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About to start reloading when....

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BrokenolMarine
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About to start reloading when....

Post by BrokenolMarine » Mon Aug 22, 2022 3:25 pm

I discovered a couple problems.

We moved to OK from VA back in May of 2020, and I had broken down the loading bench a few months before that and packed it all away in preparation for the move. It all sat in storage for several months until I decided where I was going to have my loading and ammo storage room, and then found the time among the settling in to arrange it, and set up the bench and press. I finally did, but that was that...

loading bench 220822.jpg
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I didn't need to load as I had done so before breaking down the press, and wasn't going to be shooting for a few months, until the range got finished. (That turned out to be more than a couple months due to the tale of woe that turned out to be... :roll: ) So... Nearly two and a half years later... here we are.

First, I watched the Dillon 550B video I purchased years ago to keep me on top of my game when I had long delays in using the press. I would load for a couple weeks, knock out several thousand rounds in the primary calibers, then not load for six months. The video made sure I set up everything correctly. I recognized my memory wasn't at it's peak any longer and the Dillon CD was excellent.

Boom, got ready to load and the first hurdle... the Electronic Low Primer Warning feature failed. Supposed to scream when you are below ten primers or so...but no SCREEEEEEE. Nope, wasn't the battery because before packing I had removed all batteries. New battery was installed. I disassembled and checked all the contacts. Cleaned them all even though they looked good. I suspected I was going to be ordering a new one, but upon reassembly it worked. :)

More worrisome? The Digital Dillon Scale wasn't working. No battery installed, but I had never operated on a battery. I suspected a failed power supply, but installed a new 9v battery and ... still dead. On the phone to Dillon and since the thing was twenty years old and had loaded a half million rounds of ammo over the years.... I suspected it had surpassed it's YEAR warranty. :roll:

The tech support guy said, box 'er up with all it's goodies and we'll give you credit toward a new scale. Your trade in will get you a new $149.99 scale for $85 once we receive the old one. Send all the goodies, cover, pan, scale, etc. That way if someone calls and says they have damaged their pan, lost the cover, we can send them your old one free. He gave me the authorization code for the return and I got it boxed and to the Post Office before our Ghost Town post office closed at 11am.

I won't be loading the 9mm I had planned on starting on today, but should be up and running in the next week or so, hopefully. I appreciate the good customer service from Dillon. A lot of places would have said, "Twenty Years, toss er and lets get you a new one ordered. How about a 10 percent discount for customer loyalty?" I would have taken it. :D I'll add the toolhead to the setup once the digital scale comes in and I can setup the powder drop.

I suspect the two failures were caused by the electronics sitting in storage in the Oklahoma heat while the bank played games with our closing date for two weeks. 110 in the shade, and 140 in the Uhaul trucks. :twisted: We tried to keep them in the shade as much as possible but it's hard to shade two 26' U-haul trucks. :?

Can't wait to get started on the 9mm.
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runnin n gunnin
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Re: About to start reloading when....

Post by runnin n gunnin » Mon Aug 22, 2022 3:49 pm

Oh those Gremlins !!!

Check out my new post in the Lounge regarding 9mm frangible rounds. Would appreciate your input.
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: About to start reloading when....

Post by BrokenolMarine » Thu Aug 25, 2022 7:03 am

Got the call from the young man at Dillon yesterday afternoon. They had received my package with the dead scale and had begun packaging up the new scale, it was about ready to ship and would be going out Fedex ground today. I asked if it would be okay to add the Primer Warning system buzzer and he said sure. They didn't charge tax or shipping to the order. I should get the box here by Friday or Saturday. Sweet. I have been hard at work on the loading room, adding a small shelf to the corner of the desk to organize the tools that go with the press and a few other things. Busy Work. Pics later...

Go Team Blue... :D
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: About to start reloading when....

Post by BrokenolMarine » Thu Aug 25, 2022 10:29 am

To stay busy, I knocked out the little shelf on the left here, which really neatened up the bench. I made it sturdy but didn't worry about painting or staining. It needed to be functional.

much neater with shelf.jpg
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A peek at the LED light that shines down thru the hole in the center of the toolhead on the dillon press. The tool head stand uses the hole to hold up the tool heads when not in use. Some innovative designer created a small LED light that pressed down in the hole and lights up the work area on the press, illuminating the four die stations. Brilliant. I ordered mine years ago directly from the company but Dillon Customers can now order theirs from Dillon's Website. Change the toolhead, pull the light back out of the way, swap the toolhead, and then push the light into the new toolhead. Sweet. :)

tool head light.jpg
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https://www.dillonprecision.com/s000265
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Hatchdog
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Re: About to start reloading when....

Post by Hatchdog » Thu Aug 25, 2022 10:43 am

That’s a nice neat clean set up and I love the Woody doll on the shelf! :D
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: About to start reloading when....

Post by BrokenolMarine » Thu Aug 25, 2022 12:29 pm

Been in the shop this morning working on another shelf to fit the 12x20 space to my right when I'm at the press. I'll put the press there and have additional storage for loading related items underneath. Glue is setting now. I probably won't paint this one either as very few people will ever see this room or know it exists.
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: About to start reloading when....

Post by BrokenolMarine » Thu Aug 25, 2022 4:32 pm

Got the shelf finished and installed to the right side of the loading bench. It's sturdy and serviceable, but I didn't paint or stain it at this point. As I said, very few other than Miss T and myself will ever see this room or know it exists. The shelf will hold the reloading scale on the top shelf and it's associated tools, like verification weights. On the center shelf is the trash can, and a second box that will eventually hold mixed brass waiting for sorting. I just haven't cleaned off the old labels yet. (Hoppes works wonders.) ;) That blue coffee can holds 1,000 9mm bullets waiting for the scale to arrive. Yup, we are getting set up.
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the right side shelf.jpg
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: About to start reloading when....

Post by BrokenolMarine » Thu Aug 25, 2022 4:56 pm

In my old Office in VA there was a long deep closet that was originally two walk in closets when the kids were at home. We moved that wall over three feet and created a small room behind a single door from my office. Behind that door, which was alarmed, was not only my loading bench, but ammo storage, fly rod rack, and a long gun safe, but much more. The room was about 16' deep and nearly 8' wide. I laughed and told Tina that it's too bad I just couldn't make that room disappear.

01 original door.JPG
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Driving back and forth to the Veteran's Hospital for therapy, I started to have that statement ringing in my head. "Slight of hand and make it disappear." Hmmmm? :roll: The Office was heavily alarmed, with glass break, entry door, and motion... and the door to the loading room was alarmed.... but what if the door wasn't visible?

:twisted:

We were going on a ten day vacation and I just didn't like leaving the house unattended, even though there was the alarm system and all the cameras, then it came to me. Slight of hand. I built an Oak Bookcase and put a back on the bookcase the exact color of the wall. I removed all the door trim and the protruding doorknob, installed a deadbolt and flush handle, and then mounted the bookcase / display shelf in front of the door with concealed hinges. ;)

05 new shelf.jpg
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Tah-dah, slight of hand. With magnetic latches behind the shelf and lightweight displays ON the shelf, it looked like it was always there. The back on the shelf made it look as if you were looking thru the shelf. It completed the illusion. No-one in the next five years questioned the slight of hand. I added a latch at the top of the shelf for added security to insure it didn't pull away at an inopportune moment.

06 custom shelf.jpg
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When we put the house up for sale, no buyer questioned the rooms and when one buyer came back to look for the third time, Tina said that it was "Time." The husband looked at her Oddly, but I took HIM alone and showed him the room, telling him that if they didn't buy, I'd appreciate if he'd keep the secret. They bought the house. He laughed and told me he hadn't told the wife about HIS room. :)

02 loading room.jpg
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A friend of mine online was concerned about his ammo and firearms and I sent him pics, he designed a similar room under his stairs in the dead wasted space. Only the wife knew, he never told his kids... did the work while they were away at camp. :)
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BrokenolMarine
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Re: About to start reloading when....

Post by BrokenolMarine » Thu Aug 25, 2022 4:58 pm

NOTE: I offered to return that hidden room back into two walk in closets... his response was DON'T You Dare.... ;)
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You can tell a lot about the character of a man...
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