First session with brand new Hornady progressive, some glitches
- Thread starter sasu
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DRAINSMITH
Member
We are going to get this. 48 out of 50 sucks, hell 999 out of 1000 is unacceptable.
DRAINSMITH
Member
Well, fellow bonehead pick up range brass. Another thing you might want to do to help. If you have a chamfering tool ream out the hole in the slide from the top down. It might have a sharp lip that just catches the primer.
Is your white fiberglass rod straight? I mean STRAIGHT. Roll it on a flat surface. If it is not, have Hornady send a new one under warranty. When I replaced my not straight rod with a straight one, it eliminated my primer problems. I've never needed to place a weight on it.
I will say it one more time, as you have not commented.
Did you look at your primer tube???
There is an up, and a down side, if you put it on upside down, it will cause stoppages.
Look at your tube, and look for the very end of it to be beveled..ON THE OUTSIDE, it is small but makes a huge difference. This end goes down into the feeder
Another way to know is the tube should be beneath the Black plastic holder, if not, or level, it is upside down.
Did you look at your primer tube???
There is an up, and a down side, if you put it on upside down, it will cause stoppages.
Look at your tube, and look for the very end of it to be beveled..ON THE OUTSIDE, it is small but makes a huge difference. This end goes down into the feeder
Another way to know is the tube should be beneath the Black plastic holder, if not, or level, it is upside down.
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OP
sasu
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Yes, the beveled end of the primer tube points downwards.
No, there are no burrs around the primer slide primer pocket.
No, I have not checked the plastic rod for straightness.
I am not overly concerned about this as it seems to be the last glitch with the press and it is easy to correct when it happens, and I believe I can eventually eliminate it altogether.
No, there are no burrs around the primer slide primer pocket.
No, I have not checked the plastic rod for straightness.
I am not overly concerned about this as it seems to be the last glitch with the press and it is easy to correct when it happens, and I believe I can eventually eliminate it altogether.
I have a black ring marked around the primer plastic rod that shows the last primer when level with the tube. I try and keep an eye on it and usually reload the tube about 10 primers from the bottom so I can just keep my rhythm and not have to stop because I ran out of primers. Works well for me.
Stu
Stu
OP
sasu
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I made 50 pcs of 45 Colt cartridges. Put a 44 Mag case on the primer rod to act as a weight. There was one primer slide stoppage when there were around 5-10 primers left in the tube. I used RCBS dies and a few times I had to coach a case into the sizing die. Otherwise a problem free session.
In spite of the small hick ups I enjoy using this Hornady AP press.
In spite of the small hick ups I enjoy using this Hornady AP press.
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I too just got a Hornady LNL AP press and also had a few start-up issues.
The first is that when I opened the box the cam wire was loose. I repositioned it back into the cam wire plunger and tried to load primers. No go. The primers were not being picked up by the primer slide. 76Highboy on YouTube to the rescue. He showed how to adjust the cam wire and it started working just fine. I also smoothed out the priming parts with emery paper and a stone as he suggested and, knock on wood, no more primer problems.
The next issue was that the spring case retainer would frequently pop out of the relieved area of the sub-plate causing cases not to eject. I turned out that the shell plate kept on coming loose. 76Highboy to the rescue again. I installed a lock washer on the bolt holding the shell plate. That also seemed to have fixed the problem.
One problem I'm still unhappy with is the PTX case expander. The powder measure is nice and accurate. It throws very consistent charges. But again, so did my LEE Auto Drum and it was a lot easier to set up to expand the case mouth while throwing a charge. I haven't yet got this thing to work right. Getting it to flair the case right (I use cast bullets) and fully cycle the powder measure is an exercise in frustration. The Lee approach is so simple. The Hornady instructions are simple in the manual and just as useless. Right know I'm expanding with a LEE die in a separate die position and debating whether to just replace the Hornady powder measure with the one from LEE and free a die position. It's a shame the powder measure is high quality and very accurate. However, the PTX expander reminds me of something designed by Rube Goldberg.
Overall for the money I'm happy with the press and is working just fine except for the PTX expander. I've more than doubled my output. It a shame, however, you must work though quality control problems like this since they are simple to fix. Why doesn't Hornady provide something as simple as a lock washer and polish the parts better? But problems like this are not, at least for me, unexpected - I loaded for years with a LEE 1000.
The first is that when I opened the box the cam wire was loose. I repositioned it back into the cam wire plunger and tried to load primers. No go. The primers were not being picked up by the primer slide. 76Highboy on YouTube to the rescue. He showed how to adjust the cam wire and it started working just fine. I also smoothed out the priming parts with emery paper and a stone as he suggested and, knock on wood, no more primer problems.
