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Posted: 5/14/2010 7:04:31 AM EDT
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I am brand new to reloading. I bought a Hornady Lock and load press and am using Hornady dies. Yesterday I failed trying to set up the first station to de-prime the old .223 cases that I had already tumble cleaned. I watched the video that came with the press, and read the instructions.
I adjusted the die to the point that it would almost completely de-prime the case, but the primer would get stuck under the shell plate and completely jamed up the press. I was using plenty of case lube. All hell broke loose when I screwed in the die another half turn in order to attempt to get the primer completely popped out. Not only did the primer not pop out, the case got stuck! (which I then ruined with a hammer trying to beat the case out, I'm a little embarrassed about this.) I'm feeling pretty defeated right now, how can I expect to be a re loader if I can't even de-prime a freakn' cartridge? 
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You may have adjusted the die body down when all you really needed to adjust was the decapping stem.
The small nut on top of the die. Loosen that and slide down decapping stem. Retighten nut. Call Hornady, they will probably send you another sizing die. 1-800-338-3220. |
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You may have adjusted the die body down when all you really needed to adjust was the decapping stem. The small nut on top of the die. Loosen that and slide down decapping stem. Retighten nut. Call Hornady, they will probably send you another sizing die. 1-800-338-3220. this take your time and do one step at a time. don't look at the whole process look for the simplest way to complete the task reloading is a bunch of simple steps that create a "complex" product (how complex depends on what your looking for) and NEVER BE IN A RUSH, take your time and THINK 
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You may have adjusted the die body down when all you really needed to adjust was the decapping stem. The small nut on top of the die. Loosen that and slide down decapping stem. Retighten nut. Call Hornady, they will probably send you another sizing die. 1-800-338-3220 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-800-338-3220      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-800-338-3220      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. I had problems with the stem staying put as well. Earlier on in the evening when I was adjusting it I noticed that the case would sometimes push it back out the top of the die. I thought that odd. I would feel bad asking Hornady for another die when I ruined it out of frustration. I'll just giv'em another 40 bucks. |
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You may have adjusted the die body down when all you really needed to adjust was the decapping stem. The small nut on top of the die. Loosen that and slide down decapping stem. Retighten nut. Call Hornady, they will probably send you another sizing die. 1-800-338-3220 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-800-338-3220      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-800-338-3220      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. I had problems with the stem staying put as well. Earlier on in the evening when I was adjusting it I noticed that the case would sometimes push it back out the top of the die. I thought that odd. I would feel bad asking Hornady for another die when I ruined it out of frustration. I'll just giv'em another 40 bucks. tighten it down more(adjust first) might explain why you werent decapping |
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Don't let it get you down. We've all been there too & re-loading has a HUGE learning curve.
Do you have a buddy that reloads? If yes, have him over to walk you through the steps & show you a few pointers. The coaching will more than pay for the beer service charge. MLG |
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Don't let it get you down. We've all been there too & re-loading has a HUGE learning curve. Do you have a buddy that reloads? If yes, have him over to walk you through the steps & show you a few pointers. The coaching will more than pay for the beer service charge. MLG Unfortunately, I don't know anyone that reloads. I'm no quitter, but I hate the idea of blowing up a couple more dies in my learning curve. Might take a week off and review all the reloading information this site provides. |
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I am sure there is somebody in here from Austin that can help you out.
Something that I use to avoid the decapping problems from tight primers is that I use a Lee decapping only die as a separate step from resizing. Here is the die that I am talking about: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=136543 |
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This is what a crimped primer looks like:
http://www.breadonthewaters.com/add/1376_crimped_primer_clipart.jpg I did find some other forums that say that PMC 223 can have crimped primers. If the primers are crimped then I definitely recommend you use the Lee dedicated decapping die and order spare decapping pins. |
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you should be learning on a single stage not a progressive Think you may be on to something...waiting on my rock chcker I ordered from sinclair. He is not on to something he just learned from a backwards person afraid of the a fancy new machines, I still know people that do not trust progressive machines so they shoot very little compared to what I shoot. I took the advice of a moron when I started loading and it was the same clown that was selling me a few cases of ammo a week, said get the 550 but I had to give up shooting time to reload so then the 650 and then the 1050 when the 650 couldn't keep up. Now I have a dedicated 1050 or Camdex machine for every load I shoot. Absoluetly nothing wrong with starting out on a progressive. A very close friend who is a big commercial loader looked at what I shot a week and calculated that it would take me a month and a half to load it on a single station press. Only thing I do on a single station is match ammo that I don't shoot much of. |
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Don't let it get you down. We've all been there too & re-loading has a HUGE learning curve. Do you have a buddy that reloads? If yes, have him over to walk you through the steps & show you a few pointers. The coaching will more than pay for the beer service charge. MLG Unfortunately, I don't know anyone that reloads. I'm no quitter, but I hate the idea of blowing up a couple more dies in my learning curve. Might take a week off and review all the reloading information this site provides. If there is a local store you buy your reloading components at, try asking people there. Finding a mentor is the easiest way to learn..................and it still took me about 5 min. to get the courage to pull the trigger on my first round. 
