First hand Review of the Hornady L-N-L AP vs Dillon 550B

Ok So I was looking a few weeks ago for first hand user reviews on the Hornady L-N-L and the Dillon 550B. No one had any first hand experance with detailed reviews I could find. I was thinking of selling one of my Dillon 550B's and getting the Hornady. Well I found a Great deal on a Hornady L-N-L AP and picked it up. I was able to keep both Dillons For my reviews I was loading 5.56 MIL once fired and 9mm I will post pics later.
So There are some differences in these two besides the color. i am not a Blue or red only fan just looking for the best bang fo r the buck! Keep in mind these are just my opinions I am not selling or working for these companies. Also niether press had the optional bullet or case feeders

#1 Auto Indexing. Hornady Has it Dillon Does NOT. This has its good and bads on both. This will also come into play when I talk about how I case prep. 5.56. With out case feeder I'd give the Nod to Dillon

+DILLON Without the Case or Bullet feeder on either machine
I can load just as fast on the Hornady as the Dillon. Even though the Dillon is not Auto indexing. Your hand is down there anyways you just flip it forward. Set up is easier IMHO on the Dillon and if you make a mistake just back it up or don't flip things forward (CAREFULL WITH THE POWDER DROPS!). With the LNL its always moving on you. Some people say the Hornady is better to feed the shells and bullets without the case feeder but I see no difference they clam you have to take your hand off the handle to load brass into the Dillon and its true but truth be told I see no difference in speed. No indexing to mess up is also nice.

+Hornady The Auto indexing is SMOOTH!!!!! Very nice and much smoother than my old PRO-7. It moves a half step on the top and bottom of the lever pull. I'm sure with the case feeder it would be faster, and would be much faster with the bullet feeder as well (DUH!). Double charges should be avoided easier with this machine.

#2 CASE FEEDERS: I don't have a case feeder on these machines so I can't say much about how they function. Do your research on things there are some great videos on You tube about mods. and even homemade bullet feeders.

+Hornady as it will feed Rifle and Pistol brass the Dillon will only feed Pistol

#3 Five Vs four Stations: Dillon has 4, Hornady has 5. On this please review how I have been reloading and prepping brass Well more is better as always I'm not gonna say its not nice having the 5th station.

+Hornady Its got five stations clearly its a plus. Since Hornady now has the expansion system for its powder drop I'm happy with it. Before that you basically had a 4 station press if you were loading cast boolits. But just buy the expansion system and all this is not a player. I put the RCBS Powder check (LOCK OUT STYLE) in the station after the Powder drop its nice having that bit of insurance.

Dillon While the fifth station is not there I don't feel its a huge loss. When I load 9mm I can see into the case and most of my loads if double charged will overflow. (Including 38/357). How I load my 5.56 an 30-06 makes this a void issue. HOWEVER it would be nice to have the fifth station to add a powder check to when loading 38/357 to check and make sure I got a full charge.

#4 Keeping your Brass where it belongs Dillon uses 3 pins Hornady uses a giant spring like thing.

+Hornady I like the springy thing its easy and fast to remove brass. This is however a kind of weak link. It is a lil fragile. Good news is ever time I have called Hornady for parts they send you a few free replacements. You also don't have to chase around 3 lil pins, and risk losing them (You never know).
+Dillon One nice thing about the Dillon’s system is you can mix and match the shell plates powder funnels and brass locator pins to load other rounds. I have 6 different conversion kits and all told this is enough if I mix and match to load all 13 rounds I reload for.

#5 Priming systems This is the biggest reason I am glad I kept the Dillon’s. The Primer arm is in the back of the Hornady. On the Dillon its right up front. Both are simple enough.

+Dillon I can see what is going on with the Dillon. I can see a primer actually coming outta the primer tube and going forward. I know that a primer is going into every round. Everything is right there in front of me if it is hanging up I know it.

Hornady Its in the back I can't see if a primer has been picked up. If your not watching and it gets hung up its harder to tell. It also is a lil harder to set up as the magazine tube must be positioned just right and is prone to move around after its set. The seating pin assy. and the outside tube of the primer magazine need to be left a lil loose. The seating pin if tightened at all (I ordered a new one and it does the same thing) will catch on the slide when the primer arm goes forward. I've cleaned it and dry lubed it, but I just DON'T trust it like I do the Dillon’s.

