RCBS Pro 2000 case feed

[jmorris]

Found a deal on a NIB pro 2000 and received a shell plate for 9mm Tuesday and had a case feed working today.

Still need to cut the locator plate and finish out the feed tube and collator interface but this is a video of how it works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hObNbSATBOE

Thanks to GWS for the inspiration.

 

[dave333]

Looks like some repurposed Loadmaster parts there. Another nice job.

 

[jmorris]

Yes, I did have to bend another actuating rod to put it on the other side so there is room for the primer strip, modify the slider a bit and make the mounts that bolt to the Pro 2000 in existing locations.

 

[GW Staar]

Fantastic Job!!......maybe in the final design you could lengthen the sliding rod so you can bend it in a curve above the action toward the press to keep your eyes safe. ( or screw a big round knob on the end )

I wonder if Lee will sell those parts separate? I like it! I need to learn how to weld...........would make life a lot simpler.

 

[jmorris]

You can get the parts from here, total of almost $26 but I just robbed them from the Loadmaster I was playing with last month.

http://www.titanreloading.com/service-parts/case-feeder-parts/case-feed-slider-small

http://www.titanreloading.com/service-parts/load-master-parts/load-master-case-feed-rod

http://www.titanreloading.com/service-parts/load-master-parts/lee-load-master-feed-bracket-with-nut

I did have to bend a new rod for this part the original is "Z" shaped and the slider/1/4" square stock is on the right side of the case feed guide. I bent a "U" shaped part from 1/8" stainless steel rod so everything could be on the left side allowing room for the APS strips.

http://www.titanreloading.com/service-parts/load-master-parts/lee-load-master-crank-slider-assembly

 

[GW Staar]

Well that's easy.....sure beats having to invent parts from scratch. You still have to make new brackets to fit, and a new pivot rod, but that's not bad.

You going to post the pictures you sent me? Your video has found it's way to AR-15.com already, but it's posted in the Pro Chucker thread. (Thanks to ChevelleDave) Neat project, John!

BTW, I noticed you have a leg to the floor.....is that for stabilization, or just a quick and easy, what you had lying around?

 

[jmorris]

Never said I wasn't lazy, I also knew that I could get the device working a lot faster than starting from scratch.

It's not a leg, just a section of 1" bar stock clamped to the 1/4" flat strap bolted to the press. Allowed me to be able to move it around until I found "the sweet spot" and keep things square before welding.



I just uploaded some more photos here.
http://s664.photobucket.com/user/qvideo/library/gn/RCBS?sort=3&page=1

 

[GW Staar]

Never said I want lazy, I also knew that I could get the device working a lot faster than starting from scratch.

It's not a leg, just a section of 1" bar stock clamped to the 1/4" flat strap bolted to the press. Allowed me to be able to move it around until I found "the sweet spot" and keep things square before welding.



I just uploaded some more photos here.
http://s664.photobucket.com/user/qvideo/library/gn/RCBS?sort=3&page=1

I knew your bench holds the world record for stout, but OTOH, such a leg would help out a Joe who had too much flex.....ahh, like some people who post a lot of press videos we know.

I know everything is jigs at this point....but still great idea!

I already ordered the parts Friday from the Lee source you supllied above! .....I will say they are fast...

Yup! Received them in the mail this morning....great service!

You know that I'm cheating already....but I love simple ideas and frankly this Lee/RCBS frankenstein fits that better than my own idea of simple. And I know who to thank.....YOU and of course Mr. Lee! Not the first idea I've borrowed from Richard Lee.....as you all know.

I will just bend the piece you tacked together to play with angle, since I don't have a welder handy......may take me a while to get it right. But I'll figure it out.

What I can't see in your pictures is the case supply side where the tube drops in. What you have really works well and it'll be interesting to see how easy it will be to change calibers.

The welded rod on the ram will be harder....I know.....takes a good welder a couple of seconds.

 

[edfardos]

Simply awesome.

 

[jmorris]

The only place I used a welder is on the angled bracket that is threaded 7/16-20 for the Lee part. Everything on the ram is bolted together. I'll get some more photos in a bit.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I find this pretty interesting.

I've been looking at adapting the Lee Case Feeder to my Hornady LNL...it would balance out the bullet feeder tubes sticking up at Station 3

 

[jmorris]

This is all there is to the feed part of it. The two holes are for 8-32 screws that thread into existing holes in the bottom of the cast iron carrier.

The feed tube is just a mock up and angled because it really needs a little more stroke on the slide.





If I had plans on keeping the press I would machine some of the casting away so it would clear the drop tube vertical and have a height adjuster like the original Lee part but don't want to hurt the resale value when I'm done playing with it.

 

[GW Staar]

I can bend where you welded the angle, but not where you tacked the round rod supply tube support.....got to figure out another way there or get some help.

I can see from these pictures that I need to figure out a way to do more calibers.

With mine its just as easy to feed 308, and 243 as .45, .40, and 9mm.....using just the PVC plumbing fittings cut this way for one and another way for another.

With this Lee setup, yes, you really do need a way to adjust the tube height, but just as important, a way to keep taller cases next in line out of the way.

The real advantage to this Lee setup is that the stroke is very short and of course functions automatically with each stroke of the handle, not requiring two hands like mine.
Will give me something to do this winter......to go along with finishing the annealer......mostly....I just need to get my butt in gear. Thanks for the project!

 

[GW Staar]

Well, I'm rethinking the whole thing after spending some time on YouTube Lee Case Feeder Videos. (purpose...to see how they change calibers.)

