<snip>, going from a turret press to this thing was interesting. It took way more time than I'd like to admit to set this thing up, make all of my adjustments, and get to loading.

However, it is awesome!

Anyone have any advice, or tips and tricks, to keep this thing up and running smoothly?

Currently just loading .45 ACP, using the case activated powder measure, PTX thingy, Hornady's regular dies, and a Lee taper crimp die.

Yes, a case and bullet feeder are being funded now

Cursing removed, this is a Technical Forum. Cursing is best left in GD.

I already locked one thread tonight for cursing. dryflash3

Just like anything spend the extra few minutes up front cleaning and adjusting it perfectly.  I think this is a key to reloading. Kinda like the old adage measure twice cut once.

Keep the primer shuttle area clean it tends to collect gunk.  I had a minor issue with the powder drop backing out a 1/4 turn after a couple hundred rounds. Hornady offered to fix it if I shipped it back but I didnt want to be down to one press for that time so they sent out shims for free that fixed the problem.

If you get the case feeder take your time setting it up, getting the spacing right between the drop tube and the rotating plate that drops the shell is key.  Also the size of the opening from the hopper and hopper torque are important.

In general, get some flitz and polish anything that rubs or rotates against another part or brass.

Also this is the greatest product known to mankind if you hate filling primer tubes as much as I do.

I have alot of rounds through my LnL, north of 80K now, between loading and processing.  I load 9mm, 45 ACP, 223, 300 BO, 308 on mine.

One thing, and I cant stress this enough with the LnL, keep the primer slide clean.  Probably 90% of all priming systems failures are due to a dirty press.  The rest of the press can get filthy and work fine.

Make very small adjustments to the pawls on the press if needed.  When I say small, Im talking 1/16th of a turn.

Before you add a case feeder, make sure the press is timed correctly.  If the pawls are not setup right, you will have nothing but issues with the case feeder.  The case feeder is its own animal and brings alot of potential issues to the table.

A bullet feeder is great, but they have positives and negatives.  I do not use one, but if I was going to, it would be a Mr Bullet Feeder.  Yes, more expensive, but a better unit overall.  This would be the last thing I would add though.

A handle from Inline Fab is a good add on, and saves my shoulder and back.  I also use a light from UFO, makes everything nice and bright.  Get a few spare parts on hand, primer slide and spring, case retainer spring, possibly a primer punch, and a set of pawls on the off chance you break one if you are not careful when adjusting.

Lastly, register your press with Hornady.  They have great customer service, and will stand by their stuff with parts if needed.

I have 20k through mine, mostly 9mm.

Put some kinda lockwasher under the shell plate screw.

Lube the thing sometimes.

Watch your dies, the stupid bushings turn on my powder and crimp stations, I've read a fatter o-ring will stop it.

I have literally cleaned my press 5 times, twice because it got bad enough the primer shuttle couldn't make full travel, three times because I managed a large powder spill.

Other random issues: It will happily pack spent primers until the tube blow out the bottom of the subplate so make sure they don't back up. The little pin for the spring on the primer shuttle worked its way out, JB weld fixed it. The hopper on the powder measure sucks, I would avoid removing it, it will end up loose.

When you get a case feeder, buy or rig a "traffic cop" jams are annoying, it took them from 1 in 100 to 1 in 1000 and haven't had an upside down case since.

Hornady CS is good, don't be afraid to call them.

Don’t waste the money on the case feeder, biggest regret I had with my LNL.

Keep it clean(primer slide) keep spare springs for the shell plate on hand.

Here you go

Worked great for me in 9mm.

I got frustrated setting it up for .223.

how does the hornady ammo plant compare to a dillon 650 with a bullet feeder and case feeder set up? just curious, never really considered hornady presses when i was buying.

Might as well ask if 9mm is better than .45 ACP.

On paper, they're pretty comparable machines.

Survey results from USPSA Nationals shows that Dillon is the overwhelming choice, at least for guys that presumably reload tens of thousands of rounds per year.

