The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Hornady LNL Help in set-up

David Wile · February 8, 2012, 12:16 PM

Hey Maxx,

A lot of "multiple sources" are selling ideas and practices that lead customers to buy completely unnecessary products which result in huge sales numbers and more profits rather than actual improvement of accuracy. Lee is notorious for coming up with more stuff to fix problems that do not exist. Someone else best described the Lee Factory Crimp Die as "a solution looking for a problem."

The Lyman reloading manual is highly regarded as the best "first" reloading manual for new folks to buy. Get one if you do not have one. If you do have one, read it from the front to where the loading data begins, and read it again. Save reading load data for when you actually start to load cartridges. The loading data is good reference material, but the information contained in the front of the manual is really necessary to understand the basic ideas of reloading. In it you will see diagrams of how a sizer die works and how a simple bullet seater/crimper die works in one step. You will also see how the seater/crimper die may be adjusted to crimp as it seats the bullet as well as seat the bullet and not do any crimping. You control the die's performance by your knowledge and your use of that knowledge in the adjustment of the die.

Before you convince yourself that seating and crimping in two steps is somehow better than seating and crimping in one step, I would suggest you load a dozen cartridges each way and test them for yourself. I am supposing you are talking about a pistol cartridge here, and I highly doubt whether you will be able to find any difference in either method. If you cannot tell any difference in the results, then why would one conclude that seating in two steps is better than one?

Again, seating/crimping dies have been working perfectly for over 50 years. Keep it simple! If it's not broken, don't complicate things by fixing it.

Before getting carried away with some new reloading fix expounded by "multiple sources" on the internet, read about the operation in question in the Lyman manual as well as several other reloading manuals. Chance are you might find the new fix of the "multiple sources" is one of those "solutions looking for a problem."

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

February 8, 2012, 12:16 PM	#5
David Wile Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2001 Location: Mechanicsburg, PA Posts: 585	Hey Maxx, A lot of "multiple sources" are selling ideas and practices that lead customers to buy completely unnecessary products which result in huge sales numbers and more profits rather than actual improvement of accuracy. Lee is notorious for coming up with more stuff to fix problems that do not exist. Someone else best described the Lee Factory Crimp Die as "a solution looking for a problem." The Lyman reloading manual is highly regarded as the best "first" reloading manual for new folks to buy. Get one if you do not have one. If you do have one, read it from the front to where the loading data begins, and read it again. Save reading load data for when you actually start to load cartridges. The loading data is good reference material, but the information contained in the front of the manual is really necessary to understand the basic ideas of reloading. In it you will see diagrams of how a sizer die works and how a simple bullet seater/crimper die works in one step. You will also see how the seater/crimper die may be adjusted to crimp as it seats the bullet as well as seat the bullet and not do any crimping. You control the die's performance by your knowledge and your use of that knowledge in the adjustment of the die. Before you convince yourself that seating and crimping in two steps is somehow better than seating and crimping in one step, I would suggest you load a dozen cartridges each way and test them for yourself. I am supposing you are talking about a pistol cartridge here, and I highly doubt whether you will be able to find any difference in either method. If you cannot tell any difference in the results, then why would one conclude that seating in two steps is better than one? Again, seating/crimping dies have been working perfectly for over 50 years. Keep it simple! If it's not broken, don't complicate things by fixing it. Before getting carried away with some new reloading fix expounded by "multiple sources" on the internet, read about the operation in question in the Lyman manual as well as several other reloading manuals. Chance are you might find the new fix of the "multiple sources" is one of those "solutions looking for a problem." Best wishes, Dave Wile