RealGun
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I think you should just hire someone to do the setups on one machine. Might be cheaper.
2 Dillon 650 or 2 Hornady LNL AP or Both?
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I think you should just hire someone to do the setups on one machine. Might be cheaper.
stu1ritter
Member
I had one LnL and found changing over from small to large primers/case feed setup, etc, became tiring and so treated myself to a second. I am in 7th heaven. Since I load lead I do not have bullet feeders but the reload rate is pretty good.
Stu
Stu
KansasSasquatch
Member
LNLAP or 650, I don't think you can go wrong either way. I own an LNLAP because it's what I could afford at the time I bought it, caliber change overs seemed cheaper, and I could actually see it set up before I bought it. Dillon dealers are in short supply around here. Hornady's warranty may not quite as good as Dillon's but their warranty and customer service are still great. And if I need small press parts I don't necessarily have to wait on the factory to send me parts, there's plenty of places that carry LNL parts. But I'll second the opinion of others, buy 2 of the same press if you're going to buy 2 presses. There's just too many advantages over having 1 of each.
It can be beneficial to have two of one brand progressives, but…
I have a Hornady L-N-L, two Dillon SDBs, and an RCBS Pro2000. While I do progressive loading on each, I do it slightly different on each brand of press taking advantages of each brands' advantages.
Yes, I could do the do everything on one brand of press, but my desire to try out different presses has provided me an opportunity to optimize my progressive loading processes.
With progressives, think outside the box, it may make reloading more enjoyable.
From bds's posts I can tell he is a tinkerer. And he want to play with those when retired. I think it means he will have all the time and he want's to play with those toys. I'd say 2 different presses. I would get 2 different ones just out of curiosity.
OP
OP
LiveLife
Member
Actually I come from a family of home builders and plan on building houses for my kids/grandkids during retirement (no grandkids yet). And if I can't end up with a retirement house that I can shoot from the back porch like Hickok45 (my parents have such set up), then I may consider building a HUGE workshop that's soundproofed and ventilated.Katitmail said:
Thanks for all the posts - They made me ponder things I did not factor in for my retirement. I can definitely see the benefits of keeping the presses the same.
I have been spoiled having 3 dedicated Pro 1000s set up for 9mm/40S&W/45ACP and loading 380/223/308/45LC on single stage/Classic Turret presses. It really is nice and convenient to walk up to a press, sit down on the comfy chair with my favorite beverage and simply add powder to the hopper to reload 500-1000 rounds of each caliber. I will definitely keep one Pro 1000 and the C-H 205 single stage press (happy memories ...
).Based on what you have posted, I think I will consider doing the following:
- Buy one of each XL650 and LNL AP
- Build a case feeder out of 5-gallon plastic bucket (I can weld and handy with electronics/PC)
- Put each press through its paces and decide which I like better
- Give the press I did not like as much to my son
- Buy another of the press I did like and make 2 more case feeders
- I will probably end up shooting/reloading more in my retirement as moving closer to my son/parents means having to supply more ammo for him and his girlfriend/family and my sister/BIL and my parents and their friends.
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Case feeder for 650 - $200, for LNL $300
There is a reason. 650 comes equipped with case feeding mechanism and tube that holds 20-25 cases. Making collator yourself is OK, it will feed tube just like original one.
With LnL without case feeder you have to insert cases manually into shell plate. If you want to add mechanism for automatic feeding it will run ~$100 I think. Just keep that in mind
There is a reason. 650 comes equipped with case feeding mechanism and tube that holds 20-25 cases. Making collator yourself is OK, it will feed tube just like original one.
With LnL without case feeder you have to insert cases manually into shell plate. If you want to add mechanism for automatic feeding it will run ~$100 I think. Just keep that in mind
OP
OP
LiveLife
Member
At this point, cost will not be a factor and greater ease of operation will.
Remember? 1,000,000 rounds reloaded will be about $150,000!
Remember? 1,000,000 rounds reloaded will be about $150,000!
OP
OP
LiveLife
Member
Katitmail, yes I do like tinkering. I was thinking about doing something like these:
5 gallon bucket case feeder for pistol/rifle cartridges - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSzft3_0ZMs
This one uses the 4-tube case feeder from Pro 1000 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_2l4dD4P-8
For the retirement reloading room, I will probably dedicate one of the XL650/LNL AP for 45ACP and use the second for 40S&W. I will keep one Pro 1000 as I can make it hum reloading 9mm at 500-600+ rounds an hour and it is by far the highest volume plinking rounds we shoot especially since we have 40-9 conversion barrels for our Glocks and thinking about getting one for the M&P40 too.
I know that having one press and doing caliber changes may not be a bad idea, but this is for my retirement and I want to continue to enjoy reloading simply by walking up to the press and sitting down to reload.
