650 casefeeder jams

[ErikW]

For some reason my XL650 casefeeder now will not drop fifty .40S&W cases in a row without jamming. The case in the shell plate doesn't drop into the chute at any time during the window of opportunity and ends up jammed against the trailing edge of the window. I notice now there is often a case or two piggy-backing along the jammed case.

I'm using a large shell plate in the casefeeder and no adapter in the chute. I generally load about 150-200 cases (lubed with OneShot) in the feeder, as more will overwhelm the available torque. It jams on low and high speed settings but I prefer to run it at low speed.

I get similar, but fewer, jams with Super cases and the small shell plate.

[blkbrd]

This is one I want to see an answer to, as I have the same problem.

[snokid]

I think I can answer this for you....

I used to have my press bolted to a very sturdy bench (was tied to the garage walls and floor) Well in all my wisdom I decided to build a room just for reloading and when I did I built a bench that I thought was very sturdy, but I messed up somewhere and now the bench jiggles a little while I'm loading.

Well now I get this same problem, and I didn't used to have the problem before, so I think that the press needs to be bolted to a very solid bench to eliminate the problem.

Bob

[Flexmoney]

I'm with Bob. I used some MDF for the table top on my bench. I think it has become "spongy". My casefeeder moves more than it should. If it gets light on brass, I'll have some troubles.

But, maybe yours just needs cleaned?

[cr10x]

Yes, a good bench mount is helpful. In addition, if you are using liquid type case lubes, you might want to clean the hopper and feedplate once in a while with some plastic friendly household cleaner. Sometimes there is just enough sticking to slow down the dropping of the case. I typically clean mine about once a year when I do a complete teardown of the press.

[ErikW]

My bench is sturdy. I did clean the casefeeder (hopper) lately but the shellplate is filthy. I just realized a recent change... I'm keeping the casefeeder a little higher so there is a gap between the bottom of the clear plastic chute and the top of the tube. I used to just rest it on the tube. Hmmm.

[CSEMARTIN]

My bench is very sturdy, and I've never had any problems either. I think Bob is right.

Chris

[Trader]

Mine runs perfectly with .40. I had frequent stopages when I loaded .45 this winter . I dont recall any problems with 9 or .38 super either.

[uscbigdawg]

How about using the small pistol case feed disc, instead of the large one? I've had no problems on my 650 or my 1050.

Rich

[ErikW]

I cleaned my shell plates to no avail. (I also found Hoppes #9 followed by brake cleaner will eat the plastic!)

I took the casefeeder down and ran it on my benchtop and studied what the brass did and how it jammed. Cases were riding piggyback on the top of the cases in the slots, preventing them from dropping into the chute, then jamming at the end of the window.

So I decided what was needed was a brush-back device to sweep the piggybackers off well before the window and chute. My first attempt just caused jams. My next attempt works perfectly.

I took a 12 ga hull, cut off the base, and cut it in half length-wise. (A similarly-thick piece of pliable plastic, such as from a powder bottle, will also work. I liked the hull because of the curve. I stuck an end of the plastic in the tight gap between the blue casefeeder bowl and the metal portion of the bowl, on the inside of the bowl. (This gap is at about 1-o-clock from the press operator's point of view.) The bottom of the piece must be slightly above the height of a case in a slot at that position. Initial testing revealed it lacked the ramp effect, so I positioned a .223 Remington case (neck down for the taper) behind it at the trailing edge. So the ramp is very shallow at the leading edge then grows at the trailing edge. I taped it into place with packing tape.

I then ran a couple hundred cases through at low and high speeds without a jam. The ramp pushes the piggybacking cases off before they become a problem.

[.40AET]

So what your saying, is that I just cleaned my casefeeder for nothing..... It has just been cleaned for the first and last time.

[ErikW]

Not for nothing.... I now know accumulated lube and dirt doesn't cause jams. And I now know some plastics are vulnerable to #9 and brake cleaner.

[Loves2Shoot]

Hmm, I use the small case feeder also, it seems to work better for me.

[ErikW]

Aw crap I just realized I can't change plates with my modification.

[shred]

I C-clamped a piece of bent coathanger wire to act as a 'sweep' to my bowl-- it's removable to change plates, but a bit annoying to tweak back into place just right.

Is this with the new metal-flanged casefeeder? Mine are the all-plastic tubs.

[ErikW]

I'm really curious why the metal is there in the first place. At the end of the chute window, the metal has a small bent tab. But it's too small, too high, and in the wrong place to be a sweeper. Anyway, maybe just having this tab is the whole point of the metal.

What's really curious is why, all of a sudden, I need to make this sweeper mod.

[Gun Geek]

uhhh...

Brake Cleaner eats the casefeed adaptors as well. one of mine looks like it has bad acne scars. I wiped it down with a rag that had just a little stuff on it

Eric - may not be the Hoppes

[.40AET]

Windex on a rag worked fine. It needed a little elbow grease to get it off, but no signs of effecting the plastic bowl or the case feeder plate. Windex also makes a plastic specific cleaner.

[EricW]

Dillon,

Any advice on how to correctly solve the problem Erik W listed at the beginning of this thread? I'm having the same issue. My bench is plenty sturdy, so that's not an issue.

Does it have anything do with running a large pistol casefeed plate? Should I try a small pistol?

Thanks,

Eric (who anxiously awaits for his Bomars to self immolate)

[dillon]

I personally prefer the small pistol casefeed disc for 40 S&W, and run the motor at low speed. On casefeeders where the opening of the clear plastic funnel is rectangular, use the 9mm adapter( a white opaque insert vaguely shaped like "T"). A few months ago this funnel was redesigned, and is now round. The round opening eliminates the need for an adapter regardless of caliber. 409 is a good choice for cleaning the plastic parts, but any detergent type cleaner will work fine.

[slavex]

on my 1050 casefeeder I am having problems with cases falling down underneath the case plate. I've tried watching it run to get it to do it when I can diagnose it but to no avail. I'll be going along loading, notice I've run out of cases, the machine is running, the case plate is jammed with a 9mm case stuck against another one that has migrated under the plate. I notice that the plate does have a bit of twist and give to it, so maybe with the weight of the brass at the low end, it's twisting and lifting the end near the funnel up, enough to allow the odd case to get under it?