I am about to get into reloading and am going to buy a Hornady Lock and Load Single Stage kit. The kit comes with 3 bushings. As I understand it, once the bushing is on the die, the die doesn't need to be unscrewed from the press, just turn the bushing and take it out, so the dies don't need to be reset every time. I am going to start loading .38 Special, and those die sets come with three dies. Do I use the 3 dies that come with the kit and leave them on the dies, then when I decide to load other calibers I will need to buy new bushings for each of the new dies?

Also, Hornady is offering 100 free bullets with the purchase of their dies, so I am leaning towards those, but if I buy other dies (Lee, RCBS, Lyman, etc), they will work with the Hornady bushings and press, correct?

Correct! One bushing for each die. I place Lee and Redding dies in the bushings. They work just fine in my Hornady LNL AP press. I converted my RCBS Rock Chucker single stage press over to the LNL bushing system too using their conversion kit. Makes everything a lot easier.

The bushings will fit all dies and you will need a bushing on each die.

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State of Jefferson
Jim

I've been reloading with that press (.38 Sp) for 3 years and could not be more pleased. Yes, the bushings will work with any standard set of dies and you will need a bushing for every die. I use RCBS dies, also a Lee FCD, and a Redding taper crimp die. I dislike screwing dies in and out so I bought separate dies and bushings for my 2 most popular reloads, 148 gr HBWC and 158 gr LRN. I also have a third die/bushing for miscellaneous reloads. Set and forget, it costs a little more but it's worth it. And by the way, Hornady makes a conversion kit for other presses. My friend has a Lee single stage and we converted it to accept the Hornady bushings. Now it works just like the L&L.

So the type of bullet you use, even though it is the same caliber, means a different setting of the die? So If I loaded 158 grain plated bullet in .38, and I wanted to load 125 grain lead .38, I would have to adjust the die?

Short answer is you have to check it at a minimum and probably make changes depending on the bullet (specifications for loading, shape, makeup, ...)

Not trying to be a wise ... Have you spent some time with your reloading books? youtube? threads on this forum, .... If not, spend some time reading and reviewing. Some great threads in this forum. I just started a little over a year ago and this place helped me out a bunch.

AND I'm not saying stop asking questions

Absolutely, in fact if you load different brands of say, a 115gr LRN, you will need to set the die. Anytime the ogive changes, you need to reset the die.

The only problem I have with my bushings in my LNL AP is that the powder drop assy. will rotate over time if I don't stick a piece of paper or thin plastic between the die and plate to make it tighter.

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Fight socialism. Never stop.

I'm going to guess the answer is yes but have you tried a different bushing? Mine snugs up quite well. Maybe you have a bushing that needs to go back to Hornadia

Oh I will be doing lots of reading and I have been watching YouTube videos. Haven't seen any regarding changing caliber specific dies depending on bullet type. I don't even have the press or dies yet. Not gonna drop a grain of powder until I get much more educated. That's why I ask questions. To learn. Thanks for all the help

I'm just looking to make target ammo so I might not always be able to get the same bullets. Good to know there's an adjustment between 125 and 158 grain.

Yes, you would have to adjust the die every time you went to reload a different bullet. For example, when seating a HBWC flush with the case mouth if you used this same die with a LRN it would push the bullet to that same depth. If you adjusted it for LRN and tried to load a HBWC you wouldn't press the bullet far enough down into the casing. Obviously you need only one resizing and one flaring die/bushing and those you can set and forget in the bushing. For crimping you would have to adjust the die each time if you wanted either a lighter or heavier crimp. It all comes down to how much time you want to spend on making adjustments, for seating and crimping. I know one person who has over 30 dies/bushings, one for each caliber and bullet he loads. He makes many different reloads but never has to adjust any of his dies.

Hornady has shims for the LNL bushing. Had several that would work loose while reloading. These shims are made from very thin steel. Look sort of like a washer.


The only problem I have with my bushings in my LNL AP is that the powder drop assy. will rotate over time if I don't stick a piece of paper or thin plastic between the die and plate to make it tighter.[/QUOTE]

Like stated above, I converted 2 Rockchucker press to the L-N-L system. I have 7 or 8 calibers set up on bushings and am always adding more, so I buy bushings in the 10 pack. I load 118 different rounds and some only once every 5 to 10 years, so when not actively loading these odd balls I remove them from the bushings. A friend down the road adjusts his dies in the bushing without a lock ring and uses Loc-tite for bearings to permanently hold them in adjustment. He has forming dies for very short rounds (like 17 and 22 Squirrel), that are much shorter than the bushing and couldn't use a lock ring anyway. He was so happy with this system he did it to all the dies he uses. One of the uses I like is the Lee bullet sizing dies, can be left in a bushing, and in seconds I can size bullets to the diameter I want, and do very small batches without all the set up time for the Lyman sizer. The adapter bushing to convert the RCBS press can be removed at any time I need the press for a different function. Personally I haven't has a loose bushing problem in the 50 or so bushings I use, there is an O-ring that may be the problem. Whatever the problem, I would return the bushings to Hornady or request replacement O-rings (how will you remember which bushings to shim). If you end up with more than one single stage press on this system, the length of the "Ram" travel may very, you would adjust the dies to the "shorter" press and not "cam-over" on the "longer" press (I don't use a cam-over on my dies for normal full length sizing anyway). Have fun learning all the benefits of reloading. Ivan

LNL bushings are about $40-45 for a package of 10

The press CONVERSION BUSHING is about $10-12 and can be installed
into other Single Stage presses (Generally).

