Hornady LNL AP

The LnL AP can be adjusted to have virtually no "snaps" to or from each station. Mine does not and I load about 4.2g Unique in 9mm regularly. That is enough for the powder to touch the bullet when it is fully seated. If you work it smoothly,it shouldn't shake at all. Most importantly you need to mount it firmly. I have mine mounted on a 2x6" beam on Gorilla Rack bench with the 2x6" screwed into the studs of the garage with angle brackets. The bench takes virtually all the load, but the anchor to the wall ensures zero movement of the press.

FWIW, I had the same problem when I first got my Pro 2000. I read on here that RCBS would send you a weaker indent spring if you called and asked. I did and they did. That helped a lot, but didn't completely eliminate the spillage. I started working the press more smoothly and the problem disappeared. Not necessarily slower, just not so much enthusiasm at the top of the handle stroke. Not trying to talk you out of an LnL. I understand they are great presses. Just passing on my experience.

ETA: I should add that I only load 9mm with W231 and .223 Rem with IMR 8208XBR on my Pro 2000. If I loaded different calibers or powders, I might not be so lucky. Can't say.

I have both the Pro200 and the Hornady L-N-L.

I ordered the weak spring from RCBS but it did not make much difference. I found a spring at the local farm store that is the same diameter but has a thinner wire and it works better. If I remember, the spring was too long and I trimmed it to length.

I like the APS priming system on the Pro2000. It is the only press that I will prime on the press.

I have completely removed the priming system from the L-N-L and hand prime cases. Not really a big deal for me as I prefer to clean cases after sizing anyway. I can prime 100 cases by hand as fast as filling the primer tubes and I never feed a bad primed case to the press.

I like the 1/2 index on the up stroke and the 1/2 index on the down stroke of the L-N-L. I like the bushing system on the L-N-L better than the shell plate on the Pro2000. It allows me to move dies around for different tasks. It is more convenient storage of dies than a shell plate full of dies, I load 11 or 12 different cartridges on progressive presses.

I load 300 BLK and 204 Ruger on the Pro2000. I put the powder measure in station 4 for 300 BLK to minimize the number of indexes a case full of powder does. I visually check the powder level with 300 BLK. 300 BLK spills powder badly on the Pr2000.

With 204 Ruger, the powder measure is in the normal position 3.

At times, I drag my hand along the Pro2000 shell plate to lesson the snap into position. I have not decided how to modify the press for that yet.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

I've had my LNL-AP since 2008. Most all the problems posted are due to user errors not setting/adj them properly. I've adjusted several friends and theirs have been trouble free since.

Blue68f100 said:

I've had my LNL-AP since 2008. Most all the problems posted are due to user errors not setting/adj them properly. I've adjusted several friends and theirs have been trouble free since.

Click to expand...

X2.

I have had mine for about the same amount of time. I have probably loaded 40 - 50k rounds on it and have had very little trouble. Any issue can be corrected. Anyone having problems likely doesn't fully understand how the press works and doesn't know how to tune it up.

I've been running a LNLAP for a few years now with 10k + loaded on it. One thing I found to help with hard indexing on it is to drive the ball detents in just a little deeper on the shell plates. It makes a big difference but you need to play around to find out how far you need to drive them in. Hint: it's not far at all. Maybe a couple thousandths of an inch makes all the difference in the world.

My biggest complaint is the priming system. It goes like butter for 10-20 rounds and then I have a rough seat. Hornady redesigned the primer punch and sent me new ones for free but I still have cockeyed primers getting pushed into cases every so often. Hitting the shell plate with compressed keyboard cleaner helps though as debris makes a big difference. I think my press may have developed a divot on the frame where the punch pushes against that is slightly off center. I'm going to address the issue one of these days.

My priming system has always worked very good. Granted there are times it might take a harder than normal lever push, but the primer always goes in straight. I figured the extra effort was due to a primer pocket being tighter than normal.

You might look at the new RCBS presses when they arrive at the dealers in a month or so......not to discount the Hornady AP or anything, but just to make sure you are aware of all the possibilities now before you.

Personally, I'd love to have one of each! To reload with, to play with, and of course to improve if I can.

Unfortunately I don't have room for 6 progressives, but I'll probably add a new 7 station RCBS Pro Chucker later this year to go along with my Pro 2000.

My brother just bought a Dillon 650 that I got to help set up last weekend. (he's a new reloader ) Finally I have one of those close by to play and maybe even tinker with. Maybe my neighbor will buy a Hornady AP so I can volunteer to "help" him with that one.....that'd be cool.

I agree with cfullgraf & Higgite, smooth operation and a lighter gauge spring works for me. You can't just yank it around, even Hornadys lose a little powder if you get carried away with a short pistol case or 300 BLK.

The neat thing about the new RCBS Pro Chuckers (5 and 7 stationed) is that there is no longer a sprung ball to pop into a recess. Look at the recent thread about it and watch the video.....smooth as a babys.....the not so neat thing is that they haven't showed up at Grafs or Midway yet.

