Improving RCBS's APS Strip Loader--Video Demo at the End

deepskyridge said:

Thanks for posting this, I am going to make the mods to my strip loader. I have found also some of the strips come out of the package with some problems. I manually run the priming pin through each hole to make sure they will work OK.

Thanks Again
Gary

Click to expand...

You're welcome. I haven't come across any bad strips that are new...must be luckier. Be aware that sometimes used strips, not stored flat, can have a bow in them and that can make them stand to high in the slot and not allow primers to slide in and fill all the holes in the strip filler. That can be caused by the black steel hold-down plate not having been pushed all the way down during assembly. Mine wasn't.

THE BLACK STEEL HOLD-DOWN PLATE: From the pictures above, one can surmise that the green plastic part that pushes in primers, simply pulls off to disassemble. Well, the black steel plate under it comes off the same way. It is friction-fit over the three green cylindrical buttons. You just need to be careful using a small screwdriver to pry it up one side at a time....you don't want to make it permanently loose.

The object is to make sure there is nothing under it to hold it up higher than it should be....higher means the strips on one end can ride up a little and prevent primers from sliding in and over the top of each hole.

So then, making sure things are flat underneath (no foreign things or plastic seams around the buttons) just press the plate down over the buttons and with a small socket wrench socket over each button, use a small hammer to pound it down tight everywhere so there is NO open crack between metal and plastic under the plate.

I made a mental note to myself that if it ever gets loose and won't stay down, I may have to drill a hole on each side and screw it down tight. So far, that's not necessary.

This last subject ought to have been added to the picture post, but THR, in their infinite wisdom, makes editing go away after a few days. So later readers may miss this unless they read every post.????? My opinion is that that policy is too restrictive and is a major flaw in THR.

The way you stuff them tightly into a 5 gallon can, I doubt there is much of a problem. Until it's full though, you might lay them in a box. What I bought from you was fine....a few were bowed a little, but minor, and once I reseated the black bar in the loader, it wasn't an inconvenience at all. I wouldn't be the least bit concerned, buying more like that. I really am going to test Easter egg dye!

I don't have any experience at it, but if I had some strips that were bad, I'd try laying them in a cookie sheet in a 150 degree oven until they flattened....bet they'd cool off and remain straight......don't have any bad enough to try.

Didn't know you were a model railroader! Have you ever been on the Chama Nm to Osier Co. narrow gauge train? The mountains that one goes through is different....maybe more beautiful....least it was before the bark beetle destroyed all the fir trees. That model railroad hobby takes more time than reloading!

No, actually my head is smaller than most. Here's a family picture.....I'm the guy on the right with the rifle. Love the gun hobby! Cousin Mbuga (a master practical joker), and Uncle BJ are posing with me. Yeah we're a little strange.

If every strip you push in is new and perfectly straight you don't need to file off the bar. Trouble is the used ones that gain a little "character" and prevent primers from sliding in where the strips don't lay perfectly flat.

I've loaded a lot of Winchester and I have never seen a tendency for them to flip, so I can't relate to what you are saying personally.....maybe all lids aren't created equal, or maybe the nibs under the bar are catching edges and flipping them. Filing the nibs smooth might actually prevent the problem you are having. No edges to catch edges. BTW ... you are shaking side to side only, right?

Smoothing the edges in the lid indentations you suspect may help too. I'd Fill them in with clear gap filling super glue .... just be sure to sand the glue just after it sets up before it gets harder than the plastic lid (you have an hour from setup to too hard). I use those 4 grit finger nail sandpaper stick to work with super glue with styrene plastic. Start with the course and end with the fine. Then polish with Dillion brass polish or something similar. Result will be difficult to see where you filled.

Thanks for the heads up. Some may run into that.

Since I built the mods into mine I haven't even had to check for "proud" edges. That alone is worth it to me. I lost one weekend figuring it out, building it, and testing it. Most people who have built their own do it in an evening, and most think its worth it. But if you don't that's OK too.

In these weird times of handloading scarcity, all of us have trouble finding what we want. I use the following two sources for my preloaded APS. I don't order one 1000 count box.....the haz mat is too expensive. But if I order 2 or 3 boxes of 5000 count boxes the haz mat is inconsequential. Yes that's an expensive order.....on the other hand you have primers in stock for a long time. Most of us less wealthy types have to plan ahead for it to be sure. Of course I don't know if Canada sales of primers from these sources are done? Yes? No?

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/search/keywords/APS there is small rifle & small pistol in stock there.

http://www.midwayusa.com/find?userSearchQuery=APS Midway has several types in stock.....I like their notification feature where they email you went what you are waiting for comes in......but you have to be fast.

Conservadave!: Thanks for the compliment! I'm a NW New Mexican.....big state, few people, lots of game and endless places to shoot. Dang near perfect, except this year the d...mn..d wind won't go away!

You may have been deterred by the "Sorry." notice that Photobucket displayed where my video was in my first post. Well I don't know what's up with PhotoBucket, but click the the "Sorry" message thing anyway! The video comes up just fine in the first post or clicking the picture here. Go figure, I never deleted or moved anything!

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APS rocks! I'm super glad I don't have to worry about primer tube kabooms. Another 650 owner, posting in AR15.com, this week blew up 85 primers at once.

Remember this picture? Thanks to picking up a 550 primer tube.


The update is a little better on page 9 of the original thread.



Be careful! If you do load primers in tubes, wear safety glasses, ear protection, and keep the tubes swabbed clean, or Murphy will get you too.