Got the Hornady case feeder for my LnL

[JonF 79]

Ordered this from Cabela's on saturday, expected to get it next month due to backorder status, then i come home to it sitting on the step last night. Certainly a nice surprise, however, i don't yet have the appropriate shell plate to fully test it but i went and set it up nonetheless to get it mostly dialed in.

 

My initial thoughts are that it is very timing sensitive with regards to the shell pusher being in sync with the presses' shell plate but this is understandable though since it has to interact with it to a fine degree to smoothly pass off the shells from one mechanism to the next. Once i got it all assembled, i began to adjust the shell delivery timing which actually revealed to me that my adjustment pawls weren't 100% correct. Some minor tweaks there and the shell plate was properly timed to receive shells and then some minor adjustment of the shell delivery timing and they were mating up perfectly.

 

Still having some occasional shell tipping which i think may require some v-block adjustment to get the centering nailed down better. I'll play with that a little more in the future. I still have to pick up a small pistol shell feeder plate and see if that needs any adjustment up in the hopper.

 

Anyone else use the shell feeder and have any tips for use?

 

 

[matt6669 71]

very nice!

 

Sure wish they would make a case feeder for the square deal.

[matt6669 71]

so what pushes the case into the shellplate, is there something that hooks into the handle mechanism etc.

 

I wonder if I can get the case feeder from dillion and adapt it to a square deal

[JonF 79]

When the cases fall from the hopper down the clear tube, they queue up in the tube at that first metal block. That mechanism is what dispenses one shell at a time to the ram mounted feed assembly. As the ram raises, a rotating piece called a "shuttle" containing 1 shell rotates slightly around to align with and hand off the shell to the ram mounted assembly. Once the shell is in the hands of the ram mounted assembly, a linear shuttle with a V-shaped feeding block on the end slowly guides the shell into the presses' shell plate as the ram lowers. The shuttle rides along a uniquely bent guide wire which determines it motion and timing with respect to its interaction with the presses shell plate. The v-block and shell plate have to come together at just the right time so the shell is inserted cleanly into the shell plate notch. Both systems are adjustable to get the timing in sync so that the shells dont feed too early or late or try to over or under insert deeply enough.

[JonF 79]

Ad far as converting or retrofitting some feeder to your deal^2 press, the largest problem you'll have is getting them to interact--they're not two separate disconnected systems. With the LnL, each press already has a case feeder shuttle raceway already integrated into it so the "interface" between the press and the case feeder is there. Mating them up is a matter of tightening some bolts and tuning the action.

[matt6669 71]

hmmmmmmm

 

I may have to entertain the idea of either retrofitting or trading my square deal in for a 650 decisions decisions grrr

[PeteF 1,044]

If you don't mind my asking, how tall is that thing when attached to the LNL? It seems like it's at least a foot or two higher than the powder measure, and would make putting in brass or clearing a jam a little tough.

[JonF 79]

Pete, yeah, it stands a little tall! The top of the hopper is 3 feet off the bench. I'm a tall dude so i can still just about see in the hopper if i stand right up to it. The good thing though is that the entire hopper simply slides up and off the pole mount and is only held secure by light compression fit and gravity.

[Babaganoosh 192]

Got one of these about a month ago. Have you had any issues with cases tipping? Or with them getting jammed under the case feeder plate? I have had a few problems with each. Just curious.

[Maksim 1,504]

Got one of these about a month ago. Have you had any issues with cases tipping? Or with them getting jammed under the case feeder plate? I have had a few problems with each. Just curious.

 

 

You might be loading too many cases at a time. Too much weight on one side, leaves space on top, cases get jammed.

 

I have not had any issues with 40 caliber. Otherwise, make sure you use the proper case feeder plate.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Jon,

 

How did you like the LnL before the case feeder, I have been flipping the coin on either the Dillon 650 and the LnL.

 

Also if you have any knowledge of the Dillon 650 vs LnL I'd be interested in hearing your view or anyone else who has this knowledge.

 

Harry

[Babaganoosh 192]

You might be loading too many cases at a time. Too much weight on one side, leaves space on top, cases get jammed.

