Finally bought the Hornady LNL press a few weeks ago. Set up was easier than I had feared, even with the two pounds of machine oil on the press! Took a bit to get the poweder measurer cleaned up, but I have loaded 300 rds of .45 ACP in a few hours of work.

My question is reloading bottle neck rifle cases. My next step, after loading a few hundred more .45's, is to start loading for .223 Rem. I know that I will need to lube the cases before hand, but do I need to size, clean the cases, and then put back on the press to prime and load?

It depends upon what you are planning to use the ammo for. Plinking or informal target shooting. Clean and lube then load away. If you want finer quality then clean resize single stage, trim then load.

muck

Mainly for plinking, so I will just clean and lube.

For my varmit rig I am tempted to use it to load, but I am unsure if the measure will be consistant enough.

quote:

Originally posted by NEJack:


For my varmit rig I am tempted to use it to load, but I am unsure if the measure will be consistant enough.

That will to some extent depend on the powder used - ball or short stick will meter more consistently than something like IMR 4064.

Lots of people who load rifle ammo on a progressive press do it in two runs. The first run is after cleaning the brass. It sizes and deprimes the brass. Maybe even put a case trimmer on the press for a third stage then clean the lube off of the brass. Run two on the press primes, powders than seats the bullets. You could also size and deprime on a single stage then clean the lube off and use the progressive.

i love the H LNL ap -- with ball powder, i am staying within .1 .. but, if you like, use it as a progress press, but remove the powder measure, and weigh each charge.. and then drop the charge into the case while still on the machine ..

i do this for my big stuff, or when doing load dev .. consistent ammo in all aspects that i choose to control, and if i decide to move the charge weight, its just as easy as if using a single stage ...

at this point, i only use my rcbs supreme to do 1"x14 dies, EVERYTHING else i do on my lnl ap or my SDB

Ive got a dillon case trimmer so what i do is lube with one shot, run my 223 through a small base die to size and deprime then they go to the next station and prime then the next station they get trimmed. I then take them and tumble them and put them through and charge and seat bullets. I use the case feeder for both steps and its surpisinly fast that way.

I most always do it all in one shot- clean the cases good beforehand then start loading. I use spray case lube. What I do is put 50-75 cases in a plastic tub (I use an old ice cream plastic tub) and give them a spray with case lube, then shake around for a bit, then hold the tub at a 45 degree or so angle and shake it again. The cases will all line up with the mouths uprights and I give the case mouths another spray with the case lube. Then I load them all just like that. Works fine, never had a lube contamination issue or anything and is pretty quick to do.

If you want to substitute any bulk process with an individual hand process go ahead, it will only improve the quality but IMHO then why not go and use your single stage press, the advantage a progressive has is lost the more handwork you involve.

Once I get my rund of .45 done, I will try you method Mark.

Good on ya for resisting the chorus of voices from the 'blue horde'
I love my LNL, though I did have to replace some parts recently. Before you bolt it down double check to make sure the lock nuts on the primer feed actuator rod (bent 1/8" wire on the back of the press) are good and tight. If that rod comes loose it will twist sideways and break the rider-wheel off the primer carriage. First sign of trouble will be a gritty feeling on the up and downstroke of the handle. Been there, done that.
Still love my LNL though.

quote:

Originally posted by NEJack:
Finally bought the Hornady LNL press a few weeks ago. Set up was easier than I had feared, even with the two pounds of machine oil on the press! Took a bit to get the poweder measurer cleaned up, but I have loaded 300 rds of .45 ACP in a few hours of work.

My question is reloading bottle neck rifle cases. My next step, after loading a few hundred more .45's, is to start loading for .223 Rem. I know that I will need to lube the cases before hand, but do I need to size, clean the cases, and then put back on the press to prime and load?