[IMtheNRA]

I understand Dillon has a well-deserved great reputation. I was wondering if anyone here experienced technical problems with your press when you first got it. If so, what was the problem and what did it take to fix it?

Please post only if you had personal experience with Dillons that did not work correctly right out of the box.

[amlevin]

Are you having problems? If so, what kind?

My Dillon XL-650 worked perfect right out of the box---as soon as I read how to assemble it properly. The Operator will be required to load primers correctly, adjust the dies properly for their cases and finished length, and adjust powder weight correctly. These are things Dillon can't do, the owner has to do for themself.

[IMtheNRA]

No, no, not at all. I'm having persistent problems with a new Hornady LNL AP, so if I can't get it fixed once and for all, I'll ask Hornady to buy it back and I'll give Dillon a shot.

[Shoney]

IMtheNRA
I have a Dillon 550, load on a friends 650, and like you, I have the LNL AP. Dillons have their quirks, but like amlevin said, it's only as good as the person doing the final tweek. For the most part the Dillons work extreemly well, but there are issues.

Your LNL is far superior to the 550, and a shade better than the 650, but the 650 costs twice as much or more.

[IMtheNRA]

Shoney, I really, really, really WANT this LNL AP to work. I love the way it is supposed to work, it is a great design and I think the press is a bargain at this price point.

I just spoke with Hornady and they seem sincere in their desire to make my press run well. They issued a UPS call tag and I'll send the press, plates, dies back to them so they can go over everything. I'm sure they'll do everything possible to make it run perfectly.

In the unlikey event that Hornady can't fix this machine or replace it with one that functions well, Dillon will be my back up option. That's why I'm doing a bit of advance research on Dillon 650 machines.

[LexDiamonds]

Personally, I think you must be missing something fundemental in setting the press up. I would only ship the whole mess back to Hornady as a very last resort. By inspecting the system with no brass or primers it should be easy to identify what is going wrong.

[jjohnson]

I'll keep it brief - I made a simple mistake setting mine up, and I took their advice that they posted in the paperwork it came with - they said "please call - don't suffer in silence." When I did just that, I found then (and several times since then) that their telephone hotline staff is pretty good. The problem turned out to be "operator error" on my part. I highly suggest you give them a call - if you're not happy with any new product, give the manufacturer at least one chance to make it right. Dillon's very good.:D

[redneck2]

The only thing I ran into were the primer and powder measure slides not quite working as freely as I thought they should. I cycled the press maybe 100 times empty. Worked OK after that. I think you might have to get it broken in a little.

Have you posted your LnL problems here? There are a lot of guys with Hornady presses.

[taliv]

my 1050 was shipped with several wrong parts. obviously, dillon quickly sent new ones and i wound up with a few extras. that was years ago.

[mswestfall]

I've loaded a whopping 150 .223 rounds on my new Dillon 550B. I had two problems out of the box:
One of the mounting bolts broke.
The small primer pick-up tube nipple is curved too much where the plastic nipple meets the aluminum tube. Primers get stuck in between the plastic and the tube.

Everything else had been my problem. I'm lucky to have a close neighbor with the same press giving me advice. Even I can learn to use this tool properly.

I have one other nagging problem. I get crescent shaped (what appears to be) brass pieces in the primer pick-up/seating hole. This is a workplace cleanliness issue.

It's really not much different than reloading shotgun shells on my MEC 9000G. Both require adjustments. Both require that I pay attention to specific things with each pull of the handle.

It sure is a purdy color!

[rooter]

My Dillon experience was not a positive one. The guy really ticked me off on the phone. I sold it and wont ever consider blue again.

[mswestfall]

Well, rooter, what happened?

[Eric F]

Should have bought a lee

ok please read with humor here ok guys?

[neal7250]

I have had problems with Dillon, Hornady, and with RCBS. The Majority of the time, it was something that I did wrong, or didn't understand. All of those companys stood behind their products, and borke their backs, to make sure that I was statisfied. They all make wonderful reloading products.