I'm very interested in the adjustment that eliminates "snap" that occurs from the shell plate indexing on the Hornady LNLAP.

Here you go hungry friend. Arbor shims is the operative. Works great.

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=468481

I had one of the LnL AP's for over ten years and many thousands of cartridges, both pistol and rifle. Worked good, no complaints really. Got bored with it and had always wanted a press with the APS system, but wanted auto advance as well. So sold the LnLAP and bought the Pro 2000 auto advance.

I like the RCBS much, much better from a mechanical standpoint. Holds it's adjustments pretty much permanetly. All that said, if I was in the market for a new press, it would be the RCBS Pro Chucker 5 or 7 when they come out and not the Hornady.

They just have a better, simpler auto advance sytem.

johnc486 said:

I will be on the lookout for weaker springs when shopping, may be the trick.

Click to expand...

When you are in hardware stores or farm supply stores that have small drawer cabinets of specialized fasteners. They may have a section of compression springs.

I found mine at the local Co-op store and they came three to a pack for a couple bucks or so.

Measure the overall diameter and the diameter of the wire of the RCBS spring. Get a spring with a smaller diameter wire.

Hungry1 said:

I'm very interested in the adjustment that eliminates "snap" that occurs from the shell plate indexing on the Hornady LNLAP.

Click to expand...

On the individual shell plates, the indexing balls are pressed into the plate. If you look on the top of the plate, they are black dots. If you get a punch, you can very carefully drive them up from the bottom. You need to find the sweet spot where the ball still indexes in the detent but doesn't snap. We are talking about moving these by a few thousandths of an inch. You can actually measure depth from the top to get then both right.

Also tuning your indexing pawls will help with the snap. Now my press runs incredibly smooth. I bought that **** set but I haven't had a chance to install it as I can't fit my calipers in to measure the depth.

At times, I drag my hand along the Pro2000 shell plate to lesson the snap into position. I have not decided how to modify the press for that yet.

Click to expand...

I don't know if it would work on the 2000 but a thrust washer between the hold down bolt and shell plate works well on the 650.

jmorris said:

I don't know if it would work on the 2000 but a thrust washer between the hold down bolt and shell plate works well on the 650.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion. Definitely worth looking into. Off hand, I do not remember the details of the shell plate hold down bolt on the Pro2000, but there might be potential.

johnc486 said:

I didn't realize the LNL had powder spillage also, I thought the half indexing prevented that.

Click to expand...

On my L-N-L, I have found the powder drop tube can have a big effect on powder spillage. The one that insert into the case spill less than the conical drop tube that is supposed to center the case mouth on the drop tube.

I have made custom dop tubes for these applications, primarily rifle cartridges with a small case mouth diameter, that reduce spillage to near zero.

If you operate the press too fast, it can spill powder as the shell plate indexes. But, I find it easier to control this motion on the L-N-L than on the Pro2000.

My LnL doesn't spill at all, but I have shimmed my plate and I might not be filling as much as some chaps. They claim the half indexing prevents this but to me it just seems to make it 2x as likely as the spills come
From the snap not the travel but hey, with some love the LnL is a smooth operator. Maybe it depends on if you're going to leave this press set for one cal forever. Then the prochucker might be best, however, the quick change bushings are great on the LnL if you plan to ever remove dies, and it looks as though the chucker will not have 1-1/4" die holes.

Those looking at the ProChucker be aware that Hornady had the wire Ejector when the LNL and Projector first came out. The problem you will have is case bind particularly with small cases, 9mm. Using the wire has a tendency to tilt the case causing the bind. Now it does not do it every time, but if you try to get any speed it shows up quickly. Even with my unit only having 0.003" shell plate to base clearance to minimize the tilt it was a constant headache when running 9mm. 45acp where never a problem. I even tried having the wire run as low as possible, different angles and it still happened. Every thing highly polished. Now it's possible RCBS figured out how to make this work, but I wound not be a first buyer to beta test the press.

The wire has been gone for a few years, now there's a bump that works much better.

I had trouble with the wire ejector on my Pro 2000 when loading 9mm, until I figured out where to orient it. No more problems.

My Pro2000 ejects 300 BLK and 204 Ruger without issue, that's all I load on my Pro2000. The ejection wire on the Pro2000 has lots of adjustability and since it has been used on the Pro2000 for a while, it would not concern me.

Joea132:

My biggest complaint is the priming system. It goes like butter for 10-20 rounds and then I have a rough seat. Hornady redesigned the primer punch and sent me new ones for free but I still have cockeyed primers getting pushed into cases every so often.

Click to expand...

That's my only complaint with the AP. Neither Hornady or myself have been able to get the thing to put primers in straight all the time. I just prime off the press. For me its not a big deal and certainly not a deal breaker. Otherwise its a great press. I don't see me trading it out any time soon.

ColtPythonElite:

I have had mine for about the same amount of time. I have probably loaded 40 - 50k rounds on it and have had very little trouble. Any issue can be corrected. Anyone having problems likely doesn't fully understand how the press works and doesn't know how to tune it up.

Click to expand...

What's the fix for uneven primer seating?