2017 Carry Optics

2016 Open

2016 Production

Now, the survey might be misleading because it talks only about brand.  If I was competing and practicing at that level, I'd want a machine bigger than a LNL or 650 and would probably get a 1050.  The 1050 is a beast and there's not much that competes with it.  So, maybe those survey results are skewed by 1050 owners.

strat raises some excellent points.  However, I think you need to look at what the press is really going to be used for.

If you want want short run flexibility for load dev Hornady is probably the best.  
Fastest changeovers go to Hornady

But if you want high production, Dillon is the way to go.  My 2 cents on this, this is why I will be buying a 650 for 9 and 223, for production!

All things being equal, price is basically a wash, unless you buy all the bits and pieces for a Dillon fast change over.  Then Dillon is by far more pricey.

I actually came this---close to getting a 1050.  Then I saw the cost of caliber changes and realized I could pretty much buy a Square Deal B for the cost of a caliber change.

One thing to consider with 1050's
It is a commercial machine so does not have the same warranty as the 650/550/SQB

Change overs in 1050 get to be spending right quick.
If you need to go from small primers to large primer that is $120 change over in parts
A case feeder plate $40.00
Most conversion kits range from $130 to $210 or so.
A quick change kit is (PM and Tool Head) $290 or so.
Dies $70 on up

Pretty soon a person might think getting a whole new 1050 looks like a good idea!

Noted .... I've spent too much time in hoodrat land

Thank you everyone for the info!

I've had my LNL for 7 yrs or so, my first purchase in the world of reloading.

It's been fantastic for my use. The one thing I've given up on is on press priming, I got tired of a jammed primer with a full tube above it bringing things to a halt.

I load 9mm, .45 acp, .45 colt and .223. Probably 10k rds/yr combined, so not massive quantities but a good amount.

Youtube and this forum have been my only source for troubleshooting and advice since I know no one else local who loads. If you hit any roadblocks shoot me a pm, I'd be glad to help.

I've had a LNL with the case feeder for a few years now. I load 9MM, .38, .357, .44 Mag .45ACP and .223 on it. I recommend a RCBS Powder Cop die, especially on the taller cases. If you significantly under or overcharge a case it will prevent the press from completing the full stroke.

I added the Inline Fab handle and built an LED light that goes in the center hole. The light is just a cheap LED taillight in a cut down 12 gauge hull; it fits in the center hole perfectly. Both of these help throughput.

Rich

Oh, Horse Apples. (See how it's done JR12Valve) dryflash3 you ruined it. I saw this post 5 min. after he first posted it but I held off posting due to the fact that there is currently two post that is all about brands. This one and (My Dillon XL650 is like a trusty old friend). I wanted to point out how the Hornady folk attacked the Dillon and how the Dillon folks attacked the Hornady. Hint The Dillon post is clean of attacks. You know boys, and girls this might be where the problem comes from.

Now in March of 2010, my 15-year-old grandson came to me and asked if I would buy him a vehicle since his folks wouldn't. I told him no that he needed to get a job. He told me that no one would hire him so I got the contract from a privet gun range and then hired him to cut the grass once a week and pick up the trash and brass every Saturday and Sunday morning before the members got there. Well, after 2 months he had turned 16 and had enough money to buy a death trap of a pickup. And then he had troubles in getting to the range to pick up trash and brass because he was just too tired after running the girls on Friday and Saturday nights, so I and my 3-year-old grandson took over that part of the contract. After 3 months I had enough brass I figured that I should get into reloading. So I spent the next two months researching presses and even got to try 2 Hornadys a Lee an RCBS and a Dillon. I then took the horse apple advice and called Dillon on the first of October I was ordering a 650 and 1050 that is when the CS started treating me like a king. I then was ordering all the accessory when I asked him when Dillon was going to come out with a bullet feeder. He said "NEVER". I ask why? Hornady and Lee and RCBS all had bullet feeders. That is when he went off. So I canceled my order and I ordered a Hornady Ammo-Plant and a single stage Hornady.