[Chief-7700]

Dam I must be one of the luckey ones my XL-650 out of the box and once adjusted loaded 1,000 roungs of .45ACP without a probem.
Chief

[IMtheNRA]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I'm working with Hornady and they've been GREAT so far. I really hope they can fix this press because I really love the design and the features, not to mention the price point.

I'm not ready to go Blue yet, that is just my back up plan in the unlikely event that I end up with a Hornady lemon after all. I'm sure they'll fix everything next week. Every manufacturer has a defect once in a while, so I am not holding this against them.

Hornady's service has been "two thumbs up" so far! :)

[okeybug]

All new loaders have a breaking in period. I was lucky I guess. I've got a 550 I bought 2 years ago and has worked well. Lst year I added the 650 and although much more problematic, has worked well. The 650 has to be tweaked from time to time like any reloader that has a case feeder and much more places to keep adjusted.

[Uncle Chan]

I spent a lot of time, and continue to spend a lot of time, tweaking my 550B. Mostly, I tweak the primer feed, the powder measure setup, and the primer seater. I can usually get about 300 rounds before I need to adjust something again.

[CZ223]

came with the shell plate for the 32-20 rather than the 32 H&R mag that I needed. It took a while for me to figure out what the problem was but, once I had, they sent me a new one and let me keep the old one. Other than that the only problems I have experienced is with the primer feed system. It gets dirty and needs to be cleaned every so often. The spent primer thingy also sometimes gets stuck and this adds to the primer feed problem becuase the old primer gets in the way. Nothing is perfect but, after having had a Hornady Projector that NEVER EVER WORKED PROPERLY, I will live the few quirks that the Dillon presents. I have considered buying a LNL because of the bullet deal. I may yet, I am a glutton for punishment.

[Virginian]

The primer feed on my Square Deal gave me a few fits, and it is still very finicky. I use an old Lee hand primer for 357, but they quit making it and I can't get a shell holder for 44.

[Pat-inCO]

I had one problem with my SDB. It had a nylon piece that had not been properly de-flashed. It caused problems in the primer feed (BAD place to have problems). Dillon's guy told me to add tension to the spring. I decided to fix the problem (found what it was after being told to add pressure on the spring) rather than the symptom. 800 rounds since. Smooth as can be.

[miestro_jerry]

I used to own two Dillon 450s, then bought two new Dillon 550s, sold the 450s. The buyers could up grade them. I bought a Square Deal in 9mm. After 10 years and a bunch of ammo, I had to take it apart and clean it.

Anytime I have a problem with my Dillon products, I call them or FAX them and parts show up in about a week.

I have a few accessories from Dillon also. A primer pocket swager and a primer flipper.

They have a no BS attitude for their warranty. Read the manual, use them clean them and then use them some more.

I have a Rock Chucker for when I need a single stage. In the past I have Hornady and Lee progressives. The Dillon is the best for my loading bench.

Jerry

[GaryL]

My 550B worked well out of the box. There are a couple of setups that make a difference in how well everything operates (like the primer feed alignment), but the directions are good and if a person takes their time with initial setup, it should go smoothly. Once I have a caliber setup, I can load thousands of rounds without having to do more than a little spot cleaning.

[rooter]

Well, rooter, what happened?

Bought a SDB at a gun show when I was just starting out. Most of the problems revolved around auto indexing and primer feeding. I still do not know what happened, the press would run fine , then lock up, over index, or jam a primer under the shell holder.

I was very much a novice, but the guy at Dillon was condescending to me and very impatient on the phone. I had the press repaired and it would occasionally still lock up, so I sold it and shopped for another brand.

The customer service was what sold me on a Dillon press, but the guys attitude with me was the turn off.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I had a 550B that neither I nor Dillon (went back several times) could ever get the primer fixed on. I finally gave up and sold it. Recently, I talked to the guy I sold it to. Dillon eventually had him send back the press and replaced it with a new one. Perhaps they would have done that with me, but the Tech's attitude (arrogance) was what made me decide to sell it.

