As described above, this new primer feed system is both accurate and consistent. The primer feed station begins by loading primers from the vendor packaging into the vibratory feed bowl via the primer chute. The bowl has an adjustable height polycarbonate guard that is inside the main safety polycarbonate doors and exits above the machine. The bowl then orients the primers open side up and discharges them into the primer track. Crimping can be done with 3 or 5 pins or a complete radial crimp. Previous versions of the crimp station on these crimping machines involved a pin mounted to the upper ram and a lower pin actuated by the lower ram. It was difficult to time and adjust properly for a consistent crimp. This new approach to crimping has proved much more reliable, accurate and easier to adjust. It still utilizes an upper pin mounted to the upper moving ram assembly but the lower pin is fixed.

Herein described is a small caliber ammunition production loading machine with a novel measuring location and device. The machine will load one cartridge at a time and is referred to as a ‘single-out” machine (see FIG. 1). The machine will be similar in nature to existing loading machines with the following key novel aspects: a) The cartridge overall length (OAL) will be measured both as an overall dimension which is industry standard and also at a key datum location on a bullet's ogive. Measuring to a repeatable datum point on the bullet's ogive gives a more accurate representation of the cartridge's ballistic ability.

A bullet seating die for use with an ammunition press to seat a bullet in a case includes a die housing having an ammunition press mount for mounting the bullet seating die on the ammunition press. The die housing defines a bullet receiving space having an open end and a side window in communication with the bullet receiving space. The side window sized and shaped to permit the bullet to be inserted therethrough to position the bullet in the bullet receiving space. A seating stem is supported by the die housing. The seating stem is arranged to engage the bullet to press the bullet into the case when the ammunition press is operated. A spring biases the seating stem away from the open end of the bullet receiving space to permit the bullet to be inserted through the side window and into the bullet receiving space.

Described is an ammunition production loading machine. The machine will load two cartridges at once and is referred to as a ‘two-out” machine. The machine will be of a mechanical nature reducing the potential loss of production that occurs with pneumatic systems. Any pneumatic systems on the machine will operate only in failure instances, i.e. in the case of a powder failure the pneumatic system will obstruct the projectile feed mechanism. The machine consists of seven (7) major components, which operate in unison. The machine is intended to run a single caliber so changeover adjustments and time required to change calibers are eliminated. The machine is capable of precisely loading a complete cartridge at a rate of 240 parts per minute in a completely automated manner. The key features of this novel machine are the full automation from station to station and a cartridge retaining bullet crimp case bushing in a rotating main disk, which rotates cases from station to station. The bullet crimp case bushing has a tapered feature inside which crimps the case to the bullet. Machines in the prior art utilize slotted case inserts or features to hold the cartridge base in position for loading, which relies on a separate tool for crimping and are not fully automated. The herein described machine is fully automated and does not require a person to manually move parts from one station to the next, nor loading of individual inserts to effectuate the bullet to case connection.

A bullet-seating die for precisely loading a bullet into a cartridge case is disclosed. In embodiments, the bullet die comprises: a die body; a bullet-nose-alignment stem configured to engage and center a front end of a bullet within the die body before and after bullet seating begins; a bullet-seating-depth-adjustment screw adjustable to control seating depth of the bullet in a cartridge case; a bullet-seating collet configured to surround an ogival portion of the bullet that will engage the rifling when the loaded cartridge is fired; a bullet-seating collet bushing configured to positively center the bullet-seating collet in the die body; a case-shoulder-alignment bushing configured to positively center a front end of the cartridge case, the bullet-nose-alignment stem, and the bullet-seating collet bushing along the axis of the die body during bullet seating; and a case-base-alignment bushing configured to positively center a base of the cartridge case in the case-shoulder-alignment bushing.

A bullet seating die for use with an ammunition press to seat a bullet in a case includes a die housing having an ammunition press mount for mounting the bullet seating die on the ammunition press. The die housing defines a bullet receiving space having an open end and a side window in communication with the bullet receiving space. The side window sized and shaped to permit the bullet to be inserted therethrough to position the bullet in the bullet receiving space. A seating stem is supported by the die housing. The seating stem is arranged to engage the bullet to press the bullet into the case when the ammunition press is operated. A spring biases the seating stem away from the open end of the bullet receiving space to permit the bullet to be inserted through the side window and into the bullet receiving space.

As described above, this new primer feed system is both accurate and consistent. The primer feed station begins by loading primers from the vendor packaging into the vibratory feed bowl via the primer chute. The bowl has an adjustable height polycarbonate guard that is inside the main safety polycarbonate doors and exits above the machine. The bowl then orients the primers open side up and discharges them into the primer track. Crimping can be done with 3 or pins or a complete radial crimp. Previous versions of the crimp station on these crimping machines involved a pin mounted to the upper ram and a lower pin actuated by the lower ram. It was difficult to time and adjust properly for a consistent crimp. This new approach to crimping has proved much more reliable, accurate and easier to adjust. It still utilizes an upper pin mounted to the upper moving ram assembly but the lower pin is fixed.

A bullet seating die for use with an ammunition press to seat a bullet in a case includes a die housing having an ammunition press mount for mounting the bullet seating die on the ammunition press. The die housing defines a bullet receiving space having an open end and a side window in communication with the bullet receiving space. The side window sized and shaped to permit the bullet to be inserted therethrough to position the bullet in the bullet receiving space. A seating stem is supported by the die housing. The seating stem is arranged to engage the bullet to press the bullet into the case when the ammunition press is operated. A spring biases the seating stem away from the open end of the bullet receiving space to permit the bullet to be inserted through the side window and into the bullet receiving space.

A bullet-seating die for precisely loading a bullet into a cartridge case is disclosed. In embodiments, the bullet die comprises: a die body; means for controlling seating depth of the bullet in the cartridge case; means for positively centering the bullet in the die body; means for positively centering a front end and base of the cartridge case in the die body; means for seating the bullet by engaging an ogival portion of the bullet that will engage a rifling as the bullet moves into a bore when a loaded cartridge is fired; and means for releasing the seated bullet from the seating means.

Described is an ammunition production loading machine. The machine will load two cartridges at once and is referred to as a ‘two-out” machine. The machine will be of a mechanical nature reducing the potential loss of production that occurs with pneumatic systems. Any pneumatic systems on the machine will operate only in failure instances, i.e. in the case of a powder failure the pneumatic system will obstruct the projectile feed mechanism. The machine consists of seven (7) major components, which operate in unison. The machine is intended to run a single caliber so changeover adjustments and time required to change calibers are eliminated. The machine is capable of precisely loading a complete cartridge at a rate of 240 parts per minute in a completely automated manner. The key features of this novel machine are the full automation from station to station and a cartridge retaining bullet crimp case bushing in a rotating main disk, which rotates cases from station to station. The bullet crimp case bushing has a tapered feature inside which crimps the case to the bullet. Machines in the prior art utilize slotted case inserts or features to hold the cartridge base in position for loading, which relies on a separate tool for crimping and are not fully automated. The herein described machine is fully automated and does not require a person to manually move parts from one station to the next, nor loading of individual inserts to effectuate the bullet to case connection.