First experience with Hornady LnL (rant)

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  • lx1x

    Peanut Gallery
    Apr 19, 2009
    26,992
    Maryland
    Bikebreath,

    I recently got a LNL AP and it came with the Standard Rotor & Standard Metering Insert installed. Once I switched to the Pistol Rotor & Pistol Metering Insert (included w/press) my powder drops got much better. When I adjust my load, it takes me about twenty drops/measurements to get it dialed in, and then it is good to go until you touch it again.

    P.S. I also use W231 in my LNL AP and it is a very well metering powder.

    totally forgot about this part... :thumbsup::thumbsup:
     

    lx1x

    Peanut Gallery
    Apr 19, 2009
    26,992
    Maryland
    Ya nothing cheap about a dillon. I have the 650 X 2. One set up for small primers one for large. The first was purchased 15 years ago and the second, last year. I hated changing the primer assy.

    for lnl.. unscrew the bottom primer pusher.. take out the tube.. and replace the slide.. and its done!! can be done within a min.. :rasp:







    ;):lol2:
     

    Bikebreath

    R.I.P.
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 30, 2009
    14,836
    in the bowels of Baltimore
    Bikebreath,

    I recently got a LNL AP and it came with the Standard Rotor & Standard Metering Insert installed. Once I switched to the Pistol Rotor & Pistol Metering Insert (included w/press) my powder drops got much better. When I adjust my load, it takes me about twenty drops/measurements to get it dialed in, and then it is good to go until you touch it again.

    P.S. I also use W231 in my LNL AP and it is a very well metering powder.

    I don't know why I didn't put that on. I had everything apart to clean it, but didn't switch drops. That's gonna help a lot.

    Hornady's videos, part-4, shows him with the larger drop, but uses a .32cal case to use in the case activator powder drop...I was tricked!
     

    Mdeng

    Ultimate Member
    Industry Partner
    Nov 13, 2009
    8,568
    Virginia
    for lnl.. unscrew the bottom primer pusher.. take out the tube.. and replace the slide.. and its done!! can be done within a min.. :rasp:







    ;):lol2:

    It's an easy change, just hated having to change it. Now I have two machines set up.
     

    Spur

    Active Member
    May 1, 2011
    403
    Harford County
    I have been fighting with my LNL for several weeks. Several calls to Hornady (great response) and a number of replacement parts. I have been loading for years on the small Dillion and a Lyman Turret. Problem is the primer feed. Keeps snapping the spring arm. I am currently replacing parts again, and the tips in the Vid may help. The press is great when it is working right, but the primer problem has been a bitch.
     

    tdt91

    I will miss you my friend
    Apr 24, 2009
    10,810
    Abingdon
    I've loaded 200 rounds with my single stage in an afternoon. With the LnL Progressive I loaded 17 rounds yesterday in 5 hours.

    Lots of little things; The Lee sizing/depriming die doesn’t line up and the case needs a touch to get to line-up on entry every time. I blame the die, not the press. It didn’t act right on my single stage either.

    Powder Metering Insert would stick at the bottom of the throw in the Case Activated Powder Drop . I know you can have problems if you don't remove the lube that comes with the packing, but I did that. This was a manufacturing slip-up. It's cast aluminum, so I just put the Dremel to it and solved that problem. Although a minor problem, it did cut a big chunk of time out to correct the problem by being delicate not to remove too much material.

    The Case Activated Powder Drop NEVER dropped the same charge twice.

    ^ This sounds like you didn't degrease things well enough. watch the video.

    The primer tube jammed with 96 primers in it. You know that once that tube is full there is no way to retrieve those primers? Unscrew the outer shield, lift the inner tube and primers go everywhere. This happened twice...ugh. I got clever with rolled up tape as a way to collect the dozen primers left in and around the stage area that were too small for my fingers to reach. Actually, there was third time, but that was when I decided 5 hours was enough time trying to make the press work.

    But wait, there is more...

