david bachelder
Member
I just purchased and received the Hornady Powder Drain Insert. I have to admit I was a bit surprised at how well the unit works. It's an aluminum insert that fits into the Hornady LNL Powder Measure. Pretty simple really, it takes the place of the metering insert and allows you to drain the powder hopper without removing the measure from the press. I always found myself looking for a funnel, removing the powder measure, dumping the powder into the appropriate can, fishing the powder baffle out of the funnel just to empty the hopper. OK I'm lazy, but it does work and it works well.
What I do is raise the drum, hold the rotor so that it wont drop and push the release button. At this point you can pull whichever metering insert you are using out and replace it with the drain insert. Be sure to hold the drum up while you position a receptacle for the powder. Once your receptacle is in place simply release the drum allowing it to rotate downward. Now the hopper will drain, no fumbling or fishing. Tapping the hopper assures it drains completely. I was surprised that it actually drains 99% of the powder. When the powder stops flowing be sure to run the powder measure a few cycles to remove any powder trapped in the drum.
Pros:
Works well, surprisingly well.
Easy to insert and easy to remove.
Does a great job of emptying the hopper.
Cons:
The machine work looks a little rough, the part shows a lot of marks. Looks were obviously not an issue.
I did polish mine a bit with very fine Emory cloth and I believe it allowed for a quicker fit. It seems to insert just a shade easier.
I'll admit, it was in impulse buy and it's probably not for everybody. On the other hand, if you have a need for something like this .... go for it. It works great.
I wasn't sure I'd like it, but now that I've used it a few times, I really like it.
What I do is raise the drum, hold the rotor so that it wont drop and push the release button. At this point you can pull whichever metering insert you are using out and replace it with the drain insert. Be sure to hold the drum up while you position a receptacle for the powder. Once your receptacle is in place simply release the drum allowing it to rotate downward. Now the hopper will drain, no fumbling or fishing. Tapping the hopper assures it drains completely. I was surprised that it actually drains 99% of the powder. When the powder stops flowing be sure to run the powder measure a few cycles to remove any powder trapped in the drum.
Pros:
Works well, surprisingly well.
Easy to insert and easy to remove.
Does a great job of emptying the hopper.
Cons:
The machine work looks a little rough, the part shows a lot of marks. Looks were obviously not an issue.
I did polish mine a bit with very fine Emory cloth and I believe it allowed for a quicker fit. It seems to insert just a shade easier.
I'll admit, it was in impulse buy and it's probably not for everybody. On the other hand, if you have a need for something like this .... go for it. It works great.
I wasn't sure I'd like it, but now that I've used it a few times, I really like it.
