What clever little things have you "invented or discovered" that you can share?

[Innovative]

918v .........

I prefer to examine fired primers. However, it needs to be done correctly. If you just examine a first time load and the primer is flat, that doesn't tell you very much. Loads must be worked up slowly while noticing the flatness of the primers. When the primers begin to get flat (like the 4th case) - then it's a safe maximum load. Due to the difference in rifle and pistol primers, this method works well for all rifle and pistol ammo.

​

The hardness of different brands of primers will vary, but it's nowhere near enough to affect how flat a primer will get. However, the hardness and thickness of your cases (above the web) will vary a whole lot. You are measuring the case where it transitions to the web (where it is quite thick). Your results will differ depending on the particular chamber and the number of firings for each case.

- Innovative Technologies

 

[cidirkona]

My broke-status brass marking method: stick, two rubber bands, and permanent marker. Pick up the bullet-end of the case, place it against the board with the marker tip in the rim and twist. Takes 1-2 seconds per case.

 

[ric426]

Yet another Powder Cop detector add-on

I've got a Powder Cop set up with optical sensors that trigger piezo beepers, so I don't even have to look at it. If the case is under charged there's no beep, I get a 1 second beep with a normal powder charge and if it's over charged I get a piercing screech. I put it right before the seating die and I've got myself trained to not even pick up a bullet unless I hear the beep. It's sensitive and accurate enough to guarantee at least a safe charge and prevent squibs or a damaged gun. It's a simple and cheap circuit and I spent under $20 (not counting the cost of the Powder Cop die) to build it.
I'll add a pic or two tomorrow.
Here's the schematic. It ain't the most professional looking thing, but the info is there...

Note: I listed the wrong number for the Opto sensors on the original schematic. It should say EE-SX3070.

Op1 is mounted below Op2 on the die so the rod blocks it first and triggers a one second pulse from the LM555 timer. That drives piezo P1 for a one second beep if the powder level is normal. If the rod rises further from an overcharge of powder, it interrupts Op2 which drives a screeching P2 for as long as the press is raised to warn the user that something is wrong. If the rod doesn't rise far enough to trigger the normal one second beep, there's either too little or no powder in the case and I don't pick up a bullet, but stop and find out what's wrong. Kind of a Pavlov's dog scenario. No beep, no bullet...
The mount is just a fitting for PVC pipe, bored out and modified to hold a little piece of perf board. I cut the little window in it to view the rod for testing, but it's not necessary for normal operation. I wound up sanding the inner sides of the two opto sensors to bring the elements closer together so that it was more sensitive to over charges with the light .38 special target loads I use. If you're clever you could easily mount all of it on top of the Powder Cop die, but I didn't want to take up too much space up there and I had most of the stuff on hand to do it this way. My son is going to machine a nicer clamp for me, but I've got an extra Hornady lock ring that I may modify so it looks like it belongs there.

 

[ironhat]

Hey rec426, you might just as well post the schematic and parts list when you et the pic up. I'd also particularly like to see how it mounts to the press. This I've got to have!

 

[ric426]

Hey rec426, you might just as well post the schematic and parts list when you et the pic up. I'd also particularly like to see how it mounts to the press. This I've got to have!

Just posted the schematic and I'll post some photos tonight.

 

[sniper1259]

ric426; really neat circuit!!! i use something similar to it using a pair of General Electric H22B3 photodarlington optical switchs. in basicaly the same setup on a Dillon 650 powder checker die ( i had to modify the plastic and the rod to make it adjustable enough to cover 9mm and 30-06 but it works) very solid circuit!!

(i may reload a lot but my primary job is robotics sensor design and engineering. i do a lot of custom work too. the new web site is www.treetronix.com )

 

[ric426]

Thanks! It's something I was day dreaming about at work and worked out the design one evening. One of these days I'll make a more elegant package for the optical section, but it works pretty well as is.
My day job is what I refer to as a network janitor (IT manager), but I started my working life as an electronics tech a loooong time ago, shortly after electricity was discovered. They were still teaching vacuum tube technology when I went to electronics school!

