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Old September 1, 2009, 06:42 PM   #1
max it
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military primer pockets, anyone?

Hi There,

I just got off the phone with Dillon; my 550 press is giving me some grief. NOt that I really know what I am doing anyway, but this hurts. He says one possible reason the primers arent loading in my 9mm cases is that some are military primer pockets and that I should go take a look at them online. So who knows where I can find a pic?
to top it off it is probably 100deg in my garage today. For the fun of it i hooked up a window a/c to blow cool air on me by the press. not much relief but gave me the image of cool air. anyway I am sitting the rest of the day out sulking at my desk. So if anyone can find a pic I will be much obliged.

max
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Old September 1, 2009, 07:03 PM   #2
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Compare two cases, the primer in the one with crimped primers will look much smaller. You will need to use a swager to remove the crimp if you want to use them.
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Old September 1, 2009, 07:06 PM   #3
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This is a crimped primer pocket in 223, it should look the same.

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Old September 1, 2009, 07:09 PM   #4
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A good picture of crimped primer pockets.

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Old September 1, 2009, 07:50 PM   #5
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What 9mm headstamps are you loading?
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Old September 1, 2009, 08:02 PM   #6
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Unless it's an old, old case - Mil cases will be stamped with the NATO symbol on the head stamp, don't know how to describe it, but you will know it when you see it. If the case was produced overseas all bets are off as to what a crimped primer case will look like.


Sorry I could not be of more help.

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Old September 1, 2009, 08:03 PM   #7
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Quote:
NOt that I really know what I am doing anyway, but this hurts.
Good Lord people , *** , Do people even know about these things called books ?? See they are made of wood pulp , have what is called the written word printed on them with soy ink , you can save them for years and some have this stuff called information in them , which you can enjoy any time of day !! Ya dont have to turn them on , have an IP address , all ya really need is light , the sun type or man made kind .

ANY reloading manual has the BASICS right there in the front . I suggest the OP , walk .............no RUN away from the 550 , find a reloading manual , get some iced tea ( non sweet or sweet , your choice ) , get that AC running , plop his arse down in the lazy Boy and do some reading . Get the book '' The ABC'c of reloading " its a yearly big paper book ..................always updated .

There , then if you are solving your own problems ...............buy factory ammo .



Quote:
Mil cases will be stamped with the NATO symbol on the head stamp
Circle with a + inside .
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Old September 1, 2009, 10:57 PM   #8
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Agreed. I've been reloading for nearly 40 years and still have the first Speer and Hornady manuals I ever bought. I refer to them still but I've bought numerous manuals since then. I learned something a long time ago: education costs a little bit of money but it's forever.

Anyone considering reloading should READ, READ, READ before picking up the first die. Reloading is fun and safe, but misused it can be extremely dangerous.

OP: Get a manual and read it!!!
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Old September 2, 2009, 09:40 AM   #9
max it
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HI Ya,

Jepp, I load various head stamps. What ever I pick up at both ranges where I shoot. I have READ (emphasis for Medal guy's appreciation) that some reloaders seperate the brands and reload them together. I have also read that some media wash after loading. I am just not that type.
Anyway I found the main problem is that the chute that carries the finished cartridge to the Akro bin is interfering with travel of the handle. I had to remove it. I will have to buy Dillon's stand and remount the press on that. Also a few tweaks from the ever helpful techies at Dillon was most appreciated. As well as many encouragements here.

Much obliged,

Max
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Old September 2, 2009, 11:30 AM   #10
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Max, not picking on you but the note that "I don't know what I'm doing" got my attention. Glad you have manuals and are reading them, just for your own safety.

Now, regarding the temperature, it's pretty warm here in New Mexico too. I might suggest what I did as a temporary solution until I built a room for reloading. If you have the dedicated area, throw up some temporary wall studs and staple plastic sheeting over them and then install your AC. It will work fairly well in the summer and you can knock it all down in the cooler weather, stack it against the wall, and then reinstall next summer. It's really hard to concentrate on reloading when there's a steady stream of sweat running down your neck!
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Old September 2, 2009, 06:14 PM   #11
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Yep, crimped in primers mean the pockets should be swaged out for reloading.
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Old September 2, 2009, 07:10 PM   #12
max it
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HI Medal Guy,

It was too hot, anyway thanks for the uptick. I should choose my words better.

Hey Gandog, We just talked about that swaging thingie at the range today. I guess its another trip to the gun store tomorrow. There seems to be no end of stuff to buy in this reloading gig. I just got a stand for my Dillon 550 as the primers werent seating well and the chute and cartridge bin were in the way. So $50 later I find that this is more of an issue; and that I need to swage, and media clean after depriming before priming.
And I thought I was going to go gangbusters reloading and save all kinds of time and money. It never seems to go in a straight line, does it? Oh well, at least my blood pressure has dropped from all this careful quiet time in the garage.

