Bullet Feeder Adapter for Hornady LNL AP (Review)

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Yes, I've run it that way also...quite successfully...with the Lyman "M" Expander. Just thought I'd see if I was missing anything with the PTX. The "M" expander is great when I'm loading .38 Spl...also have the plugs for .44 and .45

I was running the expander in station 1, the powder measure in 2, bullet feeder in 3 (there is enough room between the measure and the feeder), seater in 4 and crimp in 5.

Going to the PTX allows me to run a powder cop in station 2 with the the powder measure in 1 and the bullet feeder in 3. I've got it adjusted and locked down now, it was just irritating to see a bullet drop straight and then tilt over before getting to the seating die.

If it hadn't, I was going to switch up to resizing, priming and expanding as part of my pre-loading case prep

That is part of the reason I'm drawn to the RCBS ProChucker 7 station press
 
Paddy said:
I could never get the spring collets adjusted right and seemed like it was just too darn temperamental. No disrespect to your efforts, if you can make that die work you're a madder scientist than I!
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I've only had the Hornady die a couple of weeks. Fiddled with it for a while at first and got frustrated and set it aside and went on with my regular routine of hand placing bullets in the case mouth. But, this thread rekindled my interest, so played with it some more today and finally got the case mouth flare right and the die adjusted right, at least for a short test drive. It does seem to operate on the ragged edge, though. It missed an occasional bullet drop and there were a couple of less than stable rides to the seating die. When I get the Bully adapter and the Lee gizmo in hand, I'll see how well it works when fully set up for a production run.
 
Oh ya, the double alpha dropper also drops the whole bullet stack of bullets onto the case and then picks up the stack minus one on the down stroke, so there is considerable pressure that pre seats the bullet pretty hard. Hard enough that I need pliers to remove the errant upside down bullet which was dropped in (my collator is only about 98% on correct orientations ;) there's also a bit of "jump" when it drops so it's almost hammering the bullet into the case and makes it lots less likely to tip in its trip to station 4. If I do get a tipped bullet it's usually the last one out of the dropper, the only one that doesn't have extra bullets helping it down. My clear tube usually has 10-20 bullets in it though.
I sold my hornady dropper on ebay for 20$ :)
 
9mmepiphany said:
Yes, I've run it that way also...quite successfully...with the Lyman "M" Expander. Just thought I'd see if I was missing anything with the PTX. The "M" expander is great when I'm loading .38 Spl...also have the plugs for .44 and .45

I was running the expander in station 1, the powder measure in 2, bullet feeder in 3 (there is enough room between the measure and the feeder), seater in 4 and crimp in 5.

Going to the PTX allows me to run a powder cop in station 2 with the the powder measure in 1 and the bullet feeder in 3. I've got it adjusted and locked down now, it was just irritating to see a bullet drop straight and then tilt over before getting to the seating die.

If it hadn't, I was going to switch up to resizing, priming and expanding as part of my pre-loading case prep

That is part of the reason I'm drawn to the RCBS ProChucker 7 station press
Click to expand...


Thanks to Peter Eick's pestering and some additional whining by others of us Pro 2000 owners, (who had to order, at one time, Hornady case-activated linkages and PTX expanders to allow Powder Charging on Station two), RCBS FINALLY built their own PTX expanders! They in fact out did Hornady's PTX by borrowing Lyman's M die-style double expander idea.

A little-known secret for you Hornady AP owners using Hornady PTX expanders, is that you can replace just the PTX's with the longer better designed RCBS Expanders. You can simply drop them in the Hornady drop tubes. The only caveat is that you will have to readjust your clamps on the linkage a little and rise the powder dies a bit since those expanders are taller. But the result is bullets that drop and stick straight every time. No more tipping.

You might want to buy one and try it.

826556.jpg $11. at Midway USA 567554.jpg The Hornady version.

About filling tubes! I obviously didn't read post 12! Maybe it was you I read of in some other thread.....I don't remember where I read it.

