[WindsorDave]

Seeing various threads relating to primer feed problems on the Ponsness-Warren machines, here's how I solved mine.

A little over a year ago I decided to take up trap shooting and its corresponding reloading process. Purchased a new PW 800+ in October of last year. I still had a MEC 600jr and some 30 year old components that I used to use to load for game birds.

When the new PW arrived all went well with the old Remington and CCI primers. Never a primer hangup in several hundred rounds of reloads.

My club sells primers but it does not have an unlimited selection. Winchester 209W's are the best match available for my load and so I bought a brick and started to reload with them. The 209W's hung up in the transition from the chute (PW=Track) to the feed trough (PW=Brass Preimer Feed Housing) about once every 25 rounds. Having installed a small flap just below the powder station to deflect spent primers into the collection box made sure that powder dispensed into a hull sans primer did not go un-noticed. Powder went from being dispensed to being dispersed. Careful monitoring of the primer feed operation would catch most of the primer failure-to-feed events. Still, every once in awhile a primer would not make it to the seating post soon followed by words loud and blue.

In my machine the inverted T-shaped opening through which the primer passed to be positioned in the notch of the primer shuttle (PW=Solid Primer Feed Ram) had sharp corners with small burrs.

I took some nylon twine smeared with valve grinding/lapping compound and shoe-shined the edges of the T slot, just breaking the sharp corners. Whenever
one does something like this it is good to keep in mind that it is a lot easier to remove the metal than it is to put it back on. Using some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper I smoothed the mouth of the primer chute. That was followed by the twine in the notches.

Following this treatment I have yet to have a primer fail to feed in about 1,000 reloads. The machine will reliably feed primers until there are 14 left.

At that point there is not enough vertical rise to provide sufficient downward pressure to push the next primer into the notch at the front of the primer shuttle. I acknowledge that 1,000 rounds is nothing in trap ammo terms but it suggests that the fix may have merit.

I did not have to bend or adjust any part of the machine itself.

Hopefully the pictures below will help explain what was done.

Dave M., Sequim, WA

 

[likes-to-shoot]

Any machine ever made can use some personal tweeking. Thanks for sharing. If I ever have that type of problem I'll keep your fix in mind.

Bill

 

[kcbullets]

Good tip and pics. Thanks

 

[Border Bandit]

Good job, Dave and great photo(s) with the explanation. Thanks for sharing your thoughts & fix.

best.... mike

 

[whiz white]

If the track is EXACTLY 100% centered in the brass housing, you do not need to hone anything.

Also, I see that you are using the factory primer ram and primer seating post. These are made of 12L14 "Leadlloy" steel; a very soft, easily bent steel. That's why I have a shop in Ohio making these out of 1218.

FRED: Raise the primer trau UP as high as you can get it (2 BHCS) in the rear, and then I try to make the botom of the TRACK horizontally level where it enters the brass head.

Whiz

 

[WindsorDave]

USMC, Ret.

What I did was to spray the primer tray with silicone and wipe it down. It will not bother the primers and they will slide more easily toward the chute. Some have suggested wax but the silicone is working well for me at this time. The spray in the picture is widely available and not expensive.

My primers rarely jam up in the tray or at the chute opening any more.

Best,

 

[likes-to-shoot]

I personally use auto wax but the silicone works great also. Another thing I have done is put a small washer under the primer tray cover where the wing nut goes to raise the cover a little higher above the primers.

 

[pechere]

Thanks Dave for the great how-to. I'm having the same problem, but I think your fix will solve it.

 

[whiz white]

I did redesign the feed cams in the tray by adapting the Spolar design. It has wroked famously, but I only made the one.

If I can find a photo of it, I will add it herewith...

 

[grunt]

TTT

 

[Johnny]

actual photo of mine

 

[whiz white]

Johnny: EXCELLENT JOB!

Also, it appears the you under-cut the left plate or raise it up a bit too.

You can make some money selling them here or through me, if you'd make some to replace that left hand buffer. I had thought about it, but just not enough hours in a day.

Whiz

 

[Johnny]

turn on your pm keller

 

[bigbore613]

How about bondo ? Make a little template with a release agent on the face... Jeff

 

[Johnny]

bigbore, that would be more work than plexiglass. Without a vibrator you won't gain much anyway.