The next issue was that the spring case retainer would frequently pop out of the relieved area of the sub-plate causing cases not to eject. I turned out that the shell plate kept on coming loose. 76Highboy to the rescue again. I installed a lock washer on the bolt holding the shell plate. That also seemed to have fixed the problem.
One problem I'm still unhappy with is the PTX case expander. The powder measure is nice and accurate. It throws very consistent charges. But again, so did my LEE Auto Drum and it was a lot easier to set up to expand the case mouth while throwing a charge. I haven't yet got this thing to work right. Getting it to flair the case right (I use cast bullets) and fully cycle the powder measure is an exercise in frustration. The Lee approach is so simple. The Hornady instructions are simple in the manual and just as useless. Right know I'm expanding with a LEE die in a separate die position and debating whether to just replace the Hornady powder measure with the one from LEE and free a die position. It's a shame the powder measure is high quality and very accurate. However, the PTX expander reminds me of something designed by Rube Goldberg.
Overall for the money I'm happy with the press and is working just fine except for the PTX expander. I've more than doubled my output. It a shame, however, you must work though quality control problems like this since they are simple to fix. Why doesn't Hornady provide something as simple as a lock washer and polish the parts better? But problems like this are not, at least for me, unexpected - I loaded for years with a LEE 1000.
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What caliber are you loading and what size PTX? I load coated lead for 38/357 and the PTX is .358 and works great. No shaving or bulge.
You also might what to get a few lower activated case assemblies as they are cheap and make change over fast.
You also might what to get a few lower activated case assemblies as they are cheap and make change over fast.
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Loading 357 with coated lead with the .358 PTX expander.
DRAINSMITH
Member
The highboy videos helped me too. My only problem is he has the eye of the chickenhawk and I have the eye of the chicken. That is why I made a toolkit to help me do my timing. (these damn bifocals)
Now as far as the PTX. Don't you dare give up. You don't want everyone to think an old wingnut can do it but a ground pounder can't do you? It took me a while too to get it perfect. But it was well worth the battle. My suggestion is to remove all of your dies and install the power measure in position 4, and time and tune it there. That way it can turn the hopper without hitting anything else. That will take a lot of frustration out of the process. Things work a lot better when we are calm and cool. Oh, remove all tools like hammers be for you start. And install a curse jar. And put a buck in for every bad word. You will now get a perfectly operation power measure and enough money to buy supplies.
Now as far as the PTX. Don't you dare give up. You don't want everyone to think an old wingnut can do it but a ground pounder can't do you? It took me a while too to get it perfect. But it was well worth the battle. My suggestion is to remove all of your dies and install the power measure in position 4, and time and tune it there. That way it can turn the hopper without hitting anything else. That will take a lot of frustration out of the process. Things work a lot better when we are calm and cool. Oh, remove all tools like hammers be for you start. And install a curse jar. And put a buck in for every bad word. You will now get a perfectly operation power measure and enough money to buy supplies.
If you get extra lower assemblies you will only have to set the PTX linkage up once. This is how I did it when I got my LNL. I got everything timed and running smooth and never used it for awhile. Sat down with the book and sacrificed a few cases and bullets until I got the linkage set just right. It works great now and I have lowers for every caliber I load for.
You don't have to buy lowers as I didn't for awhile but now I wouldn't be without them.
Attachments
I haven't had a chance to set-up the PTX expander yet on my Hornady LNL press. I'm still expanding with a separate LEE Die.
I was loading today, and another problem occurred. The plastic hopper on the powder measure fell off while loading spilling a half a hopper's worth of powder over the press, bench, and floor. What an expensive mess!
Two hours later after cleaning everything up, I looked at the measure and saw that the hopper is only press fit into the powder measure! Who designs things like this? First the Rube Goldberg PTX and now this!
I called Hornady and they are sending a new hopper. It was suggested that I take the current hopper and invert it and try that. It was also suggested that I apply silicone to the hopper to keep it tight. Why should I have to do any of this? Why isn't the hopper threaded or retained by screws to keep it in place. At the very least, Hornady should have applied the silicone
I asked these questions and was given an answer that threads or screws can hold residual powder causing cross contamination when changing powders. How much cross contamination can that be? I know my press, bench and floor were cross contaminated! I've been loading since the late 60's and never had anything like this happen before.
