Here's some things you can do to improve your speed on your LnL
Grey Awakened,
I have a LnL and am quite familiar with it. Here are some things that'll speed anybody's progressive reloading up. But before I list them, I want to advise you that your output is perfectly reasonable for a beginning progressive reloader and will pick up in time as you come to understand the process. In the meantime, think things through, take your time and learn your press.
Here's some stuff for you to think about to help you with your production:
If you're wanting to get production out of ANY reloading machine, regardless of auto advance or manual advance, turret or progressive, there are some things you have to do.
1. Be well organized and have components handy and ready to replace anything that's run out.
2. Build your bench "ergonomically." That means you want to have brass and bullets immediately at hand, not some distance away. The closer to the point of installation on the press, the better. Mine on my LnL are less than 6 inches from the shellplate.
3. Load your powder measure and primer tubes on the press as full as possible, so you don't have to stop to reload components any more than you have to. Load up your spares if you have them. Also, a Vibra Prime is the cat's meow, as mentioned above, to reload your primer tubes with. (You may have to clean it's plastic flashing up a bit to get premium performance out of it though, so be aware and do this if you buy a vibra prime.)
4. Don't try to do the maximum potential per hour at first. Instead, work on developing a rhythm as well as doing things right. Speed will come in it's own. If you focus on speed, you won't get anywhere and you'll make more mistakes.
5. Set the machine up properly (carefully adjust all the dies at each station to "work together" smoothly) and make sure everything that is lubed gets properly lubed, that things are adjusted right and clean up any thing such as casting flashing or whatever that might cause the press to operate "rouglhly." Smooth up any rough edges of any castings or machining with sandpaper or emory cloth. This can account for up to 5% efficiency loss due to distraction, vibration, etc.
What does this mean for the LnL progressive? Here's some thoughts for reloading pistol:
1. Use it with the primer tubes, CAPD and if you can afford it, the casefeeder. It was designed to use these for maximum efficiency. If you're not using at least the primer tubes and the powder measure and if you're reloading pistol, you're not going to get the maximum production.
2. Fill the safety prime with as many primers as it will hold and function. Find out the maximum you can fill it to without it jamming on your machine and fill it to that level. Make sure it's adjust properly and any "plastic flashing" is cleaned up so it'll operate smoothly.
3. Fill the LnL powder measure with the Maximum amount of powder it can hold. Make sure any plastic flashing is cleaned up and parts are lubricated as needed. Clean off any shipping protectant residue from the metal parts of the measure. Lubricate the measure to smooth it up.
4. Prepare for powder and primer refill. Use primer flip trays and the like to set up a second batch of primers. Have spare primer tubes or even better, a Vibra Prime with extra trays. Make sure powder is right at hand. Keep an eye on these, then pick a natural stopping place in your reloading cycle to "top off."
5. Set your bench up ergonomically. Get a couple of Akro bins (Or another brand of plastic bins) to hold your brass and bullets. Build mounts for them so they are as close to the shell holder as possible aka "right at hand," so that when you need a brass or bullet, you minimize time reaching for either one. Have a bin in the rear for brass and a bin in the front for brass, with a bin in the middle sticking to the side for completed cartridges. THIS IS ONE AREA MANY RELOADERS DO NOT DO, but is one area where a SIGNIFICANT amount of production can be gained WITHOUT HURRYING.
6. Develop a rhythm with the press. Each person has a different rhythm, so the way to do this is first to focus on each step and how to do it more efficiently, until you train your muscles to do each step in sequence and smoothly, without thought. This is another area where speed reloading can be gained, with no loss of safety. "Listen" to the press as you reload, getting used to the sounds it makes when it's adjusted properly. Then, when something goes "out of time," you will recognize it before it crashes a bunch of cartridges.
How do I know all this? For several years I worked as a Manufacturing Technican. It was my job to help people increase production on machinery while maintaining or increasing production. The above steps described first allowed me to increase a single line's output by 150% while eliminating 98% of their defective production. Amazing how output increased more than what defective production went down, isn't it? That's how it works with ergonomic production techniques.
Finally, it isn't a big deal to load faster without working faster. All you have to do is WORK SMARTER, not harder. If you think about how to increase your production as you go along operating your press, you will figure out ways to increase production for yourself. Do not try to hurry, because scrambling around like a cat trying to bury poo on a tin roof you'll not increase production. Instead, you'll spread the poo around, just like the cat did. So work smarter, not harder or faster.
Regards,
Dave
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) It doesn't feel too rushed to me, but faster does. And when I'm loading .44 Magnums, it takes a fair amount of force to resize those cases anyway, so i don't push it. That's without a case feeder or bullet feeder. Prefer simple.
