Hornady® Lock-N-Load® AP™ Reloading Press

[ulav8r]

Thanks guys...appears that some like, some don't like the Hornady. Also, some like, some don't like the Dillon

No biggie...none will be available for a while...actually a long while now that we have certain people in charge. Now I need to start a thread about ultrasonic parts cleaners.

Why start a thread when you can find several that have already run through many replies?

[Rockindaddy]

I liked your take on the Dillon! Also your thoughts on the Hornady. My Dillon 1050 Super cranks out 45-70's almost as fast as I can load the Bruce feed and crank my Colt Gatling! The old Dillon stainless 1000 is set up for 30-06. Both Dillons have case feeders that work flawless! I feed bullets by hand. I do have an old Hornady Pro-7 that works hard but turns out great pistol ammo! even figured out how to use Hornady LNL shell plates! Priming system on the Hornady is great! However the Lee Load Masters are junk! Have two of them! The priming systems with all the plastic parts fail all the time. Very difficult press to use! Would be nice to find someone out there who likes them! Is there anyone who really knows how to make the Lee's run??

[Carrier]

Attachment 275040

Attachment 275041

Attachment 275042

Hope this helps. The "Sticks" are just paint stirrers hot glued together.

BNE

I really don’t know what to say. So you have the rope hooked to the handle which operates the case pivot? What is the bracket and looks like some red thing by station one?

[Lloyd Smale]

Thanks guys...appears that some like, some don't like the Hornady. Also, some like, some don't like the Dillon

No biggie...none will be available for a while...actually a long while now that we have certain people in charge. Now I need to start a thread about ultrasonic parts cleaners.

want me to tell you who doesnt like dillon? the people that dont own one and most that have never even ran one. The type that bought there cheap press and want to think they were wise for buying it even though its a crap. Just look at what the professionals and the competition shooters use. 99.9 percent dillon. That right there should answer your question. I can see where some cant afford a dillon or maybe make 50 rounds of ammo a month and will never do more not being willing to spend 800 dollars on a press. For some this isnt a passion. there more interested in buying a new golf club or a piece of chrome for there truck or harley. Me? I SHOOT. I reloading isnt a hobby shooting is and to shoot i need to reload and reload alot. I could probably get to the store in a ford pinto or a yugo. But how many times is it going to leave me on the side of the road. I said it in the last post and ill say it again. Even a manual 550 will make more ammo in an 5 hour session them my lnls with case feeders. I seem to spend more time cleaning and tweaking them and fighting with the case feeders that i do putting out good ammo. The 550 Just runs and runs. Ive had square deals and they did the same. Ran my buddys 650s and 1050s and almost hate to do it because everytime I run them it just reminds me of how stupid I was to buy a lnl. If money isnt an issue then there is only ONE CHOICE!! If i could only have one press for ALL of my loading it would be a 550. If i had money to spend right now id sell those lnl's and take it in the but on what i could get for them and buy a 750 with a case feeder. but im retired now and dont have alot of extra money. But for the most part my 2 lock and loads collect dust. I do 90 percent of my loading on my 550 and the rest on my rock chucker or lnl single stage. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY knowing what i learned using them that i would buy another lnl progressive. Lifes to short to spend half your loading session in frustration.

[Lloyd Smale]

I had a Pro-Jector for years, then got out of shooting for awhile.
Getting back in, I got the new generation LNL AP.
I like it. It has what I liked about the Pro-Jector, with a greatly improved powder drop and primer feed.

Other selling points for me was it has 5 stations instead of 4,
and the frame is offset so I can see the powder level and set the boolit onto the case easier as the shell plate comes around..

I had problems with the primer feed and powder drop adjustments & setup-----
until I reluctantly read the directions. Now, they're both fine.

The LNL bushing thing is made to compete with the quick change tool head swap out feature the others have.
For me, its a solution to a problem I don't have, and don't care for it.
I only load handgun ammo with it, and will load up all I'll shoot in one caliber for at least a year, then change over to another.
I took off the 'O' rings and JB welded the bushings into the frame. I let the lock rings on the dies hold them like the old style did.

there is the only thing ill give hornady credit for over dillion. The powder measures are better and easier to use. 650s are 5 station too. That said what are you using it for. With a 550 expanding and charging on the same station it already does what the 5 station lnl will do.

[8shot]

Why start a thread when you can find several that have already run through many replies?