Well, for the first year I was like everyone else, every time I sat down I did minor adjustments and tweaks. But I was quite happy with producing about 500 rounds an hour. It then got to a point when someone was having a problem and if I thought that I could help I would make a post trying to help. This is when the Dillon Blue Dogs started attacking both me and my press. They pointed out that the priming system sucked the case feeder sucked and that the MBF was superior to the Hornady bullet feeder. Well at this point I decided to make my press run perfectly. Not as good as a Dillon but better. The first thing I found was the primer system. I had the primer slide go the dead center under the primer drop and that was great for a 500 round per hour pace. I found that if you set it about .002 past dead center that the primers would drop much quicker and you could pick up the pace by a lot.  The next thing was to get the timing of the pawls perfect. Well, I have the eyes of the chicken, not the chicken hawk. So I put together a timing kit.

Now the first thing you will notice is I use a #16 shell plate that I have knocked the detent balls in to take them out of play. Next, I have taken a 380 brass and drilled the primer pocket out 1 size bigger than a small primer. Next, I took a .223 piece of brass a trimmed it down past the shoulder.

Now in this photo, you will notice a 45cal bullet setter and a tub of play-doe. This completes the timing kit.

Now, the next thing I want you to do is to mark your pawls. "P" for primer adjustment and "D" for die adjustment.
Now, first, you want to adjust the pawl for the primer the first thing you do is place the 380 brass in and advance it to the primer punch now slowly raise the punch up watching the enlarged hole in the bottom of the brass. If it touches adjust the shell it will need adjustment. Remember if you want the shell plate to be advanced clockwise turn the pawl screw counter clockwise. With this method, you should be able to get the timing perfect. Now to adjust the die pawl the first thing you need to do is fill the die with play-doe and smooth it off. then place the .223 brass in and raise it slowly into the play-doe to where it just touches. Now. pull the die out and look to see if it needs to be adjusted.
I can adjust any press perfectly in less than ten min. The last time I adjusted my 4 Ammo-plants was May 23, 2015, and they are still perfect.

Now the last thing you need to do is light the thing up.



Now when you get your case feeder and bullet feeder let me know I have some suggestions for them too.

Watch this guys youtube videos on the Hornady LNL AP.

Do everything he suggest to get it running smoothly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qC1O5FzSCA

I bought a Dillon RT1200 trimmer to run with my press too. I'm going to get trim dies for everything I reload now. So, ditch the case feeder and go with the power trimmer.

I've loaded so many rounds on my LnL AP that the primer seating pin wore a small depression in the frame.

Noticed problem when I got a lot of misfires and found some primers not quite fully seated.

Temporarily fixed by taping a dime over depression.

More permanent fix will be putting a thin piece of hardened steel over depression.

I just sat a penny on mine and primers are below flush.

Before this I stopped by 10Ring(my local reloading shop)and talked with Norm about some issues I'd noticed.

I'd been tearing up a lot of primers and was going to call Hornady about it when I noticed the primers were loose in the primer slide. I thought it was because I cheated out and bought Wolf primers. No, it was because I was using the large primer slide! Well, my bench is a mess so maybe I had one.
Next, I'd lost the screw to tighten the lock ring on my Hornady die(part of the call to Hornady). I asked Norm if he had any screws for that; no, but he could sell a lock ring. I saw the package and said I know I bought a six pack of those!
He said don't forget to use the small primer push thing with the small primer slide if you want them to seat below flush.

Bottom line: came home, cleaned up the bench(kind of), loaded 200 rounds of 223 with zero issues of any sort, packaged all the large parts together and am happy with my 10 yr old LNL AP.

This might be in the owners manual, I can't remember. I keep a small block of wood, 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 2, to put under the primer shuttle when I am setting up dies and adjusting the powder measure. The block keeps the plate from advancing.

I also occasionally have a spent primer get sucked back into the case and then plate won't advance and the ram won't lower all the way. I can put the wood block in place, and usually push the primer out with a small allen wrench, and be on my way.

This might be in the owners manual, I can't remember. I keep a small block of wood, 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 2, to put under the primer shuttle when I am setting up dies and adjusting the powder measure. The block keeps the plate from advancing.

