Quote from Reloader on July 20, 2020, 3:25 pm

Run a single case through the various stations. My guess is the case is hanging up on the powder funnel at station 2. If you wet clean your cases, you remove the carbon residue that acts as a lubricant on the funnel.

Quote from Reloader on July 21, 2020, 12:06 am

I do wet clean. So some case lube should take care of that right? I also notice when I raise the shell plate the case sometimes wobbles causing the case to hit the edge of the die resulting in bent case rim. Is this normal and I just need to be more careful raising the shell plate?

Quote from Reloader on July 22, 2020, 2:08 am

You've raised a couple of issues. But to be clear, when you say "upstroke", are you referring to the downward pull on the lever that causes the shell platform to raise and insert the cartridge/case into a die? If so, then I agree with Dillon that it is best to analyze this by running a single case through each station to locate the problem area.
Secondly, I'm one of those guys who uses spray lubricant on all of my cases, including pistol cases and even if I'm using a carbide die. My reason is that it just makes things move smoothly and I believe places less stress on the empty case during depriming and resizing. I know, this leaves a bit of lubricant on the completed case, but I use a media tumbler as my cleaning method and tossing the completed rounds into the tumbler for ten minutes cleans them perfectly. I will add that using this lubricant will most likely resolve the problem that Dillon suggests may be occurring at station 2.
Third, the problem of crushing cases at Station One can be solved with two suggestions: (a) Slow down a bit and make certain the empty case is properly aligned with the die; and (b) adjust your cartridge spring at station one, which is designed to hold the case in place during the decapping/resizing.
Fourth, most (all?) of us have, at one time or another, picked up range brass. Why not? It's usually free and very often it is once fired. But as you scoop up this "gold" bear in mind that you will still need to inspect the brass for a couple of issues. One is to make sure it is 9mm, because there are other calibers that, at first glance, look sort of like 9mm. Most importantly, some 9mm has been Berdan primed, making it unusuable in the civilized world. Berdan brass can be identified by looking into the top of the case at the primer hole(s). One primer hole means boxer primed and probably okay to use. Two small holes means Berdan primed and useful only to the metal recycler. What happens if you run your decapping rod into a Berdan case? With many dies, it will result in a bent pin/ bent rod and maybe a bit worse.
Lastly, WELCOME TO RELOADING! I joined over forty five years ago and made most of the mistakes that CAN be made in this wonderful hobby. But you already approached your present problem by asking for help so you're smarter than the average bear.

Best

Terry

Quote from Reloader on July 24, 2020, 2:45 am

I really do appreciate the detailed response and I enjoy learning from those with experience. Guess my terminology is a bit off. What I mean by upstroke is I'm pushing the handle up. Crimping of the case rim seems to occur at station 2 so I'm trying to be more careful about lining up the case. I'll try some case lube this weekend and see if that helps. I have noticed however at station 1 that the little spring sometimes misses the ridge on the case making it sit cock eyed so will work with that as well.

Quote from Reloader on July 25, 2020, 1:32 am

Okay, a couple additional thoughts. As Dillon said, run one case through each station, which should help identify the problem of the press locking half way through the stroke and the problem with the shell plate damaging your case rims. If it IS at station two, then my two thoughts are to (1) adjust your case belling, by adjusting the height of the powder die, and (2) case lubing (which I kind of doubt is the issue).
Additionally, sometimes the primer slide can be the problem, causing everything to get tied up. This is also easy enough to adjust by loosening the two bolts at the underside of the frame which thread into the primer magazine.
Lastly, the case spring is also an easy fix. Loosen the cap screw and that paper clip looking spring can be moved and adjusted at will.
I know this can be frustrating at the beginning of your new hobby, but take solace in the fact that you purchased (in my opinion) the finest reloader on the market. Generally, when you get one of these machines properly adjusted, your next concern is purchasing enough components and scheduling enough range time to make good use of it.

Best,

T

Quote from Reloader on July 27, 2020, 3:39 am

So I watched closely as I ran 1 at a time 1 case through all stations. Did this about 5-6 times. At station 2 I did notice that it sometimes hangs up and the rim is pulling on the shell plate, I think because it's hung up on the funnel. I tried some case lube and that seemed to help. When you suggested adjusting at station 2, should I adjust so funnel doesn't go as deep into the case?

About the occasional bent case rim...I'm not sure at which station this occurs. I read another thread that mentioned an adjustment because one of his 550's ran smoother than the other. Is there some way for me to know if there is an adjustment that I should be making or checking for? Sorry for all the questions. Newbee here.

Quote from Reloader on July 28, 2020, 1:20 am

When I re-read my suggestion, I have to admit that I wasn't all that clear. My thought is that perhaps the powder funnel at station two is going too far into the case, and this is causing the case mouth to be belled more than it should be AND that this metal to metal contact results in the funnel gripping your case. I say this with some authority because I was guilty of putting too much flare on the case at this station. The sole purpose of the flare is to allow the insertion of the bullet at station three. If there is not some flare, the bullet may shave or cause the case to crumple. But it really need not--and should not go any deeper into the case than is necessary for the bullet to start to seat. You probably already know this, but simply loosen your lock ring and the powder measure and start by adjusting (raising) the height of your powder die between 1/8 and 1/4 turn and then try it again. Lastly, and unrelated to your question, when it comes to reloading 9mm, I learned through experience that my pistols were a bit finicky about overall length of the loaded cartridge. Too short and they don't feed well, and I suspect the pressure elevates. I load mine to between 1.159" to 1.169" depending on type of bullet. I also recommend you check your loads in your magazine to make certain they aren't too long. The best news, in my view, is that once you've got your recipe and your dies adjusted, there is nothing left to do but reload, which will go much quicker and smoother, and shoot.

Best

T

Quote from Reloader on July 29, 2020, 1:48 pm

Try using the next larger size brass button at the powder station, to hold the brass in position more firmly. .40S&W uses the #2 button, but since I went to a #3 (from the 9mm kit) at that station, I have had zero crushed brass.

Quote from Reloader on July 31, 2020, 2:56 am

I'll try raising it and see what that does. May even try the # 2 button that was suggested. But for now, sadly, I'm out of primers and will have to wait to try these suggestions. Thanks again for all the tips. Greatly appreciated.