Hornady LNL AP Lessons, Tips & Tricks

[MadPick]

This thread is intended to be a consolidation of lessons learned, tips and tricks related to the Hornady LNL AP press and its accessories. If someone has the knowledge to make a similar thread for a different type of press, please do it! Please also reply to this thread with your contributions, and let's make this a good resource for WaGunners and anyone else who finds this thread.

Dies and bushings

1) If your die bushings work loose during loading, you have two choices:
- Call Hornady and they will send you some shims to put above the O-ring on the bushing; this will tighten up the fit. I haven't tried them myself, but I've heard good things.
- Buy these O-rings as replacements for the original O-rings on the bushings: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NQW2HLY/



I use the O-rings, and they work well for me. I typically only need them on the sizing die and the powder measure. Sometimes they make the die tight enough that I need a wrench to tighten and remove it, but that's okay.

2) If you use non-Hornady dies, sometimes the dies won't fit into the original die box once you add the Hornady bushings; this is especially a problem with Lee dies. Hornady now sells empty die boxes, and they are really handy: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/15443 ... -box-large They comfortably hold the dies with bushings, plus they stack nicely.

3) The Hornady wrench isn't a must-have, but it's a nice-to-have: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/19198 ... ing-wrench


Shell plate

1) If you're having problems with the shell plate not fitting or rotating properly, consider the arbor shim fix: https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=468481


Case feeder

The Hornady case feeder is an expensive accessory, but it's really nice to have if you're loading large quantities. It's not perfect, though, and requires a fair amount of tweaking and patience . . . though it's all worth it!

1) Neither of the feed tubes, large or small, will feed 40 S&W or 10mm well. Here's a discussion on that topic: viewtopic.php?f=74&t=69902

2) The Hornady tip stop is cheap and really works well: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/46879 ... r-tip-stop Here's a picture of it on the bottom of the drop tube, with the press raised; notice how it shrouds the area where the case drops, and prevents the case from falling off to the side.



3) The Hornady case feeder manual has some good general guidelines on how to set it up, but it can be tough to remember which size of each part is needed for each caliber. I recommend keeping notes; below are my notes, showing each caliber that I load and the case feeder settings for each. (I haven't used the case feeder for every caliber yet, which is why there are some blanks.)




Powder measure

1) The powder measure hopper will discolor over time due to contact with powder; here's a photo of a new hopper alongside a discolored one:



To slow this process, do not leave powder in your hopper when you're not loading. If it does get discolored to the point where it needs to be replaced, you can call Hornady customer service and they will send you a new one at no charge.


Lighting

1) It's very helpful to have good lighting on the press. I use a system from Inline Fabrication, and I've been very happy with it:
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=36031


I'll add more to this thread as I think of topics . . . everyone else, please chime in too!

[bullittman]

Great tips! I have one of these presses and this is all good info...thanks!

[VantageReloading]

If your <issue> is <with Hornady> then the first option is to <dillon>

[VantageReloading]

On a serious note however, if you are even missing a piece, call Hornady and they will send you a handful of spares. You can buy the same items in day midway but Hornady will hook you up under warranty.

[sportsdad60]

My turn.
Use a lock washer between the bolt and the washer on the shell plate to keep it or the bolt from backing out.

[sportsdad60]

If your shell plate 'drags' a bit or you have problems with cartridge ejection, you can tap those ball bearings out from the opposite side with a punch. They move!

Put just a touch of grease on those ball bearings once a year. Just alittle dab will do ya! :D

[MadPick]

My turn.
Use a lock washer between the bolt and the washer on the shell plate to keep it or the bolt from backing out.

I have a star lock washer on mine, and had it installed like you've shown for a number of years. The shell plate would still come loose periodically.

Recently I removed the flat washer, and I'm just using the lock washer. So far, I *think* it's working better. I figured that the lock washer was "sticking" to the flat washer, but the flat washer was still able to spin freely on the shell plate. With out the flat washer, in theory the bolt is locked to the shell plate.

Whatcha think?

[sportsdad60]

Maybe its a break in thang?
Maybe it's a shell plate height thang?
When my press was new, that bolt would constantly come loose. 3 months after installing the lock washer, not one issue 2 years later.

[Bxc53]

I've had my LnL with the full setup- brass and bullet feeders for 4 years or so and maybe 10,000 rounds reloaded.

All the advice so far is consistent with my experiences.

It's a complex mechanical device and needs careful set up and operation.

A couple more tips from my experiences:

The shell plate is fussy as far as how tight the center screw is set up. I use a flat washer only but put a solid stripe of blue loctite 'lipstick' on the center bolt. threads. https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-QuickSti ... B000132VH6 This allows me to fine tune the bolt tension as needed without it coming loose.

From other internet advice I blow off the plate and primer feed with canned air- keyboard cleaner each primer re-load. This keeps the powder , etc from building up and causing problems.

Finally, I found that the press likes a certain rhythm on the handle to make the best reloads. This is totally a muscle memory thing from experience.

It is a tinkerer's delight, but once tuned in it will put out a round every second or two..

[MadPick]

I use a flat washer only but put a solid stripe of blue loctite 'lipstick' on the center bolt. threads. https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-QuickSti ... B000132VH6 This allows me to fine tune the bolt tension as needed without it coming loose.

Do you put fresh Loctite on every time you change the shellplate? Or are you able to put a stripe on and then have it stay there and provide sufficient friction for multiple uses?

[Bxc53]

I use a flat washer only but put a solid stripe of blue loctite 'lipstick' on the center bolt. threads. https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-QuickSti ... B000132VH6 This allows me to fine tune the bolt tension as needed without it coming loose.

Do you put fresh Loctite on every time you change the shellplate? Or are you able to put a stripe on and then have it stay there and provide sufficient friction for multiple uses?

If I paint the stripe and let if solidify for a while, I can get multiple uses without a refresh. You can feel the drag when installing the bolt if the Loctite is doing the job.

But in full disclosure, I usually run a big batch (1-2000) before changing out the shell-plate and caliber. My classic Rockcrusher takes care of small batches as needed.

[Old Growth]

Just a quick note, you can get a bolt that's like a lock nylock nut. A nylock nut has the ring of nylon in the crown of the nut where as a nylock bolt has a small hole drilled in the side of the threaded portion and has a small nub of nylon stuck in there.

[Old Growth]

One problem I have is that when loading 9mm the cases fit kinda loose in the shell plate and there is a small amount of play in between the the spring and the case rim. When the handle is pulled the "click" vibration usually rattles the case back just far enough to slide it out a little causing it to hang upon the edge of the resizing die.

To remedy this I have to hold a finger on the back of the case holding it tight in the pocket of the shell holder until its entered the resizing die.

I thought maybe my bench was uneven or tilted back letting the shell rock/tip a little back and hang up. I leveled up the press/bench and it did not help. I even shimmed it in to tip out a little and it still didn't help.

I thought maybe I had a LNL bushing that was machined a hair off center so I removed it and turned it 180 degrees thinking it would reverse the problem or cancel it out. It did not get better. I then tried a different bushing all together, no improvement.

So I just finger them each time.



????

[MadPick]

^ Hmmm. I have a similar issue when the shell plate is coming loose, as it won't hold the case firmly in place. Is your shell plate on tight? Are you using the #8 shell plate?

[lunacite]

For a few bucks more than the Hornady wrench alone, you can get the tool caddy that keeps all of the relevant stuff at hand.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N5 ... UTF8&psc=1