UniqueTek Powder Funnel - Operator Error or Defective?

[Saluki91]

I picked up this funnel for loading .45 ACP on my Dillon 750 a year ago. The motivation behind this was two fold:
1 - I hate it when cases stick to the powder funnel. This funnel was supposedly a big improvement over the stock Dillon in this department.
2 - The Dillon funnel bells the case for bullet seating. This one expands the case. I'm not sure how to articulate it, but it made seating coated bullets much easier, and eliminated coating shavings.

As it turns out, the expansion was a home run! I liked it so much that I picked one up for 9mm as well. Unfortunately, the case sticking was a whiff. The more I used it, the worse the sticking became - like "makes the press inoperable" sticking. I finally ran up the white flag and went back to the stock Dillon funnel today. When I pulled the UniqueTek funnel, I found several vertical lines etched into the tip of the funnel.

I wet tumble my cases with stainless chips, and they are clean with a capital C (perhaps to a fault). I'd like to think there is no way I could have caused this damage, but I know better...

What do you think - Operator Error or Defective?

As always - Thanks!

 

[Shak3s1977]

Brass galling. Your brass is too clean from wet tumbling. I'm guessing your using Lemi Shine and Dawn? Starline brass company can fix it if you send in your powder funnels. Another option is to try Armor All wash and wax instead of using Dawn dish soap when wet tumbling. It leaves a very small film of wax on the brass. Seems to help. Another great option is Hornady One Shot case lube. Slight mist over the case mouths and a progressive press will be super smooth.

 

[Shak3s1977]

And yes I had the same problem on my 550s.

 

[Englishmn]

Had similar problems with too clean brass. Now I toss in a bag and hit with one shot spray lube shake and runs great.

 

[Saluki91]

Brass galling. Your brass is too clean from wet tumbling. I'm guessing your using Lemi Shine and Dawn? Starline brass company can fix it if you send in your powder funnels. Another option is to try Armor All wash and wax instead of using Dawn dish soap when wet tumbling. It leaves a very small film of wax on the brass. Seems to help. Another great option is Hornady One Shot case lube. Slight mist over the case mouths and a progressive press will be super smooth.

Thanks - I'll try the Armor All. Safe to assume the Lemishine should be left out when using the car wash?

 

[Shak3s1977]

Thanks - I'll try the Armor All. Safe to assume the Lemishine should be left out when using the car wash?

I use lemi shine and Armor All wash and wax. If you have soft water you probably don't need the lemi shine. When we drink our tap water around here, we have to chew it up first lol. It's HARD. So 1/4 teaspoon of lemi shine and 2 caps of Armor All.

 

[AJC1]

What the funnel??? A powder through expander mandrel is not a Saturn powder funnel. I'm guessing you dont chamfer your cases causing wear on the expander. Lube is a bandage for skipping a step. Unless the material the mandrel is made of is defective which is always possible.

 

[Shak3s1977]

 

[Blue68f100]

I picked up this funnel for loading .45 ACP on my Dillon 750 a year ago. The motivation behind this was two fold:
1 - I hate it when cases stick to the powder funnel. This funnel was supposedly a big improvement over the stock Dillon in this department.
2 - The Dillon funnel bells the case for bullet seating. This one expands the case. I'm not sure how to articulate it, but it made seating coated bullets much easier, and eliminated coating shavings.

As it turns out, the expansion was a home run! I liked it so much that I picked one up for 9mm as well. Unfortunately, the case sticking was a whiff. The more I used it, the worse the sticking became - like "makes the press inoperable" sticking. I finally ran up the white flag and went back to the stock Dillon funnel today. When I pulled the UniqueTek funnel, I found several vertical lines etched into the tip of the funnel.

I wet tumble my cases with stainless chips, and they are clean with a capital C (perhaps to a fault). I'd like to think there is no way I could have caused this damage, but I know better...

What do you think - Operator Error or Defective?

As always - Thanks!View attachment 1057067 View attachment 1057068

Chuck it up to a drill and polish it out. Once gone do a good polish on it to resist galling, apply wax if you have it. Like said too clean can cause problems, OS works great for this. Just make sure you follow the direction on the can and allow it to flash off the carrier.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I'll try the Armor All. Safe to assume the Lemishine should be left out when using the car wash?

Nope, not a safe assumption at all.

The Armorall replaces the function of the Dawn and adds the slickness of wax. It helps the carbon/dirty slide off and in suspension like the Dawn did. The Lemishine functions to loosen the carbon. If you want to leave something out, leave out the pins

 

[jmorris]

2 - The Dillon funnel bells the case for bullet seating. This one expands the case. I'm not sure how to articulate it, but it made seating coated bullets much easier, and eliminated coating shavings.

If you had a “bell only” powder funnel on your 750, you are using the wrong one. That funnel (right) is for the four digit presses that have back up/expander dies (center) earlier in the process.

The three digit presses use pistol funnels like the one on the left that expands and bells. That particular one is from the ‘80’ when they had the grooves turned into them, to reduce contact surface area. I still think it was a good idea.

I wet tumble my cases with stainless chips, and they are clean with a capital C (perhaps to a fault). I'd like to think there is no way I could have caused this damage, but I know better...

What do you think

I agree, too clean to a fault.

Years ago, someone told me to lube pistol cases, just a few, next time I reloaded them. I had been loading for decades and didn’t see any reason to change but I told him I would. I have been lubing pistol cases ever since.

That’s how I avoided the problem once I began wet tumbling.

 

[9mmepiphany]

been loading for decades and didn’t see any reason to change but I told him I would. I have been lubing pistol cases ever since.

Yup, one of those things that don't seem needed when loading with carbide dies.

Once you've tried, you'll never look back and wonder why you didn't start earlier...especially with the newer lubes that don't need to be cleaned off

 

[Big Wes]

I lube all cases, pistol and rifle since the first day I started loading back in the early '90's and have always used carbide dies. Just seems to make things run smoothly. I only have one set of steel dies for 308 only because Dillon was / is backordered.

 

[lordpaxman]

I wet tumble my cases with stainless chips, and they are clean with a capital C (perhaps to a fault). I'd like to think there is no way I could have caused this damage, but I know better...

What do you think - Operator Error or Defective?

Relax, take a breath, no harm no foul here. Steel expanders aren’t going to be damaged by softer brass. The Galling you’re seeing is just a deposition of brass on the steel surface. As was mentioned, polish it off. I too wet tumble, love the bling especially being able to see powder throws so much easier inside the case. I’m a fan of One Shot Case Lube for any pistol cases prior to running them through the press. It doesn’t take much more than a 1-2 sec pfft, shake, another pfft, and let it dry. You don’t have to get crazy and make sure cases are all lined up and evenly coated, I have a flat box and spray a couple hundred at a time - as long as lube gets on them, outside and inside, it’ll be fine. I don’t chamfer most pistol cases, especially when using an M style expander. Good luck.

 

[243winxb]

Clean till surface zinc is gone, to make sticky brass.
My brass self lubes. Toss fired brass in towel. Roll around to clean. Just enough cast bullet lube left, for easy sizing & expanding . 38,45,44s

 

[highlander 5]

Polish expander with emory cloth I use 320/400 then use Maguire's mag polish and then a coat of NuFinish no more galling cases. Who made the expander on the far right.

 

[jmorris]

Who made the expander on the far right.

It’s not an expander, bell only the expander is tin the center of that photo. Those are Dillon parts for the 8 station Dillon presses but some have been known to use them in 550/650/750 presses and then they have no expander at all.