Trying to make the LNL useable

[fritzthemoose]

This is not a LNL issue I guess but more an issue of the brass I am using.

Anyway, I need pure force to calibrate the cases. Meaning that I need both hands and sometimes have to stand up to put all my weight into it in order to calibrate the case. This is for sure due to the fact that I am using range brass which for the most part has been shot as a 9 Major load sometimes out of Glocks.

Doing this has a whole punch of rattails. I slows me down to I guess at least half the possible speed if not more it rocks the whole press around causing furhter isses.

Any suggestions? I use caselubrication most of the time. It improves things but still not enough.

I am using Hornady dies. Are there other dies out there that are better in this case for example?

Problem is that there is no way for me to see if the round was Major or Minor originally.

[Steve RA]

You can use the Lee or GR-X dies to size the cases back to normal before reloading.

[fritzthemoose]

You can use the Lee or GR-X dies to size the cases back to normal before reloading.

what do those do that the hornady dies dont?

[bofe954]

You can use the Lee or GR-X dies to size the cases back to normal before reloading.

what do those do that the hornady dies dont?

They resize the whole case since you push it through the die. In your case you could just put your resizing die in a single stage and size. It would just separate that part out so you weren't trying to do it while seating a bullet and charging and everything else.

Reading through your other posts, it really seems like you need to go 1050.

[Jeff686]

It sounds as if you are having to use excessive force. I've never had to use that much force. Even with 9mm Major, it sounds excessive.

Have you tried another die? It is possible that your die was manufactured incorrectly. It might be out-of-spec.

[GForceLizard]

Make sure you don't have any Sellier & Bellot steel cases. They are washed and look like brass. Use a magnet to tell if it's steel.

[Nuke]

That definitely doesn't sound right. I've never had to use that much force.

As for the die, I've had great luck with the Lee resizing die and the FCD. I'm told that the Lee sizes further down the case wall than other manufacturers, though it's the only die I've used so I can't speak to that from experience. I can tell you that I no longer chamber check 9mm and have had zero issues in thousands of rounds. Take that for what it's worth.

[Babaganoosh]

Something is wrong. I have loaded approx 10k 9mm cases on a LNL and I know for a fact that some have been 9 major and have NEVER had that problem.

[sierra77mk]

Just some troubleshooting thoughts.

1) Try a piece or two of known quality brass.

For instance pull a bullet from a factory round that has not been shot and see what kind of force is required.

2) Try taking the decapping pin out and move the sizing die to another station. Perhaps station #1 is bored off axis and your die is not parallel to the ram.

3) Does it happen with any other caliber?

4) Does it happen only when sizing, or is something else catching as the shell plate is traveling up such as the shell feed shuttle or the primer shuttle?

5) What do your sized cases measure at the mouth? Maybe your die is squeezing them too much.

What do the range cases measure before you size them? Are they obviously bulged or perhaps 9mm Makarov (which is not 9mm).

7) Are you flaring your case mouths with the PTX sleeve? Maybe this is what is catching.

8) Crimped primers?

9) I personally throw out any A-MERC brass because it has very thick sidewalls and S&B which is hard to prime and deprime. Maybe it is your brand of brass but you say it is range brass which is probably mixed.

10) Maybe it is small flash holes?

Still, most of these should not take all your weight to operate the press.

Edited May 30, 2012 by sierra77mk

[mscott]

I have 2 LNL presses and never had to work that hard. I don't sort brass either, so something else must be going on.

[mertbl]

Id sort by headstamp and then visually inspect for anything that's bulged. Im surprised you aren't ripping off case rims with that much force. Is the rams downstroke smooth after applying that much force going up?

I've never had to use that much force even full length resizing rifle brass.

[DWFAN]

Do you have your sizing (or any other) die set to low where it is actually binding on the shellplate instead of touching ?

Edited May 30, 2012 by DWFAN