 

[shot410ga]

If you own a PW, tweaking is part of the game. I think I've tweaked just about everything thing on my 800+. The thing runs about a smooth as butter, until the Mojo quits working. Adjustments should be placed before the name, as in "The Adjustable PW 800+."

 

[Hardhead 365]

I just purchased an 800B, it does a good job except for the final crimp on AA’s and gun clubs. I am going to make some new parts for it to mimic my Hornady Apex 3 which I cracked the shell plate. I have reinforced it with angle iron and it works but I like to play with things to keep me busy and have always wanted a PW. So now the fun begins.

 

[multifired]

Seeing various threads relating to primer feed problems on the Ponsness-Warren machines, here's how I solved mine.

A little over a year ago I decided to take up trap shooting and its corresponding reloading process. Purchased a new PW 800+ in October of last year. I still had a MEC 600jr and some 30 year old components that I used to use to load for game birds.

When the new PW arrived all went well with the old Remington and CCI primers. Never a primer hangup in several hundred rounds of reloads.

My club sells primers but it does not have an unlimited selection. Winchester 209W's are the best match available for my load and so I bought a brick and started to reload with them. The 209W's hung up in the transition from the chute (PW=Track) to the feed trough (PW=Brass Preimer Feed Housing) about once every 25 rounds. Having installed a small flap just below the powder station to deflect spent primers into the collection box made sure that powder dispensed into a hull sans primer did not go un-noticed. Powder went from being dispensed to being dispersed. Careful monitoring of the primer feed operation would catch most of the primer failure-to-feed events. Still, every once in awhile a primer would not make it to the seating post soon followed by words loud and blue.

In my machine the inverted T-shaped opening through which the primer passed to be positioned in the notch of the primer shuttle (PW=Solid Primer Feed Ram) had sharp corners with small burrs.

I took some nylon twine smeared with valve grinding/lapping compound and shoe-shined the edges of the T slot, just breaking the sharp corners. Whenever
one does something like this it is good to keep in mind that it is a lot easier to remove the metal than it is to put it back on. Using some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper I smoothed the mouth of the primer chute. That was followed by the twine in the notches.

Following this treatment I have yet to have a primer fail to feed in about 1,000 reloads. The machine will reliably feed primers until there are 14 left.

At that point there is not enough vertical rise to provide sufficient downward pressure to push the next primer into the notch at the front of the primer shuttle. I acknowledge that 1,000 rounds is nothing in trap ammo terms but it suggests that the fix may have merit.

I did not have to bend or adjust any part of the machine itself.

Hopefully the pictures below will help explain what was done.

Dave M., Sequim, WA

Seeing various threads relating to primer feed problems on the Ponsness-Warren machines, here's how I solved mine.

A little over a year ago I decided to take up trap shooting and its corresponding reloading process. Purchased a new PW 800+ in October of last year. I still had a MEC 600jr and some 30 year old components that I used to use to load for game birds.

When the new PW arrived all went well with the old Remington and CCI primers. Never a primer hangup in several hundred rounds of reloads.

My club sells primers but it does not have an unlimited selection. Winchester 209W's are the best match available for my load and so I bought a brick and started to reload with them. The 209W's hung up in the transition from the chute (PW=Track) to the feed trough (PW=Brass Preimer Feed Housing) about once every 25 rounds. Having installed a small flap just below the powder station to deflect spent primers into the collection box made sure that powder dispensed into a hull sans primer did not go un-noticed. Powder went from being dispensed to being dispersed. Careful monitoring of the primer feed operation would catch most of the primer failure-to-feed events. Still, every once in awhile a primer would not make it to the seating post soon followed by words loud and blue.

In my machine the inverted T-shaped opening through which the primer passed to be positioned in the notch of the primer shuttle (PW=Solid Primer Feed Ram) had sharp corners with small burrs.

I took some nylon twine smeared with valve grinding/lapping compound and shoe-shined the edges of the T slot, just breaking the sharp corners. Whenever
one does something like this it is good to keep in mind that it is a lot easier to remove the metal than it is to put it back on. Using some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper I smoothed the mouth of the primer chute. That was followed by the twine in the notches.

Following this treatment I have yet to have a primer fail to feed in about 1,000 reloads. The machine will reliably feed primers until there are 14 left.

At that point there is not enough vertical rise to provide sufficient downward pressure to push the next primer into the notch at the front of the primer shuttle. I acknowledge that 1,000 rounds is nothing in trap ammo terms but it suggests that the fix may have merit.

