Tips and Tricks!

[DRAINSMITH]

Timing for the Ammo-plant is everything.Close enough is no good.Good is not perfect. This is how to get perfect timing.

I bought a #16 shell plate and pushed the detent ball in until it just touches the sub plate. I then trimmed a .223 brass down to the shoulder and a 380 case and cut 1/4 of the case away and driller the primer pocket out 1 drill bit larger than a primer. Then all is needed is a old .45 bullet seating die, and play-do.

Mount the shell plate and put the 380 case in to adjust primer. You can see if the primer come up threw the over sized pocket. If it off, adjust the left pawl until it comes up threw the primer hole with out touching the case. Now that is perfect.
Now to adj. for the dies. Put he .223 case in and the shell plate. Fill the seating die with the play-do and smooth it off. Insert the die in the press and raise the case up to the play-do just touching it. Then remove the die and look at the impression. You can now use the right pawl to adj. it until it is perfectly centered. Your timing is now perfect.

 

[rwsmith]

I really like......

Since we're piling on, here's my contribution.

Not everyone has a dedicated reloading area. Many do not want their reloading set-up visable to outsiders, hoplophobes.

Here's my solution.

Mount your gear on a "T" block of wood and put it in the vise when you use it.

Please forgive the untidy bench. Here's my Lyman 450 in the vise, cranking out sized and lubed bullets.

Do the same thing for your reloading press, etc.

Solid as a rock, stows away when you want the bench for other uses.
Protects your privacy.

I really like the flags...and the tip.

 

[BC38]

What does anyone use to store your Lee turrets with dies in?

I just use the older round die containers ( shaped like the push through bullet sizer containers) turned upside down. With the change to rectangular Lee die boxes, I don't know what would work.

Those work great if you have them. Unfortunately not all of my die sets came in those (some came in the flat boxes). I have found that the plastic containers that cake frosting comes in with a 1/4" thick disk of dense foam rubber in the bottom (to protect the tip of the decapping pin) work very well as an alternative.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

For washing brass in citric acid, I use a 5 gallon bucket to hold the liquid and a 2 or 2 1/2 gallon bucket from Hardee's that holds the cake frosting for the hulls. I drilled holes in the bottom of the smaller bucket to fill and drain the liquid. I just bring the contraption into the house when I wash hulls and store it outside when not in use.

To catch spent primers from my Lee classic turret, I use a piece of PVC pipe to extend the tube supplied into a catch bucket or jug.

 

[DRAINSMITH]

Canned air can cost a fortune. If you are running low you might not use it to blow of your machine. I have a small tankless compressor that gives me twice the air pressure and never runs out. I have it plugged into a foot switch.

 

[daboone]

The DataVac is a great 500 watt "canned air". Small hand held unit really works great for my reloading needs and elsewhere in the house.

 

[DRAINSMITH]

On May 23, 2015, I timed all of my presses. My primer drop has not had a single misfeed in that time. Now I needed to fix the case feeder. I found that it would drop cases upside down, and jam, where it was supposed to, drop.

Now, pistol and rifle cases had two separate problems. The rifle cases will have a case sit on top of the plate pushing down on the one that is about to drop causing the case to hit the drop gate not allowing it to drop. Now the pistol will be pushed up in front of the plate causing cases to drop upside down.

I fixed both problems with one small fix. I took a bullet wiper from the Hornady bullet collator and a wire clamp and the tube from a broken spray bottle. The tube is used for pistol and actually pushes the cases into the plate or ejects it not allowing it to stack up and drop the cases upside down. For rifle, I just use the wiper to knock the case that rides on top of the feeder plate.

Now the only other fix for the case feeder that was needed was for .357, .40, and 10mm. Now Hornady came out with a new drop tube that is in between the small and large. But you are supposed to use the large feed tube. I found with the large feed tube .40 cases would cant left to right to left causing a case to catch the drop tube. I fixed this with a piece of poly tube that is .75" outside diameter (same size as the large feed tube) and .50" inside diameter (larger than the small feed tube). I used a taper drill for the top so the cases would not catch at the top.

My case feeder now loads faster than I can pull the handle, all right side up.

Here is a photo of the inside of the case collator.