Talk me out of a Hornady L-N-L

[scott5]

Hello all,
I'm thinking of buying a new Hornady AP from Midway USA because its on sale and, the free bullets.
But I already have a Dillon 550B that I don't like and don't use the powder measures on it. I use the Lyman DPS to dispence powder for the three rifle calibers that I load on it.
So I need to get rid of the 550B somehow to justify the Hornady!

I'm torn between two presses
Any advise would be apreciated.

 

[RustyFN]

Send me the Dillon and buy the Hornady and you will be very happy.
I hope this helps.
Rusty

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Having already done what you're doing and knowing how well the Hornady loads rifle calibers, put the 550 on ebay and you'll make enough money to just about pay for the Hornady.

BTW, the original reason I switched was I didn't like the Dillon powder measures. I love the Hornady measure and you can also use a RCBS Uniflow with the Hornady case activated powder drop.

You'll make somebody else happy and you'll have a press that'll load those rifle calibers really well.

Dave

 

[snuffy]

Let me get this straight, you're dumping a Dillon for a Hornady??? Better go see a shrink first! Just kidding, calm down Johnny.

There are ways around the lousy dillon measure. Case activated linkages, like the Hornady and rcbs for their powder measures. Like my solution on my XL650;



With this Hornady measure I can load match quality .223 using varget and 69 nosler j-4 match bullets. To prove it, I threw charges for a batch, then removed the measure and used my Pact dispensor to throw 20 charges. Resulting targets could not be told apart! Chrongraph readings were the same as well! This was in my bushy 1-9 with the heavy BBL 20".

Do what you want, but IMHO you're going backwards!

 

[strat81]

Ask your wife what she thinks you should do.

 

[Empyrean]

I just did the same you are thinking about. The Dillon 550B is a really nice press. I wanted auto-indexing so I considered upgrading to the 650 and the Hornady LNL AP. I ended up with the LNL AP.

But, since you asked me to talk you out of it...The 550 is a considerably more ergonomic press with the strong arm mount, bullet tray, empty cartridge bin and aluminum roller handle. The documentation for the Hornady LNL AP is absolutely horrible compared to the Dillon. The Dillon powder measure works pretty well. Buy two UniqueTek micrometers and it is great albeit a little clunky in operation. The 550 has a low primer alarm which is really nice. The Blue finish seems powder-coated rather than painted and more durable than the Hornady.

How'd I do?

--AJ

 

[1911user]

Grafs is still showing the press for $315. You'd want to make sure it is the newer version with the updated powder drop activation.

 

[roo_ster]

why would I talk you out of it? I want you to buy one & post a review!

 

[jms92]

I must be doing something wrong. But I always had a hell of a time adjusting my RCBS Uniflow powder measure... The Hornady one on the L-N-L AP press rocks! Easy to adjust and very consistent charges. The RCBS Uniflow has been a PIA! I really don't use it much, I have it set for 223 and I'm afraid to change it. Is it just me?

 

[robctwo]

I just documented my 38,000th load on the Hornady LnL. I load everything from .380 pistol to 300WSM rifle. Have been loading mostly .45 ACP and .204 Ruger, .223 & .308 recently. Primer feed is good. Powder drop excellent. Caliber change first rate and not very expensive. I don't like the ejector spring and removed it. Have a ho hum attitude toward the automatic case feeder. I guess I'm not in that big of a hurry.

I have never pulled the handle on a Dillon, or been in the same room with one, so have no opinion.

The LnL is a better machine than the Lee Progressive I learned to load on.

 

[dcloco]

jms92

"I must be doing something wrong. But I always had a hell of a time adjusting my RCBS Uniflow powder measure... The Hornady one on the L-N-L AP press rocks! Easy to adjust and very consistent charges. The RCBS Uniflow has been a PIA! I really don't use it much, I have it set for 223 and I'm afraid to change it. Is it just me?"

Spend the $40 and buy the RCBS micrometer insert for the Uniflow. Best money I have spent. (wish I would have bought a Hornady powder measure first!!!).

 

[Idano]

Do what you want, but IMHO you're going backwards!

snuffy come out of the Blue light it'll rot your brain.

scott5 you will like the Hornady AP and if you should need customer service you'll find that their's is just as good as Dillon's. Unlike the Blue Man Group following I won't tell it is all rosie, no progressive press runs flawlessly no matter who you think you are. I bought my Hornady AP in October after considering the Dillon 650 and what swayed me in the end was that if I went with Dillon all accessories would have had to been mail ordered. I really liked both presses and when equip them the same the price really isn't that great between either of them. You'' see people try to push the Hornady over the 650 by trying to scare you away with the cost of caliber changes but the difference is that much ($30-$50 higher for the Dillon depending on what and where you get it), considering the initial outlay to get into either press and realistically how many calibers do people really load on their progressive presses? I have loaded just over 10,000 rounds through my Hornady AP since I got it and the only two weakness in the system is the case extraction wire is finicky to setup but once you get it set it seems to work fine but it was a b1tch to initially get set. The second thing is that the case feeder tubes don't handle .40 S&W well the small is too small for expand brass and the large don't feed cases well into the case drop. However, I resolve that problem with a piece of 1/2" copper tubing I flared and use with the large drop tube without any problem. Before any Dillon people go into a feeding frenzy my fix would similar to some of your fixes like either polishing the the powder measure drop tubes or adding a motor to create vibration for extruded powder. We all have to some times work through a few issues to make our presses run smoothly.

Personally if you want go progressive you can't go wrong with either the Hornady AP or the 650, I think they are equivalent in quality, reliability, operation, customer service. They also have their own problems idiosyncrasies but they are both wonderful machines and if someone tells you different see if they are eating the mushrooms from the BS they are feeding you.

