Anyone ever snap the handle off their press?

[119er]

I did. Hornady LNL AP on the priming stroke while loading 9mm. Everything was going smoothly and I pressed it forward to seat the primer and the handle snapped right off. What's funny is that it didn't really "pop". It just sort of broke loose and made more noise when it struck my bench. I sent an email to Hornady on Sunday about warranty but no response yet. The manual says "unconditional lifetime warranty" or something to that effect. I'll post up how it goes.

Edit: This press is several years old and has loaded ~12K-13K rounds. It has never been dropped or damaged in any way.

 

[ReloaderFred]

You'll do better calling them. They'll take care of it, but personal contact gets quicker results. Besides, their answering machine message is worth the call!

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[119er]

I plan to call them tomorrow. I hope they will just send the part for me to change rather than shipping the whole press back and forth. I'll even ship the broken one back to them. I'm not too sure that's likely to happen though. I'm no failure analyst but the structure in the casting sure does look coarse or or rough. Other castings I have seen break have a much finer crystalline structure to them. This reminds me of pyrite rock or something.

 

[cfullgraf]

Hornady should make it right.

A year or two ago, Hornady L-N-L presses had issues with the hub castings breaking.

I hope Hornady has changed sources for their castings.

 

[gamestalker]

No, but my Son bought an RCBS RS2 that the part that the handle threads into had been broken.

GS

 

[GW Staar]

More common in Aluminum presses than cast iron presses. The only progressive presses not made with aluminum castings are the Dillon 1050 and the RCBS Pro 2000. Those are cast iron.

Hornady's not alone in that.


Aluminum RCBS Partner Presses too....and Lees. The good news? They all have free replacement of broken parts.....just takes time.

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

Yep, was resizing 50 BMG brass.... Lee replaced everything the next week.

 

[119er]

Okay, I spoke with Hornady customer service and they are sending the new part to me. The part that broke is aluminum. I assumed that it was iron. Either way it is being replaced free of charge. Can't ask much more than that.

 

[floydster]

This is one of the reasons I buy only cast press bodies with titanium nitrate and cobalt injection

 

[osteodoc08]

GW Staar-

Looks like a Dillon 550. What's the story on that one? They're pretty beefy. I've been loading on my Dads for over 15 years best as memory serves me. No telling how many have been loaded on that thing.

 

[ranger335v]

Well, to pick nits, it wasn't the "handle" that broke, it was the toggle block the handle attaches to.

 

[ReloaderFred]

"Stuff" breaks, which is why there are warrantees. The reloading business is like few others in that they warrant their products for life in most instances.

I sure wish trucks and cars had that kind of warrantee.............

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[jaguarxk120]

If you go looking for a RCBS A2 press, they are made from cast steel - won't break.

 

[brassbullets12]

yes, i had a hornady 50 cal press, i was sizing 50 cal api bullets, i let the handle get loose, and i had a 2ft pipe on it. my linkage is what broke.. where the handle tightens down...it was my fault. i called them, they passed me up the chain, and said no body had ever broke one, this was about 6 to 7 years ago. i was truthful with them and told them i was buying a new one, if they didn't fix it , it sure wouldn't be a horandy, i also have your press, they looked up both serial numbers to see that i owned them. i had replacment parts in the mail, great service, i pay closer attention to the handle getting loose. i will see if i can post pictures later

 

[Hondo 60]

Yup, believe it or not even the great Dillon breaks once in a while.
No story, it just cracked. They had a new re-designed crank to me in 3 days.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I broke the handle on my Lyman Spar-T turret press -- the handle itself broke, right where the threads start -- and Lyman sent me a replacement in the mail.

 

[HOWARD J]

I broke the alum. handle off a Lee standard turret press resizing 30 carbine without lube---it snapped right in the middle.
Lee sent a new one immediately
BTY-- I broke the same type handle priming new 30 carbine cases

 

[Anmut]

I would think that any manufacture of presses would be setting this right for you immediately, less they start to be known of makers of cheap reloading equipment on the interwebs.

 

[ranger335v]

"If you go looking for a RCBS A2 press, they are made from cast steel - won't break. "

Wrong. NOTHING is "fool proof" to a sufficently talanted fool.

 

[jinxer3006]

NOTHING is "fool proof" to a sufficently talanted fool.

Or my favorite "Make it idiot-proof and the world will build a better idiot."

 

[jolly roger]

Snapped head right off Lyman T Mag II press. Granted it loaded about 10K probably. They were complete ***** about replacing it too...complete. Went with a Redding T7

 

[rondog]

30 years ago I had a Lee turret press, the aluminum one. The handle just snapped right in half one day. I can't remember if I had to buy a replacement or if Lee replaced it for me. Now my current LCT, I don't think that one will break. I gave the original to my brother, I think he's still using it.

 

[carbine85]

Glad to hear they are making good on it. I'm don't understand why the part of the press is aluminum and not casted steel. I'm surprised you don't hear about about the breaking more often. My guess is that the casting was flawed.

 

[nastynatesfish]

Not handles but

 

[FROGO207]

Not handles but the cast AL linkage on my then new 70's vintage Lee Anniversary press several times, usually sizing 300 Win MAG brass for whatever reason. They have modified the newer ones to use a steel linkage though.