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO

different size o ring fixes that problem.

thewelshm

I had this problem also. I was using my powder measure in station 3. I moved it to station 2 (swapped powder measure and expander) and the problem went away. Not sure if the station 3 hole is slightly loose, or being in the back and closer to the mounting bolts is what solved it.

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Common sense isn't so common.

I made dummy rounds (no powder or primer) for all of the bullets I load. When I am starting out, I plug in the seating die, unscrew the stem, and put the appropriate dummy round in the press. Raise the ram so the dummy round fully enters the die, and screw the stem down until it touches the bullet. Makes setting the seating depth easy.

I also have 2 seating dies for .38/.357 loads. One is set for almost no crimp for target loads, the other is set for normal crimp for full power.

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Common sense isn't so common.

Once you screw the die into the bushing nice and tight, you need to tighten the Die Locking Ring down nice and snug too on to the top of the bushing, then tighten the lock ring.

If all three are tight, then there should be No need for shims of any kind.

When all of that is done, make sure the bushing is fully seated in the press.

The LnL bushings are very convenient and will fit RCBS, Redding and other presses as well as the Hornady, but you can also remove the .38 dies from the bushings and insert different dies as if you were using the old-style presses.

I have a problem finding LnL bushings in sets of three.

Cabela's has them available in sets of 2, 5, or 10.

Oh, they do have a shelf space for the 3 piece set but it has been empty since the store opened a year ago.

It's like buying hotdogs and buns.

Midway USA has them in sets of three.
Bill

I appreciate it, Bill but by the time I pay Smilin' Larry's $8 "Shipping and Special Fee" the $14 set of three costs $22.

I can make a ten minute drive to Cabela's and get four (2 sets of 2) for the same money.

OR buy 10 for $42, find $33 to spend elsewhere, apply this discount, and "honey, look how much I saved on these shoes"

$15 Off $75
Click the "Apply" button
Add at least $75 of qualifying products to your cart.
See the discount applied on the Confirmation page near the end of the checkout.
Valid: 12:00 AM CT 04/24/2014 - 11:59 PM CT on 05/03/2014

I hear ya. I usually get a bunch of stuff when I do finally place an order with Larry and that makes the shipping fee seem not too bad. Bill

In a single stage, what is the advantage of using the bushing instead of just screwing the die with the preset lock ring into the press?

For me, convenience. Literally drop it in, 1/4 turn twist, good to go. Same with removal. I've been using dies with bushings for 3 years that are just as accurate as the day they were first adjusted. And the cost is just a couple of bucks per die.

$5 to $6 per die these days. So it adds $15 to $18 to a set of three dies. I find the convenience worth the extra money. And I don't bat an eye at spending $25 for an extra tool head for the Dillon either.

"Smilin' Larry"? That's great!

I really appreciate the convenience of the LNL bushings when changing over on my AP. For single station presses, I use my Co-Ax. Which changes dies even faster than the bushings (and no changing shell holders/plates).

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The triple smoker

For what they cost, I can skip the bushings and unscrew my die. Takes about 10 seconds. What are you going to do with the 8 you save with the bushings? And if you lock your die locking ring, the adjustments won't get off. So what's the point of the bushings? Something for the instant gratification generation?

I considered converting to the bushings. But since all my handgun is loaded on Dillon 550's with their own tool heads and all my rifle bullet seating is done on a Co-Axial, I decided not to convert. I always leave my rifle sizing die lock rings loose to I can make the final adjust for the shoulder bump, then tighten the lock ring.

Glad they work so well for so many folks.

The LNL bushings do make die changes quicker and more convenient but if you use a Hornady press that is designed for them, you MUST use them. If you own lots of dies, buying bushings for all of them may get a tad expensive. I have a Hornady progressive, which I like, but I switch to my yeoman 30+ year-old RCBS Rockchucker for small lots of loads for which I don't wish to set up the progressive. Now, the bushings have to be removed from the dies required. I bought bushings for all the die sets I use in my progressive. If I had it to do over again with what I have learned (much from this forum, incidentally), I would seriously consider getting just enough bushings to fill the recesses in the progressive and just screwing and unscrewing the dies as needed.

shil,

If your Rockchucker has a removable threaded bushing, it can be

removed and then Hornady sells a LNL Conversion Bushing $7-$12.

Then your dies with LNL bushings could be swapped onto to that press also.

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO

I hear you, but you really have to use them to appreciate what a convenience they are. I'm not sure about instant gratification, but I really like improved designs. These things just make swapping out calibers a snap.

It's kind of like comparing the old car radio that just has a tuning dial, to one that has station pre-set buttons. Only takes a few seconds to spin up the dial to another station number (your die with lock ring method) each time you want to change the channel, but the pre-set buttons are a much better way to do it. With a 5 station progressive press and 10 calibers that I reload, I couldn't go back to the old way; no way. If someone is doing just a couple of calibers with a three die set up, or something, I could maybe see the reluctance; but even then...

I recommend you try them, I bet you'd be convinced!

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NRA Life Member

I understand their use and use them myself on my LnL AP.
However, on a single stage where you load 50, 100, 200 rounds with one die, then change to another die, I don't understand how the few seconds saved on three die changes is significant.

I use the bushings and wouldn't be without them. Some others feel the same way, while others find screwing the dies in works for them. We've made a pact regarding this. We'll use what we like and not comment, or criticize, on what each of us likes. Actually that applies to many other things as well, but that's another subject for another day.

I'm open minded so long as you agree with me!!!! I really like the bushings.

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Really? U saw it in Wikipedia?

Maybe it's just me, but I never realized swapping out a screw-in die wasn't a snap. I'm old and set in my ways and I'm not going to change--you can't make me!

SMSgt,

The Grim Reaper solves those societal issues.

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO