Not sure if a thread like this has already been started...but I figured I'd share my experience after about 25k+ reloads.
1) Casefeeder woes
A) in my experience, raining brass is usually caused by one sticking in sideways and others piling on top of it. To prevent this, simply cut a piece of cardboard in the shape of a triangle which fits into the chute and affix it to the outer inside wall of the chute with 2 way tape.
B) Cases falling once released to the subplate. This is another easy fix....Simply take a business card and wrap it around the drop chute to prevent the brass from going anywhere when it hits the subplate.
2) Jam on the upstroke - midway
This is invariably caused by the primer seater being caught inside the primer shuttle and preventing it from moving. DO NOT FORCE IT. Simply raise the ram to the point of the jam, reach under the subplate, unscrew the primer seater and clear the brass shavings out from the inside of the primer seater. Screw it back in and your going again in no time.
Sometimes the primer shuttle has burrs on it too...gently file these off to ensure smoother priming
2) Jam on the downstroke
Usually caused by a primer that is partially ejected after going through the sizing die. Remove the case from the powder drop station, raise the ram back up to fully eject the primer, replace the case you removed and you're done. In my experience, this happens more and more after 10s of thousands of reloads because of problem #3.
3) Sizing die bushing and sub-bushing issues
The bushings on the sizing die go under a lot of stress and the edges end up rounding off. This causes the bushing to work loose on its own. How fast it works loose depends on how rounded the edges are. Replace the bushings every 10k or so, or as needed.
Eventually, replacing the bushings becomes ineffective because the sub-bushing (integrated into the press body) itself develops some play. Over time, these need to be rotated or swapped out to another station. So, how do you remove this piece?
Simple, remove the expansion die bushing and keep the die inside the bushing. Insert the bushing from the understide (upside down) into the station you want to remove. Using an adjustable wrench to tighted the die/bushing into the spot, except keep tightening until the sub-bushing gives way and starts unscrewing. This took around 100 ft/lbs of torque on my press.
Do the same to the sizing die station and once both are removed, swap/rotation the sub-bushing form the sizing die station to the empty station and vice versa. Tighten the sub-bushing into the press by placing the expansion die/bushing into it and tightening it in place. The bushing may stick to the sub-bushing making it difficult to remove once the sub-bushing has been torqued into place. Rather than applying even press, use your adjustable wrench to sharply apply pressure in a counter clockwise rotation. This should release the bushing from the sub-bushing without actually loosening the sub-bushing.
4) Trying to prime cases with crimped primers
There is no need to take the shellplate off. Although a partially primed case prevents the shellplate from advancing to the next station....it can be advanced enough to slide the case out as the shellplate rotates. Do not try and pry anything out, just follow a motion similar to the direction of travel of the primer shuttle as the shellplate rotates.
These are the biggest things that affect my reloading sessions. Dealing with them quickly and without force usually speeds everything up.
Cheers,
1) Casefeeder woes
A) in my experience, raining brass is usually caused by one sticking in sideways and others piling on top of it. To prevent this, simply cut a piece of cardboard in the shape of a triangle which fits into the chute and affix it to the outer inside wall of the chute with 2 way tape.
B) Cases falling once released to the subplate. This is another easy fix....Simply take a business card and wrap it around the drop chute to prevent the brass from going anywhere when it hits the subplate.
2) Jam on the upstroke - midway
This is invariably caused by the primer seater being caught inside the primer shuttle and preventing it from moving. DO NOT FORCE IT. Simply raise the ram to the point of the jam, reach under the subplate, unscrew the primer seater and clear the brass shavings out from the inside of the primer seater. Screw it back in and your going again in no time.
Sometimes the primer shuttle has burrs on it too...gently file these off to ensure smoother priming
2) Jam on the downstroke
Usually caused by a primer that is partially ejected after going through the sizing die. Remove the case from the powder drop station, raise the ram back up to fully eject the primer, replace the case you removed and you're done. In my experience, this happens more and more after 10s of thousands of reloads because of problem #3.
3) Sizing die bushing and sub-bushing issues
The bushings on the sizing die go under a lot of stress and the edges end up rounding off. This causes the bushing to work loose on its own. How fast it works loose depends on how rounded the edges are. Replace the bushings every 10k or so, or as needed.
Eventually, replacing the bushings becomes ineffective because the sub-bushing (integrated into the press body) itself develops some play. Over time, these need to be rotated or swapped out to another station. So, how do you remove this piece?
Simple, remove the expansion die bushing and keep the die inside the bushing. Insert the bushing from the understide (upside down) into the station you want to remove. Using an adjustable wrench to tighted the die/bushing into the spot, except keep tightening until the sub-bushing gives way and starts unscrewing. This took around 100 ft/lbs of torque on my press.
Do the same to the sizing die station and once both are removed, swap/rotation the sub-bushing form the sizing die station to the empty station and vice versa. Tighten the sub-bushing into the press by placing the expansion die/bushing into it and tightening it in place. The bushing may stick to the sub-bushing making it difficult to remove once the sub-bushing has been torqued into place. Rather than applying even press, use your adjustable wrench to sharply apply pressure in a counter clockwise rotation. This should release the bushing from the sub-bushing without actually loosening the sub-bushing.
4) Trying to prime cases with crimped primers
There is no need to take the shellplate off. Although a partially primed case prevents the shellplate from advancing to the next station....it can be advanced enough to slide the case out as the shellplate rotates. Do not try and pry anything out, just follow a motion similar to the direction of travel of the primer shuttle as the shellplate rotates.
These are the biggest things that affect my reloading sessions. Dealing with them quickly and without force usually speeds everything up.
Cheers,
