RCBS Benchtop primer- new catch

[gifbohane]

I loaded 90 SR primers yesterday. After finishing the 90 I pulled the handle 2 or 3 times to determine that there were none left in the tube. Nothing came out. Pulled the tube, looked inside, and it was empty. Accidentally bumped the machine and 3 or 4 primers fell out. They must have been sitting on top of the delivery system, below the tube.

The last session I was loading SPP. So, I must have left 3 or 4 SPP in that same crevice. Meaning that a few of the rifle cases were probably primed with pistol primers.

Would any of you fire these? Probably not? And I have tried in the past to measure for differences with no luck.

BTW when a stray primer jumps off the machine to the floor, and I ultimately find it, I discard it since I cannot be sure what type of primer it is.

 

[mdi]

I have an RCBS bench prime and when the tube is empty, no primers are fed, anywhere on the tool. "Short stroking" the handle may have caused some primers to fall out of the tube but miss the cup. I have noticed my Bench Prime tool works best/smoothest if I move the handle all through it's travel with a light bump at each end. If you drop a primer during priming, what primers were you using, what sleeve did they come out of?

 

[dartor]

Put a finish nail with the same size head as a primer in the tube head first. When the primers run out the finish nail will lock the tube in the prime position. You'll know the tube is empty.

 

[gifbohane]

It seems that there is feeding space under the tube where the extra primers (that fell out) resided. The primers fell out well after the priming was finished and the tube was removed. The sleeve was the standard RCBS small primers tube. And I always use CCI SPP and SRP. I hate to toss all those primers at 10 cents a piece.

Maybe I will pull them and use them in 9MM? Good idea?

The nail is now part of my process.

 

[J-Bar]

I have no experience with the RCBS benchtop primer device. Just a general reaction to your problem: if you can't have 100% confidence in a reloading tool, use a different method. There are lots of ways to get a primer seated into a brass case. Use one that eliminates Murphy's Law for YOU. Relying on a nail dropped into a precision tool just gives me chills.

 

[Blue68f100]

If new I would check for burrs, and anything that may prevent a primer from dropping freely. Make sure you have the primer feed tube fully seated, otherwise you will have a gap for primers to hang on.

 

[mdi]

Watch the distance between the bottom of the tube and the top of the cup when the tube swings in place. Can a primer slip through the gap?

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I have no experience with the RCBS benchtop primer device. Just a general reaction to your problem: if you can't have 100% confidence in a reloading tool, use a different method. There are lots of ways to get a primer seated into a brass case. Use one that eliminates Murphy's Law for YOU. Relying on a nail dropped into a precision tool just gives me chills.

I’m with you on that. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to tell my fellow programmers to stop wasting time on time-saving software gadgets and new-school shortcuts - just plot the functions and check your logic. Yes, it’s boring and time-consuming but it works.

Reloading and programming have a few things in common and the fact is skinny code just runs faster and doesn’t tend to crash. Same goes for handloading: the less complex the operation, the faster and more reliable it is.

 

[gifbohane]

Watch the distance between the bottom of the tube and the top of the cup when the tube swings in place. Can a primer slip through the gap?

I think that you nailed it. My big tube swings wildly on each stroke.

I also rigged a spring under the handle that brings the unit back into position.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I look through the hole in the tube where the cotter pin goes. When im down to a few cases to go. If there is still some showing. I'll put the pin in. Then finish.

 

[MEHavey]

"...last session I was loading SPP. So, I must have left 3 or 4 SPP in that same crevice.
Meaning that a few of the rifle cases were probably primed with pistol primers."

If the rifle is 40,000psi or lower, no problem
But 45-60ksi, think pierced primers.
(ask me how I know)