Stepping up to a progressive press

If you buy the L-N-L press the only thing you will need to buy is a shell plate for each caliper that you wish to load. And since you already have dies the only other thing you would need is additional bushings for each additional caliper you wish to load.

And yes you can add the case feeder and bullet feeder at a later time. And then the deluxe control panel. Then a stand and a better handle. Then more presses. Eventually, you will end up with this.

The main reason for this post was since some of these vids and a lot of the previous post about this subject is so out of date, I was curious to see how things are going now.

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There is a new Dillon/Hornady thread at least once a week on any given forum, nothing new about any of the presses, for the last few years except aftermarket parts. The last "new" news was when the RCBS 5&7 came out. Maybe the last gen LM primer system but thats been awhile too.

I was going to mention Midsouth as they always have the best price on the LnL. The main thing when setting up a new one is to thoroughly clean the powder measure. The stuff they use to keep it from rusting is robust to say the least. It will take several scrubs in soapy water and then the spray stuff Hornady sells.

I have about 25K through mine and have it running like a clock. Before every reloading session, make sure everything is snug or tight.

DRAINSMITH said:

Well, twice a year we have a 3-day family shoot. One on Memorial day weekend and one on Labor day weekend.

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That sounds like a lot of fun

preacherJohn said:

I wish to thank everyone for all your opinions and expertise on progressive presses; I really learned a lot. Now for the winner is: HONARDY LOCK & LOAD AP PRESS! Nothing against the Dillon 650, but I just couldn't resist the price of the LNL. Midsouth has a sell with the AP press going for $378.99! So I bought it, two shell holders, and 3 extra bushings for my dies. With shipping and ins, I have a total of $472.11 in the set-up. Now I can deal with Christmas, family, grandkids, and still increase my output, plus add the case and bullet feeder at a later date. Thanks again for all the advice; GREAT FORUM AND GREAT PEOPLE!

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Well, welcome to the world of Hornady. When you have a problem, And you will ask we have all gone through it and a lot of us battled on alone and are glad to help so you don't have to go thew the same problems that we can help out with one small question.

I load slow and in small batches, but this week i have put it to work, 500rds of 9mm and 300rds of 223, took three 45 min sessions including setup and caliber change.

There is a lot of good info here and other places, the only “problems” are not caused by the press

Mine came with the measure. You will need LNL bushings for the dies.


You can move the bushings from one die set to another but it's a pain. Easier and best to get a bushing for all you dies.


I would get the RCBS lockout die for using with pistol rounds, worth having IMO. Stops press if no powder, or a double charge, and if adjusted right can catch light charges (if they are light enough) or heavy charges (if they are heavy enough)
How much off it tcan catch depends on the powder/case. With WSF in 9mm mine can catch about .2 -.3gr. So if I have it set for 4.5, <4.3 or >4.7 would cause a lockout most of the time.
I don't have a case feeder for my LNL but I did add the Hornady tube type bullet feeder. (hint you can use plastic tubing and get it cheaper than the Aluminum feed tubes from Hornady (the Al are nicer however)
You have to fill up the tubes by hand but faster than placing the bullets by hand.
So one hand feeding cases, one hand pulling the lever.

PTX and powder stop for it. This allow you to flair when dropping the powder and free's up a station for the lockout die or a powder cop. I prefer the lockout die for pistol but it won't work on rifle rounds.
Order a couple extra case retainer springs for the shell plate. You may not ever need them but if you do you will have them handy and they are not very much.
Shell plates for whatever you need and extra bushings.

If it was me I would just start with one caliber then add the stuff to do the others later. You may decide you just don't like the progressive, some people just don't.
Overall very happy with my LNL, I think you will like it.

While I current use a 1050 with a recently acquired Mark 7, I ran quite a bit of 9mm (50K+ rounds) through my LNL over a couple of years (with Mr. BF and Case Feeder). The press was very reliable and the Mr. BF, now residing with my 1050) is a top notch piece of gear. The Hornady case feeder can be a bit quirky. The good news case feeder-wise is that there are a lot of fixes available on the internet. The bad news is that there are a lot of fixes available on the net. The 1050 made sense with the amount of 9mm I'm reloading, but a bit more persistence on my part and the Hornady case feeder can be made to run reliably.