 

[BIGBOSS]

I like your setup but i am not an electrical engineer so i am asking why are the resistors and capacitors needed? and i am not sure i completely understand the schematic. thanks for info

 

[ric426]

Well, the 470 ohm resistor on the optical sensors is simply to limit the current through the infrared LED's. No sense drawing more power from the battery than needed for them to function reliably.

Most of the stuff on the right side of the schematic is to generate the one second pulse I wanted for a normal powder charge. The two 100k resistors and .1ufd cap are to trigger the LM555 timer with a short pulse even if the signal from the sensor stays active for longer. The output from the sensor is at the supply voltage when there's nothing blocking the sensor and goes low (to ground) for as long as the infrared beam in the optical sensor is blocked, meaning that in this case the rod of the die is sticking up enough to block the sensor. The 555 triggers on a high to low voltage change, but expects the trigger pulse to be shorter than the duration of the output pulse. Since I wanted a one second pulse I had to make sure that the trigger would be a shorter pulse even if the rod stayed up longer. The 1meg resistor and 1ufd cap set the duration of the output pulse of the 555 and can be changed to adjust the length of the beep from the piezo transducer.

The other sensor circuit is much simpler because that one triggers on an over charge and stays active for as long as the rod is up. The piezo on that circuit puts out a much higher frequency giving a piercing screech if there's a powder overcharge.
I hope that explains it clearly enough. If not, feel free to PM me with any questions. If all you want is a single tone to indicate a powder charge in the case you can get by with just a resistor, optical sensor and piezo transducer (and power source of course) and don't need the timer circuit and extra components. However that would just tell you that there's some powder in the case, but wouldn't indicate if there's an over charge.

In looking at my photos, one thing that may not be clear is that in the photo looking down into the housing, there are actually two optical sensors stacked one on top of the other. The lower one senses a proper charge and the upper one senses if there's more than a proper charge that pushes the rod up enough to break the beam of the upper sensor. I even sanded the plastic cases down between them to put the two closer together to make it more sensitive to an overcharge with light target loads using a relatively small amount of powder.

 

[BIGBOSS]

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[unclesam099]

Where is the best place to find one of those little AC motors to make, say, a case trimmer or something that runs a deburring tool? Instead of constantly running the cordless drill.

What kind of specs would the motor need?

Has anyone made a case trimmer/deburr tool? I saw one a few pages back and it got me thinking...

 

[mongoose33]

Has anyone made a case trimmer/deburr tool?

I use the Possum Hollow case trimmer (for .223). Very nice.

I bought the power adapter so I could run the trimmer off a drill.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=295771

I use a cheap 3/8" corded drill that I clamp to my bench w/ a quick-grip clamp. I have to angle the drill to provide room for the clamp to catch it from the edge, but that works fine. I could also do it on a corner if I wanted to, but I use an old PC-keyboard tray that I pull out from the workbench to catch the brass trimmings.

The power adapter also will accept a deburring/chamfering tool from EJS, Forster, RCBS or Wilson, at which point I have a motorized deburring/chamfering tool. Fast? Yes.

I've looked at the RCBS trim station, and the Hornady offering, and I just can't see what they do that is an improvement over my own little homebrew approach.

I'll get a pic that shows the setup and post it here.

 

[unclesam099]

Mongoose, this is exactly something I was thinking of doing but would use an AC motor mounted to a board. The motor needs a 1/4" shaft to match what the Possum Hollow has (great little Christmas gift ). I would be able to make an enclosure to catch the brass shavings, as well. Rubber feet on the bottom of the board.

 

[mongoose33]

Here it is, Unclesam. I think what you could do, if you can't find a motor (which would be more elegant if you can figure out how to do it), is mount a corded drill to a board and use it that way, as below.

And if you do find a suitable motor, please post source and cost here, along with complete directions.

