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Thread: Making that Bullet Collator

  1. #6001
    Boolit Man
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    Something like an APP press perhaps????????

  2. #6002
    Boolit Master GWS's Avatar
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    Almost.....a start at least.....using my big ole 2" ram hefty RCBS Summit press. My favorite part of the APP idea is a case and bullet feeder/collator on a single station press.....maybe on a frame that would last two life times. That was actually why I bought an APP in the first place....to see if the Summit could be something much more than just an odd single station press, that does a few things very well.

    We will see. Summit/APP Frankenstein?


    Notice the big nut die adapter on top of the Summit? Lee already makes a quick change adapter for that.



    Above is only the first proof of concept trial drawings....still perfecting....

    If I want to go all the way, and have dies underneath as well....much more work would be ahead. (drilling and tapping below) In a perfect world Lee and RCBS could get together and make a joint Ultimate APP ..... an APP Summit? (never happen of course)
    Last edited by GWS; 07-04-2022 at 11:35 PM.

  3. #6003
    Boolit Master TylerR's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GWS View Post
    Almost.....a start at least.....using my big ole 2" ram hefty RCBS Summit press. My favorite part of the APP idea is a case and bullet feeder/collator on a single station press.....maybe on a frame that would last two life times. That was actually why I bought an APP in the first place....to see if the Summit could be something much more than just an odd single station press, that does a few things very well.

    We will see. Summit/APP Frankenstein?


    Notice the big nut die adapter on top of the Summit? Lee already makes a quick change adapter for that.



    Above is only the first proof of concept trial drawings....still perfecting....

    If I want to go all the way, and have dies underneath as well....much more work would be ahead. (drilling and tapping below) In a perfect world Lee and RCBS could get together and make a joint Ultimate APP ..... an APP Summit? (never happen of course)
    Love what you got going on here. great concept.

  4. #6004
    Boolit Bub
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    Quote Originally Posted by GWS View Post
    Don't know, that's a TylerR question....he must be tired of this thread or still doing championship baseball with his kids!

    My current project is a little different..... anybody guess what? The green tool base is the hint.... Just having some fun..... Ordered a new quick change bench plate for it....
    Automation for case prep for a Rock Chucker?

    Edit...I should have scrolled down

  5. #6005
    Boolit Buddy Sig's Avatar
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    I completed my first bullet collator a few months back & couldn't be happier with how it functions. Now I want to make a brass collator for my LNL that currently uses a Lee style collator with the funnel and 4 tubes. It will be used primarily for 9mm. Ideally I'd make the 300mm version but my printer can't accommodate the size (Ender 3 Pro). I'm thinking the standard main body will do for 9mm. I know I can also add the wall extender. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts.
    Thanks.

  6. #6006
    Boolit Master GWS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sig View Post
    I completed my first bullet collator a few months back & couldn't be happier with how it functions. Now I want to make a brass collator for my LNL that currently uses a Lee style collator with the funnel and 4 tubes. It will be used primarily for 9mm. Ideally I'd make the 300mm version but my printer can't accommodate the size (Ender 3 Pro). I'm thinking the standard main body will do for 9mm. I know I can also add the wall extender. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts.
    Thanks.
    The standard main body is more than fine for most.....even .223, as I demonstrated in a video a page or 3 back. The additional problem of feeding cases to your LnL shell plate, this site has no answers for, but many Hornady owners have been successful with the downtube interface files on Thingiverse here:https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944 Or maybe you already found and use that on your Lee four-way tube feeder.

    But here's a video of TylerR's standard body collator with a large pistol bullet plate that does fine for me for .9mm, .40, ,.45, .357, and even .223 rifle cases:

    In this case 9mm (too fast, however, so I turned down the speed just a little and did away with the occasional slow case):



    Use this plus the Thingiverse files to drop into your Hornady.
    Last edited by GWS; 07-11-2022 at 03:40 PM.

  7. #6007
    Boolit Man
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    Well the first video is almost done downloading on YouTube... my internet is so slow it has taken more then 4 hours to upload a 9 min video....
    Anyways here is the link
    https://youtu.be/t6O1aGRbbzo

  8. #6008
    Boolit Master GWS's Avatar
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    Finally found a longer spring, so my RCBS Summit/Lee APP hybrid is good to go using TylerR's Quick Change for speed. Works on .270, and .223 really well, but I need to modify the .308 insert a little to keep them from escaping premature....just didn't design that one quite as tight. I'll work on it Thursday...out of town til then.

    Below.....a video feeding .223. Notice I surrounded the spring with a thinwall clear rigid tube.....it seems that the Lee tool doesn't need it, but its spring is 4" long. The Summit required 5", and at that length it tended to fold....the clear tube cured that fast. You can see that in the opening picture below:


  9. #6009
    Boolit Master cheese1566's Avatar
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    Success (I hope!!)
    46 hour print
    Click image for larger version. 