Much obliged,

Max

Last edited by max it; September 2, 2009 at 07:11 PM. Reason: TOL+thinking out loud, later repenting.
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Old September 2, 2009, 11:38 PM   #13
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Quote:
And I thought I was going to go gangbusters reloading and save all kinds of time and money.
LOL! I found out that, yes, I can create ammunition "on demand", to the specs I want. Sometimes these are plinking rounds (less power than factory), and sometimes these have premium hunting bullets (harder to find loaded as factory.)

However, I'm not sure I've saved either time or money.

In fact, some reloaders say that all reloading got them was the ability to shoot more for the same amount of money...

If you shoot a few thousand rounds a year, reloading can save you money.

Now that I'm reloading .30-06 for a Garand, I'm learning more about headspace and gauges than I planned. I'm doing it on a 550B rather than a single stage press, and stopping between resizing at station 1 and the rest of the process. This permits cleaning excess lube off the brass and dropping the case in a cartridge headspace gauge, which checks how the resizing die is set as well as trim length.

This did seem kind of crazy on a progressive, but it is appears to be necessary for bottleneck cartridges and full-length resizing, where lube is critical. I'd rather take a little time to clean off lube than have it get in the powder measure and affect that operation.

Reloading is probably best thought of as a "zen" thing, rather than simply a way to save money. Many get into it to such a degree that it becomes a second hobby, running in parallel to shooting.

I found that learning this stuff wasn't all that painful, and was kind of fun.

Good luck with your 550B.
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Old September 3, 2009, 08:30 AM   #14
max it
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Hi Mazur,

Well, I sized and removed some cases last night. I want to get a swaging tool and then tumble the cases afterwards. Finally reseating the primer. My 550 doesnt seem to adjust well to the primer seating cup, too much wiggle. But maybe with clean deprimed and media washed cases I will have more consistancy in seating well. Right now I get a lot of failure to seat or sideways seats.
Anyway you are right, although I wouldnt call it Zen all this fun has lowered my bloodpressure spending nights in the reloading cave rather than watching TV.

Much obliged,

Max
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Old September 3, 2009, 11:38 PM   #15
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max it -

You might check the shellplate for adjustment. I had trouble with this. It has to be a lot tighter than you might think it should be.

I think Dillon's instructions used to say something like tighten the shellplate bolt until it binds, then back off 1/8 turn. It can be tighter than this, reducing play, if you put a drop of oil on the spring-loaded indexing ball under the shellplate. A small amount of oil on the bottom of the head of the shellplate bolt reduces friction there as well.

I didn't have failures or sideways primers, but they were definitely crooked.

And, the brass "wiggled" instead of being vertical and steady. This problem was really noticeable in .30-06 (tall cases), but it occurred somewhat in .45ACP as well.

The shellplate platform is supposed to support the case for most operations. This includes resizing / depriming, powder drop, bullet seating and crimping. The shellplate does two things -

1) Rotates the cases as you move the index sprocket. The little brass buttons are the exact size to keep the cases in position.
2) Holds the case at station 1 in position, resisting upward movement, as the primer seating punch seats the primer from below.

IMO, if the shellplate is loose to any noticeable amount, you will get crooked primer seating, and possible problems with the case lining up with the die mouths.

Another possibility is the primer slide. It has to travel smoothly, of course, but it shouldn't be loose. There are two allen head screws on the bottom of the primer slide assembly that hold it to the press. These have to be tight. The primer tube shouldn't have any play.

And another possibility is the cartridge spring. It should be adjusted so it holds the case against the back of the slot in the shellplate, which is directly above the primer punch.

If it is adjusted correctly, the 550B shouldn't be having trouble with primers.

There are a lot of 550B experts on this forum, so someone else may have an idea.
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Old September 4, 2009, 09:16 AM   #16
max it
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hi Mazur,

You're the Mayvin!
I have done enough of what you said to know that it is right on. I havent tightend the shell plate enough possibly and was reticent to oil much as it gums things up. HOwever I will go over it all again with your instructions.

Much obliged,

Max
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Old September 15, 2009, 09:42 AM   #17
max it
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finally relief on the primer seating

Another possibility is the primer slide. It has to travel smoothly, of course, but it shouldn't be loose. There are two allen head screws on the bottom of the primer slide assembly that hold it to the press. These have to be tight. The primer tube shouldn't have any play.

Mazur, that's it, Eurika!
I had Dillon send me a new primer assembly (warranty) because the thread insert fell out on th socket head cap screws underneath and was the cause of the slide assembly going catta-wampus. Now I am a happy reloading camper.

Much obliged,

Max
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