Hornady LnL AP

[XD Niner]

To be specific on my LnL experience the longest continued run without a jam of some type was 67 rounds. I thought for a while it was just me but given the success I've had with my Dillon XL650 that wasn't the case. I used the same casings, primers, and powder with both and yet I could never get the LnL to perform as it should. Maybe it was just a problem specific to that individual machine, I don't really know. I do know, however, that the aggravation I felt was not worth the few $ savings.

[Babaganoosh]

So would you take a chance on the LnL or go with the proven 550b?

As a lnl owner I would get a 650 and throw a lnl powder drop on it.

As for the 550 I would skip it because I loathe manual indexing.

thats just me though. Do you plan on a casefeeder

[98sr20ve]

So would you take a chance on the LnL or go with the proven 550b?

Get the Dillon.

It's not a ford vs Chevy thing either. Dillon has caliber specific parts for the case feeder. LnL does not. Dillon has more leverage for priming and is better designed in that area. I have owned the 550/650 and LnL. That isn't bias speaking. It's experience.

[andrewst359]

Not at first. I just want something less problematic than the loadmaster. If my rd count goes up, id buy a 650 as another press.

[98sr20ve]

I went from a LM to a 550. It was a dream to make that move.

[Mush from PA.]

I have had the LNL with case feeder for a couple years now. Thousands of 9mm, 38 Sp, 357 Mag, 30 Carbine, 223, and 308 later I still would keep it and have not had the problems of some. It does take some tweeking to go from one caliber to the next. But I still would keep it.

I even have a friend (who is a blue press guy) use my LNL when he has his set up for another caliber. He won't admit he used a "red press" - (said while he spits on the ground) but he keeps coming over to use it.

Edited July 30, 2012 by Mush from PA.

[BlueOvalBandit]

I use a LNL for 45 and 38 super, no real issues that tweaking didn't fix. My only thing was with 38 super using a hornady sizing die, the case would sometimes hit the lip of the mouth. I just got a dillon die from a member here and it has a wider mouth but I just put it on today. I rarely get upside down brass in the feeder and the "brass rain" seems to stem from a wobbly bench. Having a rock solid bench helps a lot regardless of brand type.

[andrewst359]

What improvements have been made to the LnL primer system?

[gdboytyler]

About 18 yrs ago, I got my first Hornady progressive press. The only adjustments It ever needed was when I adjusted the dies to switch calibers: 38Super, 10mm and .223. Unfortunately, I lost the Hornady in my divorce.

Got back into shooting last year and finally replaced my original Hornady with the LNL version a month ago. I got the LNL with Lee 9mm dies, because the Hornady 9mm dies were sold out. The Lee case sizing dies had multiple problems with cases not getting aligned properly and I also had to adjust the pawls.

I replaced the Lee dies with Hornady dies last week and that solved my problems with the sizing die. Also, everything just feels smoother with the Hornady dies.

The case activated powder drop is awesome +-0.05 gn with HS6 powder.

Only time I had a primer jam is when I forgot to put the white stick into the primer tube to keep the primers aligned.

My only complaint is some minor powder slinging. Tightening the main nut on the index plate seems to help. I read that using a lock washer will keep that nut tight, but I haven't tried it yet.

When I got the LNL, I skipped the 550 because it's not progressive. I skipped the 650 because I don't need a case feeder.

Edited July 30, 2012 by gdboytyler

[andrewst359]

Some LnL owners have said that priming on the press is 2-3x harder than on the dillon. Is this true?

[dsmw5142]

Never loaded on a Dillon so don't know about them. They certainly have a loyal following and that's usually not without reason. That said, I have two LNL's with many thousands of rounds on them with no major issues. One of them had an occasional issue with brass hitting the mouth of my 9mm redding resize die. Switched to a set of Hornady new dimension dies two years ago and zero problems since. Either company will take good care of you, so customer service/warranty issues are probably a wash.

If you're not planning on loading a ton of ammo, why not get something like a Lee classic turret? It was my first press. It's simple, affordable and worked very well. I kept it for a long time to run small batches but a friend talked me into selling it to him.

[1in9twist]

I have both the 650 and LNL. They both require tinkering. It's just the way it is. They ALL need a little adjustment here n there to keep em runnin %100. It's a complex lil machine sometimes issues are compounded by people new to reloading. Hit the brakes, slow down, learn and understand what all's going on before trying to time yourself on how many rounds you can crank out.