Should I ditch the Pro 1000 and get another replacement press? Contrary to many that bash Pro 1000 being finicky, I have happily reloaded close to 400,000 rounds of 9/40/45 on 3 Pro 1000 presses and will keep one on the bench just because. I have grown very fond of the Pro Auto Disk with fixed volumetric disks that won't drift during the reloading session and may use it on XL650/LNL AP. If the cost of case feeder was a factor, I would use the case feeder from the Pro 1000 too, but I like to tinker and want to build a case feeder that I can keep adding cases to instead of stopping every 20-25 cases to rotate the feeder tube.
I was thinking about doing something like these:5 gallon bucket case feeder for pistol/rifle cartridges - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSzft3_0ZMs
This one uses the 4-tube case feeder from Pro 1000 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_2l4dD4P-8
I had 2 Pro 1000 set up for 45ACP on one and 9mm/40S&W on the other as they share the same shellplate and small primer feed attachment. It made things easy to dedicate the presses for these calibers as shellplate/primer change was not necessary. Then I added a third Pro 1000 and oh my, life was good! Now, I have 3 dedicated set ups for 9/40/45 with nothing to change but add powder/primers.Armymutt said:
For the retirement reloading room, I will probably dedicate one of the XL650/LNL AP for 45ACP and use the second for 40S&W. I will keep one Pro 1000 as I can make it hum reloading 9mm at 500-600+ rounds an hour and it is by far the highest volume plinking rounds we shoot especially since we have 40-9 conversion barrels for our Glocks and thinking about getting one for the M&P40 too.
I know that having one press and doing caliber changes may not be a bad idea, but this is for my retirement and I want to continue to enjoy reloading simply by walking up to the press and sitting down to reload.
Should I ditch the Pro 1000 and get another replacement press? Contrary to many that bash Pro 1000 being finicky, I have happily reloaded close to 400,000 rounds of 9/40/45 on 3 Pro 1000 presses and will keep one on the bench just because. I have grown very fond of the Pro Auto Disk with fixed volumetric disks that won't drift during the reloading session and may use it on XL650/LNL AP. If the cost of case feeder was a factor, I would use the case feeder from the Pro 1000 too, but I like to tinker and want to build a case feeder that I can keep adding cases to instead of stopping every 20-25 cases to rotate the feeder tube.
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ole farmerbuck
Member
I have and use 2 LNL ap's. I have a 3rd one I am going to setup case feeder when I get the island done in the middle of the reloading room. Dont see how you can go wrong with the Hornadys. I load everything on the progressives most of the time.
Why would you need two of either? Won't you have time, in your retirement, to spend 15-20 minutes on caliber conversions?
I'd suggest the 650 with an RCBS bullet feeder for handgun loading, if speed is a priority, sans bullet feeder if speed doesn't matter.
I also use a Hornady powder drop with case-activated kit for rifle reloading on my 650.
I'd suggest the 650 with an RCBS bullet feeder for handgun loading, if speed is a priority, sans bullet feeder if speed doesn't matter.
I also use a Hornady powder drop with case-activated kit for rifle reloading on my 650.
I am retired and I have four progressives of three different brands. I am so busy in retirement, I don't know when I had time to work.
stu1ritter
Member
Retirement is much mis-understood buy those who are not retired. You become so busy you wonder why the days are just flying by. Now, 5 years into retirement I wonder where I ever found time to work in my younger years :~)
Stu
Stu
Lloyd Smale
Member
Ive got 3 lnls and a 550. Dont own a 650 but have loaded lots on them. My choise hands down if price didnt matter would be the 650s. They just load with less pulling out of the hair.
OP
OP
LiveLife
Member
As many posted, having two of same press on the bench side-by-side has benefits like being able to teach those new to reloading since they will be able to follow step-by-step on the same press. I taught many to reload in recent years and this set up really helped as they can see what they are doing different from me as reference.hentown said:
Part of the reason why I want single stage (C-H/RCBS), Classic Turret, Pro 1000 and XL650/LNL AP in the same reloading room is so new reloaders can learn in stages and reload on different type of presses.
Besides from reloading/shooting, our family hobbies are riding quads, 4x4, camping and BBQ that we'll continue to actively pursue into retirement. As cfullgraf posted, I may have less time to reload as kids grow and grandkids come into retirement. And before too long, I will be building our retirement house and houses for our son and daughter (son's girlfriend's father is a contractor and he'll be helping).
So being able to quickly walk up to the press and load 1000-2000 rounds may be essential as I anticipate shooting increase from 1500-2000/month to 3000-4000+/month after retirement just for pistol calibers. I currently load rifle cartridges on SS/LCT but after relocation, the area has more places to shoot so I am anticipating shooting a bunch of 223 plinking rounds along with 300BLK/308 and rifle case prep takes a lot more time than pistol.
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OP
OP
LiveLife
Member
Besides, I have to "one up" on my wife since she stole my "man cave"!
When I enclosed 14'x24' patio of our current house with A/C to use for reloading, my wife moved her treadmill/elliptical equipment right in front of the 12,000 BTU A/C and thanked me for building her a "woman cave".
