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Old 05-24-2020, 06:33 PM
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Default Movin’ on up...to the Blue side!

I got a great local deal on this Dillon 550B with a bunch of accessories and add ons. Strong mount, LED skylight, six caliber conversion kits, six tool heads, bullet tray, and four of the caliber conversion stands. It all came in a box full of pieces and I’ve been having fun all afternoon piecing it together and figuring out how everything works. I still need to pick up some nuts and bolts to finish it, but hopefully I can start a few practice rounds on it by tomorrow. I have a question about the plate in the second and third pictures. It came mounted on the press in place of the strong mount and looks like a quick mount sort of like what Lee uses, I’ve looked online and can’t find any information on it or what it’s supposed to mate to. Anyone know more about it?
Prior to this, all of my reloading has been on Lee equipment.
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Old 05-24-2020, 06:43 PM
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When the press is mounted on the strong mount, that bracket holds the loaded ammo parts box.
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Old 05-24-2020, 08:46 PM
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When the press is mounted on the strong mount, that bracket holds the loaded ammo parts box.
Well, that doesn’t make any sense...the only way it would fit is sandwiched between the strong mount and the press, but there are countersunk machine screws on the underside. It has a spot to mount the bullet tray and finished round chute, but I have brackets that mount those on to the strong mount already.
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Old 05-25-2020, 09:01 AM
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I think that plate is made by Inline fabrication. It goes on top of the mount legs and sandwiches between the press base.

It allows the mounting of additional accessories

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Old 05-25-2020, 09:07 AM
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Ok...I figured it out. It’s a quick change base mount from InLine Fabrication to mount the press on their Ultramount. Here’s a picture of an ultramount it fits and a neat video showing how the system works. It looks interesting, I might pick up one of the shorter ultramounts and try it out. I like the different height options. The Dillon strong mount places it pretty high over my bench.
Ultramount with quick change base plate assembly. 9 3/4" tall – Inline Fabrication
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Old 05-25-2020, 09:09 AM
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I think that plate is made by Inline fabrication. It goes on top of the mount legs and sandwiches between the press base.

It allows the mounting of additional accessories

Ha! You were posting as I was typing. Partially right...you need their ultrmount with quick change to use it, it won’t work with Dillons strongmount.
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Old 05-25-2020, 09:16 AM
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Congratulations on your new press. I just got my 550 last year. It’s been fun to learn about and a joy to run.
David
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Old 05-25-2020, 09:22 AM
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Ha! You were posting as I was typing. Partially right...you need their ultrmount with quick change to use it, it won’t work with Dillons strongmount.
Yes, you are correct, with the ultra mount the legs are made generically, they are used for all applications. The top plate is what adapts the press to the legs.

The tab on what would be the left side, opposite of the cartridge chute. Is to mount the Inline bullet tray, the rear lug is for the swing arm thing.

My 550 has the same mount and set up as yours. I do have an inline mount on a Co-Ax press, make the press much easier to use.
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Old 05-25-2020, 10:16 AM
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I like the different height options. The Dillon strong mount places it pretty high over my bench.
In 1984 when I first got my 450 I mounted to bench height, Later stacks of 2x6's allowed to bring to the exact height I wanted.

Last night I was looking at my best friends home made mount of his 450. He uses 3 layers of 2x6, the middle one sticking out about 8" left and right. these become "Bullet" and "Ammo" trays without the "Blue Expense!"

Ivan
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Old 05-25-2020, 11:21 AM
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Watch it ! They're like tater chips & blondes............caint have just one
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Old 05-25-2020, 01:17 PM
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Watch it ! They're like tater chips & Redheads............caint have just one
^^^^^^^^^

There...I fixed it for you!!
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Old 05-25-2020, 04:33 PM
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Default This!

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^^^^^^^^^

There...I fixed it for you!!
Addictive yes, I have 5! Dillons not redheads!

I like to be able to sit down and load at any time without having to change adjustments. They are all over 30 years old.

Don't know a thing about redheads since the 9th grade!

Smiles,
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Old 05-25-2020, 05:50 PM
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Addictive yes, I have 5! Dillons not redheads!

Don't know a thing about redheads since the 9th grade!

Smiles,
Good choice...5 redheads at once woulda killed me.

I have 4 Dillons set up right now... But the 650 is sold. so a 550 a 750 and a 1050
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Old 05-25-2020, 08:46 PM
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Good choice...5 redheads at once woulda killed me.
Like they say, you may sleep with a blonde or a brunette, but you’ll never sleep with a redhead
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Old 05-26-2020, 08:30 AM
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All this redhead discussion is going pretty far afield... a friend and colleague of my niece is a redhead and she and her husband have five readheaded daughters including a pair of twins! I guess every rule has an exception since he is alive and doing well.