The thread I started on this "Bully" product over on AR15.com started moving toward the Hornady's bullet feeder die's finickiness right away. There are a couple of posters there who had trouble with adjusting it to drop 9mm every time. So I explained what's involved in making it sing. I will repeat it here:
Troubleshooting the Hornady Bullet Feeder Die:
Repeatable, reliable bullet feeding with the Hornady Bullet Feeder die depends 100 percent on 3 things, starting from the bottom:
1. Whether the case is belled enough to open the fingers in the bottom collet to allow the bullet to fall an inch to the case.
2. Whether the bullets can free-fall through the top collet to replace the one in the bottom collet.
3. Whether the die is adjusted so that when the flared case goes in to receive the one bullet in the lower collet, that the bottom bullet in the upper collet is squeezed by the upper collet fingers to stop the rest from falling.

It's important, if you have trouble with it not feeding, to determine where the bullet is not feeding .... in the top collet or in the bottom collet?

Top collet? First check the die adjustment on top to see if the top collect is free from the bottom one (fingers open) if there is no case pressed in the bottom collet... If that's right, I'd be looking at sanding flash or nibs that could snag a bullet in the top collet of the die, with 220-320-400 grit wet/dry, and then polishing it to a mirror. The idea is to make the bullets free fall through it (fingers open at rest), into the lower collet when the ram is lowered (collets are not pushing into each other).

Bottom collet? The flare has to be right. Hornady says .030" over bullet size . done that?.....and that still doesn't fix the problem?......and you are using jacketed or plated bullets, right? When the flared case goes in, the fingers in the top collet should close the same time as the fingers in the bottom collet open. So the next bullet inline is kept, while the bottom bullet falls its inch onto the waiting case.
Click to expand...
 
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That is a very good explanation of what is needed for the Feeder die to run smoothly

Almost the exact opposite of your use, I only use it for 9mm (124gr) and it has been running fine since I figured it out...I haven't had any problems feeding 115gr or 147gr slugs either

I took it apart when I got it and just inserted 2-3 bullets in the collets to see how they interacted. I liked how the raising lower collet stops the column of bullets from falling by pinching the upper collet's fingers inward and how lowering it relaxes the fingers to feed the next bullet from the upper collet.

I didn't polish mine before use...too impatient...and figured it there was a problem, I could always go back in to polish it up. Never had to open it up again...I might when I take it off during my next caliber change.

I suspect that many folks experiencing problems aren't flaring the case mouth enough to push open the lower collet's fingers
 
I agree with the last statement. That's probably where most of the problems begin. The other is trying to modify them to do lead bullets. If I cast my own I'd probably try to find someone to sell me the Mr. Bullet Feeder die by itself, if I wasn't handy with mods.

The other most common gotcha is that that these collets are not hand fitted and finished. Some are perfect, some have some flash.

My .45ACP one needed both the flash sanded off on the top collet, and the fingers spread a little with a dowel so the bullets would fall through at rest. My .40S&W worked perfect right out of the package.

So the moral is to check your collets and makes sure they function separately before you start cranking.
 
Yes, I'm aware some use that one, but it just bells. Does not expand the case. Therefore the tendency for the bullet to tip is still there. The Lyman M die and RCBS PTX are designed to set a bullet in and hold it straight for the seater.
 
I may try that RCBS PTX.

I've thought of adding a Hornady Seating die to my 9mm set.

Their seating die has a feature that seems to work well with their Feeder die. There is a floating bullet alignment sleeve which aligns the bullet with the case, outside the die, before it enters the the mouth of the case
 
A little-known secret for you Hornady AP owners using Hornady PTX expanders, is that you can replace just the PTX's with the longer better designed RCBS Expanders. You can simply drop them in the Hornady drop tubes. The only caveat is that you will have to readjust your clamps on the linkage a little and rise the powder dies a bit since those expanders are taller. But the result is bullets that drop and stick straight every time. No more tipping.
Click to expand...

