Re- beggining reloading , looking for advise

[realhunter]

i gotcha...i didnt know the press was machined for the bushing and not threaded....and yes i was using the threaded female bushing/adapter in a redding big boss 2.

to the OP...id buy a press thats threaded for the dies that way you can try the LNL bushings and if you have problems with them you can just pull the bushing out install lock rings on your dies and thread them into your press.

They are not machined into the press...

http://i59.tinypic.com/2wozvk7.jpg

I have one and I made a bushing to calibrate mine to my Lnl AP:rolleyes:

http://i60.tinypic.com/2vs3nn5.jpg

[LongRange]

They are not machined into the press...


I have one and I made a bushing to calibrate mine to my Lnl AP:rolleyes:



this is what i thought but ive never taken the time to look at a hornady press close...thanks for posting that up that clears up the confusion.

[barrel-nut]

this is what i thought but ive never taken the time to look at a hornady press close...thanks for posting that up that clears up the confusion.

Well, apparently I never have either! Upon much closer inspection, I have to say that ya'll are correct.. I've been staring at this thing for nine or ten years, and never realized that it does indeed have a bushing. It's installed nearly flush with the surface, so it's not real obvious- unless you look underneath, which I've never had reason to do, and you can see the last thread showing! I guess you learn something new everyday. DOH!!
LR, I've seen my LNL bushings pop up a little when under load too. I always wonder if that's where my concentricity problems are coming from. It's strange, because there isn't any vertical slop in the bushings when you twist them in and check by hand (pulling up on them). But if you do something like full length resizing, they do pop up noticeably, then go back down.

[LongRange]

Well, apparently I never have either! Upon much closer inspection, I have to say that ya'll are correct.. I've been staring at this thing for nine or ten years, and never realized that it does indeed have a bushing. It's installed nearly flush with the surface, so it's not real obvious- unless you look underneath, which I've never had reason to do, and you can see the last thread showing! I guess you learn something new everyday. DOH!!
LR, I've seen my LNL bushings pop up a little when under load too. I always wonder if that's where my concentricity problems are coming from. It's strange, because there isn't any vertical slop in the bushings when you twist them in and check by hand (pulling up on them). But if you do something like full length resizing, they do pop up noticeably, then go back down.

id take one seating die you have the most issues with and re-set the die with a hornady lock ring(if you need one i have an extra ill send you free)and make sure its tight in your press and seat a few bullets and check them for run out...im not sure what run out tool your using but some of them(hornady)over exaggerate the run out....and if your still having over about .001.5 id say you have press or brass problems....since i ditched the LNL bushings i dont check run out as ive never had it worse than .001 and IMHO chasing that little run out is going to cause more issues than its worth...also keep in mine i full prep my brass,SS tumble every time and anneal every second firing.

[barrel-nut]

LR, do you mean for me to remove the female bushing from the press? If so, I don't have a replacement that is threaded on the inside. The LNL bushing is all that came with the press. I guess I could contact Hornady and see if they have such an adaptor. Am I understanding you correctly? I already have lock rings installed on top of the bushings, but as you know they do nothing to stabilize the bushing in the press.
Thanks for the offer of the Hornady lock ring. I have several already.

[barrel-nut]

Realhunter, can you elaborate on what you did to "calibrate" yours? Any help would be appreciated.

[barrel-nut]

LR, I use Hornady and Sinclair runout gauges. The Sinclair generally gives higher readings than the Hornady. They index differently off the case. The Hornady supports the case head on one end, and the bullet tip on the other, with the indicator situated in between. The Sinclair uses two fixed ball bearings to support the case body, with the indicator out on the bullet. This really amplifies any irregularity in the case body, and transfers it to the indicator.
I sort all my loaded rounds according to amount of runout on the Sinclair gauge. Honestly, on many occasions I've shot just as well with the 3-4 thousandths TIR rounds as the "perfect" ones. So I'm not sure that the Sinclair gauge is even giving me a relevant indication. Generally I'm shooting at a max of 200 yds, so it could be that that degree of runout is basically irrelevant at short distance. Or most likely it could be that I'm not a good enough shooter to really consistently show the difference between them. Lol. This stuff is fuel for OCD.
OP, again I'm sorry we hijacked your thread, but hopefully some of the info we're sharing is useful to you.