Froggie
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Old 05-26-2020, 09:43 AM
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All this redhead discussion is going pretty far afield... a friend and colleague of my niece is a redhead and she and her husband have five readheaded daughters including a pair of twins! I guess every rule has an exception since he is alive and doing well.

Froggie
Although I had a propensity for redheads when young and dating... My reference was for when my daughter was from 12-17 years old. She and 4 other gals that seemed to live at our house...3 were redheads another was a blonde and the 5th and last thank goodness was a light brown haired gal. They ate us out of house and home ran around the house in what I considered half naked dress and were always laughing at me or so it seemed...Then there was my wife. 6 women and (poor old)me. at least I could send those gals out to the barn...ride and take care of the horses or I could go out to my shop and hide. Luckily my wife was blonde and I turned her hair white in short order...But she got even for that too. Although I was dumbfounded by them most of the time.. Loved those girls...considered 'em like my daughters and was really kinda lost when they seemed to go different directions after high school....Empty house all of a sudden
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Old 05-26-2020, 11:10 AM
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Have you got that press set up and ready to go? I think you will like it..maybe a lot!
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Old 05-26-2020, 11:37 AM
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I have the 4" tall Inline Fab Strong Mount and I like it a lot. I have the bases to mount my RL-450, my Redding T-7 and my RCBS Bench Mount Priming System. It saves a bunch of bench space, which is at a premium for me. Here is a pic of my RL-450 mounted on it. It has the add on mounting arm for the empty cases on the right side and has the Dillon bullet tray mounted on the left side to place the bullets handy.



I highly recommend the Inline Fab mount as it is well built and sturdy and very versatile.
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Old 05-26-2020, 11:42 AM
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Congrats on coming to the blue side. Resistance is futile
I've started with 550B and added 650 later down the road
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Old 05-26-2020, 07:34 PM
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To get this thread back on track, I am the proud owner of a REDHEAD reloading press... it’s a little turret press that uses the same dies as the Lyman TruLine Jr.

Drop the mike!

Froggie
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Old 05-26-2020, 08:09 PM
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I have the 4" tall Inline Fab Strong Mount and I like it a lot. I have the bases to mount my RL-450, my Redding T-7 and my RCBS Bench Mount Priming System. It saves a bunch of bench space, which is at a premium for me. Here is a pic of my RL-450 mounted on it. It has the add on mounting arm for the empty cases on the right side and has the Dillon bullet tray mounted on the left side to place the bullets handy.



I highly recommend the Inline Fab mount as it is well built and sturdy and very versatile.
Since I’ve already got the plate, I’m definitely going to get one of the Inline Fab mounts. I just need to figure out which one is going to put the press at the best fatigue free height.

Are the empty casing and finished round bins proprietary to Dillon, or do standard Akro-Mils bins from Harbor Freight fit the mounts?

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Have you got that press set up and ready to go? I think you will like it..maybe a lot!
It’s almost ready. I ran a few .45 ACP rounds through it late yesterday to try it out and make adjustments. Looks like I’ll have to wait until the weekend to pick up where I left off. I want to get a few accessories like the roller handle and tool kit for it.
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Old 05-26-2020, 08:29 PM
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I think they are standard Akro-bins, tlawler. The one that came with my 450 was labeled Akrobins and the ones I bought about 4-5 years ago from Dillon were Dillon labeled on the side, but came from Akro-mills. The short one that came from Inline Fab with the hanger arm and a standard length one I bought at the same time from Inline are labeled U-Line. As long as they have a hanger lip on them they should work.

EDIT: The handle on my 450 is the Inline Fab ERGO roller handle. I also like it a lot and it is quality made.

Last edited by muddocktor; 05-26-2020 at 08:39 PM. Reason: add info
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Old 05-26-2020, 11:14 PM
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Since I’ve already got the plate, I’m definitely going to get one of the Inline Fab mounts. I just need to figure out which one is going to put the press at the best fatigue free height.




It’s almost ready. I ran a few .45 ACP rounds through it late yesterday to try it out and make adjustments. Looks like I’ll have to wait until the weekend to pick up where I left off. I want to get a few accessories like the roller handle and tool kit for it.
The 45 is what I have on the Super 1050. Once set up and ready to go an hour later ya have near a 1000 rounds loaded. I helped a fellow in Cody set up a 550...2 weeks later he bought another with the other primer size set up. He uses them constantly. Take your time and enjoy...ask questions here if you have any problems... Or Dillon is always helpful. Oh and a little suggestion...get one of the primer tube fillers Frankford Arsenal makes. I have 2...one for large primers...one for small. I load at least 10 primer tubes before loading on any machine.