#6 Powder Drops: They both have highs and lows. They are both case activated. I'll have to give a slight nod to the Hornady

+Hornady This one will throw a larger range of powders. Its also super smooth and I actually use it on my Dillon. I have 3 of these all together . It does not rely on the press resetting it and that nice for how I load 5.56 and 30-06. Problem is the press doesn’t come with the smaller rotor required for pistols. I don't like setting it up as well when I am flaring cases for lead bullets. The PTX system is ok but the Dillon flaring system is better IMHO. I have 2 different styles of these powder drops as well.

+Dillon It works great with ball powder and comes with a baffle installed. Its quick to reset. I have 3 different style of these 6 drops all together. The older style you could actually use on different presses the new one used the press failsafe rod to reset. I like how these are adjusted better, both adjusting powder charge and setting flair are easier for me but I have also used them more. Just don't expect it to reload anything other than ball powder very well. It also comes with both small and large powder bars. I just wish it was a versatile as the Hornady.

#7 Spent Primers It's allot like your toilet you never think about it until it messes up.

+Hornady Spent primers go down a tube into a bucket pretty simple make sure the tube doesn’t get clogged not much to this. Its all self contained

Dillon Sometimes the Primers don't do into the cup mounted on the frame. Also the lil Claim shell catch it uses sometimes stay open. The biggest draw back to this system is sometimes primers will fall in front of the primer slide. Other than that they can just get every ware if the clamshells don't work right. Also sometimes the primers go off on there own for some reason

#8 Changing out calibers I'd give a slight nod to the Hornady. Both are just as fast as the other.

+Hornady Change outs are cheaper. You can pop out individual dies and change them out for what ever your needs. I don't like the O-Rings but that’s just me. Also check o

+Dillon Two pins, 2 bolts, and powder drop linkage and your done. Personally I like having everything together in one set up I find I misplace things if not.

#9 Dies I have Both Dillon and Hornady Dies in both calibers. I don't know what it is but I love the Dillon dies. I'm a big fan of RCBS Dies as well. I personally am not fond of the Hornady ND dies with the zip spindles. Both .223 Dies are Steel and 9mm are carbide. Clear Nod to Dillon.

+Dillon They seem more forgiving on the progressive machines. They don't require much lube compared to the Hornady dies. The 9MM carbide dies are much smoother. I have no complaints.

Hornady These just seem really tight. I have 2 sets of N.D. dies for .223 and both have the same problems. It seems to take more force to size on both the .223 and 9mm. On all both .223 and also my 30-06 dies the Zip spindle has broken or bent down by the end cap. I don't understand this I called Hornady and told them about this they said I have it set to low but I have never had any problems with my RCBS, Dillon, or Lee dies before. I'm a big boy and can read the set up instructions. I also know I am not the only one to have this problem as my friends also have the same problems and only with the Hornady dies. But we also are running crimped in primers on military brass. I have had no problems with the 9mm or 45 ones at all but as I said before they are not as smooth as my RCBS or Dillon Carbide dies. Every once in awhile I'll squirt a lil lube on one and it runs better. I never put any lube on my RCBS or Dillon Carbide dies. I love there seater dies though The sliding sleeve is really nice and a great idea!

#10 Customer Service Both get me the parts I need for free when something breaks and will talk me through anything but I think the people at Dillon are a cut above. I have called each 3 times for advice on machines and replacement parts. Nod to Dillon

+Dillon I CANNOT say enough about these people they are polite and patient. They don't even care when my 4 year old is in the background screaming. I feel like I am talking to a friend about anything and they have gone above and beyond getting my parts. I think I could cut this machine in half and they would repair it. I honestly can say without a doubt I know they would make it right no matter what I screw up.

+Hornady I get the parts quicker cause I live closer to the factory. They have made a few Smart A$$ comments in the past to me. I don't need that. I feel like its just a job to them. They will help you out though so don't worry about it. They have complained about having to send me the new zip spindles, but shut up when I told them I've never had this problem with my other dies.


#11 Care and ease of use Keeping your press up and running is an important part of you investment. Nod to the Dillon.

+Dillon Its manual indexing That’s pretty straight forward, less susceptible to messing up do to spilt powder and grime. No indexing to set. If you’re a beginner I’d definitely recommend it over the Hornady do to its simplicity.

+Hornady I love the grease zerks and I think it would some neglect to stop this thing.

#12 Design and Flexibility. Both are built like a brick sh^t house. But again nod to Dillon.

+Dillon I do things such as trim brass on the Dillon that I know would clog up the Hornady. It can also act as a single star or turret style press. I also feel this would be a better press to learn on. I have a single stage press (Actually a Hornady) but never use it any more. This press can do everything it could only better.

