550b getting primers to seat flush or just below

[ToneSurfer]

Ugh. Me again, the guy with the new 550b.

I'm having a problem getting my primers to seat flush. I'm using Remington SPP no. 1 1/2.

I can get them flush or almost flush but I have to literally grab the back of the press with my left hand and push push push with my right. I'm afraid I'm gonna break something or make a "boom". I can feel the primers go in smoothly, but they won't seat flush without effort. I was really hoping to get them a hair below like the factory brass.

I was using WIN brass (not the NATO, so no crimps). I tried few R-P (remington) brass to just to make sure it wasn't an anomaly with the brass.

I re-adjusted the shell plate and took out all the slop I could and still be able to turn it.

I took the primer assembly apart and measured the cup height according to the manual. It was 1.216(7) (within spec range of 1.215 - 1.220). Does it matter that it's at the low end of that range?

I measured a few primers, they were .119 to .1225.

I cleaned a few of the primer pockets with the lyman hand tool.

None of this helped.

I'm stymied.

[james5m]

Look under the ram head and make sure its clear of any foreign objects. With shell plate empty how high does the seating punch come up when the handle is in the prime position? What caliber?

[Sarge]

I thought I read that Remington primers are a little taller than others. If this is the case and they are fully seated they will probably never go below flush. If you are pushing that hard they should be good to go. I would not recommend forcing primers to do anything.

[Poppa Bear]

If you put a straight edge across the rounds, or if you place them on their bases are they flat? That is what matters in terms of them dropping on the floor. Otherwise you need them seated so that the firing pin cannot drive them deeper. The act of driving it in deeper robs enough energy to stop the primer from igniting. It sounds like you are seating them as deep as they will go.

[GrumpyOne]

It's the primers... look at the Remington primer before you seat it. The anvil is actually not seated all the way. Had the same issues with force of seating using the Remmys...Use Winchester primers, no issues.

[ToneSurfer]

I'm loading 9mm.

I cant really get a good measurement of how much the ram clears the cup, at least not precisely, my calipers won't fit. But it seems to stick out a good bit. I tried gauging how far I could push the handle without a case in place and then compared that to how far I could push it with a case being primed. I can't push it as far with the case so something's stopping it. What I can't tell is have I seated the primer all the way, or is the ram not coming out of the cup far enough.

The primers are almost flush. If I put the rounds on a flat surface they wobble a tiny bit. If I put the gorilla smash on them they will go flush. But, I can't imagine me doing this for 1000's of rounds. Somethings not right.

I guess I could try a different primer. One would think a remington primer should work in a remington case - if it was a primer manufacturing thing.

[Sarge]

The ram does not move as far with a case inserted because it is bottoming out. This proves there is plenty of travel to seat a good primer properly. Take Grumpy's advice and try winchesters. When they seat properly your question will be answered

[GrumpyOne]

Look at the Remmy primer. Notice how it looks as if something is protruding from the cup? That's cause it is... For some reason, Remington doesn't fully seat the anvil in their primers before packaging. The only light strikes I have ever had were with Remington primers, because I wasn't crush seating them. So, not only are you trying to seat the primer in the case, you are also trying to seat the anvil in the primer cup the rest of the way, at the same time....Hence why it feels so difficult.

[RDA]

Can't you measure the depth of a primer and the depth of the primer pocket in your brass to confirm or deny what some here are suggesting (that the Remington primers are deeper than normal).

[98sr20ve]

I sent some Remmington primers back to Remmington. They said they were fine. It's the primers. You can get them seated below flush hand seating them. Make sure your sellplate is tight to the point of almost binding. Keep adding a little bit of tightness till the plate is binding when you tighten the set screw, then back it off till it is smooth. Oil under the head of the bolt just a drop as wll. A tight shellplate will help but not totally resolve your issue.

[ToneSurfer]

I'll see if I can snag a different brand of primer during lunch break and see how they do.

So if the new one's work what are the chances I can get Remington to replace the 2000 I have. If the anvil's are sticking up that seems an issue with manuf. not me or the press.

[Sarge]

I'll see if I can snag a different brand of primer during lunch break and see how they do.

So if the new one's work what are the chances I can get Remington to replace the 2000 I have. If the anvil's are sticking up that seems an issue with manuf. not me or the press.

I would probably just chalk it up to experience and load them up by safely pushing them in as far as you can. But if you can find a local gunshop that knows you it's possible you could take them in and trade them out. I have done that before at my local shop.

[98sr20ve]

So if the new one's work what are the chances I can get Remington to replace the 2000 I have. If the anvil's are sticking up that seems an issue with manuf. not me or the press.

Zero in my experience. But it's been years since I tried.

[chaosshooter00]

So if the new one's work what are the chances I can get Remington to replace the 2000 I have. If the anvil's are sticking up that seems an issue with manuf. not me or the press.

Zero, zip, nada..."Our primers our well within our specs as shipped". I traded mine to a local shop for Winchester, haven't looked back.

