Just set up my Pro2000...

nyetter · November 27, 2002, 11:58 PM

...and I'm feeling pretty ambiguous about it. I have a few problems/complaints.

1. The station #1 spring is very hard to adjust properly, because tightening the screw turns the spring away from where you adjusted it to. The fact that you have to re-adjust this spring every time you change calibers is not a comforting thought.

2. Primers will not seat to the depth that I'm used to. Even with the primer depth stop adjusted to irrelevance, primers are seating about flush, whereas I'd like them to be more-than-slightly-below-flush. The shellplate and primer plug are both tightened as far as they'll go. (I've only tested loading 9mm Luger so far, btw.)

3. Since I was having the above primer difficulty, and trying to get a feel for the press, I wasn't doing a steady stream of cases. When there was a gap, I ended up with an unused primer in the APS strip, since the strip indexes whether a case is present or not. And since you can only index the strip one space at a time, running the strip through again to get the ones you missed is a huge PITA. In the future I think I'll just stick partly-loaded strips back in the the strip loader.

4. The powder measure's case actuation system seems to be very sensitive to case length, meaning it's one more thing that has to be readjusted every caliber change (and it's a very time-consuming process). And when adjusted to the proper height to fully actuate the measure, the pistol bushing contacts the shellplate some distance below the top of the stroke. This resulted in stuck powder being shaken loose from the inside of the drop tube, all over the shellplate. (Of course this only happens if you have a gap in the loading sequence, or on the first couple of cases before the sequence is full.)

5. Numerous parts already had surface rust when I unpacked them. This may not be a functional issue, but why didn't they just make them out of stainless steel?

cliffb · November 29, 2002, 02:36 AM

I've had a Pro 2000 since they came out and have loaded thousands of rounds with it.

1. Not sure what spring you are talking about. If it's the small rod that pops loaded rounds into the bin, that is not a real critical adjustment and gets easy with practice. If you mean the spring that retains cases at station 1, I set it loose and have never messed with it again, loading 9mm to 45 Colt.

2. I seat primers by feel and don't use the stop. Never had a problem. Just make sure you have the correct size primer seating plug.

3. The APS system is a pain if you get out of sequence. Once you get it figured out the benefits outweigh the pains. I just save spare primers and load a strip for later use.

4. Actually easy once you get the hang of it. I simply put an empty case in the charging station and run up the ram, loosen the lock nut and turn the measure (empty) up or down to adjust the throw. Never had a problem with powder spills.

5. No rust on mine but stainless would be nice.

It's a great press. I think you'll warm up to it as you use it.

nyetter · November 29, 2002, 11:56 AM

Like I said, I have the primer depth stop adjusted up far enough that it no longer contacts the frame. The spring that surrounds the spent primer tube is the only thing stopping the ram from further downward travel, and primers are still seating barely flush.

cliffb · November 29, 2002, 12:57 PM

Not sure what the problem would be. Mine will actually flatten the primers if I use too much pressure.

Try giving RCBS a call. They have great customer service.

ZeusOne · December 4, 2002, 04:55 PM

Perhaps your using the large primer plunger to seat small primers? This would prevent the primers from seating past flush. On my press, I adjust the primer depth stop screw out of the way and seat by feel. There is enough travel and force available to totally demolish the primer in the pocket.

Yup, several of my pieces are prone to surface rust if not properly cared for. But my setup is in the garage.

The station #1 spring is quite easy to adjust once you get the hang of it.

IMHO, adjusting to a progressive is a difficult transition to make. Repeat after me: Bullet - Case - Size - Prime - Index. Again! So much going on at one time, so much to setup and adjust. I often miss the simplicity of my single stage. However, I find that as time goes on, my caliber changes get quicker, and the whole progressive thing gets less complicated and quicker as my experience builds.

nyetter · December 4, 2002, 10:13 PM

Today I received an extra die plate, and set about swapping the press over to .38Spl. I loaded 50 rounds with no trouble, which has me feeling a little better about the press overall.

I discovered a better technique for adjusting the station 1 spring, so that problem is taken care of.

It wasn't as much of a PITA as I expected reconfiguring the powder measure and powder die, so that's OK too.

