[crustygalloot]

i have been reloading for a long time with no problems until recently. now i have been experiencing a lot of very under powered loads,like sometimes you wonder if the shot and wad cleared the barrel. using a 9000g mec. checked the charge bar travel. full travel both directions. been using the same powder,wads & primers for years,always good results. starting to doubt the primers. been using fiocci for years and no issues. using promo powder and windjammer wads also.starting to lose faith in my reloads. any direction would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance.

 

[Shooting Coach]

Factory bar and bushing?

 

[Pull & Mark]

The biggest problem I've noticed on the progressive machines is that it's easy to start going to fast!!! If you don't leave the handle down to a 1000 and 1 and l000 and two count (full two seconds) its easy to start getting light powder drops as the powder bushing only fills up---While the handle is in the down position. If you pull down and quickly move the handle back up because your getting older now, this is what can happen. The Auto-mate is a big hit with progressive loaders today for this exact reason. Best of Luck and break em all. JEff

 

[Dr.Longshot]

Do you use an electronic scale or a balance beam scale to check your drops.

Just to be sure drops are accurate.

Gary

 

[smoke-eater]

this may sound dumb, but I try to check the powder drop tubes for spider nests before I start loading. Had a friend years ago that loaded 300+ shells before he noticed the powder level had not droped.... spider nest

 

[yakimaman]

I was having similar issues as well as primer jams now and then - I got to see an automated MEC in action and slowed down my process to match. No more issues.

rm

 

[Bernie K]

If you are using once fired hulls are you checking each hull before you load? I loaded a bunch a few years ago and had a problem, someone had put a foam ear plug in a hull and when I deprimed it it got cut in half and stuck in the powder tube it was blocking part of the drop, like the spider nest mentioned above.

 

[DaveXT]

I had a small clump of powder stuck in the tube limiting the amount of powder getting by.

David

 

[KS5SPECIAL]

Make sure the brass washer under the powder bottle is not sliding back and forth, It can cause the bar to hang up and or block some of the powder from dropping.

 

[School Teacher]

Check for a primer stuck in the drop tube. I once had a similar problem that I identified when my crimps looked dished in.

If you have a reloading interruption and pull the handle down with no hull at the priming station and with a primer in the priming station, the primer may enter the drop tube and hang there. From that point on, some loads may be light on powder and others may have too much powder, depending on the interference of the primer stuck in the powder drop tube.

Ed Ward

 

[Bill Hom]

Is your loader grounded? Static electricity can cause light powder drops also. Bill Hom

 

[Jon Reitz]

Watch the screw on the bar go left - and the screw go right - primer drops...

Watch the screw on the bar go left - and the screw go right - primer drops...

Watch the screw on the bar go left - and the screw go right - primer drops...

Watch the screw on the bar go left - and the screw go right - primer drops...

Watch the screw on the bar go left - and the screw go right - primer drops...

Watch the screw on the bar go left - and the screw go right - primer drops...

Watch the screw on the bar go left - and the screw go right - primer drops...

 

[oskerspap12]

Hey Y'all,

This has probably been mentioned before........check your drop tube for........wait........wait.........stinkbugs(ie:spiderweb ect.,ect.)

It happened to me.........just a thought.

D.P.Reynolds

 

[Tripod]

Go slow and steady.

 

[hmb]

If the powder drops are OK then load up a few rounds with a different primer and see if things get better. HMB

 

[Uncle Screech]

I had different problems with my 9000H that I solved quite easily. I got a Spolar and now reloading is pretty much flawless.

 

[Bama73]

Also the weather can play havoc on powder drops. I once loaded a bunch when it was pouring rain out (my loader is in the basement) and my drops varied 8-9 grains shell to shell. Humidity seems to hate us reloaders.

 

[crustygalloot]

thank you for all of your ideas. i guess i will start at the beginning again to see if i have missed something like a blockage. have looked before and found nothing. have adjusted the travel on the charge bar as it was about 1/8 of an inch away from the stop but that did not correct the problem.will slow down and i have not grounded the loader. i am using the factory mec charge bars and bushings. thanks again for all the ideas. will keep working on my problem. i enjoy reloading. it is like therapy,although i dont need anything else to worry about when shooting like if the shell is going to function.thanks again,robin

 

[stokinpls]

Looks like everybody covered things well.

It wouldn't hurt to give the nut on the bar travel adjuster another turn or two. If the charge bar sort of "clunks" on it's way left, that's a GOOD thing for consistency.

Also, not sure if Promo does this, but some powders are "sticky" and like to "cake", especially if they sit around for a while. That means it's never a good idea to leave leftover powder in the powder measure bottle. It also means that before you fill the powder bottle, it doesn't hurt to shake up the "keg" (8lb jug) before you pour. It's inconvenient to have to empty the powder bottle after you're done reloading, but not as inconvenient as a bunch of squibs. Good luck.

Bob Falfa

P.S. Is there any chance any of these hulls have gotten wet? Were they on the ground overnight? Even plastic ones have a nook or cranny that water will hide in, and once it's loaded and the powder is the least bit wet, it's "Squib City".

 

[ring3]

Cloths dryer sheets (ie. Bounce) solved this problem for me.

Occasionally I experienced light drops. My press is grounded but the problem persisted. Very sporadic problem. Had me scratching my head more than once.

After cutting a few strips of dryer sheet and hanging them in my powder bottle the light drops stopped. No guarantee, this is a suggestion that so far has worked during my loading.

Rob