Manual

The operating rod (#13869) must be installed
between the two white rollers before the operation of
the primer slide. Refer to Fig. 12 for the proper
placement of the rod. Unscrew the knurled cap
(#13957) and remove the large primer magazine and
replace with the small primer magazine tube, Fig. 14;
the plastic tip should look like the one you just took
out. Replace the knurled cap.
Wait until you’ve finished assembly before actually
placing primers in the magazine.
You will notice that the primer magazine tube tips
are different colors and have an indexing ridge on the
tip. The magazine tips and the primer pick-up tube tips
are color coded to help identify their size, see page 13
for more information. The indexing ridge is to help
you place the magazine in its proper position in the
primer feed body.
The Toolhead
Your new RL 550B has been shipped to you with
one removable toolhead. Additional toolheads are
available from the factory.
The advantage of this system is simple, once your
dies have been adjusted just the way you want them,
they can stay that way. Plus, changing to another
caliber becomes a simple matter of pulling two pins
and sliding the toolhead out, Fig. 15.
Choose Your Dies
Your RL 550B will perform well with any
manufacturer’s standard 7/8 x 14 die. However, for
ease of use in your RL 550B, the dies should have a
radius on the lead-in portion of the die; that is to say
a taper or funnel effect to assist the entrance of the
case into the die. This is especially recommended on
the sizing die.
We also recommend the use of separate bullet
seating and crimp dies for pistol cases. Simultaneous
seating and taper crimping of semi-auto cases is not
recommended. Why?
Two reasons. First, in a combination seating and
crimping die, we have two forces that are opposed to
one another. That is, forcing the bullet into the case
while trying to simultaneously crimp it in place.
A better idea is to seat the bullet in one die and then
crimp it in place in another. With semi-auto cases
(9mm & .45 ACP) you must use a separate taper crimp
die to get reliable ammunition and function from your
semi-automatic pistol. This type of crimp is necessary
to maintain the square shoulder effect where the brass
edge of the case meets the bullet. It is on this tiny
shoulder that the functioning of your semi-auto pistol
depends. If this shoulder is rounded or roll-crimped,
the cartridge may enter too far into your pistol’s
chamber and jams will result. On revolver
ammunition, where the cartridge headspaces on the
rim of the case, this type of crimp is not as important,
but once again, by using a separate crimp die, you will
obtain better and more uniform bullet seating.
Carbide Dies?
All Dillon pistol resizing dies are manufactured
with a carbide insert. Carbide is one of the world’s
hardest materials and will last the average reloader a
lifetime. It also takes a high polish and being more
dense is smoother than a steel die. Besides its
longevity, it has another advantage. All steel dies
require lubrication of your brass before resizing, but
with a carbide pistol resizing die this is not absolutely
necessary. Lubrication will make sizing easier, but
with a carbide pistol die, it is not required.
However, when using carbide rifle dies, your cases
must always be lubricated.
The advantage of carbide rifle dies is their long life
and scratch resistant qualities. If you are a commercial
reloader, you may want to consider them.
Setting your Pistol Dies
If you’re setting up rifle dies, use the separate
instruction booklet supplied with the dies.
Before you begin, make sure that the toolhead is
secured by the toolhead pins (#14008).
* Indicates a caliber specific part. See the caliber conversion
chart on page 16 for the caliber you are loading for.
Fig. 15 - A complete, removable toolhead with all of the
dies adjusted. Toolhead stand is optional.
Fig. 14 - The machine comes with two primer pickup tubes
(#20060 Lg, #20059 Sm) and two primer magazine tubes
(#22031 Lg, #22030 Sm). Each has a large and small. They are
color coded for easier identification. See page 13 for color
coding information. The large ones should be used together
and the small ones should be used together. You will notice
that the primer magazine tips have an indexing ridge to
assist in their placement in the primer feed system.
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