Before I jump to order, I am not seeing indication in any pictures that this expander has M-Die features. It looks like a typical belling design. What I can't find is the functional diameter indicating compatibility with lead bullet diameters. All the other PTXs force you into a separate expander die just to get the right size/type for lead.
 
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Thank you GW Staar and 9mmepiphany for the recognition. Definitely not looking for any really though. GW Staar told me when I first made the $28 bullet feeder that I should market it somehow, but I really didn't feel I should. Just a way to give back to the community. This is pretty cool that the big boys ran with the idea though.
 
I thin I will try the RCBS PTX.

I've thought of adding a Hornady Seating die to my 9mm set.

Their seating die has a feature that seems to work well with their Feeder die. There is a floating bullet alignment sleeve which aligns the bullet with the case, outside the die, before it enters the the mouth of the case
Click to expand...


I bought a set and like them. The bullet sleve thing seems to work.
I bought the taper crimp set with has a different seater than the standard set. The taper crimp seater appers to be nicer. ( I have not used the other one so I can't say for sure)

http://ads.midwayusa.com/product/11...die-set-with-taper-crimp?cm_vc=ProductFinding

They were giving away 100 "free" (you pay $6.95 shipping) bullets with the dies.
So it makes the dies a better value.
Some rifle, some XTP handgun.

I took 9mm bullets with my press and .45 bullets with my 9mm dies.

http://www.hornady.com/promotions/free-bullets-2015


2266 22 CAL .224 55 GR SP W/C
2453 6MM .243 100 GR BTSP
2730 270 CAL .277 130 GR SP
2825 7MM .284 139 GR BTSP
3031 30 CAL .308 150 GR SP
35540 9MM .355 115 GR HP/XTP
35700 38 CAL .357 110 GR HP/XTP
40000 10MM .400 155 GR HP/XTP
44050 44 CAL .430 180 GR HP/XTP
45100 45 CAL .451 185 GR HP/XTP
 
An update on my trials and tribulations with bullet feeder dies. I tried running the Hornady bullet feeder die with a Lee bouquet of tubes bullet feeder gizmo and a Bully adapter. In order to get the Hornady die to drop 9mm plated bullets even halfway consistently, I had to expand the case mouths to .385-.390" OD. Even then, the bullets would frequently hang up in the die and I would have to push them up from the bottom of the die with a short wooden dowel rod to jiggle them loose. It happened every 5-10 bullets or so on average. Was annoying to say the least. I applied some sandpaper to the collets to no avail.

I subsequently bought a Mr. Bulletfeeder die and made an adapter on my lathe to fit the Lee gizmo to it. In a test run of 100 of the same plated bullets, one, count'em, one bullet failed to drop. And it dropped on the next case. And I only had to flare the case mouths to .377-.380" OD since the flare has nothing to do with getting the die to drop a bullet. It only has to be large enough to accept the bullet. I couldn't be happier with the setup.

I also tried the Hornady PTX that came with the Hornady die. I got a lot more case stiction than with the RCBS PTX. Both the Hornady die and PTX are now adorning my die storage shelf. As is the Bully adapter. No reflection on the Bully adapter, it works great.
 
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I also tried the Hornady PTX that came with the Hornady die. I got a lot more case stiction than with the RCBS PTX. Both the Hornady die and PTX are now adorning my die storage shelf. As is the Bully adapter. No reflection on the Bully adapter, it works great.
Click to expand...

The "stiction" comes from the sizer die being too small for lead. The PTX I received was very smooth, so the old polishing trick probably doesn't apply here. Run RCBS Cowboy dies, and you'll feel a difference. Lyman sets are better with lead also.

The bullet feeder is problematic, because the press doesn't have enough stations to support an ideal setup, leaving space for an M-die. With close supervision, my LnL AP is working pretty well with the Bully adapter and Lee tube cluster, relying on the Hornady PTX. I tried the RCBS expander and threw it in a box. Its concentricty nose for 38 was .356, which is a no-go for lead at .358. The M-die effect was negligible, so bullets would not sit straight on the cases. The Hornady PTX is more of a taper rather than the RCBS abrupt bell. Running the Hornady PTX with minimal belling worked fine because. the case was not constricted as with the RCBS.
 
