Case Feeder & 223 Brass
Quote from Reloader on April 1, 2016, 2:03 amHi,
I'm reloading .223 on an XL650 with the Dillon Case Feeder. I am just starting out with rifle reloading, but am having a hell of a time with the case feeder and 223 brass. I load the hopper with maybe 100 cases and probably 10-15% somehow get caught under the small rifle plate. I've never had this issue with .45, 9mm, 38 pistol reloading using the pistol plate.I've tried smaller amounts of cases in the hopper as well, and they still get under the small rifle plate.
I'm open for an and all suggestions here.
Thanks in advance for your response.
Hi,
I'm reloading .223 on an XL650 with the Dillon Case Feeder. I am just starting out with rifle reloading, but am having a hell of a time with the case feeder and 223 brass. I load the hopper with maybe 100 cases and probably 10-15% somehow get caught under the small rifle plate. I've never had this issue with .45, 9mm, 38 pistol reloading using the pistol plate.
I've tried smaller amounts of cases in the hopper as well, and they still get under the small rifle plate.
I'm open for an and all suggestions here.
Thanks in advance for your response.
Quote from Reloader on April 5, 2016, 11:38 amPlease pardon the basic nature of the question, but are you *sure* the plate is fully seated on the spindle? I've yet to have a single .223 case go under the plate -- there's not enough space under the plate to do so.
Also, FWIW, 100 rounds at a time is no problem, so that isn't the issue.
Please pardon the basic nature of the question, but are you *sure* the plate is fully seated on the spindle? I've yet to have a single .223 case go under the plate -- there's not enough space under the plate to do so.
Also, FWIW, 100 rounds at a time is no problem, so that isn't the issue.
Quote from Reloader on April 6, 2016, 3:37 amNo worries about the question....Thanks for responding. I am 99.9% sure that the small rifle plate is seated correctly, but I will certainly take another look next time I get into the reloading room. Crazy thing is, I've never had this situation when loading pistol.
It's a learning process.....Thanks again for the information.
No worries about the question....Thanks for responding. I am 99.9% sure that the small rifle plate is seated correctly, but I will certainly take another look next time I get into the reloading room. Crazy thing is, I've never had this situation when loading pistol.
It's a learning process.....Thanks again for the information.
Quote from Reloader on January 11, 2017, 2:46 pmI had the same problem! I found that the plate was riding high right around where the metal starts. The narrow mouth of the cases were getting caught in the 1/8th inch or less gap between the plate and the case feed bin. There is some sort of very small distortion of the case feed bin by the attachment of the metal sidewall that lowers that portion of the casefeed bin. If 12 o'clock is where the case drops, the portion effected starts at about 8 o'clock, gets the worst at 10 o'clock, and then tapers off by about 12 o'clock
I wish I could post pics of the solution, but here is how I solved the problem.
I took electrical tape and used about 2 inch sections to build up the area where the gap exists. The width of the electrical tape solves the problem out where the cases ride without effecting the rotation of the plate. By using multiple strips of electrical tape I was able to ramp it so that it starts thin, gets thicker then ramps down. The goal is to fill the gap without effecting the plate's rotation and balance at all. At the thickest part, I'd say there are 6 layers of tape. Don't allow the tape to ride up the side of the bin. Use tape only as wide as the shell indexing cut outs. The plate should not rub the ramp made of tape at all, just close the gap enough that shells don't get under the plate. A picture would make this so simple to explain. I have zero jams now. It makes loading .223 possible without stopping every 10 shells to deal with jams.
I had the same problem! I found that the plate was riding high right around where the metal starts. The narrow mouth of the cases were getting caught in the 1/8th inch or less gap between the plate and the case feed bin. There is some sort of very small distortion of the case feed bin by the attachment of the metal sidewall that lowers that portion of the casefeed bin. If 12 o'clock is where the case drops, the portion effected starts at about 8 o'clock, gets the worst at 10 o'clock, and then tapers off by about 12 o'clock
I wish I could post pics of the solution, but here is how I solved the problem.
I took electrical tape and used about 2 inch sections to build up the area where the gap exists. The width of the electrical tape solves the problem out where the cases ride without effecting the rotation of the plate. By using multiple strips of electrical tape I was able to ramp it so that it starts thin, gets thicker then ramps down. The goal is to fill the gap without effecting the plate's rotation and balance at all. At the thickest part, I'd say there are 6 layers of tape. Don't allow the tape to ride up the side of the bin. Use tape only as wide as the shell indexing cut outs. The plate should not rub the ramp made of tape at all, just close the gap enough that shells don't get under the plate. A picture would make this so simple to explain. I have zero jams now. It makes loading .223 possible without stopping every 10 shells to deal with jams.
Quote from Reloader on January 15, 2017, 9:11 pm**UPDATED**
When I switched back over to .40 S&W, which collate vertically, I found that the rim of the case picked up the edge of the electrical tape and started jamming it. Easy solution... more tape! I used standard clear packing tape which is much thinner than the electrical tape and added on strip in the same fashion that goes from about 6 o'clock around to and over the ramp of electrical tape. Since the tape is very thin, it does not get grabbed by the rim's corner. Now that it's working perfectly for both types, I will look for a more permanent and durable solution. I ran a batch of 800 .40 S&W without a single jam.
**UPDATED**
When I switched back over to .40 S&W, which collate vertically, I found that the rim of the case picked up the edge of the electrical tape and started jamming it. Easy solution... more tape! I used standard clear packing tape which is much thinner than the electrical tape and added on strip in the same fashion that goes from about 6 o'clock around to and over the ramp of electrical tape. Since the tape is very thin, it does not get grabbed by the rim's corner. Now that it's working perfectly for both types, I will look for a more permanent and durable solution. I ran a batch of 800 .40 S&W without a single jam.