 

I have not had any issues with 40 caliber. Otherwise, make sure you use the proper case feeder plate.

 

 

That does make sense but not the issue in this case. (No pun intended). It's def not overloaded. They end up getting jammed at the top right before the metal plate. I'll take a pic next time it happens.

 

I'm slowly fine tuning it and each time it's a bit better than the last. Soon it will run perfectly!

[JonF 79]

Jon,

 

How did you like the LnL before the case feeder, I have been flipping the coin on either the Dillon 650 and the LnL.

 

Also if you have any knowledge of the Dillon 650 vs LnL I'd be interested in hearing your view or anyone else who has this knowledge.

 

Harry

Hey Har,

 

I liked it even before the feeder, but with it i can crank out 9mm at a rate that better matches how fast i can shoot it.

 

There's a good feature comparison document out there between these brands that may be helpful. Its fairly objective and lists each pro's and con's so you can be the judge. It turns out that the hornady and dillon are so close in many ways, you can go either way, however, each does have some unique advantages that may suit your needs better. For me, i required better caliber change support so thats faster/easier/cheaper on the hornady so i went with it. I'm no fanboy and have a mix of equipment from various manufacturers that i got for what my needs dictate.

 

http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillonLeeHornadyComparison.pdf

[JonF 79]

That does make sense but not the issue in this case. (No pun intended). It's def not overloaded. They end up getting jammed at the top right before the metal plate. I'll take a pic next time it happens.

 

I'm slowly fine tuning it and each time it's a bit better than the last. Soon it will run perfectly!

What caliber are you loading/noticing this issue with?

 

I've had that happen before also, but for me it was an easy fix. My shell plate retainer spring was worn/stretched and so its thickness had enlarged somewhat over a new one. This condition caused each shell to have to rock over a "speedbump" and when then slide over and lean forward, thats when they get hung up on the shell plate and stop dead and putting a new spring in there totally solved my issue. You cna check that but you should also make sure that your alignment is all set with the shuttle delivery sync'd with the plate, shuttle "V" centered on the plate opening and guide wire timing driving the shell deep enough. Your rhythm also counts here so when you're ripping away on the handle like an epileptic monkey (no offense to anyone here with an actual epileptic monkey ) can cause some issues but then i think every press probably requires a well honed touch to keep it rolling at higher cyclical rates.

 

I do still get the occasional one or two per hundred that may want to tip but backing off slightly on the handle to relieve the pressure on the bound up shell, then driving forward again with some vigor will finesse it back on track without having to manually handle the shell itself.

[JonF 79]

Also note that high or "cratered" primers will only exacerbate feeding and the worst of which wont fit in the shell plate, case feeder or not.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Thank you sir, I'll be flipping my last coin by the end of the summer on this, being my trip to AZ was canceled at the beginning of the month I'll have to get out to AZ and visit the folks and might as well stop by the Dillon factory before I make my final decision.

 

Harry

[Bello 9]

now you need a bullet feeder and your straight!

[raz-0 1,259]

I own a LnL AP, have for many years. I also bought a case feeder last year. Yes, it had tons of problems. Mostly related to the fact that they made some odd/poor design choices, and the fact that I load .40, and for some reason hornady decided to make the thing very .40 unfriendly. Pretty much every part is a bit too big or a bit too small for .40.

 

I USED to say that the AP was as good a press as a 650. THe problem is Hornady has worked hard to prove me wrong. With the exception of the bad choice of sizing on drop tube parts on the case feeder, I think their engineering is fine. However, their packing, QC, and total willingness to not ship a part and expect you to figure it out later and get it via warranty, or to ship a bad batch of some part until they ahve shipped them all out and have you figure out it is wrong and wait for a replacement under warranty.

 

I have powder measures with voids in the casting that went out the door. Lots of people are having problems currently with subplate assemblies that are just a bit too thick for the primer ram to work right. I've gotten powder measures with parts missing out of the box recently. I've talked ot people who have gotten presses and case feeders with parts missing. They shipped out a batch of presses with drive hubs that were cast badly and cracked in short order. They replaced them under warranty with the SAME batch of drive hubs until they either got a replacement lot, or simply used them up. That's just stupid.