Thanks..very helpful post.

[Lloyd Smale]

Why start a thread when you can find several that have already run through many replies?

if everyone thought like that this forum would have died years ago. Very few posts are on something totally new on a forum like this. Not everyone has been here 20 years or casted and loaded for 50 years.

[Burnt Fingers]

That Hornady bushing systems seems really neat....till your powder measure rotates out and doesn't drop powder.

If you don't like the Dillon powder measure you can use a Hornady powder measure on the Dillon press, though I don't know why one wouldn't like the Dillon powder measure.

I use an EasyDial on my Dillon powder bars. It's extremely repeatable. Once I know the setting for a load I can come back to it within .1 grain.

Also you can calibrate the EasyDial and then know what setting will yield what amount of powder.

[Livin_cincy]

A YouTuber bought a 750 after years of LNL AP. He went thru the learning curve on the LNL and used the warranty many times. Even sent it back to the Factory. Never paid for any warranty service. So he was in a position to compare them.

He did not like that the 750 as shipped would not permit a powder check & bullet feeder. You were left purchase after market parts or buy a discontinued spring kit from Dillion. This was not an issue on the 650. He was not alone in this complaint.

The 750 has a plastic piece for the timing where the pawls on the LNL control it. So timing issues are resolved differently. The 750 plastic part fails with much less pressure than the 650. So keep spares on hand. With the LNL learning to set the timing is essential. There are after market tools to simplify this task.

His final conclusion is that they are different. Both do the same thing differently. Each does certain things better.

LNL owners talk about many tens of thousands of rounds over decades of use. Dillion users load 500+ per week and talk about 100's of Thousands over decades. So it is an observation that is not equal.

The comparison of the LNL to the 6/750 might not be accurate. It is more like comparing an LNL to a case fed 550. So if you are looking at that volume of production. Without a case feeder they also compare nicely.

Most sqibs and double charges at gun clubs are loaded on a Dillon 550. Manual indexing is natural to some and obtuse to others. Dillon has a (30) day return of you buy from them.

There is a recent post on this forum where the author noted Dillon charged him to replace his shell plate. The Dillon "No BS " warranty does say you ship part to factory for replacement. They are starting to enforce that clause. Dillon owners typically buy an arsenal of parts and keep new ones coming from the Factory on a regular cycle. Others cannot figure out why they have never broken anything in 20 years but they have only loaded tens of thousands.

You can sell an LNL used to a happy LNL owner to lazy to change primer size for what a used Dillon goes for. The change in the "No BS" warranty makes a used Dillon have a different value. Dillon has been competing against its legacy costs for years.

Profesional, Competition, and some YouTubers get Dillon for free as part of Dillons marketing. The other manufacturers do not give presses as part of their marketing. Dillon does not make being a distributor easy as they set the price and compete against them. You cannot go and find a Dillon on display very easy. So evaluate this for yourself.

If you decide on an LNL watch Brownells as they let you return it anytime. So you can try it for a year or more. They are not the lowest price. But they do run sales.

The after market parts required to get a Dillon Press to function to most owers expectations is large. You will easily spend the price of the press in upgrades over time to overcome your frustration. The 650 was a cash cow for the aftermarket industry.

The ideology of Precision handgun is pretty weak. Hand gun precision is 25 or 50 yard Bullseye shooting. All manufacturers achieve this level of handgun precision. To compete you need a lot of practice ! A progressive gets you more time shooting.

[Lloyd Smale]

That Hornady bushing systems seems really neat....till your powder measure rotates out and doesn't drop powder.

If you don't like the Dillon powder measure you can use a Hornady powder measure on the Dillon press, though I don't know why one wouldn't like the Dillon powder measure.

I use an EasyDial on my Dillon powder bars. It's extremely repeatable. Once I know the setting for a load I can come back to it within .1 grain.

Also you can calibrate the EasyDial and then know what setting will yield what amount of powder.

reason i like the hornady measure better is its like the old rcbs little dandy. You can keep extra bushings allready set for a powder charge and just snap them in. I probably have 20 extra bushings set in charges i use the most. Yup you can do it with a dillion too by buying extra slides but there not near as handy to swap out. yup you could no doubt adapt a hornady to a dillion press but on the 550 it flairs and charges and theres not enough stations to flare seperately and still have a crimp station. It would also nessitate some awkward around the back bullet seating as the press is designed to seat in the 3rd station.

