LNL AP Primer seating Problems

[sierra77mk]

I am experiencing primer seating problems with my lock & Load AP.

I have always had some problems but they have become worse. I cannot get the primers to seat flush or below flush with the case head.

Problem is with small rifle in .223 rem.

It has gotten worse so my remedy was to flatten a spent primer with a hammer and superglue it to the base of the press to give extra depth to the primer seating punch. But this occasionally comes unglued. The primer seating assembly is tightened up as much as possible, I have the same problem with both Remington and Winchester primers.

Is a slightly longer seating punch available?

What other remedies might there be?

[Jeff686]

The punch hits the frame of the press under the shell plate. Look for the wear mark. That's where you need to add something, if the pluger has dug a hole into the metal.

[The_Vigilante]

Sounds like it's time to call Hornady!!

[Mattog22]

I had the exact same problem and used a spent primer the same way you did. It worked for a while until the extra bit I was pushing the primer punch caused the little lock ring holding the spring on the punch to break off. I called Hornady and explained everything and they sent me out a new primer punch assembly. I asked how this would fix the original problem and they told me I may have just gotten a primer punch that was just a tad too short. New assembly works perfect. Great Customer Service.

Matt

[Jman]

My first thought was a loose shell plate. This can prevent the primer from seating fully. That and case feeding, belling, bullet seating depth, consistent crimp and finally ejection problems. Obviously I learned the hard way.

[urodoji]

Try glueing a dime down over the wear spot on the frame with clear silicon. Make sure you degrease that area first so it will stick. My priming is much more consistent now.

[Mattog22]

Try glueing a dime down over the wear spot on the frame with clear silicon. Make sure you degrease that area first so it will stick. My priming is much more consistent now.

I tried that but my problem wasn't the area that the punch was digging into, the problem was the punch wasn't going far enough up towards the case. I needed something that pushed the punch a little further than flush, that's why i used a spent primer glued down since it would fit in the punch sleeve. Just curious since it wasn't the problem I had, what does the dime do other than eliminate that hole the punch gouged in the press for a little while? Do you have to keep replacing the dime?

[nxfedlt1]

I'm having the same issue, and my press was purchased in late '08. Again, like you, winchester primers is what gives me problems. there was a fix on youtube for awhile about this issue, and people were gluing something down, not a dime though, can't recall.

[noylj]

I had that problem and thought that the cause was the dent in the frame from the punch was keeping the punch from being able to go all way up. Placed a thin shim there and it did nothing.

Tried tightening up the shellplate, and that cured the problem. Found that after a couple of years, the shellplate bolt was loosening up slightly after the initial adjustment. Placed a little Lock-Tite (Blue?) on the bolt and tightened it up. There is now some residual Lock-Tite on the bolt and in the ram threads so the bolt doesn't loosen up, even after many unbolt/bolt cycles.

The older version of the Hornady, before the L-N-L, had a lock washer that prevented this. That model, however, was much more sensitive to the adjustment of the bolt tension to the shellplate.

[styx]

When I start seeing high primers, it's a three step fix: Check the shellplate bolt, remove and clean the primer punch and give the press ram one shot of grease with the ram raised. I don't know why the lube helps but it seems to make a difference.

[1911Prof]

I seem to have a problem with Winchester primers catching in the primer punch and not sliding forward into place correctly. I thought it was an adjustment problem, but CCI primers work without a hitch. Anyone else having this problem?

[noylj]

1911Prof

First, measure the Win and CCI primers and see if it is a dimensional problem. They way the industry has been cranking out primers could lead to a batch that are at the high side of dimensional tolerance.

The only problems I have had are:

1) The wire that cams the primer slide got bent just slightly during a move. I bent it back and Hornady sent me a new one

2) The black plastic cap that connects the top of the primer slide cam to the press can crack. Hornady will send a new one.

3) The shellplate and the primer seating stem may be out of timing. You may have to adjust a pawl or, again, change the cam wire

I found the Hornady primer system to work much better for me than any other progressive press I have used except for the Dillon 1050 (which also has its own tricks).

[Waldog]

I seem to have a problem with Winchester primers catching in the primer punch and not sliding forward into place correctly. I thought it was an adjustment problem, but CCI primers work without a hitch. Anyone else having this problem?

Loosen the shroud tube that goes over the primer tube about 1/4 turn. Just enough so that there is a little wiggle room. This allows a little "play" in the system and your primers should stop hanging up.

[1911Prof]

Cool, that did the trick

[noylj]

On the shroud tube, Hornady says to rotate it to the left or right (can't remember now—gave my son the press a year ago) while tightening the screw to get alignment correct.

It would be nice to be able to look down and ensure proper alignment while tightening. I never had a problem and there was almost no play there for me any way.

One thing is to use the rod that Hornady supplies, or get on from Dillon, to apply extra pressure to the primer column to encourage them to drop into the shuttle.

[Tul9033]

I had a dviot on the press from the primer punch wearing away at it. I got ahold of some stainless steel washers which gives the punch about another 1/6th of height to push the primers in.