Bush Pilot
Member
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2007
- Messages
- 2,397
It only takes once to realize you don't use it on bottle neck cases, greatest stuff on the planet for straight wall.
Reloading items that have made your life miserable
- Thread starter Wishoot
- Start date
- Status
Mauser69
Member
Lyman Auto-Flo tumbler - what a crappy STUPID design!!!
Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of most Lyman products, and this tumbler works just fine as a tumbler. It is the insidiously STUPID Auto-Flo feature that I'm yelling about.
First of all, the dump port does not stick out from the tumbler base at all, so what media does come out will go all over the bench, floor, or wherever. The only solution to this is to hold the plastic pan right up under the port at an angle to try to catch as much of it as you can. Secondly, you STILL need a normal media separator because after all the loose media is shaken out all over your room, most of the cases will still be filled with media, so you paid extra for that stupid horrible design that does nothing positive for you. Thirdly, you do not even have a choice to NOT use that stupid thing because the main bowl has large slots in it, so if you want to just pick up the bowl and dump the whole thing in your normal media separator, you cannot do it without picking up the whole tumbler!
Solution? I finally just covered the slots with aluminum tape from the bottom, then filled the cavities above the tape with hot-melt glue to make it a solid bowl - now I can just dump it like normal. But every time I look at that stupid thing I get angry about being duped and ripped off by an otherwise excellent company.
Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of most Lyman products, and this tumbler works just fine as a tumbler. It is the insidiously STUPID Auto-Flo feature that I'm yelling about.
First of all, the dump port does not stick out from the tumbler base at all, so what media does come out will go all over the bench, floor, or wherever. The only solution to this is to hold the plastic pan right up under the port at an angle to try to catch as much of it as you can. Secondly, you STILL need a normal media separator because after all the loose media is shaken out all over your room, most of the cases will still be filled with media, so you paid extra for that stupid horrible design that does nothing positive for you. Thirdly, you do not even have a choice to NOT use that stupid thing because the main bowl has large slots in it, so if you want to just pick up the bowl and dump the whole thing in your normal media separator, you cannot do it without picking up the whole tumbler!
Solution? I finally just covered the slots with aluminum tape from the bottom, then filled the cavities above the tape with hot-melt glue to make it a solid bowl - now I can just dump it like normal. But every time I look at that stupid thing I get angry about being duped and ripped off by an otherwise excellent company.
Lloyd Smale
Member
lee pro 1000s and loadmasters, dillons primer tube filler. Id never buy another one of any of those 3!!!!!!!!!!!
ADKWOODSMAN
Member
Hand priming. Just didn't like them.
Captaingyro
Member
Amen.
FROGO207
Member
I also find that there were no horrible things that I own. Any product can break and reloading products are not immune to this. The Lee safety scale is "fiddly" but it works well for the price. The cheap FA digital scale is just that, I expected about what I bought. Then there is the RCBS primer pocket crimp remover. It is also "fiddly" but works. Alas I have not ventured into the progressive arena for the reason being that most users seem to have problems, at least off and on with anything from setup to finished ammo for one reason or another. Sacrificing safety is not worth any added speed for me.
I like batch processing on a SS or Turret and the resulting control over each step that has resulted in 100% safe accurate ammo after almost 500K rounds (so far!). YMMV
I like batch processing on a SS or Turret and the resulting control over each step that has resulted in 100% safe accurate ammo after almost 500K rounds (so far!). YMMV
OilyPablo
Member
RCBS Hand Primer.
redneck2
Member
I'd second the thing about the RCBS hand primer. It is awful to use. The ones on my Dillon 550 tool heads work great once they're adjusted.
The other is my PACT scale and auto powder feeder. Excellent. Gotta keep it away from any kind of draft or breeze. They are sensitive and ANY air movement will make it wander. Also do not have fluorescent lights close by. Or plastic containers. Keep it plugged in.
this is one of the greatest things ever invented. My S-I-L and I both got spares in case anything happened to the original. Can't imagine not having one.
The other is my PACT scale and auto powder feeder. Excellent. Gotta keep it away from any kind of draft or breeze. They are sensitive and ANY air movement will make it wander. Also do not have fluorescent lights close by. Or plastic containers. Keep it plugged in.
Hondo 60
Member
Lee Pro1000!
After fiddling with it for 6 months, I finally boxed it up & sold it.
That was about 3 or 4 years ago.
I have a different brand of progressive press now & couldn't be happier about it!
After fiddling with it for 6 months, I finally boxed it up & sold it.
That was about 3 or 4 years ago.
I have a different brand of progressive press now & couldn't be happier about it!
TenDriver
Member
Lube pads.
Hand crank trimmer. (Still don't have and alternative so far).
Every case lube out there. Started using wire pulling lube a while back and swear by it now.
Hand crank trimmer. (Still don't have and alternative so far).
Every case lube out there. Started using wire pulling lube a while back and swear by it now.
OilyPablo
Member
What is so bad about lube pads? (never used)
Any downside of wire pulling lube?
Any downside of wire pulling lube?
SlowFuse
Member
OilyPablo,
I don't reload much at home so some of my small supplies travel in a bag to my shop where all my equipment is. Long story short I forget stuff, one day it was my imperial wax. I used some ClearGlide wire lube and it worked just fine. I was sizing 223 cases and everything went very smooth.
I don't reload much at home so some of my small supplies travel in a bag to my shop where all my equipment is. Long story short I forget stuff, one day it was my imperial wax. I used some ClearGlide wire lube and it worked just fine. I was sizing 223 cases and everything went very smooth.
TenDriver
Member
Lube pad just seems worthless.
I haven't found any downside to the wire pulling lube. All I do is put my cases in a bowl, pour some lube over them and stir it all up making sure each case has some on it. Size away after that. I get it on shoulders as well and with my Lee dies as long as the vent hole is clear it will shoot some excess out without denting a shoulder.
At $9/quart it's got to be the cheapest lube out there. I use the white stuff. It's available clear as well but I've not tried it.
walnut1704
Member
I had a Dillon shellplate for 9mm that drove me crazy. Random cases were difficult to insert, and it was not dependent on head stamp. Sent it in and got it replaced.
I was given an RCBS Green Machine, disassembled in a box. This was an in-line progressive. Took me months to get it working. Then I tried to change calibers (came with .38 spl and .45 ACP) and went through it all again.
I called RCBS for advice and they said they sold caliber conversions for it for only a short period of time. It was just over the head of most, they got too many complaints. They sounded a little proud I pulled it off. Not something I would ever do again.
Fast machine, but very sensitive and if you made an error it tended to dump powder into the rails and you come to a screeching halt. Plus the priming unit was kind of in-your-face. Literally. Right there on the front of the machine with no protection.
In the end I just decided it wasn't worth the effort and re-homed it to a guy at the gun club I couldn't stand. BWHAHAHAHAHA!
I was given an RCBS Green Machine, disassembled in a box. This was an in-line progressive. Took me months to get it working. Then I tried to change calibers (came with .38 spl and .45 ACP) and went through it all again.
I called RCBS for advice and they said they sold caliber conversions for it for only a short period of time. It was just over the head of most, they got too many complaints. They sounded a little proud I pulled it off. Not something I would ever do again.
Fast machine, but very sensitive and if you made an error it tended to dump powder into the rails and you come to a screeching halt. Plus the priming unit was kind of in-your-face. Literally. Right there on the front of the machine with no protection.
In the end I just decided it wasn't worth the effort and re-homed it to a guy at the gun club I couldn't stand. BWHAHAHAHAHA!
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