Hornady 366 AP User Manual

HORNADY

366 AUTO

AUTOMATIC SHOTSHELL RELOADER

OPERATION MANUAL

Table of Contents

Steps: Page

Overview......................................................................................3

Standard Loads and Bushings......................................................3

Setting up your 366 Auto.............................................................4

Function and Adjustment.............................................................5

1. Resize and De-Prime (Station 1A) ........................................6

2. De-Prime Only (Station 1) ....................................................7

3. Prime (Station 2) ...................................................................8

4. Powder Drop (Station 3)........................................................9

5. Wad Seating (Station 4) ........................................................10

6. Shot Drop (Station 5) ............................................................11

7. Crimp Starter (Station 6) .......................................................12

8. Crimp (Station 7)...................................................................13

9. Crimp Taper (Station 8) ........................................................14

Adjustment of Auto Advance ......................................................15

Trouble Shooting .........................................................................16

Converting to another Gauge.......................................................19

List of Illustrations

Figures:

1. Function and Adjustment......................................................5

2. Resize and De-Prime.............................................................6

3. De-Prime...............................................................................7

4. Prime.....................................................................................8

5. Powder Drop .........................................................................9

6. Wad Seating..........................................................................10

7. Shot Drop..............................................................................11

8. Crimp Start............................................................................12

9. Crimp ....................................................................................13

10. Taper Crimp.........................................................................14

11. Adjustment of Auto Advanced ............................................15

12. Exploded View.....................................................................23

List of Charts

Charts:

1. Powder Bushings ...................................................................20

2. Bill of Materials .....................................................................21

2

SHOTSHELL RELOADER INSTRUCTIONS

To help you load completely satisfactory ammunition the first time you operate your 366 Auto,
these instructions have detailed steps of operation and adjustment to help in avoiding problems.

To begin loading shot shells, you will need powder, shot, primers and wads, in addition to empty
hulls. Before purchasing any of these components, first note what charge the standard bushing
furnished with your loader will throw by weighing your charge. Listed on the label on the outside
of the carton is a powder bushing and shot bushing number which is referenced to a powder weight
and brand, as well as shot amount and type.

STANDARD LOADS AND BUSHINGS

If the referenced powder in not available, refer to the recommended load chart furnished with this
loader. This chart will show the other powder weights and brands it will dispense. It is not to be
taken for a reloading manual. Loading data from the major powder manufactures is furnished,
when available, to help you in getting started. Unless you have experience in shot shell reloading,
ask your dealer to help you pick the best starting combination, or contact Hornady’s Reloading
Advisory Center.

IMPORTANT: Never mix powders or use unidentified powder. Do not use smokeless powder
in old firearms until the firearm is certified safe. Do not exceed recommended loads.

Your 366 Auto is a precision machine. It is the only loader to feature full-length resizing with

each stroke, automatic primer feed, swing-out wad guide, three stage crimping with taper-loc for
factory tapered crimp, automatic advance to the next station and automatic ejection with the option
of a gas assisted automatic advance.

This press should give you many years of enjoyable, trouble-free service. Any problems that you
have can generally be corrected by slight adjustments of the dies and punches in each station. If
you are unable to correct the problem, please write us or call:

Hornady Mfg. Co.

PO Box 1848

Grand Island, NE 68802-1848

800-338-3220

DO NOT RETURN THE LOADER TO YOUR DEALER.

3

SETTING UP YOUR 366 AUTO

Mount your 366 Auto securely toward the front of a sturdy bench. All operations of the press are
to a full stop, so the operating handle must clear the bench when in the down position. Since the
shells are ejected down a chute, out the back of the loader, you may want to set your loader up on
riser blocks (010060) to provide access to the completed shells. An alternate method to catch
finished shells would be to cut a hole in the bench and place a box underneath.

1. Before filling the shot and powder hoppers, turn the measure assembly upside down and

carefully push the charge bar out and check the powder and shot bushing numbers.

2. Your loader was furnished with standard bushings, 12 GA. 1 ⅛ oz. #7 ½ shot, 468 Powder

Bushing; 20GA. ⅞ oz. #9 shot, 393 Powder Bushing; 28 GA. ¾ oz. #9 shot, 303 Powder

Bushing; 410 GA. ½ oz. #9 shot, 291 Powder Bushing but double check to insure you will

dispense the correct weight of powder and shot.

