Reverse engineering Hornady Lock n load press bushings

[kneedtospeed]

Hornady has Shims for this issue, if you contact them.
Fits Above the ORing, below the collar.

 

[chop house]

I use another press strictly for more critical operations such as sizing

this

 

[chop house]

I've often wondered what causes me to have this issued when everything is loaded the same and shot in the same chamber.

case anneal? case lots? dwell time in the sizing die? technique on the press handle? amount of lube?

(this are all things that have been mentioned recently in other posts... )

 

[hikfromstik]

Do you just see a little space in between or are you actually seeing movement on the up stroke ?

Movement on the up stroke . As long as I keep them tight then I'm good . No gap when in battery . Lots of good recommendations here . I'll check the rubber o-ring metal God .

 

[A Marsh]

Can someone please tell me if there is a way to go back to threads on a Hornady lock n load press . I have the iron press and love it except the bushings . They sure are handy , but they wear and and get play in-between them . Using bullet pullers really wears them faster . I tighten them up good ,but they still wiggle back if I don't watch close. I'll process 10+ RDS and notice the play ( 1/64" or more ). Does another press manufacturer make inserts with threads ?

You can unthread the LNL adapter. Tap it out with a punch and replace it with a threaded adapter. I did this on my LNL progressive press. Here is what the bushings look like unthreaded - scroll to the bottom. https://www.hornady.com/reloading/p...sories/shell-plates-shell-holders-bushings#!/

Lee bushings are inexpensive, but you could use any. https://www.titanreloading.com/lee-...le-station-press-parts/lee-bp2979-die-adapter

 

[Metal God]

Or you can just JB weld the bushing in or what ever product would be better .

 

[dstoenner]

I have read this thread with interest. I too have had this issue for years with my Hornandy LNL single stage press. To me the ease of use outweighs the stop every so often and make sure the sizer is tight in the press. The magic formula I have found is check every 20 rounds.

That said I had thought about this when I started noticing them come loose. Being an engineer I will try to make things better if I can or at least understand the reason things are happening. In this case we cannot have our cake and eat it to.

The bushing (the part the die is in) tighten up because a ramp is cut on the bushing body. I am pretty sure that the female part in the press is case hardened. I have actually worn out 2 bushings where they would start to tighten and then just go to the next slot. The other bushings I own would still tighten with no issue so the female adapter in the press was OK.

To get the best case consistency you need for the ramp to cam over on the up stroke. It has to be enough so that the extra pressure of sizing the brass doesn't keep the ram from meeting the bottom of the die. So each time you are putting a force on that tightening ramp and the coefficient of sliding friction being high will not let it loosen much but it will loosen just a little on each case. Keep repeating that operation and it does get looser to the point things might have moved a .001 or so.

Now what I have found is to me an even bigger horror story. I have set up for another caliber and needed some more bushings for the sizer and seater and I didn't have any in my reserves. So I ordered a set of 3 just to have an extra. Got them in and went to set up my sizer. I will put in a bushing and then use a large pair of pliers to tighten it in the press so I can adjust the sizer till it kisses the shell holder on the up stroke. Well I started tightening the bushing and low and behold it just slipped over the slot with hardly any effort. did it again and didn't make any difference. tried another in the package, same story. So I wrote Hornandy about it. They apologized about this and set me another package of 3. Well they were better but they will not tighten to my level I want till they slip over.

I don't know if any body else has seen this but this is very disturbing to say the least. This second set is just good enough I can use it for some operations that don't require a lot of vertical force nor consistent dimensions, like my universal decapper. But it appears if I buy more will they actually fit my press. Something has changed and I am not for sure who or what. Nor do I know what the dimensions are supposed to be.

More food for thought

David

 

[Metal God]

To me the ease of use outweighs the stop every so often and make sure the sizer is tight in the press. The magic formula I have found is check every 20 rounds.

I agree

To get the best case consistency you need for the ramp to cam over on the up stroke. It has to be enough so that the extra pressure of sizing the brass doesn't keep the ram from meeting the bottom of the die. So each time you are putting a force on that tightening ramp and the coefficient of sliding friction being high will not let it loosen much but it will loosen just a little on each case. Keep repeating that operation and it does get looser to the point things might have moved a .001 or so.

Interesting observation . I never noticed this but that's likely because I went to the Redding competition shell holders shortly after buying the press and pretty much have always had contact with die and shell hold with cam over . The times I notice it most is when depriming with the Lee universal deprimer . That product does not need hard contact or cam over . Therefore it seems I don't get the benefit of that process you describe when depriming my cases

Now what I have found is to me an even bigger horror story. I have set up for another caliber and needed some more bushings for the sizer and seater and I didn't have any in my reserves. So I ordered a set of 3 just to have an extra. Got them in and went to set up my sizer. I will put in a bushing and then use a large pair of pliers to tighten it in the press so I can adjust the sizer till it kisses the shell holder on the up stroke. Well I started tightening the bushing and low and behold it just slipped over the slot with hardly any effort. did it again and didn't make any difference. tried another in the package, same story. So I wrote Hornandy about it. They apologized about this and set me another package of 3. Well they were better but they will not tighten to my level I want till they slip over.

That is a scary concept for sure . I've not run into this as of yet and have bought multiple bushing for all the different cartridges I load for . None have had this issue "yet" . This makes me wonder if maybe you are having the die and shell holders making contact to hard/aggressively creating more stress on the female portion of the press then needed to accomplish the task . I make sure that contact is as minimal as possible while still insuring contiguous contact between die and shell holder through cam over .

 

[riflewoman]

In the aerospace and aircraft maintenance workplace we safety wire things that might loosen. I’ve done this on my LNL progressive when I had the powder dispenser loosen. You use pliers you can get online and do it like shown. I just looked it through the locking bolt in the die ring. Works great.

 

[dstoenner]

I agree



Interesting observation . I never noticed this but that's likely because I went to the Redding competition shell holders shortly after buying the press and pretty much have always had contact with die and shell hold with cam over . The times I notice it most is when depriming with the Lee universal deprimer . That product does not need hard contact or cam over . Therefore it seems I don't get the benefit of that process you describe when depriming my cases



That is a scary concept for sure . I've not run into this as of yet and have bought multiple bushing for all the different cartridges I load for . None have had this issue "yet" . This makes me wonder if maybe you are having the die and shell holders making contact to hard/aggressively creating more stress on the female portion of the press then needed to accomplish the task . I make sure that contact is as minimal as possible while still insuring contiguous contact between die and shell holder through cam over .

I too use Redding competition shell holders in order to make sure on my bolt guns I am not setting the shoulder back any further than necessary. I agree with you that the cam over is just enough and not too much contact.

David

 

[hikfromstik]

I'll likely get the Lee conversion bushing to try . Looks like that's what Hornady has needed as a option for years . I'm still going to call or email them to tell them my problem . Maybe they will send the shims for free or have another option . I don't believe one should have to buy another product to fix a problem that shouldn't have happened in the first place.

 

[Metal God]

What is this Lee conversion kit/piece . I remember someone bringing it up earlier but thought that was only for the Lee presses . Do you have a link to this product ?

 

[A Marsh]

The Lee die adapter mentioned in post 25 is threaded 1 1/4-12 on the outside and 7/8-14 on the inside with a hex on the top to tighten it. No different than any other press manufacturer but the Lee one is $8 and works fine.

 

[hikfromstik]

Here's a video . I just got home from a short vacation . Sorry for the extended wait for photo/video

 

[Metal God]

Check it out . Looks like it could cost you nothing to fix the problem

 

[USMCDOC]

View attachment 1029897 View attachment 1029898

In the aerospace and aircraft maintenance workplace we safety wire things that might loosen. I’ve done this on my LNL progressive when I had the powder dispenser loosen. You use pliers you can get online and do it like shown. I just looked it through the locking bolt in the die ring. Works great.

When i was in the Navy.. it was so hard to get new Flight Deck boots, we were using this to keep the soles of the boots on!

 

[ryantrials]

I also want to convert to normal threads on the LnL press.

Not because of any slipping or movement or problems during normal operation.. But because it's a royal pain in the butt when you want to back out a die just a 1/16 or 1/8th of a turn, to adjust dies... The entire bushing rotates with the die... Then you have to fiddle with the lockring on the die as the bushing is moving around on you and it's just annoying... The stability and simplicity of a standard threaded press seems like it definitely trumps the 30 seconds you'd save with the quick bushing setup. Not to mention, not having to need to buy more bushings for every damn die you own.

Still having problems finding a 1-1/4-12 to 7/8-14 (i think?) bushing for my press...... anyone ?

[edit: nevermind, I just saw post #25, ill buy the lee bushings!]

 

[hikfromstik]

Check it out . Looks like it could cost you nothing to fix the problem

I'm on my 3rd press bushing . They wear fast . It's holds for about 200 or so then slowly wears and then the movement starts . I called Hornady only to be told to buy their competitors product (rcbs) threaded adapter . It cost over $50 so shame in you Hornady . Just make what needs to be made . I'm about ready to sell it and go to the Redding T7 or just a Redding big boss . Tired of there sub par pot metal crap .

 

[Metal God]

It holds for about 200 what ? 200k ??? I’ve been using there classic press with bushing system for many years . I switched to the Redding competition shell holders about 3 or 4 years ago when sizing for two cartridges . 308 & 223/5.56 . I have sized a minimum of 5k 223/5.56 cases and a minimum of 2500 308 cases in that time ( likely many more ) . I’m still using the same bushings on both and still only have a head to datum variance of .001 if that .

My guess is if anyone is blowing out there bushings in less the 1k cas s sized . Your die is set up wrong and you are creating to much force on the bushing during cam over . I have the least force/contact between comp shell holders and die . Just enough to ensure continuous contact through cam over .

There classic press has enough ( really to much ) press deflection/flex to counter the to much force applied to the bushings if set up right .

All this is not to say the bushing don’t where out . Only that 200 seems to me to be way to few to be r asonable . If that was the case , I don’t think that press would still have anyone buying them . It would be everywhere how useless that bushing system is . Instead people are putting that same system in there other brand name presses . That and my personal experience tells me the system works just fine .

 

[ranger3]

Reading this forum makes me wonder if I made a mistake. I just bought the Hornady Lock and Load AP press and it sounds like I'm going to have issues particular you're probably on the sizing part of it. It seems like maybe one fix would be to switch the sizing station to the Lee insert or to change it to a threaded only and leave the rest alone does this make sense to anybody? I debated between this Hornady and another RL 550 C for a second press. Maybe I need to return the Hornady.