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Derraco Priming Tool Issues

Pietro panama

Gold $$ Contributor
Perplexed, need advise. Have had for a year and works smoothtly with large rifle primers.
Have continual problems with small rifle setup and primers-----specifically 6BR Lapua cases with CCI 450 magnum primers. CCI anvils sometimes proud....originally thought that was the issue. Cleaned Lee #2 shellholder. Plunger projects adequately.
Still getting stuck cases in shell holder from scarred primers. Have to remove with channel locks, ruining brass. OK 95% of time, but 5% frustrating.
Cannot find Derraco website contact info.
Any advice would be appreciated,
 

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I had some trouble to start with this thing too. Just this week in fact.

I threaded the die deep into the press so that the handle stroke was high on my Rock Chucker. I like to sit and I wanted to be below the case neck for safety reasons. I suspect the simple physics of the lever being vertical created less leverage. To my mind that created less chance of over crushing and causing bad things.

I couldn't get good seating on new brass and primers. Starline .308 and Magtech LRP respectively. I pulled out the Lee hand primer tool and they were seating like butter. Cold butter but smooth nonetheless. Reverse setup the Derraco die on that case and loud noise be damned, I was gonna get one to seat! I was very surprised how much force it took with the handle near vertical! Once I got the feel it worked pretty well. Ran through about 500 .308 and 6.5CM pretty quickly. Good consistency in depth as far as I could tell with calipers. Next time I set it up I will set the die so the handle is closer, if not at, 90*. I'll bet that is where max leverage is.

I like the thing but jury is still out.
 
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My problem only small primers, as above. Friend has Derraco with no problems. Rock Chucker and stand up for maximum leverage. Even strike several times and still stick in SH. Going to team PPs next.
 
sounds like you're just not adjusted properly. The micrometer adjustment is the hard stop for the tool so if you are not contacting that, it's not set up properly. I have a couple thousand small rifle primers through mine with no problems. My die is threaded down to where my press handle is parallel to the floor. Ive used BR4s, 450M and 205M all without issue.
 
Perplexed, need advise. Have had for a year and works smoothtly with large rifle primers.
Have continual problems with small rifle setup and primers-----specifically 6BR Lapua cases with CCI 450 magnum primers. CCI anvils sometimes proud....originally thought that was the issue. Cleaned Lee #2 shellholder. Plunger projects adequately.
Still getting stuck cases in shell holder from scarred primers. Have to remove with channel locks, ruining brass. OK 95% of time, but 5% frustrating.
Cannot find Derraco website contact info.
Any advice would be appreciated,
Here is an immediate solution to your problem….
 
This is not the solution for everyone. I got away from a hand primer years ago because when you cram 32 years of service into 25 physical years of work your hands take a lot of abuse as a pipefitter. In other words they hurt. The same way with those who have arthritis, they hurt. He just needs to figure it out. I bought the Derrico to help step up my game and feel it works great. I guess whats a solution for one isn't always the solution for everyone.
 
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I have the PCPS Precision Primer Seating Tool. Definitely better than seating primers by feel, especially with arthritic hands. Really like it but wish they would develop an upgrade to measure from the base of the case versus being rim thickness dependent like so many others.
 
At this point I have seated thousands of primers with the PCPS priming tool. It is very easy to set up and use. VERY accurate and easy to adjust depth… I use an Accuracy One primer measuring tool and can set primers to better than .001 consistency over 500 at a time.
The PCPS is a very simple mechanical tool with very little to go wrong. I would go through and set up again following the directions and not assume any assembly step is correct, redo it all and see what happens.
LAST_ when I read someone telling another to be careful not to over crush with the PCPS … I know for sure there is a serious lack of understanding how the simple tool works.
 
I have the PCPS Precision Primer Seating Tool. Definitely better than seating primers by feel, especially with arthritic hands. Really like it but wish they would develop an upgrade to measure from the base of the case versus being rim thickness dependent like so many others.
LEE ACP is base referenced. With a minor tweak you can have an adjustable seating depth unit.
 
sounds like you're just not adjusted properly. The micrometer adjustment is the hard stop for the tool so if you are not contacting that, it's not set up properly. I have a couple thousand small rifle primers through mine with no problems. My die is threaded down to where my press handle is parallel to the floor. Ive used BR4s, 450M and 205M all without issue.
Yep, switching back and forth from large to small requires resetting the micrometer for desired seating depth, As well as different brass manufacturers for a given primer size.
 
