Hornady Pro 7 Parts

[Rockindaddy]

Any ammo crafter's out there have a Hornady Pro 7 Progressive reloading press and get frustrated when you call the tech support team at the factory and they tell you that there are noooooo parts available for the Pro 7 !!! I was given a Pro 7 a few years ago that was set up for 44 Mag. I love 44 Magnium. I cast bullets, size and lube em, load empties on the Pro 7 and send em down range. Cheap shooting! Also like my old Colt single actions, 1873 Winchesters and Marlins in 44-40 and 38-40 WCF. Called the factory to see if they had a 38-40/44-40 WCF shell plate for my Pro 7. Got a resounding NO !!! Have a couple of Dillons but the 1050 Super is a pain to tear down to change calibers. Changing over the Hornady would be easy Just screw in a set of Lee dies and switch over the Lee powder measure. "Piece of cake"! But no shell plate! Started looking at the Hornady Lock and Load Progressive press. A friend had one so I went and looked at it. The Hornady Lock and Load press is a 5-station press just like my old Pro 7. Measured the 44 Mag shell plate out of my Pro 7 and the shell plate out of the newer Hornady Lock and Load. Same center axis center hole and same outer diameter and thickness! They just index different! It was worth a shot. I ordered one at around $40 The 10 detents were missing on the bottom of the new Lock and Load 44/40 shell plate! The new L&L shell plates are heat treated and hard chromed! A trip to the Bridgeport and a 1/4' carbide ball end mill should make short work of the heat treated shell plate and hard chrome plating. Set up a small rotary table for 10 detents .040" deep and indexed at 36 degrees should make the new Hornady Lock and Load 44/40 shell plate fit my old Pro 7 loader. Blew the chips off the newly machined shell plate and bolted it up on the press. In an hour I was turning out loaded 44/40 WCF ammo!
Who said ya' can't teach an old dog new tricks! Hey if you have a dusty old Hornady
Pro 7 and want to change calibers and can't locate a shell plate; a Lock and Load shell plate can be modified to fit the old Pro 7. Hope my photos downloaded!274884274885274886274887274888

[onelight]

Good for you , I admire you guys with the skill and ingenuity to do that kind of work .

[cheese1566]

The Pro7 was the first in the series, then came the ProJector, then the LockNLoad variations.

I had a Pro7 that was updated to the Projector. It was later traded in at Hornady for a new LockNLoad. At that time they offered modifying shell plates for $10.

The biggest draw for me at the time was primer parts and tubes. I don’t care for the quick change die system. I’d still have my old units if parts were around.

If prime off the press, these units will last forever.

[Moleman-]

Congrats on the new shell plate. I got one of the pro-jectors around 30 years ago and started running into lack of replacement parts about 15 years ago. Last spring I got a LNL-AP to replace it as it had reached the end of the timing adjustments. Turns out the timing issue was caused by a worn bronze thrust washer which was easily replaced. The ram subplate can be replaced on the Projector with the LNL style to use the better case kicker and priming system. What I found interesting was that the newer LNL presses are designed to work with bigger tolerances than the pro-jector which needed to be tight in order for the priming system to line up. My 30 year old pro-jector is noticeably tighter than my LNL-AP was out of the box. I'd bet the pro-7 could also be easily modified to the LNL subplate if the stub on the bottom of the subplate that fits inside of the ram is also 1-5/8" in dia and 5/8" tall.

[Blindshooter]

OP, good on you for being able to keep the old press working for you!

Moleman, how is that conversion coming along?

[Rockzilla]

Got probably 8 or more of them here and there, Pro 7's, Projectors, parts when they came up.
The hardest parts are the priming system ones, basically anything to do with it The times I've
called Hornady, they say they get stuff in all the time, to call back..

-Rock

[Moleman-]

OP, good on you for being able to keep the old press working for you!

Moleman, how is that conversion coming along?

The press is up and running with original drive rod and iron 1"-1/2" LNL-AP subplate bushing. I have some LNL shellplates and some pro-jector plates that have been modified with the 1/4" groove on the bottom side to clear the case kicker nub. I really want the LNL-AP style drive hub which means a different drive rod. Have the 1/2" SS shaft material for the LNL style drive rod left over from a quick change gear box rebuild on my 1953 Sheldon lathe, but want the top section to use a key to drive the hub v/s a pin. Ordered a 1/8" x5/8" keyseat/woodruff cutter off ebay which showed up yesterday but it turned out to be undersized. That cutter can work, but I'd rather just use the correct one. Ordered a new cutter last night. The key should spread the forces of the drive rod to a larger area and with the drive hub being sintered metal it seems like a good idea even if the LNL uses a pin.