RCBS Jr. AUTOMATIC Primer Feeder Question

ThomasC.

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Have had a RCBS Jr. for ages. Bought the AUTOMATIC primer feeder. Never got it to work automatically. Always had to push primer area back to get a primer in the pocket.

RCBS actually sent me a new and improved primer arm and primer body.

Still don’t work. If I back out the set screw on the body until it almost falls out and put a lock nut on it, it works 90% of the time.

Comments or experience?

Thanks
 
Call into RCBS and get a tech on the line. Have your machine set up and ready to go and the'll talk you through making the adjustments.....
 
Did that. They transferred me to RCBS Tech Support. Lady said...."It is supposed to pop back and pick up a new primer". Sent me the new arm. Told me if it did not work, call back. I did. Sent me the new body. It only has three components. Arm, Body and Feed Tube. I just wondered if anyone has used this and does it work. This press is circa 1970-80. BUT, it is STILL the RCBS Jr. that they sell and the Automatic Primer Feeder is still the same.
 
Snap a pic of the feeder and let me see if I recognize it....
Here you go.....this thing is older than dirt....but it works. What you see are the NEW parts (Arm or Lower and Body or Upper). The spring is not powerful enough to snap back and push in the spring loaded pin so that a primer will drop down. As I said, IF you back out the Allen screw that holds the spring or pushes it against the pin, it will work most of the time. Ocassionly, it will drop the primer or not need.

Thanks in advance.
 

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It's not supposed to "self load" the next primer, you are to pull the lower portion back against the "upper" that holds the primer tube to load the next primer. When you do that it depresses the small plunger that holds the primers in the tube and it will load a single primer. Once loaded you swing it forward into the "groove" in the ram to center under the down coming shell head and the unprimed case.

If it still doesn't make sense PM me your phone number and we'll talk it through. There isn't anything wrong with the primer feed that I can see and it's not "old" the new ones look exactly the same..
 
It's not supposed to "self load" the next primer, you are to pull the lower portion back against the "upper" that holds the primer tube to load the next primer. When you do that it depresses the small plunger that holds the primers in the tube and it will load a single primer. Once loaded you swing it forward into the "groove" in the ram to center under the down coming shell head and the unprimed case.

If it still doesn't make sense PM me your phone number and we'll talk it through. There isn't anything wrong with the primer feed that I can see and it's not "old" the new ones look exactly the same..

Mr. Boat.....

Your description is exactly how mine has worked since I bought it in the mid 70's. I played around with a LOT of setups and never got to work "AUTOMATICALLY".

I got back, heavily, into reloading as I run about 500 rounds per month through my 9mm's. I got curious. I called RCBS. The lady "Tech Support" and I went over the process. She stated, unequivocally, that when your raised the ram to release the primer arm....that the spring on the arm had enough power or momentum to return to the "home" position and would depress the primer "retainer stop" or the plunger and that a fresh primer would then be released and then would be ready for the next round. You did NOT have to touch the arm or do anything to it. That is why, she said, that RCBS called it AUTOMATIC.

OK...that is when she started sending me parts. With the BRAND NEW components....it still is a Semi-Automatic feeder.

So, your experience is exactly the same as mine....and that is not what RCBS told me.

As I said, I actually got the original Body (it has the pointed plunger where the new one has a cylindrical one), to work at least 90% of the time. However, on the new one....the Allen screw is too short as the spring is longer. So you can not back out the Allen screw enough to release the tension and lock it down with an external nut.

Maybe others will post or chime in.

UPDATE. TWO Amazon reviewers say that you can SOMETIMES get an automatic feed but the primers tend to fly everywhere and they adjust so that they have to push (pull back) the arm for a fresh primer. RCBS does NOT sell this anymore as a kit, but had the replacement components....

ME THINKS the tech support lady is a bit confused....maybe the California air?

Thanks for confirming what I thought....but that is not...unless we had a real "Failure to Communicate" .... RCBS told me....
 
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From your description of what Lady RCBS said, it sounds as though she's referring to the Bench Auto Prime Tool by them. Which I use, and works quite well. I personally like to move the primer tube by hand to "automagically" load another primer, but it works as designed.


I've never been able to get the reloading press version of the primer tool to work smoothly so I separate that task to the RCBS bench tool, or a hand priming tool, unless I'm on my Dillion.
 
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From your description of what Lady RCBS said, it sounds as though she's referring to the Bench Auto Prime Tool by them. Which I use, and works quite well. I personally like to move the primer tube by hand to "automagically" load another primer, but it works as designed.


I've never been able to get the reloading press version of the primer tool to work smoothly so I separate that task to the RCBS bench tool, or a hand priming tool, unless I'm on my Dillion.

I have had several responses on Amazon from folks that ordered the replacement arms or body or both. All of them say the same. If you somehow get it to work "automatically", it will throw about 5 - 10% of the primers out or askew. Most just do what we all do.....push back the arm and let it drop a primer and then push it forward (into the ram slot) and then seat the new primer.

The lady RCBS tech knew exactly which system or model that I had as she looked up the component parts and they shipped me each (arm and then body). I think that perhaps she was misinformed about how it worked in the field. I can't complain about new parts, but it seems like I am chasing a ghost. RCBS's customer service is wonderful.....although in this case, a bit misguided.

Spent more time researching and talking to RCBS that the 2 seconds of "push back" that I would save per round. BUT, the Engineer in me wanted to know....and now I do.

Thanks to both of you.

I have a friend that runs the same press and he bought the "prepackaged kit"....which might be what I have. He said that he never set up or tried to use the primer feeder. He likes the "hand set" method and has an RCBS tool that you squeeze and like to "feel" the pressure required to seat the primers. Each of us has our own quirks and comfort zones...
 
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Dad used the press primer for a bit, I recall him doing like @Bailey Boat said and it worked ok.
He abandoned it for his handheld or bench mounted situation dependent, I've never bothered with on press priming with a single stage.
 
Follow up.

I just posted on powder charging experiments. Here is some things that i learned while reloading 2500 or so.

If you add a “follower” or something like a brass rod or stiff piece of copper wire down or into the primer feeder tube, that additional mass smooths out the feeding. I had some #10 solid copper, insulated wire. I cut off a piece about 2” longer than the feeder tube. I straightened it in a vise and then rolled and tapped it with a hammer and then finally rolled it on a table top and used my fingers to get it perfectly straight. I THINK that a piece of 5/32 brass rod (12”) from Amazon might work or a piece of bar stock or drill rod.

Load the tube, put it in place, pull the hair pin, put in the follower and your primers will feed better.

The SECOND and most important thing....let the primer arm SNAP BACK using the spring tension. I experimented and would move the arm back. Towards the end, the primers would not drop into the seating cup consistently.

When I just released the arm and it snapped back against the spring loaded stop....the last one fed as smooth as the first one.

Hope this is of value.
 
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