I also occasionally have a spent primer get sucked back into the case and then plate won't advance and the ram won't lower all the way. I can put the wood block in place, and usually push the primer out with a small allen wrench, and be on my way.

Drainsmith I have a question. I can see where your method gets the timing perfect and I like how you explained what each pawl does. Much clearer than Hornady. But when in actual operation isn't the shell plate located by the ball bearings and the pawls just used to get it to the next station? If the detent hole or shell plate ball is slightly off then so will the shell casing be. Maybe I'm missing something here. I just got mine a couple of months ago so am still learning. Years ago I used Star loaders and considered them a paragon of precision but the LnL is giving them a run for the money. It has some features that makes the Star jealous. It remains to be seen how they hold up.

All the detent balls are for is to mechanically assist the timing when the timing is not perfect I have mine set to where the barley go into the holes.
Now as far as the primer punch diviot everyone is worried about if you use my timing kit and when you are setting up the primer adjustment you will be surprised how far the primer is pushed through the primer hole

I disagree. From my viewpoint the pawls are to get the shell plate to where the detent balls can locate it. Maybe I need to study it a bit more.

I noticed that the OP stated that he is saving for both the case feeder and bullet feeder. But then I noticed that many have poo-pooed the case feeder. Now, are there things that need improvement on the case feeder? Yes. When most folks see a problem I see it as a challenge. I am not afraid of making modifications I just have two rules on any modification 1 It must not cost more than $20.00 and 2 It must be able to do with common tools.

The first thing that jumps out as a problem is the brass getting all cock-eyed in the case funnel. This is because it is larger than the Dillions. Now, this is good for large rifle brass but for small pistol brass, it leaves room to go sideways and jam it up. Well, I fixed that with the plastic case that a power cop die came in. I cut a corner off of it and taped it to the Case Feeder Funnel Front. and blocked half of the funnel. No more tipping of the cases and every piece of brass went right into the brass tube. Cost: zip Tools: Exacto Knife.

Now the next two fixes are due to the fact that the pivot body has a tendance to cant to the left because it is held on by one bolt. the first problem is the brass will tip over when dropped on to the subplate I fixed this with a shotgun case slipped over the drop tube. it will support the brass long enough for the V-block to support it. The last thing I did was built a bracket to keep the pivot body from canting.

Now here is the good news. You don't need the shotgun case or the bracket because Hornady now has the fix for that all you have to do is ask for the case feeder tip stop part #399677 and the cam block clamp part #399691

Now for the bullet feeder, the only thing I have found to be a problem is it is loud as heck the fix.

It will also only feed plated and jacketed bullets.

As a 100k club LnL runner, here's a few of my tips.

#1) Primer shuttle accessory - just keep it right by it.


#2) Get the wrench


#3) Light.  I ran a USB extension cord thing and secured that to within 2" of my press, and run this up, over, and pointing down that central hole:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3x-Black-USB-Flexible-LED-Light-Lamp-Laptop-Notebook-Portable-Bright-PC-Computer/401122570213

#4) Especially while new, the prawls will need adjustment as you go - don't be bashful - do so.

#5) Hornady once sent me a set of little shims that go under the LnL die bushing, to help with things like the powder dispenser walking out on you.  Get those, and problem solved.

The 2 part numbers Drainsmith listed are worth getting, for free.  Call Hornady, they will ship.

I fixed mine with a 12g shotgun shell.  Pretty standard mod for a LnL to keep short pistol brass from bouncing off the press deck.

The issue with the canting or twisting of the case feeder is fixed with the other part, and I find is a good thing to have as well.  I went my own way, and drilled the bracket and press itself to make it rock solid.  See pics.



Ive had alot of issues with the cheese grade pot metal of the flipper block on the case feeder galling, jamming and causing frustration.  Once again, went my own way, built a flipper block made of delrin that rides on a stud.  



