12 years and 100k reloads you know some things are going to wear.
(6 years ago I emptied the waste can used for spent primers. I did several sample counts then weighed the whole can and estimate 65,000 spent primers. I've back off reloading during the primer shortage for the past two years, but feel comfortable in saying this press is over 100k now.)
Started to experience an occasional high primer with my .38spls. They fired just fine on 2nd strike. Puzzled over this for a while and checked a number of other things, such as the added sensors to run my reloading computer to make sure they weren't interfering. Then there it was, plain as day.
The primer punch is hard steel. And with each primer it pushes against the press's base, which is aluminum. And yes, it has worn a little hole in the base. Not very big or deep but evidently deep enough. If a case has a deep primer pocket, then maybe that one primer in a every couple of 100 wasn't getting fully seated.
But how to "fill" the hole.
Two things dawned on me, eventually (I can be a slow thinker). 1-nothing I could melt and pour in there that wouldn't wear away rather quickly be it epoxy or some soft metal. 2-I need something as hard or harder than the primer punch. 3-And maybe something easily replaceable in the future. 4-I can't count.
But what, I thought, as I was changing out the blade on my box cutter. AH-HA. Why not just glue a piece of the box cutter blade, hard steel, over the divot? It would definitely stand up to the primer punch better than aluminum, it's cheap and easily replaceable. It actually gives me an extra 0.032" above dead bottom.
Loaded up a 100 rounds and fired them with no mis-fires. Then reseated the 1,000 rounds I already had loaded in inventory. Have gone through about 300 of those rounds with no more problem. I'm guessing this press gonna last at least another 6 years and another 50K or so rounds.
(6 years ago I emptied the waste can used for spent primers. I did several sample counts then weighed the whole can and estimate 65,000 spent primers. I've back off reloading during the primer shortage for the past two years, but feel comfortable in saying this press is over 100k now.)
Started to experience an occasional high primer with my .38spls. They fired just fine on 2nd strike. Puzzled over this for a while and checked a number of other things, such as the added sensors to run my reloading computer to make sure they weren't interfering. Then there it was, plain as day.
The primer punch is hard steel. And with each primer it pushes against the press's base, which is aluminum. And yes, it has worn a little hole in the base. Not very big or deep but evidently deep enough. If a case has a deep primer pocket, then maybe that one primer in a every couple of 100 wasn't getting fully seated.
But how to "fill" the hole.
Two things dawned on me, eventually (I can be a slow thinker). 1-nothing I could melt and pour in there that wouldn't wear away rather quickly be it epoxy or some soft metal. 2-I need something as hard or harder than the primer punch. 3-And maybe something easily replaceable in the future. 4-I can't count.
But what, I thought, as I was changing out the blade on my box cutter. AH-HA. Why not just glue a piece of the box cutter blade, hard steel, over the divot? It would definitely stand up to the primer punch better than aluminum, it's cheap and easily replaceable. It actually gives me an extra 0.032" above dead bottom.
Loaded up a 100 rounds and fired them with no mis-fires. Then reseated the 1,000 rounds I already had loaded in inventory. Have gone through about 300 of those rounds with no more problem. I'm guessing this press gonna last at least another 6 years and another 50K or so rounds.
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