1. The short stroke that works so well on the Lee just isn't possible on the Pro 2000, since the top of the press casting overhangs really far at the very point you need to mount the Lee feeder's shuttle's short stroke.....that is unless you angle the inlet tubing exactly as jmorris did. It'll be interesting to see if jmorris has an idea on that!....how to make the stroke longer.

2. While that does appear to work fine for a single tube full of short cases, changing calibers will be the problem. The same angled tube wouldn't work for say, .308, rifle, I'm thinking .... jmorris, prove me wrong on this.

3. And even if jmorris figures out how to make it stroke longer to get around that problem, I noticed on the Youtube videos that Loadmaster users have to spend some serious parts changeout and tweaking time to change the feeder from 9mm to .308.

My stationary feeder is not near as neat working, requiring two hands, right hand cranks and the left hand shoves the case shuttle forward, but its really not any slower.......and if I want to suddenly change loading .45 ACP to .308 rifle, all I have to do is to replace one drop-in part on the feeder.....and drop a tube in.

In a perfect world I'd want both.....the jmorris/Lee style shuttle, with my instant drop-in replacement shuttle feed.

I seem to have some extra Lee shuttle parts and raw materials.... Darn...I was excited, but I gotta have fast caliber change for my style.....1 press all calibers.

Well thanks for trying!......if a person only loads 9mm, .40 and .45, he still has a winner!

 

[jmorris]

Like I said in #12, if I were keeping the press with the setup I would notch it to clear the feeder. It's cast iron and strength wouldn't be an issue.

For stroke length and "quick change" from rifle to pistol a Dillon 650 slider/cam might be a better setup (more reliable in the long run as well as ther is no "tension" adjustment) but the Lee was already sitting in the shop and I didn't want to rob parts from a setup 650.

 

[GW Staar]

Like I said in #12, if I were keeping the press with the setup I would notch it to clear the feeder. It's cast iron and strength wouldn't be an issue.

Yes, I remember, but I really don't want to hack up my casting.

For stroke length and "quick change" from rifle to pistol a Dillon 650 slider/cam might be a better setup (more reliable in the long run as well as there is no "tension" adjustment) but the Lee was already sitting in the shop and I didn't want to rob parts from a setup 650.

Understand. I haven't been able to play on my brother's new 650, so I really don't have a feel for how their system works or how easy it would be to modify for using on the Pro2k. I'll have to check it out closer.

This thread was fun and worthwhile anyhow.....some will use it to an advantage.....maybe 9mmepiphany will find it just the ticket for a Hornady conversion.

I was at a gunshow Saturday, and saw a Lee Loadmaster for sale......$200. It was put together caliber-wise and had mangled clear tubing coming out the case feeder...... I didn't see any other parts for it. I was tempted to buy it for a future project......but I passed. My bench is full anyway.

 

[jmorris]

I understand not wanting to modify the press, I didn't want to either.

The Dillon system uses a dowel attached to the top of the press and a plastic "slider" not unlike the LM. The Dillon has a spring that pulls it towards the shell plate as well.

As the ram is moving up the dowel, contacting a ramp on the "slider" pushes it back picking up a case, as the ram is moved down the spring pulls it into the shell plate. The "triangle" part has two sides, one side for pistol, the other for rifle. The triangle activates another linkage that drops the cases.

More complicated but works better for more calibers.

 

[GW Staar]

Dillon definitely has the best case feeder on the market, no argument. Well engineered, a little complex but it works really well. I found the following video which did a great job of describing it to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzpaVpvMN0A

It requires parts & time for each caliber to be changed out, but not that bad. I doubt it's easily converted to my press, but even if it was, probably not so cheap for the 6 calibers I want to regularly load. Oh, well.

I should just be happy with what I have....caliber changes require just changing the shell plate, the primer rod, and the drop-in case feeder base made with a slightly customized pvc pipe fitting.

 

[jmorris]

It requires parts & time for each caliber to be changed out, but not that bad. I doubt it's easily converted to my press, but even if it was, probably not so cheap for the 6 calibers I want to regularly load.

The parts required to change out are the "mouse hole" style adapters that you made from PVC for your feeder, that allow for different length cases being removed from the tube.

 

[GW Staar]

Not quite as simple as mine......The following is two calibers of rifle....
Simply drop in the shuttle barrel and each replaces more than $50 worth of parts.

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On the vaunted Dillon, not counting the shell plate, powder funnel, and locator buttons you still have 4 more parts to buy for most calibers.
Station 1 locator Casefeed Adaptor Arm Bushing & casefeed body bushing at least $55.89 for each caliber.

My "carved" PVC fittings with a carved 4" long clear tube stuck inside of each probably cost me a couple of dollars at most each, if that....of course that don't count the labor. Got to hand it to the Dillon folks....they know how to make money. (and better looking parts!)

The Lee parts were cheap.....they just don't quite fit for multi-caliber.

 

[jmorris]

None of the other case fed reloaders use the station 1 locator and you could get away from the bushings, just like the one you built. The case feed adapter is essentially the parts you built and would be needed for sure.

You may talk to DaveInFloweryBranchGA, I think he might have figured out how to get the LM setup to work with 308.

 

[GW Staar]

You may talk to DaveInFloweryBranchGA, I think he might have figured out how to get the LM setup to work with 308.

Really....I must have missed that. Did he post anything on this forum? I've seen a video on YouTube doing that on a LM, using longer bolts, but longer bolts won't help with the clearance problem. So was he converting it like you did to a Pro2K or just using a LM?

 

[jmorris]

I am pretty sure it was him, could have been a PM back from him at castboolits after I posted the 100 rounds in under 4 min video of the Loadmaster I was playing with.