SmallCaliberCentral

Well I loaded up a bunch of Berger 35's again today and had a few technical difficulties. Here they are;

1. My powder thrower is now working very rough. I have to use considerable force to move the handle up and down. Plus it is throwing the charges very inconsistently.

2. I had two or three cases that had been cleaned, trimmed, deburred, primed and charged but when I put the Berger in they fell all the way through to the powder. What causes the cases to be so open?

3. The primer punch pin on my re-sizing die fell out. I just shoved it back in and punched out a few primers and it worked but I am not sure what is keeping it in. Any suggestions?

I am thinking of buying a new powder thrower what do you all recommend? My friend has a digital that he swears by but I have heard good and bad.

As usual thanks for helping me learn.

Mike

what dies are you using?
as for the electronic scales and dispenser, i am using an older rcbs, made by pact. it is a little slower than the mechanical throwers, but maybe that is i a good thing. i do check with a balance beam scale every 10 or 12 throws, just to make sure it is doing what is safe and what charge i want. accuracy is very good on this unit.

augnmike wrote:
2. I had two or three cases that had been cleaned, trimmed, deburred, primed and charged but when I put the Berger in they fell all the way through to the powder. What causes the cases to be so open?

In a similar situation many years ago I found that I had not sized a couple of cases.

To answer your question, pulling the trigger and making the gun go boom opens the necks up a bit.

WW

I am using Redding dies. Maybe I missed a case or two on the resizing then, thanks. Any ideas on the power thrower problem?

What thrower is it (make/model)?

Its a Hornady thrower but I can't find the model number on it. I bought it used. I just took it apart and WD-40'd the inside part that rubs and it is really smooth now. Hope I didn't screw it up but I had to do something.

Mike - perfect. But don't use WD any more. Oil will kill your powder.

Use a spray on carburater cleaner. Read the label - one that does not leave a film.

Or...wyndex....but wipe when wet...then wipe again when dried.

What powder are you using? The cylinder type powder is much more difficult to run thru than a ball powder. Try a ball powder and you will get more uniform powder weights and there will be less cut powder, which makes the powder dispenser work easier.

It wasn't the powder type it did it on all of them. Tom I hope that the WD40 doesn't screw up anything I tried to be careful and not get it in the holes where the powder goes. I guess we will find out soon enough.

Go to your local pharmacy and get a box of alcohol swab/patches for keeping at your reloading bench. I mark my 'work up' charges with the information on the case using a 'sharpie' and the alcohol makes for easy clean up.

Take your powder thrower completely apart, as far as you can and wipe down each piece twice with the alcohol patches. Then re-assemble the unit after each part has had a chance to air dry.

I purchased a thrower that had been returned by the original purchaser to the retail unit and he/she must have done much like you did as the powder was gumming up the inside of the powder cavity, and the charges were very erratic.

Once cleaned and readjusted, I've had not problems with it...It does work easier with the 'ball' type powder than the 'extruded' type as the extruded granules tend to 'bridge' across the mating surfaces on the inside.

The WD-40, or even oil from your skin, can really cause problems with the powder and primers. If you feel the need to lubricate anything connected with reloading, finely powdered graphite usually works best.

Thanks guys. I did as instructed and it is working fine now. I used alcohol to remove the WD40 and it is smooth as glass.