Greetings from new member in PA!

Hi All,

While this is my first post here, I have been lurking since December of '19. I have been a employed as a Machinist since 2012, both CNC and manual. The mill I ran at work was 15 feet in the x axis, 4 feet in each of z and y. Big stuff, and with an overhead hoist! Holding bore diameter tolerances of less than .001" in exotic stainless steel alloys is the part that keeps me interested in getting up and doing it again tomorrow.

My buddies at work and I were crunching the numbers on getting into reloading and I happened to be the first to go for it, mainly because I'm the only one in the bunch with no wife or kids auditing my budget numbers...

So, I picked up a nearly new Hornady LNL progressive press in mid January, along with the accessories in originally came with.

Including the manual, which was where I started. Just headin' ya off at the pass there folks, I know that is step #1. I did learn quite a bit in that first section that I haven't seen in other online sources.

Next I went through most of Highboy76's you tube videos on this press. Then I added arbor shims between the drive hub and the sub plate until I could get a .002" shim but not a .004" shim between the sub plate and my shell plates. Did a bunch of deburring around the primer feed mechanisms and the cartridge ejector ramp as well, added some beefier o-rings here and there, plus a general cleaning and oiling.

I have not had a single problem with this press so far, having done a bit of homework before I started running it. Everybody said start with a single stage, I said I'm already a Machinist, I'll figure it out. The only daily problem I have is when my shoulder runs out of steam... It was already somewhat banged up from machine shop work to begin with.

So far I'm only set up to load 9mm and .223/5.56. I've loaded about 5500 rounds of 9mm and 1000 rounds of 223 so far. I'm currently in the process of brass prep on another 3500 pcs of .223

I'm really enjoying this process, including the brass prep believe it or not, and I'm glad I jumped into it before the recent scarcity of... well, everything ammo related... kicked in back in March. Meeting and picking the brains of the brass hounds at the local outdoor ranges has been fun and educational, too.

I'm loading for three different Ar's chambered in 5.56, one in 9mm and also a few 9mm glock pistols. Nothing too fancy, and not expecting anything better than the 3 moa rack grade service rifle standards of accuracy for the Ar's. I may decide to pick up a shell plate and dies to get into .224 Valkyrie also, but the jury is still out on that. I don't have anywhere to shoot past 300 yards, so the Valkyrie may depart someday.

I've been off work since March, and have really been going full steam with load development and then production as well. I'll likely be off work through spring '21, so now is the time to get reloading figured out.

I have learned so much here already, so thank you to all of you! I scrolled through three years worth of past thread titles here in the reloading section, and read everything that looked relevant, which took up a week or two in April.

While I do have some more specific questions about the reloading I'm doing, I just wanted to do a quick intro and thank you before jumping right in at the deep end of the pool.

Hoping you and yours are safe and sound...
~OpIvy

SlowFuse said:

Welcome @OpIvy



How did your reloads shoot? Sticking with streamlined components to just stack ammo deep or are you trying a variety of loads and components?

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I started with the 9mm first, and worked up loads for 115, 124, 135 and 147 gr, all Berry's plated round nose. I wanted to tune a load that would be more of a thud as opposed to feeling snappy in my hand, and would reliably cycle a G26 with a forged barrel, as well as a G19 with a cut rifled barrel and a G17 with a cut rifled barrel with gas ports at 12 o'clock forward of the end of the slide. Just one powder to start, BE-86. Have since added Shooters World Ultimate Pistol, too.

Reading primers for pressure signs, ejection patterns, plus recoil feel were my yardsticks.

I was also trying to get a straight blowback ar-9 carbine to cycle reliably. The answer ended up being that there just isn't one answer that is going to do all of those things.

The G19 and G17 like the 147gr Berry's over 4.05 gr of BE-86, for less snap and less muzzle rise as compared to say, bargain basement Winchester white box 115 gr FMJRN.

The G26 won't cycle reliably with that recipe, though. It likes the 135gr Berry's over 4.8 gr Shooters World Ultimate Pistol Powder.

Right now I'm waiting on a back order of RMR 124gr JHP rounds, and the load I develop for that one is intended for the G26 as the main event. I can only shoot at paper targets at the sportsman's clubs I belong to, so for that one final testing will be on a buddy's rural land where I can shoot water jugs to test expansion.

Just shout it out if you see anything way off the map in terms of reliability or safety that I may have missed.

The story of rifle load development will have to wait til tomorrow. It's after 5 o'clock where I'm at, and a real fine holiday besides, so my ability to type up finer details is about to be depleted...
Thanks! And I hope you have a good Independence Day!

Blue68f100 said:

Welcome to THR

Another LNL-AP user here. Glad you got your dialed in. Mine has been running smooth for over a decade now.

As far as the 224V. I have one. It is a very picky round to load for. Yes it can shoot accurate, but it takes some work. Dies like the heavier pills though. If I had to do it again I would pass.

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Thanks for the welcome. And a pleasant Independence Day to you.