[luddite20]

Hi All-

I had a Herculean session last night with the formidable PW900 last night. It's a new to me machine, and after readying the manual and researching, I attempted to start some reloading. I encountered a number of problems, most of which I was able to solve through persistency and cursing. However, I am still having primer feed issues. In short, I see two problems with my primer feed system:

1) Sometimes there is not enough force/pressure from gravity and additional primers to drive the primer into the primer feed and
2) (and this is the bit issue) when a primer is set into the primer feed, the spring loaded ram does not advance forward

Problem 2 seems to be caused by 2 issues. Issue A) the primer itself seems to encounter mild friction entering the primer feed and Issue B) even if the primer properly enters the primer feed, the ram often gets caught up at this point:

I have removed the primer assembly and have it with me at work today, so I'm hoping to tinker a bit given your suggestions.

I should also add that the primer feed wire came loose, and I believe I re-installed it correctly, with one end through the top of the primer ram and the other through the face that mates with the primer. I believe I installd it correctly but please somment if I did not.

I know PW makes a new brass assembly, but I'm curious as to commone failures/issue with the older units. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[luddite20]

I see this advice was offerred previously:

"
Pull the chute off the primer assembly, break a a small jewelers file, and your going to file the inside edges on the chute bottom edge to remove any burs, then going to file on the sides and bottom lip of the primer entry section to remove any burs there. Now when you go to put the chuck back on via the bottom bolt, look at both sides of the check to aligned it center of the primer assembly openning. Now before you call this part done, single primer in the chuck with handle lever pull all the way down, pull the primer up the chute about 3 inches and let if free drop. The primer should free drop, hit the side of the primer ram bar in the assembly and bounce back up the chute to about the bend.

Now with that set, move the handle all the way back up and check the amount that the primer bar in the assembly is coming back, and that the roller on the side of the primer bar is not being forced hard against the side of the assembly. To correct this, your going to loosen the two bolts on the primer feed ramp (wedge shape metal piece), so you can adjust it to stop side roller binding, as well as up and down lightly so the bar is coming back.
Now, before I do this adjustment, like to pull the primer assembly cover, bar and side roller, to clean up the track in the primer assembly, as well as the cut out for the side roller bolt so the primer bar moves cleanly, the primer can move cleanly in the track, and the bolt for the roller is not binding up as it moves in the track as well.

Next on the list is the tray and top of chute entry lips.
So start off by removing the primer cover, and break out the file to de-bur the tray where the primer fall out to the chute. Does not take much, but just slightly round that edge.

Now loosen the primer tray bolts on the back of the tool head, and using a level across the back of the tray edge to get it level,

We want the tray to be as high up on the back tool head (bolt to the bottom of the slots), and the back as level as possible, when you re-tighten the bolts.

Now last tweak as you are reloading, is the two top of chute pieces on the sides, that you want to slightly tweak outwards, do as the primer is dropping out of the tray to the chute, is that the primer does not wedge at all on the drop.

Now last one, is on the primer dray top surface, clean it off, add a drop of gun oil, then wipe that oil into the surfaces via cleaning patch each time you go to clean and lube the machine, so the tray surface it and the edge of the primer guides are slick, but no extra oil left behind.

With the above tweaks, will never have to hit the tray to clean a primer jam up top, and you can keep reloading on the machine until the primers are all the way down to the start of the bottom of the bend, without fear that the machine is not going to feed a primer.
Note, although you can dam near run the primer chute dry, it always a good idea to add more primers to the tray when the last primer is about to drop down the chute. And yes, not a problem leaving live primers in the machine when your not reloading with it. "

 

[luddite20]

Here is a photo of the disassembled feeder before any cleaning for reference:

 

[luddite20]

I lube the primer feed on my 800 plus with dry graphite.

Thanks Painter. Out of curiosity, why is dry lube preferred over wet lube?

 

[luddite20]

definitely a good cleaning is in order and glad to see you took it fully apart,

one thing I notices was the ramp seemed like it had a bigger gap meeting the ram, look at this picture I found
View attachment 75995

Thanks Scott. Good catch. Yest, there did appear to be a bigger gap. I also think I'm going to machine a new ram, which the hook as opposed to the wire gate. Just need to figure out the dimensions.

 

[luddite20]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I ended up machining a new solid piece ram today. Curious to take it home and see how it works.

 

[luddite20]

The ram and slide need to be very smooth. That aluminum head looks scratched, gouged, and generally rough.

Thanks John, agreed. I used some 440 grit on the head yesterday, and now the ram I machined is working well. I just tried to copy the new version on the PW website by looking at the photos.

 

[luddite20]

To add here, the primer assembly cam does not have the primer feed ramp coming far enough back in the slot.

With the cam plate bent to get it parallel with side of primer assembly, will bring the feed ram back the needed distance, so the primer being feed to the hook, does not bind on the way in.

On some older machine, may have to add washers between the cam to cross plate, so the cam plate is bring back the feed ram via roller, the needed distance instead.

Dano, I can't thank you enough for this help. For some reason, the photos you provided seem to be out of sync with the text I see but it might be some browser issue.

The helpful photo of the ideal primer ram height is very helpful, and I can see that my primer seating ram protrudes higher than this, and I can't seem to get it much lower (even after taking apart the lower primer seating post and actually removing the long set screw in the shaft of the post. Seems like the seating post was already bottomed out somehow. Or likely I don't fully understand the seating post mechanism. I mean I'm sure I don't have a good understanding of it.

But I'm hoping to do a semi tear down, so I can really understand the machine. Force myself to learn and study it.

For example, is there a factory setting for the distance the 10-32 screw/nut extends below the hull seating post, primer seating post, and stop post? That seems like it would be nice to know, and I could measure with calipers? I guess that and factory setting for the 2 set screws in the lower primer seating post (both the one that connects the lower post to the seating ram and the one along it's shaft that seems to be a stop for the seating ram itself).

Again, thanks for your help and for any additional wisdom you might be able to share. I've found lots of your help and suggestions in the archives but I can't find any specific to the 900 at least in terms of tune up from start to scratch as I've seen you do with the 800 models. I'm sure it takes a ton of time to write those, but man they are full of rich and helpful information.