Edited July 30, 2012 by 1in9twist

[gdboytyler]

Some LnL owners have said that priming on the press is 2-3x harder than on the dillon. Is this true?

I've never used a Dillon, but priming seems pretty easy on a LNL. The primer is seated when the ram is going down (raising the loading arm), which gives me a good feel for when the primer is seated properly. I've only experienced "hard-to-seat" primers on 9mm major brass that's been reloaded a couple of times; which I then discard.

[98sr20ve]

Some LnL owners have said that priming on the press is 2-3x harder than on the dillon. Is this true?

It depends on the primers. I could never get the CCI to even seat 100% so that they were reliable. Federal are easy on both. Hornady actually admitted the LnL does not have the priming leverage of the Dillon. That and a flexible hollow ram and a short stroke of the primer punch can be problematic with some combos that the Dillon seats with ease.

Get the Dillon.

Edited July 30, 2012 by 98sr20ve

[andrewst359]

So how well does the 550 prime? Is it easy? Im not looking at a casefeeder right away but possibly if the family starts to shoot more. That's why it seems the LnL might be the better choice. Right now I can't justify 2k on a reloader.

[98sr20ve]

LnL case feeder stinks. Especially in smaller calibers. I don't like the 550 case feeder much either. I hated the lnl with the case feeder.

[amish_rabbi]

got my lnl at christmas, its my first press and it saved me about $200 (its a canada thing) which was my main reason to get it, but i really like the die changing system compared to the tool head (makes a new caliber cheaper). ive done 10k ish with it so far and all the issues i got from it were induced by me. I also done have a problem with primers popping like all my friends with dillons worry/warn about and im a bit less tender with the seating than i should be sometimes

going to pick up a case feeder soon because im sick of doing bullet and case seating by hand, and a roller handle

[Nuke]

The price of the LNL made it a no-brainer over the 550 and 650 when I was shopping. I loaded thousands without a case feeder with no real issues and have now loaded a few thousand with the case feeder. I've also had fantastic luck with Hornady's customer service. They've provided parts at no cost on two occasions when I was fully prepared to pay, and I know others who have had the same experience.

I would highly recommend getting your hands on each of the presses you're interested in and giving them a test drive.

[justmike]

After going back and forth on which one to get the 650/LNL I went witht the LNL because of the availability of parts locally. The first month was rough and I kept telling myself that I had made the wrong choice. But finally I made the right "tweaks" and have loaded thousands with no issue 9/45/223. You can't beat the powder drop and I have had great customer service from Hornady.

[feederic]

I have a LNL and 650 side by side. If I could I would replace the LNL for a Dillon. I think the die bushings should lock in place, they don't so they work their way out. The powder drop is massive, but consistent. The PTX barely works for me too.

[andrewst359]

I own a single stage LnL press and the bushings have never backed out. I was planning on using the Hornady expander die in station 2 for case flaring.

[98sr20ve]

I own a single stage LnL press and the bushings have never backed out. I was planning on using the Hornady expander die in station 2 for case flaring.

You don't have a big powder measure on top of it cranking the handle at 100rds every 5 mins.

Those bushings are a pita. Either too tight or too loose. Too tight and you need a wrench to loosen them. Half the time the nut comes free rather then the bushing. I would rather swap a entire tool head. Single dies never get changed on my Progressives.

[Babaganoosh]

I own a single stage LnL press and the bushings have never backed out. I was planning on using the Hornady expander die in station 2 for case flaring.

You don't have a big powder measure on top of it cranking the handle at 100rds every 5 mins.

Those bushings are a pita. Either too tight or too loose. Too tight and you need a wrench to loosen them. Half the time the nut comes free rather then the bushing. I would rather swap a entire tool head. Single dies never get changed on my Progressives.

15k in rounds thru mine and that has never been an issue.

[JonF]

I've had the powder measure start to back out. I must have about 30K through mine and have been using the same bushing for the powder measure since new and eventually after enough use, the o-ring does get somewhat compressed and loose. If you call Hornady they will send you a small circular shim to put under the oring, but i find that inserting a small slip of paper (maybe folder over 1 or 2 times) and slipped under the edge of the bushing flange, you can get it snug enough to not slip anymore.

[andrewst359]

So the general consensus is whatever press you buy will have its quirks and weaknesses. Sounds as if you take the time and not get discouraged, the LnL ap is a good buy and great press. I honestly don't care about color. Im interested in a press that wont break the bank and can pass down to my kids when they grow up.