Farmer Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 I’ll let you know how things go with the tumbler & pins. I tried a primer pocket brush in a variable speed dremel and it works ok but it’s just another step. I did slip a couple small o-rings onto the brush to keep it from flaring out too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OleGreyGhost Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 My understanding of the swage process is the tool is to have a gentle taper. As it enters the pocket it will encounter the crimp & expand it outwards. This opens the pocket to accept the primer. In our case it seems to be catching the crimp & pushing the excess material into the pocket forming the ring. Am wondering if there might be some microscopic tool marks causing the problem? At my age, I'm lucky I can see my hand in front of my face.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjmill87 Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 Does anyone else have feedback on sizing handgun brass, specifically 9mm on the APP? Just looking to see if there is any issue based on the amount of flex with the press that I have seen in YouTube videos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OleGreyGhost Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 According to Lee the press was not designed to handle that much stress. Some of the posts I read relate that the x-press shell holder is the weak point, being thinner as compared to a regular shell holder. Haven't come across any posts to date, relating to a successful sizing session.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobW Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 8 hours ago, OleGreyGhost said: According to Lee the press was not designed to handle that much stress. Some of the posts I read relate that the x-press shell holder is the weak point, being thinner as compared to a regular shell holder. Haven't come across any posts to date, relating to a successful sizing session.... There is a video showing Lee sizing .308 and a note that it requires proper case lubrication. I haven't found any note from Lee that it can't be used for sizing, where did you see that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OleGreyGhost Posted August 27, 2020 Share Posted August 27, 2020 I stand corrected. In reading Lee's advertising: Quote This die mounting flexibility allows previously unheard-of automation on a single station press. Now you can deprime, primer pocket swage, bulge bust or size cast bullets as fast as you can operate the lever. This is is what I took the press to be designed for. In reviewing that same advertising, following your post, I found a part of the description that I missed: Quote A little over three inches of stroke allows sizing of the larger belted magnum cartridges. I tried to find the post I read where the user complained about having a problem with the express shell holder and switched to a regular shell holder slowing the whole process down. Was unable to locate same. Thanks for pointing this out, now I might be able to use this for other projects if i can get past my swaging problem.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobW Posted August 27, 2020 Share Posted August 27, 2020 6 hours ago, OleGreyGhost said: I stand corrected. In reading Lee's advertising: This is is what I took the press to be designed for. In reviewing that same advertising, following your post, I found a part of the description that I missed: I tried to find the post I read where the user complained about having a problem with the express shell holder and switched to a regular shell holder slowing the whole process down. Was unable to locate same. Thanks for pointing this out, now I might be able to use this for other projects if i can get past my swaging problem.... FWIW, I resized/deprimed 500 9mm last night (in less than an hour) without any issues. Not exactly a belted magnum LOL but works for me. I'm using the Lee bench plate, pretty robust mounting system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OleGreyGhost Posted August 28, 2020 Share Posted August 28, 2020 12 hours ago, RobW said: FWIW, I resized/deprimed 500 9mm last night (in less than an hour) without any issues. Glad to hear it. Considering I changed the setup to 223 on the progressive press, that leaves the bullet feeder kit free for experimentation. The biggest obstacle is that Y handle. With some modding, hopefully, I will be able to utilize the bullet feeder kit on the APP press. It shouldn't be too difficult. I have some preliminary ideas. Still working on clearing up the problem with the swager, though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmer Posted August 28, 2020 Share Posted August 28, 2020 It isn’t the downstroke during sizing that’s the problem. It’s when you pull it back up that can cause grief. On rifle rounds if you’re using a standard expander ball type die it can pull hard enough to rip the case out of the pass through shell holder. If you use the Lee collet sizer die that shouldn’t be a problem. I have sized around 3k 10mm, around 5k 9mm plus some 38 special and 357 with only one screw up. On a crimped 38 special the decapper pin punched through the primer, got hung up and then pulled the case out of the shell holder. Those shell holders don’t fit that tight anyway and with it only gripping two sides there’s not much there. That’s also why I lube my cases even though I’m using a carbide die. Old Grey Ghost, that swager plug does have some fine machine ribs on it and I never gave that a thought of being the shaving problem. Might have to polish it up and see if that helps. I still haven’t run those through the tumbler w/pins to see if they clean out. Been too busy right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OleGreyGhost Posted August 29, 2020 Share Posted August 29, 2020 7 hours ago, Farmer said: that swager plug does have some fine machine ribs on it Thanks for the update on that. As far as the sizing the poster didn't give much detail about how his problem occurred. I tried some experimentation with the bullet feeder. It does fit, but the breech lock take away quite a bit of room for the taller bullets. Then there is that Y handle. It operates right over the feeder kit, negating any use of a column of bullets. Without the column of bullets, the fingers have problems collecting & feeding the bullets. You would have to redesign the handle to get it to function without any interference.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobW Posted August 29, 2020 Share Posted August 29, 2020 8 hours ago, Farmer said: It isn’t the downstroke during sizing that’s the problem. It’s when you pull it back up that can cause grief. On rifle rounds if you’re using a standard expander ball type die it can pull hard enough to rip the case out of the pass through shell holder. If you use the Lee collet sizer die that shouldn’t be a problem. I had one of these happen last night. Major PITA. I think I may have had some brass in my bin that didn't get One-Shot. Won't do that again ;-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OleGreyGhost Posted August 29, 2020 Share Posted August 29, 2020 On 8/28/2020 at 1:10 PM, Farmer said: On a crimped 38 special the decapper pin punched through the primer, got hung up and then pulled the case out of the shell holder. From your statement, I'm assuming that the shell holder didn't sustain any damage. Is that correct? 