I just got back my LEE Auto Drum Powder Measure from LEE. It was damaged in a recent move and I sent it to LEE for repair. I installed it in the LEE Expansion Die and added the Lee Factory Crimp Die since I now had an extra die position. I adjusted the LEE Drum Powder Measure and remaining dies in less than 20 minutes. Back in business and set up the way I wanted initially. I think I will keep this set-up. Simple to adjust, just as accurate as the Hornady and takes up less landscape on the press.
The Hornady LNL AP has great potential. Hornady needs to work on some basic QC issues before sending a product out the door and if they do they will have an incredible product. Unfortunately, too many companies follow this pattern.
I wish I had used a cuss jar and put a buck in it every time I said or thought a cuss word. My wife and I would be going on a cruise!
I was loading today, and another problem occurred. The plastic hopper on the powder measure fell off while loading spilling a half a hopper's worth of powder over the press, bench, and floor. What an expensive mess!
Two hours later after cleaning everything up, I looked at the measure and saw that the hopper is only press fit into the powder measure! Who designs things like this? First the Rube Goldberg PTX and now this!
I called Hornady and they are sending a new hopper. It was suggested that I take the current hopper and invert it and try that. It was also suggested that I apply silicone to the hopper to keep it tight. Why should I have to do any of this? Why isn't the hopper threaded or retained by screws to keep it in place. At the very least, Hornady should have applied the silicone
I asked these questions and was given an answer that threads or screws can hold residual powder causing cross contamination when changing powders. How much cross contamination can that be? I know my press, bench and floor were cross contaminated! I've been loading since the late 60's and never had anything like this happen before.
I just got back my LEE Auto Drum Powder Measure from LEE. It was damaged in a recent move and I sent it to LEE for repair. I installed it in the LEE Expansion Die and added the Lee Factory Crimp Die since I now had an extra die position. I adjusted the LEE Drum Powder Measure and remaining dies in less than 20 minutes. Back in business and set up the way I wanted initially. I think I will keep this set-up. Simple to adjust, just as accurate as the Hornady and takes up less landscape on the press.
The Hornady LNL AP has great potential. Hornady needs to work on some basic QC issues before sending a product out the door and if they do they will have an incredible product. Unfortunately, too many companies follow this pattern.
I wish I had used a cuss jar and put a buck in it every time I said or thought a cuss word. My wife and I would be going on a cruise!
I have to agree with you on the powder measure hopper. It almost happened to me as well. Now I make sure it is in all the way before filling with powder and check while loading.
I'm either going to drill and tap a couple of holes with machine screws or just use some kind of tape to make sure its secure.
I really like my LNL and use my friends 650 often. I like the LNL for the simplicity of it however Hornady could have done a better job.
I don't know how much more in dollars it would have cost to fix many of the issues that many have had but I for one would pay 20 or 30 percent more if they would.
I've had very little issues with mine and it continues to produce excellent ammo which is on par or better than some my friend produces on his 650.
I'm either going to drill and tap a couple of holes with machine screws or just use some kind of tape to make sure its secure.
I really like my LNL and use my friends 650 often. I like the LNL for the simplicity of it however Hornady could have done a better job.
I don't know how much more in dollars it would have cost to fix many of the issues that many have had but I for one would pay 20 or 30 percent more if they would.
I've had very little issues with mine and it continues to produce excellent ammo which is on par or better than some my friend produces on his 650.
DRAINSMITH
Member
When your bench is not solid it will shack, rattle and the hopper will roll. I have 9 power measures and none have had the hopper fall off. But my bench is mounted to the wall with 4 large "L" brackets. No movement at all with my bench.Here you can see one of my brackets
I use an Inline Fabrication Ultramount to attach the press to the bench. Although I don't have the bench mounted to the wall I do have several hundred pounds of lead and heavy tools holding it down. I can discern no appreciable movement. Of course, the measure has a lot of moving parts which can begin to loosen it through use.
I think what happens is that when you take the measure out to empty the powder after a loading session, it eventually works its way loose from handling. Also, it may have gotten loose after the initial cleaning. Either way it should not have happened and was unexpected. The design solutions are so simple.
I think what happens is that when you take the measure out to empty the powder after a loading session, it eventually works its way loose from handling. Also, it may have gotten loose after the initial cleaning. Either way it should not have happened and was unexpected. The design solutions are so simple.
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DRAINSMITH
Member
Here is how you test if your press has too much shake. Place a .223 piece of brass next to your dies and start loading if it tips over to much shake. I can place mine upside down and it won't tip.
