RF100, put it in the attic or send it back to Dillon

[m700]

Im not sure if I missed something, the PAL hasnt been available for a while. I missed the boat a couple years ago and started with the FA, with limited success. It is much better than chicken pickin. I bought the DAA Primafill and have much better success. with either of those its about angles. You have to learn the angle to hold it to keep the primers single file.

[weldon20]

Here is his contact info.  Send him an email to see what he says

 

Below is his contact information:

Umberto Pallavicino

umberto@umbertopallavicino.it

[RangerTrace]

Well, I decided to give the RF100 another try last week for a 1000 round loading session.  It gets them up the ramp and into the tube now and I case gauged those rounds today and had 15 upside down primers for 1000 rounds. 

 

Acceptable or not?

[ltdmstr]

6 minutes ago, RangerTrace said:

Well, I decided to give the RF100 another try last week for a 1000 round loading session.  It gets them up the ramp and into the tube now and I case gauged those rounds today and had 15 upside down primers for 1000 rounds. 

 

Acceptable or not?

 

Absolutely not.  I'd say maybe one or two per thousand would be tolerable.  At most.  Been using the PAL for years now and it's maybe one or two per 10k.  But usually zero.  And it fills the tubes way faster than the RF100.

[xrayfk05]

Whether 15 per 1000 is acceptable or not is up to you to decide, for me it would not be.

If the alternative was hand picking them it might be.

As I said before my RF100 hardly ever has an upside down primer, no matter the brand or SP/LP. 1 or 2 in a 1000 if that.

 

The Pal filler being quicker is a bogus argument, the only time I spend with the RF100 is dumping primers and emptying the tube. The time in between doesn't count since I don't have to do anything.

The RF100 is infinitely faster if you only count the time you yourself spend.

[ddc]

30 minutes ago, RangerTrace said:

Well, I decided to give the RF100 another try last week for a 1000 round loading session.  It gets them up the ramp and into the tube now and I case gauged those rounds today and had 15 upside down primers for 1000 rounds. 

 

Acceptable or not?

 

no way in he!! would I be ok with that

 

 

[shred]

Sit down with a couple hundred primers and watch it load them.  Pour them back in and watch some more...  If upside down ones aren't getting dropped from a whole line or primers dial back the vibration or fool with shimming the feet a little.  If they're flipping right when they drop into the tube, redo the tube end setup.  If they all look to load perfectly, they may be catching and flipping when you dump the tube into the press.

 

[RangerTrace]

1 hour ago, shred said:

Sit down with a couple hundred primers and watch it load them.  Pour them back in and watch some more...  If upside down ones aren't getting dropped from a whole line or primers dial back the vibration or fool with shimming the feet a little.  If they're flipping right when they drop into the tube, redo the tube end setup.  If they all look to load perfectly, they may be catching and flipping when you dump the tube into the press.

 

I'm fairly certain they flip as they enter the blue thing on the way down the tube.  I had to up the vibration to get them out of the bowl.  It's a PITA.  

[ultimase]

There is some adjustability in terms of tightness for the blue tube, it's also replaceable if it's too worn. I had a rf100 that would flip around this area. I had it looked at by Dillon and after I've gotten it back it's been pretty much perfect.

[Maximis228]

Using the RF 100 for a recent batch of 16,000 rounds, I had a total of 3 upside down primers. I would send it back to Dillon at this point to have them take a look. You might have some out of spec parts that no amount of tinkering will fix. 

[Tom S.]

My guide to the RF-100:

 

Cleanliness is a must. Compressed air and a microfiber cloth are your friends. Even if it looks clean, clean it before each use or after 1k primers, whichever comes first.

Level - level - level. It may not have to be perfectly level to work but it must be consistent, so make sure it is level to begin with, and check it periodically. If it is on your reloading bench, vibration from your press(s) can make it move and unless your bench is made of granite, the level could change so check it!

Use one brand of primers. Primers vary and if yo switch brands after getting the RF-100 to work with one brand, you are asking for problems. In times of primer scarcity this can be difficult but either consider swapping for your preferred brand or buy 100k of whatever brand you can get and set the RF-100 for those. Just be forewarned, some brands are notorious for causing problems, so avoid them.
One size primer only. Switching from large to small or vice-versa is an invitation for problems. If you can't afford to have one RF-100 for each, try to minimize changes by running as many of one size at a session as possible.

