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Best low mass ball detent and shell plate bearing?


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One is a needle bearing/roller bearing the other is a bronze bushing.

I use the low mass ball, 1coil cut and the needle bearing.

It did help my 650. Made it easier to get the shell plate nice and tight without extra drag.

Get the bearing wherever it's cheap and a cheap low mass ball.

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XL650

I didn't clip my spring, i may try this. I did add the low-mass ball first. Didn't seem to help that much.

I do have the needle bearing on the shell plate. This has slowed down the jump, but more importantly, I am able to tighten down the shell plate so that there is almost no vertical movement, but is still loose enough to rotate with little resistance from friction.

Things that have improved since adding the needle bearing set:

1. Less chance of 'flipping' powder out of case.

2. More consistent bullet seating OAL.

3. More consistent crimp from Lee FCD.

4. More consistent powder throws with 700X.

5. Better, more consistent primer seating.

I attribute these improvements 90% to the needle bearing, and 10% to the low mass detent ball.

Removing these issues has allowed me to concentrate on my loading technique.

My $.02 YMMV as always.

Edited by Jimk60
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I put a bearing on mine and it helped reduce the snap drastically. It allows a much tighter shell plate.

There is no reason for the plate to ever work loose because of the bearing. Once the set screw is tight in the shaft it never loosens on its own.

The ball is not a worthwhile addition in my opinion. If you do a good search on these forums you will find this topic has been beat to death. As it turns out one if the easiest fixes for snap is adjusting the indexing block slightly.

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XL650

2. More consistent bullet seating OAL.

3. More consistent crimp from Lee FCD.

I'm a 550 guy, but wouldn't oal and crimp work between base plat and tool head? And have nothing to do with the shell plate. It works that way on the 550.

On the 650, the shell plate holds the cartridge throughout the loading cycle. I would assume the 550 is the same with one less station.

The fact that the roller bearing allows for a tighter, non-flexing fit of the shell plate means that the seating/OAL and crimp will more consistent, at least from the point of shell plate flex.

The flex can be affected by a case that is hard to resize, thus putting more pressure on that side of the plate, letting the bullet seating side to rise slightly and seating the bullet deeper in the case. Conversely, if the cartridge sizes quite easily, it can allow the bullet seating side to put more pressure on the plate, lowering that side slightly, creating a longer OAL,

While these differences can be only in the hundreds or thousands of an inch, if your are loading for accuracy, it can make a big difference.

If loading for plinking, it wont make much difference.

It can also effect the function of the round in your firearm. For instance, when I load 45 ACP wadcutters, not only can the OAL be an issue, the crimp is even more of an issue.

The OAl can effect feeding and the crimp can can have an impact on the slide going into full battery.

Ask me how I know. :mellow:

Edited by Jimk60
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  • 2 weeks later...

You can buy bearings from mcmaster carr for a few bucks apiece. Thats the best deal around. I ordered a handful and sold them to friends on here.

What is the size or part number?

Did the leg work for you on this one. Everything you need is in this thread. By the way the bearing is in stock at amazon too but the washer is out of stock. You can order from many places and the prices seem to be about the same with shipping being the main difference. Some have found them locally as well I guess. And you really only need one washer and the bearing. Tweo washers will make it too tall for the ejector wire to stay in place.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=86570#entry996740

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As I wrote in another thread, I consider all these totally useless and unnecessary, so I don't use them. I just control the speed with my hand, and I get no spillage on my presses.

You just learn not to jerk the handle, park it in smooth motion, and everything goes as it should.

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