+Hornady You can add a case feeder that will feed rifle and pistol brass as well as a bullet feeder if you want to up grade a big plus . But its just not as simple to use for beginner’s. I wouldn’t expect it to handle the grime and trimmings that fall into it and still function as well as the Dillon.

So what’s the bottom line?
As of right now if I had to pick between the two set up exactly as they are I’d go with the Dillon. I’ll add more later as I use the Hornady more and will also post on how I have been prepping military brass. This plays a big role into why I don’t feel it is a huge deal not having 5 stations on the Dillon. I’m tired of typing so I’ll post that later! Any questions please ask!
I like the Dillon 550B over the Hornady L-N-L AP even though it only has 4 stations.

I have been loading a lot of Military Brass lately 30-06, 5.56, 9mm this means FL resizing, Trimming to length, removing primer crimp. A lot goes into this. I though at first I would be able to fly though this and that’s one big reason I wanted a Hornady AP. Well this is Not a fast process!!!!

#1I sort everything out by head stamp,

#2 run through the tumbler just to knock the heavy stuff off I use walnut media for this.

#3 I put 200-300 in a zip lock bag and spray just a few squirts of Dillon Case lube on the brass and mix around. The Dillon Dies do not seem to require as much lube as the hornady’s.

#4 On my Dillon 550B I use station number 1 for FL resizing and decapping. #2 is empty, #3 I use the Dillon Power Trimmer. I DON’T use the vacuum I don’t wanna listen to it I put a lil shield around it and the brass trimming fall in a very small area. Also my lil girls room is above the reloading room. I don’t want her to have to listen to all that. The trimmer is pretty quite I like to listen to the radio. As fast as you can pull the handle and set the brass in you can FL resize and trim. I really like it. I think If I did this on the Hornady it couldn’t take it.

#5 I use the Dillon Super Swag and remove primer crimps. This thing is sweet much better than the RCBS swagger. Also make sure you separate by head stamp prior to this.

#6 I was thinking about a gracey or Giraud case trimmer that does all three cuttings at once. But this has saved my marriage. I do all the chamfering by hand up in the living room this way I can talk to the wife! Also it doesn’t take long at all.

#7 Polish again in Corn cob media

#8 Reloading again!!!! Sometimes I will hand prime upstairs while hanging out with the family but at night I will prime on the press. Station 1 instead of the FL resizer I put the Hornady case activated powder drop, Station #2 is the Powder Cop, Station 3 Seater, station 4 Crimp.

Honestly if I was to do this on the Hornady I can’t see any advantage with out the case and bullet feeder. I’d just have an empty station. I doesn’t take long I usually do 300 a night no problem. Sure I could do it faster but I would have to ask my wife for half of my reloading stuff when I want to reload after the divorce

Great review! I just started reloading on a Dillon 550(my first progressive). I was very interested in the Hornady but wanted to see one up close and in person. I did see a Dillon up close and actually thought it would be better form because of the manual indexing. However I labored over the lack of a fifth station and the ability to have a powder check. But I went with the Dillon and after about 1500 rounds like it so far.
I think they are probably both great machines and really appreciate the time youve taken to review them.

Compare the Hornady to the appropriate Dillons. SDB for pistols, the 650 for rifle cartridges.

Importante: what is the Hornady warranty? Dillon is forever. That's F-O-R-E-V-E-R...

Very well thought review. I'm staying Blue, except for Big rifle cases like my 470 NE and 45-120, etc.

Rich

Yhea in reality you compared apples to oranges.

The direct connect would be between the Hornady L-N-L and the Dillon XL650. The information stands on its own merits as solid info for each press, but there is no true comparison between the two presses.

The only reason I compared these two is they are in the same price range. Iknow they are totaly diffrent presses but they are in the same price range. The Dillon 650 cost more and the SDB isn't capable of loading rifle. I was looking into these two presses do to the the fact they are probably 2 of the most popular presses in the price range and to alot of people looking into stepping up or getting into reloading on anything but a single stage have asked me about these two presses. Apples to oranges true but dollar to dollar they are very close.

