Hornady LNL prog. with a Dillon powder check die

Status
Not open for further replies.

jenrob

Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Messages
385
Location
Eastern Oregon
The powder cop didn't do it for me if you look away from the powder cop it doesn't work but the Dillon check die will buzz if no or double charged. I used a dremel tool with a cut off whell to get as much depth then I used a small sander wheel and rounded it out so it was smooth. I also called Hornady and the gal that does the touch up on there presses told me that Ford red was the closes thing to it and sure enough. The washer on the arm that cantacts the ram I had to buy a bigger one I then ran the srew through the washer and put the nut on it put it in my drill took a grinder bit and put in the dremel turn both on and ground the washer down till it just caught the edge. Works great.
100_1528.jpg
100_1526.jpg
 
anothr thing I did to the oress was pulled the linkage apart and put bushings in 2 of the 3 pivot points this took a lot of the play out of it.
 
Very cool, How accurate is it? Will a .5gr charge difference cause it to beep or is it a too much or nothing only?

I have a RCBS powder check die. I scribed lines in mine where my charges are and I can visibly see a .1gr variance. The only problem with that is like you said, you have to watch(4k rounds and not 1 problem). The closest thing I've had to a double charge was that .380 case that was filled half way with gunk and I thought it was a double charge.

Jon
 
It's set up the same as it is on the Dillon's. it is more for no charge or doubles but if it is off by more than .5 it will chirp but the only thing about that is you have to set it up to the brass to get it like that. I have a lot of 45acp WCC headstamp and if you don't sort by year the thicknest of the brass will make the powder higher or lower and it will chirp (not buzz). but with the pistol rotor I haven't had a variance of .5gr in charges but have spaced when the case feeder drops a case sideways and I only half stroke it or forget to put a bullet in and double strock at the same time forgetting to take my fingers out of the press last thing I was thinking about was the powder but once I get my composure back and pull the handle again it buzzes kind of like it's laughing at you saying hey stupid this one has to much.
 
Jenrob

You wrote:
another thing I did to the press was pull the linkage apart and put bushings in 2 of the 3 pivot points this took a lot of the play out of it.

Sounds like something I'd like to try. Where do you get the bushings? And which ones did you replace?

Thanks in advance.
 
If you use redding pro or Dillon dies its not to bad cause they have more taper whaen the empty case enters the sizer but I food that with RCBS and hornady dies if I was pulling on the handle a littl to the left the the case would catch on the bottom of the die so I did a little fiddling take a couple of washers and place one in the gap on the linkage raise the ram til the case is just about to go into the die lightly move the handle left to right then move the washer to the other side mine was a bushing on the right top and the left botton none on the ram. most hardware store will have bushing I thought about nylon bushing but went with metal for size I took a 45 case with me and the bushing that fit over it will work I got 6 bushing 2 each of different thickness then I used a 45 case as a punch dont have and brass punches. I pushed the pin out enough to pull one side off and slide the bushing on I used the thicker bushing on the bottom I had to take out Hornady little spring washer to get the thicker one on. It took a lot of play out
 
I know this is a old thread, but I am interested in doing the same thing. I cut the groove so that my factory rod would glide, however, I found that the .223 cases didnt seem to line up perfect and I had to guide the rod into the case neck, is this due to me not hacving the die mounted perfectly, (I was just sizing and goofing) but am curious if you had this issue with necked rifle cartridges?
 
This is a cool thread- you guys are giving me some ideas :)

I'm thinking of a mod/design that would make the Dillon powder check work without modifying the press... I'll share if successful.

Thanks,
Gavin
 
More questions

BTW: Gavin, I visit you site often, would love to see how you would do it without modifying the press, I've seen it done 3 ways, the slight notching like in this thread, another user drilled a hole on the turret head exactly like a Dillion head would be, he used the logic and choose station 3 because the pressure points would be at station 1, none at 2 with powder fill, no pressure Dillion PC in 3, nothing in 4, and crimp/taper in 5, although I think that you could get away with the hole drilled next to just about any of the stations and not weaken the press like he thought it might do, http://www.youtube.com/user/FriedChickenBlowout?feature=mhum#p/u/8/nXMD_Km-AM0 is a link to the user who drilled his hornady through the top. By the way, Fried Chicken Blowout DOES NOT like Hornady, but sure did a good job of getting the Dillon powder check in his system. Seems some people LOVE RED, others LOVE BLUE, I wont even go there. :)

And then of course, there are a couple of people that have done what you are saying, without modifying the press at all. -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0z-isyIPG8

I choose to do mine like the OP here, a round file and some work cut the grove real nice, however, I dont think that I made my groove as big as the original OP, because when I used the original cap screw and nuts, the top nut caught the edge of the groove. So I went down and bought some 10/24 threaded rod and nuts and threaded the rod into the original Dillion shaft with locktite and as deep as it would go, so there is no movement, but also no need to tighten down at the end of the shaft, then used 1 1/4 fender washer with two 10/24 nuts to hold my washer at the correct depth. I can tell you, understanding how to use the Dillon device before attempting this helps, as I kept messing with raising and lowering my die in the press, then took some time and realized you adjust for different powder heights by adjusting the height by messing check rod sleeve.

I come back to the original OP with my question again, as it seems that the powder check rod can camber out and when the case is coming up to it, the case rim pushes the rod up rather than than entering the case, and of course that sets it off as well. I basically notice that I can rotate the check sleeve and rod until it lines up entering my cases smoothly and it stays in that position for my testing (I haven't even started loading yet, just getting each part working and started with this part). Did you experience this? I guess I can ask Gavin if he experienced this in the Dillon, as it seems to me the same thing would work on the Dillon the same way, the way the case raises in the press and meets the rod in the Hornaday is the same as the Dillon and every other press out there, so maybe its just dealt with the way I am messing with it, fiddle and find the sweet spot and it will just stay there?

Again, OLD thread, but the original OP is still around, I see his youtube videos, and posts. So I don't think he will mind it coming back to the top. I think I am going to like my RCBS lock out, but it doesn't work with riffle, so until they fix that or Hornaday comes out with something other than a visual powder cop, people are going to be doing this..
 
Last edited:
Was hoping to get some response, but since I know this is a old post, I started searching out posts about the Dillon powder check and .223 loads, ended up finding TONS of posts about issues with .223, people who have multiple presses have had the ability to check the run out on the rod, and seems over 80% have some sort of run out down at the brass end, a lot have been hitting the brass with sanding papers tapering the end into a much more polished sharper angle, allowing the check rod brass to not catch on a .223 shell even in a dillon press, then you have those people saying that they have had no issues (they are the ones that got perfectly straight rods) and those that say that changing the brass tip from the cylinder shape to a more pointed shape can cause the check rod to dive into the powder more, but I don't buy it, and also most people are checking for squib as a double charge usually ends all over the shell plate (the .223 wont hold a double charge of say h 322). Anyways, still looking for comments, anyone else have the device hangup on when doing .223..
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top