With this post, I’m excited to kick-off a new blog series covering Hornady’s Lock-N-Load Rifle Bullet Feeder. With a totally new and unique bullet feed die system and many other innovative features, this bullet feeder provides unique capabilities that I’m looking forward to showing you. We’ll cover an overview of this new system (this post), loading both 22 caliber and 30 caliber rifle ammunition, and setups on multiple progressive reloading presses. It’s going to be a lot of fun!
The Lock-N-Load Rifle Bullet Feed system is available in two packages:
- 22 caliber system (complete)
- 30 caliber conversion kit
Below you see both the 22 caliber complete kit as well as the 30 caliber conversion kit (30 caliber drop tube and switch assembly not shown):
Included in the 22 caliber complete kit is: (from left in above photo)
- Instruction manual
- Support brackets
- Parts bags
- Bullet feed die
- Drop tube assembly
- Feed bowl assembly (top)
- Power supply and cord (bottom)
Included in the 30 caliber conversion kit is:
- Bullet feeder base plate (metal, with depth adjustment and drop tube adapter)
- 30 caliber feed plate
- 30 caliber bullet feed die
- 30 caliber drop tube assembly with shutoff microswitch (not shown)
At the heart of this new rifle bullet feed system is the all-new case-activated rifle bullet feed die with integrated pivot block shown here:
The feed bowl assembly is very similar to the Hornady pistol bullet feed system (see video here showing that system loading 45 ACP). You can adjust feed wipers and the depth of the metal base plate to ensure optimal collation of bullets into the drop tube.
In the following video, I’ll walk you through the various parts that make up this system:
Now that we’ve covered the high-level overview of this new rifle bullet feed system, we’re ready to get setup for 22 caliber progressive reloading! Stay tuned for the next video and post in this series.
Thanks,
Gavin
Can some of these parts be interchanged if you already own the handgun bullet feeder?
I found (buried) on the Hornady website the answer to your question. Search for their FAQs and it’s listed towards the bottom. They give a detailed answer, but the bottom line is, “Kind of.” Most of the similar parts are nuts, bolts, screws, etc… things of little material consequence. The major components are different and not interchangable.
Hope this helps.
Ben
Looking forward to the next installment. The big question for me is will it work on a Dillon 550B?
Can you reverse mount this set-up? [on the right side vs left] The thought of having to keep taking pistol feeder up down is exhausting
Do you think Hornady will ever consider selling just the case feeder (lower parts) and rifle bullet feeder dies with out the collators? I mean the biggest limiting factor is the primer magazine (tube) limited to 100 primers. If gravity feed is good enough for primers, why not good enough for cases and bullets. OK, so you have to verify each case and bullet is loaded the correct way, you have to do that for the primers as well.
I haven’t tried using other reloading press. I used the Hornady LNL and results are good. Does the other products have different functions or is it just the same as Hornady LNL?
It will seat and crimp the bullet after feeding it, right?
Yes, that is correct!