Setting up and loading some 380 on my LNL

N

Nathan

New member
Wow! These are tiny.

So, I'm loading with Hornady die set + a lee face on a lnl ap press. The seater takes the bell out and the face crimps.

The powder measure was hard to set up, just in that I thought it shouldn't activate at all when no case is present, but 380 is too short. It has to activate about 1/4 stroke.... Ideas?

Ok, so I just loaded 5-10 at 3 charge weights, 1/2 turn crimp at .965 OAL. I came up with .965, only because my Blazer brass ammo has a similar profile.. I think the manual said .980".

Win sp primers; mix brass; titegroup powder; berry's 100 gr RN plated...

Any thoughts on this? What could I do better?
 
Well shot them today.....no great accuracy, but the 2.8 and 3.0 charges looked best. I think I'll do another round with 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0.
 
I load .380 on my LNL AP and I got the powder drop to function normally by screwing the measure pretty far down into the bushing and adjusting the PTX linkage to compensate.

I'm using Red Dot and cast 105 grains, 2.0 gn gives me 759fps.
 
Well, I just setup my crimp on my Lee FCD. To do this, I make a dummy round at 1/4 turn, 1/2 and 3/4 turn crimp. Each round I measure OAL, chamber and measure again....I re chamber 5 times and measure movement. They all move, but 1/2 turn moved the least. I think it shortened 0.030" total.

Your experience??
 
Sorry, I don't use a Lee factory crimp die, so I really couldn't help you there.

I use a Hornady set too, so my stations look like this:
1: Resize / Decap
2: Powder Drop / Bell case mouth
3: Empty (powder check with mk1 eyeball)
4: Seater (no crimp, just seat)
5: Taper crimp
I found a Dillon taper crimp die that I use in station 5, and I set it so it takes the bell out. I don't aim for an actual crimp at all, but sometimes a slight one happens.
 
I would taper crimp only on a .380. I use a Hornady LNL AP also and though I've never loaded for 380, the powder measure doesn't move on any of the calibres I do load unless a shell is present. Take a look at the case activators that came with your press, it may be as simple as changing them out. When I make changes, I run an empty shell under the powder measure with the ram in the up position and screw the measure tube down until the rotor tops out. You should be getting a slight knock from the metering assembly as it taps the body of the measure when it goes up which will keep the powder flowing for consistent charges. Also, your rotor and metering assembly should be thoroughly cleaned before using the first time for consistent powder throws. Do a search on youtube for Highboy76 aka Bill Morgan who did some exceptional videos demonstrating how to set everything up on a Hornady LNL AP.
 
Just some background....I've been loading on this same level for about 15 years. I load 10 caliber on it. 380 is my newest.

Regarding different powder measure case activators and the linkage notches, I've tried them all. What I need to fix this is to change the fulcrum point in the 3 point lever or lengthen the lever. Since it works with the 0.680" long 380 case, I'm not going to mess with it. I wonder if it can load 25 Auto??

Kosby, your slight knock is an interesting idea. I actually leve a slight gap....about 0.05" eyeballed to keep from crushing cases.

Well, all seems to be going well. I have ~400 loaded and 99% fit my case gage. The ones that don't have an oversized rim. I may will those when I shoot.
 
This is what my powder drop looks like when I am loading 380. I use the hornady PTX expander inside the drop.

If anybody has any idea how to make the image any smaller, I'm all ears.

 
kosby:
You should be getting a slight knock from the metering assembly as it taps the body of the measure when it goes up which will keep the powder flowing for consistent charges.
Click to expand...

Hornady LNL AP Manual Page 23:
Lower the Powder Measure by rotating it clockwise into the press until the Powder Measure Rotor is fully rotated, but not contacting the end of the slot in the Powder Measure Body.
Click to expand...

use the ptx stops to adjust the case expansion. it works. I loaded about 350 rounds of 380 today. Adjusting the powder measure is always interesting... Station 1 Lee FL resize. Station 2 case expansion and powder drop. Station 3 powder cop. Station 4 bullet feed. Station 5 Lee bullet seat and crimp. I dumped the Lee FCD in favor of the powder cop.

I found that I like the Redding and Hornady dies better than the Lee dies. As I move forward over time I will most likely replace the most used Lee dies.

380's are small and that's one of the reasons for the bullet feed die. When you get it dialed in properly it works great.

Nathan:
Well shot them today.....no great accuracy
Click to expand...
What are you expecting in terms of accuracy? What are you using to shoot 380? Are you using a rest? I use a lot of the Berry's 100gr HBRN. I get fair accuracy from my PPK, my wife does better with her Browning 380 Black Label. But my PPK doesn't have the longest sight radius. And when I use a rest with it I do MUCH better so its not the gun but the shooter.... I think of accuracy with this round is point of paper plate at 5-7 yards. I can do better that that but that's not why I have the PPK.
 
Shot a second couple of batches and got 5 of 7 touching at 2.8 and 2.9 gr. so 2.8 is my settled charge.

Shooting off a bench with elbows on it. Felt solid and returned consistent 10 yd groups. Gun is a Kahr CW380. Not bad IMO. Good enough for CCW practice.
 
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