a Lee...
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Old August 20, 2012, 07:23 PM   #9
ROGER4314
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I bought my first two Dillon RL450 presses somewhere around 1984. I sold those when I moved but bought another RL450 and then an RL550. They show me on their computer system in 2003 and I've done business with them regularly even before then. Your experiences with Dillon are exactly the same as mine.

There are two companies that have gone out of their way for me EVERY time:
Dillon Precision
Midway USA

They don't get any better than these folks!

Flash
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Old August 21, 2012, 05:34 AM   #10
jimkim
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Quote:
I have a couple of Lee Factory Crimp Dies for pistols that I want that to happen to. The carbide ring at the bottom sizes the loaded cartridge in the last station of my 550b and crimps it. I do not like the carbide ring working the bullet and the case, would prefer that the did just crimp. Tempted to try and knock the ring loose...but they are likely brazed in. Now if the OP would just teach me how to do it to a Lee...
You can lap the rings out to customize them for your individual needs. Another option is to use a 9mm, 40 S&W or 44 crimping ring in a larger crimping die body.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=145943
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Old August 21, 2012, 08:04 AM   #11
McClintock
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Unclenick, thanks for the tip on Quick Metal, I'll look into it. I heard somewhere that the carbide sizing rings are pressed into a heated (for expansion) die body and the shrinking die body holds the sizing ring in place. Not sure if that's true or not, but the sizing ring that fell out of my die does not appear to want to just drop back in to the die body.

Sorry, dahermit, I couldn't tell you what I did to pop the ring out.

Can't wait for my new die to show up, I have another match coming up in a couple weeks, and I need ammo!

Cheers!
McClintock
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Old August 21, 2012, 08:57 AM   #12
Vance
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Put the carbide ring in the freezer to get it cold. Put the die into to oven at about 350 degrees. The carbide ring should drop right in and let it come to room tempurature.
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Old August 21, 2012, 09:32 AM   #13
chiefr
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I have never observed a broke carbide insert before, but I heard of one breaking from resizing steel cases.
Anyway hats off to Dillion.
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Old August 21, 2012, 12:40 PM   #14
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Huray! The following utube vidio shows how to remove the carbide ring from the Lee Factory Crimp Die (to be able to use it as just a crimp die). I tried it and the process worked...the ring must just be a pressed fit, not sweat-brazed in.
If anyone else is interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnaCMf7mO2c
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