need unbiased opinion

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bevis

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can i please get an unbiased opinion on the pro's and con's
of the hornaday LNL and the dillon 650 press.
maybe someone that has had experience with both of them.
i currently have a SDB dillon and am looking at upgrading to a 650
but i need to give the LNL a fair shake before i make the decision.
we are talking about a substantial price difference and it appears
that caliber changes on the LNL are a breeze. i would appreciate
it if this thread did not turn into a blue or red bashfest.

edit - ok, unbiased if you can, if not im ok with it.....:)
 
Last edited:
If you can find an unbiased opinion on this, they need to be nominated for the Supreme Court.
 
ROFLMAO - billz

damn, i was really looking foward to your responses too bushmaster....
 
Hey!!! I have no experience with the LNL or the Dillon...Remember I'm a LEE man with some RCBS equipment...And for the sake of argument I opted to watch...Love Bill Z's answer and he is right... I think he's right on the button...:neener:
 
Blue is my favorite color, so it's an easy decision for me. I don't change calibers often, but it's pretty simple with the Dillon. Pull 2 pins and put on the toolhead, tighten the powdermeasure down, swap out the shellplate.

Changing the primer feed from large to small is a 5 min operation.

Ty
 
thanks 30cal, thats the kind of stuff im looking for. it sounds like it it easier than the pita SDB that i have now. i have used the search funtion and
am still reading and probally will be this time next wekk.
 
Not including the time it takes to find the parts in the drawer and get the powdermeasure throwing the right charge (which is I'll say constant regardless of which reloader you use unless you have a micrometer adjustable measure), it's no more than 10 min to swap calibers (3 different allen wrenches required).

If you only have one toolhead and powder die, you'll need to swap the dies around as well. I've got a toolhead and powder die for every caliber I reload in decent quantities (~$20 per)

Ty
 
I dont think you could go wrong with either press really. I know guys that turn out top notch ammo on both. It really comes down to the operator getting familiar with the press. Now if you want to get spoiled Bevis come over sometime and Ill let you try my 1050 out. Such a smooth and solid feel when you pull the handle:cool:

Adam
 
I struggled with deciding between these two presses just a few months ago. I wanted a case feeder, auto indexing and a powder check. Both presses offered these options, the deciding factor was in the way they operated.

The Hornady was not able to offer seating and crimping in separate stations while using a powder check without modification. I understand that soon the LnL AP will be offered in a configuration that will work just like the Dillon 650. Had they done this from the beginning, I would have gone with the Hornady since I believe the quality and customer service to be pretty much equal between the two. Hornady definitely has a price advantage, both with the initial cost and in what's required to change calibers. As far as caliber changes being that much easier with one or the other I suppose one would have to use both to see.

At any rate, I have the Dillon 650 and am quite pleased.
 
Boy, I'll have to stay out of this one too, we have, ( my dad and I ) one of each, he has a dillon 650 and I have the dillon 550. No expierience with the LNL. But I will say this, I use the LNL powder measure on some of my dillon tool heads and love the way it works on extruded powders. I have no reason to believe that their press wouldn't be of equal qaulity. That's as close as unbiased as I can get.:neener: :neener:
 
Unbiased opinion? Here?

LOL

My very biased opinion (based on experience) is red when it comes to politics and blue when it comes to metallic cartridge reloading.
 
I only load a few mettallic cartridge calibers, and am not one to experiment much. It has been basically a set-it and forget-it deal for me.

I have two dillon 550's, one for small primer and one for large, and purchased them that way, so I don't even know how to change the primer system, so I cannot comment on that. (read lazy)

I do have both Lee and Dillon dies and have found that the Lee dies were easier for me to set and adjust, but once I have them set they are great. Once again, I'm unimaginative, I have one set for my LRN's and one for the SWC's in .45, seperate sets for my 38 Supers, etc.... It's a bit pricey to get an entire toolhead and powder measure, but once again, I'm lazy.

I cannot rave enough about Dillon's customer service, I cannot say the same for Lee's. Lee did make good on a goof of theirs, but added a bit of attitude when I called them. I have since quit buying directly from them and go through Midway now, problem solved, at least for little things. I do not know how they act towards machine purchasers.

Now, this is a limited experience with only one type of machine, so I cannot comment on the others, but can say the Dillon has been great for many thousands of rounds.
 
man, i really appreciate the replies. i can say, that i have never had the first problem with my SDB but i hate that the dies cost so much and it is a PITA to do a change over. with the experience, 10 years, on the SDB i absolutly
would not buy a 550 because it does not auto index and that is what im used to. so are you guys saying that you can use LNL powder measure on the dillon 650 ? does anyone have any experience with the quick change setup with the LNL ? they make it look like it's soooo easy but we all know about advertising. again thanks for the replies.
 
PRESS

bevis said:
can i please get an unbiased opinion on the pro's and con's
of the hornaday LNL and the dillon 650 press.
maybe someone that has had experience with both of them.
i currently have a SDB dillon and am looking at upgrading to a 650
but i need to give the LNL a fair shake before i make the decision.
we are talking about a substantial price difference and it appears
that caliber changes on the LNL are a breeze. i would appreciate
it if this thread did not turn into a blue or red bashfest.

edit - ok, unbiased if you can, if not im ok with it.....:)
Click to expand...
gO WITH THE DILON
 
PRESS

and when i get to heaven, too st. peter I will tell, another soilder reporting sir,
I'ev SERVED MY TIME IN HELL

Go with dillon
 
If you load for one caliber, ANY press will suit you, unless you need 10,000 rounds a month.
If that's the case, get a super 1050.
If you load for 2, buy 2 square deals, and leave them set up for their respective calibers.
Unless you need 10,000 rounds a month in 2 calibers, then get 2 650s. (High dollar.)
If you load for 3-5 calibers, get the 650.
If you load for 6 or 8, a dillon 550 will serve you well. Or a pair of 'em. (Less time swapping crap around.)
If you load for 10 calibers or more, get the hornady. (OR a pair of 550s.) (High dollar.)
I got a 550, and then expanded to over 10 calibers.
Wish I'd got the hornady, but I'm sticking with my 550.
Thinking about buying a second 550, maybe someday.

Unbiased enough for ya?
A dillon owner recommending a hornady press????
Yeah, the dillon 550 is a very solid 2nd place when it comes to speed and expense of caliber conversions.
Second to the hornady.
Having multiple caliber conversions for a 650 will drain your bank account.
 
A 550 and 12 deluxe quick change kits.
Strong mount. Bullet tray. etc.
20 sets of dillon dies (Including the uber expensive 357SIG carbide set.), all the caliber conversion kits, 10 more toolheads for various random tasks, etc.
He's already got all my money.
It's really convenient, but not cheap.

Bill Z said:
We got together and called Mike up. No more Blue Press cataloges for you. :mad:
Click to expand...

Good.
I'm sick of them. For real.
I buy my stuff from Brian Enos or on E-bay.
Now, if they sent me a free copy of the dillon aero calendar, I wouldn't throw it out until AT LEAST 2007.
 
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