Hornady Lock-N-Load Progressive Press

[ccw007]

What are the thoughts on this press?
To explain my progression I started with a Lee Turret Press with auto index and went to a Dillon 550b. The Dillon was very well made, but I did not like not having the auto index and actually preferred the Lee for this reason. I also was not reloading much so I sold it and went back to the Lee Turret Press and I really like it, but the progressive press was a little faster and I am going to be reloading more now than I was. I know I could get a Dillon 650, but the cost of the Hornady press and components are cheaper from what I can tell.
Ok to take it further, I am in school full time I will be done next year this time, thank God, and I believe that once I am done the Lee Turret Press will be fine. I am not sure if I want to take the financial jump back in to a progressive press when what I have would be fine a year from now. However, the next year will be tough reloading because I have very little free time. I am leaning more toward going back to a progress setup for the reason.

 

[Car Knocker]

Have you done a search on "Hornady Lock-N-Load "? There are many threads on this subject.

 

[ccw007]

I have not, but I will. I was just asking because I do not recall seeing much on them lately I wanted to make sure they were not getting ready to be replaced with something else.

 

[Canuck-IL]

They are GREAT - I think better than Dillon - not to open that oft'abused topic again...however, in the spring Hornady is bringing out a new powder drop that offers through the expander die powder drops, similar to Lee...that'll free up a position for a check die or other...you could buy it for an older press but then the expander dies are all superfluous...also will be offering a minor tweak to the case plate (better bevel to hold the retaining ring).

I'd wait for those products to materialize before buying a new one....even w/o the powder through drop, I'm very satisfied w mine.

Details are on their web site.
/B

 

[Matt-man]

I just got a LnL AP progressive a few weeks ago. I wanted a press with a case feeder, and since I could get the Hornady with the case feeder for about the same as the cost of a Dillon 650 alone, I went with the Hornady. ETA: I was using an RCBS single-stage previously.

Note that I got this press primarily for loading rifle cartridges (.308 Win and .260 Rem), so I'm not loading in a fully progressive manner. I decap & resize in one pass through the press, trim cases as a separate step, then prime, charge, and seat in a second pass. When I decide to start loading handgun rounds, I'll probably be running fully progressive for that.

So far I am happy with the press. The frame & ram are very beefy & solid, and the shell plate indexes smoothly. The extruded rifle powders I'm using are known for being hard to meter, but the included powder measure is giving me roughly +/- 0.25 grain consistency with both H4350 and Varget. The case feeder works quite well once you get the timing set, and eliminates a manual step. The spent primer collection system works well, with a tube running into your choice of trash receptacle. I like the Lock-n-Load bushings; I just drop in whatever dies I need for the task at hand. The case retention system for the shell plate seems to work fine, and makes it fairly easy to get a case in or out at any station.

A few minor issues: The bar that pushes rounds off the shell plate after station #5 interferes with my seating die if I have it installed in station #5. Any die that comes closer than about 1/4" to the shell plate is going to have this problem in station #5. This is not a huge issue for me right now, but it's something to be aware of. The bar can be removed & you can remove loaded rounds manually if you need to. I would also like to have an indication if the primer tube is getting low, as there's no way to see how many primers are left. I think I could probably adapt the Dillon system to this press. Oh, and non-Hornady dies don't fit back in their boxes when the LnL bushings are installed. The Hornady die boxes are large enough to accomodate dies with the bushings.

I too am awaiting the powder-through-expander system from Hornady. I want to have a powder check die installed plus crimp with a separate die, and I have to give up one or the other if I expand and drop powder at separate stations.

I'm pretty happy with this press and I'd recommend it to others. It has enabled me to load more rounds in less time, which was exactly why I bought it.

 

[Canuck-IL]

I just raised the arm of the knock out and put a Lee FCD in the last position and pull the cases out manually.
/B

 

[Matt-man]

I know what you mean about moving the bar out of the way, but if you're using the case feeder the bar gets in the way of the feed mechanism. That's no big deal, it's only secured by a single screw anyway. But even if I do that and use all 5 stations I can't run both a powder check die and crimp die since I'd need 6 stations - decap/resize, expand, powder drop, powder check, seat, crimp. With the powder drop and expanding steps combined into one station, then you can do everything with 5 stations.

 

[Cloudpeak]

I would also like to have an indication if the primer tube is getting low, as there's no way to see how many primers are left.

I'm pretty happy with this press and I'd recommend it to others. It has enabled me to load more rounds in less time, which was exactly why I bought it.

I bought my LNL this spring and have loaded around 3,000 rounds of 40 S&W. It's a great press! Life is too short when you're loading lots of pistol ammo.

To check primer level, I used a length of aluminum hinge pin (left over from my airplane building days) that I marked at a level so I could drop a full tube (100) of primers. You can buy very small diameter wood dowls at hobby stores or perhaps lumber yards that would accomplish the same thing.

Cloudpeak

 

[Canuck-IL]

With the powder drop and expanding steps combined into one station, then you can do everything with 5 stations

Yep - it's so logical that it seems way overdue (patent issues w Lee maybe?)...hate to have to buy another drop after only 6 months of use but overall I'm very pleased with the Hornady over the competing 650

/B

 

[Matt-man]

To check primer level, I used a length of aluminum hinge pin (left over from my airplane building days) that I marked at a level so I could drop a full tube (100) of primers. You can buy very small diameter wood dowls at hobby stores or perhaps lumber yards that would accomplish the same thing.

Yep, I am planning on making a trip to my local hardware store to see if they have anything suitable. From what I gather the Dillon system works on the same principle, and has a buzzer that's activated when the rod drops to a certain point.