Least Useful Equipment

[megasupermagnum]

"Proper adjustment" of the collet nut still requires a 10" box wrench on the nut and equally long open-end on the die body. Ridiculous. I designed fixtures and tools for automotive plants during in my engineering career, and I'd be ashamed if I'd turned out something like that. GM would have thrown it back in my face, too, and rightly so.

What other tool should you use? It isn't like I need to gorilla tighten my Lee dies. Doubt I put more than 10 ftlbs on mine. I don't do anything to the stems, I use my dies right out of the box. I just don't see what's wrong with needing a wrench. Most of my dies have been working for many years and I've not had to touch them again. It's not like you have to mess with them regularly.

[JimB..]

The lee depriming pin in a collet is not great with crimped brass.
The RCBS depriming pin with the internal spring is not great for anything.

[georgerkahn]

Being slightly (slightly???) OCD, when I bought my Dillon, 550B I *HAD* to have a Dillon metal primer flip tray. I tried it a couple, maybe three times, and ALWAYS go back to -- which I've used exclusively for at least 40 years -- the small, squarish RCBS plastic tray. Yup -- I still have the Dillon; but, never ever use it. Clearly my very much most useless reloading room item.

[imashooter2]

Being slightly (slightly???) OCD, when I bought my Dillon, 550B I *HAD* to have a Dillon metal primer flip tray. I tried it a couple, maybe three times, and ALWAYS go back to -- which I've used exclusively for at least 40 years -- the small, squarish RCBS plastic tray. Yup -- I still have the Dillon; but, never ever use it. Clearly my very much most useless reloading room item.

Don’t use many Federal primers eh? Love that big Dillon tray with my Federal packaging.

[deces]

What is a "most useful" list (not trying to hijack that thread) without a "least useful" list, which for me is the PACT Digital Powder Dispenser. Don't get me wrong, the PACT is a fine piece of equipment. It does what it is supposed to do, but in a less-than-timely manner. I can manually throw two beam scale charges to every one of the mostly expensive and slow "automated" dispenser charges, so it sits, brand new, used twice, and is ~15-years old.

Pact did upgrade the powder thrower, first they made the main tube larger and they changed the board. I'm a fan.

[414gates]

My son got himself a wet tumbler with pins, it came as a package deal with a press he wanted.

He never used it. I never used it. Neither of us want to use it. So it sits there.

[Lloyd Smale]

What is a "most useful" list (not trying to hijack that thread) without a "least useful" list, which for me is the PACT Digital Powder Dispenser. Don't get me wrong, the PACT is a fine piece of equipment. It does what it is supposed to do, but in a less-than-timely manner. I can manually throw two beam scale charges to every one of the mostly expensive and slow "automated" dispenser charges, so it sits, brand new, used twice, and is ~15-years old.

ive loaded thousands on mine and will be lost when it dies. i bought a lyman for a back up but it collects dust. cant stand that you have to warm it up for 15 minutes. reason your loading faster without it is your using it wrong. put your cases in a loading block and charge one and the start the dispenser for the next charge and while your waiting seat a bullet in the already charged case. now i dont use it for ball power because a powder drop will do it faster and accurately but they dont work for crap with stick powders. honestly anything i load with ball powers for rifles a i do on my 550

[Bent Ramrod]

For me, it’s the Quinetics allegedly “universal” shell holder for reloading presses. The gap between what it’s imagined to be and what it actually is couldn’t possibly be greater.

It has three little bits inside that are supposed to surround and grip any case rim, and seat solidly when the case is pushed into the sizing die. They are supposed to stay in place when the case is pulled back out, and then break loose when the operator grabs and rocks the case from side to side.

In practice, the thing often lets loose of the case when it is up in the sizing die. This means removal of the universal holder, and sliding a regular shell holder into the ram while holding the lever so the top of the ram is just close enough to the case rim so it slides over the rim and into the shell holder slot at the same time. This is a three-hand operation, also requiring a lot of sulphurous incantations to work.

Equally often, the holder will not let loose its grip on the shell rim after removal, without a lot of extra wiggling, jiggling and more inappropriate language. I would say that the use of this gimmick increases the time needed to process a given box of cases by a factor of three or four.

So it sits on a shelf on my bench in its little box, with the instructions. Every now and then, when the lady in the leather dress, spiked dog collar, 6” heels, fishnet stockings and cat-o’-nine-tails is busy with another client, I take the thing out to see if the “issues” with it aren’t really just a failure of my technique, or my inadequate understanding of the instructions, or a deep and incorrigible flaw in my character.

The answer is always “Nope.”

[rintinglen]

The manual powder trickler. I have a couple. After using one a time or two I found using a powder thrower and a powder scoop made from a 22 short case to be faster and easier.

Gets my vote. I use a LEE powder scoop. Works faster and takes up less space.

[metricmonkeywrench]

Sat back and watched this thread a bit before responding, My "least useful" is actually 2 procured during my "hunting and gathering" phase of reloading equipment acquisition. The first is a Hornady universal decapping die, after the first initial use to try it out it now languishes up on the shelf. The die/press is in the house and the dry tumbler is out in the garage and attempts to dry tumble without primers leads me to having to poke media out od all the flash holes. I have no intention to go to wet/pin tumbling. The second is a RCBS collet puller with a couple collets. I don't do much jacketed bullet/brass recovery and my only real attempt at pulling a cast bullet left me with a mangled chunk of lead. Electricians pliers on the press downstroke is much simpler quicker since all the bullets end up going back into the pot anyway and i can save the powder (if known) instead of loosing it in the kinetic hammer.

