doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Handloader adjustment

Need some help jogging a failing memory. This weekend I dug out my old Pacific DL155 handloader and set it up with a set of 20ga. dies. I've got two grandkids that can burn up lots of ammo and have way more loading supplies than room on the credit card to purchase flats of 20ga. ammo. I haven't loaded on this machine for 30+ yrs. and don't remember how to "tune" it.

My problem is "wrinkling" about 1/3 of the hulls during the final crimp stage. My experience has been this happens with too tall a load column for the hull, but I've tried two loads: 7/8 oz. 8's, a Win WAA20 and 15 gr. of Universal in a Win AA hull and 15.5 in a Rem RTS type hull. Before I set the crimp the load column appears correct, a tad lower than the crimp base on the hull. Remingtons fail more often but Winchesters have wrinkled as well. I'm assuming the problem lies in the final crimp die which has an adjustable plunger that seats the face of the crimp, but moving it up and down doesn't solve my problem. I'm mechanically challeged and with two adjustments--moving the final die body up and down plus the plunger I've managed to thoroughly confuse and frustrate myself.

I'd like to get this old girl running, put the grand kids on the bench and extend their knowledge and enjoyment of the shooting sports, but need a working machine. Help!

Cobbhead, how about increasing the wad pressure when seating the wad, is there an adjustment for that? Should be there. That will seat the load further down the hull allowing for the final stage to crimp the shell properly.

Try backing off a bit on the final crimp stage. Also make sure the crimp starter closes the petals properly. Done properly, a lead pencil will not enter the opening. This is especially important with the new softer shells like AA HS and some of the Remingtons.

I had one of those about 40 years ago. I think both suggestions could relieve your problem but the best answer is to find a nice MEC 600.

When I got my first MEC, I swore I'd never buy anything else again and I havent.

It's the same difference as between a Pacer and a Lexus

One of the many advantages of owning a double, reloading becomes real straightforward as most any shell will slide into the chamber. That Remington 1100 I had and also a friend's 1100 they were so finicky about the loads it would feed that I gave up reloading for it.
And I also agree with Dick, I don't know about their self indexing presses but the MEC is the best single stage press made!!!

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/bpi/articleindex/articles/mecadjust/mecadj.htm describes how to deal with buckled hulls and poor crimps on MEC reloaders. Maybe, it will translate to the Pacific reloader. MEC reloaders do not support the base of the hull at the crimp station, and the outside body of the crimp die can press down far enough to buckle the hull.