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RF100 Auto Primer Filler Tuning


EricW

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I thought it was time to do some 'splaining on how to make the RF100 run - notably with small primers which is what seems to give folks the most trouble. The reason why small primers are such a pain to feed is because they're almost "square" - i.e. the diameter is very close to the height - making them difficult to orient. With a little time and attention to detail, the RF100 can be made to run very near perfectly. It's been a looooong time since I've had an upside down primer on mine with Winchester primers (which won't win any prizes for dimensional consistency).

Step zero, is to make sure there's a white washer on the bottom of your primer filler tube. it should be above the clip, resting on the shoulder. If it's missing, you should have got a spare from Dillon in your spares kit.

[Thanks SVI4ME for adding this tip!]

The first thing to check on your RF100 - is that it's square. The primer tube must be vertical in relation to the machine. The vibe bowl, base, and blue upright are all on a common shaft and it's possible for these to be out of alignment to one another. This will cause the primer tube to seat onto the primer funnel at an angle - which may induce flipped primers.

RF100_frontA.jpg

If that doesn't fix the problem, grab your safety glasses (you didn't have them on already?!), and let's pop the top off the RF100. You'll need a 7/16" wrench to remove the four bolts holding on the Polycarbonate cover.

RF100_Top.jpg

Once inside, we'll see how the whole deal works. There are essentially three rejection stations: a wiper arm that brushes off sideways primers, and two milled cut-outs that reject upside down primers.

RF100_top_nocoverA.jpg

The wiper arm should never need adjustment. If it's not wiping correctly, I'd be highly inclined to get a new one from Dillon before messing with it.

RF100_WiperArm.jpg

The first upside-down-primer-reject station is non-adjustable. It will knock off about 95% of the upside down primers. But a few will get through.

RF100_UpsideDown1A.jpg

The second upside-down-primer-reject station is where you need to get tricky. It is controlled by the clear plastic plate.

RF100_UpsideDown2A.jpg

Two plates are included with the press: A and B. The difference between the plates is in the clearance allowed for the primer to slide under. The B plate has more clearance than the A plate.

I use Winchester Blue Box cheapie primers, which have a wide variation in heights and have the best success with the B plate. For shorter primers with better height tolerances, the A plate is the correct choice.

In addition to choice of plates, the plate's angular postion will need to be adjusted so that upside down primers will be rejected while still allowing enough primers through such that the tube will fill in a timely fashion. This is where you will need to experiment. Rotating the end of the plate toward the center of the vibe bowl will reject more primers - including the occasional right side up primer. Don't worry about a few right-side up ones falling off. The point is to reject ALL upside down primers. So, err on the side of caution.

RF100_UpsideDown2-2A.jpg

The last thing to check is the primer funnel. Believe it or not, the primer funnel must sit slightly loose. It will rattle around a bit while the RF100 is running, but that is OK. It's tension is controlled by the allen head bolt on the underside of the vibe bowl. Resist the urge to crank that bolt down.

RF100_FunnelBottomA.jpg

That's about everything there really is to adjust on the RF100. Make sure you replace the cover - it is what will save your face when something goes really badly. Torque the bolts on the cover just barely snug. Never crank down on them. Polycarbonate is tough stuff, but is so tough that it responds to high stress by cracking- and a cracked blast shield won't do you much good.

PM me if you have any tips to add.

E

====================================================

P.S.

You say your RF100 stays on about 3X longer than it takes to load a tube? You say that the extra 3 minutes of rattling is loosening your fillings? You promise that you know AC is dangerous and promise not to kill yourself?

Then Click Here...

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