Hornady Lock and Load Press

[Cowpoke]

I have been loading on a RCBS single stage press for about 35 years. Just hunting, and a little range. I am wanting to get into a club, and become more active in shooting. (Another subject) I am interested in going to a new reloading system. Dillon seems to be the answer to the people on this forum. I have been reading this great forum, and have pretty much figured out how the Dillon system works, and I am about convinced that Dillon is the answer, and then I ran into this press. Is there any merit to the new Hornady Press. Because of the way the dies work, it appears that it would be as quick to change to a new caliber as a Dillon, but it would be a lot less expensive because of not needing tool heads, and more powder measures. Would appreciate any help .... thank you.

[Jeff686]

I have a Hornady LNL that I bought new recently. I was loading on a couple of Dillon Square Deal B presses and was looking to upgrade to a press with a case feeder. I looked at the prices of the Dillon 650 and the Hornady LNL (both with case feeder) and I coudn't find a reaon not to try the LNL. Considering that Hornday gives you 1000 free bullets with the press, it is a really good deal. Furthermore, the new LNL comes with the EZjector system, where the shell is ejected from teh bottom, rather than by a spring finger on the top. The eliminates ejection problems and fixes the biggest issue that people have had with the LNL in the past.

I really like the LNL bushing system that you asked about. I agree that quick change of calibers is much cheaper with the Hornady. I had some Lee dies for 45 and 357 that I used on my Lee turret press. All I had to add to get them running on the LNL was a shell plate and a few bushings. It was much cheaper than the quick change kit from Dillon.

I really loved my Dillon Square Deal Bs. I now LOVE my Hornady. I may have loved a new 650 just as much, but I'll never know, since I'm going to stick with the LNL.

[Al Capizzo]

I don't believe you need worry about using a Hornady LNL. Though I don't have a LNL, I have two of the previous iterations of that press, a Pro-jector and (what ever the other one is, I can't recall). These have loaded tens of thousands of rounds and keep on going. If the time comes to purchase a replacement or an upgrade, you can bet I'll be looking at a new Lock N Load.

By the way, I bought them both used on Ebay, and that REALLy brings the price of a progressive press down.

[technetium-99m]

I love my LNL, I have never used a 650 so I can't really compare, but my Hornady has loaded 1000's of rounds and never misses a beat.

GT

[Cowpoke]

I keep hearing that a auto indexing press will cause you problems without a case feeder. Having used the Hornady, would you say you can use it without the case feeder for a while?

[Jeff686]

I keep hearing that a auto indexing press will cause you problems without a case feeder. Having used the Hornady, would you say you can use it without the case feeder for a while?

I have never heard that. What's the reason?

I used a Dillon SDB with auto indexing for 5 years. They don't even make a case feeder for it.

I used my LNL without the case feeder for a week or so, just to get it setup and working.

[RecycledElectrons]

I have loaded tens of thousands of rounds on Lee single stage and turret presses. I recently picked up a Hornady LNL AP used for cheap.

I'd stay with the single stage press. At most, I'd go to a turret press so I could dump the powder and seat the bullet without a loading tray.

The LNL AP has several flaws. It does not correctly index at the bottom. The spring that holds the cartridges in breaks easily. The priming system is useless at best. The Hornady powder dropper that is recommended for use with it throws truly random powder charges (I got 3 to 65 grains on a setting of 52 grains) if you don't exactly repeat the handle's throw. The dies are forced into those accursed LNL adapters.

I'd take a Lee turret press ($50) over a LNL AP ($389) any day. Fortunately, I got mine used inexpensively.

Andy

[Al Capizzo]

I don't know where RecycledElectron got his info, all I can tell you is that hasn't been my experience. As I said, I have two of the older versions, and other than replacing the little spring under the primer seating cup (which Hornady sent free) I've had zero problems with either press.

I don't use a case feeder on either one.

I've got a Lee turret also, long retired since I got the Pro-jector and 007. Its o.k., but no where near the press the Hornady's are. I can't make any comments on loading rifle rounds on any press, I'm strictly a handgun competitor.

