1100 priming issues

[m700]

Loading my first 5k of 223 on the press. Maintenance cleaned mid way

-1st issue is 2-3 per 100 end up with damaged primers( 1 side sticking out/crushed) im assuming that was bad swaging on my prep head

-2nd issue is primer pickup. I ran 4300 with no issues then the last 700 I would get 50 then random primers will not drop in the indexer and I will start feeling powder hitting my left hand. I will stop clear the press and a light finger on the primer follower will drop the primer into the indexer and im up and running for a while. I replaced the magazine blue plastic piece 2x.  Is priming system just dirty?

 

[Maximis228]

Sounds like the primer pockets might not be properly swaged if you are crushing primers randomly. As you crush primers, yellow cake begins to cover the primer system and causing more issues like not fully indexing. 

 

Also you may have bent the primer actuating arm near the end of you loading sessions, causing the primer slide to not slide back and forth fully. This can be caused from a dirty primer system. Essentially your crushed primer issue slowly created another problem with indexing of the primer slide itself.

 

Take apart your primer system and clean it, if the primer actuating lever is bent, replace it or hammer back straight. 

Edited November 6, 2023 by Maximis228

[HesedTech]

1. 223/5.56 can have very tight primer pockets plus the crimp ring can catch on the primer even after swaging. This can cause the primer to no align well with the pocket. Swaging has to round out the pocket edges. 
 

2. Do you have a 45 brass on top of your follower rod?  The blue tip only needs to be replaced when it becomes deformed and starts allowing more than one primer to drop out at once.  Clean you primer magazine tube. 
 

Finally the primer shuttle is really rough from the factory. Polish the top with 600 grip wet and dry or finer.  This allows the shuttle to slide across the next primer and not cause it to tip. This may help with your crushed primers from not being flat in the shuttle. 

[ddc]

Another possibility is that the primer slide actuating lever mount has slid up the tube.

That happened to me with a fairly new 1100. 

In that case it slid so far that it was obviously a problem but I suppose it could slid just that little bit such that it was mostly ok, but sometimes not, as far as primer slide travel was concerned.

 

Also the manual details a process to ensure that your primer slide is properly located when it is retracted to receive the new primer. It is a bit tedious and involves getting high enough to look down through the primer tube while shining a light down at the slide level. If you get the light positioned correctly you can see that the primer slide is where it needs to be to receive the primer.

 

[dillon]

Tear it down and clean the primer feed, and be sure to push a small (3/8" x 3/8") cloth patch, wet with alcohol, through the magazine tube a few times to clean the interior. Then hold the tube upright on your bench, with the plastic tip resting on the benchtop. Drop one primer shiny side down into the top of the magazine. Listen for it to slide down. Gently pick the tube up. The primer should be resting on your benchtop. If it is stuck in the plastic tip, then replace the tip. 

[jejb]

This helps a bit also, especially for when the primer tube is nearing empty:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144445252662

[m700]

On 11/6/2023 at 10:17 AM, HesedTech said:

1. 223/5.56 can have very tight primer pockets plus the crimp ring can catch on the primer even after swaging. This can cause the primer to no align well with the pocket. Swaging has to round out the pocket edges. 
 

2. Do you have a 45 brass on top of your follower rod?  The blue tip only needs to be replaced when it becomes deformed and starts allowing more than one primer to drop out at once.  Clean you primer magazine tube. 
 

Finally the primer shuttle is really rough from the factory. Polish the top with 600 grip wet and dry or finer.  This allows the shuttle to slide across the next primer and not cause it to tip. This may help with your crushed primers from not being flat in the shuttle. 

I do have the 45 on there I was thinking of adding a piece of lead to it.

 

I will polish it up, good idea.

[m700]

23 hours ago, ddc said:

Another possibility is that the primer slide actuating lever mount has slid up the tube.

That happened to me with a fairly new 1100. 

In that case it slid so far that it was obviously a problem but I suppose it could slid just that little bit such that it was mostly ok, but sometimes not, as far as primer slide travel was concerned.

