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P W 800 PLUS CASE FEEDER

3K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  himark 
#1 ·
FOLKS ,

Has anyone used the PW case feeder with the AUTO MATE II and the 800 Plus ? I have both & have not hooked up the case feeder , I'm wondering what modifications I'll have to make & weather it is worth it .

Thnak you in advance for your time & Merry Christmas and a health New Year to all .

SOUP
 
#2 ·
I have the case feeder and it is a good piece of equipment set up on an 800+. I had some dificulty with the micro switch that controls the dropping of the cases into the tube but with a little playing around I have been able to make it work correctly. Make sure that ther are no bits of shot or other material in the way of free movement of the case or any junk in the seat where the shell sits. If the shell is tilted any amount at all your shell will be crushed as it attempts to go into the resize die.

You need to follow the set up instructions very carefully as it is possible to damage the plastic tube that holds the shells if you are not careful. The instructions are accurate but you need to read them with great care and study the photos before you do anything with the equipment.

I also have the electric auto drive and I have been able to make it work using STS shells. I could not make gun club shells work due to the steel bases that were just too hard to push through the resizing die using the motor drive.

I am not yet working up to speed with the atuomatic drive. It has a much different "feel" than loading with the shovel handle. In fact it has no "feel" at all and you need to listen with care to the sound of the machine to determine when it is meeting resistance greater than normal so that you can stop in time and corrrect what ever is causing the problem before you crush a shell and have to remove it from the die by hand as that can be a tough and messsy job. Also watch out for primers that are not placed exactly where they should be as the motor can not tell the difference and trys to seat the primer even if it is out of line and then you have a real mess on your hands.

Care is needed or you could pinch or maybe even take a finger off as it is very powerful. The motor exerts a lot of force so practice very carefully with wher ever you use it.

I am certain I will get better with it and that it will be a real benefit to loading.

Doug
 
#3 ·
My opinion is that the hull feeder is a great attachment for those that pull a handle. If you just push down with your foot to make the machine go around, then both hands are free. The hulls can be loaded as fast by hand as with a hull feeder. When I load, I typically have 6-7 wads in my left hand and 2-4 hulls in my right hand. Things go fast.

Pulling a handle does let you feel mistakes. The Auto-Mate or hydraulic system provides speed.

Pat Ireland
 
#5 ·
I had the original Automate II for P/W and the shell feeder running together. As I recall, I had to cut the solid rod that holds the hull feeder up? It has been a couple of years, and I switched to hydraulic, which required I glue the original piece back on the solid rod.....actually I had to buy a new one from Whiz, and then with the Hydraulic unit I believe I had about a 1/4" wide base aluminum spacer under where the plate with the nut mounted to the bench. Without that, the hull feeder appeared too off center for my taste.

Both hydraulic and Automate worked very well, but you did have to watch things closely. There is zero feel if a hull decided to stick in the last die, or primer was not happy. Still it was a pretty slick setup.

I fell prey to more expensive is better and bought a Spolar, and someone got a good deal on my 800+ and a million extra items for it. The Spolar is a tremendous reloader as has been debated to death here, but when running smoothly, the 800+ made a "re-manufactured" load second to none.
 
#6 ·
I started with the case feeder and loved it. It dramatically increases production. I have run up to 700 per hour with the case feeder and the shovel handle but it is not repeatable.

I added the electric drive and it slowed me down. With the electric drive you can not feel when a hull is going to jam at the seating operation. Although speed is fine, when you factor in clearing jams and clean up you lose productivity.

Yesterday I removed the case feeder from the machine. I use it to feed hulls onto the reloading table where it orientates the hulls base up for easy insertion onto the seating post. I made up a custom drop tube with a slot that allows me to quickly pick up the hull. I also mounted my setup between the PW and the Spolar so the case feeder assembly can be rotated 180 degrees to service both machines. Note the Spolar hull feed is on the left and it is on the right of the PW. This opens up bench space as I do need to have a hull dispenser on the bench.

Yesterday I loaded 520 rounds in 45 minutes. I think the set up I have now will give over 600 per hour with high reliability and negligible effort.

One of our club members nearly lost his trigger finger on a hydraulic MEC. DO NOT attempt to clear a jam, or reach into the machine with power on. These things can hurt you.

Don Verna
 
#8 ·
I agree with Pat..Myself and another guy at work converted ours over to hydraulic and will never look back. I think the hull feeder is a either or item. Either hydraulic without or non-hydraulic with. BTW, ours are air/hydraulic and its whisper quite:)
 
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