Hornady Lock and Load AP LOVE IT.

[ol' scratch]

I recently switch over from a single stage Lee cast press to the Hornady Lock and Load AP. I am amazed at how fast I can load ammo now and still be safe. The powder drop is very consistant and the press is very smooth. I am still using my Lee dies with no problem. I haven't quite gotten to the point where I feel completely confident in my abilities with a progressive, but I can still load almost 100 rounds an hour very carefully. I am sure I will increase the speed as I become more familar with the press. I have been loading for .45 ACP.

Anyway, if you are looking for a progressive press, check it out. Hornady is also offering a rebate for free bullets. I figured it out and after subtracting the cost for the 500 free bullets, this press will pay for itself in 1000 loaded rounds (I have supplied the cases).

 

[ReloaderFred]

I wore out a Hornady Pro-Jector press (and Hornady rebuilt it for free) at about 500,000 rounds, and replaced it with a LNL. I've got about 30,000 rounds on the LNL now and really like it. It's a great press, and I'm sure yours will give you good service.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[PowderMonkey]

+1 scratch!

I love my LnL too. Im at about 400 rounds - and like you said I can get 100-150 and hour moving slowly and carefully, checking every powder drop visually, weighing one out every 20 or so rounds.

I've loaded .40S&W, 10mm Auto, and am about to try some .45ACP with the 500 230gr .45 Powerbond Plated bullets I got yesterday at the Fun Show in Cinci for $60. : )

 

[pedweld]

I agree. It is a very nice setup. I have only had mine about three weeks.

I do have some issues with the large primer feeding reliability. Every dozen or so rounds it misses one. The little primer sled gets stuck and stays back.

Once I figure out how to stop that, it will be perfect.

 

[scott5]

Hey pedweld,
I had the same issues with the primer feed on mine.
I just took that little thing off and sanded it until it quit sticking.

 

[grubbylabs]

I think I really would like to get a progressive but I just don't have the money.


It seems like the most common problem I hear about a progressive of any kind is the priming function. can you just prime your cases with a hand primer and by pass this function on the press?

 

[Glock20]

grubbylabs, sure you can hand prime before running the cases through the L-n-L AP, or any progressive for that matter, just remove the decaping pin or complete rod from your sizing die and load normally.

I've loaded 1000's of rounds on my L-n-L AP and primed most all of them on the press. This press has an excellent priming system and takes just a couple minutes to change from large to small. Very easy to do.

pedweld, you can also make sure the primer slide is lining up with the priming tube, so it picks up the next primer correctly. You can adjust the distance the primer slide goes back by loosening the screw on top of the plastic bracket and moving it forward or back.
Sounds like yours might be going back a bit too far and trying to pick up another primer while there is already one in the primer slide.
I had to adjust mine when I first got it as it was doing something similar.

 

[RealGun]

Hornady LnL AP user group ??

I have a Hornady LnL AP due to arrive today to add to my stable of mostly Lee equipment. Is there a forum anywhere that is dedicated to the Hornady progressive? The user group for Lee is so valuable, I was hoping I would find some comparable group for Hornady, backing me up as I get this thing up and running.

I just bought the press and a couple shell plates through Midsouth. I plan to use my Lee dies and a Hornady powder cop that I already own but never used.

The thing that is so nice about a dedicated group is that you don't have to wade through the hazing from the fanbois that like presses in other colors and can't allow others to have different opinions, needs, or concerns about cost.

 

[gilly6993]

pedweld....I have the same issue, especially while using lead bullets....the issue is the primer inserting nut gets jammed opened because of debris and doesn't allow the sled to mive all the way forward....smoetimes it needs a good cleaning and a little shot of lube....

 

[noylj]

It doesn't matter who makes the press, the primer slider must slide freely. Any burrs or knicks must be removed. If you put a lot of force into trying to get the slide to work, you could bend the wire guide that cams the slide back-and-forth and break the black plastic connector at the top of the wire where it connects to the press frame.
Never force anything. Don't try to load the last couple of primers. Fill up the tube. If your press didn't come with it, get the Hornady or Dillon rod that goes in the primer tube to "help" the primers to feed reliably.
Keep the press free of dirt and spilled powder. If you spill powder, clean it up. If you think any might have gotten under the shell plate, remove the shellplate and clean everything. Cleanliness is a progressive press's best friend.
I wish the L-N-L had some way to adjust the primer seating depth like the Dillon 1050.
Watch out for the shellplate bolt getting loose. Your seating depth will vary and the indexing can get quite vigorous. I put a couple of drops of LocTite Blue on it so it would stop working loose. A lock washer might work, too.

 

[k4swb]

New Hornady Lock N Load AP

i've been studying, reading and watching videos for months trying to decide whether to get a Dillon 550B or the Hornady Lock N Load AP. I have friends that have Dillons and they are quite satisfied with them. I have never even seen a progressive press in operation except in the videos as my friends are far enough away that I haven't been able to get to their house to watch.
I decided that I liked the powder measure on the Hornady better since I already use Hornady and Redding measures that work like the LNL one. I also liked the LNL bushings and the fact that the shell plate advances 1/2 cycle on the up stroke and the other 1/2 cycle on the down. May not be anything to that, but it looks to me like this would be smoother. MidwayUSA had the LNL on sale thru 9-30-10 so I squeezed in my order on the 30th. It arrived 10-4-10 about 4:00pm. I got it cleaned up, degreased, regreased, mounted and ready for the dies fairly easily.
Make a note, Lee dies are darn near too short for this press. The resize/deprime is not long enough to touch the shell plate with the Lee lock nut on it. Actually none of them are but the rest of my Lee dies are working OK but I wish they were longer.
Cutting to the chase, I wish I had done this much sooner. I had a couple of operator malfunctions but nary a problem with the press. After I got things adjusted to my satisfaction, smoked a couple of cigarettes and drank some soda I sat down to see what it could do. Looks like I can do 325-350 per hour without even trying. I would have been happy at 150 per but even checking powder charges occasionlly along with COAL and basically just taking my time to make sure all is well I should be able to load so much easier than with my single stage press.
If anyone is looking into getting a progressive press, I highly reccommend the Lock N Lod AP. All you need to do is clean the factory preservitive off, relube, do what is really minor assembly and make sure everything is tight.
Is red better than blue? I have no idea but the Lock N Load AP is way easier on my old tired arms, neck and shoulders than pulling the handle 4 times plus priming on my single stage RCBS for every loaded round.
If I don't break anything or do something stupid by not paying attention I will remain one happy camper!