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I noticed a video on YouTube on this tool I hadn't seen before. Bully in action. Well done video.



AlliedArmory said:
Thank you GW Staar and 9mmepiphany for the recognition. Definitely not looking for any really though. GW Staar told me when I first made the $28 bullet feeder that I should market it somehow, but I really didn't feel I should. Just a way to give back to the community. This is pretty cool that the big boys ran with the idea though.
Click to expand...

Ha Ha! AlliedArmory the household word! Yeah, I'm glad you thought of it instead of me!.....I would be uncomfortable with the recognition, as you probably are. People have bugged me to patent or sell my Pro 2000 mods, but I knew they were too limited and very prone to be worthless just as soon as RCBS updated the Pro 2000 to the next generation presses. Well that was prophetic! We now have the Pro Chucker presses to play with, and the Pro 2000 will probably be discontinued in December. Your idea, however, will be useful to many many reloaders for a long time.....and should have been patented.....sorry I wasn't more loud on that. You deserve more than just the recognition.
 
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I like how weiderlander kept saying he took from my design.

If anything weiderlander took from this guy's design. This video was uploaded a whole year earlier than weider lander. I actually saw this video before weiderlander.

If it was only in English, this would have taken off years ago.

I tried making a makeshift one myself, but I am no machinest. I have the bully and I love it.

 
FMJBT said:
I like how weiderlander kept saying he took from my design.

If anything weiderlander took from this guy's design. This video was uploaded a whole year earlier than weider lander. I actually saw this video before weiderlander.

If it was only in English, this would have taken off years ago.

I tried making a makeshift one myself, but I am no machinest. I have the bully and I love it.
Click to expand...

I don't know a thing about his claims....just glad David made the Bully. weiderlander's public YouTube video however is a really nice demo of David's Bully! We can shamelessly use that!:)

The price of the Bully is such that I wouldn't even be tempted to make my own: 1. I can machine anything. 2. Why would I want to try when $35 gets me one as good as can be made.

BTW! Thanks for the clue on how to post a YouTube.....I think I knew how once......but I forget a lot of things these days.:eek: Anyway I fixed my post to show it here!
 
2. Why would I want to try when $35 gets me one as good as can be made.
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Scared me...I thought the price had gone up, I had to go check.

It's still $30 and that includes the USPS Priority Mail shipping...so it is really less than $25

The one by Ruiz is really closer to the Bully than the Weiderlander. I thought the Weiderlander one looked pretty crude
 
So higgite, where did you buy just the Mr. Bullet Feeder die and for how much?

I've been wanting one to test in .40 and the $50 price seemed reasonable, but when I tried to order they wanted to send it from Holland. Shipping $65 three day or $25 Air Mail, my choice! Don't want it quite that bad. From the American distributors I couldn't find an option to buy just the lower die.

About the Hornady dies: I just have not had the problems some of you have had. Don't understand why, sorry.

As for the RCBS PTX's they also work for me....in my press they stick em perfect.

One thing though....I don't use lead. I use only Jacketed and Berry's plated in .40S&W and .45acp.
 
I bought my Hornady bullet feeder die very recently from Amazon. I have Amazon Prime, so shipping was included and was 2-Day delivery. Price was $21.99.

One thing though....I don't use lead
Click to expand...

Ah, see, that's the thing.
 
Thanks! That's more like it. I believe these are a great improvement to the original design, made possible with the help of the ample company resources available since time Rick sold them rights to the original Mr. Bullet Feeder inventions.

I hope Rick has been amply rewarded for the original inventions. It's way easier to improve an invention than inventing it in the first place.

Higgite, one question: What is the diameter of the M.B.F. die? Thinking of course, of the possible use of it with the Bully Adaptor!
 
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Why not just use the tubes individually with a hitch pin to release the bullets once the tube is in the die?
 
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