RCBS Pro 2000 guys, need some help, round 2 - long

[earplug]

Don't let all the bent primer seating pins go to waste.
If you break them trying to bend them straight, they can be used as die plate pins.

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Peter,

Answers in red:

If the primer punch is rotated, it will probably rotate again during use. I know that from experience.

Well, that's discouraging. This is the third primer punch I've had. Sounds like another call to RCBS may be in order when I get off of night shift. I bet I can come up with a way to prevent the rotation IF that is the root cause and not a symptom. Some measurements with a machinist square and such should ID which it is.

It may occasionally loosen up also.

Some blue loctite should fix the loosening up.

Does your punch look like this when you lower the handle?

Not quite that bad, but off set like that before I rotated the punch.

If so take a picture of it and send it to RCBS. The lower sub-assembly is offcenter and needs to be replaced. My first one had this problem.

The lower sub assembly has been replaced once. I'm not sure replacing it again is going to resolve the problem, though it may.

 

[higgite]

I know this is a dumb question, but that hasn't stopped me yet. When the shellplate and primer plunger are misaligned, are the dies and the shellplate also misaligned? When you raise the ram and the case(s) enter the die(s), does the shellplate turn slightly?

Another shooting from the hip question... is the press frame finish under the plunger smooth, no bump in the finsh that could kick the plunger sideways?

 

[Striker Fired]

Take a bunch of close up pics of the primer punch area,both with the assembly and without. So we can see all the holes and surfaces involved with the punch and how it is assembled and what indexes or locates it, if possible.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

There is a bit of slop in the two bolts that hold the sub assembly onto the ram. Have you tried twisting the sub assembly on those bolts prior to tightening them up?

I did that (twisted the sub-assembly counter clockwise) prior to tightening the bolt and that kept the primer punch from twisting as much.

One thing I noted was that the primer punch will tend to clock around in its assembly when in the press. How lose is your primer punch in the assembly (primer punch spring and lock nut). Mine is very loose from wear.