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I am currently running a LNL AP, but the principal is the same. Initially I also had some issues, not with primers seating high, but the primer shuttle sticking and not delivering a primer at all. :eek: Powder would get everywhere... what a mess!

Anyway, if I knew then what I know now, I would have quickly realized that there was something wrong with the primer feed operations. You should feel that primer seat into the case when you push back on the handle. No resistance or too much resistance indicates a problem. Take it slow and check your finished rounds diligently until you get the feel for when it's running right or not. I was just running mine the other day and started having problems with the case lining up withe sizing die.... after it happened twice I stopped and started checking things out. Turned out the shell plate had worked loose slightly... just enough to cause a problem. I tightened the bolt a turn and a half, and presto, everything was glorious again. It takes time, and there is a learning curve with all of these machines.
 
I was having problems with a primer not getting into place, but I have added a step for my "bullet hand" before grabbing a bullet and that is to help the (what did you call it @Crohnos01, the primer shuttle?) get to moving.

@Certaindeaf That is a great idea. I'd need to pick up each round as it drops into the bin with my shell casing hand after setting the primer, checking the finished round for the primer depth and such. That seems like as good a time as any to do the QC check.
 
Not even any need to actually look at it. Just run your finger over it and you'll know in an instant if there is anything wrong with the primer.
 
My guess is you will see your speed creep up with familiarity... beware of familiarity breeding carelessness though :eek:


If only someone had said that before my first marriage went 17 years:confused:. It's great advice to live by.

OP I think you're doing well at 250 just starting a new machine. For perspective, I have a LCT with all possible upgrades for thrift of movement and If I really bear down and focus I can do 200 rounds in an hour. I don't enjoy that pace though, it's too much like a day at work in the gravel pit. For me on my machine 100 per hour is comfortable, enjoyable, and my QC is excellent. I'm sure that once you work with the SDB for awhile you'll pick up some intangibles and that production will increase.
 
Not even any need to actually look at it. Just run your finger over it and you'll know in an instant if there is anything wrong with the primer.
What am I feeling for? Besides above flush... And then, if above flush, can I simply put it back in that stage, w/o primers in the system of course, and give it another (careful) press?
 
You will be able to feel if it is too high and if it is upside down or sideways. Whether you can reseat one that is too high it is a matter for debate. Obviously if the round is not loaded you can reseat the primer. If it is loaded most people will say not to, but I have done it, carefully!! The odds of detonating a primer during loading is miniscule unless you do something stupid. The primer requires a lot of energy applied to it in a very short time to go off, such as the impact of a firing pin. The slow steady pressure you should be using in your reloading won't do it. However, the consequences of detonating a primer in a loaded round are catastrophic so consider that when deciding how to proceed.
The only time I have had problems with sideways primers is when I have forgotten to change the primer slide from large to small for small primers.
On the 550 if you have a high primer the shell plate won't turn, but on the SDB that doesn't seem to be the case.
 
Check the alignment on the primer slide assembly. It looks like there are three mounting screws but it could be a bit off... just correct enough to pass factory testing. At worst, a drop of good synthetic lube (doesn't attract dust) spread along the shaft of the slide.

Sooooo, from what I read, the Sq Deal comes factory adjusted for the cartridge that you ordered. Have you changed to another?

+1 Make sure you have the right primer tube and cup for the size primers you are using! I used to load both .45 and 9mm and have forgotten at times to change the primer section over. This becomes obvious with .45 but not so much with 9mm.

Call Dillon! They are great with advice and fixing problems. Nobody I know that has a Square Deal has this problem.
 
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Once you get the feel for seating primers you'll have more confidence that everything is going o.k. just by the feel of them seating. Seating primers in a progressive press is the 1st 'check' you'll have on a round. You s/b able to feel when something isn't right, most primers offer a little bit of resistance seating then bottom out. You can flatten them if you push the ram too hard but they will still shoot o.k. You'll find the sweet spot the more you load. Some pockets aren't as tight and you'll hardly feel them insert but the ram will move and you can still tell their in and seated, if unsure pull it out and look before you rotate the turret. You can feel a skewed primer, they will crush and not feel right. An upside down primer will seat just like a normal one.

The more you load the more you'll figure out, there are a myriad of things that can happen to mess things up but as you learn you'll be able to mitigate much of the issues w/forethought.

I have a Lee 1000 with case and bullet feeder set-up for 40 cal, that machine will try and make you scream. Seems like each station has a potential issue and when something goes wrong it's a royal pain. I wouldn't recommend one to anybody, however if your a seasoned reloader you can get them running. I've put a few thousand through it when I had a 40, it makes good ammo but you MUST pay attention to every step, it is not a forgiving press. My 550 is a dream compared to it.
 
Something to remember for the future... Old casings often need to have primer pockets cleaned out or the primers will not install all the way in.
 
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"Case Mouth Waterproofing" ... for all you SEAL wannabees... ooooooo. lol
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I'm using a Lee LoadMaster and typically run 250 to 300 9mm rounds per hour also. I initially measure, case gauge, and do a plunk test on the first 10 or so. Then let it go longer if everything is coming out good. When I get around 100 done, also put them in a plastic box so I can see every primer. For the LoadMaster, 100 is a good stopping point since that's what the case columator and primer tray holds.