[Burnt Fingers]

A YouTuber bought a 750 after years of LNL AP. He went thru the learning curve on the LNL and used the warranty many times. Even sent it back to the Factory. Never paid for any warranty service. So he was in a position to compare them.

He did not like that the 750 as shipped would not permit a powder check & bullet feeder. You were left purchase after market parts or buy a discontinued spring kit from Dillion. This was not an issue on the 650. He was not alone in this complaint.

The 750 has a plastic piece for the timing where the pawls on the LNL control it. So timing issues are resolved differently. The 750 plastic part fails with much less pressure than the 650. So keep spares on hand. With the LNL learning to set the timing is essential. There are after market tools to simplify this task.

His final conclusion is that they are different. Both do the same thing differently. Each does certain things better.

LNL owners talk about many tens of thousands of rounds over decades of use. Dillion users load 500+ per week and talk about 100's of Thousands over decades. So it is an observation that is not equal.

The comparison of the LNL to the 6/750 might not be accurate. It is more like comparing an LNL to a case fed 550. So if you are looking at that volume of production. Without a case feeder they also compare nicely.

Most sqibs and double charges at gun clubs are loaded on a Dillon 550. Manual indexing is natural to some and obtuse to others. Dillon has a (30) day return of you buy from them.

There is a recent post on this forum where the author noted Dillon charged him to replace his shell plate. The Dillon "No BS " warranty does say you ship part to factory for replacement. They are starting to enforce that clause. Dillon owners typically buy an arsenal of parts and keep new ones coming from the Factory on a regular cycle. Others cannot figure out why they have never broken anything in 20 years but they have only loaded tens of thousands.

You can sell an LNL used to a happy LNL owner to lazy to change primer size for what a used Dillon goes for. The change in the "No BS" warranty makes a used Dillon have a different value. Dillon has been competing against its legacy costs for years.

Profesional, Competition, and some YouTubers get Dillon for free as part of Dillons marketing. The other manufacturers do not give presses as part of their marketing. Dillon does not make being a distributor easy as they set the price and compete against them. You cannot go and find a Dillon on display very easy. So evaluate this for yourself.

If you decide on an LNL watch Brownells as they let you return it anytime. So you can try it for a year or more. They are not the lowest price. But they do run sales.

The after market parts required to get a Dillon Press to function to most owers expectations is large. You will easily spend the price of the press in upgrades over time to overcome your frustration. The 650 was a cash cow for the aftermarket industry.

The ideology of Precision handgun is pretty weak. Hand gun precision is 25 or 50 yard Bullseye shooting. All manufacturers achieve this level of handgun precision. To compete you need a lot of practice ! A progressive gets you more time shooting.

Before this latest crazy season started a used LnL AP was worth maybe 50% of new price. A used Dillon 650 that had been drug down a gravel road behind a truck was selling for 80-90% of new.

I recently had two parts on a Dillon powder measure develop cracks. I took a picture, sent it to Dillon and received both parts about 10 days later. The two parts were basically the entire bottom of the powder measure.

I've never had a timing issue with either of my 650 presses, and the spare index ring in the spare parts kit has never been used. That's with around 200K loaded over the past six years.

Half my calls to Hornady were like pulling teeth to get replacement parts for the LnL AP presses I owned.

[dannyd]

If it weren't for the forum I would have never know all the problems with a LNL. In 90,664 rounds never had hardly any problems. So I don't know what to thinks sometimes.

[Ranger 7]

I have used Hornady's 5 station press since 1882. First the Pro 7 or the Pro then switch to the LNL, when my first one was lost in a hurricane.
Bought in 2009, have loaded over 83,000 rounds since (I keep detailed records).
I admit the early presses had priming and ejecting problems, but the LNL (with it's upgrade) fixed them.
From then on it has been perfect! Also am totally satisfied with their service and helpfulness!

[Winger Ed.]

Half my calls to Hornady were like pulling teeth to get replacement parts for the LnL AP presses I owned.

Interesting.

Over the years, I've only called them twice.
Once for a new plastic powder hopper tube. Mine was from the early 80's, and they didn't have any of the tubes.
So they sent me a new model one, and it fit too, but I had to drill a hole for the retaining screw.
I offered to pay for it, but they wouldn't let me.

