1050 Primer Problem

[chuckbradley]

I have been having fits with my 1050's primer system. they sent me a new primer set a few years ago but the old one worked better so i put it back on. The other day a buddy was loading some rounds on the press. New shooter i am helping get started. I go to the post office for a few minutes and when i return he is leaning on shelf, beer in hand , with a stunned look on his face. I asked what was burning. he said oh the tube of primers. It had disentegrated the primer tube rod, bulged the primer tube itself and lodged the end of the rod in the ceiling. We counted about 15 that exploded.

Apparently the slide wasnt coming all the way in to line up with the guide rod and jamming up. In the attempt to clear a primer turned or came out where it shouldnt be and boom. i ordered some new parts, took it all apart and cleaned it and got it running again. This time he loaded about 70 rounds and it jammed again. He went home to set up his square deal for 40. Is there some trick I am missing on this machine. It seems this is the real weak point of the 1050. The slide isnt being pushed far enough into the shell plate to line up with the guide hole. i am going to try putting the new primer slide arm back on and see if it does any better.

Any suggestions?

[EricW]

My primer tube didn't explode, but I had the same problems.

- Make sure you have the piece of 1/8" vacuum hose on the post on the primer slide. I had to trim the one from Dillon so that it didn't rub.

- Make sure the rear stop for the primer slide is turned so that the flat is 180 degrees away from the slide, so that the slide hits it when it's fully retracted. That is the reference point for the rearward travel.

- Finally, you need to align the primer drop tube with the hole in the primer slide. Loosen the two allen screw slightly that hold the primer tube assembly to the press. Fill the primer tube. Then slide the primer tube back and forth until you feel the primer "lock in" to the hole in the primer slide. Tighten down the bolts.

Also, make sure that you have no powder or other gunk in the primer slide mechanism. It doesn't take much to bind up the slide.

I really wish there was a way to make the primer slide part of the press operation a 100% positive actuation system. The spring-loaded cam actuator works great....until it stops working.

[Merlin Orr]

The flat sheet metal "arm" that slides/actuates the primer bar can get bent slightly and cause the problem you are experiencing. What happens is the bar hangs then when more force is exerted on the handle the flat metal "lever" bends slightly and then the primer bar does not complete its full stroke. After the flat metal lever bar bends it is easier to bend the next time the bar hangs. I took the flat piece off, straightened it, and heated it till cherry and quenched it to give it some temper. Has not bent since....

[Huston in Austin]

I just blew-up a tube full of primers last weekend, but it was caused by the old primer just punching out the end of the cup and the anvil. It left the side walls in the primer pocket. I had just filled the primer tube and all of them went off. Thank God for the steel outer tube. The primer tube was bulged/split in three places and had to be hammered out of the steel tube. Eye protection, as always, was in place, but no hearing protection. I'm thinking of adding that to the loading routine now. May-be an electronic set that music can be plugged into.

[Action Pistolero]

+1 on the vacuum hose. I bought the next size smaller at the auto parts store.

I had a problem with the primers smashing but it never blew up. I also tear down the machine and give it a good cleaning. A green powder from the primer builds up around and under the primer bar. Since I have been doing this I no longer have any problems with the primer mechanism.

The same goes for the RF100. If it looks like there is a green tint to the plate then it gets a thorough cleaning.

Edited December 11, 2006 by Action Pistolero

[pmd]

I too had some primer issues with my RL1050 - sent it back to Dillon - now it looks new and works great

[DougCarden]

+1 on the undersize vacuum line on the primer slide as well. I have found that if I put a small drop of superglue on the post when I put the vacuum line on, then trim it with a razor blade while pushing it with finger pressure back and forth in the channel until it doesnt rub at all(the rubber part). This along with adjusting the primer slide arm depth makes all the difference in setting up the primer slide system.

The superglue keeps the vacuum line from coming off and rubbing on the sides of the channel, which is what happens when it wears out. I visually inspect it from time to time, when it looks like it needs to get replaced it does, by cutting it off the post. I really think that this one area causes most people the most problems, and adjusting the depth of the primer slide arm depth for smooth operation. I pull the handle down, and then set the depth of the arm, bottoming it out, then pulling it up a smidge(technical term) , and trying the full stroke several times. Once you mess with it and find out what works smoothly, you have it.

[shred]

Now y'all made me go look at the rubber tubing.. my 1050 has gone 100K rounds without touching the priming system, so I'm in the 'iffen-it-ain't-broke' camp on this one.