21 hours ago, RobW said: I had one of these happen last night. Was anything damaged?? Did the case get stuck in the die?? Knowledge is in the details..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobW Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 1 hour ago, OleGreyGhost said: From your statement, I'm assuming that the shell holder didn't sustain any damage. Is that correct? Was anything damaged?? Did the case get stuck in the die?? Knowledge is in the details..... No damage to the shell holder, the case did get stuck in the die. Was easy enough to tap out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OleGreyGhost Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 Glad to hear it didn't cause any serious problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmer Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 (edited) Same here, no damage to equipment just peeled a bit of brass off the rim. Good thing it was a Lee die as I just loosened the primer punch and tapped it out. Like I was saying the Lee shell holders are a loose fit and the X ones have even less to hold on to. If you lube your cases there doesn’t seem to be any problem. I’ve never used the Lee rifle collet size die but it may be the way to go on this machine. No size button to pull through the neck and risk pulling the rim off. Overall I like it for what it does for $80. Saves me time which I have very little of and does a pretty good job. Edited August 30, 2020 by Farmer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OleGreyGhost Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 That is good to hear. Brass is easy to replace. Finally found a video where the used the press to size .308 cal. In it he related that Lee recommended using the standard shell holders when sizing rifle cases along with case lube. I agree. It is a great little machine for quickly depriming brass. It eliminates much of the headaches with the crud fouling the priming system on my progressive press. Saves quite a bit of time that was dedicated to maintenance/cleaning. If I can figure out the cause of the swaging problem, this would be better than a trifecta..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OleGreyGhost Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 @Farmer, Problem solved Called Lee & explained the problem with the ring of brass. After some coaxing, he agreed to send both swager rods under warranty. Ran a dozen .556 cases thru without any problems. The Ballistic Tool gauge slides all the way in with a tight fit. Was also able to dial back the amount of pressure required to open the pocket. Will test the large swager punch tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmer Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 (edited) Hey that’s good to know! Did you have to send back your old ones, and do the new ones look any different? I noticed that it doesn’t do it on the CBC brass tri-punch crimp, just the full ring crimp. I also sent them a suggestion to put a little recess in the bottom of the push rod to keep from mashing the flash hole shut on some brass. I did my own but we’ll see how they handle that. If you look at your RCBS set they had done it on those. Thanks for the update! Edited September 3, 2020 by Farmer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmer Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 Also I noticed my name on your post and I got a notification that you replied. How do I do that or is it automatic? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OleGreyGhost Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 11 hours ago, Farmer said: Also I noticed my name on your post and I got a notification that you replied. How do I do that or is it automatic? When you quote someone, like above, it notifies them they were quoted. If you notice in my problem solved post, I placed an @ sign before your name. This will also send you a directed notification. Also if you run the mouse over your name, it becomes a clickable link. No, I did not have to send back the old ones. They replaced both primer punch assemblies. They did not look any different than the original ones. Did not take any measurements. The punch area did feel smoother, though. Setup the press for the .308 brass that I previously swaged. The new punch cleared up the ring of brass. You could see the remnants of brass fall out when I checked it with the Ballistic Tool gauge. The gauge now fully inserts into the primer pocket. Tested both types of crimps & it was like a hot knife thru butter. ( tri punch crimp is referred to as a staked crimp ). Tomorrow will be busy, I have another 2k cases of .223 that has to be swaged. Hope you get your issue sorted out, as easily as I did.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmer Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 @OleGreyGhost Thanks for the help! Good to hear that the punches work better and I may try polishing mine up or give them a call. When I first looked at them they had fine rings around the circumference of the punch nose like machine marks. Sort of act’s like a rasp but a bit too perfect and cuts a nice ring of brass. Heck, 2k of 223 you’ll zip through that in no time. The staked crimp, Knew that but couldn’t remember it to save my life. I’m busy seeding so it’ll be a while before I get to mess with mine again. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmer Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 10 hours ago, OleGreyGhost said: When you quote someone, like above, it notifies them they were quoted. If you notice in my problem solved post, I placed an @ sign before your name. This will also send you a directed notification. Also if you run the mouse over your name, it becomes a clickable link. No, I did not have to send back the old ones. They replaced both primer punch assemblies. They did not look any different than the original ones. Did not take any measurements. The punch area did feel smoother, though. Setup the press for the .308 brass that I previously swaged. The new punch cleared up the ring of brass. You could see the remnants of brass fall out when I checked it with the Ballistic Tool gauge. The gauge now fully inserts into the primer pocket. Tested both types of crimps & it was like a hot knife thru butter. ( tri punch crimp is referred to as a staked crimp ). Tomorrow will be busy, I have another 2k cases of .223 that has to be swaged. Hope you get your issue sorted out, as easily as I did.... Oops forgot to use the quote feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OleGreyGhost Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Just an update, it only took 4 hrs. & 15 mins. to complete at a leisurely pace... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will77 Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 On 9/5/2020 at 11:08 PM, OleGreyGhost said: Just an update, it only took 4 hrs. & 15 mins. to complete at a leisurely pace... That's not bad cant remember how long it took me to do 600 on a dillion swage must have mentally blocked it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ML123 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Anyone see this yet https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dillon-XL650-XL750-case-feeder-Lee-App-brass-case-processing-adapters-9mm-45acp-/174268533439 I am guessing it can be made to work with .223 pretty easily too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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