Hornady LnL Bushing Help...

[BigGee]

I know there are quite a few LnL users here - a couple have already been a great help.

I seem to be having a problem with the die bushings - they seem work loose after several rounds (I will normally see movement in my sizing die first) at which time I will give them a hand tightening tweak (I'm not Mr. T).

All will be well for the rest of the session, but when I try to remove the dies, one or two will invariably be so tight that I loose the die setting trying to get them out.

Is there a technique I'm not using ?
Buff with a dremel ?
Dab some lube around the bushing ?
None of the above ?

Getting tired of all my die sets having a note... "recheck M die"..."Redo bullet seater" etc.
This was one of the features that sold me on the AP, along with the 5th station.

Just to be clear - the dies are solid in the bushings - it's getting the bushings out of the press that is the problem.

Any help welcome.

 

[Reeferman]

I have Hornady’s lock rings on all my dies and have no issue with loosing die settings or with the bushings being too tight or loose other than the powder measure which Hornady sent me shims to fix.
Try phoning Hornady and see what they say.

 

[BigGee]

I may try doing that - I just finished some 9mm. I now have two dies that are loose but the rings are impossible to remove.
The AP seems to be turning into an "Mechanics Special" I am still getting high primers occasionally. No way can I trust the primer system to go "100 straight" without goofing up, so my process is Size, Prime, M Die. Then when I've checked for high or missing primers, I Powder, Seat and Crimp.

All the while keeping an eye open for a loosening shellplate.

PS - I looked online and there are a bunch of people with various issues with the bushings.

 

[cfullgraf]

Hornady has a shim set that will help with locking the the L-N-L bushings in place.

You can buy some o-rings that are a bit larger in diameter than the Hornady supplied o-rings that will add locking force to the bushings. You will need to measure the diameter of the existing o-rings and search o-ring vendor sights for o-rings with a larger diameter elastomer with the same internal diameter of the Hornady o-ring.

You need lock rings for the die that clamp to the die such as the Hornady split ring lock ring. You will not lose your setting should the die come loose from the bushing.

If you use the Hornady lock ring, Hornady has a wrench for inserting and removing dies via the lock ring. It works well. The Hornady wrench also has a feature for tightening the shell plate on the L-N-L progressive press.

Finally, if you set your dies up and lock the locking ring, you can get a pretty firm lock up between the die, lock ring and bushing. It takes little trial and error to find the right combination but once found, you should not need to adjust dies once finally set.

Hope this helps.

 

[Akula69]

To add to Cfullgraf information:

1) Depending on the age of your LnL you may want to look into replacing the primer seater tool. The older style was a spring-loaded barbell shape, whereas the newer style is a straight shaft. I was having difficultly with small spherical powders (think AA#2) collecting in the cup below the primer seater and binding it from free travel, and it was not working correctly (either not seating completely, or binding the shell plate). When I went to the new style that problem was solved.

Midway has the new style:
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012992329?pid=188678

2) The counter balance spring (Hornady part number 392467) under the sub plate can sometimes become weak and not return the press to the correct position for the pawls to advance. This can also cause primer seating issues. It rests around the spent primer tube.

3) I placed a lock washer under the flat washer on the shell plate bolt. Once tightened, it never moves until I loosen it.

I included the diagrams for your reference (if you don't already have them).

 

[Blue68f100]

Get the Hornady Deluxe tool https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012732316?pid=191984

This along with the Hornady split locking rings will fix a lot of issues your having. I've had one of the earlier LNL-AP thats been updated a few times. This wrech alone has solved a lot of issues. The wrench allows you to hold the shell plate so you can actually tighten the retain nut. I do not and have not required a lock washer when using this setup. For tightening the dies to the bushing it works well for some but not all. As long as you can slip the wrench over the die it works, does not on powder die.

If the powder die keeps loosening up Hornady will send you some shims to put under the o-ring to tighten it up. The shims have worked for me.

Not getting primers fully seated in most cases can be corrected with technique. Provided every thing is adjusted as it should be so there is no feeding issues. I find it best to seat the primer in 1 swift push. Going slow causes issues. You are not going to crush a primer easily due to the way the system works, so don't be shy about leaning into it. You can also grab the front support to give you leverage if you load setting down.

 

[Bill M.]

