[heviarti]

So, It's 4:30 AM, and I'm half way into loading my first batch of .45 ACP. So far I've only made two screwups that I am aware of, and am kind of at a stopping point. Now that I've stopped it's time to ask a few questions and such. bought a JR 3 today to replace the one a well meaning relative misplaced. unfortunatey one of my '06 dies is on the missing press. (yea!!!!)

So far my press has worked pretty well. (cool)

Danged primer tray keeps falling off the press :cuss: (not cool)

all the other tools I got with the press seem to do their job. (cool)

I have this creeping suspicion that the priming arm on my press is inserting the primers canted ever so slightly (not cool)
Anyone ever seen such a thing?

My RCBS manual doesn't really go into much detail on precisely how much of a bell i need to put on my cases with the expander ball. Unfortunately i can't set my calipers to "slightly". Where are the too little and too much points? (im pretty sure my first try that looks like .45 necked up to .50 is too much.... i adjusted that back right away.)

My sizing die? worked like a charm. Don't know if it's carbide or not. until RCBS or someone in the know says it's carbide, i'm lubing every case that goes in it.

Did i mention that frickin' priming tray doesn't seem to have any provision to hold it on the press? :banghead:

So, it'll be tomorrow when the kerosene heat is off before I throw powder charges.

Any opinions on dippers as opposed to weighing each charge?


so If all of a sudden the bullet and primer fairy shows up with more supplies, I might just load *all* my casings instead of just a measly hundred.

[koja48]

I'd have to look at it myself to be sure, but my RCBS carbide dies are "duller" in appearance (look at the top; should be matte-finish looking rather than shiny). Get yourself an RCBS (or other) hand primer . . . fast, uniform primer seating, and I never liked the thought of a tube full of primers being next to my head should the one I'm seating detonate (and I have "popped" a primer once in my reloading lifetime . . . didn't know that my Dad could hear so acutely, move so quickly, or climb stairs 24 at a time . . . ). My 2-cents worth . . .

j.

[dodgestdshift]

My older (1981) carbide 45 ACP die says Carbo on the top of the die. I am not sure what you mean by primer tray, is it the spent primer catcher on the press? I don't use the press to seat primers, it is too hard and slow. I use the Lee primer seater (inexpensive, I think about $10), I have one for each caliber I shoot. To set your expander ball, start small. Take a bullet and see if it balances in the case properly. If it does try shrinking it a little. The proper adjustment I have always used is the smallest bell that will balance the bullet, is what I use. If this strips your lead bullets open it up a little. The crimp should be hard to see on the case but slightly visible. In order of recomendation on powder charging, I use a powder measure (for light loads and frequently checked with a scale) and for most I weigh every charge.

[Idano]

Gentlemen,

A carbide die is east to identify, it is a die with carbide liner, or actually just a ring. Turn the die over and you can see the carbide insert:
http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=52431&d=1170430434

If you load a lot on your single stage press I would recommend either RCBS or Lee hand primer. Both work equally well and give you excellent tactile feel of the primer seating an yes they work well with the large primers too including military.


Stay with weighing the charge and buy a powder trickle. The dipper is good to scoop the powder to the pan and will be pretty close but then trickle the final amount to full charge weight. You really don't want more then +/- 0.2 gr deviation between loads.

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

".45 necked up to .50 is too much...."

Bell a case just so a bullet won't fit and sit on top statically straight on it's own. Then bell, just a smidge more so it will. I don't know that there is a measurement on any user product for this. It depends on weather you're loading bullets that are .451", .452", and so on. So, adjust so the bullet won't fit, then just barrely adjust until it will. This is just a quarter turn of the expander plug out or so.

Primer catch tray- If you're not decapping. Just pull it off while you're reloading. Or... a little modification with a dremel tool or some other cutter to cut a couple hooks in it that you can stretch a rubber band around the back of the press to the other side of the primer catch tray will hold it in place until the rubber band rots. The older presses had a stretch spring for this.

Crooked primers- Make sure you're using the correct size priming tool. Make sure there's not packaging material or a bur in the plunger that's setting the primers crooked. I'll agree with buying a hand primer for single stage press operations. I don't care for the RCBS priming tool, (I have had one), The Lee Auto Prime provides much better feel when priming.

I am not brand loyal when it comes to reloading equipment. I have Dillon, RCBS, LEE and Lyman equipment.

-Steve

[Ben Shepherd]

You should have a little spike of metal sticking up at the two ends of the catch tray farthest from you, right?

Put an elastic on them around the back of the press. Presto. It won't fall off anymore.

[heviarti]

tube? no tube here. I've been just pulling the primers off the flip tray one at a time, and placing them in the cup.

Catch tray has no pins or other neat stuff, just two slots. would much rather have a stamped steel tray. i could affix something to it much more easily. And now I am off to throw charges.