New Primer Tube Filler

To all the entrepreneurs out there,

Here is something that will make you money.

Come up with a way so that you don't even use primer fill tubes. You simply dump the primers into a vibratory feeder at the top of the primer tube on the press. Let it do its thing, replace the rod and continue.

THAT would be revolutionary.
I have thought about that. How do commercial guys that use dillon do it?

I can't believe they go running around the shop filling primer tubes every few minutes.

You could probably just build a wooden platform that goes on top of the doillon and gets screwed to the dillon for support and the primer filler drops into the primer tube directly.

Nothing crazy.

For something like a 650 you might have to deal with what would happen is one primer goes off. But a 750 wouldn't be an issue.

Edit... found this:


Would be cool if Lyman starts offering a competitive press to go after the 750 market. Now that they have the Mark7.
 
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Double Alpha also makes a device that is like a smaller, slower version of the Dillon. $200 and all you do is dump the primers in and in about 90 seconds it fills a tube. My thought is that this might be the "just right".

$200 vs $440 for the dillon if you set it up for large and small primers.

Thoughts?
Experience?

Oh and $20 off until the end of today with coupon code BF2020USA

 
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Double Alpha also makes a device that is like a smaller, slower version of the Dillon. $200 and all you do is dump the primers in and in about 90 seconds it fills a tube. My thought is that this might be the "just right".

$200 vs $440 for the dillon if you set it up for large and small primers.

Thoughts?
Experience?

Oh and $20 off until the end of today with coupon code BF2020USA


Yeah, I was looking hard at that one. Then, I noticed a bunch of folks over on Enos were having trouble with it so I ended up with a Pal.
 
Double Alpha also makes a device that is like a smaller, slower version of the Dillon. $200 and all you do is dump the primers in and in about 90 seconds it fills a tube. My thought is that this might be the "just right".

$200 vs $440 for the dillon if you set it up for large and small primers.

Thoughts?
Experience?

Oh and $20 off until the end of today with coupon code BF2020USA

Modeled up a primer wheel that works like the double alpha - will take 9 hours to print so I can see if my method for rejecting anvil down primers works.
 
Modeled up a primer wheel that works like the double alpha - will take 9 hours to print so I can see if my method for rejecting anvil down primers works.

Maybe we can work on a large pistol wheel after that. Not sure why they can't design it to work with either, even if you have to switch wheels.
 
So I guess my question would be-
Is there a primer magazine (dillon) size difference? I'm assuming there would have to be an adapter for each. Were it a direct attach system. Know what I mean?
I've never changed them out, just keep one setup for small and one for large.
 
Double Alpha also makes a device that is like a smaller, slower version of the Dillon. $200 and all you do is dump the primers in and in about 90 seconds it fills a tube. My thought is that this might be the "just right".

$200 vs $440 for the dillon if you set it up for large and small primers.

Thoughts?
Experience?

Oh and $20 off until the end of today with coupon code BF2020USA

The Dillon works. Buy once, cry once. Plus, check out the resale value of Dillon stuff on ebay. I don't think of it as spending $440. It's more like renting it for $50 until I decide to sell it.
 
The Dillon works. Buy once, cry once. Plus, check out the resale value of Dillon stuff on ebay. I don't think of it as spending $440. It's more like renting it for $50 until I decide to sell it.
This.

Most dillon stuff is not even worth it to buy it used on Ebay. After paying for shipping you might be saving $10 on a brand new one.

Once in a while you will find a great deal on a press.
 
Testing out a small primer filler design like the double alpha pro - test print of the wheel looks to be about 90% so I need to add motor mounts to the base and print - once I get it working, I'll post up the STL files and make a large primer version.

I don't have any gearhead motors hanging around so I'm going to have to use a small stepper motor for beta testing - might actually work better because of the extra vibration.
 
The Dillon works. Buy once, cry once. Plus, check out the resale value of Dillon stuff on ebay. I don't think of it as spending $440. It's more like renting it for $50 until I decide to sell it.

How well does it work with Winchester primers? I know one reloader who doesn't mind spending money (multiple Mark VII's) and swears by the PAL filler. He got rid of his RF 100's.
 
Quick render and a step file to look at in 3d

Base is set up to use a stepper from an old inkjet printer simply because that's what I had in the junk bin.
Base is printing right now - will print the wheel tonight to tomorrow I should be able to test it out
 

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Quick render and a step file to look at in 3d

Base is set up to use a stepper from an old inkjet printer simply because that's what I had in the junk bin.
Base is printing right now - will print the wheel tonight to tomorrow I should be able to test it out

Clearly you are smarter than me. I'd suggest that you focus on something that you can affix to the top of a dillon primer magazine. Thus eliminating the need to even fill primer tubes.