[bofe954]

I keep hearing that a auto indexing press will cause you problems without a case feeder

A lot of the dillon 550 vs 650 threads mention that the increased speed of the 650 can only really be taken advantage of with the case feeder. I think this is mentioned on this site's info about Dillon. It isn't that not having a case feeder will cause problems. Just that you really want one. I think the premise is that if you have to stop running the machine to add a case and bullet every time you might as well just index the machine while you are at it.

That may be what you are hearing as a problem...

[stormbringer]

I have loaded tens of thousands of rounds on Lee single stage and turret presses.

With a LNL instead of a Lee Single that would have been hundreds of thousands of rounds or more time on the range, with your family, reading........you name it.

I recently picked up a Hornady LNL AP used for cheap.

I think the hint is on your last word "cheap" perhasp you got a lemon? Perhaps you got one that had been tinkered with by someone else.

I'd stay with the single stage press. At most, I'd go to a turret press so I could dump the powder and seat the bullet without a loading tray.

Again if you have time..........then there really is no problem. However I prefer to spend my time at other activities.

The LNL AP has several flaws.

The only one I am aware of is the ejector when they had the wire sytstem which by the way I currently use. As posted the new EZject system looks to have licked that.

It does not correctly index at the bottom.

You do realize that the index can be adjusted right? Perhaps that is one of the things that got tweeked as per my theory above.

The spring that holds the cartridges in breaks easily.

Hmmmm

Mine is 3 years old and has completed about 14000 rounds to date and I am still on the original. Mind you I did crush it the other day when I made an error in reassmbly.........but even crused it still works. That said I do need to order a replacment. I bet they will send it for free.

The priming system is useless at best.

No useless is the LEE system..........actually more dangerous than useless. The Hornady system works great for me unless you dump your powder all over the place while filling the hopper and the slde gets gummed up. But then again that is user error.

T

he Hornady powder dropper that is recommended for use with it throws truly random powder charges (I got 3 to 65 grains on a setting of 52 grains) if you don't exactly repeat the handle's throw.

Did you try the micrometer chargers? I love them. I have one for 9mm one for .40 and one for .45 takes seconds to swap our and I keep my charges accurate to 0.1 gr with them.

The dies are forced into those accursed LNL adapters.

What those adaptors that with the flick of a wrist allow you to swap caliber for caliber keeping your settings. Those adapters?

I'd take a Lee turret press ($50) over a LNL AP ($389) any day. Fortunately, I got mine used inexpensively.

Andy

I think in this case...you got what you paid for.........

[styx]

I agree with everthing stormbringer said, plus. Hornady's powder system is as good as anybody's! Before I bought a progressive press, I looked at and used other models that my friends had and bought the Hornady. I'm familiar with the 550, 650 and Lee Pro-1000 and my LNL AP is as good as any of those (IMHO). I've never used or even seen a 1050 or any of RCBS's presses so I can't make a comparison to those.

It sounds like you bought a press that someone has been F'ing with. Go to Hornady's website and download the manual. It has instrutions on adjusting the index pawls and how to troubleshoot the other things that you mentioned. Their tech people are also very helpful and polite.

I load 45ACP, 40S&W, 357, 44, and 223 on my press. Once I got past the "learning curve", all of my problems were caused by one of my brain cramps.

As I said before, go to their website and get the instructions. You said you got it cheap so you should be able to fix what the other guy broke!

[styx]

Oops! My bad. My previous post was directed to recycledelectrons.

Now back to cowpoke's original question. I don't use a casefeeder or bullet feeder on my LNL and haven't had problems because of it. It would increase production. However it does give me a last chance to look at cases before loading them.

[Cowpoke]

Oops! My bad. My previous post was directed to recycledelectrons.

Now back to cowpoke's original question. I don't use a casefeeder or bullet feeder on my LNL and haven't had problems because of it. It would increase production. However it does give me a last chance to look at cases before loading them.

I agree with you guys.... he got something someone played with and possibly damaged it. It sounds like you like your Hornady, and it sounds like they have made some improvements since you bought yours. Can you compare the Hornady to the Dillon 550. It just seems to me that the way Hornady handles dies would make it somewhat less expensive, and I read a review somewhere that said the Hornady's powder system and 1/2 notch progression was superior to the Dillon 550.. however, from my research the Hornady is very hard to get, like a lot of things in this hobby since the Obama invasion. thanks. Cowpoke.