I would like to repay the generosity of this board shown to me by commenting my experiences. I am lke the guy who stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night.... I own a Dillon 550, 650, Rock chucker, CO Ax press and just like great reloading presses. I like high quality and the Hornady LNL is a bargain for cost and features but should be viewed in relation to a Dillon 650 and not 550. The 650 and LNL are progressive SELF Indexing presses: they are a category unto themselves. The LNL could be a corvette compared to a Dillon 650 in the jaguar class of autos. Its more features than a quality comparison as the LNL will do everything a Dillon 650 does. Caliber conv. kits are WAY cheaper with the LNL. For Dillion: this is a 80 buck outrageously conversion cost.

Hindsight: I did not need the 650 as the 550 has always exceeded my needs ! I like Hornady dies and equipment and would have bought the LNL but frankly, could not shake my bias for Dillon presses. I would be just as well off though with the LNL. I though I needed a self indexing press.... flawed thinking as I dd not and it makes no difference if I push out 400 rds of 45ACP on 550 Dillon vs 800 rds of 45ACP on 650 Dillon in one hour. I can afford to spend 2 hrs ! Of course, as I said.... in hindsight I was just fine with 550 !!!

That all said: I used my C&R license (33 dollars for 3 yr license) and it saved me $150 off the cost of the 650 which then put the cost pretty reasonable. At that price I was almost the cost of a LNL but could go Dillon. I went Dillon 650 but I chose Hornady dies and am pleased as punch.

The versatility of the 550 is overwhelming and its the best overall progressive press in my opinion.

I was given a Lee turret press so I have been messing with it. Its slower but its capable of making same grade ammo as my 550 or 650 does. I set it up for 9mm last year with all Lee dies (carbide) and Pro measure and its flawlessly making match grade 9mm ammo for me. I say this as the Lee turret is a type of progressive press although, it feels cheap to use and is alien to my senses of what a great press / tool ought to feel like or be built like. Its performance is exceptional in making great ammo and I use it... but it drives me nuts as its positively not the BMW level tool as the 550 or 650 or a LNL .

I get 25% at Brownells, Midway and Grafs using that C&R License. Now that means last year it cost me $11 for the license and on the 650 press alone: I saved $150. On my dies for 650, I saved $15, on all the Lee die and mesure to outfit the gift Lee turret.... I saved $35 dollars.

Now you do the math and even if you do not chase C&R weapons , the value added to your wallet for gear, components and tools is significant and I recommend a C&R license. Over the last two years time, I have saved a ton of money.

C&R: Snooze you Lose !!!!!

I have been a big fan of Dillon for years and love my 550B. Before I purchased it about 3 1/2 years ago, I loaded on the Dillon RL 400 which is all manual and it was the press that was replaced by the 550B. All parts are interchangeable. The RL 400 has a fixed die station and you have to unscrew your dies which makes it outdated. If you use the 550B and feel the need for a powder check you can rig one so to speak. In the Die plate you have a hole that is for holding on a storage stand and is not used for loading. You can take a small flashlight and wrap the housing with rubber bands,tape, or anything that keeps it from falling through. Insert the flashlight and it allows you to see into each case as it goes to the bullet seating station. No powder, no bullet and back up to correct problem. Simple and cheap.

Did you get a used LnL?

The LnL DOES come with BOTH rifle and pistol powder drops. Maybe the seller didn't include it with yours.

It does take about 5 minutes to switch between each set up including the piston, cylinder and bushings and to adjust the height for the case activator.

I use a case expander die as a separate station then seat and crimp on separate stations so I need the 5 holes, but I suppose if the Dillon has a superior case expander in the powder drop, the 5th station isn't needed.

Thanks for the comparison. I would have gone either way with the 550 or LnL, but last year Cabelas had a $150 gift card with a $500 purchase and they don't sell Dillon. That with the 500 free Hornady bullets, tipped me toward the LnL. I would probably be happy with either one, but am most happy getting into the reloading game in any case.

Yes I got mine used but it came with the Small pistol rotor already the guy purchased it after he bough thte press. He told me about it and how he was diappointed with that it didn't come with one. I will clear that up here in a bit. Again both press's are great and I plan on doing a comparision between the 650 and the L-N-L AP in a few weeks once I have used both. Again I know these are Apples and oranges but honestly when it comes down to it most people I have meet looking into a press in this price range are only gonna be looking at these two presses. I have been asked in person multiple times what I thought of each press. I couldn't speak on behalf of the Hornady crowd as far as the L-N-L goes so I got one. If the priming system was better I would feel better about it. All in all if I was gonna be loading brass that didn't require triming like 9mm or 45ACP and the primming set up was better I would recommend the L-N-L. I liked the Hornady Pro-7 system better as I could see each and every primer being carried over. It wasn't as smooth as this one though.

