Hornady bullet feeder die limitations?

[olstyn]

So a while back, the "a" collet in my Hornady 9mm bullet feeder die cracked in half.  The issue became noticeable when I was loading, of course.  Bullets would no longer feed one at a time; I could only adjust it such that it would feed either not at all or many bullets at once.  I finally got around to calling Hornady about a replacement part recently, and while they did replace it for free, I got interrogated about what type of bullets I was using.

 

The person I spoke to on the phone suggested that using plated bullets with it could have caused the failure due to, in her words, "inconsistent sizing."  Has anybody here had a similar issue/experience?  To me, it *sounded* like blame-shifting BS vs admitting that they made a defective part (there were only a few thousand rounds through it when it failed, probably half and half of Montana Gold CMJs and Berry's Plated, both 124 grain round nose), but of course I don't want to assume that.  Is there any validity to that idea?  Could using bullets in sizes other than .355 really cause an issue like this?  I haven't taken a caliper to my remaining supply of Berry's Plated 124 gr round nose, but I might measure a random sampling next time I'm at the press in an effort to see how consistent they are, at least.

 

Further, I'm of course curious to know whether I can safely use the Hornady die with coated bullets; does anybody here have experience with or knowledge of that?

[zzt]

Hornady's bullet seating die has very close tolerances.  It was designed specifically to feed jacketed bullets.  It does so very well.  It will feed plated bullets as long as there are the correct diameter, but not as well as jacketed.  It will also feed some coated bullets, but not most.

 

In order of least problems:  jacketed bullets (no problems), Rainier plated (few problems), X-Treme (more problems), Berry's (even more), Precision Bullets coated (same as Berry's), lbejhead coated (problems), all other coated - no way.

 

I finally got fed up and ordered a Mr. Bulletfeeder system.  Vastly superior.

[jaques]

Throw that POS away and get a Mr.  Bullet feeding die. I got tired of cracked collets and miss feeds,  so I bought the MBF die and I kick myself in the ass for not getting one earlier. Their design is so simple and it works perfect. 

[olstyn]

Thanks for the feedback, guys.  I guess I'll have to look into the MBF system as a replacement for the next time the Hornady cracks a collet, then.  I'm not about to let a $30 die dictate which bullets I use.

 

Edit: One more question: Are the Hornady bullet tubes compatible with the Mr. Bullet Feeder die, or would I be looking at having to replace the entire system?

Edited March 17, 2018 by olstyn

[blackhand]

I use a Hornady bullet feeder die exclusively with coated bullets. I've got about 12000 projectiles through the original die I bought. I did have to sand and expand the collets for coated bullets to feed consistently, but haven't had any issues since making the initial modifications. I watched a few Youtube videos about the modifications.

 

I've used several different coated bullet brands, but mainly SNS Casting, Bayou Bullets, and Acme Bullets.

[noexcuses]

8 hours ago, olstyn said:

Thanks for the feedback, guys.  I guess I'll have to look into the MBF system as a replacement for the next time the Hornady cracks a collet, then.  I'm not about to let a $30 die dictate which bullets I use.

 

Edit: One more question: Are the Hornady bullet tubes compatible with the Mr. Bullet Feeder die, or would I be looking at having to replace the entire system?

I used some bullet tubes with the MR BF die, but I did have to due a little surgery (dremel) to make it work. I finally ended up with a complete MR BF system.

[jaques]

17 hours ago, olstyn said:

Thanks for the feedback, guys.  I guess I'll have to look into the MBF system as a replacement for the next time the Hornady cracks a collet, then.  I'm not about to let a $30 die dictate which bullets I use.

 

Edit: One more question: Are the Hornady bullet tubes compatible with the Mr. Bullet Feeder die, or would I be looking at having to replace the entire system?

 

I made an adaptor for mine.  Trust me.... The MBF is so much better than the Hornady. No stupid collets to mess with or to modify in order to make it work.  

[WarrenZ]

The collets suck I would brek them every 1-2K Jacketed bullets. I went mr bulletfeeder and never looked back.

[SlvrDragon50]

I load coated ACME 9mm 147gr FP. Had to modify but absolutely no problems now.

 

That said... if I were doing it all over again, get the MBF. The Hornady Bullet Feeder is so ridiculously loud that annoys me way more than the feeding.

[olstyn]

Sorry to bring back my thread from before, but it seemed better than creating a whole new thread.  I've been looking into the Mini Mr Bulletfeeder more, and I'm wondering if I actually need the whole kit, or just the die and a magazine or magazines.  Since I already have a PTX from my Hornady setup, and the PTX supplied with the Mini MBF kit isn't compatible with my Hornady powder measure, am I better off to just buy the die and the magazine for $50 each (total of $100) vs $140 for the full kit which includes a part I can't use, or is there some part not shown in the pictures that's needed in order to make it work?

 

Thanks!

[zzt]

Buy the whole kit.  Tell Rick that you intend it for use on a Hornady machine and he will substitute the correct expander.  It works like a charm, and much better than the Hornady PTX and die.

