Any tips on setting up a new Frankford Arsenal X-10 press

[lewmed]

 A friend of a friend who is new to reloading has asked for my help setting up his new press this weekend. I know very little about the X-10 except for it having issues with some broken bearings. Any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated.

[SoCal]

Wow That's a STEEP leaning curve for a beginner.  Start with BragginRights Precision Reloading.  he has a number of U-tube videos then look at gunblue490 and Ultimate Reloader. 

Gavin (Ultimate Reloader) has a series from unboxing to mounting on a bench i.e. the first step.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWvcojwwK4Y

No links (well one) because each have multiple videos but a quick search would be the best start.

There are forums and Facebook sites with additional help.

Good luck.

[lewmed]

 SoCal your right about the steep learning curve. I offered to loan him one of my Dillon 550's to learn the basics on but he wants to jump into progressive reloading head first. It took three of use to talk him into building a sturdy work station he was planning on clamping it to a flimsy rolling tool cabinet.

[SoCal]

Oh boy...good luch

[lewmed]

 I spent 4 hours today helping set up the new X-10 and all went well except for the swaging system is out of alignment and isn't working. What impressed me the most is how little force is required to operate the press and it has a lot of stations. What I don't like about it is it reminds me of a Chinese copy of a Harbor Freight tool. Who knows I might change my mind after we get all the bugs worked out. Maybe I'm just a Dillon snob.

[bang bang]

I spent 4 hours today helping set up the new X-10 and all went well except for the swaging system is out of alignment and isn't working. What impressed me the most is how little force is required to operate the press and it has a lot of stations. What I don't like about it is it reminds me of a Chinese copy of a Harbor Freight tool. Who knows I might change my mind after we get all the bugs worked out. Maybe I'm just a Dillon snob.

most if not many people are afraid of TRYING.

it wont be cheap to do so, but sometimes you need to buckup.

i was looking at their presses and they seem to be well made from what i can see and using bearings can help alot with the friction.  But as with anything, things wear and it will be a matter of time.  Then it would be interesting to see how much it cost to repair.

[lewmed]

 Things haven't gone well for my new friend and his X-10 press. After we got the X-10 set up and running smoothly I left him with about 1/2 of a pound of HP38 and several hundred RMR 124gr. jhp bullets and few hundred Winchester small pistol primers. After he ran out of the reloading supplies I gave him he went shopping and bought a pound of Titegroup and some Berrys 147gr bullets. After that I'm not sure what happened except he blew up a brand new 9mm Taurus and has several stitches in his right hand. He took the remains of his pistol to a gunsmith who verified at least two plated bullets stuck in the barrel. 

[Wobbly]

I bet he stopped in the middle of a cycle to check something, which then created an unpowdered case. The primer (with zero powder) got the bullet halfway down the barrel. Follow-up round killed the gun.

More mistakes are created by "stopping to make sure" than proabably anything else.

[NETim]

Anytime anyone asks me, I tell the newbie beginner reloader to start on a single stage press to learn the basics. 

I stand by that.   

[lewmed]

 When I talked with the gun smith that examined the blown up gun his theory was a combination of an inexperienced reloader and Titegroup powder.

[Togmaster]

When I talked with the gun smith that examined the blown up gun his theory was a combination of an inexperienced reloader and Titegroup powder.

I could see that if it was a double charge but since the gunsmith found 2 bullets in the barrel Wobbly's description above sounds more plausible.

[lewmed]

I have more information from his wife and the gunsmith it looks like a real comedy of errors. She says he ran the powder measure almost out of powder leaving a tiny bit of Hp38 in it then filled it with Titegroup. He had mixed 2 different powders plus he didn't readjust the powder measure or adjust the seating die for the longer bullet. I had set his powder measure for 4.2 gr. of HP38 so his charge of Titegroup would have been close to 5gr. He had contaminated the powder had an over charge and a different bullet seated too deep. The gunsmith thought the 147gr. bullet had bulged the case making it fire out of battery blowing the primer and the top of the case leaving a bullet part way down the barrel and we know what happened next. I feel bad I really misjudged this guy.
 

[tdogg]

Yeah, he needs a reloading resource to start out reading before he tries this again.  I'd suggest the ABC's of reloading for starters.  Then maybe the Lyman load manual.  Then maybe a few more hands on sessions with you at his side.  This isn't rocket science but it is rocket fuel, attention to detail is required if you want to keep your digits.

Cheers,
Toby

[tdogg]

Another thing that might help "respect" this hobby is to help him understand how much pressure is generated in a cartridge when it goes bang.  A typical car tire has ~30-60 psi when properly inflated.  A typical cartridge generates ~30000-60000 psi when ignited, 1000 times the pressure.  Then have him google car tire overpressure explosions and he will hopefully get the message.

Cheers,
Toby

[lewmed]

 I had his press up and running and together we loaded a couple hundred rounds. Before I left him on his own I ran every round we had loaded through a case gauge and I tried to impress upon him what he needed to do If he wanted to change any of the components. The guy is a pilot we even talked about using a check list like you do on an airplane and he agreed that was a good idea. Two days later he makes several serious mistakes and hurts himself at this time I don't want any more to do with him.