Back running again--Update on Load-Master.
Other than some "test runs" while I tweaked my Load-Master for 10mm and installed a bullet feeder on that turret / die set, it has sat largely unused for the past six months. My reloading has largely consisted of 38 / 357 "development sets"--e.g., building cartridge runs of ten to twenty rounds before I changed the charge--and I do those on my (standard) Turret that has been updated with a 4-die setup and a Safety Prime.
I had previously set up a Load-Master 5-die turret for 357, and I have a 'standard' PD practice round in that caliber I now want to load, so last night I did the changeover. Removed the 10mm turret, shellplate, and the LP primer setup; installed the SP primer subassembly, the 357 shellplate, and began checking out the setup. I made sure to change out the primer anvil to the small size, and that it was lubricated slightly, per the videos from Shadow500 and DarwinT.
After confirming primers were feeding OK, I had to tweak the primer seating adjustment bolt to get the primers a bit deeper. Then the Pro / Deluxe Auto Disk measure with an adjustable charge bar and the manual / chain return was installed. Bullet seating depth was tweaked, and the FCD / crimp and post-sizing was verified.
Other than the first two-three cases in which the primer depth was set, everything worked flawlessly. The case feeder (set up for 10mm) fed 357 brass without a problem. The first round out of the hopper varied by -.0025; cartridges in the run vary by +-.0015, and the end of a run varies by -.0015.
These are the most consistent numbers I've seen. Intermittent powder checks show the powder is typically +0.0 to -0.1. I ran off about eighty rounds, and began to find my rhythm--the cyclic rate was about 450-480 rph, and that was without trying to speed up.
When I shifted to new brass this morning to test it, I tweaked the PTED slightly to provide a hair more bell, and slacked the return chain off by one ball to reduce tension slightly.
Most of this totally-smooth and trouble-free shiftover I attribute to the previously-done careful detail-strip and clean, and the die setups.
two setup details to call out are
1. A clean primer subsystem, with the appropriate anvil, and
2. STP on the underside of the feeder slide tongue.
Shadow500's and DarwinT's videos are invaluable for their explanations and tips, like the STP trick.
So far, since finishing the overhaul and setup last June, I doubt 300 rounds were run. Last night and this morning have produced another 125 rounds or so.
Although I was NOT impressed with the bullet feed (there is no speed advantage, unlike the case tube-and-collator side, and it can be 'fidgety'), I am going to set one up as well with this die set. Whether or not its used in the long run will depend....
I'll be watching for the need to do a C-L-A and try to get a round count.
Jim H.