Looking for a Pacific DL-366 Manual

[Leslie Sapp]

Just picked one up at an estate sale. Hornady makes the Auto 366, but mine is the older version that you index by hand. There is no manual listed on their website.

[MaryB]

Here is one source an email to him might get the info http://pacificreloaders.awardspace.com/Pacific%20366.htm

There are not a lot of changes between the new and the old and they used to sell an upgrade kit that bolted onto yours to make it index with each handle pull.

More info http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:5DY-StqhVgIJ:40plusyearswiththehornady366.com/366ArticlePart_I.html+&cd=7&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

[Leslie Sapp]

Thanks, There's a lot of good info there.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Try here: http://www.hornady.com/assets/files/manuals-current/shotshell-reloading/366_loader.pdf

You can print this out or use it as a PDF. It is the same manual they have had for years.

Randy

[MaryB]

Base casting is a bit different, mine doesn't auto eject the finished round but it does auto index. This was taken as I was setting up my new bench(folding table sat in that area before with the presses on it, last time the top was that clean too!). There are several variations on the DL 366 that I have seen.

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/2013-04-13_17-34-49_465_zpsece2b90f.jpg

[W.R.Buchanan]

Mary; that might be a DL350? The instructions for that one are available under "Discontinued Presses" on the Hornady site, however they are both pretty much the same operation and setting up the dies and the press in general is going to follow all the same procedures.

Leslie: Changes to these machines were very minimal over the years and not some big difference in operation when they did change. More like refinements than changes.

Many runs of parts carried over to newer models. My DL366 has "Pacific" on the castings but is painted red and was sold by Hornady many years after they bought the line from Pacific.

All the Pacific stuff was painted blue. If it was painted red then it came from Hornady regardless of what the castings say on them.

Randy

[Leslie Sapp]

I've pretty much figured out the basic operation of the press from the various manuals you guys posted links to. I just thought it would be nice to have the actual manual that came with that press.

Thanks again for all the help you guys have given.

[M-Tecs]

All the Pacific stuff was painted blue. If it was painted red then it came from Hornady regardless of what the castings say on them.

Randy

Thanks Randy. My Pacific stamped 266 was red and I never knew of the Hornady connection.

[Leslie Sapp]

Mine is red, with manual index and doesn't have the swing-out wad guide. It says "Pacific DL-366" on the top, but has a "Pacific, a division of Hornady - Lincoln, Nebraska" decal on the base casting.

I've got an email in to Hornady now, asking if they have the parts to convert it to the auto index version.

[MaryB]

Nope it is a 366, one of the early ones with auto index added to it. I added powder and shot shutoff to it. Need to replace the index pawl, the tip is badly worn and sometimes skips

[fast ronnie]

My 350 looks quite a bit like that. I wonder if they made an auto-index for it as well? I did get the original manual from their web site after calling and talking to a tech support. It is listed under obsolete presses and can be downloaded free. It is well worth doing, as it has all the adjusting procedures listed. I loaded about 3 -4 hundred on that press in an afternoon last year. Would have loaded more, but no powder. I use 7625 as I have old shotguns and that is a low pressure powder. When I can get some more -------------

[DonMountain]

Mary; that might be a DL350? The instructions for that one are available under "Discontinued Presses" on the Hornady site, however they are both pretty much the same operation and setting up the dies and the press in general is going to follow all the same procedures.

Leslie: Changes to these machines were very minimal over the years and not some big difference in operation when they did change. More like refinements than changes.

Randy

The DL-350 that I have is completely different than a DL-366. Different functions were performed at different positions on each of these presses. But it is obvious that the DL-350 is from the evolutionary history of the DL-366. The DL-360 has more features like auto-priming that the DL-366 has. But I think is still missing the auto-advance features of the DL-366. The DL-350 and DL-360 both mounted with a single bolt in the middle both front and back where the DL-366 mounts with four bolts, one at each corner. And each of these series of presses could be unbolted and swapped out with the same mounting holes and bolts of the single stage presses. I use a DL-350 progressive and DL-260 single stage in the same matching position on my bench and a friend of mine swaps out his Hornady DL-366's and DL-266's at the same bolt spacings. Dies also evolved during this time period. Especially the crimp starter and crimping dies along with the need for a taper crimp die.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Thanks Randy. My Pacific stamped 266 was red and I never knew of the Hornady connection.

M-tecs: yes I have a blue DL266 in 12 ga. and a red one in .410 and both have Pacific castings. The reason for this is because Hornady just used the dies they bought from Pacific. Later they were replaced with newer dies that had "Hornady" on them. My DL366 is also Red.

One of the die sets,, or more properly Permanent Molds, was dropped and broken. This set was for the Platen and Upper Die Holder for the 266 version. The 266 and 366 share many parts like the base plate and many other small machined parts, dies etc. Hornady chose to not fix or replace that mould and instead chose to dump the product from the line.

I personally consider this to have been one of the dumbest decisions they have ever made,,, (and believe me it's not the only one) As the DL266 is arguably the best Single Stage Reloading machine anyone has ever made. Also Hornady doesn't support older machines that they have dropped from production. When the inventory of replacement parts is gone,, They're gone! You see this when trying to support older die sets. Funny cuz RCBS makes a replacement primer rod for Pacific dies mainly cuz Hornady doesn't. I have one.

I literally had to make a charge bar for my 12ga machine because they didn't make them anymore. I was able to get one nice lady to send me the drawings for the part and I made it out of UHMW plastic.

They replaced it with the Apex model which is not nearly as good a machine but probably cheaper to produce.

At any rate all of the manuals are on their site under "discontinued models."

People should know that these machines are some of the best "Affordable" machines out there and are very popular with the shotgun shooters. There is always one for sale over at www.trapshooters.com (http://www.trapshooters.com).

Randy