3. While the charge bar is removed or pushed back, check that the measure casting seals

(rubber washers) are in the recess in the measure casting.

4. Reinstall the bushings and push the charge bar back in place. If the powder slide should

drop out of the measure assembly, do not disassemble the measure plate.

5. Replace the powder slide by pressing it in from the side against the detent spring, pull

spring back and fit into slot.

6. Reinstall the measure assembly by tilting the casting as you slip the measure plate and shot

rotor spring under the hold down washer, and the charge bar into the slot of the charge bar
cam.

7. Secure assembly in position with measure attaching bolt.

8. Install the primer tube in the die head casting and fill the primer tray according to

instructions furnished with it. Do not fill the tube at this time.

9. Check the individual stations of the loader for alignment to make sure nothing has loosened

during shipping. Shut off the powder slide (push in) and the shot rotor (pull forward) while
checking each station.

READ THIS SECTION BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO LOAD AMMUNITION!

4

FUNCTION AND ADJUSTMENT

Fig. 1: Function and Adjustment

The following is a detailed description of the operation and adjustment of the 366 Auto
Reloading Press. This press has been pre-adjusted at the factory for Remington STS cases, but
every person has a preference about how the finished product should look, so some changes might

be necessary. The reloader should begin by advancing a single shell through each station to
familiarize himself with the operation and adjustment of each position. The illustrated

discussion which follows shows the 366 with all eight stations filled. Since your first shell will be

the only one in the loader, be sure the shot and powder slides are off at the beginning of the
sequence.

Sort your shot shells by brand and type. Refer to the loading manuals provided for
recommended loads for your shot shells.

5

Step 1: STATION 1A (Resize and Deprime)

Fig. 2: Resize and De-Prime

Place an empty shell in Station 1A, making sure the deprime punch enters the case mouth
and the shell is reasonably centered under the size die (#14). Pull the operating handle (#37) to the
bottom of the stroke. Make sure nothing interferes with the handle reaching bottom. When the
operating handle is pulled, the platen casting (#107) rises until the eccentric arm stop (#111)
contacts the base casting (#100). At this point, the shell should be completely enclosed in the size
die (#14) and there should be no gap between the size die ring cap (#19) and the platen casting
(#107). When the handle (#37) is returned, the de-prime punch guide (#8) pushes the case from the
die. The expander (#8) is threaded on the deprime bolt (#62) which is forced down by the clevis
link (#13) attached to the head casting (#7). The size die (#14) should size the brass head and rim

to permit the chambering of that shell in any firearm. Properly adjusted, the size die (#14) just

contacts the platen casting (#107). All other dies are set from this adjustment point, but are
designed with all stations full. Interference with the handle (#37) can cause light powder charges

or primers not seated properly. The size die (#14) and the size die ring cap (#19) must be kept tight
at all times.

6

Step 2: STATION ONE (De-prime Only)

Fig. 3: De-Prime

Insert the case in station.

1. Normally, at this time, we would fill the primer tube (#2), but since we are working with a

single shell, drop only one primer from the tray (#1) into the primer tube (#2). Now pull the
handle (#37). As the handle (#37) makes a complete cycle, the shell will automatically
advance to the next station also dropping the primer into the hole in the primer seat pad
(#3). Some individuals may wish to bypass Station 1A but a shell must be in place in
Station 1 before pulling the handle (#37). The shell automatically advances on the return
stroke and if Station 1 is empty, there will be a gap in the reloading sequence.

Primer Drop: Until you are more familiar with your reloader, always return the handle
smoothly and, at first slowly. The primer is dropped when the shell plate (#45) contacts the

plastic primer drop stop unit (#78) at the bottom of the down stroke, and spreads the fingers of
this unit, allowing the primer to slip into the hole provided in the shell plate (#45). At this
point, make sure that the metal portion of the primer feed body (#42) does not make contact
with the shell plate. Such contact will turn a burr on the inside and prevent primers from
falling.

The primer seat pad (#3) is notched to improve the primer drop, but the primer only falls at

the speed of gravity, so the handle (#37) must not be raised too rapidly, or the primer could be

jammed between the shell plate (#45) and the platen casting (#107). Therefore, operate the

handle smoothly, and only as fast as primers will reliably drop into the primer seater pad (#3).

7