Hornady LNL powder drop sticking in up position

[mpmo]

Having a bit of trouble with my powder drop on my Hornady LNL AP.  Using it with the PTX, and VV N320 powder to load 9mm.  This same thing happened a few thousand rounds ago.  I disassembled it, cleaned, used a bit of one shot dry lube, reassembled and it was good to go.  But I would prefer that I didn't have to take it apart every 2000 rounds / 2 months.  

Any advice?  Ideas on what is going on?

 

Thanks!

 

 

[dannyd]

Two thing’s; you will have to clean it about every Thousand rounds and replace the return spring about every 5 thousand rounds. 
 

the powder gets down into the drum and binds it up.

[xrayfk05]

That does not sound right, I load much more than that and I hardly ever have to clean the drum or measure itself and I have yet to replace the return spring. (Which is as stiff as ever)  And that is loading a much finer ball powder as opposed to a stick powder like N320. (Lovex D032/Cleanshot/AA #2-ish)

If you have to clean and replace that often something is off and mine would have gone out of the window already. 

(I also have a 650 and a 550 but I choose to load half the calibers on the LnL so I don't have to change over calibers)

 

Can you see what it is sticking on? If rotated just wrong it can rub on the primer tube for instance.

Without a case, does it move up and down freely?

 

Other than thoroughly looking at what is causing it next time it happens it is hard to say from here.

[mpmo]

I took it apart and cleaned it with a green scour pad dry.  Put a bit of Hornady Dry lube on a paper towel and wiped down the inside surfaces.  Fixed the problem.  If I have to do this even every 3,000 rounds, it's going out the window...

 

Basement is not the driest.  I have a humidifier running all the time.  That could have something to do with it.  

 

 

[mpmo]

Also, I called and spoke with a tech at Hornady.  They are sending me a spring.  He said he uses powder graphite as a lubricant on his drum which does the trick.

 

 

[Tunachaser]

On 10/4/2021 at 12:22 PM, mpmo said:

He said he uses powder graphite as a lubricant on his drum which does the trick.

That's what I use in mine, I have never replaced the spring but very occasionally drop a little graphite in the hopper and work it through the powder measure.

 

About half way into this video he describes cleaning and lubeing his Hornady powder drop.

 

 

[balmo]

It is important that the metering insert not hit the powder body during the upstroke. I had the same problem before, even added another spring on the opposite side and it still got stuck. When I backed off the die where the is a little space between the insert and the body, it did not stick again.