Best PTX for Hornady LNL Powder drop

[RedlandsShooter]

12 minutes ago, promtcy said:

With a flare of .389 that means your internal dimensions are around .367 although that doesn't account for how deep your flare is. Mine runs around .383 external flare and when I measured my PTX it's the same as yours. My cases look exactly like the one on the left that xrayfk05 posted. I'm using all Lee Dies. I'm not having any issue with seating concentricity. 

 

So with an internal flare of .367 you should be able to sit any 9mm bullet in there with no problems. It might help to see a bullet sitting in the case to understand why it is you are looking for more flare. Also a picture of the PTX from the side. Maybe yours is different than those of us posting. If it's an issue with the bullet feed system then maybe you do need the MBF. Maybe zzt can enlighten us on why he gave up on the Hornady system. 

 

I can tell you with the limiter on the PTX you can almost get the flare to be 90 degrees. There are probably thousands of people using the PTX setup with the limiter on it and it's working for us. Unless it's an issue unique to the bullet feeding system I don't see why it wouldn't work for you as well. 

 

Edit to add: The limiter limits the upward travel of the PTX. So the case will travel farther up the PTX than without the limiter. The PTX should have a rounded shoulder as it transitions from the case expander to the body of the PTX. That is what gives you more flare. 

As mentioned here earlier by someone, too much flare can be the enemy of concentricity, and so can too little.  I have maxed out what the PTX can provide and the Hornady collets in the bullet drop system are prone to fatiguing and breaking frequently when too much flare is used.  Prior to using the PTX I primed and flared my brass first, then ran them through the press a second time.  I experimented with different amounts of flare, nothing crazy, and found the Hornady collets crack when introducing any more flare than what the PTX can provide.  So, since I am going to try the Mr. Bullet Feeder powder funnel I though I would try their bullet drop system too.  Thus I will avoid the cracked collet problem and hopefully have a bullet sitting deeper in the case prior to seating.  But who knows, I may encounter different issues with the MBF and still have the concentricity consistency issue.

[iflyskyhigh]

As mentioned here earlier by someone, too much flare can be the enemy of concentricity, and so can too little.  I have maxed out what the PTX can provide and the Hornady collets in the bullet drop system are prone to fatiguing and breaking frequently when too much flare is used.  Prior to using the PTX I primed and flared my brass first, then ran them through the press a second time.  I experimented with different amounts of flare, nothing crazy, and found the Hornady collets crack when introducing any more flare than what the PTX can provide.  So, since I am going to try the Mr. Bullet Feeder powder funnel I though I would try their bullet drop system too.  Thus I will avoid the cracked collet problem and hopefully have a bullet sitting deeper in the case prior to seating.  But who knows, I may encounter different issues with the MBF and still have the concentricity consistency issue.

I have a MBF on my 650 now, but even before that I was lucky enough to get a MBF 9MM powder die from the inventor of the MBF to try on my 550 (I live 5 minutes from Dillon and spend way to much money and time there, the inventor of the MBF is local and got hooked up with him through Dillon).

Anyway, the MBF powder dies are hands down a superior product, especially when using mixed range brass. They are a much more precise and consistent bell.

Point being, if you are dead set on purchasing a MBF power die it’s a good choice. I think you will be happy with it. Obviously I haven’t used it on Hornady LNL but I have to assume it will still work great.

Also, not sure if it was mentioned already, but spray you pistol cases with a super light coat of Hornady One Shot. It will eliminate 99% of your sticking issues and make your loading process SO much smoother. I know you don’t need lube on pistol cases, but the small cost and time needed to do this step will change the way you load pistol cartridges. I just put a bin full in a deep sided aluminum pan. Dust them with one shot, toss em, and load away. No real drying time needed. Doesn’t need to be cleaned off. Win win. All your sticky resizing and powder drops will be a thing of the past. I like the smell of it too (probably something wrong with me).



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[zzt]

You do not get bullet base bulges with the MBF, because the bullet enters vertically.  The MBF bullet feeding system is superior to the Hornady, and much quieter.  A Lee Factory Carbide Crimp die will remove any remaining issues you have.  I'ss say again, with the MBF funnel you want none or the barest amount of bell, especially if you are not using the LFCD.

[Beef15]

I have the whole MBF set up on my LnL, it was a great addition. I went that route for coated bullets due to stories of busted collets. I get occasional bulges from crooked seating, they are very rare less than one percent of gauge failures.

 

I have also read of people getting the MBF dropper to work with the Hornady collator which will save you some change and avoid loading bullet tubes.

[Bmeehan19]

On 6/26/2019 at 1:57 PM, RedlandsShooter said:

A picture says a 1000 words!  The case on the right looks to be about the best I can do with my PTX adjusted for maximum amount of flare.  I am looking for the results the MBF is providing on the left case.  Thank you for the photo, off to purchase the MBF powder drop. 

The left is the hornady. The right is the MBF

[Bmeehan19]

On 6/28/2019 at 2:00 PM, RedlandsShooter said:

As mentioned here earlier by someone, too much flare can be the enemy of concentricity, and so can too little.  I have maxed out what the PTX can provide and the Hornady collets in the bullet drop system are prone to fatiguing and breaking frequently when too much flare is used.  Prior to using the PTX I primed and flared my brass first, then ran them through the press a second time.  I experimented with different amounts of flare, nothing crazy, and found the Hornady collets crack when introducing any more flare than what the PTX can provide.  So, since I am going to try the Mr. Bullet Feeder powder funnel I though I would try their bullet drop system too.  Thus I will avoid the cracked collet problem and hopefully have a bullet sitting deeper in the case prior to seating.  But who knows, I may encounter different issues with the MBF and still have the concentricity consistency issue.

From what I understand, which is little, The MBF bullet feed die uses the weight of the bullets in the column to sort of seat the bullet in the case. The Hornady one is just the weight of the one single bullet. Ive used both and no matter what I tried the Hornady one was inconsistent. I tried making the collet bigger, smaller, more force, less for, nothing worked 100%. The MBF die is perfect. 

[zzt]

12 hours ago, Bmeehan19 said:

From what I understand, which is little, The MBF bullet feed die uses the weight of the bullets in the column to sort of seat the bullet in the case.

 

That is exactly what happens. That being said, I used the MBF funnel/expander with the Hornady bullet feeder die and it worked fairly well.  I'd say about 80% required no intervention.  When I switched to the entire MBF system, 99.99% of the drops seat perfectly.  When there is only one or two bullets left in the column you will occasionally get a less than perfect seat.

[RedlandsShooter]

Update, I received the MBF, set it up, then loaded 200 rounds.  Spent the first several rounds working out some fine adjustments then just started loading.  The MBF works great and the concentricity issue is solved.  

[BallisticianX]

Never had any luck with Hornady PTX. They were designed primarily for Jacketed pills as they focused on case wall bump out(and very little at that) and very little if any flare so they were no good for lead bullet loading if you shoot any of the Hi-tek flavors. The wall bump out had a taper which caused concentricity issues along with case rippling. I also dislike a PTX on the LNL because of the drop system design. The extra force being applied to the linkage even on the downstroke would always loosen screws and the stop bar adjustment and require usual tinkering to re-adjust..a real PITA! It also added substantial resistance to the pull of the press. I prefer using a stand alone x-pander die; less pull resistance, more options for an expander plug to suit ones needs, a more problem free operation...a set it and forget it!