Lastly, the case feeder does have a tendency to stack cases causing some failures and jams as the case drops into the tube.  So, another piece of delrin, and I made a traffic cop to keep the cases from stacking up, and jamming the feeder at the top.  This also ironed out most of my issues with 9mm cases getting sideways in the drop funnel.


I have one last project in the works that I need to do which is make some custom pusher feet for the case feeder so I can avoid case tipping as the press pushes the case into station one.  I havent decided, but I think I want to make them out of aluminum, and incorporate a slight rib in them that interfaces with the rim of the case so they cant tip out.  I can probably make just one, and use it for 9mm, 300 BO, 223, as this cases have the most issues due to being lightweight and smaller based.  45 and 308 sized cases do not have tipping issues with the factory V blocks.

Honestly, I have found the case feeder to be the weakest link in the LnL.  The rest of the press is pretty much good to go.

I’d say that the case feeder system has some weak links, but overall it’s good.  It works well with rifle cases that are at least 45mm long (i.e. 5.56mm cases), and will give you problems with shorter rifle cases (.30 Carbine, 300 Blackout) and short pistol cases (9mm and shorter) without some tweaks.

The case collator really could use a wiper system to prevent stacking.  I made a wipe with a shaped “fake credit card” clamped in the right spot.  It also can try to drop small diameter cases every which way, and/or more than one small case at a time.  I fixed that with a case funnel tweak (also from the free plastic stock credit card companies sent me).  This guides cases smoother so they won’t bounce and tumble, and since the small pistol plate can line up two notches with the opening, it blocks the opening just enough to keep it to one case at a time.

Before I start a loading project, I put a level on the case feed drop assembly bracket, and adjust as needed.  It’s always better to go with the bracket dead level from the beginning. I have pondered adding setscrews on the sides of the bracket where it supposedly “squares” itself on the collator support tube, but that’s beyond my (absolutely absent) machining skills.

The Hornady case drop tip works well, but if your case pusher isn’t moving smoothly - AND getting fully out of the way - you can still have glitches.  Keep the pusher body sliding smoothly with wax or silicon grease*, and keep the spring gadget inside it sliding easily as well.  Make sure the V-block you install on the pusher is square to the body and firmly tightened down.  You may sometimes be able to go one size shorter than the recommended V-block with some calibers; the block called out for .40 S&W works OK for 9mm if you keep the parts moving smoothly.

Finally, like any complex machine, the LnL AP needs to be kept clean, especially the case feed and primer feed systems.  I clean up after a run, and I inspect and lube before starting the next run.  The LnL AP is a good tool for intermittent use

*I use plumber’s silicon grease sparingly in some areas because they’re either a pain to get at, or wax won’t stay due to friction.  This stuff is NOT petroleum based, will NOT affect primers or powder, and is never anywhere near the insides of cases.  It’s durable and effective.

I occasionally will hit it with graphite, for similar reasons.  Seems to work OK for me.

I have pretty bad luck with 223.  Tall skinny cases tip more for me than shorter 300BO or 9mm.

One thing I do probably more than most is process brass almost as fast as the case feeder will feed, so that may be the cause of some of my issues.  Self inflicted, heh.  I'm probably at 750-800 cases per hour at least, pulling the handle manually.

I use silicon spray on the press deck.  Spray on, let dry.  And a little dab of 3m silicon grease as needed elsewhere.

Kaldor I remember when you first posted your fix for the pivot block problem. If you remember there was another person that came up with a fix. Same problem, three radically different fixes. And they all fixed the problem. I don't remember if I told you that I liked your fix the best but I just didn't have the balls to drill into my press.

in case this was not mentioned here, i just bought a used but very new LNL.
i think its a nice pro. press. have a dillon 550 too.

only thing i dont like is the priming sys. when i first got it i used it for .45 acp. was surprised to find out the
primer wont seat like they are supposed to( primers are supposed to be seated just below flush normally)

i called Horn. and asked them about this. they say flush is fine and that is the way its supposed to work.
the rounds worked ok like that but every reloading book i have ever read says to seat primers to base of pocket.

i guess Horn. didnt read that LOL.

