Sick and tired of Hornady's PTX, back to the Powderfunnel!

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Shrinkmd

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I drank the red kool aid when Hornady came out with their universal PTX powder through expanders and I bought them. All I've had is sticking when I raise the press arm, crushed cases (quite a few) in 357 magnum, and aggravation.

So last night I got fed up, found my trusty powder funnel from http://www.powderfunnels.com/products.html and put it back in. I am not going back to the Hornady's, so maybe I'll return them to Midway...

I did use the new Hornady Powder through expander stop part, however. I was able to set the amount of belling more precisely than previously, when you just had to turn the powder measure in the bushing. I set the measure to almost bell what I needed for lead bullets, and then used the adjustment of the expander stop to finish the adjustment and more precisely set the bell. In the past I used to err on the side of too much, but now I can get it just right.

My press went from jam-o-matic to functioning smoothly. I had to fiddle with the right pawl a bit to get those 357 cases going (mostly) smoothly into the sizer die. I guess that needs a bit of adjusting every now and then.

So, anyone have any luck getting the case feeder to not tip the 357 cases? Which feeder plate are people using? Small pistol or large?
 
I haven't tried them in pistol calibers, but have been using them for bottle-necked cases for a couple of years.

Mine are mounted on blue machines and still work well.

If the plates are the same as Dillon (and I believe they come from the same supplier), I recall using the large for .357...but it's been 10 (?) years since I loaded any on the 650.

Good luck. Hope it works out for you.
 
Finicky

I just recently set up a new LNL AP system with bullet and case feeders. The whole thing reminds me of operating a big-ass steam engine. Always tweaking here, oiling there, minor slip up, etc etc. But when everything actually works you crank out ammo in a hurry.

The PTX inserts do work but they are a pain to properly set up. No decent, understandable, step by step info anywhere. It all comes down to the right combination of properly setting up the powder drop with the expander stop device. When you fully lower the handle the insert must be at max elevation and at the same time the stop must have both screws set that the case is forced into the insert. Use very small increments with those 2 screws. One full turn can be the difference between a perfect bell or none at all.
 
Solved the case feeding problem, too! I just didn't push the bowl all the way down on the metal support post, and now the angle is different! My machine is working again!
 
They do work well but are not easy to get them adjusted correctly. I use different powder die bases for each caliber. That way I do not have to readjust it every time I do a change over.

The early version did not work on the 9mm/380. You could not lower the die enough to get a flare. I helped them what they needed to change. They machined one with the modification I suggested to correct the problem and had the new modified PTX in less than a week. They made the mod permeate on the second production run.
 
Blue68f100 said:
They do work well but are not easy to get them adjusted correctly. I use different powder die bases for each caliber. That way I do not have to readjust it every time I do a change over.

The early version did not work on the 9mm/380. You could not lower the die enough to get a flare. I helped them what they needed to change. They machined one with the modification I suggested to correct the problem and had the new modified PTX in less than a week. They made the mod permeate on the second production run.
Click to expand...
+100 to Hornady for listening to their customers!
 
I found the powderfunnel works great except for 380 auto. I had to revert back to my RCBS expander to do 380 auto with it.

Otherwise the powder funnel is a really good solution.
 
WHen I got my LNL 3 months ago, I got the PTX for 9,357,40, and 45, and each one has worked great. They were a pain to set up, and I bought a Powder Drop connector for each one, and put each one in its owni bushing and after setting them up that first time, they require no work from me other than dropping them into their station#2 and turning.... Very happy with them. So happy, i just did 600 9mm in the last 2 hours :)
 
powderfunnels.....

hmmmm,
seems too good to be true.
Covers all calibers AND works perfectly with NO problems?

Anybody actually use these?
 
Maybe I wasn't adjusting them properly, but to get a usable bell on the case mouth the Hornady expander was getting stuck in the case mouth. It's too bad they didn't work for me, but I'm glad that the Powderfunnel works.
 
I've had no problems with Hornady's current style PTXs. The powder stop bar also makes it much easier to adjust.
 
