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RF-100 totally worth it


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First thing, I think that without the resources and tips listed here I would have gone insane because none of the youtube videos are very good and it definitely took quite a bit of tinkering. Very easy to get it to only flip a few every 100, harder to get it almost perfect.

 

After playing with the primer drop insert, the clear cover at the top of the ramp, the rheostat, and putting the RF-100 on a gun mat as opposed to directly on a wood bench, I have it working reliably. I ran a couple thousand primers through (well 100 primers a lot of times) after finding a reliable setting and only had 1 primer flip. Definitely good enough for me not to have to watch it run.

 

I've seen a lot of people getting frustrated with the RF-100's and I can tell you that 30 minutes to an hour of your time is well worth never having to manually fill primers or deal with a flip tray and a vibraprime ever again. 

 

It is stated in other older threads but...

1. Make sure the insert is loose - for me the screw almost touches the top edge of the primer tube when it is inserted

2. Adjust the clear cover (over the last portion of the primer ramp) toward the outside of the primer ramp until primers won't enter, then very slowly adjust inward until they will just start going through and tighten down snug. 

3. Rheostat - for me using the lowest setting was the best, if I turn it up much it starts to flip primers. Most people use between lowest and slightly above the lowest setting

4. May depend on your primers, but for me having it on a gun mat (or a small mouse pad) helped smooth things out 

5. the loud vibrating that comes and goes at times is the spring in the insert on the base (what you set the primer tube on) vibrating against its housing and is NOT the screw touching the top of the primer tube i.e. nothing you need to "fix". 

Edited by MHitchcock
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  • 1 month later...

Santa brought me one for Christmas and I loaded 1500 rounds of .40 earlier this week.  I love it so far.  I've got 3K Remington primers left and I'm a little confused as to why you have to change the "thingy" to go from CCI SPP to Remington SPP.  Either way though, it made the reloaded experience much better and more efficient.

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41 minutes ago, RangerTrace said:

Santa brought me one for Christmas and I loaded 1500 rounds of .40 earlier this week.  I love it so far.  I've got 3K Remington primers left and I'm a little confused as to why you have to change the "thingy" to go from CCI SPP to Remington SPP.  Either way though, it made the reloaded experience much better and more efficient.

I've found that with the Remington primers, the anvil is not seated completely in the cup when you take the out of the package. The anvil is then completely seated when you seat the primer in the case. I don't know if this has any effect on using the RF-100 though.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have been lucky. I purchased one used from a Calgunner recently, and it has worked great. I have loaded approximately 3000 small and large primers with only 3 or 4 flipped primers.

I will say that I agree that leaving the rheostat at the lowest setting has worked great for me. The only time I have turned it up is if a primer gets stuck at the tube entrance. It shakes it loose.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

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I recently had to tighten up the retaining screw that holds the blue nipple that the tube inserts into. it was rubbing on the tube shielding. I ended up doing a bunch of tightening of various things including the main bolt that holds the tower onto the base. Now it is really quiet and runs much better. I guess it all just loosened up over the years.

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  • 6 months later...

Had mine working great and all of a sudden started having big problems in the last week. I wasnt even getting any flipped primers just the occasional sideways one which may have been the press itself but even that was perhaps one every 200. Now Im up to 25-30% flipped and sideways. Sadly I cant even remember if I touched something to mess it up. I know what to do to adjust it; so Im not too worried about that.

 

It does have me wondering though is there an easy way to test after making adjustments; other than fully running them through the press that is? I was thinking perhaps taking the rf100 tube and filling into a see-through pickup tube or tubing or some such. Just so you can look at it all and see if there are any flipped/sideways ones

 

 

 

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Once the primer drops into the tube it's nearly impossible for it to flip 180 degrees, at 90 degrees it would jam in the tube and not drop any further. That is of course if using the proper size tube... The only way a primer can be 180 out is if it first went into the top of the tube that way, you would see it happening if you watch the primers drop into the tube.

You problem is more likely to be press related, and more often than not it because the shell plate is too loose.

 

Edited by RiggerJJ
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For the sideways primers I agree. I did something to it recently (not sure what) that it started flipping them again. As I said I know how to adjust it - im not worried about that. It would be easier though if I could see whats in the tube or at least transfer it to something to see how there lined up

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The primers cannot flip once they are in the tube. Watching a load dropping will confirm that you don't have the vibration too high. If they are upside down in the tube, it happened before it went in the top.

Take the tray from the primers you just dropped into the RF, position your loaded tube right on it at a empty hole. Pull the pin and move the tube along the holes dropping one at a time back into the tray. Keep it just close enough to drop one and move on.

I'll bet none of them are flipped...

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 11/2/2017 at 10:28 AM, MHitchcock said:

 

 

After playing with the primer drop insert, the clear cover at the top of the ramp, the rheostat, and putting the RF-100 on a gun mat as opposed to directly on a wood bench, I have it working reliably.

 

Thank you for posting your helpful tips. I am contemplating buying one but had a question. Does vibration from reloading on the same bench cause flipped primers? I have a gun mat but have the bench mounted to the wall. This bench is SUPER sturdy and barely moves when I reload, so just curious about your comment above. 

 

 

On 11/2/2017 at 7:24 PM, RiggerJJ said:

The only comment I would add is that it helps a lot if the unit is plumb, or leaning just slightly forward from plumb. Side to side needs to be right on...

 

Great post!

jj

 

 

Can you make adjustments to its plumbness? I have my bench level, but wasn't sure if I need to be thinking about shims (pieces of paper?). 

 

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On 7/18/2018 at 2:48 PM, RaylanGivens said:

Federal primers work well...  Winchester...  Not so much...

 

Depends on the particular machine.  I have three of them, and they all have their preferences.  One definitely prefers the Winchesters, which I use most of the time, luckily.  :)

 

They all have their characters, so you need to learn it.

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3 hours ago, Nevadazielmeister said:

 

Thank you for posting your helpful tips. I am contemplating buying one but had a question. Does vibration from reloading on the same bench cause flipped primers? I have a gun mat but have the bench mounted to the wall. This bench is SUPER sturdy and barely moves when I reload, so just curious about your comment above. 

 

 

 

 

Can you make adjustments to its plumbness? I have my bench level, but wasn't sure if I need to be thinking about shims (pieces of paper?). 

 

 

Having been through different brands of primers as well as conversions i believe ive mastered tuning this w changes. There is the cup adapter where the primer drops through the hole. There is a set screw underneath that controls this. Start with it set at a dime between the screw head and bottom of the platform. If flipped primers continue then loosen a small increment at a time and retry until its resolved

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12 hours ago, Foxbat said:

 

Depends on the particular machine.  I have three of them, and they all have their preferences.  One definitely prefers the Winchesters, which I use most of the time, luckily.  :)

 

They all have their characters, so you need to learn it.

 

Talked to Dillon...  They said their RF-100's had trouble with Winchester primers because they were out of round...  Sent me some parts...  Didn't help.

 

Different characteristics would indicate poor manufacturing processes.

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So can anyone tell me about this operating on a slightly vibrating reloading bench? My concern is that I cannot start on my reloading with my Dillon 650 mounted on the same table  until the primer feeder is finished. To me that is the biggest selling point of this primer feeder. It is pretty much completely hands free and automatic. Just dump and go. 

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Running bout 90 seconds on mine (currently) and thats if I actually watching it to shut off; so 90-120 seconds out of every 5-6 minutes is a good percentage of the time. I know its a personal pet peeve but between the ringing in my ears and the low background from the filler it drives my batty as well as deaf. Thats not to say I'll give it up (love mine) but i wish it was quieter

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