Last summer- I had a .45ACP case tilt going up & in my AP, and I forced the handle enough to break the star looking thing
under the frame that rotates the plate.
They were going to send a new one at no charge, but I told 'em it wasn't a warranty call---- I broke it.
They let me pay $1.88 for the new one.

[Lloyd Smale]

Interesting.

Over the years, I've only called them twice.
Once for a new plastic powder hopper tube. Mine was from the early 80's, and they didn't have any of the tubes.
So they sent me a new model one, and it fit too, but I had to drill a hole for the retaining screw.
I offered to pay for it, but they wouldn't let me.

Last summer- I had a .45ACP case tilt going up & in my AP, and I forced the handle enough to break the star looking thing
under the frame that rotates the plate.
They were going to send a new one at no charge, but I told 'em it wasn't a warranty call---- I broke it.
They let me pay $1.88 for the new one.

yup thats one thing i cant bash hornady for. there customer service was allways just as good as dillions.

[468]

I’ve never used a Dillon. I thought it would be like test driving a Cadillac before I bought the Chevy.

I bought the LnL about 10 years ago and am fairly happy with it. I happened to catch a sale and paid $299 for it. Too good to pass up. But, you WILL have some tinkering to do to get it to run.

The powder thrower sometimes twists loose(mentioned previously) and you’ll end up with squibs. A Powder Cop die is a must to avoid this. But this eliminated the ability to seat and crimp with separate dies, which I like to do. To solve this problem, I recently acquired a LEE APP so I can size and decap in separate operation. That Lee APP is a bargain, especially considering the time it saves. Slick little machine.

The primer feed mechanism will need polishing and beveling to run reliably. A bit much to go into detail here. Also, you have to keep it clean so the slide runs properly.

Setting up timing was easy.

I load maybe 1 to 2,000 handgun rounds per month on my LnL. Rifle is loaded on a RC. Not exactly a high volume shooter. But I enjoy loading at least as much as I do shooting, and don’t mind having to jack with the mechanism a little.

[Burnt Fingers]

I’ve never used a Dillon. I thought it would be like test driving a Cadillac before I bought the Chevy.

I bought the LnL about 10 years ago and am fairly happy with it. I happened to catch a sale and paid $299 for it. Too good to pass up. But, you WILL have some tinkering to do to get it to run.

The powder thrower sometimes twists loose(mentioned previously) and you’ll end up with squibs. A Powder Cop die is a must to avoid this. But this eliminated the ability to seat and crimp with separate does, which I like to do. To solve this problem, I recently acquired a LEE APP so I can size and decap in separate operation. That Lee APP is a bargain, especially considering the time it saves. Slick little machine.

The primer feed mechanism will need polishing and beveling to run reliably. A bit much to go into detail here. Also, you have to keep it clean so the slide runs properly.

Setting up timing was easy.

I load maybe 1 to 2,000 handgun rounds per month on my LnL. Rifle is loaded on a RC. Not exactly a high volume shooter. But I enjoy loading at least as much as I do shooting, and don’t mind having to jack with the mechanism a little.

My 650's have five stations, just like a LnL AP. I have a RCBS Lock Out die, much better than the Hornady Powder Cop, and still have seating and crimping on separate stations. You can do the same on the Hornady.

Anytime you're doing anything off the progressive press you're losing time.

[dannyd]

My 650's have five stations, just like a LnL AP. I have a RCBS Lock Out die, much better than the Hornady Powder Cop, and still have seating and crimping on separate stations. You can do the same on the Hornady.

Anytime you're doing anything off the progressive press you're losing time.

That's not really true for people like me: Average time a week reloading 20 hours because I like to reload. I load all rifle rounds and anything for my TC's on a single stage press's. I use a RCBS lock out die and I have one from Hornady it came with their Control Panel setup. If you came in my reloading room you would see equipment from every manufacturer.

[farmbif]

on the Hornady powder measure coming loose--just call Hornady and for the asking they will send you shims to prevent bushing from coming loose and a new plastic tube in case you left powder in yours a bit too long

[468]

My 650's have five stations, just like a LnL AP. I have a RCBS Lock Out die, much better than the Hornady Powder Cop, and still have seating and crimping on separate stations. You can do the same on the Hornady.

Anytime you're doing anything off the progressive press you're losing time.

Please elaborate. Decap/resize+flare+powder+powder cop + seat + crimp = 6. I’m always looking for a better way...