Should I just shell out for the LNL?

[martinbr]

After fooling around with this projector press for the past few months, I thought about just going and getting the Hornday LNL AP by the years end because of the bullet offer. The projector works like a champ but it just jams on the 9mm cases if you get out of tempo with it on a session. Even with the new shell plate. I have read somewhere that they even jam on the lnl so I don't know if I would be gaining anything by making the switch. Other than that it's a great press. But with escalating prices of primers, bullets, ect... I am a little reluctant to spend the money. I mean if it keeps going up I won't be able to afford to even reload.

The local store has wsp primers going for 37.00 per thousand now. This is up another 10.00 in one month. There bullets are still at 28.00 per 500 for x-treme 9mm 115's. But after these are gone I would imagine the new shipment will reflect higher prices. Copper is going into the stratosphere. I won't shoot lead bullets. I always shoot at a indoor range.

I could buy online, but then there's the hazmat fee. Places like Natchez Shooting Supples have raised there bullets up another 10.00 since last month. Where is it going to stop?

My reasoning is that if I buy the LNL for lets say 400.00 + shipping out the door with the two shell plates that I would need. I could sell the projector for atleast 175.00 on ebay, and then sell the bullets that you get with the press and make it so I probably would have to come out with around lets say around 100.00 to 150.00. Does this sound about right?

What do you guys think?
thanks,
martinbr

 

[redneck2]

Buy good, cry once. Buy cheap, cry forever.

In the grand scheme of things, a few hundred dollars spent on a good progressive is money very well spent IMO I have a Dillon 550 but I'd seriously look at the LnL if I were starting over today.

I just loaded up some rounds for my 45LC over the week-end. I knocked out 150 rounds in maybe 15 minutes or so. Using a single stage for pistol borders on painful. Using poor equipment is just as bad. One of the overlooked things is that double charges and other potentially significant problems occur when your reloading rhythm is interrupted. I just sit and crank the handle and the loaded rounds pop out.

 

[RustyFN]

The local store has wsp primers going for 37.00 per thousand now.
I could buy online, but then there's the hazmat fee.

The hazmat fee is cheap compared to local prices. You can buy Magteck primers at Grafs for $79 per 5,000, add the hazmat and it's $99. Thats $19.80 per 1,000. If you buy 10 to 15 thousand primers and add powder to the same order the hazmat fee is still only $20. Thats a lot cheaper than local for me.
Rusty

 

[captain54]

I have the LnL. I load 45, 40, and 9mm. I use the automatic case feeder and I have not had a jam of any type yet. The only problem I experienced once was that the primer feeder got hung up and did not feed a primer. The case got charged and then leaked powder. Took me about 5 minutes to pull off the shell plate and clean it up. I am extremely happy with the LnL and if I had to do it all over again, I would still by this press.
As far as the projector goes, did you call Hornady tech support? They are very good at helping figure out problems and fine tuning their presses.

 

[martinbr]

Contacting Hornady

I called Hornady about the problem. They came up with no answer. What I don't understand is what were they thinking when they engineered the old style brass kicker? I don't know why they didn't go with something like the rest of the progressive presses out there with a simple piece of small rod sticking out to knock the the round out to the bin. It's like they over did it.:banghead:
martinbr

 

[Odnar]

You're not the only one getting hit with high material costs. Remington, Winchester, etc. are too. Even if reloading costs keep going up, factory ammo is going to go with it.

 

[Knucklehead2]

Martinbr, I think the shell plates for the Projector and LNL are the same, so at least you could get started with the ones you already have.
I paid $369.00 plus $3.95 shipping from Graf & Son's Inc.
After the initial 45acp was working well I ordered two more Shell plates and the pistol micrometer setup for the powder drop, not really a must have but it is dead on for granulated type powders.

 

[Matt-man]

No, the Projector plates won't work on a LnL. The LnL plates have a bevel on the bottom edge that holds the case retaining spring in place. The Projector plates will fit on a LnL, but you need the case retaining spring.

Plates for a LnL will work on a Projector, which is why the plates Hornady sells now are labeled for use with the LnL or the Projector.

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

The reason for the finicky cartridge kicker is that the case ejection has to happen in 1/10 of a revolution of the shell plate with the LNL, compared to 1/4 or 1/5 in other 4 or 5 station progressives. The LNL's smooth operation is partly due to the half step on each up stroke, and another half step on each down stroke. That means there's only half a step to accomplish the ejection.

Andy

 

[martinbr]

thank you

Your the first person in this group that has exlpained that about the shellplates. Maybe that's my answer right there. That's enough to go ahead and get the LNL by the years end.
thanks,
martinbr

 

[Hunter0924]

Here is my opinion of the Hornady Lock-N-Load progressive press.
http://ezine.m1911.org/HornadyLNL.htm

 

[Rollis R. Karvellis]

RustyFN what part of W.Va. are you in, there still a shop here in Ohio that the price of powder, and primer’s are still reasonable.

 

[Knucklehead2]

Well Matt-Man you may be correct, except Martin just bought the shell plate, you may have missed that in your haste to correct.

 

[Walkalong]

I am still using my Projector. I don't prime on it. Never have since the begining because it was so finicky auto indexing with the original shellplates. I have the 2nd or 3rd generation shellplates for most calibers. (I still have the .38/.357 original plate.)

I had the 2nd generation 9MM plate and it was finicky ejecting just as martinbr says. (I modified it a bit and improved it a lot) Had to go carefull, but it worked. I just bought a third generation 9MM plate, but have not loaded with it yet. I hope it works better. ( I haven't toosed my modified one yet )

If Hornady would use 5 detents instead of two ( one poor one on the originals ) it would be smooth as glass I believe. ( I know, it's expensive to make, but they would work so much better.) It tilts the shellplate just a bit, so to speak, with them only on one side and it makes a difference you can see as the plate goes around and ejects from the 5 different spaces.

I am still thinking of upgrading. It is a great overall design. It's like Microsoft Windows ME - It sucked and Microsoft should have given free upgrades, but they, of course, did not. I feel the same way about the Projector. Hornady should have had some sort of "upgrade for cheap plan" for the poor souls who had one when Hornady fixed their design. They should have gotten it right before they ever sold them.

 

[martinbr]

2nd generation plates

I just purchased this shell plate from Kemps Gun Shop last month. I would imagine that is 3rd generation shell plate. This is a #8 9mm plate btw. But the problem is that it is very tight on certain shells. I am having more troube with jamming with the newer one vs. the older projector plate in which I put back on. I have a rythym down now where it's less but still jams about every 10-15 rounds.

I am thinking about just sending the plate back to Hornady so they can check the specs out on it and maybe having it worked on.

btw, has anyone else ever had credit card problems over at Kemps? I have only shopped there once, but the time I did right after that someone grabbed my number over the internet and tried to make a $150.00 worth of charges to my account. I read some where else that maybe someone else had a problem over there. I don't know how secure there site is.
martinbr

 

[Matt-man]

Well Matt-Man you may be correct, except Martin just bought the shell plate, you may have missed that in your haste to correct.

Yes, you're right - I missed the fact that he had a new shell plate. I just wanted to make sure he knew he couldn't use Projector plates if he got the LnL. I learned that the hard way when I bought a Projector plate off Ebay thinking I could use it on my LnL.