I have two LnL presses, one large, one small primer. I have had powder measure hopper problems to the point of sending one back to Hornady. They drilled the body and attached a new hopper with plastic pins. They also sent me two spare hoppers for my other press. Over time the solvents in the powders will attack the hopper at the bottom and cause shrinkage and the hoppers get loose. I do not leave powder in the hopper when I am not using the press. I usually only load 100-150 rounds as I have shoulder problems. I wish Hornady would make the hoppers out of a different material. I've learned to catch the hopper before it gets really loose and flip it over or replace it. I do love the presses though.
Stu
Stu
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DRAINSMITH
Member
What kind of power are you using? My main powers are CFE Pistol and Benchmark, and I leave it in the hoppers. I have not had any problem with is shrinking, or discoloring the hoppers.
I use about everything for handguns. 4756, N320, Bullseye, N310, 2400, W231, CFE Pistol, #'s 2,5, and 7, on and on. Hornady told me not to leave powder in the hopper when I sent back the measure for the hopper mod. I told them I didn't. Only while actually loading. I just flipped the hopper a few weeks ago, it was shrinking and getting loose.
Stu
Stu
I load the way you do. But for me I load 150-200 rounds at a time just to keep the mind from losing focus and getting careless.
Hornady did mention the shrinkage problem over time with certain powders attacking the plastic. I knew that this could not have been my problem since I had the press less than three weeks. Like you, I don't leave the powder in the measure. I empty it after each session. I must have jarred it loose in handling. Generally, I wipe down the powder measure hopper before loading with a used dryer sheet to cut down static electricity. Maybe, I loosened it then. Still, it should not have come off.
I haven't done the case test to check for bench movement but I'm sure my setup is very solid. Still, if it was loose it may not have taken very much to topple it with all that heavy moving metal perched high up on a pole. The Lee Drum Measure setup is considerably lighter and lower which should help with any small movement or vibration, if any.
Again, they know about these problems and do nothing. Why use a plastic as a container that is adversely affected by the very product it is designed to hold? Why not secure the hopper positively instead of relying on just friction? Why should I have to polish parts to assure reliable functioning? Makes no sense other than penny pinching. I agree with Carrier in that I would pay the extra 20-30% premium to have these problems solved. Things like this can be a real turn-off for someone new to the hobby. It can also be dangerous. Problems lead to mistakes and mistakes in reloading can be catastrophic.
No press is perfect whether they are painted red, blue, or green. Each has it pluses and minuses. I'm sure once I get through these teething problems I will have a first-class set-up that will more than meet my needs. But after cleaning spilled powder from my work area, I'm pretty perturbed about being Hornady's QC. It was a mess!
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For those that might like to see the modification from Hornady, I just snapped a photo.
Stu
Stu
So simple. How much could that add to the overall cost of the press? Frustrating!
rsrocket1
Member
Good suggestions on this thread.
My single stage and LnL AP are rock solid on the bench but I took a slightly different approach.
For the LnL, I mounted it on a 2"x6" with carriage bolts and fender washers from the bottom. I routed a recess in the bottom with my Dremel tool so that it sits flush on the table (Half a Gorilla Rack from Costco bought in the 90's). The 2x6 extends the width of the bench to the wall and I used bookcase brackets anchored to the studs in the wall. This requires a lot less heft on the wall attachment because the distance from the front of the table to the wall is much greater than the distance from the front of the table to the downforce twisting of the press hanging over the edge of the table.
My Lee Breechlock Challenger press is mounted in a similar fashion but I only need a 2x4 for that mount.
When adjusting the pawls, make very small adjustments of 1/16th of a turn or less.
When the OP says the Lee dies take a lot of force to size/deprime a case, are you doing 9mm? That's a tapered case and many chambers are not tapered meaning you will need a lot of force to resize 9mm. Some advocate a misting of Hornady One Shot case lube on the cases. I just live with the fact that 9mm will be a lot tougher than true straight walled cases.
The hopper will get discolored over time. In 6+ years and over 60,000 rounds (almost all with pistol powder and a lot with high Nitroglycerin double base powder), my hopper is very smokey on the bottom half. I usually load only 100-200 rounds at a sitting and empty the hopper after each session so I never fill the hopper more than half way.
Recently, I used a rolled up overhead transparency sheet to line the inside of my hopper and while it may be too late to prevent the discoloration, it did add a bonus. I taped around the bottom of the hopper with transparent tape and what it did was make the fit of the hopper to the powder measure real tight. That will prevent the spill disasters experienced by some.
