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So, I just finished reloading my first batch of ammo - 100 rounds of 45 ACP with 230GR Oregon Trail cast bullets and 4.0 grains of Bullseye.
Total time = 2 days
The first evening I spent assembling the press, a Hornady LNL AP with case feeder.
I like this press a lot - it has a lot of good features, but it also has a few problems.
First off, the case feeder will not feed 45ACP correctly - even with the shortest V-block, and the adjustment rod at it's lowest setting, the case feeds in too early, causing the case to get wedged against the shell plate and jam.
I solved this problem by grinding away the right corner on each station of the shell plate to a 45 degree angle. I had to grind away quite a bit of material,
but now it feeds perfectly, probably smoother than the factory intended.
The spent primer drop tube is too small, it easily jams with large pistol primers. I removed it and all is well.
The instructions say to degrease the powder measure with hornady one shot - great, however I do not own any, and did not know when I placed my order that I should have purchased some.
So, I disassembled it and used brake clean on the powder measure. It worked well, and I wiped everything clean afterwards so their should be no residue
However, later I noticed that the brake clean had melted the plastic powder tube a bit. It still works, but looks ugly, so I will have to order a new one from hornady.
After assembly, I began to setup my dies. I purchased the 4 piece lee carbide die set, with an RCBS lockout die.
First thing I noticed - the lee PTX will not work with the hornady powder drop, completely different design. No problem, just means that I won't have an extra station for the RCBS lockout die.
So I set up my stations with: Deprimer, Expander, Powder Drop, Bullet Seater, Factory Crimp Die
After going through the adjustments, I began to make my first set of rounds.
I quickly cranked out 100 rounds, but felt so unsure about them, that I ended up pulling the whole lot with a bullet puller and redoing them.
The primary reason I pulled them, was that I didn't realize at first that if I inadvertently cycled the press near the top of the stroke without indexing, that I could potentially throw a double charge in a case.
I probably didn't throw a double charge, but since I wasn't paying attention to whether I had done this, I felt it wasn't worth the risk to chance it.
I also decided that the process of doing all steps from depriming to crimping at once was more steps than my brain could handle, and in addition, since all my stations were filled, I couldn't use the RCBS lockout die, which I now believe is an absolutely essential device.
On to round 2.
Looking at my pile of brass, I came up with a new idea - instead of loading all my rounds in one continuous sequence, why don't I prime and size all of them ahead of time for later use? That way when I decide to load them later, the process will be much quicker.
So, I removed station 3,4,5, and then primed and expanded all 500 cases, and stored them in my case containers.
I then setup the press with nothing in 1, powder measure in 2, lockout die in 3, bullet seater in 4, crimper in 5.
Because of the new simpler process, I was able to quickly and confidently crank out 100 rounds in no time at all. I have no concern that any of these are empty or double charges.
I firmly believe this will be the best process for me - when I am low on pre-primed shells, I will sort, clean, inspect, prime and size my cases in one process and set aside.
On the days when I decide to go to the range, I can quickly pop into the garage, pick my load and bullets for the day, and within 30 minutes crank out 200-300 rounds.
No messing with primers, and because I am sizing less rounds at once, I am also able to better feel what the press is doing at each step.
Based on my way of doing things, I don't think this would be as easy on a dillon - with the hornady bushings I can move stations around very quickly, and that suits my process well.
Overall I am very happy with the LNL despite a few flaws. For my workflow, I think the LNL worked out better than the 550 or 650, and I am now completely addicted to reloading
Mark
Total time = 2 days
The first evening I spent assembling the press, a Hornady LNL AP with case feeder.
I like this press a lot - it has a lot of good features, but it also has a few problems.
First off, the case feeder will not feed 45ACP correctly - even with the shortest V-block, and the adjustment rod at it's lowest setting, the case feeds in too early, causing the case to get wedged against the shell plate and jam.
I solved this problem by grinding away the right corner on each station of the shell plate to a 45 degree angle. I had to grind away quite a bit of material,
but now it feeds perfectly, probably smoother than the factory intended.
The spent primer drop tube is too small, it easily jams with large pistol primers. I removed it and all is well.
The instructions say to degrease the powder measure with hornady one shot - great, however I do not own any, and did not know when I placed my order that I should have purchased some.
So, I disassembled it and used brake clean on the powder measure. It worked well, and I wiped everything clean afterwards so their should be no residue
However, later I noticed that the brake clean had melted the plastic powder tube a bit. It still works, but looks ugly, so I will have to order a new one from hornady.
After assembly, I began to setup my dies. I purchased the 4 piece lee carbide die set, with an RCBS lockout die.
First thing I noticed - the lee PTX will not work with the hornady powder drop, completely different design. No problem, just means that I won't have an extra station for the RCBS lockout die.
So I set up my stations with: Deprimer, Expander, Powder Drop, Bullet Seater, Factory Crimp Die
After going through the adjustments, I began to make my first set of rounds.
I quickly cranked out 100 rounds, but felt so unsure about them, that I ended up pulling the whole lot with a bullet puller and redoing them.
The primary reason I pulled them, was that I didn't realize at first that if I inadvertently cycled the press near the top of the stroke without indexing, that I could potentially throw a double charge in a case.
I probably didn't throw a double charge, but since I wasn't paying attention to whether I had done this, I felt it wasn't worth the risk to chance it.
I also decided that the process of doing all steps from depriming to crimping at once was more steps than my brain could handle, and in addition, since all my stations were filled, I couldn't use the RCBS lockout die, which I now believe is an absolutely essential device.
On to round 2.
Looking at my pile of brass, I came up with a new idea - instead of loading all my rounds in one continuous sequence, why don't I prime and size all of them ahead of time for later use? That way when I decide to load them later, the process will be much quicker.
So, I removed station 3,4,5, and then primed and expanded all 500 cases, and stored them in my case containers.
I then setup the press with nothing in 1, powder measure in 2, lockout die in 3, bullet seater in 4, crimper in 5.
Because of the new simpler process, I was able to quickly and confidently crank out 100 rounds in no time at all. I have no concern that any of these are empty or double charges.
I firmly believe this will be the best process for me - when I am low on pre-primed shells, I will sort, clean, inspect, prime and size my cases in one process and set aside.
On the days when I decide to go to the range, I can quickly pop into the garage, pick my load and bullets for the day, and within 30 minutes crank out 200-300 rounds.
No messing with primers, and because I am sizing less rounds at once, I am also able to better feel what the press is doing at each step.
Based on my way of doing things, I don't think this would be as easy on a dillon - with the hornady bushings I can move stations around very quickly, and that suits my process well.
Overall I am very happy with the LNL despite a few flaws. For my workflow, I think the LNL worked out better than the 550 or 650, and I am now completely addicted to reloading
Mark
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