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you should be learning on a single stage not a progressive Why's that? Just because he's a newbie at reloading? That doesn't mean he has start with a single stage press; he's learning a new skill that can just as easily be mastered with a progressive as with a single stage. You CAN load only 1 at a time with a progressive, taking your time to learn each step along the way. It does help to have a friend that loads and can mentor you when you're first staring out, but it ain't an absolute necessity. There are PLENTY of good books, DVD's and websites that can explain the whole process, from cleaning the case to the finished product. |
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Well, he'll probably want a basic single stage for utility reasons anyways. They're quite handy to have around and something like a Lee classic cast isn't expensive.
It might well be easier to start out with hand-priming, and at least resizing on a single stage. The funny thing about progressive presses is that they're not always best used with the reloading steps as designed, or as intended. For example, I don't use my Dillon for priming, depriming, or resizing at all... it's less headache (for me anyways) to leave the Dillon for charging, seating, and crimping. Best thing in general is to get a mentor. There is no single right way to do things, but there are definitely ways that work, and ways that don't work as well or at all. OP should hit up the TX hometown forums, should be really easy to find someone. I'm definitely thankful that FALARAK sorted a whole bunch of us around here with a reloading demonstration a couple of years ago. 
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Don't let it get you down. We've all been there too & re-loading has a HUGE learning curve. Do you have a buddy that reloads? If yes, have him over to walk you through the steps & show you a few pointers. The coaching will more than pay for the beer service charge. MLG Unfortunately, I don't know anyone that reloads. I'm no quitter, but I hate the idea of blowing up a couple more dies in my learning curve. Might take a week off and review all the reloading information this site provides. Any time the press handle operation gets hard, stop and troubleshoot the problem. Look at the operation and think about the different parts in play and what could cause the problem. If you're truly alone and can't get one on one help, slow down a little and ask lots of questions here. Start with your press by running one piece of brass through completing each operation in turn until you have a good handle on the fundamentals. |
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Don't let it get you down. We've all been there too & re-loading has a HUGE learning curve. Do you have a buddy that reloads? If yes, have him over to walk you through the steps & show you a few pointers. The coaching will more than pay for the beer service charge. MLG Unfortunately, I don't know anyone that reloads. I'm no quitter, but I hate the idea of blowing up a couple more dies in my learning curve. Might take a week off and review all the reloading information this site provides. Any time the press handle operation gets hard, stop and troubleshoot the problem. Look at the operation and think about the different parts in play and what could cause the problem. If you're truly alone and can't get one on one help, slow down a little and ask lots of questions here. Start with your press by running one piece of brass through completing each operation in turn until you have a good handle on the fundamentals. This would have saved me a die
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Calvin-
The trick to reloading bottleneck rifle ammo is in case preparation. The success or failure depends on several essential items: 1- overall 1 brass (trim) length This is easy. Cheapo way is using Lee trimmer which also gives very good results. When I started reloading my M-14 semi would occasionally jam after firing- The brass was just past max length and was wedging into the rifling. So be sure to measure trim length. Don't guess. 2- sizing method Full length or Small base. This one is dependent on the specific firearm and there is no one right answer. There is one member on here that had an AR-10 that he sometimes could not clear an unfired round. The brass was slightly larger than the chamber and he solved the problem with small-base dies. 3- sizing, headspace This depends on the adjustment of the die body. Get a drop-in headspace gauge and learn how to use it. Do not, ever, rely on simply adjusting the die down to the shell holder /shellplate. I have had 2 dies that left the headspace beyond max when adjusted per instructions. Get the headspace gauge and again don't guess. Tip - Always adjust any die body before adjusting a decapper pin or seater plug, other wise one adjustment will screw the other one up. Stuck brass- Hornaday One-shot lube apparently requires a very specific process, and many reloaders complain about getting brass stuck while using One-shot. Try the Dillon case lube- it is literally fool-proof. It leaves the die interior slick so an occasional unlubed case will go unnoticed. 4- ream/swage primer pockets of GI brass. It's late! Gotta go to bed! |
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