[Jeff686]

I think it is more fare to compare the LNL AP to the 650. They are more similar than the 550.

5 stations

Auto indexing

Case Feeder (i know, so do the 550)

I've never used a 650, but I have heard people complain about the primer feed system. The LNL primer feed has worked without flaw for me. I use an air can to blow any spilt powder away every 100 rounds or so.

I like the spring system for retaining the cases in the LNL. It is much easier than removing the buttons in my SDB to add/remove a case. I was always dropping the buttons and loosing them.

I also like the 1/2 index on each stroke. I tried to load 7625 in my 38super cases on my SDB, but had powder spillage. The LNL doesn't spill the powder.

[Hairtrigger]

I have had a Hornady Progressive press for 20+ years. The cartridge retaining spring is not weak... either it breaks when you are careless during a plate change or pulling out a shell.

At one time I thought I could do better by buying a more expensive brand (fortunately I did not sell my Hornady) but found I HATED those shell retaining buttons and my new press had small plastic parts and springs that seemed to be fragile.

Hornady Tech support is as good as it gets also

[cuzinvinny]

My son and I switched from a RCBS single stage press to the Lock N Load and have never looked back. One advantage of the LNL was the ability to use our existing RCBS dies in the Hornady press. We have been using the LNL without a case feeder for several year without a problem. We finally broke down and bought the case feeder back in August. It is woth every penny, but is not an absolute necessity. If our current LNL press ever breaks, we will buy another immediately.

[GSPKurt]

Oops! My bad. My previous post was directed to recycledelectrons.

Now back to cowpoke's original question. I don't use a casefeeder or bullet feeder on my LNL and haven't had problems because of it. It would increase production. However it does give me a last chance to look at cases before loading them.

Same for me. I had a Lee LoadMaster and just gave up on it. My new (to me) LNL AP is the sh..., umm, greatest.

[WyoBob]

I've loaded over 25,000 rounds of 9, 38 special, 40 and 45 on my LNL progressive (no case feeder). The powder measure drops Clays and 231 to +/- .05 grain. The case retainer spring has come apart a few times and I screwed it back together. The primer system has been 100% (just keep things clean.) The ejection was a slight problem with 9mm's every once-in-awhile until I modified the shell plate. It sound like the new eject system fixed this minor flaw.

I did quite a bit of research between the Dillon 550 and Hornday. I watched a friend load on his 550 so know how it operates but have not loaded on one myself. I like the auto index feature of the Hornady. It looked like it would be easy to miss a powder charge on the 550. If fact, I have two friends who've bulged a barrel and both reload on a 550. Possibly a coincidence but I like the idea of the auto index. The bushing system makes changing out dies very easy and the powder measure works very well.

Anyway, I'd buy another Hornady if this one ever falls into a heap.

WyoBob

Edited March 10, 2009 by WyoBob

[bubbadoc]

I like my LNL a lot. It was not without problems, as I had to adjust the primer system to get started and have had to adjust the pawls to get it to move forward/ index correctly.... and I break a spring every thousand or so rounds...

that being said... it works just fine... without a case feeder. When I figure how much I saved with the lower cost that a 650 and the free bullets, well I AM HAPPY WITH IT!!!

[CocoBolo]

I've got over 50k on my LNL w/case feeder and bullet feeder good machine, I also have a Dillon XL650 with case feeder, about 30k rounds. I use 2K-3k rounds per month.

The machines are both good, if you do a gob smacking lot of calibers the Hornady will be less expensive. I load 3 calibers on the xl650 and 7 on the LNL.

Without a case feeder, I'd go Hornady, if you are going to get a case feeder get the XL650.

The only rifle I load is .223, do the case prep on a lee single stage and load them on the Hornady LNL. (I don't use the case feeder or bullet feeder on these).

[Seeker]

I find that the LNL has met all my needs without a case feeder. I load around 1500 rounds of .45 per month. I have never used a Dillon so I can't compare the two. The only thing that I have done is to change out the hornady dies to redding dies due to setback with RP brass because the Hornady die did not size down completely. I'm sure that just changing the sizer die would have done the trick but after using the redding comp dies with micro adjust seating die, it would be hard to go back.