Ordered a progressive press finally.

Congrats. The Hornady LNL AP was my first progressive press...well, actually first press... and it has served me well over the years.

I mounted mine on an Inline Fabrications Ultramount and installed their Ergo Handle (short) which brought the press to eye level and made the handle stroke easier on my old body.

To make setup easier, I highly recommend tools from Braggin Rights...specifically their 9mm/223 Master Tuning and Set Up Kit with primer tools; which include the Primer Slide Alignment Tools and Pawl Adjustment Tools

When you're ready, you should also look into the UFO reloading press light from KMS (squared)
 
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CoalCrackerAl said:
Got tired of he haw'n around about it. It will give me something to tinker with over the winter. I also ordered shell plates through amazon for .223 and 7.62x39.
Click to expand...
Congrats! 👍

I really like the slower 1/2 turn of shellplate index on upstroke and 1/2 turn on downstroke to not tip bullet/slosh powder out of case and even mentioned it to Calvin during beta/product testing of SPP/Pro 6000 to result in "soft twist" index rod - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-oal-consistency.911743/page-19#post-12798949
 
You'll like it alot. Mine has served me well the last 15 years. You will need some extra springs for around the shell plates, and some extra bushings for your dies to get you started.

Wouldn't hurt to run some graphite through your powder measure. The extra static from the Pa winter isn't friendly to the powder measure, expecially when they are new.
 
Ive got a few hundred thousand cycles on mine for brass processing and loading, and they are fine presses.
Get a few spare parts like an extra primer slide of each size, primer punches, shell retainer springs, and maybe an extra set of pawls. Hornady will replace the slides, punches and pawls if you mess them up, but being completely down kinda sucks.
Ditto what @9mmepiphany said about the Inline handle and the UFO light. Money well spent to make life easier.
 
My L-N-L has been pretty good. It was frustrating initially and it took some time to become accustomed to it, but I'm satisfied with it now. Shimmed the drive hub for better priming and replaced one shellplate spring. Not bad for about 15K handgun rounds.

I don't use the PTX, but use a regular expander instead. I also seat and crimp in separate stations. Doing that takes up all 5 stations, but it works well for me.
 
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I have enjoyed my LnL. After about 100k rounds the nub that sticks up on the sub-plate to eject the loaded round was worn down and causing the press to lockup. I called Hornady and described the problem. They sent a new sub-plate for free and only asked that I return the old one so they could do a hardness test on it.
 
You will like it a lot. Mine is over 20 yrs old and still going strong. There are some small minor tweaks that can be done to make them run even smoother. I have a brass feeder on mine, used for mostly handgun but have loaded 223R on it. You do need a solid bench for AP. Any shaking going on can cause you problems particularly if you have a brass or bullet feeder. You don't really need a lot of extra parts. The shell holder spring is then one most destroy. It took me a long while till I figured out what was kinking the spring. SHORT CYCLING is the cause. With a AP you MUST do a full stroke every time to eliminate problems. The primer sleds need a small bevel put on the front/bottom leading edge to allow for debree. A can of can air is needed to keep it clean. Any trash in this area prevents the sled from going fully forward causing primer misalignment.

Start slow and take your time, it's a learning experience. Your speed will come as you get more comfortable with it.

Enjoy
 
Congrats, they are good presses. I sold mine and bought a Dillon XL750, but that was more due to my space constraints and wanting the Dillon toolhead system for multiple calibers. My Hornady was what I cut my teeth on progressives with.

If I had more space in my reloading room, I would have thought about just buying an additional LNL.

Like others have said Inline Fabrication is your friend, get yourself a bench riser mount, and their lighting kit.
 
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Just a collection of thoughts about LnL here.
I bought a tiny grease gun & fittings I like when I found a good one cheap.
I use it to lube the Lnl. I keep it in one of those clear plastic zip bag thingy's that bedding, curtains etc come in.
I wrap a shop towel around it because it weeps. Keeps the mess to a minimum. I've never had to adjust those pawls so far.
All the little tools and things associated with the LNL I keep near the press.
The pawn shop usually has every wrench & tool I need so raiding the toolbox is eliminated.

LnL Spares.jpg
The InLine Fabrication Universal Double bullet tray system helped allot as did the KMS
UFO Reloading Press Light for Hornady LnL.


Cork.jpg ​

If you ever get the case feeder, this cork is like a "magazine disconnect."
 

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If we're going into more detail, I'll add a little bit

1. Get extra case retaining springs. I usually comparison shop Amazon and Midway
2. Get bushings in the 10-12 pack...they're a lot less expensive that way
3. Get the Inline Fabrication (IF) Double Component Tray System...especially if you're not going to get a case/bullet feeder
4. I prefer a Powder Check die to a Lock-Out die; and I prefer the RCBS one to the Hornady one
5. I like to switch out dies, so the IF Piggyback Die Rack is very useful

If you haven't discovered the Highboy 76 videos on YouTube yet, they are very informative...there is a whole series that covers everything about setting up the LNL
But Fair Warning: He's long winded and a bit boring
 
BreechFace said:
I sold mine and bought a Dillon XL750, but that was more due to my space constraints and wanting the Dillon toolhead system for multiple calibers.
Click to expand...
This is a bit funny as I went the other way for more flexibility in changing calibers

I had both a LNL and a Dillon 750 on my bench for a time. I found it was easier, and less expensive, to switch dies using the LNL bushings than having dies fixed in place in a Dillon tool head. The spacing on the 750 is much tighter between dies and it made adjustment sort of a pain. I also like to move my dies around on the tool head, on my LNL, depending on how I was processing brass. I even added the Hornady Swaging system to process .223/5.56mm cases.

I replaced the Dillon 750 with a Lee Pro 6000 to load a dedicated caliber and kept the Hornady LNL in place to handle multiple calibers. I have three progressive presses on a four foot long bench
 
9mmepiphany said:
This is a bit funny as I went the other way for more flexibility in changing calibers

I had both a LNL and a Dillon 750 on my bench for a time. I found it was easier, and less expensive, to switch dies using the LNL bushings than having dies fixed in place in a Dillon tool head. The spacing on the 750 is much tighter between dies and it made adjustment sort of a pain. I also like to move my dies around on the tool head, on my LNL, depending on how I was processing brass. I even added the Hornady Swaging system to process .223/5.56mm cases.

I replaced the Dillon 750 with a Lee Pro 6000 to load a dedicated caliber and kept the Hornady LNL in place to handle multiple calibers. I have three progressive presses on a four foot long bench
Click to expand...

Easier, not my experience
Less Expensive, Yes, Yes it was
Tight toolhead, Yes, but I don't move my dies around, don't foresee ever the need.
Processing Brass I just have a separate tool head for that.

I would do it over again with what I now know.

But, personal preference is well...personal. The LNL's are great progressives, don't get me wrong...I just find the Dillon a better fit in the long term after I forget the cost...
 
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