I do keep them around as that "tool in the toolbox" for the day I might need them but as is if they were to walk off i probably would not notice for a verry long time.

[Lloyd Smale]

mine would be the pro 1000 and promaster i bought years ago. after a few months the 1000 ended up in the pond and the promaster would be there too but my neighbor said he would take it. he had it for about 3 months of frustration and gave it to someone else and bought a 550. hopefully someone he didnt like.

[deces]

For me, it’s the Quinetics allegedly “universal” shell holder for reloading presses. The gap between what it’s imagined to be and what it actually is couldn’t possibly be greater.

It has three little bits inside that are supposed to surround and grip any case rim, and seat solidly when the case is pushed into the sizing die. They are supposed to stay in place when the case is pulled back out, and then break loose when the operator grabs and rocks the case from side to side.

In practice, the thing often lets loose of the case when it is up in the sizing die. This means removal of the universal holder, and sliding a regular shell holder into the ram while holding the lever so the top of the ram is just close enough to the case rim so it slides over the rim and into the shell holder slot at the same time. This is a three-hand operation, also requiring a lot of sulphurous incantations to work.

Equally often, the holder will not let loose its grip on the shell rim after removal, without a lot of extra wiggling, jiggling and more inappropriate language. I would say that the use of this gimmick increases the time needed to process a given box of cases by a factor of three or four.

So it sits on a shelf on my bench in its little box, with the instructions. Every now and then, when the lady in the leather dress, spiked dog collar, 6” heels, fishnet stockings and cat-o’-nine-tails is busy with another client, I take the thing out to see if the “issues” with it aren’t really just a failure of my technique, or my inadequate understanding of the instructions, or a deep and incorrigible flaw in my character.

The answer is always “Nope.”

I think that special shell holder is only practical when neck sizing or seating a boolit.

[gwpercle]

Least useful is a electronic powder scale .
On paper it looks like a good idea ... in practice and real life use ... it Sucks Rocks !

I'll take a good old fashioned beam scale any day when it comes time to weigh powder .

Gary

[jimlj]

I'm glad I read this. I had it in my mind I needed an electronic scale.
My most worthless *** is a Lee "universal" shell holder allegedly for 9mm and 40. Works great for ruining 9mm brass and sticking cases in a die. If I ever want to re-learn my oilfield language I'll buy another one.

[M-Tecs]

I'm glad I read this. I had it in my mind I needed an electronic scale.
My most worthless *** is a Lee "universal" shell holder allegedly for 9mm and 40. Works great for ruining 9mm brass and sticking cases in a die. If I ever want to re-learn my oilfield language I'll buy another one.

Not all electronic scales are created equal. Since 2008 when I started using the Denver Instrument MXX-123 my RCBS 304, RCBS 1010 and RCBS 505 have not been used much (almost never). Same for several other lesser digital scales.

If I had to replace my Denver Instruments MXX-123 it would be this one https://www.creedmoorsports.com/prod...r_sports_brand

[jmorris]

^^^ That is a solution which makes SO MUCH sense! ^^^

It does take up a lot of space on the benchtop.

Instead of a dipper I just mounted a measure to throw an “under” charge and trickle up. I just use a photo electric switch that shuts off the trickler when the beam is level. Throws within two hundredths of a grain (1 kernel of IMR3031).

[jmorris]

What other tool should you use? It isn't like I need to gorilla tighten my Lee dies. Doubt I put more than 10 ftlbs on mine. I don't do anything to the stems, I use my dies right out of the box. I just don't see what's wrong with needing a wrench. Most of my dies have been working for many years and I've not had to touch them again. It's not like you have to mess with them regularly.

I am one of those that see the collet retaining the decapping pin as a feature, if you don’t have it too tight and wind up breaking the pin anyway.

The 1/8 NPT collet is a smart idea that doesn’t require anything special to utilize, I have used them in my past projects as well.

I run them as loose as I can without the pin raising when decapping.

I just checked the torque on my Lee universal decapping die with a witness mark and applying force until it tightened further ~20ft/lb is where it moved.

[ascast]

ANOTHER CANDIDATE HAS COME TO MIND - THE OLD lACHMULLER BENCH PRIMING TOOL. ( I really hate that, the caps thing- ) The primer tool was a one at a time hand feed both primer and case deal. No wonder they have all been sent to the scrape heap.

BTW the p[owder dribblers can be sped up by adapting a cordless screw driver.

[uscra112]

Instead of a dipper I just mounted a measure to throw an “under” charge and trickle up. I just use a photo electric switch that shuts off the trickler when the beam is level. Throws within two hundredths of a grain (1 kernel of IMR3031).

I have a commercially made optically switched dispenser like that. A gunshow curiosity. It's so useless that I forgot I have it until you mentioned it.

[greybuff]

All of the different hand priming tools that I have tried. Ended up with an RCBS bench model that I modified the handle on. I cut the handle off and re-welded it in a vertical position so it doesn't hang off the bench and you pull on the handle to seat a primer.
Also the several different case trimmers that I've had. Went with an LE Wislon and love it. Easy to use and extremely repeatable.