Moving from SS to Progressive

[HesedTech]

28 minutes ago, mpmo said:

then won’t the last shell you load always be off?

 

Yes, but not enough to be a problem shooting. Remember we are loading for volume with adequate precision and normally shorter is far better than too long.

 

I know precision rifle shooters who hand load all their competitive ammo. They want those 200+ yard shots to be the same from round to round, while all I need is a 3" or less freestyle shot group at 25 yards.

[Beef15]

The LnL takes patience to get working just right.

 

The measure should be more consistent than that though. Tap the hopper an/or run a few cases and dump to settle in after filling/adjusting. Mine is + usually - 0.1gr with the flakiest I've used, and spot on with ball. Ditched powder check long ago.

 

You probably need to adjust the drive pawls to prevent shellplate jumping, it's likely snapping into the detents instead of being driven into them. A less than 45° turn on the pawl can have a huge impact. I have never messed with the balls on any of my shellplates. I had to adjust the pawls a few times as things wore in in the first couple thousand rounds but haven't touched them in over 20k. Other than a little tweak when I added a case feeder. 

 

The last  4? rounds will be a little shorter as the sizing station is the only one that adds force enough to deflect anything. It's like 0.05" it doesn't matter unless you're only running a batch of like ten for load dev.

 

Good luck, they're good presses, just take a little more tuning than the blue ones it seems.

[AHI]

1 hour ago, mpmo said:

Confused about one thing. If adjustments need to made with a full shell plate (something in every station) then won’t the last shell you load always be off? Ie. on your last cartridge, you have a shell plate that is empty progressively. Maybe that is where I saw the extremely short one?

That's why I said set them a side the measurements will be off. still shoot able just don't use for set up etc. 

 

Edited July 26, 2020 by AHI

[mpmo]

OAL now within .004 which works for me.
Powder no longer spilling out of cases since I moved the ball bearings a bit on the shell plate.
Still working on the powder drop.
After cleaning the powder drop with break cleaner, function is for sure smoother. But now the Ptx sticks in the case and jars the whole machine on the down stroke. Can I wipe just a bit of One shot dry lube around the exterior of the nib where it contacts the case? (Staying away from the inside of course.) Or something else I should try?

[SimonAshmore]

Have look here https://forums.brianenos.com/topic/283615-hornady-lnl-ap-powder-jump-fix/

I have replaced mine with a similar o-ring ( can't get exact one here in Australia) does the trick perfectly.

If you can't get the exact one get a slightly thinner o-ring.

I tried moving the ball bearings made things worse rather than better for me, I had to adjust the pawls ever so slightly to advance correctly.

[AHI]

57 minutes ago, mpmo said:

But now the Ptx sticks in the case and jars the whole machine on the down stroke. Can I wipe just a bit of One shot dry lube around the exterior of the nib where it contacts the case? (Staying away from the inside of course.) Or something else I should try?

yes you can or spray the cases with one shot let some get into the mouth of the cases , let this flash off , give it time 30 minutes at least.

[SimonAshmore]

I have the LNLAP,  I resize and decap first then clean, I then put my flaring die in #1, Powder (with PTX) in #2, Powder cop in #3, Bullet feeder in #4, Seat/crimp in #5.

I wasn't using #1 and found like you the cases stuck on the PTX. Preflaring reduces this significantly, I suppose I could take out the PTX now, but it seems to work so I'm leaving it alone.

[HesedTech]

Polish the ptx, powder funnel expanders are notorious for sticking. If you don’t have a buffing wheel chuck it up and polish it with 1200 grit wet and dry paper. 
 

I polished with a Dremel felt buffing tool the inside of my taper crimp die. That also made the process smother.

 

No one told you learning the ins and outs of your progressive press was a hobby in itself. :)

[Tunachaser]

Careful adjusting of the pawls will stop the spilling of powder and a consistent stroke helps with OAL. 

I use a steel washer where the primer seater punch hits the frame and if you still cannot get primers below flush send Hornady an e-mail and ask for a new one.

I use an o-ring instead of the washer under the shell plate hold down bolt, if this gets a little loose it causes all sorts of problems.

76HIGHBOY has a mind numbing number of videos on the subject of the LnL.  They are overly long BUT lots of good information.

 

 

 

[mpmo]

Regarding polishing the ptx insert. I have a dreamer with many attachments. I took what I assume is the white felt-like attachment and rand it around the exterior for a few minutes. I also rubbed some Hornady one shot gun cleaner and lube around the exterior where I assume it is catching. It is still sticking pretty bad.

Other than that, got it dropping 3.7gn of N320 and my OAL is now very consistent.

[mpmo]

Put it on my lathe and using micro mesh polished from 1500 to 3200. It was nice and shiny. Tried again and the first couple rounds were smooth. After that, they stuck super hard. I am noticing a bit of brass on the PTX. See photo. This is new starline brass. I saw a video where they suggest deburring. I would hate to have to do that step manually for every piece of brass. What do you all think my next step should be?

[ExStreetWalker]

The PTX is sticking because your brass is too clean.

 

Try tumbling some range brass in a vibratory tumbler.  Add some Nu-Finish car polish.  I mix my Nu-Finish 50/50 with real mineral spirits.  

 

Now reload that brass.  The little bit of carbon left on the inside of the cases makes a HUGE difference.  I also give the brass a squirt of One-Shot.  As long as you let it dry it doesn't effect the powder at all.

 

Now go to the range and see how that "dirty" brass shoots.  I'm betting you can't tell the difference.

 

Also you can go to UniqueTek and get a PTX that has a Lyman M die profile.  It really helps when loading oversized bullets.  

 

I cast my own and I size to .357 as I have several barrels that are .356.

[travail]

An easy fix to the PTX sticking. Take some Hornady One Shot lube and spray it on your brass in a bucket that you can put a lid on. Shake it around and let it sit for a while. The brass will then load much better on the PTX as I was having the exact same problem and this fixed it. Good luck!

[lll Otto lll]

Ditch the PTX. That's probably not what you want to hear but you're better off with a Lyman M die which provides better alignment and expands the brass in steps. Your bullets will be straighter with less bulging.  There's a reason why Redding and RCBS copied it's design.