 

In many ways, I think the current iteration of the LnL AP goes toe to toe with the 650 but with a simpler implementation of many features (which I generally consider a good thing). The problem is I'm not sure you can get that machine from hornady without a giant headache these days.

[matt6669 71]

Thanks for the post Raz-o we've been hearing a lot of good things about the Hornady and I kept saying to myself sounds too good to be true.

 

Hopefully you get your problems worked out!

[dwvcfii 1]

A bit off topic, but where'd you get that table? I've been looking for a nice reloading / workbench with adjustable metal legs.

[JonF 79]

A bit off topic, but where'd you get that table? I've been looking for a nice reloading / workbench with adjustable metal legs.

I got the table second hand off craigs list, but it originally came from globalindustrial.com

[dwvcfii 1]

I got the table second hand off craigs list, but it originally came from globalindustrial.com

 

Ah, okay...that's probably why it looked familiar (been looking at the GI stuff). Thanks!

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Ah, okay...that's probably why it looked familiar (been looking at the GI stuff). Thanks!

 

oohhhh, they even have Dillon Blue...

 

Harry

[JonF 79]

Yea but the blue tables break down a lot.

[raz-0 1,259]

Thanks for the post Raz-o we've been hearing a lot of good things about the Hornady and I kept saying to myself sounds too good to be true.

 

Hopefully you get your problems worked out!

 

I've got my problems worked out. My main gripe is it used to just be the occasional thing that was few and far between. I ordered a lot of hornady gear last year, and ran about 50% on something being missing from the box or defective (mostly not all the parts being there). To make it more annoying, their CS is pretty hit or miss with regards to being nice/conforntational, helpful/clueless, and actually delivering you any replacement parts. I think all of the above has been made worse by them having higher sales volume.

[Jersey Joe 4]

I know this probably should have it's own thread, and may have been covered elsewhere but...How does the LnL compare to the Dillon 550? I've read Dillon CS is awesome, I know the two presses are not apples to apples so to speak, but they are about the same cost I think. Feel free to flame

 

BTW...I have no experience reloading rifle/pistol but do reload most shotgun gauges using MEC presses. Looking for first pistol press sooner than later.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

I know this probably should have it's own thread, and may have been covered elsewhere but...How does the LnL compare to the Dillon 550? I've read Dillon CS is awesome, I know the two presses are not apples to apples so to speak, but they are about the same cost I think. Feel free to flame

 

BTW...I have no experience reloading rifle/pistol but do reload most shotgun gauges using MEC presses. Looking for first pistol press sooner than later.

 

Take a look at post #13 and see the attached PDF file. I have been leaning more to the L-n-L AP but now with a few new opinions on the LNL and the warranty on the Dillon I might be leaning that way. There is one other reason I may swing toward the Dillon 650, I have a friend of mine that had one for a while and sold it because he was got out of reloading, so help with it and little in's-n-out's are better supported locally as well as there a bunch here that have Dillon's.

 

So anyone looking to offload there 650 cheap to upgrade to a 1050???

 

Harry

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Joe, I also re-read your questioned the 550 vs LNL. I was thinking your said 650 vs LNL.

 

I'd bet the LNL may be preferred over the 550 being it would be 4 vs 5 die press, but that's just an un-educated guess at this time.

 

Harry

[matt6669 71]

550 i manual indexing 650 is auto indexing thats the biggest difference. Outside of that they are the exact same press

 

Get the 650 and never look back. Dillon has had the same warranty with the same customer service for a million years. They havn't gone out of business nor have they really raised their prices in forever so clearly whatever they are doing is working. So if you want to buy a press that you know is still going to be made in 10 years go with the proven track record and get the dillon.

 

but I also know a lot of people who have hornady's and love them and say they have received good CS as well so really sometimes it comes down to your favorite color and mine is blue so I bleed dillon blue

[hd2000fxdl 422]

550 i manual indexing 650 is auto indexing thats the biggest difference. Outside of that they are the exact same press

 

 

Isn't the 550 a 4 stage and the 650 a 5 stage or am I misinformed.

 

Harry