Progressive Press for handgun only

All dies with the exception of the Dillon Square Deal are 7/8x14 thread so that shouldn't be a problem. I'd personally would go with the LnL better overall warranty. Myself I've 2 650s and have been quite happy with them. Lee tends to take a lot of tinkering to get them to run correctly.

I don't know anything about the Hornady system, but can relate that I'm quite pleased with my Lee Pro 1000. Once you learn what to watch for, it's reliable and pretty fast. I get a sideways primer every couple hundred rounds or so; still working on eradicating that. It's pretty obvious from the feel when it's ceased priming altogether due a chute jam or what-have-you (which doesn't often happen and is easy to straighten out).

The 550 is a fine machine. Lack of auto-index really doesn't slow you down much. It's also really great if you swap calibers often.

I've had my LNL for about two years now. I watched the highboy videos and checked and adjusted all of the components. I know nothing about Lee except for a Lee loader I usd 45 years ago and a 4 set 44 special/magnum dies that I haven't yet used.
I was a little pissed about having to adjust and polish various things but it has worked very well for the amount I load on it. I do not have case or bullet feeders and am ok with that for now.
Like you the Dillion was just not in the budget especially up here in Canada where we get bent over on products from the states. Maybe some day I will be able to afford one..
I know several that use Lee presses and they seem to be happy and load ammo that shoots as well as any I can.
Also there are many who talk about the dimple that the primer hammer makes in the press body on the LNL and some say it won't seat primers past flush. Mine sets them between .003 and .004 inch from new. So I put a .002 inch feeler gauge under it to prevent this so called thing from happening and have had no problem. Some say to put dimes or washers but the feeler gauge is much thinner and is hard so it doesn't make any difference on the timing.

Jeff H said:

I know, this topic has been beaten to death but I have some specific questions.

Right now, I'm torn between the Hornady L-n-L and the Lee Pro1000. Dillon is out of the equation. The press needs to auto-index and the 650 is too expensive.

I'm pretty heavily invested in Lee dies and powder measures so whatever press I end up with will need to work with them. I'll keep the LCT that I have and keep it for rifle rounds and move some of my more high volume handgun rounds to the progressive.


Will the Lee dies work on a L-n-L? That is the first question. If they don't work, I'm not getting it.

I've read they both have primer problems, but from what I have read, it seems to be because of spilled powder jamming the primers up, so I guess if you keep them clean they should both be pretty reliable. Anyone care to comment on this?

The Lee Pro 1000 looks like it has been updated on FS Reloading's site. New powder measure and new style linkage. Looks pretty solid.

Is there any compelling reason why I should pay twice the price for the L-n-L for pistol only??

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Jeff, I know a lot of people that love their Lee Pro 1000. I have not used it. I have the Lee Load Master. It will produce a lot of ammo in a short amount of time. I have one dedicated for pistol and another I use for .223 Rem and .308 Win. If you would like to see the Load Master producing pistol ammo here is a link to my Youtube channel. There you can see 9mm, and 45acp being loaded.

Reloader's Info Channel

I've had my LNL-AP coming up on 10yrs (?) now. Some where around 100k rounds through it, pistol and rifle. Like any thing mechanical, it must be setup properly in order run smoothly. The primer issue of not seating below flush is a operator problem. The press will push the seating anvil up approx 0.090" past flush. The dimple on my press got pretty deep from seating some out of spec Wolf SP Primers. These took twice as much force as they should have. I have the old primer setup, not the break away system now used. The primer feed works flawless no matter how fast or slow you want to go. I have not adjusted my index in years, don't recall the last time. Its been that long. Once set your good to go.

The nice thing about the LNL is the bushing system. Allows for quick change of dies without loosing the settings, provided you use a good locking ring on the dies. I do recommend buying the 10pac of bushings for all your dies. Your Lee dies will work. The 9mm is a little on the short side and requires the locking ring to be flipped over, or the use of good split locking ring. Hornady still has the 500 Free Bullets promotion going with the LNL-AP.

You may be able to find a used one around for about 1/2 price. Some users can not handle 3-5 things going on at once. I would suggest if you go an AP is run 1 station at a time to confirm dies are setup properly before going full AP.

I've had my LnL for about 10 years. It's an awesome press. Your Lee powder drop won't work on it but that's not a problem since the press comes with a Hornady powder measure. Just make sure to get a pistol rotor for it. The new ones might come with both rotors now.

The bushings are awesome. Once you set a die you don't have to fiddle with it. This is extremely nice when changing calibers.

I've got both a Dillon 650 and the Hornady. The Dillion is now my dedicated .45 ACP loader since that's what I shoot the most. Some day I might get the conversion for 10mm for it.

Had my LNL for 4 years this December I love the press. Stripped it down cleaned and put it back together. Watched Highboy videos and good to go...

Thewelshm

It's been a number of years since I sold my last LNL but I would pick one of them over the Pro 1000.