Even coming down to the 550B, 650, and the L-N-L If I could only have one press it would be the 550B. I have used all of these and feel its the best WORK HORSE and capable of doing anything you need it may not be the fastest and there are some improvments that could be made but all in all so far its the best press I have found. I really wanna work on this hornady though and am gonna dedicate some time to it. I may have just gotten a lemon and any brand including Dillon can do that!

Rocket man, you are well served with the LNL and the logic of gift card and bullets only made the investment a solid decision.

Not sure you can do it on LNL but I take a Mag Lite thin flashlite and mount it
on top of press as other poster commented. It shines down onto shell plate
and makes viewing powder charges easy and the light is AA batteries and cheap to use... lasts a long time. You might look at that if it fits LNL and your needs.

I have used Hornady products for over 42 years and they are superb. Service is as good as Dillon by the way ! It was a tough call to not buy a Hornady press , a real heart tugger for me.

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Originally Posted by Morgan12

Yes I got mine used but it came with the Small pistol rotor already the guy purchased it after he bough thte press. He told me about it and how he was disappointed with that it didn't come with one.

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Interesting, I got my LnL in September 2010 and it did come with both rifle and pistol rotors and pistons as well as all the Allen wrenches needed on the press.

Thanks for the suggestion on the light milprileb. I do look into each case as I load and I don't have a powder cop. The additional time it takes me to look at the powder and watch the primer feed is minimal since I don't strive toward breaking any loading speed records. I've seen folks wire up little LED's to check the powder. Fortunately, I have good lighting in my garage so I can see into pistol cases and I can easily feel the powder shake when I complete each rifle round.

I appreciate the detailed write up and frank first impressions of the Hornady.

Interesting to note the different priorities we place as individuals on different features or sensitivities. For my part I'm freaked about powder (either going short or doubling up) so that gets overweighted in my consideration of a press. That was my biggest fear when I finally got a progressive several years ago after running a single stage since 1976.

For that reason alone (powder safety), 5 stations and auto-indexing gets heavy preference -- whatever the press color.

Auto-indexing makes it almost impossible to double charge. Powder cop catches the short throws -- and I do get the occasional short powder charge on my LNL. The spring retainer makes recovery simple.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by milprileb

I was given a Lee turret press so I have been messing with it. Its slower but its capable of making same grade ammo as my 550 or 650 does. I set it up for 9mm last year with all Lee dies (carbide) and Pro measure and its flawlessly making match grade 9mm ammo for me. I say this as the Lee turret is a type of progressive press although, it feels cheap to use and is alien to my senses of what a great press / tool ought to feel like or be built like. Its performance is exceptional in making great ammo and I use it... but it drives me nuts as its positively not the BMW level tool as the 550 or 650 or a LNL .

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Agreed on all points if you're talking about the "regular" Turret Press. However, the Classic Turret Press, with its cast iron body and severely upgraded linkage, is a totally different beast, more like that "BMW" quality you speak of.

To the OP: thanks for the write-up. At some point I'm probably going to look at a 5-station progressive for rifle rounds with cast boolits, and your information will prove useful.

I have owned the 550, LnL and the 650 (as well as the LTC, LM).

LnL if it works is a good (not great) press. It has a sub par priming system, it has less leverage then the Dillon. It has a far inferior case feeder and slider, it has poor quality control on machining. I found the 1/2 indexing a PITA. You have the machine indexing all the time and have to put the bullet on the case and then it indexs and the bullet can tip. It's not faster then a 650 because of that. There are positives to the press but it's just not as well developed as the 650. I would take a 550 over a LnL any day, any time. The Hornady PTX setup is not nearly as good as the Dillon so you end up with a 5 station press that is a PITA to use as a 5 station press because of the subpar PTX setup. It's no better then the 550 if you can't use it as a press to drop powder and expand the case at the same time. Autoindexing is way overrated if you don't have a casefeeder. I am not a fan of the 550 casefeeder. I sold it because it was also a PITA. I am not a "Blue Fan Boy" I like the LCT for instance. Don't like the Dillon Case feeder for the 550. But the Blue presses are better then the Hornady in my experience.