[GrumpyOne]

Not gonna happen. Remmy will say nothing is wrong with them, and in fact, nothing is wrong with them. They will go bang (if seated properly) which is the definition of a primer. It's just the way they manufacture them.

Think of it this way, you are completing the final step in the primer manufacturing process by finish seating the anvil....Remington probably saves millions by having reloaders do it for free.

[dillon]

For reasons of safety during shipping, boxer anvils are not factory seated to final depth.

What is your bench top material? We suggest at least one-inch thick particle board, and avoid plywood, as it flexes too much.

double-check the two small screws that secure the roller bracket to the underside of the platform. If the left one has backed out, it contacts the top of the primer slide, preventing primer seating.

another test is to tighten the shellplate bolt down until it stops. Then seat a primer. Be sure the handle does not contact anything when you push it forward.

[ToneSurfer]

Oh well I guess this will be a learning experience for me.

In response to Dillon. It's a Harbor Freight work bench which is 3/4" hardwood. I've mounted the press on a strongmount. The strongmount is mounted onto a 3/4" piece of melamine that is bigger around than the strongmount base by a few inches. The melamine is secured to the workbench through 4 5/8" holes in each corner through which I have passed 1/2" bolts through the bench top. I did it this way so I could unbolt it and push it aside if I need more space on my bench for cleaning guns and such.

If I push hard enough I could rock the entire workbench over without flexing the top. Is it really normal to require that much force to seat a primer?

I checked travel on the operating handle. It seems fine. I moved the completed case tray forward and then shoved the handle back until it made contact and moved the tray back in place. Then I put in a case to prime and the handle stays clear of the tray about 1/8". I did glance under the platform and the screws for the roller bracket looked ok. Countersunk.

I'll try the shellplate bolt. You are suggesting this just as a trial to see what could be wrong I assume. I've got it fairly tight as is. There is only the slightest drag as I turn the shellplate.

Edited March 6, 2014 by ToneSurfer

[ToneSurfer]

Couldn't find Winchester primers but I found some CCI 500's (actually this is what I wanted to use in the first place).

They are practically as difficult to seat as the Remingtons. I measured the CCI's and they are .116 and very uniform, no anvils sticking up. Again, they go in very smooth, only issue is getting them flush. And I can't get them to go past flush.

[Sarge]

Very strange indeed. The only thing I can think of is crimped brass or maybe the punch is somehow out of spec. You can spin the punch on the shaft. Try turning it 90 or 180 degrees. There is also a set screw on the side of the assy that holds it in the correct position on the shaft. You might try fiddling with that. This should not be happening with the CCI's for sure.

But then again, if they are flush they are better than before correct?

Edited March 7, 2014 by Sarge

[ToneSurfer]

Man I don't know. I'm just kinda frustrated at the moment. So I stepped away for another day.

I tried 2 WIN brass, 2 Federal (FC), and for shits and giggles I even decrimped a NATO WCC. I measured the primer pockets on all of them. They were all at least .119 so I think plenty of room.

Surprisingly the de-crimped NATO was the easiest to set. The other 4 I had to grab the back of the press with one hand while I operated the handle with other and give it the big sqeeze to get them flush. Same effort as the Remington's.

Still don't have an idea how much pressure I should be putting on the handle. But what I'm having to do seems extraordinary. Somethings gonna get bent or break.

[Sarge]

Sit down at the press tomorrow afternoon and call Dillon. Maybe they can walk you through something to try. They know their presses pretty well. Heck something might be cracked or broken on the frame.

It won't cost you anything to try. If that doesn't work there might be somebody on here who could come by and take a look at it for you. Forum members are everywhere!

[XxWoodsHunterxX]

Sounds like the shell plate isn't sitting flush. I had a similar issue a few years back. It was my mistake. But like dillon said tighten plate all the way down with case inserted in slot. And make sure that when you push handle forward all the way that the primer seater is about 1/8" up past plate. I've used rem. cci. And Winchester and never a seating issue other than mil. crimp stuff. My new issue is primer bar not going back all the way picking up primers each time. Have to clean plate every 75 rounds to get to work properly. Debris gets stuck in primer bar and causes issue. Also on that note make sure that that it's clean. Mine has been touchy the past couple of weeks.

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[Ming the Merciless]

Not to overlook the obvious, but are you sure you're using the small primer bar? I went through this with a friend a couple years ago and he had forgotten to switch the primer slide to the small primer slide.

[Dels]

Im having a similar problem with my new SQD. CCI 500 primers will get flush if I really push on the handle. Also, used primers don't always get pushed out on station 1. A little frustrating.

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[Sarge]

Also, used primers don't always get pushed out on station 1. A little frustrating.

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That's a totally separate issue that has been discussed many times on these forums. Take some sandpaper or even a fine file to the depriming pin and it will quit hanging onto the spent primers. Generally the primers get pushed out just fine but the cling to the pin and get drawn back into the case. Try doing a search on the subject and you will see the various fixes that many of us have used.