You develop a rhythm with the your eyes and hands. I check to see that brass is falling and landing right side up, that primers are sliding down the chute, EVERY case has powder in it, and that everything else looks, feels, and sounds right. You're just as likely to feel or hear something going wrong as see it once you get your senses tuned.

I don't like doing more than 1000 a day since my attention starts to wonder, and that is another error precursor.
 
Something to remember for the future... Old casings often need to have primer pockets cleaned out or the primers will not install all the way in.
Is this a reason to deprime, then clean? Most people deprime during reloading. Is it worth depriming first, if only for competition ammo as a quality step?
 
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Priming was my biggest hangup on a progressive. I've gotten now to where I deprime on my Rock Chucker with a case kicker, run the brass through the wet tumbler so the primer pockets are shiny like new, then sit in front of the TV with a container of brass and a hand prime tool. The hand priming is an easy task and I know they're all done right. I also have a much better rhythm on the press when I'm not worried about priming.

I have a bright light above the press and I get a visual on the powder level in each and every case that goes by. It's definitely not the fastest method, but I do have confidence that they are all done right. I don't shoot large quantities either so I can afford to be a little slower.
 
Is this a reason to deprime, then clean? Most people deprime during reloading. Is it worth depriming first, if only for competition ammo as a quality step?

If you are picking up others brass and getting it mixed in with yours then yes. Otherwise you are usually good to go at least twice before the primer pocket gets dirty enough to need cleaned. Check a few after depriming and see what you think.

I don't like deprime, then tumble because what I use in the tumbler gets stuck in the primer flash hole. But I will tumble a load of tarnished shells only, not once fired shells, then deprime, then use a primer pocket cleaner. There are different kinds but I like this because I can mount it in my drill press and it last longer than the cross-hatch kind. It can also be used in a hand drill.

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Loading ammunition is a lot different than reloading, you still need to sort, clean, deprime and size the brass. This machine is designed to run brand new brass. It won't run great as a reloader, even then I think setpoint is asking like $150k for that thing, and it maxes out at ~8000/day.

"Case Mouth Waterproofing" ... for all you SEAL wannabees... ooooooo. lol

Waterproofing depending on what you're loading does a lot to increase case neck tension, it's not too much of a deal for random every-day blasting ammo, but for production match grade ammo, and frangible ammo, the waterproofing process (case neck sealant) increases neck tension, and delivers better ignition characteristics. Also for some of the newer lead-free primers, certain ones are hygroscopic, and sealing the cartridge will ensure much longer shelf life.

Is this a reason to deprime, then clean? Most people deprime during reloading. Is it worth depriming first, if only for competition ammo as a quality step?

I do my reloading in two steps: Processing, followed by loading. If you wash the brass, process it (deprime, size, chamfer the primer pocket, etc) then do a final clean and polish it's just like reloading brand new brass, it's quick and you get a much better end result. No more having to tumble your loaded cartridges to get the case lube off. No more contamination issues of primers with case lube, and most importantly, it ends the complex of case lube, spilled powder and machine grease that easily clogs reloading machines and makes your life a nightmare.
 
Loading ammunition is a lot different than reloading, you still need to sort, clean, deprime and size the brass. This machine is designed to run brand new brass. It won't run great as a reloader, even then I think setpoint is asking like $150k for that thing, and it maxes out at ~8000/day.



Waterproofing depending on what you're loading does a lot to increase case neck tension, it's not too much of a deal for random every-day blasting ammo, but for production match grade ammo, and frangible ammo, the waterproofing process (case neck sealant) increases neck tension, and delivers better ignition characteristics. Also for some of the newer lead-free primers, certain ones are hygroscopic, and sealing the cartridge will ensure much longer shelf life.



I do my reloading in two steps: Processing, followed by loading. If you wash the brass, process it (deprime, size, chamfer the primer pocket, etc) then do a final clean and polish it's just like reloading brand new brass, it's quick and you get a much better end result. No more having to tumble your loaded cartridges to get the case lube off. No more contamination issues of primers with case lube, and most importantly, it ends the complex of case lube, spilled powder and machine grease that easily clogs reloading machines and makes your life a nightmare.
Yes. That's why you get another machine that deprimes, cleans, and sizes the brass. There is a machine that does all of that but I couldn't find it.
 
Yes. That's why you get another machine that deprimes, cleans, and sizes the brass. There is a machine that does all of that but I couldn't find it.

Camdex, Scharch have both made machines that perform this function, they also make and sell loaders, for the moment Camdex and Ammoload are the two prime equipment makers for the smaller assembler/manufacturer, I have 3 camdexes and an ammoload mark x in my lab at the moment (I build controllers and tooling for these machines)
 
No more having to tumble your loaded cartridges to get the case lube off. No more contamination issues of primers with case lube, and most importantly, it ends the complex of case lube, spilled powder and machine grease that easily clogs reloading machines and makes your life a nightmare.

The OP has a Dillon Square Deal, which only reloads pistol cartridges. Assuming he is using carbide dies, no case lube. Let's not confuse the poor lad.;)
 

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