 

[JackTheRipper]

can someone please explain the difference between the hornady lock n load classic vs the lock n load progressive?

my birthday is this month and I was going to ask for a reloading kit, which one should I ask for?

thanks!

Jack

 

[RealGun]

You should check out the Hornady website.

 

[Mr. Dark]

Well Jack I'd say if your new to reloading start with the LNL classic kit. If you have been doing for a while or have a pretty good know how then the progressive is great. I have both and really like them. I started on the classic kit then upgraded to the progressive a few years later.

Also you should look at what you want to do with it. Look at your budget, calibers you want to reload, amount of ammo you want to make, Ect.

 

[RealGun]

I have loaded on other equipment and into the thousands of rounds, but I just got a new Hornady LnL AP setup and running. Using all Lee dies except the Hornady Powder Cop addition, I was able to get going quickly. It helped that the press came with the large primer assy in place and well adjusted, ready for .45 ACP.

I made a run to the hardware store to buy bench mounting hardware.

What I didn't quite get before ordering the machine is that Hornady powder drops don't normally include an expander. In fact, the Hornady die set includes an expander and the assumption that a station will be dedicated to it.

In order for me to split the bullet seating and taper crimping operations, while including the powder cop die, I need the expander combined with the powder drop. So, I had to place another order and spend $13 on shipping and handing for an $8 part. I managed to find a few other things to add that eliminated the handling fee, but it was frustrating. That expander issue is not new to me, but I just didn't think about it, and I have never seen any clear and complete description of Hornady dies, powder drops, and various ways to use the five stations. It took some doing just to figure out which station was the first and in which direction the progression moves.

So anyway, I have not been able to achieve any flare to amount to anything and have had to hold each bullet carefully until picked up by the seating die. I have the powder thru expander die down to where it firmly contacts the shellplate. I am running the Lee AutoDisk powder drop until the Hornady expander insert arrives for the Hornady powder measure station. The powder drops are right on, but I get no flare in the case mouth. When I get more time, I will take it apart and make sure the expander plug is actually there and basic stuff like that (is it plugged in? )

 

[noylj]

The L-N-L classic is a really nice single-stage press that uses the same die bushings as the L-N-L AP, which is a full 5-station progressive press and, in my opinion, the best 5-station press. You can easily learn to reload on a progressive—you just use it as a single-stage, if you want, until you are used to all the operations happening at once.

If you have screwed a Lee Powder-Through Expander Die all the way down to make contact with the shellplate, it should be giving you a nice flare (not excessive, but just what you need.
As happens so many times, I've never had a problem so there must be something wrong with yours. Call Lee.
I don't know any company, except Lee, that includes the powder-through expander in the die set. I simply bought all the Hornady PTXs (I think they are called). Again, they all worked great, except I never tested the .44.
The one slight possibility would be if you did not have the Auto-Disk screwed down all the way into the PTE. You can, simply, put the "powder funnel" plug on the die (as you received it), screw it down tight, screw the die down to the shellplate, and see if you get more case mouth flare.
Personally, I think the powder cop dies are a waste. If you can think to look at them, you should certainly be able to look into the case before you put a bullet on it and see the powder level. I much prefer the RCBS Lock-Out die or the Dillon Powder Check Die as being separate from any action the operator takes.

 

[RealGun]

Personally, I think the powder cop dies are a waste. If you can think to look at them, you should certainly be able to look into the case before you put a bullet on it and see the powder level. I much prefer the RCBS Lock-Out die or the Dillon Powder Check Die as being separate from any action the operator takes.

So far, I would have to agree...it seems redundant. I have a LED flex light set up for illuminating the charge in the case for those times when I wasn't watching the powder cop, the indicator on which sticks up on the down stroke. However, I don't really have a routine yet with under 200 rounds. I am accustomed to using the light and being in a position to look in the case, when using other presses.

 

[Randy1911]

I solved all the primer problems on my LnL. First, loosen the top of the primer cam rod and move it back just a little, this will allow the slide to go just a little farther back and pick up a primer more realible,. Two. To keep it running realiablely, just keep it clean. small amounts of dirt or powder will cause havoc. Since I have have been doing thses two things, I have had no problems. And Hornady hjas great customer service, especially Doug.

 

[grubbylabs]

This is probably the press I have heard the most good about and can't wait till I can afford one. I would probably only load for 45 and 44 but I am trying to hoard a bunch of 45 rounds. And loading any thing over a 100 or so takes a while. But I think the case prep takes the most time. Any one want to sell a good used one?

 

[RealGun]

I found the problem with not getting flare from the expander using the Lee powder drop. I had two O-rings between the die and the riser to help control the position of the hopper when on the turret press. Once removing one of the O-rings, back to what was intended, the flare is perfect, and the bullet sits on the case unassisted, ready for the seating die.

If I get a chance to buy a press without a powder measure at a significant savings, I might go for having a second LnL AP at some point. All the Lee gear is working perfectly (on the Hornady).