    The box that came from Midway was a bit banged up and some lose parts were scattered in the bottom. The spring for the primer shuttle was there, but I hadn't noticed that it was stretched out of shape, so it rarely pulled the shuttle into position, thus not priming a case…and when you put powder in a case with a hole in the bottom you have a big ass mess. That happened twice, too. Then when I manually took care of that it loaded ok, but several primers were loaded upside down. Akkkk!

    I want to stick with this to figure out the kinks. some of this is just breaking in a new piece of equipment, but how long before I pick it up and throw it all the way to Kansas (Midway) is anyone’s guess.

    Oh, be careful when your finished and empty the Case Activated Powder Drop with the baffle in it. If you forget it's there it will come sliding down and spill powder all over the table. :(

    Good luck and call Hornady with your troubles, they are good people.
     

    tdt91

    I will miss you my friend
    Apr 24, 2009
    10,810
    Abingdon
    I have been fighting with my LNL for several weeks. Several calls to Hornady (great response) and a number of replacement parts. I have been loading for years on the small Dillion and a Lyman Turret. Problem is the primer feed. Keeps snapping the spring arm. I am currently replacing parts again, and the tips in the Vid may help. The press is great when it is working right, but the primer problem has been a bitch.

    I really haven't had any problems with mine. At first I had to get it sycronized and once that was done it's gtg. Spur, let me know if you want me to take a look.
     

    bulletbill

    Agent provocateur
    Dec 31, 2008
    2,908
    SW FL
    I don't know why I didn't put that on. I had everything apart to clean it, but didn't switch drops. That's gonna help a lot.

    Hornady's videos, part-4, shows him with the larger drop, but uses a .32cal case to use in the case activator powder drop...I was tricked!

    Just an FYI it isn't just the Lee dies that need help to feed the 38 spl case right, my Hornady dies did the very same thing. I came to learn to go with it and give the handle a little more pressure, usually the cases moved on their own and everything was A-OK. Once in a whole this method would collapse the mouth. It took a bit of time to figure out the LNL for on this caliber for some reason. The 9mm goes much smoother.

    Tell ya what, if you want the 357/38 spl dies you can have 'em. Hell I'll throw in some HSM 38 spl police ammunition since I have no use for either any more. You just keep me in mind when you want to part with the XDM I might want to buy it back someday.

    LMK just PM me bruddah.
     

    Samuel

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Mar 12, 2012
    297
    I think the problem with case mouths not aligning with dies may partly be a result of mildly bent rims that occurred during extraction. The case will usually continue to load & fire well but the imperfect rim causes the case to sit off of vertical. As was mentioned, reloading requires tight tolerances. Primers sticking out from flush will do the same thing. The best solution is to pull the lever each time carefully and attentively. You can feel when something's not right and correct the problem befor you crush a case, mis-seat a primer, etc.

    FWIW, I learned reloading on an LNL-AP without much difficulty. It's every bit the quality and design that a Dillon is. Any progressive press is a complex piece of equipment though. Get past the learning curve before passing judgment.
     

    Maryland Hunter

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 1, 2008
    3,194
    I have heard of problems with every brand of press out there, yes, even Dillon.:)

    Progressives have everything going on all at once, and if one thing is just slightly out of sync, everything goes south all at once. If somethings wrong, then somethings wrong. Meaning, there's a mechanical problem somewhere, it's just not been found yet. Could be a number of things, but on the rare occasion a problem arises on my Loadmaster, it's due to something that I've done.:o

    All that said, sounds like you either got a bad one off the line (it happens), or you may have been sent a press that someone had already returned. A friend recently ordered a Loadmaster and experiences malfunctions, missing parts, torn box, etc. He was about to send it back and give up on progressives completely, but I talked him into calling Midway first and explaining what he had. He sent it back and was sent a new press, and with the right setup, it's running flawlessly.

    Hope you get it straight. Hornady makes some great equipment, and I rarely hear of any problems with the LNL press.

