Case kicker for reloading press

Hi all

I’ve recently watched a video on case kicker. Basically a little retrofitted part that kicks the case out of the reloading press.

There are two alternative designs. One on the upstroke of the handle (https://youtu.be/vjzy7yw15S4) and the other when the ram bottoms out (more on that below).

I love this stuff, so immediately built one in my head and having the tools and know-how, I am like yep, will make both and see what I like.

Here’s the other design, this is what I’m specifically asking about: https://youtu.be/udkieyxl2Fk

My question, not being metallurgy enthusiast, the metal is some sort of “springy” steel/alloy. Otherwise it wouldn’t spring back. I don’t know what it is and where to get a piece like that.

Any suggestions?

I can see the desire on several levels one the Automation of it. That click, click producing ammo buzz the other side just the practicality of ease of mass producing ammo. all of that great for pistol rounds.

Funny yesterday though I was sitting at the press futzing around with a kernal here a kernal there measuring each round they were compressed to several times through the press to try and get the bullet to the correct length. During all of this I thought who wants to get a Dillion and hurry this job. Making the perfect bullet is an Art form and should not be rushed but savored. The shooting is all over too fast. Perhaps there was a little justifying happening. :grinning:

@sungazer correct thinking, incorrect assumption. I often resize in batches and this will speed things up a lot. Brass prep is boring, so faster the better.

Question remains, any suggestions?

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@juststarting not really assuming anything of your thoughts they were mine.

The second one doesnt look that hard to make other than finding the right bit of spring steel it is working on the length that at the highest point of the ram it doesn’t touch the case and the lower it pushes it out looks like it has the three bends in it to spread the spring out a little on the two main bends. I am sure you worked that bit out though. Where to re purpose a bit of spring steel from is the real issue a steel ruler may work as may the flat spring steel in mower and other engine rope returns. There is also some on good ole ebay.

That first one may be eaiser to make it just needs a sping to pull it across the top of the ram perhaps a slope on the bottom would allow it to be pushed clear of the ram when rising it up

I like the idea of a cheap steel ruler that would be my first try I think. will ponder on it.

  • 1 for a cheap steal ruler, it should give enough material for a couple. An experimental bit and some for a final product once you get it how you want.
    But really just do it on the pro1000!

Can’t on the Lee, I have other calibres you know… That I don’t have plates for. And this is just my type of geeky metalwork project :slight_smile:

You could also recycle an old set of feeler gauges for your spring?

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I can see the benefit if you are doing pistol rounds but for me I wouldn’t use it on rifle rounds only because it is a sort of therapeutic process and I find it quiet relaxing. I guess it would be different if you were loading a few hundred rounds at a time.

But then again if I was going to do one I think I would pick the first one as it seems less likely to break.

Chain saw or lawn mower starter spring

I don’t have either. Anyone feels like sending me a spare?

Coil spring under it to push up and across. If you get the idea

Watching that second video I think its a solid piece of bent strap - not a spring.
But if you need a section of flat spring I can help you out.

Thanks, @Wombat. I will probably get to it in a week or two. Will try a few things first before I start scrounging for materials.

Excuse my baby-soft IT hands and… But, what’s a “strap”? If it’s what I think it is, metal strip used to tie things like bricks and large industrial stuff together… Then I suspect that it may not be ridged enough. Maybe?

Just a shorthand word for a flat bar. So basically a rectangular section of metal.

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@juststarting love that " baby soft IT hands"

In raw metal there are many forms in which you can source it, some are-
Round bar ( a solid circular sectioned bar)
Hollow round bar ( a circular section with a hole in the middle)
Square bar…
Rectangular Bar ( generally thicker sections)
Flat bar ( a thinner section of rectangular otherwise known as strap)
Hex ( a Hexagonal solid section)
Tube ( a round tube or pipe- with a thin wall section in relation to the outside diameter)
Square Tube ( a square tube or pipe- with a thin wall section in relation to the outside diameter)
Rectangular Tube (take a guess)
Sheet…
Those are the Common forms, different industries have other standards and sections.
There are a series of sections for coolrooms, Glazing, transport etc
It even has some specific ones for racks and DIN rails etc
Its even possible to commission your own extruded section for a specific application.

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I’ve been thinking about case kickers and decided on something…

Work in progress, but my solinoids were delivered yesterday and I was watching kiddlets today… So we did some arts and crafts.

Decided to take my laziness to the next level.

Quick test.

Made a bracket… Test.

Added microswitch and mount for it test.

Noticed that the solinoid gets hot. No fear, I have just a fan for it.

Now time to make a shoot for it.

FYI kicks a loaded 45-70 cartridge just fine. Just to test the extremes…

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Some good progress there.
Will you be making the bracket smaller?

Not sure about a chute, you might have to put up a net to catch them as they shoot out pretty well.

I’m actually going to make a bench mount, rather than press and decouple solinoid from microswitch. This is just me seeing if it’s going to work…