Yup, I've made a bunch of posts on THR on all the crap that frustrates me on this press and what I've done to get rid of them.  Only problem I have left to solve is the V block pusher issue.  I need to draw up a few drawings and have a buddy see if he can make me one on the Bridgeport at work.  I've also kicked around modifying the press deck slightly, but that's probably more work than it's worth.

I will say though man, your Hornady loyalty is beyond reproach :)
I'll be honest, I'm considering buying a 650 next year just to speed up production on 9 and 223 which is 80% of my shooting every year.  But who knows, depends on if my son wants to maybe shoot 3 gun or not.

Oh and it's not too late to fix it proper you know

Fix it till it's broke...

lx2008: If the primer punch hits the edge of the primer pocket it will just set the primer flush. But if the press is properly timed to where the punch goes directly into the pocket it will set the primer below the case to whatever the pocket is set at.

GHPorter: As far as a wiper system I remember seeing that somewhere... Oh, yeh that was me. The problem with the cases is two-fold first pistol the brass will be pushed up causing a jam. Now Kaldor fix will fix that problem. But with rifle cases, the brass will set on top of the piece that is in the slot not allowing it to drop. Now, I am not going to take full credit for my fix because I saw a video where someone installed a plastic tube to take care of pistol brass. But with a small modification, I took care of both problems.

Now, you will notice that I used a Hornady bullet wiper to hold the plastic tube in a wire clamp that will take care of the pistol brass and the wiper will knock the rifle brass off the top of the piece in the slot.

Now, all my previous suggestions were to get the press from 500 rounds an hour to 900 rounds an hour. But now that is out of the bag let me give you a few other suggestions.
First the press: First you read where someone sanded the primer slide. This what I did, I filed a 45° angle to the front bottom of the slide. Not for power necessarily but for used primer crud when you de-cap the brass. Next, I sanded the slide with first 600 wet and dry sandpaper then dropped down to 6000. After that, I polished it with jewelers rouge. I then did the same thing to the primer slide track and the bottom of the primer tube body housing. I then installed a slightly stronger primer spring. The next thing I did was to take a brass rod and some steel wool with 3-in-1 oil and polished both the primer drop tubes and the primer pick up tubes.

I then concentrated on the power drop. The first thing I did was to go to the naughty store and bought these battery operated balls that I dropped into the hopper just far enough to hit the baffle. This helped in a faster and more consistent drop.

Next, I went to the index wheel and polished it where the pawls hit and before I run the press I put a drop or two on the pawls them selfs.

I also put a little graphite into each die before loading.

Now to the Brass collator, the only other thing I have done was to drill 2 weep holes in the collator its self. One piece of corn cob will gum up the works.

Now, for the bullet feeder: the only major thing I have done was to take the Bullet feed wheel over to my grinder and installed buffing wheels to it and then I buffed it out with first machine rubbing compound than to automotive rubbing compound and finally with jewelers rouge.

Now you have read where someone stated that the RCBS lockout die is needed. Well the RCBS lockout die will do just that, lock out the press when the power is not correct. (Ain't that sweet?) Now Dillon has a power check die that will buzz if the powder isn't correct. (Just as sweet) Now, Hornady has a Delux Control Panel that has a lockout die that will lock out the press, buzz and has a light come on letting you know about the problem. It will also monitor the power level in the hopper, monitor the primer level, primer slide, and will count your rounds.

Now finally Hornady suggest that both the case feeder and bullet feeder hoppers should have about 200 pieces loaded into each one. Well, I have mounted each one on my maintenance stand and have found out exactly how many of each caliper runs the fastest.

Now Kaldor: I have run 500 rounds in 20 min. do you honestly think a Dillon can keep up with that pace?

That traffic cop tube fix is ingenious.  I would have done that first now that I think about it if I would have seen that first.  Getting the angles right on my block was a PITA.  But it works like a champ
Stupid forum software, wont let me direct link in a video....  Traffic Cop
I drilled a coupe of 1/4" holes in the bottom of my hopper as well.  Gives somewhere for stuff that shouldnt be in there to fall out.