    MH
     

    Kinbote

    Active Member
    Aug 17, 2010
    499
    Jerking yer chain right back. :D

    I did consider Dillion's 550 and Square Deal and came close to getting one of them, but I wanted 5 stations on the press to crimp separately without going to the expense of a Dillon XL-650.

    You can crimp separately on a Dillon 550 with four stations, unless you are also decrimping mil brass at a station.
     

    Spur

    Active Member
    May 1, 2011
    403
    Harford County
    I followed the suggesions in the Vid, and the problem disappeared. I run several hundred rounds of .45 and it is fine. The combination of polisihing the slide and leaving the rod case loose has the primer feed working fine. Thanks for the offer of help Tom, I will get hold of you if I get hung up again.
     

    Bikebreath

    R.I.P.
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 30, 2009
    14,836
    in the bowels of Baltimore
    Yea, I got rid of my primer problem, too. Vid was great help...thanks l1x1.

    First time I was able to get back to it was today...busy week. I'm making some progress and I'm not going to contact Hornady until I work with it enough to eliminate 'user error". :D

    Powder measure should be a little more consistent that it's been. I hoping it's just a break-in period thing.
     
    Last edited:

    lx1x

    Peanut Gallery
    Apr 19, 2009
    26,992
    Maryland
    Yea, I got ride of my primer problem, too. Vid was great help...thanks l1x1.

    First time I was able to get back to it was today...busy week. I'm making some progress and I'm not going to contact Hornady until I work with it enough to eliminate 'user error". :D

    Powder measure should be a little more consistent that it's been. I hoping it's just a break-in period thing.

    Been there. Take few breaks it helps. ;)
     

    tdt91

    I will miss you my friend
    Apr 24, 2009
    10,810
    Abingdon
    I followed the suggesions in the Vid, and the problem disappeared. I run several hundred rounds of .45 and it is fine. The combination of polisihing the slide and leaving the rod case loose has the primer feed working fine. Thanks for the offer of help Tom, I will get hold of you if I get hung up again.

    Glad you got that fixed. I never had that problem with mine.

    I wonder if Hornady is gettting so many orders for these things that QC has slipped a little. I know there has been a lot of out of stock on the internet lately. I need some shell plates and everyone's been out.
     

    tdt91

    I will miss you my friend
    Apr 24, 2009
    10,810
    Abingdon
    Yea, I got rid of my primer problem, too. Vid was great help...thanks l1x1.

    First time I was able to get back to it was today...busy week. I'm making some progress and I'm not going to contact Hornady until I work with it enough to eliminate 'user error". :D

    Powder measure should be a little more consistent that it's been. I hoping it's just a break-in period thing.

    They do say in the instructions that if you donot degrease completely you will have inconsistant drops. You really have to spray the crap out of it with break cleaner or gun blaster or the Hornady product.
     

    Bikebreath

    R.I.P.
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 30, 2009
    14,836
    in the bowels of Baltimore
    They do say in the instructions that if you donot degrease completely you will have inconsistant drops. You really have to spray the crap out of it with break cleaner or gun blaster or the Hornady product.

    I was at it again this morning and consistency with the powder drop is improving. I knew about the factory grease and feel I sprayed enough of that Hornady One Shot to degrease it.

    My seating die is now inconsistent. I can only figure it's one of the other dies that are positioned incorrectly and other shell casings are causing the stage height to fluctuate.
     

    tdt91

    I will miss you my friend
    Apr 24, 2009
    10,810
    Abingdon
    I was at it again this morning and consistency with the powder drop is improving. I knew about the factory grease and feel I sprayed enough of that Hornady One Shot to degrease it.

    My seating die is now inconsistent. I can only figure it's one of the other dies that are positioned incorrectly and other shell casings are causing the stage height to fluctuate.

    Your seating depth will change with different brands of brass and different case lengths.
    I hope the powder drops get right for you.
     

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