Froggie...I have one of those Redhead presses too. Never have used it

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Old 05-27-2020, 08:57 PM
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Primer tubes. +100 on having 10 of each size! I don't use any of the tube fillers, I put 200-300 primers in a flip tray and just start filling the tubes and flip the tray when all the shinny side up primers are tubed. be sure you have a cotter or safety pin in place! On the tubes that I got in 1984, they hold 102 magnum primers and 104 standard (size small). The newer ones hold 101 and 102.

With 10 tubes of primers, when they are gone, it is time for a bathroom break anyway! I NEVER allowed the wife or kids to bother me while reloading, so 1000 rounds is about 2 hours. That's a good time to check in with the outside world anyway. Load 10 more tubes and start over.

One thing that has turned primers wrong side up on my 550 is if "junk" getting in the primer cup! Take time at the 1000 round break to clean it with a toothbrush! (JUNK= dust, gunpowder, or slivers from seating bullets, most gets dumped into the spent primer bin, but some does make it to the primer cup.)

Ivan
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Old 05-28-2020, 09:59 AM
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OP you need to ditch that ball headed handle and get the Inline
Precision handle. Your hand, arm, and shoulder will thank you .
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Old 05-28-2020, 05:35 PM
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Primer tubes. +100 on having 10 of each size! I don't use any of the tube fillers, I put 200-300 primers in a flip tray and just start filling the tubes and flip the tray when all the shinny side up primers are tubed. be sure you have a cotter or safety pin in place! On the tubes that I got in 1984, they hold 102 magnum primers and 104 standard (size small). The newer ones hold 101 and 102.

With 10 tubes of primers, when they are gone, it is time for a bathroom break anyway! I NEVER allowed the wife or kids to bother me while reloading, so 1000 rounds is about 2 hours. That's a good time to check in with the outside world anyway. Load 10 more tubes and start over.

One thing that has turned primers wrong side up on my 550 is if "junk" getting in the primer cup! Take time at the 1000 round break to clean it with a toothbrush! (JUNK= dust, gunpowder, or slivers from seating bullets, most gets dumped into the spent primer bin, but some does make it to the primer cup.)
Ivan
How is priming on the Dillons compared to other methods? When I got my Lee turret, it took less than 500 rounds to realize the Lee on-press priming method sucked. I got one of the original Lee hand primers and used it until the handle broke, then picked up an RCBS universal. I really like hand priming; I can watch TV or spend time with the family in the air conditioning instead of being in the hot garage sweating and priming. My normal routine is to deprime, wet tumble, then prime cases. At this point I have a few thousand of each caliber I load clean, primed, and ready to load.

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OP you need to ditch that ball headed handle and get the Inline
Precision handle. Your hand, arm, and shoulder will thank you .
I plan to I’ve been window shopping on their website already. Haven’t ordered anything yet, but I see a few things I like. I’m gonna peruse a couple of gunshows this weekend and see if I can pick up anything used first. There’s usually a couple of vendors who have reloading stuff including press parts and attachments. Maybe I’ll get lucky!

Edit to add: Nick, I just noticed you’re in SW FL too. Are you near Port Charlotte? So far, the 2 Guys show in Port Charlotte and the FL Gun Expo show in Englewood are still showing as verified. Keeping my fingers crossed they won’t be cancelled at the last minute. I’d love to meet another local forum member.
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Old 05-28-2020, 05:59 PM
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I have the 550b, my F-I-L has 2 of the 1050s. All the priming I've done (around 500,000 rounds) has gone smoothly and with any brand of primer! The problems occur on my 550 when you have military crimps still in place the new primer get mashed, or still sticks out!

Ivan

The 650's have a reputation for disliking Federal Primers. That is why they changed the priming system for the 750!

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Old 05-28-2020, 06:34 PM
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Default Another quick question

About dies...I plan on eventually replacing all of my Lee dies with Dillon, but in the meantime, I’ll still be using the Lees. Is there any real issue or disadvantage with using the Lee dies? Dillon’s literature states that their dies are designed for the higher speeds associated with a progressive press. Is that just sales hype? Does everyone eventually upgrade their dies to match the brand of their press? Are Dillon dies the best to use, or maybe another manufacturer like RCBS? I see a lot more used RCBS dies for sale than Dillon. And thanks guys, for all the responses so far. I’m learning a lot!
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Old 05-28-2020, 06:59 PM
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I use Lee dies in 38/357, 44 and 45 Auto on my 450 with no problems. I use a 9MM sizer from Dillon and it's a nice sizing die too, but my Lee dies work fine so I have not replaced them. My brother had a Redding 9MM die set and it gave him so much trouble he gave me that die set and bought himself the Dillon set. That Redding sizer he gave me actually gives me problems on my T-7 press. I think the die is mis-cut myself, as it will actually make a sharp shoulder towards the base of a case that's been resized even on the T-7. One of these days I will resize some brass with it and send it off to Redding to show them what it is doing to the brass and have them look at it.

