Dillon sizing die and small flash holes

[GregJ]

While setting up my new 1050 and getting the bugs worked out, I have had several instances where the priming system got mucked up. At first I thought it was primers being pulled back into the case, or something I was doing. Tonight I think I found the cause.  I came across two pieces of brass, left two on both pics, that the primer flash hole was too small for the Dillon primer punch. The primers are deformed because by the time I figured out what was going on, the new primer got jammed up. Lucky there was no detonation. Anyway, I compared the punch pin with the Dillon die and a Hornady die, and there is a significant difference in the diameter of the two, the Hornady pin is much thinner.  The Hornady sizing die punched the primers out with no problem. The case on the right in both pics has a "standard" flash hole, and the Dillon punch pin fits in, but with the primers out it wont even come close to fitting in the other two. I know they look the same in the pics, they are not.

Since this press is also setup for an AmmoBot, I am leaning towards keeping the Hornady sizing die, just for this issue.  Or probably go with an EGW-U die. 

[Sarge]

I load those off brands just fine with LEE/EGW dies. I only use Dillon die for depriming now and I have had no issues with those brands there either. Could just be some out of spec brass or you have a fat pin in the die.

[GregJ]

6 minutes ago, Sarge said:

I load those off brands just fine with LEE/EGW dies. I only use Dillon die for depriming now and I have had no issues with those brands there either. Could just be some out of spec brass or you have a fat pin in the die.

I have an EGW-U die on the way.  I had good luck with it for my SS Major loads loading all brass. Could be out of spec brass or a fat pin, but when the AmmoBot is in gear, either one will cause a mess if not accounted for.  Hopefully the EGW will take care of it.  

[Sarge]

3 minutes ago, GregJ said:

I have an EGW-U die on the way.  I had good luck with it for my SS Major loads loading all brass. Could be out of spec brass or a fat pin, but when the AmmoBot is in gear, either one will cause a mess if not accounted for.  Hopefully the EGW will take care of it.  

Ammobot have a clutch? won't it stop if it meets x amount of resistance? 

[GregJ]

No, but it does stop on a jam.  What happens is the primer doesnt get punched out, so it gets smashed further into the cup by the swagger. Then the new primer gets cut in half, or squeezed enough that the primer slider doesnt fully retract, which will then cause a jam because the alignment pin hits the slider. Then it is a real PITA to clean up. 

Edited January 11, 2017 by GregJ
more info

[DWFAN]

Get one of the Fast and Friendly brass decapping pins(or 2), they work with the Lee Universal decapper and any other Lee sizing die. My decapping issues have stayed close to Zero since going to that pin.

Now that I have the ammobot pulling the lever, I also pre-process brass. Any brass issues show up on the first pass. Then I can load unlubed brass and have virtually zero stoppages when loading processed brass. I run the Lee Universal Decapper, primer pocket probe (check for missed deprimes and ringers), Dillon size die, and Lee undersize die on the processing head. Then use the swager on the loading pass.

It takes more time, but I only do one or two processing runs a year, and that keeps me in good brass most of the time.

Edited January 11, 2017 by DWFAN

[GregJ]

12 minutes ago, DWFAN said:

Now that I have the ammobot pulling the lever, I also pre-process brass. Any brass issues show up on the first pass. Then I can load unlubed brass and have virtually zero stoppages when loading processed brass. I run the Lee Universal Decapper, primer pocket probe (check for missed deprimes and ringers), Dillon size die, and Lee undersize die on the processing head. Then use the swager on the loading pass.

That sounds like a great idea. Do you use a second tool head for processing the brass? Or do you just pull the dies?   This is probably something I will setup for next winter.  

[DWFAN]

I'm cheap, so same toolhead for now. I pull the measure off the die, and swap decapping/sizing/seat/crimp as needed.

[GregJ]

12 minutes ago, DWFAN said:

I'm cheap, so same toolhead for now. I pull the measure off the die, and swap decapping/sizing/seat/crimp as needed.

So with the primer probe installed, how do you swage?  Or do you separate all crimped brass?

[DWFAN]

Swage on the loading pass (but anymore I rarely load anything that isnt my brass from my gun, so swaging isnt needed beyond the first loading).

[RDA]

On 1/10/2017 at 9:03 PM, GregJ said:

The primers are deformed because by the time I figured out what was going on, the new primer got jammed up. Lucky there was no detonation.

These are used primers correct? 

[GregJ]

2 hours ago, RDA said:

These are used primers correct? 

Yes. The old primer never got punched out so it got smushed further in by the swagger. 

[tmz]

  I also process my brass on my XL650 before going into a loading session on my 1050  my friends called this "anal process"  I go a little extreme with two sizing,  decapping dies  the  first Dillon and then Hornady.  I removed all the priming guts out of the 650 and rotated the spent primer shoot  so if one makes it past the first which it does happen it gets picked up by the second and shoots it out so I can see, it's usually a case that's been  crimped.  The system works well especially with my budget auto drive "my 16-year-old son  and the cost for me to put gas into his truck once a week"  it gets the job done.