I use and like the LNL bushings. Yes, I have had similar problems. Gradually I have everything tight to a sufficient level to prevent that from happening. What would have been nice for the LNL bushing is if they had left some flats on it for a wrench or if they sold a wrench that would work on the body. The more I use these bushings the better they work. It has just taken a little time. I do not have any Hornady dies so do not know specifically about them. Most of my dies are Redding now and I can get them to stay in place pretty good. The rest are still Lee and you have to tighten them pretty strong.

 

[BigGee]

Thanks for the replies - yesterday was a rough day. I need to get to the garage and try to remove two bushings that won't come out.

 

[Dudedog]

Sometimes a wrap of teflon plumbers tape around the bushing will help.
May or may not solve your issue but cheap to try,

 

[dcloco]

Are you using the Hornady bushing wrench to tighten?

Die lock rings and bushings........two separate subjects.

 

[Reeferman]

Thanks for the replies - yesterday was a rough day. I need to get to the garage and try to remove two bushings that won't come out.

I don’t understand are you just using your fingers to tighten and loosen the bushings?

 

[BigGee]

Reefer - I normally try tightening a die down and hoping that as I loosen it, it loosens the bushing. Hasn't worked yet, but it's still only mid afternoon.
What's a weekend for, after all ?

 

[mrawesome22-250]

I used epoxy to set the bushing in place and use Hornady lock rings. Once Hornady rings are tighted, they absolutely will not move.

I don't understand the point of the bushings other than a money grab. Takes 3 seconds to spin dies in and out.

 

[Reeferman]

Reefer - I normally try tightening a die down and hoping that as I loosen it, it loosens the bushing. Hasn't worked yet, but it's still only mid afternoon.
What's a weekend for, after all ?

If I’m reading this right it sounds like you are using hex style lock nuts that come with dies. If that is the case what worked well for me before I changed everything over to the Hornady die locks is a small pair of channel lock pliers. You can clamp onto just the bushing and not worry about the die lock nut loosening causing the die to move.Though if the dies lock nuts are tight enough they should not be coming loose.

 

[Walkalong]

I don't understand the point of the bushings other than a money grab. Takes 3 seconds to spin dies in and out.

I didn't understand it before I got mine, and it is a bit of cash, especially if you have a lot of calibers, and I did, and I too thought it was so easy to spin the dies out it didn't matter, but the bushing system works very well, and is super quick. The oring helps the die float and center its self.

Anyway, it's what the OP has, and we're here to help him with it if we can.

 

[jmorris]

I seem to be having a problem with the die bushings - they seem work loose after several rounds

I put a thin o-ring on the bushings (making contact between the upper shoulder and top of the press) so they stayed put despite the vibration of using the LNL but were still easy to rotate and remove, when I wanted them out.

 

[cfullgraf]

I don't understand the point of the bushings other than a money grab. Takes 3 seconds to spin dies in and out.

I like the Hornady L-N-L bushing system as well. It is just a bit easier to install the dies in the press than spinning the dies in.

On the other hand, on my RCBS Pro2000 and Dillon BL550, I use one die plate for each and spin the dies into the die plate. I do not like storing dies in the die plates, they take up too much shelf space.

 

[Reeferman]

I converted my Rockchucker to Hornady bushings and makes big difference when loading on it.

 

[Rule3]

To make the stay in place, get the shims from Hornady or even easier, just use Teflon tape.

If they are hard to get out I use a small pair of tongue and groove pliers (AKA Channellock). If you are worried about dinging the the edges of the bushing put some tape on the jaws, The even sell smooth jaw versions.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I think most of the common solutions have been covered.

I really love my LNL Bushings as they really are more convenient than screwing in dies...especially on a Dillon. The way to keep dies from unscrewing from the bushing is using the Hornady split-rings to screw them fully on and then tighten with an allen wrench...Teflon tape also works if you have some handy.

Do not over tighten the bushings on other dies. If you try to tighten further, you're only over compressing the O-ring; mine are only finger tight. The top flange is a natural stop. The Hornady Deluxe Tool is excellent for removing over tightened dies/bushings...it uses the flats of the lock rings to prevent damaging the ring with pliers.

The only bushing I've had which would loosen was the one for the powder measure...it has to do with the off-set torque for the case activation linkage. I've tried fatter O-rings and the shims from Hornady and they both work. The only downside is that it becomes a bit harder to remove the powder measure when dumping powder back into it's container.

If you want to remove any chance that the powder measure might unscrew, you can get the Powder Drop Locking Plate from Bragging Rights https://www.bragginrightsprecisionr...e/powder-drop-lock-plate-for-hornady-ap-press
It locks the powder measure assembly in place by leveraging the two adjoining bushings