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  10. #6010
    Boolit Master cheese1566's Avatar
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    I've done searches and read a lot of the posts,

    Is there a general list of screws to use for assembly?
    (Rather than, a generic assortment box.)
    I work at an agriculture department store and have a vast selection of screws at my finger tips.

    Some say they use #2 x 1/4",,,is that #2 sheet metal / wood or a machine screw thread <which is pretty darn tiny!>

  11. #6011
    Boolit Bub wbbh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cheese1566 View Post
    I've done searches and read a lot of the posts,

    Is there a general list of screws to use for assembly?
    (Rather than, a generic assortment box.)
    I work at an agriculture department store and have a vast selection of screws at my finger tips.

    Some say they use #2 x 1/4",,,is that #2 sheet metal / wood or a machine screw thread <which is pretty darn tiny!>
    I posted a chart in post 5803, there are few additions/changes in the next few posts.

    https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...=1#post5386312

  12. #6012
    Boolit Master GWS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GWS View Post
    .....Works on .270, and .223 really well, but I need to modify the .308 insert a little to keep them from escaping premature....just didn't design that one quite as tight. I'll work on it Thursday...out of town til then.
    Okay, I got the .308 working. Picture below shows the first two less fitting caliber insert designs to the right, ideal shape on the left for inserts that work more sure:



    Just make sure the drop tube isn't pivoted back too far...... tighten the bolt so it doesn't move, or it might do as happened testing .270 when they came two at a time, due to the first one falling on the edge of the fingers.

    The difference a tight fit makes was more than worth reprinting......308 now works without anything falling or flying across the room.

    Last edited by GWS; 08-12-2022 at 11:17 PM.

  13. #6013
    Boolit Man
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    Quote Originally Posted by GWS View Post
    Okay, I got the .308 working. Picture below shows the first two less fitting caliber insert designs to the right, ideal shape on the left for inserts that work more sure:



    Just make sure the drop tube isn't pivoted back too far...... tighten the bolt so it doesn't move, or it might do as the following video where .270 came two at a time, due to the first one falling on the edge of the fingers.




    The difference a tight fit makes was more than worth reprinting......308 now works without anything falling or flying across the room.

    Looks Great!!!!!!!!!!

  14. #6014
    Boolit Buddy Sig's Avatar
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    I have an issue with my LNL if I place the bullet feeder in station 3 next to the powder measure. The proximity sensor housing & spring connector interfere with the movement of the linkage. I'm curious whether the offset for the Lee APP would fit between the bullet feeder die & the proximity sensor housing? This is only an issue when I'm loading cast or PC bullets as I want to seat & crimp in separate stations. Any help would be much appreciated.

    Edit: I believe I found the answer in post #5392 in this thread. It should work.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Sig; 07-31-2022 at 11:04 AM.

  15. #6015
    Boolit Mold
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sig View Post
    I have an issue with my LNL if I place the bullet feeder in station 3 next to the powder measure. The proximity sensor housing & spring connector interfere with the movement of the linkage. I'm curious whether the offset for the Lee APP would fit between the bullet feeder die & the proximity sensor housing? This is only an issue when I'm loading cast or PC bullets as I want to seat & crimp in separate stations. Any help would be much appreciated.

    Edit: I believe I found the answer in post #5392 in this thread. It should work.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I also run the bullet feeder in station 3, but I just turned the powder measure so that the linkage is towards the primer tube shield. I initially did this because the DAA magnetic powder die would stick to the linkage.

  16. #6016
    Boolit Mold
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    Hi all, just wanted to share my manual drive mod until my motors get here. Probably going to make the mating surface more 45 degree ish so I can print the shaft without supports. Currently it looks like a cylinder on one side, hex on the plate side, and a 3mm thick wider cylinder in between. I made this for the JG motor setup. Works great, printed everything in PETG. Using BNU plate 5 for 9mm and works great, but need to try one of the others for flat point 147's. I made a few bullet feeders out of PVC and a bucket with my CNC while I was learning the mechanics of how to design one, but wanted to tackle making this one as well since I can make them in prettier colors than hard to paint HDPE buckets



  17. #6017
    Boolit Master cheese1566's Avatar
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    Anyone have a remnant spring about 12" long for 9mm boolits in the scrap box?

    I just need a short piece from the collator to the Star sizer.

  18. #6018
    Boolit Mold
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    Quote Originally Posted by cheese1566 View Post
    Anyone have a remnant spring about 12" long for 9mm boolits in the scrap box?

    I just need a short piece from the collator to the Star sizer.
    If you really need one in a pinch, that 9/16" OD extension spring from HD works great, and fits spring adapter 12

  19. #6019
    Boolit Mold
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    Wondering if anyone has a case insert file for 284 winchester or 6.5 prc?

    Or a scad file to customize

  20. #6020
    Boolit Master cheese1566's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arcrunner View Post
    If you really need one in a pinch, that 9/16" OD extension spring from HD works great, and fits spring adapter 12
    Thanks!
    Found one down the street at Tractor Supply for $6 that is 16". More than enough. The adapters had to be mirrored for the threads , but no problem and I learned something new in Cura.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check