It now has a love seat, desk, craft table and wife's own reloading bench along with music system and beverage fridge.
I have been using one of the bedrooms with a large walk-in closet as my reloading room but for retirement, I definitely want a larger space as I am planning to have my wife/daughter reload with me unless she wants her own reloading bench in her "woman cave".
I think the reloading room will not only have 60" flat panel hooked up to the PC to access reloading data/THR but have pin hole camera on flex mount to the presses to view case/powder fill and various parts of press projected on the 60" flat panel TV. This will not only help with my reloading but also help with teaching new reloaders when tandem reloading.
I will also have the security cameras feeding the 60" flat panel so I can get an all around the house/yard look at a glance too.
Brass sorting/vibratory tumbling will be done inside a vented lean-to shed with a door to the reloading room and pass-through high volume/heavy duty drawers for each caliber brass that slide open from both rooms for easy access (no more moving 5 gallon buckets of brass). I currently clean my guns in the reloading room and while I enjoy the aroma of Hoppes #9, having a vented shed adjacent to the reloading room with a sink will be a better setup for cleaning.
I am also thinking about equipping the lean-to shed with dedicated dishwasher to clean guns/quad/car parts (like dirty chains) and washer/dryer to clean brass/shop towels.
When I enclosed 14'x24' patio of our current house with A/C to use for reloading, my wife moved her treadmill/elliptical equipment right in front of the 12,000 BTU A/C and thanked me for building her a "woman cave".
It now has a love seat, desk, craft table and wife's own reloading bench along with music system and beverage fridge.I have been using one of the bedrooms with a large walk-in closet as my reloading room but for retirement, I definitely want a larger space as I am planning to have my wife/daughter reload with me unless she wants her own reloading bench in her "woman cave".
I think the reloading room will not only have 60" flat panel hooked up to the PC to access reloading data/THR but have pin hole camera on flex mount to the presses to view case/powder fill and various parts of press projected on the 60" flat panel TV. This will not only help with my reloading but also help with teaching new reloaders when tandem reloading.
I will also have the security cameras feeding the 60" flat panel so I can get an all around the house/yard look at a glance too.
Brass sorting/vibratory tumbling will be done inside a vented lean-to shed with a door to the reloading room and pass-through high volume/heavy duty drawers for each caliber brass that slide open from both rooms for easy access (no more moving 5 gallon buckets of brass). I currently clean my guns in the reloading room and while I enjoy the aroma of Hoppes #9, having a vented shed adjacent to the reloading room with a sink will be a better setup for cleaning.
I am also thinking about equipping the lean-to shed with dedicated dishwasher to clean guns/quad/car parts (like dirty chains) and washer/dryer to clean brass/shop towels.
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RealGun
Member
I would draw the line at painting the presses pink.
coonan1911
Member
what do I love about this picture they are all HORNADY LNL AP LOVE IT.
Congrats
coonan1911
Congrats
coonan1911
I use a 1050 and a bullet feeder for 9mm. It is great for taking care of those crimped primer pockets that used to stall the 550. Once I load up the primers, powder, cases, and bullets, I can crank out 100 rounds of 9mm in 3 minutes. I normally run a little slower pace, but still far faster than the 550 and much easier and more reliable. It takes me 1 minute and 8 seconds to load a hundred wolf primers into a tube and a little longer for other brands that have to be flipped.
All of my other ammo is loaded on the 550. I run a casefeeder and I set it up to run rifle brass through the case feeder. That is how I load my 223, but I would prefer to use the 1050. Money for conversions is what limits the 1050 to 9mm only.
I am a dillon fan, so I would vote for the 650. I am not sure if two are necessary, but it would be really cool, other than when you have crimped primer pockets
All of my other ammo is loaded on the 550. I run a casefeeder and I set it up to run rifle brass through the case feeder. That is how I load my 223, but I would prefer to use the 1050. Money for conversions is what limits the 1050 to 9mm only.
I am a dillon fan, so I would vote for the 650. I am not sure if two are necessary, but it would be really cool, other than when you have crimped primer pockets
Cannot speak for the LnL but have two 650s, second one bought to avoid changing out large and small priming mechanism and with assigned tool heads changing calibers is a few minutes.
If I had to do it again I would still go blue as both times I had issues a quick call to Dillon had replacement springs on the way...with spares for the future.
Dillon rocks and you cannot go wrong with two 650s with casefeeders
If I had to do it again I would still go blue as both times I had issues a quick call to Dillon had replacement springs on the way...with spares for the future.
Dillon rocks and you cannot go wrong with two 650s with casefeeders
Nickb45
Member
I vote blue...
I have never had a Hornady press but have read a lot good things.
I have never had a Hornady press but have read a lot good things.
Thanks for the clarifications. I don't do much teaching of new reloaders, so that's not an issue for me. Given the OP's parameters, I'd have to recommend two 650s. If he's going to be loading crimped military brass, then he should get a 1050 and a 650.
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