sounds like you're just not adjusted properly. The micrometer adjustment is the hard stop for the tool so if you are not contacting that, it's not set up properly. I have a couple thousand small rifle primers through mine with no problems. My die is threaded down to where my press handle is parallel to the floor. Ive used BR4s, 450M and 205M all without issue.
This seems to be the problem. I seat the super tight Ginex primers with mine and no issues at all. The press leverage increases as the handle gets lower. Mine is also about level with the floor. Once the micrometer adjustment is set it will seat until it hits that hard stop. I've done 1000's of primers of various makes and types with no issues
 
At this point I have seated thousands of primers with the PCPS priming tool. It is very easy to set up and use. VERY accurate and easy to adjust depth… I use an Accuracy One primer measuring tool and can set primers to better than .001 consistency over 500 at a time.
The PCPS is a very simple mechanical tool with very little to go wrong. I would go through and set up again following the directions and not assume any assembly step is correct, redo it all and see what happens.
LAST_ when I read someone telling another to be careful not to over crush with the PCPS … I know for sure there is a serious lack of understanding how the simple tool works.
I agree. Love the tool. Another way you can set it up, is to insert case half way into shell holder so that the seating shaft rests against the case head. Adjust micrometer down until it hits the anvil to get the measurement to the head and then adjust from that zero adjustment to however many thousandths you want the primer below the case head. Works fine for me
 
LAST_ when I read someone telling another to be careful not to over crush with the PCPS … I know for sure there is a serious lack of understanding how the simple tool works.
Since I am the only one who used the word "crush" I suspect that was directed at me.

I know for sure there is a lack of understanding of what I said. I was concerned that I was using too much force to get to the hard stop of the tool. I had not developed a feel for the amount of leverage that was needed. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to understand the tool. I have set off a primer in my Dillon by getting ham handed so I am quite careful these days.

Finally I didn't tell anyone to do anything. I just told my story.
 
This seems to be the problem. I seat the super tight Ginex primers with mine and no issues at all. The press leverage increases as the handle gets lower. Mine is also about level with the floor. Once the micrometer adjustment is set it will seat until it hits that hard stop. I've done 1000's of primers of various makes and types with no issues

I think the lever position is the crux of my slow start with the tool. I greatly underestimated the force (lack thereof) at say 15* VS 90* of handle position. It felt like too much until I got the feel. Bur, alas physics is the law!
 
Pietro Panama, I've had my PCPS 2 years now and it works perfectly. I suspect your high primers are the result of something you are doing incorrectly. Go back and re-read the setup instructions again, even if you have already done so. I use primarily Lapua SR & Peterson SR cases for my 6CM's and when I set the plunger so it projects into an empty primer pocket enough so the case cannot be removed from the shell holder, primers are then seated below flush as they should be.
Good luck
 
Primers should be seated deep enough to ensure the feet of the anvil are on the bottom of the primer pocket. This is determined by both feel and visual inspection when decapping. You should see 3 clean spot on the bottom of the pocket of a fired case where the anvil feet sat
 
SeabeeKen:
Another way you can set it up, is to insert case half way into shell holder so that the seating shaft rests against the case head. Adjust micrometer down until it hits the anvil to get the measurement to the head and then adjust from that zero adjustment to however many thousandths you want the primer below the case head.
Great tip! Now the tool is set for base reference. And as an example, .002in = 0.0508mm. Each click is 0.01mm so 5 clicks is close to .002in deep. The tool's set up instructions, "... adjust the micrometer clockwise downward until you can barely pull out the brass from the shell holder." SeabeeKen's tip is simple and easier to do for indexing off the bottom of the brass instead of the rim as many people do with this tool. You just have "to find" the base. Thanks to SeabeeKen.
 
Great tip! Now the tool is set for base reference. And as an example, .002in = 0.0508mm. Each click is 0.01mm so 5 clicks is close to .002in deep. The tool's set up instructions, "... adjust the micrometer clockwise downward until you can barely pull out the brass from the shell holder." SeabeeKen's tip is simple and easier to do for indexing off the bottom of the brass instead of the rim as many people do with this tool. You just have "to find" the base. Thanks to SeabeeKen.
I disagree; you are not set for base reference. Different rim thicknesses, albeit minor, will offset the primer depth. SeabeeKen's instructions are not truly different from the manufacturers.
 

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