I own a SDB and LNL. I have loaded on 550, 650 and 1050. Everyones experience with a product is different. My LNL machining was impeccable. I did have to adjust indexing when I first got the press. It has been perfect for the last 4 years. The 1/2 indexing is wonderful. It rarely "bumps" powder out of the case on indexing, UNLESS THE CASE IS REALLY FULL. Overall indexing is significantly smoother than the 650. I have never had bullets fall out of a case on indexing. I also polished my primer system. My primer system works like a ROLEX watch. The ORIGINAL Hornady PTX's are not very good. I guess the new ones are OK. I purchased a aftermarket www.powderfunnels.com PTX and it has been superb. The case feeder works also works well. I can load 100 rounds of 9mm in 9 minutes. FOR ME, I would pick the LNL over the 550 or 650 any day.

Blue or Red? I guess it's what you like. Go figure!!

I loaded 100 rds on a 550 in 8 mins regularly. 9 mins was easy. And that is with out a case feeder. So yeah, if I loaded that slow on a LnL with a case feeder (which is what I had) I would have been fine with it too. But I expected much better then that. Your right, you have to keep the entire picture in perspective. 550 does take a little time to get up to that kind of speed.

Well this is just great!
I've got 3 LNL's but really could care less how much faster someone can load ammunition.
8 minutes with a 550 without a casefeeder, all the more power to you.

Here's my take, I like the LNL's, I have no idea how fast I can reload 100 rounds, nor do I care, but I do know that it helps me craft very accurate ammunition. The Mihec 503 out of a 5.5" barrel SBH recently put 6 rounds into less than 1.5" at 50 yards, the Mihec 454323 Ruger only did slightly better, in a SRH. No primer problems in any of the three, one set up for small, the other two set up for large.
Changeover is a snap, and relatively inexpensive as well.
I don't and won't trust powder cop dies, the extra empty hole in the LNL let's me view the powder charge twice, once after I drop, once when I insert the projectile on the up stroke AS IT IS INDEXING (why someone would plop the bullet down at the station before it is beyond me, but different strokes for different folks I guess.Never had a squib, I like the auto index feature, and the price cannot be beat, everything works for me well and would recommend them. Can't say the Dillons aren't good, I'm sure they are. But I don't regret having three of the LNL's at all.

My 550B was fine until I started shooting a LOT of 25-20WCF. It had problems with the small bottleneck cases (.30Mauser pistol too) and the relatively fragile necks of the rifle brass. The LNL has had no such issues. Moral of story: don't try to load odd stuff on the Dillon, and you'll be fine. My really REALLY precious stuff gets loaded on the Co-Ax.

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Originally Posted by Heavy lead

Well this is just great!
I've got 3 LNL's but really could care less how much faster someone can load ammunition.
8 minutes with a 550 without a casefeeder, all the more power to you.

Here's my take, I like the LNL's, I have no idea how fast I can reload 100 rounds, nor do I care, but I do know that it helps me craft very accurate ammunition. The Mihec 503 out of a 5.5" barrel SBH recently put 6 rounds into less than 1.5" at 50 yards, the Mihec 454323 Ruger only did slightly better, in a SRH. No primer problems in any of the three, one set up for small, the other two set up for large.
Changeover is a snap, and relatively inexpensive as well.
I don't and won't trust powder cop dies, the extra empty hole in the LNL let's me view the powder charge twice, once after I drop, once when I insert the projectile on the up stroke AS IT IS INDEXING (why someone would plop the bullet down at the station before it is beyond me, but different strokes for different folks I guess.Never had a squib, I like the auto index feature, and the price cannot be beat, everything works for me well and would recommend them. Can't say the Dillons aren't good, I'm sure they are. But I don't regret having three of the LNL's at all.

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Just my point. The LnL has more issues the faster you go. Dillon does not in my experience. I got the LnL after I had the 550 for years. Purpose of the press was to go faster then the 550 was able to load easily. The LnL simply could not reliably do that because of constant (but intermittent) issues. If you go slow enough it's not a issue. I was not seating the bullet two stations before. But you got to seat the bullet in one of two places. While the shellplate is down 1/2 a index away from the seating die. So the case will index with the bullet on top, or you seat the bullet just after the index as the case is going into the seating die. If you load slow enough option 1 is a decent option. If your loading faster option two is the most reliable. But it's slower then just putting the bullet on the case that is already indexed and ready to just go into the seating die (like you do on the 650). LnL is not a great high speed production machine in my experience. I could never load much faster with my LnL with the casefeeder then I could with my 550 (with out case feeder) because of these issues. Different strokes for different folks. I just want to be clear as to what I was saying.

9mm: 100round @ 9mins = 666 rounds in an hour. Yep, that's pretty slow.