How do I stop breaking Dillon swage rods?

[ronnl001]

I have broken about 2-3 of these rods on my 1050. It is annoying. There is an enhanced rod available. I do not own one and can't speak to it (my press is still not set up after we have moved), but you might look into it. I believe it is sold on several forums including ARF.

[Jmorrismetal]

You cant run a sizing die with decapping pin removed in any station on a 1050? Wow. I run Lee decapper in station 1, Hornady sizing dies with expander but no decapping pin in station 3 or 4 in my LnL.

You also don't have any problems with the swager on an LNL because your doing that on something else in another step.

Sure you can run one in station 2,3 (if you remove the backup rod and forget about swaging), 5 ( if you remove the powder measure) and 6,7,8 (PC, seat and crimp dies removed)

No dies can be installed in station 1 or 4, the backup for the swage rod and expander are in station #3, and it would be pretty pointless to decap after the swage.

That leaves you with station #2 to size and deprime.

[gabe1519]

I run a Lee Decapper in station 1, swage on 2, size and cut on 5, then expand with a RCBS blackout die with the pin removed. I do everything in one pass. So far I don't know if any other presses that can do it all in one pass unless you can fit the RT1500 and still use 3 other stations.

I'll be on the lookout for the enhanced swage Rod. I really need a long term solution for high volume processing. If not I'll probably need to fabricate a more durable linkage that can withstand stuck primers being smashed in the pockets.

[Jmorrismetal]

I run a Lee Decapper in station 1, swage on 2,...

Read page 5 of the manual. The 1050 has 8 stations, you can't have a die in station 1 and swage is station 3.

[gabe1519]

I get mixed up on the labels of the stations but the only station where you can decap and swage are easy to figure out. i basically do four things on the press. Decap, Swage, Size & Cut, and Neck Expand. Sorry for the confusion. The 1050 is an excellent all in one unit I've yet to find a replacement for. It can be very finicky if not watched closely and some areas of improvement are needed.

[USBP379]

I run a Lee Decapper in station 1, swage on 2, size and cut on 5, then expand with a RCBS blackout die with the pin removed. I do everything in one pass. So far I don't know if any other presses that can do it all in one pass unless you can fit the RT1500 and still use 3 other stations.

I'll be on the lookout for the enhanced swage Rod. I really need a long term solution for high volume processing. If not I'll probably need to fabricate a more durable linkage that can withstand stuck primers being smashed in the pockets.

Did you ever get this worked out? If so, what swage rod are you using? Fast and Friendly Brass is the only aftermarket option I can find.

[gabe1519]

Wow it's been a while since that post. I got out of the brass game but the best rods I used were from fast and friendly. Much better quality than Dillon and lasted much longer. I found my press needed repairs from Dillon to fix the linkage issue but I stopped before I could send it off to Dillon for repair. Also look into purchasing the lower press linkage to improve performance. The parts from fast and friendly are worth it.

[USBP379]

Wow it's been a while since that post. I got out of the brass game but the best rods I used were from fast and friendly. Much better quality than Dillon and lasted much longer. I found my press needed repairs from Dillon to fix the linkage issue but I stopped before I could send it off to Dillon for repair. Also look into purchasing the lower press linkage to improve performance. The parts from fast and friendly are worth it.

$340 for the FFB pawl and link arms. No, thanks.

[Dolomite_Supafly]

If you, or anyone, is having problems with the Lee decapper hanging onto the primer you can sharpen it and it will resolve it. When, which is rarely, I use the Lee decapper I never have a problem since I started sharpening them.