Mr. Bullet Feeder

[jejb]

I am new to an MBF. It is new, 9mm, mounted on my Dillon 1100. Feed spring is relaxed, and feeding is not the issue. The bullets feed into the dropper tube well. And no, this is not the dropping more than one bullet at a time thing. My problem is that the bullets will get hung up in the die, below the sight glass area. I watch that area now and see one drop at a time, until they stop dropping. There are still a few bullets below the clear area, so it will continue to drop 2-3 more bullets before it runs out. When I see it happen, I just have to tap on the side of the die/dropper tube and the stack drops. The dropper that sits over the cartridge while the bullet is being placed does extend all the way back down after it lifts off the case.

 

I did some searching, and could not find anything similar. Any ideas why this is happening? Or anyone else have this issue?

[m700]

DAA has a spring setup to help pull the dropper assembly back down. Before I put it on I would get 0-a full tube of bullets. depending on what it felt like doing.

 

Before I got this spring thing I just put a sharpie mark on the case feeder where the bulletfeeder hung and once it moved itself 1/2" back I would stop and move it back forwards.

 

It may not seam like there is any side tension but it takes barely any to stop the assembly from dropping back down. I just finished loading 10k 9mm with not 1 double or no feed.

 

https://www.doublealpha.biz/us/dropper-tensioning-spring-assembly

Ive also heard of adding adhesive wheel weights to help this thing drop back down

[Boomstick303]

I found there was a balance of where the MBF is mounted on the case feeder, spring length, and angle of the spring from the MBF to the dropper assembly .  If there is weight from the feed spring on the bullet feeder die the top of the die is deflected it causes the feeder die to act up.  Even if the spring is relaxed the weight of the spring can cause this deflection.  I found you want the spring to be a direct path as possible without the spring being pulled (i.e. relaxed but no droop).  I think what is happening is the top of the dropper assembly binds up on the bottom of the dropper assembly die.  With the system at rest pull the top of the dropper assembly away 180 from where the spring runs up to the MBF.  If you can pull the top of the dropper assembly away from the direction of the spring, then let the top of the die relax with you hand on the die.  You should be able to tell if the top of the dropper assembly makes contact with the side of the upper part of the dropper  assembly die, then you have deflection.   You want the top of the dropper assembly to sort of float on the top of the dropper assembly die or at a minimum the least amount of deflection as possible.  It does take some time to get the assembly adjusted properly, but it can be done without using the spring assembly.

 

I do not need to use the spring tension assembly, but its not a bad idea for a bullet proof system (pun intended).

 

It was frustrating for me when I first set up my unit.  I just ordered and installed the Mr. Bullet Feeder PRO dropper assembly and I have to start over.  The Pro is taller so the setup is different.  Not sure if the Pro was worth the upgrade yet, as I had the original Dropper assembly operating flawlessly.  I have an occasional hiccup with the Pro but I believe I am close to 100% efficiency.

 

Hope this helps. 

[NETim]

To reduce side loading on the drop tube, I ty-wrapped the feeder spring tube to the top of the powder measure and then pushed a few coils down past the ty-wrap to maybe put a bit more downward pressure on the drop tube.   The spring can't exert much side pressure on the drop tube now. 

 

I also wrapped some heavy solder wire around the drop tube itself to give it a bit more downforce.   

 

It sounds to me like maybe there might be a burr or some some kind of "gunk" inside the drop tube that is hanging up the bullets as they pass through.  Maybe consider pulling it apart and give it a look?   But beware!  Once you pull the spring clip out of the drop tube and separate the tube from the main die body, those little ball bearings are going to come out  and they like to get lost.  

 

So pull the die apart over a bowl or something to capture the ball bearings.  

 

Edited to add:  Also ensure the spring clip isn't being interfered with by the powder measure.   I've noticed the spring clip can, and will, be held up slightly by the powder measure body.   

Edited August 19, 2021 by NETim

[AHI]

is the wire strap red, yellow or blue?

[highxj]

I had the exact same problem. The heel of the bullet is hanging up on the entrance funnel at the top of the drop tube. It's difficult to diagnose because you can't see what the problem is. Take your die apart and look at the beveled entrance at the top of the drop tube. The machining on mine was rough and the heel of the bullet would catch on it. Polish that funnel area up and it will fix your problem.

[jejb]

9 minutes ago, highxj said:

I had the exact same problem. The heel of the bullet is hanging up on the entrance funnel at the top of the drop tube. It's difficult to diagnose because you can't see what the problem is. Take your die apart and look at the beveled entrance at the top of the drop tube. The machining on mine was rough and the heel of the bullet would catch on it. Polish that funnel area up and it will fix your problem.

I think this is where my problem is. Double Alpha says they see this issue with 115 and 124 gr 9mm, and I'm loading both of those. They get cocked and hang up at the mouth of the funnel. They sent me a video of how to chamfer it.

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by jejb

[highxj]

Exactly. When I took mine apart, I could run the heel of a bullet (124 Xtreme) along the bevel and it would clearly catch on the machined surface. I chucked the drop tube up in my lathe and polished the beveled area, and I haven't had a stoppage since.

[jejb]

I've been working the funnel. Had it out several times yesterday working on the chamfer. Still getting the occasional jam there though. Polished with fine sandpaper. Bevel is now changed significantly. In the video they sent (too big to link here), they get very aggressive with the chamfer bits, but I decided to do it a little at a time. 

 

I need to call DA today about this. The more I think about it, the more it ticks me off. They have me buying tools and modifying a part on a brand new (and over priced, IMO) product in order to be able to get it working correctly. They should really have the bevel changed on these from the factory, or include 2 droppers. 

[jejb]

Just to wrap this up, I finally got enough chamfer and polish on the funnel to get it working consistently with 115gr 9mm bullets. 

 

I did call DA and expressed my feeling that I should not have to modify this part on a brand new MBF. They were nice about it and are sending me an unmolested dropper assembly in case I need it for heavier/longer bullets. I still think they should include 2 though. 115 and 124 grain 9mm has to be some the most popular stuff to reload. I know those were the hardest to source during the recent shortages.