I have used my LNL for several years with Lee dies and a Lee Pro Auto Disk powder measure. Get the riser for the powder measure. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/114080/lee-auto-disk-powder-measure-riser

Blue68f100 did you do anything about the dimple in your press frame and how deep does it seat primers? Don't know if you saw the highboy video of him loading 223 and having issues with his LNL because the primers wouldnt seat passed flush? Hornady apparently sent him a thick spacer to put under the primer punch and it wouldn't work as the timing was off. I have to say that it was most definitely not something I would have expected from him.

I have used the Pro 1000, Load Master, L-N-L. I still have both of the Lee progressives. The LNL is huge. I didn't like the powder measure & the primer straw makes me nervous. It took me a little adjusting to get it all running right but I never did learn to like it. I had the Pro 1000 first & learned it very fast. You just need to keep an eye on everything going on as you should anyhow. The LNL is the same way. But that Hornady powder measure was always to inconsistent. I also couldn't stand the higher price of everything.

If you do go with a LNL I really suggest using a fluffy powder & a light in the extra die hole.

Not that I don't like the Load Master but I really like my Pro 1000 better. It is just so simplistic & responsibly priced. Check with bds about a write up he did on it. He covered everything including how to fix your prime system if you damage it. Personally I hated the chain system for the powder system & converted mine. I also moded a turret so I could load 30-06 on it. You just have to rotate it by hand.

My opinion is get the absolute best press you can afford.

Jeff, I got my LNL back in July. Moved to LNL from my Rockchucker, which I still use. Like the LNL, load alot on it. Caveat, I do size and decap seperately and I prime seperately. There were to many things going on at one time to keep track of and the way my reloading time is, it is easier for me to have cases ready to load when I can escape from the family, I mean when I am not spending quality time with my dearest ones
I watched the highboy videos, his primer set up is spot on, however I ended up with a plate issue when I smoothed out the edges a little too much on the ejection bar. Thouroughly convinced he had an older model too.
That being said I cannot speak to any of the Lee products. Other than I use the Lee undersized die for my 40's and the universal decapper in my LNL when I process brass.
Now that I have it running spot on, wouldn't give it up.

kingmt said:

I have used the Pro 1000, Load Master, L-N-L. I still have both of the Lee progressives. The LNL is huge. I didn't like the powder measure & the primer straw makes me nervous. It took me a little adjusting to get it all running right but I never did learn to like it. I had the Pro 1000 first & learned it very fast. You just need to keep an eye on everything going on as you should anyhow. The LNL is the same way. But that Hornady powder measure was always to inconsistent. I also couldn't stand the higher price of everything.

If you do go with a LNL I really suggest using a fluffy powder & a light in the extra die hole.

Not that I don't like the Load Master but I really like my Pro 1000 better. It is just so simplistic & responsibly priced. Check with bds about a write up he did on it. He covered everything including how to fix your prime system if you damage it. Personally I hated the chain system for the powder system & converted mine. I also moded a turret so I could load 30-06 on it. You just have to rotate it by hand.

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The LNL powder measure I have is one of the best I've used. It's never been out more than a tenth of a grain on any of the powders I use. When I first got it I was nevous and checked almost every throw. When first starting a load I will check every couple for the first ten or so then load whatever I am going to after.
As long as it is set up right at the begining mine at least is very consistent.
I load a lot of Tightgroup, 296, H110, Bullseye, Win231 N105, N110. Unique can be a challenge but I've had no issues with it.
All I load is handgun on it so can't comment on rifle.

With the 500 bullets for just the postage offer the Hornady is a fair deal on price. For my money the 650 really benefits from a case feeder so although it too is worth the money the initial investment is quite a bit more money. The Hornady is a big press - as they all are except the Square Deal B - for small cartridges. Short fat cartridge cases such as the .45 ACP can sort of jiggle out of alignment so that it may well work better with a Dillon or other die that funnels more than the Lee die. The Hornady does well. I can't speak to the Lee, rumor at one time had the Lee being more sensitive to small things and so a better choice to set for a single cartridge and leave alone ever after. I don't doubt the Lee has been improved since I did my research.

Reeferman said:

The LNL powder measure I have is one of the best I've used.

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I don't know what ones you've used in the past & I don't doubt your experience. I personally gave it a fare run & even spoke with Hornady about it. I didn't like it but I'm not speaking against it. I'm just telling the OP to keep an eye on it. There is several post that on the matter & even a light made for it because of the same problem.

What ClarkEMyer said reminded me to mention that while any press needs firmly mounted the Pro 1000 will have all kinds of problems if it isn't.

Reeferman said:

Blue68f100 did you do anything about the dimple in your press frame and how deep does it seat primers? Don't know if you saw the highboy video of him loading 223 and having issues with his LNL because the primers wouldnt seat passed flush? Hornady apparently sent him a thick spacer to put under the primer punch and it wouldn't work as the timing was off. I have to say that it was most definitely not something I would have expected from him.

