Anyone else ever have this happen?..simple fix, but big mess to clean up.

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Reloadjunkie

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I've literally loaded tens of thousands of rounds through my Hornady Progressive Press. I have a few of their presses. They run smoothly, have treated me well over many years and thousands and thousands of rounds I've loaded through them. They are excellent products and are backed with (in my experience) top shelf customer service.

Yesterday I'm in the middle of a session, having loaded a hundred or so rounds at this point, when the powder hopper came off the bottom part of the powder measure.

half a pound or so of powder went raining down at my feet, and over the bench.

This is a press that I dedicate to one round, so I'm not frequently moving or removing the powder measure/hopper for maintenance or cleaning. I haven't had any issues with the press to require any maintenance or adjusting, so for the last 4 yrs, since I've dedicated this press to one round, the only time the powder hopper gets touched, is to pour more of the same powder in to the top of the hopper.

I checked my other two hoppers and they seem loose as well, so I think I'll use an adhesive to secure the three of them in to prevent this from happening again.

I'm too picky and paranoid to try and salvage too much of the powder off the bench and carpet, so it's probably 15$ or so worth of powder gone to the reloading gods.

Lesson learned is that even though everything operates smoothly on a regular basis, if I was doing even annual breakdowns on certain parts, I might have noticed it and prevented it from coming off, but I took for granted that whether it was a secure fit, or adhesive - over a long enough time line, even parts that aren't moving or under torque and force etc may need some TLC.
 
You are going to have vibration and movement because of tolerances no matter how tight or precise anything is so connections and joints gradually work so that they get loose.

Checking and pushing things together and going over connections, screws and bolts to see if they are loose every now and then depending on how much use machinery gets
is always a good idea

Thanks for mentioning this as its a good reminder to me to do so as well.
 
very true. My bench is solid enough that there is very little movement, but I agree with you completely about the subtle shifts things can take, regardless of how much movement there is.

It was more shock than anything - Like I said, I rarely have a hang up or issue, and having a New Years Eve confetti equivalent of powder come raining down certainly took me by surprise. (very cool sound and sight btw) lol.
 
I was lazy with my first Hornady powder measure and left the powder in it much too long. Distorted and discolored the plastic. Eventual it bulged to the point it pop off the metal base causing a spill like you described.
I ordered two replacement tubes from Hornady. Drill and tapped three equidistant holes for cone tipped 4-40 or 6-32 set screws to contact the portion on the tube in the hopper. Now allways replace the powder back into it container after a session.
 
diopter said:
I was lazy with my first Hornady powder measure and left the powder in it much too long. Distorted and discolored the plastic. Now allways replace the powder back into it container after a session.
Click to expand...

Thanks OP!

This is turning out to be a valuable thread for me with this bit of info as well as I always used to put my powder away but I never knew it could cause damage to the plastic.

Thanks for mentioning that diopter!!
 
Original Tube after last spill:It used to be straight walled.
20180507_211855.jpg


With a replacement (straight walls) tube held by friction and set screws: note the wasp waist on old tube.
20180507_212120.jpg
 
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I've had instances where I forgot to tighten down the hopper onto the press and ut almost fell off one time but managed to catch it. Second instance I was dumping the hopper and thought I jad the emptying spout secured in the meter assembly, lowered it and watched it wall off and my powder pouring out like a waterfall. Some choice cuss words for sure.

Knock on wood, I've never had the cylinder work free. Where did you get the replacement one?
 
diopter said:
Titegroup is my go to Pistol powder.
Click to expand...

I can't believe the amount of deterioration of that tube. How long did that take to happen?

I noticed mine was loose one time so I put two short pieces of electrical tape on each side near the fitting, almost touching it. If I see a gap I know it is loosening. I haven't seen it move again thou on any of my hoppers.
 
Over a year. I used to push it in when it got loose. Result is the forming of the neck on the old tube.
 
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I use titegroup as well for my 9mm and 45. I used to use HS-6 but ran in to a supply issue a few yrs back and had to find something else for a while. Ended up using Titegroup and haven't changed back.

I've had powder in those two hoppers constantly for the better part of 4 yrs, so again, I'm not surprised at the outcome. It just caught me by surprise when it happened.
diopter said:
Over a year. I used to push it in when it got loose. Result is the forming of the neck on the old tube.
Click to expand...
 
Thought I'd share the outcome of this. I emailed the Hornady Warranty department about an hour ago. I just received their response and wanted to share it with everyone out there to just underscore why I have been, and will continue to be a loyal and happy Hornady customer.

Thank you for your email. As a courtesy we will be sending you replacement hopper tubes at no charge. Please make sure if you are not already to remove the powder from the tube when you are done reloading since it will cause a chemical reaction. If the powder is left in the hopper tube for a period of time it will cause damage.

Thank you again. We appreciate your business


......translation?...Dear customer, even though you acknowledge it was your own laziness and lack of routine maintenance that caused the powder hopper to come off, we'll send you a free replacement right away, and we'll send you another hopper for the other press just in case'zies. It's only a couple bucks of plastic, but we understand the value of big picture, long term customer loyalty and realize that it's the little things that go a long way to keeping customers in a competitive environment.

I have nothing bad to say about any other press or manufacturer of reloading equipment, but I've said it before and I'll say it again, Hornady's customer service and warranty is top shelf.
 
I have read of discoloration on tubes before in other forums but never to the extent that it distorts the shape or strength integrity of the tubes. The most complained about powder that causes the color change is Titegroup there also.

Not wanting to turn this into a "my brand is better than yours" thing...just making an observation here...I have 5 Dillon measures that have had powder continuously for at least a dozen years, I never dump unless changing to a different powder. The one measure that I have with a very light "graying" of the base of the tube (but can still clearly see the powder in it) has held Titegroup since new and it is the longest serving of them all (14 yrs). The ones with Trail Boss,30-31,4895, 4064 all are as clear as new.
 
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