I want to use a RCBS lockout die so I ordered a dillon powder measure and will use their powder funnel which bells perfectly, already have a 550 so I had the funnel for my .45 acp dies. The Hornady measure never throws small charges consistently even with a baffle, (and throws many squibbs), although that helped a bit, in addition to the belling issue. Been screwing with it for 5 years now and had just given up and used the belling die. The dillon measure is great for small pistol charges and throws very consistently on my 550.
 
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All I've had is sticking when I raise the press arm, crushed cases (quite a few) in 357 magnum, and aggravation.
Click to expand...

If your crushing cases check to see if your shell plate is tight. If loose it allow the retainer spring to tilt the brass. It's more evident on tall brass. Also check to see if your shell plate is flat in all directions. I had one that was warped badly and all it did was crush brass, 1/32" gap in the center. Mine were re-machined when the new ez-ejector base came out. They did not do something right and I had 3 warped shell plates. Hornady replace them all. Just use a straight edge across it. If it;s not flat give Hornady a calla and they will send you a new one.
 
I just sent my LnL back for service due to this exact problem. I think that my press was damaged in shipping. Check your primer cam feed to see if the primer slide is moving up and down on the primer cam feed in the center position (whether the wheel is staying on the primer cam feed or riding the lip of the wheel). Mine is not and the primer slide is rubbing against the primer cam feed.

Have lost some of cases due to the misalignment of the cases to the PTX in 9mm, .40S&W and .357 Magnum. Sent the LnL, shell plates, primer mechanisn, and PTX dies back to Hornady for service. I think the base plate is not positioned properly and this would cause the problems even if the timing is smack on as mine is. I also do not suffer from this problem if the base plate is rotated in the clockwise position just a few degrees. With the base plate out of alignment (as evidenced by the primer cam feed) this will cause the misalignment of the cases to the PTX dies. Hornady picked up the bill for this service.
 
My experiences with my new 1050 has inspired me to get my old LNL AP working correctly, or give up on it and buy lots of tool heads for the 1050. Since that would be a very expensive proposition, I want to give another try for my Hornady.

It looks like I need to check to make sure that the shell plates aren't warped. I'm not having any priming problems or indexing troubles, so can I assume that the rest of the machine is ok? I just tried putting the .400 PTX in the machine, instead of the Powderfunnel one. I adjusted it by turning, and then made some final adjustments using the powder measure stop. I only had 2 pieces of brass and already crushed the side of one of them.

I will call Hornady tomorrow. Any other advice on things to check before I speak to them??
 
shrinmd,

HORNADY came out eith NEW PTX's, How old are your present set?

You possibly NEED to spend some time viewing a VIDEO SERIES

By Bill Morgan (76Highboy) on another forum.

GOOGLE "Hornady LNL-AP HINTS and Tricks."

He had a wonderful 5 or 6 part series on each individual

stage of the LNL-AP press set up, much better than Hornady's DVD or videos.

THE SERIES IS WELL WORTH YOUR TIME INVESTED IN WATCHING.

YOU WILL SAVE MANY HEADACHES.:banghead:

MOONMAN
 
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Occasionally, I will get a case that hangs up on the end of the powder funnel. If i do not catch it, i will damage the case. I have learned the feel of the powder measure being activated too early.

It happens more with longer cases like 45 Colt than shorter ones like 40 S&W.

Also, I never have to re-adjust the powder die.
 
Allow me to declare the obvious here...the powder drop is "universal", not the expander. Each caliber has its own Hornady insert. Just checking, because the powder funnel is a different animal and, as a cone shape, is simply adjusted differently for each caliber...same part. One would certainly have problems, if not changing expander inserts to the appropriate caliber's diameter.

The powder funnel is not good because it only flares and does not expand. Technically, I think one would need an expander station to supplement the powder funnel. Sure, one can stuff a bullet in there but risks swaging or crooked seating or fracturing a case at the mouth. The bullet, especially a soft one, is not an expander.
 
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RealGun said:
...because the powder funnel is a different animal and, as a cone shape, is simply adjusted differently for each caliber...same part.
Click to expand...

For clarity,

Whether the term "powder funnel" is correct or not, my inserts for the powder measure case activated system that direct powder into the case are cartridge, not caliber, specific.

I like to call them powder funnels because they funnel powder into the case.
 
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