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I eventually did but it was still seating primers properly. As the dimple gets deeper your forward movement of the press arm moves back. It gets to a point where you start loosing the mechanical advantage due to linkage design, and start adding some torque. What I did first was put a small shim where it contacted, but wanted something more permanent. Originally I drilled and taped for a set screw to make it adjustable. This worked for several years but the SS setscrew was too soft. I discovered this caused another problem it the way it wore the seating anvil assembly. So I ended up removing the set screw and just drilled it for a steel bar to drop into. Hornady re-designed the seating anvil some time ago and corrected the problem of wear, also made it a flatter base. The flatter base helps resist the dimple from getting larger due to more support.

I have not seen all of his videos mainly since I' on a limited data plan. I live in the country and your only options are 24k dial-up or (2-3 bars) 4G LTE. Some of his videos I've watched, I disagreed with. So not all of his videos are right for optimum performance. The way he setup the primer feed was not optimum for performance.

I would ask the question are you sure you will only load pistol? A lot of us have started out saying we will only load pistol rounds on the progressive but once the press is set up and running right and we get a little time behind the press handle we figured out that its no big deal to load rounds on a progressive press and it sure would be nice to load other high volume rounds like 223 AR rounds on the progressive as well. If nothing else a guy can sure size a lot of rifle brass fast on a progressive press. Keep an open mind to future wants and needs.

I respect my LnL but tend not to use it, since I don't find a need to load hundreds of rounds at a time, and don't relish the need to coordinate setup of case and bullet feeder and fiddle with the primer punch size. The machine is very straightforward without those two add-ons. Powder changes are fine, if you have dedicated inserts for each powder and weight combination. Otherwise, getting the exact powder drop you want can take several minutes minimum.

It is true that the 650 is more expensive for the base machine, but paired with a case feeder, the only real way to go if greater productivity is your goal, the two brands are about the same in price. Either way, you do get one cartridge per pull instead per four pulls on the LCT.

One requirement that comes to mind with the LnL with case feeder is that the cases have to be consistent for minimal glitches. I sort head stamps.

I have the relatively new primer tube loader for the LnL, which I value greatly. Picking up primers one by one was a chore for me. No sweat on the LCT. Components there are so inexpensive as to allow as much dedication of setups as I want with duplicate components.

All the LnL setup is easier if done often, and every procedure is fresh in my mind. Most of my loading is done on my LCT, where I just pop in a dedicated turret and retrieve a dedicated powder measurement device. I have a lot of equipment duplication to preclude the repeated fiddling, much of which would not be as demanding with the LnL, optimallly equipped.

Don't kid yourself...purchasing a new LnL will be a money pit, as you realize how much you would value each addition of some option. For one thing, Lee dies are not at all ideal on an LnL because of the thickness of the die platform, whatever they call it. If you are only going to do your high volume cartridges on the LnL, finding it just too easy to use the LCT on the rest, investment in new dies for the LnL should not be a deal breaker.

Finally, note that the Pro1000 is 3 holes, not allowing use of a separate crimp. That often is not an issue with straight wall pistol ammo, but coordinating the seat and crimp motion, given heavy bullet tension, is a bit of an art for best results without bulged cases crimped too early in the motion. Perhaps you have the 4 hole LCT. The LnL is 5 holes and can accommodate even a powder check or bullet feeder.

I would ask the question are you sure you will only load pistol?

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Really doesn't matter, the only press that is pistol only is the SD and it can't use the dies the OP already has. All the rest will use standard dies and also load rifle rounds. Some just to it with less hassle than others.

Well actually the Pro can only do up to 223 sized cartages unless you drill a hole in the top of the turret to stop it from auto advancing like I did for 30-06. You could also remove the rod I believe. The home that is drilled could be taped & a bolt put in it if you want to return it to auto.

It has been a while since I sold my LNL but I'm sure I used my Lee dies in it. I think I may have put the lock ring in the bottom to get the die low enough.

Reeferman said:

Blue68f100 did you do anything about the dimple in your press frame and how deep does it seat primers? Don't know if you saw the highboy video of him loading 223 and having issues with his LNL because the primers wouldnt seat passed flush? Hornady apparently sent him a thick spacer to put under the primer punch and it wouldn't work as the timing was off. I have to say that it was most definitely not something I would have expected from him.

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Yeah I watched that vid after it came out and when it was over I cancelled my subscription to his channel. He acted like a baby and had no intention of actually digging in and looking into the "problem". Not a surprise after all his blue equipment showed up.

Also on the lee primer front... I'm not confident in a primer system that installs on the up stroke. You have ZERO feedback.

I forgot to mention this but wanted to add. I don't like doing rifle on the progressive. I have trouble seating SPP in 223 cases. I usually have to give them a half a turn & seat again even in the SS press. I prefer to seat primers on top. I also have more stuck cases when using the progressive. If I could afford to shot more I might have a different opinion. I have trouble holding 223 bullets & primers are even worse but someone always helps nee put those in the press when needed. If it wasn't for the help I'd probably be more inclined to use the progressive more. One thing I did like about the LNL was I could bell the mouth just slightly on 223 cases & the flat bottom cases would sit in the neck to get them in the die. Once the bullet was seated the neck was straight again.