I also beveled the front corner of my primer slide and polished it up.  Nothing crazy, just deburred and smooth.  I dont even know what Im using for a spring anymore.  I lost 2 Hornady ones because Im stupid, so I just got something from the hardware store.  I remove my primer punch during decap runs.  Gives the trash somewhere to fall out of.

I dont have a bullet feeder, but I will likely invest in the MBF.  Just a more versatile unit.  Im still kicking myself for not buying a Crimson when I had the chance.

For my powder drop this is the best thing Ive ever done.

Sanded and polished with a Dremel.  As you can, see I didnt go overboard, but it does help alot.  I also lightly polished the rotors, and I keep them stored in ZipLock bags, wet with Ballistol on them.  A quick jet with some BrakeClean and they are ready to use, and are never rusty.  I think the Hornady drops are the equal of pretty much anything else out there on the market, and for a good price.  However, I think I am going to buy a Lee measure to tinker with next, and set it up with a PTX because you can get M-die style PTX inserts for those drops.  Cant with Hornady's that I know of.

Honestly, yes, I think a Dillon can keep up with that if everything is staged and ready.  Im no fanboi for either red or blue, my equipment is all over the place, Hornady, RCBS, Lee, Lyman, Dillon, etc etc ad nauseum.  Your presses are very well tuned, probably the most meticulous Ive ever seen, better than mine even.  My point is that a 650 takes less work to get it to that point, because for production work, I just think its a better designed press.  However the Hornady really shines on short runs, load dev, fast change overs.  So when people ask me which should they buy?  I ask them this question:  Alot of 1 or 2 calibers, or all over the place?  Both are excellent, but they do different things better than the other.

C-bar makes a universal type PTX, no neck expansion just mouth flare. Mr. Bullet Feeders PTX insert is supposed to be an M-die like stepped profile.
Also I've seen a thread with a picture of a newer Hornady PTX that has a small step to flare the case mouth.

Just throwing it out there in case you hadn't seen them, the Lee powder tools are super affordable and easy to set up if you're changing cartridges often, I stuck with my auto-disc for a long time.

A progressive isn't really a progressive in my book, if it does not prime.  I think you could ask for help on this forum and get your LnL priming issue fixed.

I've been loading on nine for a while now. I love it. I had a case feeder but wasn't a huge fan of it so I sold it and went back to hand loading the brass.

If i was going to go back to a case feeder I would look at the 650, but I won't talk about that to keep things on track.

I love the way the LNL feeds brass/bullets from the left and is really optimized for medium volume loading without the case/bullet feeder. It's perfect for me loading plinking rounds at a medium rate where I can focus on safety and precision rather than high speed.

A few things I would recommend...

1) cut a piece of 2x4bso that when you raise the ram you can fit the 2x4 under the shell holder/plate to keep the press in the up position. There are a few times you will find this really handy.

2) buy the inline fabrication mount that has two bins

Attached File


3) buy the UFO light kit, it's awesome!

Attached File


Attached File

It looks naked without the case feeder and bullet feeder!

Like I said in my post, I prefer the LNL as a medium speed progressive.

I want to take it slow and see every operation. This press is perfect for that because the caliber conversions are much cheaper than the 650 (only need dies/plate). I think the 650 is better built for true high speed progressive loading, but that's just my opinion that I know a lot of people disagree with. Look, I don't even own a 650 so I obviously don't have a horse in the race. The LNL is the perfect press for my needs though.

I also am not a huge fan of the priming system. I much prefer to prime off the press anyways.

I basically fully prep my brass in bulk sessions. So I would run a few thousand cases through the press to resize/deprime and then wet tumble. Then I trim them all (if necessary) and prime them all.

So now I have a few thousand cases that are prepped and primed. When I'm ready to load I don't have to worry about the primer sled screwing up, stopping to reload the primer tubes, etc. There are no interruptions. I just sit down and load with almost no chance of a hiccup.

I know that's not the standard way to load on a progressive, but that's the best and safest way I have found. No chance of a missed primer, no chance of a double load due to a stop situation to fix a primer sled issue, no chance of forgetting to seat a primer and dumping powder all over the shell plate. Haha.

