Tilos, I used tape on some of the tubing too, but I used electrical tape.....you could color code if you wish....they even have green.
- I also use the next size tubing to "sleeve" over where needed to fit. Fit in place...then thin super glue finishes the job. The thin-wall tubing sizes telescope.
- I also found that a too tight fit was often cured by drilling a 1/32" hole at the overlap...then sawing out and trimming a slit to the hole. Works perfectly. make sure the slit is wide enough to allow the tubing to go small enough.
- The only ladder I needed was one to drill a hole in the ceiling! Tubes are easily removed by lifting them a 1/2" from your floor position. I did use a CPVC 1/2" coupler once to piggy back one just for fun. It did work, but replacing them 36" at a time works just fine.
As for collators on the electric side, I only bought one.....the Hornady pistol
bullet version when it first came out. Obvious to most of us, the Mr. Bullet Feeder collator is a superior and expensive option. The homemade copies are very nice too...but you have to buy a 3-d printer. After a mod or two, the Hornady works for me for pistol at least. I do admit that I don't have jmorris' endless supply of talent to make one, or surplus funds to buy the expensive stuff any time I want. I have to pick and choose. PC7 was my last money drain.....thoroughly enjoying that one, but as a result, no commercial collators in my future and I'm fine with that. But then, I don't shoot as much as some of you.
One thing I
have noticed is that changing calibers on commerical bullet and (case) collators takes as much time as loading 4 36" tubes by hand. If you are planing to load 1000's...you might put a collator higher in the procurement list!
One thing I did buy was two of RCBS's new tube rifle feeders in 30 and 22 calibers. (they came out at the shot show a year ago) They are nice, and the price isn't too bad....they work excellent!...as well as MBF's. They sell extra tubes, but I'll bet you can guess, that the thin wall ones we are used to buying cheap, work just fine.
For them's who want a collator for it....make one or wait for RCBS to.
AT the shot show this year, at the RCBS booth, they were hinting about something major coming....tight lips so far.......seems that they have a "big" release coming this summer.....not even a hint. It would be nice if they would come out with electric collators for jmorris serious types!
With my luck it will be a revised pro chucker super 7 with no upgrade! Who knows..... maybe both.... It better be good....they had nothing new at the show show!