sideway primers and rim problem with 38spcl

[Charly]

This last week I am loading some 38 spcl and must confess I have several issues:


first one is a OF (like in Operator's Failure) or should I say OS (like in ... I am sure you can figure out yourself...:hereyago:) . I used range pick-up brass from S&B and in the middle of the session I brake a decap-pin. No sweat, I have 4 extra in the drawer. I look for the reason the pin broke and I find out the brass has a berdan primer pocket ! This is my first one with 38spcl. I had them in 9mm and in 223rem but never in 38spcl ! Didn't know they came in berdan , damn it !! Anyway, I continue and several rounds later again a broken pin. This time I check all the brass still in the tube and in the casefeeder and do find a total of 7 not useable cases. Sure enough, somewhat later I brake one more pin on a case that passed my scruteny :( ! I have one spare decap-pin to go and the shop is waiting for deliveries...
An other problem I have is with the insert of some cases on the shellplate. I quasi have to force them to get in in full position in station 1 of my XL650 and then, the same case will have difficulties to eject from station 5. It is a new shelplate (the old one had some damaged parts and was replaced by Dillon, thank you Dillon!) and the brass is standard factory brass, once or twice fired.
The most annoying problem is the one I encountered yesterday though! I loaded a 100 rounds with IMI cases (mostly third reload for these) and on this bunch of 100 I had like 14 sideways primers !!! The press was going smoothly, no hick-ups, no strange feelings while pushing the handle, no "crunch" sound of badly inserted primers. I don't understand why these sideways occuring suddenly. It has been a real long time since I had sideways primers. Could my shellplate be too loose? I am not the most experienced but I am no beginner either. If I didn't know how to set the shellplate I would have this problem over and over again, not starting to have it just now. Can it be the primer pocket has worn out ? Sure enough doesn't look like it ! What could be an other reason ? Oh, BTW the primers were handloaded in the tube, not with my RF100.

[creophus]

This last week I am loading some 38 spcl and must confess I have several issues:



The most annoying problem is the one I encountered yesterday though! I loaded a 100 rounds with IMI cases (mostly third reload for these) and on this bunch of 100 I had like 14 sideways primers !!! The press was going smoothly, no hick-ups, no strange feelings while pushing the handle, no "crunch" sound of badly inserted primers. I don't understand why these sideways occuring suddenly. It has been a real long time since I had sideways primers. Could my shellplate be too loose? I am not the most experienced but I am no beginner either. If I didn't know how to set the shellplate I would have this problem over and over again, not starting to have it just now. Can it be the primer pocket has worn out ? Sure enough doesn't look like it ! What could be an other reason ? Oh, BTW the primers were handloaded in the tube, not with my RF100.

I'd say its time for a cleaning Charly.

[JW6108]

The rim on S&B brass if frequently thicker than other makes; I have had enough trouble with it that I will no longer try to reload it.

[Mogollon]

Charly,
Try removing the primer seating punch and cleaning it. Next, be sure the top of the punch is somewhere between level with the top surface of the bushing to .020" below flush (sorry, no idea in mm, this is America, we use inches). next, check the spring-loaded tab at station 2. It should be almost touching the case, within the thickness of a sheet of paper of touching. Be sure the primer seating punch assembly is threaded fully up into the platform.
Finally, try some American brass, see how it primes. I have used IMI brass in the past, and it worked fine for me, but that was on the RL550.
Shoot me an e-mail at work, and I will send a few more decap pins.:patriot:

[JLarsson]

.020" is approximately .508 mm.

[craig110]

The rim on S&B brass if frequently thicker than other makes; I have had enough trouble with it that I will no longer try to reload it.

I've had enough problems with their 9mm cases (I don't want to call them "brass" since some are actually brass-plated steel) that S&B is the only 9mm headstamp I'll separate out and not reload.

[Charly]

Charly,
Try removing the primer seating punch and cleaning it. Next, be sure the top of the punch is somewhere between level with the top surface of the bushing to .020" below flush (sorry, no idea in mm, this is America, we use inches). next, check the spring-loaded tab at station 2. It should be almost touching the case, within the thickness of a sheet of paper of touching. Be sure the primer seating punch assembly is threaded fully up into the platform.
Finally, try some American brass, see how it primes. I have used IMI brass in the past, and it worked fine for me, but that was on the RL550.
Shoot me an e-mail at work, and I will send a few more decap pins.:patriot:

OK! I will do the thing with the primer seating punch and make sure it is clean and well positioned. I did load the IMI brass without any problem till now , so that just add to the frustration...
I did about 3K of 9 mm before that and about 300 38spcl without any sideways.

.020" is approximately .508 mm.
thnxxxx, so I don't need to get the calculator out ;)


I've had enough problems with their 9mm cases that S&B is the only 9mm headstamp I'll separate out and not reload.

S&B is not my prefered brass in 9 nor in 38 but since they are freely available in such big quantities I do use them a lot. I must add that in 45 ACP and even more so in 223rem they are great to reload ! And that in 222rem , even after the first (factory loaded) fireing I had already several split cases so these I am not reloading at all.

[craig110]

S&B is not my prefered brass in 9 nor in 38 but since they are freely available in such big quantities I do use them a lot. I must add that in 45 ACP and even more so in 223rem they are great to reload ! And that in 222rem , even after the first (factory loaded) fireing I had already several split cases so these I am not reloading at all.

If all I had in 9mm was S&B, I'd load them too! Thankfully they were only a small percentage of the pickups I got over the last few years. I've also heard they are fine in the other pistol calibers, so perhaps it is only in the 9mm that they played games with the brass-plated steel "brass."

[Charly]

just did a reloading session yesterday evening and loaded 300 rounds of 38spcl.

before starting I checked on the primer seating punch, the spring loaded tab and the thighness of the shelplate.

during the whole session I was very careful with the primering process and still had 5 sideways on the 300 rounds. this is remarquably less then the previous session but still, I don't know why I have them. before the 38 spcl I loaded like 3 or 4k of 9 mm and didn't have one single sideway.

[MakeMineaP99]

top surface of the bushing to .020" below flush (sorry, no idea in mm, this is America, we use inches).

:rofl: