bullet collator...tube filler...!!!

[wymanwinn]

so with all the talk about bullet collators/feeders feeding the bullet nose down and the problems and costs with that idea....

what about a collator that would feed the plastic tubes we use to feed the Star Luber/Sizer with the Magma bullet feeder...

this could be a VERY simple collator that could feed the bullet either nose up or down to fill the tubes vey much like the Dillon auto primer feeder....

what y'all think....

sources ?????

wyman

[ReloaderFred]

It sounds like a great idea! The only thing is, I like to inspect the bullets as I put then in the tubes so I can cull out non-perfect ones. Though I could live with imperfect bullets getting through if it really sped up the tube filling process.

Fred

[rodsvet]

I inspect the boolits as I cast them. Once I get the molds up to heat and the lead at the right temp, I have very few rejects. I would be very interested in something that could fill the tubes rapidly and reliably for of course a reasonable price. Hope some one on here comes up with a good solution.

[ReloaderFred]

wymanwinn and I both cast on Master Casters, so it's not really possible to inspect the bullets as they're cast. The sprues drop to the front of the machine and the bullets drop to the rear, and in my case, they're out of sight until I empty the two wooden boxes I've built to catch them in.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[shotman]

A cast collator works by the head of the shell being heavier. HOW would that work on a bullet???

[shootinfox2]

I posted this in another thread. I use e Hornady bullet feeder tonfill the tubes. Invertvthe tubes onto the Star bullet feeder and size from there. One tube is filling whilenI am sizing the bullets from the first tube. If you have multiple tubes like Wyman you can load them all then size. I don't know it is really faster than filling them by hand though.

Fox

[wymanwinn]

I posted this in another thread. I use e Hornady bullet feeder tonfill the tubes. Invertvthe tubes onto the Star bullet feeder and size from there. One tube is filling whilenI am sizing the bullets from the first tube. If you have multiple tubes like Wyman you can load them all then size. I don't know it is really faster than filling them by hand though.

Fox

looking at the Hornady Lock-n-Load Boolit Feeder i see no reason why it would not work...the ONLY issue i could forsee would be keeping the shell plate clean of lube...

so....shootinfox2...tell me more about this...i, too, would use it to load tubes then load the tubes into the Star bullet feeder....

and what calibers do you feed the Hornady...??? i would feed it .357/130gr, .357/158gr, .40s&w, 44wcf, 45acp and maybe 9mm...

wyman

[wymanwinn]

It sounds like a great idea! The only thing is, I like to inspect the bullets as I put then in the tubes so I can cull out non-perfect ones. Though I could live with imperfect bullets getting through if it really sped up the tube filling process.

Fred

i agree....about the only time i have "non-perfect" bullets is in the first 10 pulls of the handle or when the mold gets up to temp....or the occasional bullet that hangs in the mold and is dented...

wyman

[VHoward]

As your loading unlubed bullets into the collator to fill the tubes for the star feeder, there would be no sticky lube getting on the plate.

[wymanwinn]

As your loading unlubed bullets into the collator to fill the tubes for the star feeder, there would be no sticky lube getting on the plate.

Dunce Award!!!!....

thanks....i should know better....

wyman

[shootinfox2]

I use two pvc pipes cut 24-36 inches in length.I fill one tube with the bullet feeder ( operated as designed without bullet lube. Then Input in a stop pin( nail) to hold the bullets in place while i invert thetibe over the lubrisizer feed tube. Pull the pin and keep sizing.Place the empty tubeunder the bullet feeder and it is filing while I am sizing.I can use the tubes to feed a Hornady bullet feed die on the Dillon also fill and place over the feed die. Not pretty, but it works..I load 45 colt (200 gr RNFP) 45 ACP. (200 gr SWC) and 9 mm/38 115 gr truncated cone. I amwaiting for the mark X to come out.
I have some ideas but I need a amchine for R&D.

Fox

[shootinfox2]

I'll try to get a video together Saturday.

Fox

[jmorris]

I just built a "flipper" so I could feed nose down into the sizer, then put it on my reloader and feed them base down.

All I did was drill a blind hole in a section of plastic and attached a motor than runs the same speed as my sizer. Bullet drops in base down, rotates 180 degrees and drops out nose down.

Super simple, if you can make the collator the flipper is nothing.

[runfiverun]

magma engineering has a collator for thier automatic luber you just dump the boolits in the hoppertturn on the machine and set it up and keep the hopper full.
with wymans auto set-up that collator would make things super fast.
the auto does something like 4,000 boolits an hour.
it airc needs different plates that go in the hopper to spin the boolits into the tube.
it works exactly like the one dillon uses for thier case feeders.

[wymanwinn]

well, my Hornady Lock-n-Load Bullet Feeder arrived on Friday from Midway....heck, it only took two days from the order...!!!

set it up on my bench in the garage, easy to set up....played with it using my Magma 130gr BB-RNFP bullets...takes a bit of fiddling to get it right (only used about 20 bullets initally)...works pretty dang good....used the smaller coil chute (38cal size) and the large chute (45cal size) over to feed bullets base down into my 1/2"OD x 3/8" ID feeder tubes (will clip and invert to feed the star)....now to rig up a foot switch...

will report on the setup for loading upwards of 2500 bullets into the tubes later...

i this this may just work...



wyman

[VHoward]

After you get comfortable filling tubes, why not fiddle with making a bullet flipper and feed the star directly?

[wymanwinn]

After you get comfortable filling tubes, why not fiddle with making a bullet flipper and feed the star directly?

ok then...how about some assistance in creating the "flipper"....

wyman

[VHoward]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw0VdRcZrpA
This video shows one in operation. A microswitch, some delrin, and some tubing looks like it would be easy enough.

[DCM]

Look and read what Jmorris said and did above.

I f you have a hankering to build something ammo related check out all of the stuff he has made
He is kinda what we call mechanically/metally inclined!

I wish I had the time and resources he does!

[rodsvet]

The bullet flipper moves too slow to be useful in that video. Also you would have to make a complete flipper for each caliber and bullet length. For me it would mean 25+ flippers. A collator that drops nose first is the way I'll have to go if one ever becomes available at a reasonable price. I looked at JMorris's picture of a bullet flipper but could not see the portion that does the flipping. He is and has been a guy that has the talent that I do not possess. I will just have to wait for one to come on the market. Rod