And the answer is... There was a lot of gunk in the grooves of the shell plate. Use a pick to get that crap outta there. That would answer why the brass at station 1 had to be guided into the de-capping/sizing die sometimes. Called Dillon and they replaced the index block, index ring, associated springs, the little "hammer" under the shell plate holder, the primer plate, and the primer punch. My Dillon is several years old, the index block, index ring have changed. (The index block is slightly longer/taller). Dillon also sent me an index alignment tool. You put this down on the primer punch while holding the handle forward, then tighten the bolts on the index block. That makes sure the shell plate indexes and aligns correctly. Everything works smoothly again. Thank you Dillon.

Coach.