Sell the 550 on eBay there are plenty of people out there that still think a turret press is the way to go and then take the money and go by either a Hornady AP or a 650. I would get the one that you can get locally so if you need a shell plate, bushings or tool head in a rush for the that new gun you just bought you won't have to wait until they arrive. Good luck with your choice and keep ups updated on what you ended up with!

 

[dmftoy1]

Well I won't bash the Dillon products but it sounds like a no-brainer to me. You can basically "trade" the 550 for an auto-indexing press. (get the case feeder though).

I did the same thing you're contemplating but went the 650 route instead of the LNL (although I did VERY seriously consider it). I'm sure the LNL is a fine machine. The only very slight remorse I had about the 650 vs the 550 is that the 550 was so much easier to understand and swap calibers on than the 650. (I'd imagine that the caliber changeover on a LNL will be slightly more complex than a 550 as well but I don't know)

That being said . . . .I don't think i'd ever go back to a progressive without a casefeeder and autoindexing.

Just my .02

Regards,
Dave

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Oddly enough, I've found my Hornady LnL to be much simpler to swap calibers and adjust than the 550 I traded it out for. I'm suprised when people say the LnL is difficult to adjust and setup. I think for some people, once they get used to one type of press, it's hard for them to shift their thinking and hence they tend to think the new type is harder than what they had. The LnL sn't harder than the 550 to adjust, it's just different. They do, however, need to do a better job with their instruction manual, which stinks. Tech. Support, on the other hand, is excellent.

I have noticed many seem to feel they can't swap parts or devices from one brand or another. In fact, most all the Dillon and Hornady "nice to have" powder measure, primer alarms, powder alarms, etc. can be switched back and forth from one press to another fairly easily.

So, for instance, you owned a Dillon 550 with a powder measure perfectly setup for .45ACP. You can mount that measure in a LnL bushing and use it on your Hornady. If you own a Hornady LnL or RCBS Uniflow, you can use either company's Case Activated powder drop with the other's and you can mount either measure onto a Dillon 550 or 650 if you wish.

In other words, they all take the same size dies and anything that mounts like a die can easily be used with any manufacturer's press, as long as it clears most things.

Any of these machines, are after all, just machines and aren't sacred or anything. So whatever you do modifying, adapting, etc. to make your reloading experience with your machine more fun, less expensive, more reliable, more convenient, etc., is a good thing.

Dave

 

[Luggernut]

Out of curiosity- is Dillons'- powder measure/belling set up different from the Hornady powder thru expanders CAPD?

 

[1911user]

Out of curiosity- is Dillons'- powder measure/belling set up different from the Hornady powder thru expanders CAPD?

They are the same in that the end result should be case mouth expansion and powder drop in the same die station. I strongly suspect (but don't have a dillon measure to verify) that the dillon measure requires less vertical movement to activate the measure compared to the hornady/rcbs CAPD.

This makes no difference for longer cartridges, but for becomes an issue for shorter cases like 9mm or 380. Hornady has to get the 9mm expander just long enough to allow a 9mm case to expand the case and fully operate the measure and yet have it short enough to NOT drop powder when the expander hits the shellplate (no case present).

A dillon measure can be successfully operated (and case expanded) by the shorter 380acp case. Dillon presses have always done it this way. Due to the tight tolerance on 9mm expander length, I suspect that the hornady CAPD will not expand and drop powder with 380 cases. I hope (and suspect) that the older hornady pistol insert (non expanding) will work for 380 cases since it doesn't go inside the case mouth.

 

[Shoney]

If you are only loading three rifle cartridges, as your post says, I don't see any advantage to getting a new LNL. If in addition to the rifle, you are loading any or many pistol cartridges, then the LNL makes sense.

I have the LNL and the 550, and because of the 5 stations, the quick change system, the LNL powder measure, and the lower costs, the LNL is the superior machine.

Other than the quick die change time on the LNL, Please tell what advantage you hope to achieve with the LNL over the 550.

 

[scott5]

Hello all,
Well I went and ordered the L-N-L AP Sunday before the sale deadline.
And I will see if I can sell my 550.

strat81 wrote:"Ask your wife what she thinks you should do."
I wish I had a wife to ask, but don't.

jfruser wrote: "why would I talk you out of it? I want you to buy one & post a review!"
That sounds like work... I ...I mean a plan

Thanks everyone for the input.

I will wait on the Hornady to load for my M1.
I've got about 450 rounds of milspec brass all trimmed up and ready to start loading, and after I get the new press setup and humming out M1 ammo I'll post a loading bench report.

 

[Winger Ed.]

Talk you out of a L N L?

Well,,, OK......


Watch the pendelum swing back & forth,,,,,, back & forth..

Your eyes are getting heavy, you feel sleepy.......

Watch the pendelum,,,,,,,, You're getting sleepy....

Now when I count to 3, you will send Ed. your new L N L.....

..

 

[Darth Muffin]

The second thing is that the case feeder tubes don't handle .40 S&W well the small is too small for expand brass and the large don't feed cases well into the case drop. However, I resolve that problem with a piece of 1/2" copper tubing I flared and use with the large drop tube without any problem.

I just thought this thread deserved a bump and a big thanks to Idano. I had the same problem on my LNL-AP case feeder and I just tried the 1/2" copper tubing trick. It seems to have solved the problem. It fits in there perfectly snug and took me about 20 minutes from start to finish, and I don't have a flaring tool or even a tubing cutter--just a hacksaw, a hammer, 3/8" socket extension (pounded it in there to flare it), sandpaper, and a dremel w/ sanding wheel.