Powder Check Die just saved my butt

[Buckshot Barry]

Well it happened. I still can't believe it. After about 3,000 rounds on my XL650 I had my first hard stoppage. Pulled the handle and it stopped half way down. Raised the handle to find a deformed .45 LC case. Must have been stepped on at the range. Removed the case and pulled the handle again and a buzzer goes OFF.

Of my 3 warning buzzers, only the primer low buzzer has ever went off. I always STOP when I hear a buzzer go off. I test my buzzers before a reloading session and pull the center staff from the check die when there isn't brass under it.

I don't want to hear any buzzers un-necessarily.

Due to the fact that the previous cycle was a half stroke, no powder was dropped in the case under the powder measure.

OMG, I'm not shooting an auto that would have just had a failure to cycle in a match. I'm shooting a Marlin 94 lever action and Ruger Vaqueros with 6 grains of Unique under a 250 gr RNFP. We cowboys watch out for these things but you just never know, I could have cycled right through that bad round and had an obstruction in the barrel.

The next round would have been catastrophic.

Thank God for the Powder Check Die.

[Crusher]

Don't use buzzers other than low primer on a 1050, if the machine jams everything on the shellplate comes off and I start fresh, (don't ask why)

[kz45]

I thought I didn't need the powder check, boy was I wrong! split the barrel on my Wilson Combat CQB from the barrel link to the muzzel, nobody got hurt thank God. Every press needs a powder check.

[L9X25]

Barry,

Did you also notice that one case did not have the projectile seated to the correct length and one was not crimped?

The 1050 has a ratchet mechanism that will not allow you to short stroke the press as you did. If you override the ratchet, you know that you have to do as crusher said and clean the shellplate and examine the status of every case.

[Buckshot Barry]

Barry,

Did you also notice that one case did not have the projectile seated to the correct length and one was not crimped?

The 1050 has a ratchet mechanism that will not allow you to short stroke the press as you did. If you override the ratchet, you know that you have to do as crusher said and clean the shellplate and examine the status of every case.

Yes, I too cleaned the shell plate after the powder check die buzzer went off.

[Crusher]

I thought I didn't need the powder check, boy was I wrong! split the barrel on my Wilson Combat CQB from the barrel link to the muzzel, nobody got hurt thank God. Every press needs a powder check.

No room for a powder check AND a KISS bullet feeder "grip it and rip it" if a 1050 stops just clear the shellplate and start again, in the time it takes to debug the 7 cases on the shellplate I can crank out about 60-75 rounds of finished product. Tossing the 7 is worth it to me.

[benos]

Whether or not you use the Powder Check System, always follow the Golden Rule of Reloading:

Every Time ANYTHING Goes Wrong - STOP - and Triple-check Every Station.

be

[Buckshot Barry]

Just a quick follow-up.

When I reloaded on my XL650 2 weeks ago I had 3 cases out of 200 that just didn't feed in to the sizing die correctly. No error this time by failing to cycle the handle fully. I learned my lesson.

So over the last 2 weeks I'm thinking "what's up?". Light bulb came on and I decided to do a re-alignment of the sizing die as outlined in the owners manual.

Today I loaded 200 rounds error free. Just like the good old days. Guess that bent case that I hit 2 sessions ago knocked the die out of alignment. All is now well.

Edited July 30, 2007 by Buckshot Barry

[maineshootah]

Whether or not you use the Powder Check System, always follow the Golden Rule of Reloading:

Every Time ANYTHING Goes Wrong - STOP - and Triple-check Every Station.

be

+1

Any time I get a buzzer or a "crunched case" or stuck .22 round on my decap pin that was hiding in a 9mm case...grr..

I clean off all the other stations and start fresh.

[bomadera]

Whether or not you use the Powder Check System, always follow the Golden Rule of Reloading:

Every Time ANYTHING Goes Wrong - STOP - and Triple-check Every Station.

be

Absolutely, STOP EVERYTHING, and check every station. One other thing, if you have a powder check or not, you must pay attention to what your doing. I've had a squib (with) a powder check and (without) a powder check. You MUST PAY ATTENTION to what you're doing, and always make full strokes.