Hornady Lock N Load Shellplate adjustment help needed

JackThompson · Mar 19, 2013

Good morning!

I'm loading some .357 Mag on a new Hornady Lock N Load Ammo Plant.

It's a fairly new press (Purchased in december) and I've only loaded 1 box of .223 on it and 2-3 .357 Mag rounds on it. (All tested, measured and fired just fine.)

I went to load some .357 Mag on it this weekend and noticed something odd.

I had my brass all processed and had new primers already seated, so I was just dropping powder and seating the bullets.

While seating I noticed that the shell plate was offset from the seater die by like 3 millimeters.

I drew up a really lame picture here at work, but it might hopefully help with visualization.

My question is, how do I adjust it so that it lines up properly? I removed the shell plate and re-installed it, but it still seems to shift a little off during operation.

In the image, the circle on the left represents the shell plate and die in correct alignment. The image on the right shows where the die is offset from the seating position on the shell plate. (This is a top down view)

P.S.
If you are a Hornady Lock N Load specialist I would be interested in working out something to entice you into coming out to the shack and helping me get the hang of this press.

I keep running into little tweaks and adjustments needed. (I've even had to order 2 replacement parts so far, and I'm being pretty careful at this point to not force anything.)

Beta1759 · Mar 19, 2013

there are 2 adjustments screws that control the depth of the "claws" that rotate the shell plate. you will need to back off the one that progresses the plate forward by adjusting the screw. you will need to push down on the "claw" once you make the change to make it stick apparently. The LnL is a giant pain in the *** btw. I have had nothing but problems with mine for over a year. I think i finally have it at a point where it works as expected. I have basically replaced all the parts on that machine at least twice. Hornady customer service is fantastic though.

You might want to make sure the part you put the shellplate on doesnt have a crack in it. after about an hr on the phone with hornady regarding the same issue, the guy had me remove the shell plate and look at the fitting that actuall rotates the plate, it had a crack in it which was causing the plate to not function correctly no matter how much i messed with the adjustments.

hope this helps!

JackThompson · Mar 19, 2013

Oh lord.. that makes me depressed! But it's also great information too!

I'll look for that adjustment and see how it's set! Thanks so much!

IheartGUNS · Mar 20, 2013

Check the manual, it tells you how to adjust the timing. GL

JackThompson · Mar 20, 2013

IheartGUNS said:
Check the manual, it tells you how to adjust the timing. GL

Well now there's a novel concept! RTFM!

So it was right on the money for months. Is this timing something that is prone to slipping like this?

techiej · Mar 20, 2013

Before adjustign anything make sure that the press/plate are clean...excesive build-up of powder between the press and the plate can cause it to drag a bit.

Is it off even when all positions in the shell plate are filled? Reason I ask is that for some cartridges that I load it won't perfectly align unless all positions are full. Ran into this with some 308's that I was loading. Once all positions were filled it woudl index properly each time.

mjbskwim · Mar 23, 2013

This is how I fixed my L&L press

Dillon Precision: Reloaders, Reloading Equipment, Bullet Reloading, Bullet Reloaders

Too many little issues for me.Sure they work fine for some folks,but not for my patience level

Good luck with yours

bballer182 · Mar 23, 2013

Mine, out of the box, needed a minor adjustment to the indexing pawl. On the down stroke it didn't quite get the plate into the detent. Pretty easy to figure out. Its in the manual.

Dwesson · Mar 24, 2013

This link provides some visual reference. I had to do this with my Hornady as well that I bought in December Hornady LNL EZ ject - The Firing Line Forums .

Be careful with adjusting the pawls to their maximum settings as I have read that the ram can get stuck and you need to further disassemble to release it ( I have not had this happen, yet). I use graphite to keep things rolling smoothly under the shell plate. Hornady recommends something like lithium grease on the detents however I find that loose powder gets gummed up easier on lube or grease.

Keep a can of compressed air for cleaning electronics at the ready as you will occasionally need to blow out powder. I have loaded several hundred rounds of .40 and .45, on occasion I need to nudge the shell plate to get it to seat. I have heard that is shared across most progressives ( I only have progressive experience on the Hornady). My biggest issue is occasionally a primer doesn't get picked up in the shuttle and I end up with a completed bullet with no primer.

Good luck

M4 AR · Mar 25, 2013

My 38/357 she'll plate has trouble as well. The other 4 plates i have run without issue. Been waiting for the craziness to settle down, then I'm calling Hornady about swapping it out.

Replaced the shellplate hub, adjusted the timing, and I clean it after every loading session.

JackThompson · Mar 25, 2013

Hmm. Interesting. I'll try a different shell plate!

M4 AR · Mar 25, 2013

I also have trouble w/ the 38/357 cases getting caught up on the ejector. It's usually every 5-8 round. I have to back off pressure and push it out by hand. PITA but again it's only this caliber, I've just gotten used to it.