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Hornady LnL help/suggestions


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All,

 

I'm having some minor issues with my Hornady LnL press -- 3 issues to be exact that are annoying the heck out of me.  Hoping for some insight from some of the more seasoned reloaders as to what I can do to try and fix these issues:

 

1)  every so often, the indexing will get out of whack and the press won't fully advance to the next station.  I will have to manually turn the plate to get it to fall into place.  Doesn't happen every time...but maybe 2-3 times out of 10?  This causes issues most noticeably when trying to seat primers...the plate won't completely align with the primer plunger, and I either need to turn the plate slightly by hand, or "force" the primer into the pocket.

 

2)  powder throws are inconsistent?  For example, while working up a new load using WST for powder, I'll get a wide range of FPS (sometimes as wide as 50-60 FPS.  Standard deviation in the loads was 12+ (using a 10-round sample). 

 

3)  Another "indexing" issue seems to show up on the powder PTX.  Sometimes (1 out of every 20-ish cases) the brass will seem to get hung up going into the PTX, causing 1 side of the brass to get folded over/pushed down, effectively ruining the case.

 

Any tips to getting the LnL to run smoothly?  Or are these just "quirks" that a guy needs to live with?  I've adjusted on the 2 pawls that interact with the cams on the bottom of the press, and it seems to help for a few cycles, but then the problems seem to come back after 20-30 rounds.

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How many rounds through it?

I had to tweak on the pawls several times in the first 500-1000, not quite that often though, haven't touched them since, probably around 10k now.

Powder drop is going to vary some, usually mine are within 0.1gr, some powders require the baffle, some work better without it, most all work best with the hopper more than half full. It takes 10-20 rounds for it to really settle in in my experience.

If the shell plate is stopping so far off that it occasionally results in brass getting folded by the PTX then I suspect you are a good ways from right on the adjustments, that said very little turning makes a huge difference. Also examine the pawls and make sure they are not damaged. Lightly lube them and the rollers in the bottom of the sell plate, and of course make certain there isn't an accumulation of powder or brass shavings gumming things up.

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Pawl adjustment is very very fine.  Be careful when adjusting them and keep track of which one and which way you went.  Its easy to over do it and you can break them or lock up the press.  As far as the powder drop goes I took the baffle out and spread it a little then pushed it a little further up the plastic powder hopper this helped maintain a  little more pressure I guess and greatly improved the powder drop consistency. Also found it took a while for it to settle in.  It liked to be kept on the fuller side. I had a lot of the same problems with my LNL and they were consistent.  Always was adjusting something.  I even touched off a primer in the press because the shell plate didn't index properly and it crushed going in.  Needed a fresh pair of underwear but I was fine otherwise.  In the end all the little issues were driving me crazy so I bought a 650 and haven't looked back.  I haven't touched a thing since I set it up.  LNL makes good ammo its just finicky. 

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Pawl adjustment needs to be done in increments of a 16th of a turn.  This can be a little tricky as it may seem backwards.  I center the shell plate on the primer plunger on the bottom, and a rifle case thru the top centered in one of the stations.  You may also need to tap the ball bearings in the shell plate down a touch to help snap the plate into position.

 

Powder throws inconsistent?  Clean the measure with red Brake Clean and lube with graphite.  Never use any type of spray lube.  With WST or any ball powder, you should throw dead nuts on all day.  You can also polish the inside of the drop like this with a Dremel and then polish with a good paste wax.  Mine will throw ball powder with about .05gr variance on a 20 drop test all day.  

IMG_20150712_170113293_HDR_zpstmnqctaf.j

 

PTX issue should go away once you get the timing on the money.  Question for you though?  Do you really need to use the PTX because you are using a bullet feeder?  If no bullet feeder, Id honestly switch to a Lyman M-Die for expanding.  You can also replace the Hornady PTX with something that resembles the M-Die which does work better if you gotta have it.

 

My only other piece of advice is buy an Inline Fab handle, makes running the press much smoother and easier on the shoulder.  Polish and clean up with primer slide.  Keep the press clean.  Watch HighBoy's videos as they cover everything except the case feeder in great detail.  Umm, thats all I can think of for now.

 

 

23 hours ago, dsu96 said:

All,

 

I'm having some minor issues with my Hornady LnL press -- 3 issues to be exact that are annoying the heck out of me.  Hoping for some insight from some of the more seasoned reloaders as to what I can do to try and fix these issues:

 

1)  every so often, the indexing will get out of whack and the press won't fully advance to the next station.  I will have to manually turn the plate to get it to fall into place.  Doesn't happen every time...but maybe 2-3 times out of 10?  This causes issues most noticeably when trying to seat primers...the plate won't completely align with the primer plunger, and I either need to turn the plate slightly by hand, or "force" the primer into the pocket.

 

2)  powder throws are inconsistent?  For example, while working up a new load using WST for powder, I'll get a wide range of FPS (sometimes as wide as 50-60 FPS.  Standard deviation in the loads was 12+ (using a 10-round sample). 

 

3)  Another "indexing" issue seems to show up on the powder PTX.  Sometimes (1 out of every 20-ish cases) the brass will seem to get hung up going into the PTX, causing 1 side of the brass to get folded over/pushed down, effectively ruining the case.

 

Any tips to getting the LnL to run smoothly?  Or are these just "quirks" that a guy needs to live with?  I've adjusted on the 2 pawls that interact with the cams on the bottom of the press, and it seems to help for a few cycles, but then the problems seem to come back after 20-30 rounds.