I did not have to bend or adjust any part of the machine itself.

Hopefully the pictures below will help explain what was done.

Dave M., Sequim, WA

What pictures?

 

[multifired]

Seeing various threads relating to primer feed problems on the Ponsness-Warren machines, here's how I solved mine.

A little over a year ago I decided to take up trap shooting and its corresponding reloading process. Purchased a new PW 800+ in October of last year. I still had a MEC 600jr and some 30 year old components that I used to use to load for game birds.

When the new PW arrived all went well with the old Remington and CCI primers. Never a primer hangup in several hundred rounds of reloads.

My club sells primers but it does not have an unlimited selection. Winchester 209W's are the best match available for my load and so I bought a brick and started to reload with them. The 209W's hung up in the transition from the chute (PW=Track) to the feed trough (PW=Brass Preimer Feed Housing) about once every 25 rounds. Having installed a small flap just below the powder station to deflect spent primers into the collection box made sure that powder dispensed into a hull sans primer did not go un-noticed. Powder went from being dispensed to being dispersed. Careful monitoring of the primer feed operation would catch most of the primer failure-to-feed events. Still, every once in awhile a primer would not make it to the seating post soon followed by words loud and blue.

In my machine the inverted T-shaped opening through which the primer passed to be positioned in the notch of the primer shuttle (PW=Solid Primer Feed Ram) had sharp corners with small burrs.

I took some nylon twine smeared with valve grinding/lapping compound and shoe-shined the edges of the T slot, just breaking the sharp corners. Whenever
one does something like this it is good to keep in mind that it is a lot easier to remove the metal than it is to put it back on. Using some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper I smoothed the mouth of the primer chute. That was followed by the twine in the notches.

Following this treatment I have yet to have a primer fail to feed in about 1,000 reloads. The machine will reliably feed primers until there are 14 left.

At that point there is not enough vertical rise to provide sufficient downward pressure to push the next primer into the notch at the front of the primer shuttle. I acknowledge that 1,000 rounds is nothing in trap ammo terms but it suggests that the fix may have merit.

I did not have to bend or adjust any part of the machine itself.

Hopefully the pictures below will help explain what was done.

Dave M., Sequim, WA

Seeing various threads relating to primer feed problems on the Ponsness-Warren machines, here's how I solved mine.

A little over a year ago I decided to take up trap shooting and its corresponding reloading process. Purchased a new PW 800+ in October of last year. I still had a MEC 600jr and some 30 year old components that I used to use to load for game birds.

When the new PW arrived all went well with the old Remington and CCI primers. Never a primer hangup in several hundred rounds of reloads.

My club sells primers but it does not have an unlimited selection. Winchester 209W's are the best match available for my load and so I bought a brick and started to reload with them. The 209W's hung up in the transition from the chute (PW=Track) to the feed trough (PW=Brass Preimer Feed Housing) about once every 25 rounds. Having installed a small flap just below the powder station to deflect spent primers into the collection box made sure that powder dispensed into a hull sans primer did not go un-noticed. Powder went from being dispensed to being dispersed. Careful monitoring of the primer feed operation would catch most of the primer failure-to-feed events. Still, every once in awhile a primer would not make it to the seating post soon followed by words loud and blue.

In my machine the inverted T-shaped opening through which the primer passed to be positioned in the notch of the primer shuttle (PW=Solid Primer Feed Ram) had sharp corners with small burrs.

I took some nylon twine smeared with valve grinding/lapping compound and shoe-shined the edges of the T slot, just breaking the sharp corners. Whenever
one does something like this it is good to keep in mind that it is a lot easier to remove the metal than it is to put it back on. Using some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper I smoothed the mouth of the primer chute. That was followed by the twine in the notches.

Following this treatment I have yet to have a primer fail to feed in about 1,000 reloads. The machine will reliably feed primers until there are 14 left.

At that point there is not enough vertical rise to provide sufficient downward pressure to push the next primer into the notch at the front of the primer shuttle. I acknowledge that 1,000 rounds is nothing in trap ammo terms but it suggests that the fix may have merit.

I did not have to bend or adjust any part of the machine itself.

Hopefully the pictures below will help explain what was done.

Dave M., Sequim, WA

What pictures?

 

[JohnP]

Yeah, I don't see any pics either.. ????