Ordered LNL AP last night

[Blue68f100]

Using the thread on the primer spring eliminates the problem of loosing them. I'm still using my original one from 2008. Hornady will send you an extra shell plate spring when ever you talk to them just say it kinked. To prevent from damaging them I always unload it when not in use. I just flip it up leaving the shell plate in. My current spring is over 3yrs old since I started doing this. You will kink them if you short stroke the ram. If your going to be testing just remove it till your ready to start loading. You have a lot better chance of damaging one if you run a brass feeder like I do. I have never damaged a paw, you you really have to be over adjusting to do that. I have not touched my paw adj in over 3 yrs.

The parts I like to keep on hand are OneShot, Caned Air, spare bushings, shell plate spring, bushing die shim. I use the micrometer head on my powder piston. You can just get extra std ones if you don't want to adj one all the time.

I have their LNL wrench too which is pretty nice. It's design to hold the shell plate so you can tighten it down easily.

I extended the primer pin as far as I can. When you do the min like they suggest it can cause a problem if the pin is pointed so it hold on to the spent primer. You want a blunt tip.

Get it in and play with it you will find all kinds of extra you think you need. Just make a wish list.

 

[RealGun]

I have a number of their upgrades, but I recommend from the outset getting the lighting kit from InlineFabrication.com. The "Skylight" version looks slick, but I have the less expensive and quite satisfactory strip of LEDs (AC), stuck to the inside of the front upright, next to the bullet insertion station. I can easily check for powder. I do have the powder cop die but can't say I really rely on it getting my attention. It will be really hard to squib or overcharge with my setup. Some use a lockout, which I have not tried, having already invested in alternatives.

 

[bluetopper]

Mine works best when I just hand tighten the shell plate. And my primer feed works best when I do not tighten at all the large primer tube. I snug it up then back off just a tad.

 

[david bachelder]

I added a lock washer to the shell plate screw. When it goes flat I stop. It doesn't take much.

I also bought the following parts and keep them on hand:
Spring Case Retainer springs.
Powder Throw return spring.
Primer slide springs.
Large and Small Primer slides.
Powder drop retaining ring (its the little ring in the inside bottom of the powder throw, keeps the Powder sleeve or expander from falling out ... mine fell out).
Plastic bracket for primer slide rod.

If one of the parts above fail I can replace it, then write Hornady for a new part under warranty. Hornady is very good about honoring the warranty.

I used the RCBS Pistol Tube Bullet feeder the other day and it worked great. Just don't use lubed bullets .... gums things up (doesn't work long).

 

[dickttx]

I am sure you will like your LnL AP.
I got one about a year ago. Due to my wife being an a wreck and us moving twice I have only loaded about 6/7K on it. 45 ACP and 38 Super.
I am 76 years old and a mechanical midget. Other than learning to use it and a little wearing in of the primer system I have had absolutely no problems with mine. I have only called Hornady once, and that was to request some extra primer slide springs. I was sure I would shoot one across the room, first thing. I have not. Most useful tip was to tie a loop of dental floss through the eye of the spring.
My original case retainer spring looks like a pretzel made of spegetti when I take it off to change shell plates, but it works just as well as it did when new.
My biggest problem has been with the shell plate loosening. I have a copper lock washer under the bolt head but it still loosens occasionally. I realize it when it won't advance because the last primer was not seated completely. I may try the loctite or a steel lock washer.
I cheated somewhat when I set mine up. I simply moved my Lee four die sets, including the Pro Auto Disk, from my Lee Classic Turret to the LnL. I added an RCBS lock-out die. Everything works extremely well. I haven't even unpacked my Hornady powder measure.

 

[glockky]

What are you all actually doing with the thread on the spring. I keep seeing this but am not exactly sure what you are talking about?

Also have you found that one brand of dies works better with this press than other. I have a lee classic turret press and want to buy new dies for the lnl ap so I can still use the turret for load development

 

[GJSchulze]

What are you all actually doing with the thread on the spring

I hadn't heard of the thread trick. I've always used needle nose pliers to reattach it. I suspect he means that you affix the spring to the shuttle and then push a thread through the loop on the other end and then pull the thread to place it on the notched rod. I plan to try this next time.

Speaking of primer tubes, has anyone ever found a way to remove it when it still has primers in it? Without spilling them all over, that is:banghead:

There are two wrenches for the press that Hornady sells. One is the red one and the other is just a simple flat plate that has all the appropriate holes cut in it. Works quite well and is cheaper than the red wrench.

Another tool to have is long (8"-12") tweezers as well as small tweezers. The long ones with the blunt end are good for turning over primers, pulling gun parts out of the ultrasonic cleaner and pulling the baffle plate out of the powder measure.

