Brand New Hornady LNL AP Pawl adjustments necessary

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Radom Guy

Radom Guy

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Hello, I am an experienced reloader; I just bought a new Hornady LNL AP Progressive press. Hornady makes a point in their literature and their YouTube videos that the indexing pawls are set from the factory and will probably not need adjustments for a long time. And that one should only adjust them after ruling everything else out.

I was surprised that I absolutely had to adjust both indexing pawls. Not a big deal, but why is Hornady making such a big thing out of it when obviously it needed to be adjusted right out of the box? Did your LNL AP pawls need immediate adjustments when you bought it new?

and is this the right part of the High Road forums to talk about specific reloading topics, such as the Hornady LNL AP progressive?

Thanks.
 
dannyd said:
My new one didn't need adjustments but the used one I purchased did.

I use this kit and it makes adjustments easy

https://www.bragginrightsprecisionr...cp-master-pawl-and-primer-slide-adjusting-kit

I have loaded 108,223 rounds on my LNL's and probably deprimed that much brass too.
Click to expand...

Interesting that you suggest that. Thank you. I actually bought the Braggin Rights primer slide adjustment tool set on the same day that I ordered the press. I will see how things go with the pawls as I go along to see if I want the pawl adjustment tools. So far I have only loaded three complete rounds on it, haha! I'm still setting it up. I know that I am really going to enjoy this press.
 
dannyd said:
I got it because I only load pistol mainly 38 special and 357 magnum, I use 12 bullet seaters. for these

View attachment 1106022
Click to expand...
I have actually never even considered using different bullet seaters for 'same caliber but different bullet'. I don't have a ton of variety in bullet sizes and types for each individual caliber but every time I change powder charges and bullets for a single pistol caliber, I try to make sure to load a large amount at a time, so I don't have to mess with the charge and bullet seater too often. But I may just copy your method if I can get to the range more often, where that would make it worth my while. Thanks for writing.
 
Mine didn't need adjustment. The balls on the shellplate and corresponding dimples on the subplate determine the exact alignment positions. The paw adjustments simply get things lined up close enough for the detent balls to pop into the dimples, finalizing the alignment.
 
Radom Guy said:
I will see how things go with the pawls as I go along to see if I want the pawl adjustment tools.
Click to expand...
I got mine used and the pawls did need adjustment. However I have helped two friends set up their new LNL AP and neither needed any pawl adjustment for initial use.

I set up my primer slide and pawls before Randall started making his tools. I've found that his pawl adjustment kit is the most useful of the kits he offers. I thought I did a pretty good job until I got his kit as could see how far out of adjustment my shellplate was

Most folks only adjust the left pawl as it affects where the shell plate rotates to as the ram lowers. They often neglect the right pawl which controls the alignment of the cases entering the dies as the ram raises
 
dannyd said:
I only load pistol mainly 38 special and 357 magnum, I use 12 bullet seaters. for these
Click to expand...
I also only load handgun rounds...9mm .38Spl, .45ACP...and have the widest variety of bullets for the .38Spl.

I went with the Redding Competition Seating die to make quick adjustments when switching between bullets. I label the ammo box loaded rounds go into with the bullet type, powder charge, OAL, and seating die setting...for quick reference. The die's click adjustments change the seating depth by .001". Also the seating plug doesn't seat by pushing on the nose of the bullets
 
Well north of 300k cycles at this point on my LnL. Ive worn out 2 case feeder pivot blocks and a press deck as I used to process brass to sell a bit of it.
Out of the box Im pretty sure they needed a little adjustment. Since then, I have to make slight (1/16th turn or less) adjustments from time to time to get adjustment just right. I have not broken a pawl or worn out an index wheel, but I do grease them ever so slightly. I also have made light adjustments to the spring loaded bearings in the shell plates over the years.

For adjusting mine, I just do it with my Mark One eyeball. On the downstroke I compare the shell plate and is it 100% centered on the primer punch. On the upstroke I just look at a pistol case entering a die. For the primer slide, I just look down the hole and see where its at. Ive actually found it to be somewhat helpful on the primer slide to have it travel just a blonde one past the drop tube. For some reason I found this really made a big difference with Winchester primers. I also break the edge on the bottom front of the primer slide with a file which seems to help keep it from jamming if it gets a little dirty or the primer punch is just a hair high.
 
Welcome to THR!
Out of the box, the press would cycle, but I needed to make minor adjustments to both pawls. There have been a lot of threads here on various LNL problems and solutions. You may even get a post or two suggesting a different colored press.
 
I bought mine brand new and it needed adjustment. No big deal and now I’ve loaded a couple thousand without a single hiccup. Take a look at some of the videos online regarding set up and you should have a great press. I was a little overwhelmed when I first got it but once I got the hang of it, I was very happy with my purchase. The case feeder makes loading a breeze.
 
Mine needed adj out of the box. And only once in 20 yrs after that.

If your relying on the detents to position the shell plate, the snapping will cause powder spills on small cases. I even back out the detents to lessen the snap
 
I didn’t need to adjust either of the ones I had but I did note the factory settings and played with the first a bit, to understand how they were intended to work.
 
Blue68f100 said:
If your relying on the detents to position the shell plate, the snapping will cause powder spills on small cases.
Click to expand...
Yup, not a good idea. It is much better to have the pawls adjusted correctly.

The shellplate shouldn't snap between stations like the Dillon ones do. That is part of the beauty of the half rotation of the plate as the ram moves
 
9mmepiphany said:
Yup, not a good idea. It is much better to have the pawls adjusted correctly.

