hi, have a Hornday progressive press I load 45acp, in all been quite pleased loaded over 4000 rounds but once in a wile it just misses the primer, not much but enough to miss insertimg the primer in the case by a hair, problem the turret does not reach the station befor the case meets the primer, does this maybe 1 in 100, anyone know how to adjust this, I have played with the fingers at the base but I need the turret to index further up the stroke
hornday progressive press primer issue
- Thread starter laurencen
- Start date
Couple things to check.
- Shell plate becoming loose. I use a stainless steel spring washer on the shell plate bolt.
- If you raise the ram up slowly, does it index fully or does it hang up just a hair then "click" in after a nudge? If so, your LNL AP timing is off and the pawls need tweaking.
I run Winchesters, CCI, Dominion and Federal in my LNL AP without any problems... knock on wood.
A couple things you can do to help smooth out the press is to remove the shell plate and clean off any old powder and grease/oils etc from the sub plate. Give the sub plate a light polish with some Fitz polish then a light spray of some Hornady Dry-Lube and reassemble the shell plate.
- Shell plate becoming loose. I use a stainless steel spring washer on the shell plate bolt.
- If you raise the ram up slowly, does it index fully or does it hang up just a hair then "click" in after a nudge? If so, your LNL AP timing is off and the pawls need tweaking.
I run Winchesters, CCI, Dominion and Federal in my LNL AP without any problems... knock on wood.
A couple things you can do to help smooth out the press is to remove the shell plate and clean off any old powder and grease/oils etc from the sub plate. Give the sub plate a light polish with some Fitz polish then a light spray of some Hornady Dry-Lube and reassemble the shell plate.
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That's what I figured.
Adjust the timing by the two hex screws on the bottom of the ram. Those two screws adjust the pawls. The Hornady LNL AP manual describes how to adjust them. Only do small adjustments at a time.
See page 18: http://www.hornady.com/assets/files/manuals-current/metalic-reloading/LNL_AP.pdf
I have tried the adjustments, the issue is not the indexing as it locates detent correctly the issue is the index point does not reach quick enough, it is touching the primer just as it finishes indexing, I need a way to complete the index well above the primer, I purchased this press 3 years ago used, maybe there is something else causing the late index, will call manufacturer in the morning, likely a simple fix, again only fails 1 in 100 at the most,
Not sure if this is related to your problem but how much do you tighten down that shell plate bolt? I tighten then bolt so that it is just a hair tighter than it takes to rotate the assembly. If the bolt is on too tightly on my press, the plate drags and does not run smoothly and catches the primer then I have to lift the ram up a sec for it to orient properly then I can seat the primer. That's one of the reasons I started using the spring washer.
Then again, if you have been running it fine the past 3yrs, obviously you've been doing it right all this time. Be sure to post what you find out on what's causing the issue. You got me curious....
Edit: Forgot to ask, did you do that tweak where you epoxy a dime under the primer seating punch? I did and it did nothing but kept catching the shell plate early.
Then again, if you have been running it fine the past 3yrs, obviously you've been doing it right all this time. Be sure to post what you find out on what's causing the issue. You got me curious....
Edit: Forgot to ask, did you do that tweak where you epoxy a dime under the primer seating punch? I did and it did nothing but kept catching the shell plate early.
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its allways had this issue, first jumping primers was the reason the previous owner sold it, said he got 1 in 20 upside down, and it did but after reworking the ramp that fixed the upside down primer now its the indexing 1 in 100, if I catch it soon enough I give the ram a short up and back down and its fine, I have played with the tightening nut lots, too tight and yes it fails to index all the time, too loose and get casings out of level going into the dies.
will call in the morning and post my findings
will call in the morning and post my findings
here is a update, spoke with the manufacturer, they say only adjust the fingers to set timing, all other settings are factory only, they did offer 2 options, return the press to get it refreshed, all work is waranty no charge unless it requires parts, or option 2 send back press for a exchange to the newest model for 200 dollars, given the 120 dollar shipping each way and the dollar it works out cheaper buying from Cabellas, anyway here is what was done to fix the issue.
at the bottom of the press are 2 fingers, they catch the cam and rotate it, by adjusting these longer or shorter it changes the amount of rotation, these fingers are mounted in what I call rockers, these can be rotated by loosening one screw and tightening the second screw sort of jacking the rocker, the left one controls the down rotation, after several adjustments and also setting the finger length I raised the set position of the plate 1/32 inch above the primer and now the press works better than it ever did, definatly a faster motion is possible.
should have played with this before, I had purchased the press used some 3 years ago, the seller said it worked well but had some issues, well with issues fixed built 2000 45acp bullets, not one issue so to the range this week it is.
if anyone else is having issues I could post pictures of the adjustment
at the bottom of the press are 2 fingers, they catch the cam and rotate it, by adjusting these longer or shorter it changes the amount of rotation, these fingers are mounted in what I call rockers, these can be rotated by loosening one screw and tightening the second screw sort of jacking the rocker, the left one controls the down rotation, after several adjustments and also setting the finger length I raised the set position of the plate 1/32 inch above the primer and now the press works better than it ever did, definatly a faster motion is possible.
should have played with this before, I had purchased the press used some 3 years ago, the seller said it worked well but had some issues, well with issues fixed built 2000 45acp bullets, not one issue so to the range this week it is.
if anyone else is having issues I could post pictures of the adjustment
ended up adjusting the cam the pawl is mounted in, the left side completes the turret rotation on the down stroke, the pawl on mine is mounted into rockers or pawl housings, they are factory set and according to the maker a real pain in the ass to adjust, anyway by rotating it indexes the turret sooner giving me the clearance between the primer and casing, then I needed to adjust the pawl to reduce the index amount
clever system, looking at the diagram you have the pawl is mounted into the body and not adjustable as on the Pro-Jector model
clever system, looking at the diagram you have the pawl is mounted into the body and not adjustable as on the Pro-Jector model