 

[dickttx]

What are you all actually doing with the thread on the spring. I keep seeing this but am not exactly sure what you are talking about?

Also have you found that one brand of dies works better with this press than other. I have a lee classic turret press and want to buy new dies for the lnl ap so I can still use the turret for load development

Cut a piece of dental floss about a foot long. Run it through the eye of the spring and tie a knot in it. Just leave it attached. So simple you wonder why you hadn't thought of it yourself!!
I really like the Lee die set. Particularity the expansion/flare/powder through die and the Lee PAD. The measure is just as consistent sitting still on the LnL as it is revolving around on the LCT.

 

[david bachelder]

"Speaking of primer tubes, has anyone ever found a way to remove it when it still has primers in it? Without spilling them all over, that is."

Yes and I will try to describe it using Hornady part names. Once you get the hang of it, it's quite simple.

1.) Holding the primer tube assembly steady, remove the allen screw located at the back of the Housing Body Primer Tube.

2.) Gently turn the primer tube assembly clockwise just a bit, it sits on a little peg on the Sub Plate and will rotate freely. Place your finger under the edge of the Housing Body Primer Tube and turn it more, rotating it about 90 degrees

Your finger will stop the primers from falling out. Lift the entire assembly and dump the primers as needed.

No mess.

 

[david bachelder]

To OP.

I suggest you get a set of LED lights for your press, they make life so much easier.

 

[grubbylabs]

I just watched a few of the videos that David posted and they are quite good. I will finish watching them as I have time.

 

[gspn]

There is a spring that rides on the primer carrier. It is a pain in the neck to change...so tie a piece of fishing line to it...this will allow you to very easily remove the spring any time you need to. I found that tip online somewhere and it keeps me from starting a cussing streak whenever I have to deal with that dog gone spring.

 

[noylj]

>Gently turn the primer tube assembly counter clockwise just a bit

Looking down at it, you rotate the assembly clockwise.

I wonder if the spring really needs to be so strong?
Also, the hole the spring goes into in the baseplate could be designed better.
I tend to hook it in the shuttle first and then install the shuttle.

 

[david bachelder]

You are correct. I edited the previous post.

 

[vtail]

Lots of good suggestions above.

I know these were mentioned, but get:

1) Powderfunnel.com expander at www.powderfunnels.com.

2) RCBS Lock Out Die. Learn how it works, how to set it, and USE it. It has a learning curve, but it is worth learning. It does work if you understand it.

 

[GJSchulze]

Powderfunnel.com expander

I have that one. After two years I noticed that a case had a section of the mouth (about .1") torn and folded down. I looked at the funnel and noticed that it had an eroded ring around it were all the case moutha hit it. I polished it a bit with 600 grit sandpaper. If I wasn't so lazy, I would have disassembled it and really polished it with my Dremel.

Speaking of tools, a Dremel is a good thing to have.

Which makes me think of another trick I have. Maybe 5-10% of the time I have a round not quite fit in the headspace gauge, not because it's too long, but because its too fat. I put the round in my drill, bullet first and just to the mouth, barely tighten the chuck, and use 600 grit sandpaper to polish the case. This usually does the trick. If I have to try a third time, I put the round aside to disassemble it and toss the case. It gets this polishing for maybe 5-8 seconds. If I find a headstamp that this occurs too much, then that headstamp goes into my "use outside in competitions where I lose them" category.

 

[RealGun]

(get) RCBS Lock Out Die

IMO this would be redundant to any suggestion to add lighting. The lockout would have to be removed during setup without powder. Easy enough. Hornady's own Powder Cop die is good enough when you also have lighting and are half alert as you place a bullet.

The lockout is more meaningful when using a bullet feeder and not closely monitoring every bullet placement.

 

[glockky]

Well I got the press in and everything works great except the ex-ject. Every case gets hung on the retaining spring and either doesn't eject or flys off the press in a random direction.

 

[vtail]

Is the spring riding all the way down in the groove?

You have to help it down into the groove with your finger while operating the press when you first install the spring.

 

[GJSchulze]

You have to help it down into the groove with your finger while operating the press when you first install the spring

You have to do this every time you remove the shell plate, say, for cleaning. it's a pain, but once you get the knack of it, it's not too bad.

1) place shellplate and tighten down. If you raise the ram to the top, remove one die, and then put the hex wrench though the center hole, the shellplate will not spin while you tighten it.

2) Put spring around shellplate. At this point it is riding high and not in the grove.

3) use your finger to push the spring into the grove that starts just have the eject port. While pushing on the spring, crank the handle to spin the shell plate. Do this until the spring stays down in the grove by itself.

If you are just starting out with this, I would suggest you look into every case. I used the RCBS lockout die and had several squibs because the lockout die failed. The reason there was no powder was that something would go wrong with one of the cases, so I would stop to fix it. This caused me to miss powder in a case.