The shellplate shouldn't snap between stations like the Dillon ones do. That is part of the beauty of the half rotation of the plate as the ram moves
Click to expand...

i certainly appreciate everyone's input, but I am going to stick with the pawl adjustment (instead of the detents), as I feel the same as you do. I also am impressed by the half rotation operation. It makes everything so darn solid, less room for play in the shell plate with five dies being used all at once. I cannot stand inconsistencies when reloading, especially with OAL.
 
9mmepiphany said:
I also only load handgun rounds...9mm .38Spl, .45ACP...and have the widest variety of bullets for the .38Spl.

I went with the Redding Competition Seating die to make quick adjustments when switching between bullets. I label the ammo box loaded rounds go into with the bullet type, powder charge, OAL, and seating die setting...for quick reference. The die's click adjustments change the seating depth by .001". Also the seating plug doesn't seat by pushing on the nose of the bullets
Click to expand...
Very nice. I'm very particular about how I label my ammo boxes, too, writing the same as you indicated plus primer brand and type, as I have a large variety of primers. That Redding die sounds nice. Thanks for writing.
 
Kaldor said:
Well north of 300k cycles at this point on my LnL. Ive worn out 2 case feeder pivot blocks and a press deck as I used to process brass to sell a bit of it.
Out of the box Im pretty sure they needed a little adjustment. Since then, I have to make slight (1/16th turn or less) adjustments from time to time to get adjustment just right. I have not broken a pawl or worn out an index wheel, but I do grease them ever so slightly. I also have made light adjustments to the spring loaded bearings in the shell plates over the years.

For adjusting mine, I just do it with my Mark One eyeball. On the downstroke I compare the shell plate and is it 100% centered on the primer punch. On the upstroke I just look at a pistol case entering a die. For the primer slide, I just look down the hole and see where its at. Ive actually found it to be somewhat helpful on the primer slide to have it travel just a blonde one past the drop tube. For some reason I found this really made a big difference with Winchester primers. I also break the edge on the bottom front of the primer slide with a file which seems to help keep it from jamming if it gets a little dirty or the primer punch is just a hair high.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input!
 
blackd24 said:
I bought mine brand new and it needed adjustment. No big deal and now I’ve loaded a couple thousand without a single hiccup. Take a look at some of the videos online regarding set up and you should have a great press. I was a little overwhelmed when I first got it but once I got the hang of it, I was very happy with my purchase. The case feeder makes loading a breeze.
Click to expand...
Making time for reloading and shooting is the hardest part of it all, haha! So for a few minutes here or there, I have uncharacteristically watched a bunch of videos on the LNL AP because I could not escape to my cellar and work on it for real! It was more to psych myself up to get to use my newest piece of reloading equipment. I also read the setup manual umpteen times when I couldn't make time to work on it, too. It makes for good familiarity!
 
Blue68f100 said:
Mine needed adj out of the box. And only once in 20 yrs after that.

If your relying on the detents to position the shell plate, the snapping will cause powder spills on small cases. I even back out the detents to lessen the snap
Click to expand...
20 years? Nice! That's a vote of confidence!
 
Kaldor said:
... On the downstroke I compare the shell plate and is it 100% centered on the primer punch. On the upstroke I just look at a pistol case entering a die...
Click to expand...
By the way, that's exactly what I did to adjust the pawls, too. It's important to understand how things work. Among other things, it helps when resolving issues as they arise. If I find that this method does not work for me, then I'll look more into the pawl adjustment kit from Randall Bragg. Thanks again!
 
Radom Guy said:
By the way, that's exactly what I did to adjust the pawls, too. It's important to understand how things work. Among other things, it helps when resolving issues as they arise. If I find that this method does not work for me, then I'll look more into the pawl adjustment kit from Randall Bragg. Thanks again!
Click to expand...

His kit works good so Ill never steer anyone away from buying it. My eyeball works pretty good too, and I can tell at a glance what I need to do.
I just finished 2000 rounds of 9mm tonite and I can tell that my upstroke screw (right side screw on pawls) needs to be let out just a hair because the PTX is binding just a bit because the shell plate needs just a hair more rotation. Ive got another 2000 9mm to go, so Ill pull the shell plate and primer slide, clean it, lube it and give it a light adjustment. I really should call Hornady and get a new set of pawls and index wheel on hand. I dont have too many turns left on my adjustment screws and I said I havent broken one before in my previous post. I just jinxed myself!
 
Kaldor said:
His kit works good so Ill never steer anyone away from buying it. My eyeball works pretty good too, and I can tell at a glance what I need to do.
I just finished 2000 rounds of 9mm tonite and I can tell that my upstroke screw (right side screw on pawls) needs to be let out just a hair because the PTX is binding just a bit because the shell plate needs just a hair more rotation. Ive got another 2000 9mm to go, so Ill pull the shell plate and primer slide, clean it, lube it and give it a light adjustment. I really should call Hornady and get a new set of pawls and index wheel on hand. I dont have too many turns left on my adjustment screws and I said I havent broken one before in my previous post. I just jinxed myself!
Click to expand...
Fingers crossed for you (to help negate the jinx)!
 
Mine didn't need adjusting, but I did back off the detent balls in the shell plate a little to lesson the snap of them falling into place. I found a punch that is the same size as the hole and gently tapped from the ball side so as not to bugger up the hole the ball is seated in. Make sure the punch isn't messed up on the end and has a nice flat end on it.
You can really fine tune it this way, you may tap them back and forth a couple times, until you get a solid placement without a sharp stop.
 
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