Everyone has their own distinct loading procedures, that is just the method I've found works best and the case feeder and bullet feeders seemed to get in the way more than they helped.

Ill have to check into that.  Like I said, a bullet feeder is in my future, and being that I have only 5 stations, something has to be combined.  Id prefer to keep seating and crimping separate, so belling and powder drop will get combined.  I could also change up my prep slightly on pistol, and decap and resize before I tumble, then I could eliminate the need for a sizing die during loading as I would be using already sized brass.  The problem is?  I have about 20k pieces of 9mm already decapped and SSTL tumbled...

Adjusting the pawls can make a world of difference.  You don't need some complex method to do it.  The shell plate has the detents to ensure it snaps into place.  This snapping motion is how you calibrate the pawls.

You start by testing how the shell plate is advancing. You will see the shell plate advance and then snap possibly a large distance into place with the detents.  This is what you want to avoid.  It means the timing is off and the detents are saving you.  The further it "snaps" into place, the further the timing is off.

It needs to be advancing at least far enough for it to snap into place.  Once you've got it to that point, then you begin fine tuning.  The goal is to have the shell plate advance just enough that it doesn't "snap" into place.  You can easily see this happen if you operate the press and advance the plate a few times.  Adjust the pawls a little at a time.  Eventually you will see that the shell plate has already moved all the way into place just as the detents are snapping into place.  This is the sweet spot.  When a full stroke is performed, the shell plate has advanced to the desired spot at exactly the same time as the detents snapping.

I did this last night.   Took about 5 minutes.  My LNL AP functioned flawlessly afterwards.

First Dryflash3 as you know I know how to tune the AP press but I am a computer MORON. Someone PM me and when I tried to respond it told me that my messages where full and I couldn't answer. Could you erase my messages, please?

Now to answer the question sent to me. The tube is from an old ice cube maker feed line. And yes the bullet wiper does go through the wire clamp.

Now, big_aug I am glad that your method of timing your press works for you. But it won't work for most. There are going to be constantly tweaking and adjusting every time they sit down to their press until they get so mad they will sell it to someone like me that will offer them $150.00 for their paperweight. The last time I timed my 4 Ammo-Plants was 23 May 2015. Very few presses can stay tuned that long especially with as many rounds that I put through them. The only reason they have stayed tuned this long is because they were timed (perfectly) at that time.

Thanks, DRAINSMITH.  Ice maker feed line is typically either 1/4 or 3/8 ID, so I was in the ballpark with my guess.  With the way the drive is not quite centered in the bowl of the collator, (at least on mine), sizes and clearances are a potential problem.  Knowing a size that has worked for someone is a big step toward trying this out myself.

I mean... I don't think that's true.  It takes literally five minutes and you aren't going to be touching it again for a while.  So what if you spend 5 minutes timing it a couple times a year.  It's simple as hell.

The detents exist for a reason.  The entire operation of the press is designed around them.

I'm confused on this as well. It was my understanding that the detents control the position of the shell plate and the prawns were only adjusted to make the transition smooth when the shell plate is moving between the detents.

If you adjust the shell plate a few tenthousands in any direction the shell plate would still just fall back into the same detent. Unless people are removing the detent, which is a whole different ballgame.

That was my thinking in an earlier post and never got a good reply.

I thought about it last night and I think I understand what @drainsmith is doing.

I believe the idea is the adjust the prawns so that the prawns themselves position the shell plate in the perfect spot such that there is no jump/slide into the detent.

By removing the detent ball in the calibration plate he is confirming that the prawns provide the proper alignment themselves so that when the original shell plate is installed the detents only hold the shell plate in the right position and there is no jump into/out of the detent slots.

So think of it as you pushing a golf ball to the edge of a cup and letting it fall by itself vs pushing the ball to the middle of the cup. I think that is the idea here.

That's exactly what I described without having to do/use a bunch of stuff.  All you have to do is adjust it until it no longer jumps or snaps into place.