[LongRange]

LR, do you mean for me to remove the female bushing from the press? If so, I don't have a replacement that is threaded on the inside. The LNL bushing is all that came with the press. I guess I could contact Hornady and see if they have such an adaptor. Am I understanding you correctly? I already have lock rings installed on top of the bushings, but as you know they do nothing to stabilize the bushing in the press.
Thanks for the offer of the Hornady lock ring. I have several already.

yes...unscrew the bushing from your press and screw the 1 1/4 to 7/8s adapter in...pull the male bushing off your die and set your die up with the lock ring. your press should of come with the adapter so id call hornady and tell them they will send you one free...this is the part and im sure someone on the board has a few laying around they would part with...

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/824687/rcbs-thread-adapter-bushing-1-1-4-18-to-7-8-14-thread


LR, I use Hornady and Sinclair runout gauges. The Sinclair generally gives higher readings than the Hornady. They index differently off the case. The Hornady supports the case head on one end, and the bullet tip on the other, with the indicator situated in between. The Sinclair uses two fixed ball bearings to support the case body, with the indicator out on the bullet. This really amplifies any irregularity in the case body, and transfers it to the indicator.
I sort all my loaded rounds according to amount of runout on the Sinclair gauge. Honestly, on many occasions I've shot just as well with the 3-4 thousandths TIR rounds as the "perfect" ones. So I'm not sure that the Sinclair gauge is even giving me a relevant indication. Generally I'm shooting at a max of 200 yds, so it could be that that degree of runout is basically irrelevant at short distance. Or most likely it could be that I'm not a good enough shooter to really consistently show the difference between them. Lol. This stuff is fuel for OCD.
OP, again I'm sorry we hijacked your thread, but hopefully some of the info we're sharing is useful to you.

ive used both and personally think the hornady is the worst one out for the same reason you think its better...if the bullet is cockeyed and the case concentric then its going to make things look worse then they really are...when taking readings take them where the bullet enters the neck not at the tip...like you said fuel for OCD LOL!!

like ive said in several posts...if i make/build my ammo/rifle the best i can that only leaves one thing to blame at the end of the day....ME!!

i also apologize to the OP for barrel-nut jackin your thread...just kidding...i to apologize for jackin your thread...personally i like when my threads go this way...ive learned a lot from hijacks just like this and still am!!

[barrel-nut]

LR, I never said I thought the Hornady concentricity gauge was better. That's why I said I use the Sinclair. I was just saying that they give different readings, because they support the case in different ways. The Hornady is pretty much a paperweight on my bench lol.
I agree about not getting your readings near the tip. I generally set mine where the bullet cone meets the full diameter. There's a name for this but it escapes me right now. Sucks getting old.

[LongRange]

My bad i miss read....if you REALLY want to eliminate run out buy a wilson hand die ;)

[barrel-nut]

I'm beginning to think that's where I should have started in the first place. OP, are ya listening?

[LongRange]

I'm beginning to think that's where I should have started in the first place. OP, are ya listening?

if you dont FL resize every time youll have to send the hand die and a couple of pieces of fired brass in to wilson and have the die honed out to fit your fired brass as the die is cut pretty tight to saami specs....i think its $15 bucks + shipping.

as far as the LNL quick change bushings go...they sound good but how much time do they really save you compared to the issues they may be causing?

[barrel-nut]

^ Agreed. The Wilsons sound like a lot of value for the $. Plus you could use them at the range if you needed to, somewhat easier than a full size press and conventional dies. Someday I'll make the transition. I don't shoot enough to justify it right now.

[LongRange]

[QUOTE=barrel-nut;326399] Plus you could use them at the range if you needed to,/QUOTE]

exactly why i bought it and the arbor press...i have a range box i can take when i go out.

[savgebolt]

:smile-new:,,,, great reading,,,, nice to see all the contributions, lots of learning going on thanx to all