[Hooked]

10 hours ago, olstyn said:

Sorry to bring back my thread from before, but it seemed better than creating a whole new thread.  I've been looking into the Mini Mr Bulletfeeder more, and I'm wondering if I actually need the whole kit, or just the die and a magazine or magazines.  Since I already have a PTX from my Hornady setup, and the PTX supplied with the Mini MBF kit isn't compatible with my Hornady powder measure, am I better off to just buy the die and the magazine for $50 each (total of $100) vs $140 for the full kit which includes a part I can't use, or is there some part not shown in the pictures that's needed in order to make it work?

 

Thanks!

 

I went with just the MBF die and the SoCal tubes.  The SoCal tubes have greater capacity and can be used on the MBF die without the need for any adapter plates. The SoCal tubes are slightly more expensive - around $65, but the extra capacity was worth it to me. Quality is very good too.

Edited May 30, 2018 by Hooked

[bodybag0]

On 3/20/2018 at 9:13 PM, SlvrDragon50 said:

I load coated ACME 9mm 147gr FP. Had to modify but absolutely no problems now.

 

That said... if I were doing it all over again, get the MBF. The Hornady Bullet Feeder is so ridiculously loud that annoys me way more than the feeding.

Same here, I use ACME, Sommers Enterprises,  and Xtreme.   They all run through the collet, with out any adjustments  from one to the other.   I do have issues with

one or two of the coated bullets out of a 100.   But easy to work around.  My main gripe is that the collator is loud!   But Im sure MBF is loud too and cost way more.

I always see the hornady stuff on sale at Cabelas. 

[SlvrDragon50]

37 minutes ago, bodybag0 said:

Same here, I use ACME, Sommers Enterprises,  and Xtreme.   They all run through the collet, with out any adjustments  from one to the other.   I do have issues with

one or two of the coated bullets out of a 100.   But easy to work around.  My main gripe is that the collator is loud!   But Im sure MBF is loud too and cost way more.

I always see the hornady stuff on sale at Cabelas. 

MBF is much quieter than the Hornady due to its automatic stop much like the case feeder. Also loads much faster than the Hornady which is pretty bad when it comes to the last few bullets.

 

I have a piece of foam on top of the Hornady bullet feeder to help control the noise, but my ears will actually start ringing if I don't turn off the bullet feeder every 30-60 seconds or so while I load some rounds. Plan on adding a piece of rubber to the bottom of the feeder as well and hopefully that will reduce the noise more without affecting performance.

[Haywizzle]

I use the hornady 9mm bullet feeding system. I've cracked three of the collets. On my last call to customer service I was informed my issue was brass and expansion related. I was told I need to expand the brass way more than you would think, .384 at a minimum. If you aren't that wide the mouth of the case will go too far into the collet and eventually crack the collet. I use xtreme plated and I've stopped breaking collets and get about 97-99% of the bullets to drop. I still have to "loosen" a bullet or two with a push from the bottom with a tool.

Reading these replies i might have to switch to MBF if I get another major issue.

[techj]

Only time I broke collets was when I was adjusting them to feed coated (Blue Bullets) bullets.  Other than that I loaded upwards of 10k jacketed through them before I adjusted them for coated and have run probably twice that in coated with no problems.

 

The collator is very noisy and although I have a lid and rubber around it I will probably eventually rig up a switch to auto shut off when full much like the case feeder.

[SlvrDragon50]

Only time I broke collets was when I was adjusting them to feed coated (Blue Bullets) bullets.  Other than that I loaded upwards of 10k jacketed through them before I adjusted them for coated and have run probably twice that in coated with no problems.
 
The collator is very noisy and although I have a lid and rubber around it I will probably eventually rig up a switch to auto shut off when full much like the case feeder.

I’ve been meaning to rig a switch, but I’ve been too lazy. Please post a tutorial when you do it!

What thickness rubber are you using for the padding? And are you running around the entire wall or just the bottom that contacts the bullets?


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[techj]

2 minutes ago, SlvrDragon50 said:

I’ve been meaning to rig a switch, but I’ve been too lazy. Please post a tutorial when you do it!

What thickness rubber are you using for the padding? And are you running around the entire wall or just the bottom that contacts the bullets?


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I have a rubber mat that is about 3/8" thick that I cut and glued to the outside surfaces of the collator.  In addition I have a lid that I fabricated from some cardboard that has the same rubber mat glued to it and the mat cut to fit the inside of collator.  Those 2 - especially the lid - help the most.

 

When I get around to fabricating some form of a switch system I'll post the details.

[SlvrDragon50]

 
I have a rubber mat that is about 3/8" thick that I cut and glued to the outside surfaces of the collator.  In addition I have a lid that I fabricated from some cardboard that has the same rubber mat glued to it and the mat cut to fit the inside of collator.  Those 2 - especially the lid - help the most.
 
When I get around to fabricating some form of a switch system I'll post the details.

Oh interesting, I would have thought rubber on the inside would have worked best to dampen the noise. The foam definitely helps a ton. I only have mine covering 80%, and it makes such a big difference. I’ve been meaning to buy a piece of foam to cover it entirely.


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