Learning how to operate the press is like driving a manual transmission car. There are a lot of things going on and it will be hard to keep track of everything until you have it all in muscle memory. Go slow and don't allow distractions. Be anal at first. When something goes wrong (stuck primer, no primer, bent case at bullet seater (because the bullet tipped), etc.) remove all cases, fix the problem, and then put the cases back in their proper spot to continue. The point is that once you stop, it is easy to advance the shellplate and miss dropping powder. If you have a squib and don't notice it, the next shot will not be pretty.

 

[cfullgraf]

You have to do this every time you remove the shell plate, say, for cleaning. it's a pain, but once you get the knack of it, it's not too bad.

1) place shellplate and tighten down. If you raise the ram to the top, remove one die, and then put the hex wrench though the center hole, the shellplate will not spin while you tighten it.

By doing this, you may be using the indexing pawls to hold the shell plate and that is an invitation to timing issues. I can get my shell plate tight enough holding it by hand or better yet, get Hornady's wrench for the press. It has an appendage that fits the recess in the shell plate for tightening and loosening the shell plate. Other parts of the wrench are useeful as well.

CORRECTION, now that I have had my first cup of coffee (aka "a shot of more-caffine"), I remember that the indexing pawls are at the bottom of the ram's stroke so not in play at the top. If the sizing die is installed, it would prevent the shell plate from rotating when the ram is at the top of the stroke. While this practice does not sit well with me, one does not need to "hog" down on the shell plate bolt so the load on the die would be low. I find the shell plate bolt just needs to be snug.

2) Put spring around shellplate. At this point it is riding high and not in the grove.

3) use your finger to push the spring into the grove that starts just have the eject port. While pushing on the spring, crank the handle to spin the shell plate. Do this until the spring stays down in the grove by itself.

You can turn the shell plate by hand to get the retaining spring in the groove. No need to raise and lower the shell plate. As said, hold the spring in the groove and turn the shell plate. I find a couple indexes is enough.

Forum moderator Walkalong modified the ram plate that, among other things, makes it a bit easier to get the spring in the groove. Maybe he will chime in with a link to the thread. It is a nice modification extending the groove a little and polishing it some.

If you are just starting out with this, I would suggest you look into every case. I used the RCBS lockout die and had several squibs because the lockout die failed. The reason there was no powder was that something would go wrong with one of the cases, so I would stop to fix it. This caused me to miss powder in a case.

Learning how to operate the press is like driving a manual transmission car. There are a lot of things going on and it will be hard to keep track of everything until you have it all in muscle memory. Go slow and don't allow distractions. Be anal at first. When something goes wrong (stuck primer, no primer, bent case at bullet seater (because the bullet tipped), etc.) remove all cases, fix the problem, and then put the cases back in their proper spot to continue. The point is that once you stop, it is easy to advance the shellplate and miss dropping powder. If you have a squib and don't notice it, the next shot will not be pretty.

When I have a problem that stops the production flow on my Hornady, I automatically clear cases around the powder measure just because I am not sure what happened when. It makes sure I do not have any empty cases or double charged cases.

If you prime on the press, just set the primed cases aside and cycle them through, missing the sizer die, at the end of the session when the primer system is empty.

 

[Crashbox]

Another +1 for the RCBS Lockout Die. It has saved my bacon more than once due to powder bridging which will result in an unsafely reduced or squib load. Very cheap insurance IMO.

I used to use a Hornady Powder Cop which does work OK as long as you have ZERO distractions and pay close attention 100% of the time (yes, we are supposed to do that anyway but distractions do occur).

When I have a problem that stops the production flow on my Hornady, I automatically clear cases around the powder measure just because I am not sure what happened when. It makes sure I do not have any empty cases or double charged cases.

Sage advice right there.

 

[Blue68f100]

Run the press with only one shell at a time when you start. When every thing is right then you can start adding more shells.

As for the mod to the base. What you want to do is grind the sharp edge where the spring drops off into the lower shelf. I took mine back (edge) about 3/16" at a 45 deg angle. This allows the spring to drop down earlier for faster smoother operation.

 

[GJSchulze]

grind the sharp edge where the spring drops off into the lower shelf

Can you post a photo of this? It would really be easy to misunderstand exactly where to do this and it's something that can't be undone and probably voids your warranty. If one was going to do this, I'd think that you should wait to ensure there's nothing wrong with the press before making this modification. For instance, inside edge or outside edge?

When you say "smoother operation," what do you mean? I'm not aware of mine being non-smooth.

 

[dickttx]

Don't know if they have made a change or not, but I have no trouble inserting the case retainer spring by just following the directions supplied by Hornady, and stated several times the the above posts.
I would not grind on anything.