EDIT: Right after I posted this message, I remembered something that Inline sells that is a great little deal for your Akro Bins. They make a nice little aluminum plate that slides into the opening at the front of the bin and blocks it up so that you can fill the bins up all the way without having loaded cartridges fall out of the bin. They call it a Bin Barrier and cost $3.75 so they don't break the bank. Here's a link to the product. <<<LINK>>>

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Old 05-28-2020, 09:14 PM
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My opinion on Lee Dies in general is very favorable! Using Lee dies in a Dillon 450 is straight up simple! Using them in a 550 or "b" or "c", depends on the Lee die for the cartridge. Some of the short cartridges, Lee made really short dies and placing a lock ring is hard as you run out of threads! I'm setting up for 357 Sig right now, My Lee dies for that were bought in the mid 90's and I have no idea how long the were on the shelf. But they are too short for a lee lock ding, and only grab half a thread on a Forrester ring! The solution so far has been to buy a pack of Dillon 1" lock rings. I used to say use a old Lyman ring on the bottom to lock in place but sometimes that gets your fingers caught when indexing (From experience: NOT A GOOD THING!) I don't want to spend $175+/- for Dillon's carbide set, and nobody in Columbus has 357Sig dies in stock. So Lee it is, maybe with a ring top and bottom!

Ivan
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Old 05-28-2020, 09:24 PM
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Lee dies work fine in my Dillon. As a matter of fact the only Dillon dies I tried were 44 mag. They seemed to seat the bullets crooked. I had more than a few rounds out of 100 that would not chamber in my 629. The dies are the older style that I bought used with a conversion kit. Maybe it was wrong seating stem? I don’t know. I switched back to Lee and have not had a problem for about the last 500 rounds or so.
David
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Old 05-29-2020, 07:56 AM
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Lee dies work fine in my Dillon. As a matter of fact the only Dillon dies I tried were 44 mag. They seemed to seat the bullets crooked. I had more than a few rounds out of 100 that would not chamber in my 629. The dies are the older style that I bought used with a conversion kit. Maybe it was wrong seating stem? I don’t know. I switched back to Lee and have not had a problem for about the last 500 rounds or so.
David
Dave: Dillon dies have the same warranty as all their products, call them and they will get you squared away!

Ivan
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  #33  
Old 05-29-2020, 08:45 AM
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wheelgun28 wheelgun28 is offline
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In my Dillon presses, (550, 650, S1050) I use mainly Dillon dies.

I have other brands that I use in the Co-Ax and they all work well. I also have no problems with Lee brand items and continue to buy them. I affectionately call them Le- Dies, I know they aren't French but still Le-Dies.

The only dies I have had problems with the Dillon is RCBS. I have RCBS Rifle dies that will not form the cases fully because they hit the shell plate. I found other folks have had to shave off some of the bottoms of the dies to make it work. I never warmed up to RCBS and always find myself disappointed with it. I avoid RCBS items, but I do have some pistol dies that are ok, but, eh. Others love the brand, I see it as Ford or Chevy you take a pick.

If I were buying dies to use I'd stick to the Dillon. Some of the other features make life better. The spring-loaded primer punch, the way the dies come apart to clean or service them. They are well made and I never seem to have issues that others have about case size and the like.

Use what you have and they will work but my vote is if your buying, buy the Dillon.
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  #34  
Old 05-29-2020, 01:50 PM
Skeet 028 Skeet 028 is offline
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My vote on the dies...use the Dillon. Yeah...they cost more but do work well. I have no issues with the Dillon dies. I too have had a few minor issues with RCBS dies in the Dillons but nothing major. As far as Lee I usually avoid them. And the Lee progressive presses I avoid like the plague. Just don't seem to have quite the quality I enjoy with Dillon Redding and even RCBS dies. Yep I have had some issues with dies from other makers as anyone can have a bad product...occasionally. Also the Dillon lock rings DOwork better a they are narrower but do not lock on the die. I keep the dies set up on the Dillon toolheads which IS more expensive but don't mind. The Dillon rifle dies are more expensive but are truly worth it..but I only load 2 rifle calibers 223 and 308. Both sets are Carbide and yes very expensive. Necessary? Not really but if I sell them I will never lose money on 'em. LOL Said tongue in cheek.
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