 

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Polish and clean up the primer slide.


This and adding a star washer to lock the shell plate in place.

As others have already mentioned, small adjustments on the pawls go a long way and it's pretty easy to over adjust. It's also an easy fix as long as you haven't chipped the corner off or just plain worn out a pawl.

The priming system is the LNL's Achilles Heel. I shimmed, polished and adjusted a pair of LNL's to near perfection, but never could tame the priming system completely.

M


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3rd or 4th on the adjustment pawls being sensitive.  I had one and had to tweak them out of the box.  Never an issue after that.

 

How are consistent are your powder throws?  I'll second that WST throws dead nuts from my experience.  I never...ever have to fiddle with my powder measure after it's set.  I always run mixed brass which contributes to the ES but WST isn't the most consistent in the velocity department anyway.  Never seems to bother how it shoots though.  I still have about 10lbs as my "emergency reserve" supply.  Works great with coated and plated bullets just don't run too close to the PF line and it's reverse temp sensitive, it slows down in the heat.  Run your loads at 7 to 8 PF over for cushion.

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10 hours ago, Want2BS8ed said:

 


This and adding a star washer to lock the shell plate in place.

As others have already mentioned, small adjustments on the pawls go a long way and it's pretty easy to over adjust. It's also an easy fix as long as you haven't chipped the corner off or just plain worn out a pawl.

The priming system is the LNL's Achilles Heel. I shimmed, polished and adjusted a pair of LNL's to near perfection, but never could tame the priming system completely.

M


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Ahh, thats the one thing I forget.  I prefer a regular lock washer though.  When the lock washer is bottomed out, its tight enough.  No need for 200 lbs Gorilla tight when just snug is good enough :)

 

I must be fortunate with mine I guess.  My priming system only has issues with Win LP primers, everything else feeds great, unless the press is filthy.  Chamfering the leading edge of the primer slide helps alot.  Another thing I wonder is if people that have issues are dry tumbling and they get debris in the primer slide which makes it not work so well?  I wet tumble, so unless Im on a decapping/prep run, my press is generally spotless.  

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Thanks for all the replies guys. Spent a few hours last night tearing the press apart and cleaning/polishing things. Runs like a top now! Still getting an occasional problem where the primer slide fails to pick up a primer, but with everything else working correctly, I'm able to detect when that happens before I drop a powder charge into the case.

Thanks again guys!

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

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Howdy.  I have been using the tweaks found here and elsewhere, but for the problem of the Allen bolt that fastens the shell plate with enough downforce to allow the two ball detents to operate with certainty, ( and not a bit too much force, which prevents this ), I came up with the following fix I've been using successfully on my press for a year now. I removed the Allen bolt , and took it to my local hardware store, which has a comprehensive selection of fasteners ( more than most places ). I found they stocked threaded studs of various lengths and threads, with one end that accepts a hex ( Allen) wrench. I selected one I felt would be longer than needed, as I planned to cut off any extra ( which I had to, but I digress ) I then found a Nylock nut with the same thread. I would reuse the flat washer from the original bolt set up.

 In doing the mock up fitting, I found you do not want to bottom out the stud in the threaded hole the bolt had been used in- the press will not operate if you do. Just Sayin'. Long story short- used some blue lock tite on the threads (DO NOT USE TOO MUCH! ) letting it partially set up prior to screwing the stud into that center bolt hole, leaving enough exposed thread so there is enough exposed when the shell plate and washer are in place to use the Nylock Nut to tighten down and secure the shell plate. The desirable part is that the Nylock setup is NOT dependent on torque to stay put- you can now adjust to use as much or as little pressure against the shellplate as your press likes. To keep from disturbing the stud when removing the Nylock Nut to change shellplates, hold it with an Allen wrench and turn the nut ( a lot like setting adjustable rocker arms on rocker arm studs ).

 For the priming system, keep it fastidiously clean. Kind of a pain, but it works better. IF you have a problem with it picking up primers, you may need to adjust that rod the roller runs on. The plastic bracket that fixes it to the press at it's top has some adjustment possible. If you need a bit more ( as did I ), VERY modest bend can be applied, ( i mean less than you can visualize ) but, remember, THAT is ENTIRELY up to YOU.

 Just passing along what works at my house on my press!

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To eliminate the problem of occassional primers not getting picked up by the slide, I used a large drill bit to gently chamfer the hole in the slide where each primer falls in (i.e. make it slightly funneled or beveled). Then ensure the cam wire is set such that the slider gets pushed all the way rearwards to allow primers to drop in from the vertical stack. Works utterly flawless now.

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On 5/7/2017 at 8:58 AM, dsu96 said:

Thanks for all the replies guys. Spent a few hours last night tearing the press apart and cleaning/polishing things. Runs like a top now! Still getting an occasional problem where the primer slide fails to pick up a primer, but with everything else working correctly, I'm able to detect when that happens before I drop a powder charge into the case.

Thanks again guys!

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 

 

Have you tried adjusting the primer slide cam wire at the top bracket?  Moving it back a little so the shuttle travels further rearward?

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Have you tried adjusting the primer slide cam wire at the top bracket?  Moving it back a little so the shuttle travels further rearward?

I will try that. This problem just started after I tore everything apart to clean/polish, so it's very likely that guide rod isn't tuned properly!

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

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