Avoid using while reloading. Unless your RF-100 is set up on a bench/table separate from your reloader, avoid using it while reloading or at the least, cease reloading operations when using. If possible, buy extra primer tubes and load them all before starting the reloading process.

Learn how to adjust. Dillon has excellent instructions and there are several tips and pointers given on this board. Most are not rocket science, just common sense. Only make one change/adjustment at a time.

While this sounds like a lot of screwing around, it really isn't if you pay attention to the issue of consistency. Once you eliminate variables like switching brands, about all you need to do once you get it dialed in is periodic cleaning and checking level. Also be aware that not every upside down primer occurs from the RF-100. Careless loading of the priming station (primer tube not seated tightly against the top of the primer magazine) as well as failing to keep the primer mechanism clean and properly functioning can cause them too.

The PAL system works good but requires more user interface during use. However, even the PAL unit should be cleaned every 1k or so to prevent problems. The RF-100 allows you to dump in the primers, turn it on and go do something else (like get the next primer tube ready).

[shred]

OTOH, I can't remember the last time I cleaned or leveled my RF100 and it just works and sits right next to the 1050.  Throw in primers, go load 50 rounds while it loads the next tube, repeat.   The only tuning I do is change the vibration speed (with an external rheostat since my RF is antique) and occasionally tweak the plastic arm if it needs it. 

 

I think the vibration speed is by far the biggest factor.  I run it so it barely gets them all in before it times out,  Most of my upside-down primers come when there's a whole line of them and an upside-down one in the middle gets shoved past the drop cutout.  Fiddling with the opening the plastic arm provides can help with this too.

 

Agree with not changing sizes and minimizing primer brand changes as those do need tuning.

 

[RangerTrace]

My wife is out of town this weekend due to a sick family member, so I've putzed around and loaded 1500 rounds of match ammo.  1400 of those I loaded with pick-up tubes.  On the last 100 I decided to tweak the RF100 a little by tightening the screw underneath that holds the blue dropper thing.  Fired it up and they all appeared to go in the correct way, so I kept the next 100 rounds separate from the others already loaded.

 

This may the first ever 100 I've ever loaded using the RF100 that didn't have a least one upside down primer.  

[blue_dot_glock]

of course my rf100 had already shipped when i read this thread over the weekend, just got it today. 

 

my question: has anyone either bolted it directly to their bench or, even better, mounted it to a inline fab QC plate? i understand the rubber feet keep it from walking around your bench, but does a solid mount work better? i'd like to hear from those who have tried (i'm not going to bolt it to my bench, but will use an inline fab plate instead). 

 

thanks!

[RangerTrace]

6 minutes ago, blue_dot_glock said:

of course my rf100 had already shipped when i read this thread over the weekend, just got it today. 

 

my question: has anyone either bolted it directly to their bench or, even better, mounted it to a inline fab QC plate? i understand the rubber feet keep it from walking around your bench, but does a solid mount work better? i'd like to hear from those who have tried (i'm not going to bolt it to my bench, but will use an inline fab plate instead). 

 

thanks!

I think the vibration is needed,  Mine is also sitting on a cleaning mat.   The movement is what gets the primers to move around the bowl.  I loaded another 500 flawless rounds yesterday.  I'm back in love enough to stick with CCI only.

 

[RangerTrace]

I've loaded a total off 3k since I adjusted the screw and haven't had a single upside down primer since.  Between the Rf100 working and using preprocessed brass, this reloading thing has gotten pretty easy and enjoyable.  Oh, and I found a source where I can get 125 grain Hornady HAPs for 11 cent a piece.  

[blue_dot_glock]

On 2/13/2024 at 9:48 PM, blue_dot_glock said:

my question: has anyone either bolted it directly to their bench or, even better, mounted it to a inline fab QC plate? i understand the rubber feet keep it from walking around your bench, but does a solid mount work better? i'd like to hear from those who have tried (i'm not going to bolt it to my bench, but will use an inline fab plate instead). 

got a response from dillion: "Bolting it down changes the vibration harmonics.  Best to use it on its rubber feet."