 

Also the manual details a process to ensure that your primer slide is properly located when it is retracted to receive the new primer. It is a bit tedious and involves getting high enough to look down through the primer tube while shining a light down at the slide level. If you get the light positioned correctly you can see that the primer slide is where it needs to be to receive the primer.

 

This actually happened to me a dozen times or so in the 10k iv run. For 223 the top of the block you tighten on the mag tube is dead accidently dead level with Armanov quick powder disconnect so it is easy to tell when it happens.

[m700]

On 11/6/2023 at 10:02 AM, Maximis228 said:

Sounds like the primer pockets might not be properly swaged if you are crushing primers randomly. As you crush primers, yellow cake begins to cover the primer system and causing more issues like not fully indexing. 

 

Also you may have bent the primer actuating arm near the end of you loading sessions, causing the primer slide to not slide back and forth fully. This can be caused from a dirty primer system. Essentially your crushed primer issue slowly created another problem with indexing of the primer slide itself.

 

Take apart your primer system and clean it, if the primer actuating lever is bent, replace it or hammer back straight. 

This 5k ran through my 650 for prep prior to getting the 1100. I had the no-no swager on the press. It is definitely less effective than the dillon swager.

 

I completed the run of 5k this morning. there were about 30 crushed/high primers, and there were about 20 unprimed cases not including the 30 or so I caught before a bullet was seated. Not too bad but every hangup takes time. The priming issues did all occur in the last 600 or so. I ordered a second swager hold down so that I can run one on both prep and loading heads.

[jejb]

5 hours ago, m700 said:

I ordered a second swager hold down so that I can run one on both prep and loading heads.

Why not just do it once, on the 1100?

 

I've loaded a few thousand .223's with my 1100 and have not had any primer issues to speak of, FWIW.

[m700]

16 hours ago, jejb said:

Why not just do it once, on the 1100?

 

I've loaded a few thousand .223's with my 1100 and have not had any primer issues to speak of, FWIW.

Inn the future I will. I no longer own the 650 but have a couple thousand more cases that were prepped on the 650. I bought a mighty armory backer I will use on my prep head and leave the dillon on my loading head for anything that was missed somehow. This will allow me to leave the swager in place on the loading head

[ddc]

Do  you sort for headstamps?

[m700]

I do not. Lifes too short to sort for plinking. I sort for grendel and 308 as im doing that in far fewer numbers

On 11/8/2023 at 11:54 AM, ddc said:

Do  you sort for headstamps?

 

[ddc]

50 minutes ago, m700 said:

I do not. Lifes too short to sort for plinking. I sort for grendel and 308 as im doing that in far fewer numbers

 

 

I get it. Many feel the same.

 

However for debugging purposes it can sometimes help to sort out a hundred or thereabouts of the most often seen headstamps and process them each separately. See if a particular stamp has more problems than others. 

 

Given that there are pocket insertion issues that might be helpful.

[m700]

19 hours ago, ddc said:

 

I get it. Many feel the same.

 

However for debugging purposes it can sometimes help to sort out a hundred or thereabouts of the most often seen headstamps and process them each separately. See if a particular stamp has more problems than others. 

 

Given that there are pocket insertion issues that might be helpful.

I broke them all down but I still have all the bad ones. I can check them to come up with a pattern. I may or may not do anything about it in the future now that , going forward, prep and load will all be done on the 1100 I should have better swaging.

[m700]

On 11/6/2023 at 9:43 AM, m700 said:

Loading my first 5k of 223 on the press. Maintenance cleaned mid way

-1st issue is 2-3 per 100 end up with damaged primers( 1 side sticking out/crushed) im assuming that was bad swaging on my prep head

-2nd issue is primer pickup. I ran 4300 with no issues then the last 700 I would get 50 then random primers will not drop in the indexer and I will start feeling powder hitting my left hand. I will stop clear the press and a light finger on the primer follower will drop the primer into the indexer and im up and running for a while. I replaced the magazine blue plastic piece 2x.  Is priming system just dirty?

 

 

After full tear down and service I switched to 9 got 60 rounds out before a primer hung up. I think you may be right in this being slightly bent. I ordered FW Arms Primetime to replace it.