I got better primer seating, I'm guessing due to a tighter fit of the .38 rim in its shellplate versus the 9mm. I'm still not sure what's causing my trouble. (I do have the correct size primer punch installed, but it was worth checking.) What puzzles me is that with no case (or a case with an empty primer pocket) in station 2, I can get the primer punch to come up far enough that it would overly flatten primers, but it simply will not travel that far when it's actually pushing against something. One thing I did notice is that the primer punch does not come up concentric with the hole through which it travels. Maybe the punch is contacting the case head?

griz · December 5, 2002, 01:03 PM

Kinda of a wild guess here, but if the priming problem only happens in 9mm, maybe it's a bad shell plate. I can imagine the plate mounting hole being too loose and the plate tipping away from the priming punch if that were the case. Does the 9mm plate feel more sloppy than the 38 plate when in place?

Again only speculation on my part. I've never seen this problem on my press. Sorry if you have already thought about this.

Peter M. Eick · December 5, 2002, 03:55 PM

I do not use the primer stop on mine, I do it all by feel. So far I have had no problems with it.

I found re-filling the primer strips to be to much effort when you can buy them pre-filled. I buy them in lots of 10,000 already loaded. Saves a lot of time and hassle.

My one complaint about the pro2000 is that the priming station on my unit is just slightly out of alignment. I would guess it is about 2 degrees out of index. I am currently loading 308's with my rock-chucker but the next time the pro-2000 is set up I will re-align that unit.

cliffb · December 5, 2002, 04:11 PM

Peter,
If you have an early press, call RCBS. There was a change to the primer feed system to correct that problem.

They sent me the updated parts for free.

November 29, 2002, 02:36 AM	#2
cliffb Member Join Date: October 13, 2002 Location: Fallon, NV Posts: 19	I've had a Pro 2000 since they came out and have loaded thousands of rounds with it. 1. Not sure what spring you are talking about. If it's the small rod that pops loaded rounds into the bin, that is not a real critical adjustment and gets easy with practice. If you mean the spring that retains cases at station 1, I set it loose and have never messed with it again, loading 9mm to 45 Colt. 2. I seat primers by feel and don't use the stop. Never had a problem. Just make sure you have the correct size primer seating plug. 3. The APS system is a pain if you get out of sequence. Once you get it figured out the benefits outweigh the pains. I just save spare primers and load a strip for later use. 4. Actually easy once you get the hang of it. I simply put an empty case in the charging station and run up the ram, loosen the lock nut and turn the measure (empty) up or down to adjust the throw. Never had a problem with powder spills. 5. No rust on mine but stainless would be nice. It's a great press. I think you'll warm up to it as you use it. __________________ Cliff FPD ret., USN ret., NRA Lifer Obama. Proof positive that stupid people should not vote.

November 29, 2002, 12:57 PM	#4
cliffb Member Join Date: October 13, 2002 Location: Fallon, NV Posts: 19	Not sure what the problem would be. Mine will actually flatten the primers if I use too much pressure. Try giving RCBS a call. They have great customer service. __________________ Cliff FPD ret., USN ret., NRA Lifer Obama. Proof positive that stupid people should not vote.

December 5, 2002, 03:55 PM	#8
Peter M. Eick Senior Member Join Date: August 3, 1999 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 2,991	I do not use the primer stop on mine, I do it all by feel. So far I have had no problems with it. I found re-filling the primer strips to be to much effort when you can buy them pre-filled. I buy them in lots of 10,000 already loaded. Saves a lot of time and hassle. My one complaint about the pro2000 is that the priming station on my unit is just slightly out of alignment. I would guess it is about 2 degrees out of index. I am currently loading 308's with my rock-chucker but the next time the pro-2000 is set up I will re-align that unit. __________________ 10mm and 357sig, the best things to come along since the 38 super!