 

[sniper1259]

to unclesam099 and mongoose33 and all, all you need for hooking this adapter up to a standard bench motor is a buffing wheel adapter. these are avalabel at hardware stores and ehat it does is allow you to mount a cloth buffing wheel to a benchrest motor. they are about 3-5 inches long depending on who made it. it has a wide end that fits over the motor shaft with set screws to lock it to the shaft, the other end is a threaded shaft with clamp plates and a nut to clamp on to the cloth wheel.
what you DO is find one to fit the motor you have (shaft and adapter MUST match size to retain balance!! what you are doing is building a horizontal drill...) put the adapter in a lathe and center drill the other end for the 1/4 shaft of the Possum Hollow adapter. you might have to cut off the threaded section (do it in the lathe) but make sure you cross drill and tap the wheel adapter to use set screws to lock on to the Possum Hollow adapter. if you do this in a lathe, it will come out straight, and will serve you for a life time!!
also if you have your own lathe, all you need is some bar stock about 4 inches long and about 1/2 to 3/4 inch LARGER than the motor shaft to allow for the set screws. 1 inch dia stock for a 1/2" motor ; 1 1/8" for a 5/8" motor.

if some one needs one, i might be able to make a few if there is a need for them. i have a lathe that can handel it and do a clean job of it. feel free to contact me at [email protected] I will need the diameter of the shaft of the motor you will use and will make it to the 1/4" shaft of the Possum Hollow adapter.
as a side thought, why dont we just skip to the chase and adapt from the trimmer to the motor direct?!! i can do this one too.... let me know your preferance.

snipe

 

[dc.fireman]

I didn't invent this - I learned it from my buddy, a former military sniper.

Use a piece of mole skin (the stuff you put on your bunions and corns), to mark the location on your rifle stock where your cheek should hit every time. It's especially useful for ensuring that you get the same sight picture on your scope every single time.

Example:

You take your rifle to the range, sit down at the bench or prone out, and find a good comfortable sight picture for you. Now make a mental note of where your cheekbone is hitting the stock. slide your trigger finger underneath it, and pull your face away. Where your finger is, is where you put the small dime-sized piece of mole skin. From now on, when you bring your rifle up to your cheek, it should go into the same place every single time - just under the point (6 o'clock position) of your cheek bone.

 

[unclesam099]

sniper, you could just get a pre-made motor shaft adapter from McMaster-Carr

The key is finding the right motor for the job, and I think I've found one for about $40.

 

[sniper1259]

unclesam099 didnt know MMC had them. i gotta get a new catalog!!!

thanks for the update
snipe

 

[Steve 48]

I full lenth size all pistol brass I get from others because many are shot out of Glocks with loose and oversized chambers.I also bought all my bullets, powder and primersw before Obamma got elected because I knew people would start hoarding.

 

[Quoheleth]

If you use one die to seat different lengths of bullets or different cartridges (.38 Special wadcutters and .357 180gr LRN, for example), use a Sharpie and place a mark on the base and adjustment plug of your seating die meet. That way you have a quick reference point to adjust to the different bullet next time, saving time and making multiple test rounds.

Q

 

[Riss]

For my moon clip holders I replaced the white insert that holds a single moon clip with an aluminum rod that is long enough to hold 3 moon clips stacked up. Had to thread the bar on the lathe and cut to length, but this could be done with a regular drill press.

 

[Walkalong]

why dont we just skip to the chase and adapt from the trimmer to the motor direct?!!

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Yea, I got the set screws out of alignment.

Then I figured out the motor runs the wrong way. :banghead:

I think I can reverse it, I just haven't gone into it yet.

 

[Roccobro]

Walkalong- any idea where the motor is from? I've got a similar looking 1/3 hp motor I was saving for a rotary tumbler but I have more need for automated trimming. Would be nice to find a second.

Justin

 

[Drthelongshot]

I know you asked walkalong, but that is a evaporator fan motor that probably came from a walk-in cooler. Possibly a Heat Craft brand. You can get one at a refrigeration parts house or maybe even grainger.

 

[mongoose33]

Walkalong, what is that motor anchored to? I think it would just spin when you brought the trimmer in contact w/ the case you're trimming.