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Gilligan

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    Dmitry

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  1. My RL1050 suddenly developed two issues just before Dillon closed for the weekend. The press is currently set up for 9mm. Background: no equipment or die changes or upgrades since the last reloading session. I disassembled and cleaned everything thoroughly, including the priming system and primer punch "lifter". The problems developed when I set up the press to load 9mm. *The problems are apparent only when the toolhead is installed. Without it, the press functions smoothly.* Problem 1: The primer punch system seems to get momentarily stuck on the way down after seating the primer. I can hear a sudden snap as the primer punch returns to the down position I believe it is somehow getting hung up inside it's hole on the primer shuttle because when I remove the primer shuttle, the snap is gone. I'm loading 9mm. Problem 2: This one started right after disassembly and thorough cleaning. When a case is resized on station 1 or expanded on station 2, and the toolhead is on the way up, then just before the case exits the die, I hear a "groaning sound", like a stuck case in a sizing die. This happens regardless of which sizing die I use, and I tested 2 previously well performing 9mm sizing dies. To make sure the case is not getting stuck in a die, I lubricated it inside and out, but the sound remained, so I don't think it's the sound of the brass getting stuck in the dies. I'm loading 9mm. Any ideas where to look for problems?
  2. To answer my own question: No, it won't work. I bought a .223 Gold Medal die and and there is not enough clearance to allow the loaded round to advance to the next station. Since the .308 round is even taller, it definitely won't work on the RL1050.
  3. A slamfire with an AR is not necessarily due to a defective rifle. It could also be caused by reloaded ammo that has a standard small rifle primer rather than a thick primer such as CCI BR, CCI magnum, or CCI 41 primers.
  4. Does a slamfire when changing mags or closing the bolt prior to stage start result in a DQ for unintentional discharge?
  5. You're correct, Hornady die bushings can't be used on the Dillon tool head. That's a good thing, though. When I got rid of the die bushings (LNL-AP and converted Rock Chucker) both my post-resizing shoulder position and the bullet seating measurements became much more consistent. The die bushings introduce quite a bit of slop - take a look at how much they travel up and down when you're using your LNL-AP. My LNL-AP also suffered from occasional press bushing lug cracks. That gave my dies even more room to move around during use.
  6. I went through exactly the same transition last summer. I switched from a LNL with case feeder to a used RL 1050. Like you, I set up toolheads in .223, 9mm, 45. Frankly, I think switching dies among just one toolhead is faster than switching toolheads. I can't seem to get the toolhead swap to go smoothly without a lot of juggling, tugging, and persuading the toolheads to move out and into the correct position. After reading stuff on the internet, I dreaded the primer system switch, but it turns out it is not so bad. Took me about 45 minutes the first time, and about 30 minutes of that was to look at everything, see how stuff works, and clean out the system really well. I was surprised by the huge amount of primer dust that had built up in the system. Now, it takes me about 20 minutes to switch the primer system and clean out the dust. So it takes me about 20 minutes for the priming system and about 60 minutes for the toolhead, case feeder shuttle, and shell plate - about half that time is spent cleaning, wiping, and re-greasing everything. As a former Hornady user, I'm so grateful for the primer seating adjustment feature of the 1050. Ditching the Hornady LNL-AP was the best reloading hobby move that I've ever made.
  7. Well, yes, I am concerned with neck tension. Not only that, but I use a Redding competion seating die and it does not provide a crimping option. In any case, I just spoke with Gary at Dillon and it turns out the belling is a feature intentionally designed into this backer rod. Comes in handy for those loading flat base bulelts or using a bullet feeder. He suggested the same thing I read in this thread - drill and file. He thinks the rod is not terribly hard and I should be able to take the shoulder down with a file. I'll give it a shot later today after work.
  8. I use three Redding micrometer dies on my RL 1050 - in .223 as well as two pistol calibers. Great dies and I get perfectly repeatable bullet seating whenever I change among my prefered bullets.
  9. Ah, that I can do. I thought it may be some hardened steel, but now that I think of it, it probably isn't.
  10. Unfortunately, I don't have any cutting tools to mill down the rod. Did Dillon intentionally install a belling feature on this backer rod? I've never heard of belling .223 cases, unless someone wants to load cast lead bullets...
  11. I realize that my old RL 1050 does not have the stroke height to load .308 ammo, so I happily use it for shorter cartridges. However, I recently discovered the existence of the RCBS Gold Medal seating die that has a bullet loading window *above* the toolhead. I was wondering if anyone here has tried this .308 die with the RL 1050 and if the die sits sufficiently high avove the shell plate to allow the seated bullet to clear the die so that the loaded round can then advance to the next station.
  12. The backer rod in the die that goes into the station above the swaging rod has a step machined in it that contacts the case mouth and bells it. If I adjust this backer rod up so that the step does not contact the case mouth, then the backer rod does not seem to support the case against the swager rod and the entire case moves way up as it is pushed up by the swaging rod until the case rim is stopped by the shell plate itself. My concern is that if I use the shell plate to stop the upward travel of the case instead of using the supplied backer rod, then I'll end up warping the shell plate. This will also warp the rim on the case itself, as I have already seen on several samples that I ran through this process. I would like to use the backer rod as it was intended, but I would rather not bell the case mouth as it works the brass too much. I sent an email to Dillon, but there was no response. Today, I called, but the woman I spoke with was confused and after a very long pause, she abruptly transferred my call to the voice mail of someone named Gary. I haven't heard back from Gary, but it hasn't been long. It seems that the solution is either a slightly longer backer rod length before this step, or a backer rod without the step at all. I'm sure that Gary from Dillon will call me back, but In the meantime, if anyone here has solved this problem of swaging 5.56 brass, I'd love to get some advice.
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