Extremely Frustrating Reloading Day

[mrcabinet]

I've been running my Load Master for about six months now, trouble free for the most part after working out the initial bugs. 9's, .45 and .223 have been ran, using a universal decapping die in station 1 and the un-pinned sizing die station in 2. A couple weeks ago ago I loaded 600 9mm with no hiccups whatsoever. Other than emptying the powder nothing has been touched on it since then.

Sunday I decided to run some 9mm rounds. Loaded the powder and adjusted it, then started running. First half dozen or so were fine. Then I got a crushed primer. next one was crushed too. Then I noticed the primer wasn't punched out. Checked the decapping pin and it was bent. Replaced it, and then started getting flipped primers. Then I was crushing cases in the flare/powder die. Long story short, I had just about every issue possible come up - timing, indexing, primers, powder, angled bullets, jams, smiley faced primers, case feeder and so on. I bent not one, not two, but three decapping pins! After an hour and a half I just had to walk away from it.

I came back a couple hours later and completely stripped the whole thing down. Cleaned it, lubed it, reassembled and adjusted everything. Now it runs like a top again! Well, it will once my replacement pins get here later this week. It just baffles me how it could go from working perfectly to a complete nightmare with nothing being touched or changed. Ah, the joys of the Load Master!

[Earl Keese]

Some days it's just better to back away from the bench and do something else.

[M1A4ME]

Don't know anything about a load master.

I do know that at one time, when I ordered spare RCBS decapping pins, I just ordered a 5 pack.  Using that one, then hanging the remaining 4 on a nail at the bench seems to have "scared" that first one into maintaining it's focus and working hard because I haven't had to replace it.

Sometimes, when things are going bad, you help beat up on yourself through frustration, lack of focus, getting in a hurry, etc.   BTDT.  More than once.

[mrcabinet]

Yeah, I used up all my spare pins and made the wise decision to stop and order more of them before pulling the ones out of the other two dies and destroying them too.

[Wobbly]

The Lee de-capping shaft can be adjusted to where Berdan primers will make it rise in the die rather than bend or break. You might want to try that.

[snakeye]

I have had days like that...can't really explain as to why stuff like that happens but what you did was the right idea....stop and take a break and come back and start with the basics and start all over...

[1SOW]

The Lee de-capping shaft can be adjusted to where Berdan primers will make it rise in the die rather than bend or break. You might want to try that.

AMEN!  On my LEE turret press, with the same die,  it is a little sensitive to adjust.  It needs to be able to push out the normal primers that are seated the tightest,  and just a skosh more.  Otherwise the decapping rod will slip up  be slipping up every time you deprime a little faster than normal.  It does need to slip up (and not get bent or broken) when the case is not properly inserted  or you've inserted a Berdan primer.

I've been guilty of this same mistake,  but there is a simple fix:   Adjust it for a hard primer and don't feed it a Berdan primer.  This can be done by just checking that no off-the-wall Head Stamps are being loaded.  Toss 'em in the recycle pot. 
Make sure the case is fully inserted into the holder and not being jostled back out a little as the press cycles.

Hope this makes sense and helps.   
 

[lewmed]

  I have 3 of those machines the one I use for 44 mag. and 45 acp will break or bend a pin if I don't keep the case inserter clean also a little lube on the sq. rod helps.

[mrcabinet]

Thanks for the suggestions. Try as I might, in the 15 years or so that I've been using Lee dies, I have yet to find that sweet spot on the decapping pin tension. You know, the magic Goldilocks "just right" setting. I admittedly have them too tight, but it's worth it for me to avoid the aggravation of it sliding up all the time. The point I was making about the pins bending was to illustrate how far out of alignment it had gotten. And yes, the shell was fully inserted.

The new pins show as delivered so when I get home I'll install one and very, very carefully try it again (with the pins looser at first).

[Boriqua]

I bought the ball end decapping pins from here

http://www.squirreldaddy.com/category-s/336.htm

They are a great improvement over the lee standard issue and a good price too. I now keep the lee's as spare but swapped in these for the dies I use.

They also offer a hardened but I really like the ball end.

[newageroman]

Theres some guy that makes super heavy duty decapping pins. squirrel shooter or something. I'm not sure what brand of dies they work for, but a guy I know punched one through both sides of a 556 case sideways just to test it - still GTG!

while we are venting. I dusted off the blue press last night and got to making a pile. It was constant issues (user error), one thing after another.
First I spotted stepped cases (EEEWWW!)
Then the primer drop tube got clogged and wouldn't let the shell plate index. Fixed that.
Then when I reinstalled the shell plate, the spring kicker wasn't letting the shell pusher go full travel. I thought it was something with the shell slide, inspected, then put that in backwards. Finally figured that out, but the shell pusher/spring was still an issue.
Fixed that, then I was low on powder, added more N320 and fixed that.
At one point I used the primer cut off switch to stop primer feeds, then forgot to turn it back on and powder everywhere...
Thought I was out of primers and put more in - of course it was half full so half spilled onto the floor, the other half was in the tube still. I turned it up to inspect and the other half went in the floor - JEEZ!

All user error and I finally got everything right and started pumping them out no prob. Looking forward to making a bigger pile tonight now that everything is setup. Persistance pays off - It was definitely influenced by the thought of having to pay full price for crappy factory ammo! LOVE MY BLUE PRESS... but, anyone have any opinions of the new MK4 presses? they look awesome and will give big blue a run for their money!

[newageroman]

Yeah Boriqua beat me to it. Congrats! heard they are awesome!

[mrcabinet]

Those ball end pins look like just the ticket. I may order a few to have on hand for when I destroy the Lee pins