December 5, 2002, 04:11 PM	#9
cliffb Member Join Date: October 13, 2002 Location: Fallon, NV Posts: 19	Peter, If you have an early press, call RCBS. There was a change to the primer feed system to correct that problem. They sent me the updated parts for free. __________________ Cliff FPD ret., USN ret., NRA Lifer Obama. Proof positive that stupid people should not vote.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

November 27, 2002, 11:58 PM	#1
nyetter Senior Member Join Date: June 7, 2001 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 342	Just set up my Pro2000... ...and I'm feeling pretty ambiguous about it. I have a few problems/complaints. 1. The station #1 spring is very hard to adjust properly, because tightening the screw turns the spring away from where you adjusted it to. The fact that you have to re-adjust this spring every time you change calibers is not a comforting thought. 2. Primers will not seat to the depth that I'm used to. Even with the primer depth stop adjusted to irrelevance, primers are seating about flush, whereas I'd like them to be more-than-slightly-below-flush. The shellplate and primer plug are both tightened as far as they'll go. (I've only tested loading 9mm Luger so far, btw.) 3. Since I was having the above primer difficulty, and trying to get a feel for the press, I wasn't doing a steady stream of cases. When there was a gap, I ended up with an unused primer in the APS strip, since the strip indexes whether a case is present or not. And since you can only index the strip one space at a time, running the strip through again to get the ones you missed is a huge PITA. In the future I think I'll just stick partly-loaded strips back in the the strip loader. 4. The powder measure's case actuation system seems to be very sensitive to case length, meaning it's one more thing that has to be readjusted every caliber change (and it's a very time-consuming process). And when adjusted to the proper height to fully actuate the measure, the pistol bushing contacts the shellplate some distance below the top of the stroke. This resulted in stuck powder being shaken loose from the inside of the drop tube, all over the shellplate. (Of course this only happens if you have a gap in the loading sequence, or on the first couple of cases before the sequence is full.) 5. Numerous parts already had surface rust when I unpacked them. This may not be a functional issue, but why didn't they just make them out of stainless steel?

November 29, 2002, 11:56 AM	#3
nyetter Senior Member Join Date: June 7, 2001 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 342	Like I said, I have the primer depth stop adjusted up far enough that it no longer contacts the frame. The spring that surrounds the spent primer tube is the only thing stopping the ram from further downward travel, and primers are still seating barely flush.

December 4, 2002, 04:55 PM	#5
ZeusOne Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2000 Location: The hills of Western MD Posts: 237	Perhaps your using the large primer plunger to seat small primers? This would prevent the primers from seating past flush. On my press, I adjust the primer depth stop screw out of the way and seat by feel. There is enough travel and force available to totally demolish the primer in the pocket. Yup, several of my pieces are prone to surface rust if not properly cared for. But my setup is in the garage. The station #1 spring is quite easy to adjust once you get the hang of it. IMHO, adjusting to a progressive is a difficult transition to make. Repeat after me: Bullet - Case - Size - Prime - Index. Again! So much going on at one time, so much to setup and adjust. I often miss the simplicity of my single stage. However, I find that as time goes on, my caliber changes get quicker, and the whole progressive thing gets less complicated and quicker as my experience builds.

December 4, 2002, 10:13 PM	#6
nyetter Senior Member Join Date: June 7, 2001 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 342	Today I received an extra die plate, and set about swapping the press over to .38Spl. I loaded 50 rounds with no trouble, which has me feeling a little better about the press overall. I discovered a better technique for adjusting the station 1 spring, so that problem is taken care of. It wasn't as much of a PITA as I expected reconfiguring the powder measure and powder die, so that's OK too. I got better primer seating, I'm guessing due to a tighter fit of the .38 rim in its shellplate versus the 9mm. I'm still not sure what's causing my trouble. (I do have the correct size primer punch installed, but it was worth checking.) What puzzles me is that with no case (or a case with an empty primer pocket) in station 2, I can get the primer punch to come up far enough that it would overly flatten primers, but it simply will not travel that far when it's actually pushing against something. One thing I did notice is that the primer punch does not come up concentric with the hole through which it travels. Maybe the punch is contacting the case head?

December 5, 2002, 01:03 PM	#7
griz Senior Member Join Date: July 31, 2000 Location: Middle Peninsula, VA Posts: 1,588	Kinda of a wild guess here, but if the priming problem only happens in 9mm, maybe it's a bad shell plate. I can imagine the plate mounting hole being too loose and the plate tipping away from the priming punch if that were the case. Does the 9mm plate feel more sloppy than the 38 plate when in place? Again only speculation on my part. I've never seen this problem on my press. Sorry if you have already thought about this.