Sometimes (not often) I think I should have been more patient. I've had issues with my Hornady as they upgraded their design (primer system), but Hornady tech wasn't arrogant and they stuck with it, so I did as well. They got the problem ironed out in a new design and it's be great ever since.

By now, there's enough presses out there I'm relatively sure your issue is either an out of spec bushing or improper adjustment. It takes time and a bit of patience to get to know any progressive press. I encourage you to give it a while longer, learn the press, how to adjust it (become more knowledgeable in how it works and how to adjust it) and over time, you'll figure it out and this aggravation will be a thing of the past.

Dave

[David Wile]

Hey IM,

Most of the complaints I have heard about the Hornady L&L over the years have been connected to its primer feed. I've had a L&L since they first came on the market about a dozen years ago, and I do not have problems with the primer feed. When I first started using it, I found problems with the primer feed, studied the problems, and made adjustments that worked.

For instance, I know I will have problems getting the last primer or two last primers in the tube to feed properly. To solve the problem, I got a wooden dowel for each tube and marked the dowel to show when I was down to seven primers and then when I was down to two primers. As long as I watch the indicator dowel, I know when to reload the primer tube. If I don't watch the dowel, I will make a mistake and have to fix it. That is not the fault of the machine; that is the fault of the operator - myself.

When I first got the machine, I spent a lot of time learning very carefully how the machine worked. It is a very complicated machine with lots of moving parts doing lots of different jobs. This is not unique to Hornady; it is true of all the progressive machines, and they all demand attention to detail. I moved to a new house in 2005, and it has been almost three years since I have used my L&L. When I start to use it again, I know I will have to spend a fair amount of time re-learning how to use it properly.

I have recently started reloading shotshells with one of my Hornady 366 progressives and two of my MEC Sizemaster single stage presses. I had to invest time in all of them re-learning the little things that I had forgotten in the past two plus years. I changed die sets from 12 Ga to 16 Ga on one of the Sizemasters, and I spent eight hours getting the newly installed 16 Ga set adjusted and working properly. If I had to change die sets on another Sizemaster tomorrow, I could probably do it in less than an hour.

You would be helped a great deal if you could visit someone who has been using a L&L for some time - successfully. See what they do and learn the intricate workings of your machine. This is also true for all the other progressives.

I would also suspect that many of the folks who seem to have the most problems using a progressive machine are the same folks who had little or no experience on a single stage machine. Too many folks are way too eager to load as many shells as fast as they can, and are not too interested in learning about the mechanics of the reloading craft. Folks like that do not take enough interest in how the machine works and never really get a solid grasp for their machine.

Take your time to study your machine and really understand what each part does in the process of pulling the handle. Ask other folks questions about problems. I noticed thus far you have not been specific as to exactly what problems you are having. Folks here can tell you how to adjust different dies or whatever if you tell them what the problem is. Better yet, try to find someone who uses a L&L successfully and ask him if you could watch and learn how to use the machine.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

[1911NM]

(Blithely following thread drift). I have been very happy with my LNL-AP, and like some others built my own primer rod to keep those last few from flipping or not feeding. I wholeheartedly agree with finding a local reloader with the same press and watching process first. I am afraid I was the first kid in my neighborhood with the Hornady so trial and error along with calls to Hornady were in the offing that first setup.

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

I've never had a problem with it. This model doesn't auto-index so there really isn't a direct comparison here. I do have the extra stuff to automate the powder drop when manual indexing the shell plate, but I don't use it. Dillon tried to get me to upgrade/mod it to a 550 once when I visited their facility. Very nice people there. I've only called them once, and that was to ask a question how.. for something.

I'd try to let Hornady resolve your issue. Even if I bought a Chevy, I'd let'm fix it just once. Easier to sell when it's been repaired first. :D


-Steve