LNL-wise I never had a problem with the primer system and once the pawls are properly adjusted they don't need to be touched for a long, long time.

Nature Boy said:

That sounds like a lot of fun

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I shoot with 7 other guys and we shoot 1 to 2 a week. On Saturday we let our immediate family show us how it's done. The wife of our farmer is the best and fastest shot of all of us and she only shoots twice a year. And then we have three of our kids that are far more accurate than us. On Sunday we each bring 1 person that has never shot before to the range and teach them how to shoot. And then we have a small competition. You would be surprised on how fast you can get someone hooked with a little competition. Then on Monday, we have an open shoot followed by a big azz B-B-Q and lots of drinking. But since I shoot with 2 cops and 2 sheriffs and have three grandkids that drive everyone gets home safely.

Preacher, other than extra bushing for each set of dies you want to use, and shell plates for each caliber, you should be GTG. The press should come with some spare parts like primer shuttle guide, indexing pawls and some extra shell plate springs.(none of which I've had to use yet). Beyond that, I'd get the Hornady die wrench to make die tightening easier. There's not a whole lot of room on the die head for fingers. Then I'd recommend getting is a small LED light that you can mount on the press to improve seeing into the cases. Hornady makes a decent one for about $15, but you'll find that others work as well.

This has been a good discussion, and of course the reloading forums are new to me, so my pardons if I seem to bring up old subjects.

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Not a problem at all, there wouldn't be much goin on here if all we talked about were new subjects. Sort of the reason fourms exist, so folks can gain information from others that have alread been there/done that.

If your going the PTX route you may want to consider getting extra Powder die base assemblies. This way way you want be having to readjust the powder die for a different PTX/caliber. If you go this way, you set the PTX stop and never touch it again. All adj is done on the powder die. Then when you change calibers all you do is switch the base and every thing is preset. You can decide on this after you get up and running.

Some people think this is too much or overkill, but it's what I like to do and it's hard to get an old dog to do new tricks.

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If your goal it to improve output, a progressive can provide 1 round per stroke. If you add an additional pass through the press and you just cut production in half and doubled your work, add another step and the math doesn't get any better.

That said, there are many ways to "skin the cat" and if you like it, thats all that matters.

DRAINSMITH said:

Eventually, you will end up with this.
View attachment 767842

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I did not know you could put so many presses on a Harbor Frieght bench. LOL

PTX - Powder thru expander, goes in the bottom of the powder measure setup to flair the case when you drop powder, so you don't need to use a flair die in a station.
(Lee powder dies have a "PTX" in them so when you use the a Lee measure on them they let you drop powder and expand)
PTX for the Hornady measure works the same way (setup is different but same idea)

This frees up a station for whatever you would want to use.
If you want to use the lockout die it takes a station, bullet feeder also takes a station.

[I've gotten pretty used to priming cases off the press with a RCBS priming tool

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I like to wet tumble so even though it's slower I do a quick clean on the brass, then run it through the press resizing and depriming, and also flair the cases.
Then I do a wet tumble to clean all the cases. Once dry I will prime them all with my Lee hand primer (can watch football and prime cases, wear safety glasses)
Then when I go to load I have primed cases ready to go. Primeing on the LNL works fine for me when I do it, but I like not having to deal with it when loading.
I also think I get a little more consistent OALs because I already have the cases resized.
For loading I have my press setup like this
Station
1 - Powder drop
2 - RCBS lockout die
3 - Bullet drop
4 - Seat
5 - Lee FCD

I did not know you could put so many presses on a Harbor Frieght bench. LOL

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DRAINSMITH
any more case and bullet feeders and you will need another circuit to run them

I used a LCT for a long time as well, and when it was time to step up to a progressive press, I went with the Dillon XL650 with the case feeder (no bullet loader, at least "yet!).

You will do fine with either the Hornady or the Dillon. Both presses require occasional tweaking, and as long as you are somewhat handy technically, you can't go wrong with either press.

Best of luck with your new LnL! Now start cranking 'em out brother!!!