If yiou could come up with something like that that works, yo would be my hero. :)
 
Clearly you are smarter than me. I'd suggest that you focus on something that you can affix to the top of a dillon primer magazine. Thus eliminating the need to even fill primer tubes.

If yiou could come up with something like that that works, yo would be my hero. :)
I don't have a Dillon - major skinflint - so development would be a little harder

Doesn't Dillon have a rod the pushes on the primers?
 
I don't have a Dillon - major skinflint - so development would be a little harder

Doesn't Dillon have a rod the pushes on the primers?
The rod pushes on the primers with only the force of gravity, and the rod is plastic, so it doesn’t push hard.
 
The rod pushes on the primers with only the force of gravity, and the rod is plastic, so it doesn’t push hard.
Let me work out the basics first - making it mount to the press shouldn't be a big issue (assuming the primer tube doesn't move as the press cycles).

I'm assuming that you would want an automatic feed setup if press mounted - dump 300-400 primers and the feeder fills the tube until an optical sensor breaks.
 
Let me work out the basics first - making it mount to the press shouldn't be a big issue (assuming the primer tube doesn't move as the press cycles).

I'm assuming that you would want an automatic feed setup if press mounted - dump 300-400 primers and the feeder fills the tube until an optical sensor breaks.
If you get that figured out, make 10,000 of them before you announce to the world and the Chicoms steal your IP. You’ll sell out the first batch in no time And make a killing!
 
Clearly you are smarter than me. I'd suggest that you focus on something that you can affix to the top of a dillon primer magazine. Thus eliminating the need to even fill primer tubes.

If yiou could come up with something like that that works, yo would be my hero. :)
That is basically how auto primers work in some of the commercial videos I saw.

Dillon has plenty if metal for attachment points. You just mount it on top and primers drop straight into the primer tube in the machine.

I am sure with a little but of playing and bending some tube, you can probably have it on the side.

If you ever market anything, I wouldn't market it for the 650. Imagine the primers blowing up and somehow making it to the top with the stored primers. People never want to be responsible for their own actions. When I blew up my revolver I had people message me and tell me to force MR to pay for it, when it was 100% my fault. (I didn't ask them to pay for anything).
 
What I'm doing is too close to double alpha to market without running into patent issues (even if my mods create a probably novel design I don't want the fight)
Looked at the Dillon primer system - Entirely possible to add an automated primer feed by modifying the feed assembly. But that's $100 investment to start the design.
Would need to shorten the outer shield tube, index the primer tube to the outer tube, and add two optical sensors (low primer warning and primer feed trigger). Mounting a feed on top of the modified tube is simple after all that...
 
What I'm doing is too close to double alpha to market without running into patent issues (even if my mods create a probably novel design I don't want the fight)
Looked at the Dillon primer system - Entirely possible to add an automated primer feed by modifying the feed assembly. But that's $100 investment to start the design.
Would need to shorten the outer shield tube, index the primer tube to the outer tube, and add two optical sensors (low primer warning and primer feed trigger). Mounting a feed on top of the modified tube is simple after all that...
Nkce, you will design the entire thing. I thought you were just trying to build an adapter
 
That is basically how auto primers work in some of the commercial videos I saw.

Dillon has plenty if metal for attachment points. You just mount it on top and primers drop straight into the primer tube in the machine.

I am sure with a little but of playing and bending some tube, you can probably have it on the side.

If you ever market anything, I wouldn't market it for the 650. Imagine the primers blowing up and somehow making it to the top with the stored primers. People never want to be responsible for their own actions. When I blew up my revolver I had people message me and tell me to force MR to pay for it, when it was 100% my fault. (I didn't ask them to pay for anything).
Whoa whoa whoa, plenty of us 650 users loading for years without a hitch...where’s the love?
 
Maybe rather than building a primer collater you just build a bracket that allows you to fill the dillon tubes directly from an existing collator.

Come on people. This is the one area of reloading that I despise. Ha.

Though lately my 10 year old has been filling primer tubes for me. (with lots of safety precautions)
 
I melted my prototype today - yes, melted. Didn't notice that I had hit one of the current limit switches on the driver and walked away to help my son with one of his engineering projects. Luckily it didn't melt to my desk.
Printing out a new base now with a couple of changes that should help primers drop freely.

Mounting directly to a press would not create a hazard - The primers in the tube would not be in line with the ones in the collator.
That said - this thing is more of an experiment than a product. I don't have dillon equipment - I don't even have any primer tubes.
 
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