Stuck indexing rod

[schrödinger's cat]

Hello all, I am new to reloading and setting up my Loadmaster for the first time. I am not done yet but I have run into a problem, my indexing rod is very stuck. I can't budge it at all. This is the second time it got stuck. Because I am new to this machine I'm sure I'm doing something wrong but I'm not sure what. I'm not pulling the lever too hard or too fast, but I am fully going to the up and down positions smoothly. Any ideas how to get the rod unstuck, and why it is getting stuck ?
Btw thank you for having me here, I'm sure I'll need your help with some issues as I learn and I've already learned lots by reading the archives.
Off topic rant ... why does a Loadmaster that I just bought from Cabelas have a first generation priming system ?

[schrödinger's cat]

I'd like to add that as you can see I have a case in the shellplate (please excuse me while I try to get my terminology right) that may complicate taking the shellplate out

[schrödinger's cat]

I got the shell out and pushed the plastic thing on the end of the rod out of the way, the rod is still stuck and the shellplate is also stuck, I can't lift it out. Help anyone ?

[Ranch Dog]

Good morning. Believe it or not when things get stuck in the position you find yours in, it usually has something to do with Primer Rocker Arm assembly up through the primer pin (the pin that pushes the primer into the primer pocket). The bind might also extend from the primer pin against the shell plate.

LM_primer_rocker_arm_01.jpg

It is kind of an operator issue through partial strokes of the ram or issue with the press because of carrier alignment. The binding can take place whether there are primers in the feed or not but having them present complicates the problem as they themselves can be the bind contact. Basically, what has happened is that the shell plate has started to advance before the primer pin has been able to retract.

What needs to be avoided is damaging the primer pin as it slips past the shell plate. Take a look at the #2 position and see how much of the pin is caught in the shell plate. The pressure between the two is going to make the shell plate difficult to remove. See if you can provide some relief via the rocker arm as well. This is something you will just need to fiddle with.

Once it is free, you can stop the partial strokes and then note if it happens on full strokes. That becomes an issues with the machine and we can go from there.

[schrödinger's cat]

Thank you. I'll play around with it. Thankful there are no primers in it. I know that I did not short stroke it because that's what I was paying attention to when I was cycling the press. But the press is not yet bolted down tightly and it moves a bit. Maybe that caused the trouble.

[schrödinger's cat]

Thank you RD, I didn't even know where to look. So I got the shellplate off and the rod out. And I ran the press up and down a few times and the priming pin kept getting stuck. I also pushed the rocketr arm and it was also getting stuck. It seems that the whole primer assembly is a bit loose and it grabs the priming pin. I don't know how well you can see it but the top picture is if the pin stuck, and the button picture is of the pin in it's normal down position.

[Ranch Dog]

I'm out on a road trip so I don't have my presses to look at. I will be out at least another three days. Plus you should know that one of my LM's gave me a load of %@*&$ on the day that I left so I'm not the most LM appreciative guy right now. My next suggestion would be to check the carrier alignment and the only thing I can offer there is not to get the draw bolt too tight when you re-secure it as you can actually warp the ram through compression.

[schrödinger's cat]

Enjoy your road trip. The rod got stuck again tonight. I'm going to put this problem on pause and see if I can mount the press better.

[Steve]

Check carrier alignment and make sure the priming pin base is not binding in the carrier. (May a ber is in there from being bound up.