My single stage and LnL AP are rock solid on the bench but I took a slightly different approach.
For the LnL, I mounted it on a 2"x6" with carriage bolts and fender washers from the bottom. I routed a recess in the bottom with my Dremel tool so that it sits flush on the table (Half a Gorilla Rack from Costco bought in the 90's). The 2x6 extends the width of the bench to the wall and I used bookcase brackets anchored to the studs in the wall. This requires a lot less heft on the wall attachment because the distance from the front of the table to the wall is much greater than the distance from the front of the table to the downforce twisting of the press hanging over the edge of the table.
My Lee Breechlock Challenger press is mounted in a similar fashion but I only need a 2x4 for that mount.
When adjusting the pawls, make very small adjustments of 1/16th of a turn or less.
When the OP says the Lee dies take a lot of force to size/deprime a case, are you doing 9mm? That's a tapered case and many chambers are not tapered meaning you will need a lot of force to resize 9mm. Some advocate a misting of Hornady One Shot case lube on the cases. I just live with the fact that 9mm will be a lot tougher than true straight walled cases.
The hopper will get discolored over time. In 6+ years and over 60,000 rounds (almost all with pistol powder and a lot with high Nitroglycerin double base powder), my hopper is very smokey on the bottom half. I usually load only 100-200 rounds at a sitting and empty the hopper after each session so I never fill the hopper more than half way.
Recently, I used a rolled up overhead transparency sheet to line the inside of my hopper and while it may be too late to prevent the discoloration, it did add a bonus. I taped around the bottom of the hopper with transparent tape and what it did was make the fit of the hopper to the powder measure real tight. That will prevent the spill disasters experienced by some.
OP
sasu
Member
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- Mar 8, 2007
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- 720
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I have now made several hundred cartridges in 44 Magnum, 45 ACP and 45 Colt.
The primer feed has been trouble free except for the last primer. The primers feed perfectly without the plastic rod, i.e. on their own weight, except the last one which requires gentle encouragement with the plastic rod.
Yesterday I installed the powder through expander for 45 ACP. It is a nightmare to setup. To get proper belling and still have the powder measure rotor go all they way up is a wicked balancing act. To achieve it I had to move the collar on the powder measure as far as the PTX Powder Measure Stop adjustment screw allowed, and even then the belling is barely enough. I fear the day when I have to set it up for another caliber and possibly loose these 45 ACP settings I struggled with.
The Powder Cop die is nice, the one that shows the level of powder in a case with a white O-ring peeking out of the die. I use that and in addition I look into every case before putting a bullet on top. That results in double checking the powder level for each cartridge - I like that.
Two 45 ACP cases had the case mouth gouged in the powder through expander die, so bad that I had to discard the cases. Very odd, what could be causing that? I am using Hornady dies now.
One problem is my own fault. I have an office chair on wheels and it runs away when seating a primer so I have to hold on to the press when pushing the press handle for primer seating. Too lazy to change the chair yet.
The primer feed has been trouble free except for the last primer. The primers feed perfectly without the plastic rod, i.e. on their own weight, except the last one which requires gentle encouragement with the plastic rod.
Yesterday I installed the powder through expander for 45 ACP. It is a nightmare to setup. To get proper belling and still have the powder measure rotor go all they way up is a wicked balancing act. To achieve it I had to move the collar on the powder measure as far as the PTX Powder Measure Stop adjustment screw allowed, and even then the belling is barely enough. I fear the day when I have to set it up for another caliber and possibly loose these 45 ACP settings I struggled with.
The Powder Cop die is nice, the one that shows the level of powder in a case with a white O-ring peeking out of the die. I use that and in addition I look into every case before putting a bullet on top. That results in double checking the powder level for each cartridge - I like that.
Two 45 ACP cases had the case mouth gouged in the powder through expander die, so bad that I had to discard the cases. Very odd, what could be causing that? I am using Hornady dies now.
One problem is my own fault. I have an office chair on wheels and it runs away when seating a primer so I have to hold on to the press when pushing the press handle for primer seating. Too lazy to change the chair yet.
Jeff423
US Veteran
I had an almost identical experience. After 2-3 weeks of tinkering and multiple calls to Hornady I returned the press and bought a 650. Problem solved!
I only take powder measure out to clean press or setting up dies if I have to. I use a powder drain insert Hornady Item #050125 to drain the powder.
For those that might like to see the modification from Hornady, I just snapped a photo.
Stu
Did you send the measure to Hornady and they did it? Those look like dash or upholstery snaps.
