I set up the powder measure for the Hornady LNL and encountered an issue. At the full stroke of the press, the powder measure gets "hung up" and the will not drop back down as the arm is lowered. It appears the bolt on metering screw is not machined correctly and is rubbing against the inside channel of the powder housing. If I remove the metering screw it moves freely and does not get "hung up" with a full stroke. Anybody else have this issue? Do you think I did something wrong? Thanks!
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Hornady LNL powder measure issue
- Thread starter yogi
- Start date
Fixxah
NES Member
Is it the correct rotor for what you are loading? IE: large rotor for rifle and small for pistol. Sounds like it may be hanging up in the groove when it tops out. Look for wear on the paint. Try backing the screw out and see if it still hangs up. You may need to file a rough spot or use fine emery cloth to free it up. You have the spring on it and cleaned it well with brake cleaner etc.?
Thanks Fixxah, that is exactly what is happening. It is hanging up in the groove. I have tripled checked and I am using the correct metering screw and rotor (both small). I used an entire can of degreaser and spent about an hour cleaning up all parts. It's either the rotor or the metering screw that is machined incorrectly (or maybe both). I am going to put the large rotor and metering screw in and see if that gets hung up to. If that works fine then I am going to ask Hornady to send me a new small rotor and screw on Monday.
Are you letting the rotor move all the way until the screw hits the top of the housing? It should not, and it ends up forcing the whole assembly upwards and can bind it. The full travel should be just short of the metering assembly hitting the top and the channel.
01SVTvert - I spoke with Hornady tech support today (BTW they were very friendly and experienced). They agreed wih you in that they believe I need to tweak the seetings to avoid the metering screw traaveling too far up teh channel. Also, I mentioned to him that I can still see th rubber gasket near the rim of th rotor. He suggested some graphite be put on the gasket and to ensure that the rotor is seated all the way in and that the gasket stays in it's channel and can not been seen. I asked about the chances that the parts were machined incorrectly and have to agree with him that the chances are really, really low they are and that it is most likely "user error" (he was nice about pointing that out though). For postil cartridges, I am using the longest case activited die per the manual. Is that what you use?
I am not thrilled with the Hornady LNL powder measure. I have been using it for about 1.5 years now and while it is relatively accurate, I have always been concerned about how much slop and movement is present during operation. But I agree with Hornady and 01SVTvert, you're just letting the the rotor move to it's maximum arc and that is causing the jam. One of the other issues i have with the LNL is it really requires a lot of messing around between calibers, particularly when it comes to the powder measure. I try to set it for a caliber and blow out 1000 rounds. And I only use it for .40, .45LB and .38 Special.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, my LNL was very screwed up when I bought it (NIB). The hole for the primer feed tube was drilled wrong and it took a lot of improvisation to get it to work properly. So while they can come with manufacturing issues, that is not your problem. The LNL is cheap, but you do get what you pay for. If I had to do it again, I would spend a little more money and get something in blue....
Fixxah
NES Member
. When you use PTX it has to top out, I call BS. There's something that needs tweaking. Mine hits top all day long with zero problems.
I'll give you $100 for the press without any dies. Blue is for you.
Give me the $380 I paid for it and it is yours. I put my investment into red and for the amount I use it, I'll keep it (unless you have $380 to part with). If I could go back to November of 2010, I'd buy blue. Don't be offended by the poor quality of my particular LNL, unless you happened to cast and machine it personally. From what I have read, most of them ship in excellent condition. Mine did not and Hornady was no help in resolving the issue. That was my experience.
The new ptx includes a fixture that binds the upper travel so that it does not travel all the way up. All new LnL presses come with the fixture. It adjusts between the two screws that hold the return spring.
$101......
