XL750... at 5 rounds per hour with primer hell!
Quote from Reloader on January 14, 2021, 11:57 pmOkay, so maybe the title is somewhat frivolous, but it reflects my current frustration. I'm not sure if the press is to blame or if my newbie skillset is the problem (most likely).
I'm having trouble consistently seating primers beneath flush. I'm loading mixed .223 and 5.56 brass. So far I've:
1. Used the deswager from dillon on the brass.
2. Used lyman's motorized pocket uniformer & reamer on the primer pockets.
3. Used the "go-no-go" primer gauge (everything is a go, at least in terms of diameter, the top of the rim slightly shows).
4. Measured the primer hole with the end of a caliper to make certain it is within SAAMI spec.
5. Made certain that the gold primer bar is centered in the shell plate.
6. Tightened the shell plate until it just indexes.
7. Tightened the retention wire on station 2 to properly center the shell.
8. Had Dillon replace the gold primer bar.
9. I have been pushing the cam lever with most my body weight
10. Had repeated conversations with Dillon that haven't changed much.
11. I've been measuring the primer seat level with a Hornady precision measuring station. Sometimes they seat well (2-6 thousandths beneath flush). BUT, every 3-5 rounds, I'll get one that sticks up above flush by 2-5 thousandths... even when I've pushed the heck outta the camming bar.
12. Every 10 rounds or so, the side of a primer will crush or at least dent in a bit.I'm hoping somebody has some insight. Feel like I've got a $2k paper weight, and a lot of ruined rounds. Am I being too picky? Is 2-5 thousandths above flush acceptable? When I read all the books, they indicate it's a serious danger. Please, if anyone can help, I'd really appreciate it!
Okay, so maybe the title is somewhat frivolous, but it reflects my current frustration. I'm not sure if the press is to blame or if my newbie skillset is the problem (most likely).
I'm having trouble consistently seating primers beneath flush. I'm loading mixed .223 and 5.56 brass. So far I've:
1. Used the deswager from dillon on the brass.
2. Used lyman's motorized pocket uniformer & reamer on the primer pockets.
3. Used the "go-no-go" primer gauge (everything is a go, at least in terms of diameter, the top of the rim slightly shows).
4. Measured the primer hole with the end of a caliper to make certain it is within SAAMI spec.
5. Made certain that the gold primer bar is centered in the shell plate.
6. Tightened the shell plate until it just indexes.
7. Tightened the retention wire on station 2 to properly center the shell.
8. Had Dillon replace the gold primer bar.
9. I have been pushing the cam lever with most my body weight
10. Had repeated conversations with Dillon that haven't changed much.
11. I've been measuring the primer seat level with a Hornady precision measuring station. Sometimes they seat well (2-6 thousandths beneath flush). BUT, every 3-5 rounds, I'll get one that sticks up above flush by 2-5 thousandths... even when I've pushed the heck outta the camming bar.
12. Every 10 rounds or so, the side of a primer will crush or at least dent in a bit.
I'm hoping somebody has some insight. Feel like I've got a $2k paper weight, and a lot of ruined rounds. Am I being too picky? Is 2-5 thousandths above flush acceptable? When I read all the books, they indicate it's a serious danger. Please, if anyone can help, I'd really appreciate it!
Quote from Reloader on January 16, 2021, 5:11 pmGood afternoon,
No, you don't have an expensive paper weight. You just got a minor glitch that has happened to all reloaders.
You haven't mentioned which brass you're using. As a rule, commercial brass (as an example R-P or Win or W-W) is pretty easy to reload and since the primers were not crimped in during the original manufacturing process, the pockets need not be swaged. It never hurts to clean the burned powder out of the primer pockets, but I almost never do since my .223/5.56 shooting is general plinking and in my experience, it wasn't needed to seat the primers.
You do need to seat your primers flush. You didn't mention what firearms you're using, but if you have a high primer, the closing bolt of an AR type weapon can easily create a "slam fire".
When it comes seating depth, the primer is pressed into place by the depth of your priming cup. The depth is adjustable by loosening the stud under the spring and allowing the cup to be moved up or down. With consistent high primers, I suspect you'll need to raise your height just a bit.
Once you get comfortable seating primers in commercial brass, THEN you can move to military brass which will require swaging the primer pocket to remove the crimp. But this only has to be done once and the brass is then reusable.
Lastly, remember that case length is critical for this round, and if your cases are too long, they MUST be trimmed after resizing to avoid an overly long case crimping the bullet and driving your pressure up.Best,
Terry
Good afternoon,
No, you don't have an expensive paper weight. You just got a minor glitch that has happened to all reloaders.
You haven't mentioned which brass you're using. As a rule, commercial brass (as an example R-P or Win or W-W) is pretty easy to reload and since the primers were not crimped in during the original manufacturing process, the pockets need not be swaged. It never hurts to clean the burned powder out of the primer pockets, but I almost never do since my .223/5.56 shooting is general plinking and in my experience, it wasn't needed to seat the primers.
You do need to seat your primers flush. You didn't mention what firearms you're using, but if you have a high primer, the closing bolt of an AR type weapon can easily create a "slam fire".
When it comes seating depth, the primer is pressed into place by the depth of your priming cup. The depth is adjustable by loosening the stud under the spring and allowing the cup to be moved up or down. With consistent high primers, I suspect you'll need to raise your height just a bit.
Once you get comfortable seating primers in commercial brass, THEN you can move to military brass which will require swaging the primer pocket to remove the crimp. But this only has to be done once and the brass is then reusable.
Lastly, remember that case length is critical for this round, and if your cases are too long, they MUST be trimmed after resizing to avoid an overly long case crimping the bullet and driving your pressure up.
Best,
Terry