Jimk60

Warpspeed, Unless it just doesn't fit the tumbler, use 6" or even 8" PVC, if you can find it. is more efficient than the 4", and holds significantly more. Most big box hardware stores have the 6" in 2 types, 1 for sewer (green pipe) and 1 for non-sewer (white pipe). So be sure that any fittings you get are of the same type

You may find the FCDs swage the bullets down and hurt accuracy. If there's a problem you hit while loading that the FCD fixes, you are probably better off correcting the root cause. Thanks for the info Peterthefish. I will definitely watch the accuracy. Probably mic the before and afters just to check. I shoot lead and coated SWC in Bullseye, so that will be interesting. I shoot 9 in steel, this were all my problems came up. I purchased the FCD's based on the recommendation of of an old codger RO who's been shooting comps for many years. Mostly Steel and IPSC. Since I also shoot informal bullseye, I will certainly keep an eye on the performance. Thanks all.

I just ordered the RCBS bullet puller, along with collet's for 9 40 and 45. Also ordered the Lee cheapo press. Included in that order are 3 lee Factory Carbide Crimp Die, these dies size the straight wall case while crimping. Hopefully that will prevent the same seating problem from occurring again. Thanks for all the recommendations.

I find myself in the position where I need to pull approximately 150 9mm bullets. I was wondering what the preference is among the blue koolaid drinkers fro a press mounted ouller. The 3 I am considering are the Hornady Cam Lock, the RCBS and the Forster. As I don't have a single stage press, it will be mounted in an extra head on my 650. Any preferences? TIA

One of the (IMHO) steps that really makes wet tumbling more desirable is to de-prime your brass first. 1. De-priming makes the primer pocket available for cleaning. 2. It removes one of the main contaminants, lead, from the process. 3. It greatly improves the dry ability after cleaning and washing. Both ends are open allowing air flow. 4. If not de-primed, it introduces the possibly of adding lead to the wet process, the primer itself holds water and complicates the drying process. I went from Vibratory (hated it) to home built wet tumbling. I will never go back.

Is there a trick to using it? I bought one and fooled with it for a while, couldn't get it to work so set it aside. Haven't messed with it since then. Somebody posted a pretty significant list of what they did to get it to run. Detailed the sanding, trimming, taping, etc. I say just "Chrome it!" My bad on the price. I was going from memory, and unfortunately my memory is going. $45 to $50 is the going price. I did nothing to mine. I have read posts and even seen you tube videos where they had to trim flashing etc to get good feeds. I did add the Dillon primer feed adapter tip to each of the tubes that came with the Vibraprime. This way I can add directly to the primer holder on the press. The learning curve involves learning how to tilt slightly on different axis to get the right feed rate without jamming. As well as how to get stuck primers to either fall, or bounce out to be fed again. You can't crowd it with primers at the tube end, you have to learn how to balance it so they go into the feed chute with a little space between each primer. Once you master the tool it easy to feed a tube in 15 seconds give or take.

Here's my $.02. Go buy a Franklin Vibra Prime. About $15 I believe. Some love (as I do), some hate it. Once the process is mastered, you'll never again fill a primer tube 1 primer at a time. But, as always, YMMV.

First of all, Bwikel, that is a brilliant solution, I will be trying that in my 9mm setup, if not all 3. As a home brewer that kegs, I have a boatload of O rings. My $.02 below; I have the plastic locator ball and am not sure how much it reduces the snapping. I also added the roller bearing kit, and once I figured out how to use it correctly, was pleasantly surprised at how much it improved the 'snap'. The secret is how much to tighten the bolt holding the shell plate. If you tighten it enough to where the shell plate does not wobble when pressure is applied on the top. And it does not create any drag from being too tight, it will work as promised. Spent primer adapter; I used the 1/2 inch compression fitting tube shown below in the link provided. The flange fits perfectly between the spent primer mount and the press. Attach a 1/2 in ID plastic tubing. Works great, and is relatively cheap. Linky:http://www.homedepot.com/p/Watts-1-2-in-Brass-Compression-Nut-with-Insert-A-204/100638276

Well, I did RTFM, I am a big proponent of understanding everything before i proceed. I just misunderstood what the manual was saying. I interpreted it to mean the the clutch was already adjusted, and to only change if necessary. So i get up on my step stool and loaded cases in until the feeder stopped feeding. OMG, the clutch was turning and the case feeder wasn't. Tightened a little, now runs with several hundred cases rather than 150 or so. SO, while RTFM is #1, it also understanding how this piece of machinery works, and what its limitations/operating parameters are.

I installed the Uniquetek micrometer on my 650 and love it. I was using 700X, and had difficulty getting consistent throws over a range loads. The Uniquetek held it within .1 gr., first to last, for over 300 rounds If i have one complaint, it is in the installation instructions. They indicate that for a 650 the '0' line should installed at approximately the 3 o'clock position, looking at the back of the powder bar. This puts the other micrometer lines on the bottom of the micrometer, making it difficult to read. IMHO a position of about 1 o'clock for the '0' line would be much better for reading settings from the left side. That is of course unless I read the instructions incorrectly.

I have the same issue. There is no slippage, the case feeder just freezes. Until I remove enough cases to bring the weight down. I don't know if this is a design issue, case feeder deigned to only hold so many cases because too many can cause feeding issues. Or if it is a problem created by a motor that just doesn't have enough torque to turn the case feeder plate passed a certain load volume. .

Beerbaron, Well written unbiased post. Plus and minuses of both presses. This is what really attracted me to this forum.

That really doesn't help production speed much at all. Placing all of the bullets base down on an opening first so a device can then place them base down on an opening....sounds like something the Government came up with. I respectfully disagree. You also have 100 count limitation on primers, you can have several primer tubes preloaded, you can also have several mini-loader cassettes preloaded. It's all trade offs.

Decision, decisions! I only have a 650 with the case feeder. The Mr. Bullet Feeder and the GSI bullet feeder are currently not in the budget. However; The Mini Mr. Bullet feeder is in the budget. The difference with the mini is auto feeding vs 100 round cassettes. The bullet feeding die, and powder/ expander insert are identical to the Mr. Bullet feeder version. the cassettes also matches the number of primers you have in the primer tube. Sp when it's time to add primers. you can also all bullets to the cassette. So one solution may be to buy the Mini version in whichever caliber you load most on the 650. They are about $140 vs. $450 for the fulll version. If it works for you, upgrade to the full version in the other caliber, or just add a new mini bullet feeder in the other caliber. Also be sure and check the conversion costs. Just some ideas to contemplate.

17 Frankfort Arsenal Vibra Primer Tube Filler Although everyone's experience and preference varies, I would like to add a comment about the Vibra Primer. I have 4 sets each of SP and LP Dillon primer tubes primer pick up tubes. When I started using the Vibra Prime, there is a learning curve of how to hold it, tilt it, unjam etc. Won't go into details, there are other threads that do that. I added the Dillon primer feed attachment to my Vibra Prime tube and load directly into the Dillon primer feed tube. I have not touched my Dillon pickup tunbes since I started this practice. Like I said, your experience and preference may vary. But this is just one small step on the journey you are about to take.

+1000 on that.

Geeky redneck. Grew up eating. Squirrel, rabit, quail, dove, deer. We had fried chicken, mashed potatos, and home canned green beans every Sunday. Parents raised and canned most of our vegatables. My mom even made her own bloody mary mix. Crappie catch every was measured in total pounds, not fish count. No degree but I spent 40 years in I T on mainframes. Ended my career working with wireless factory management sytems. So that makes me a geeky red neck dinosaur.