Originally Posted by
Steel185
I load 45ACP everyday 100-200 rds, i shoot about 100 at least once a week, twice when i can. I store the rest. All off my Hornady LNL. I also have a RCBS turret for revolver and lever action rounds that do require that many rounds. I recently bought an AR-15 and trying to layout my plan to reload I need some advise.
You're shooting about 400 rounds a week or eight 50 round boxes a week. This would easily justify a caliber conversion for the Hornady LnL progressive you have if that's the number you are planning to reload for the .223, but it isn't. A more useful number would be how much do you plan on shooting the AR15, where you'll need longer ranges to shoot at. If it is an equivalent number, it would easily justify a caliber conversion. Also, rather than building a 100 cases, I would build several thousand or more at a time of the .45ACP Why? Convenience and efficiency. By doing large batches, you make your progressive much more efficient (like any other production machine) and make a quantity you can use for a while. While you're using that quantity up, you can use the press to reload other calibers, such as the .223.
Should i convert the LNL to .223 and back and forth when needed to produce .223? I ran most of the numbers and its $120 once you get the dies, shell plate, case feed plate, and extra bushings. Plus anything else i might need (new to neck rifle reloading).
Before you get too far into buying case feed plates since you don't own a case feeder, I would figure out how much .223 I'm going to shoot or how much I want to store. If I wanted to shoot a lot or store a lot, I would buy the caliber conversion. Why? Because the LnL is one of the easier presses to convert (excepting the case feeder portion) I would not buy another press. If I wanted to make a lot of .223, I would make it in large quantities (1000 or more at a time) and store it. Even with quantities that large, a case feeder really isn't needed. Remember, with rifle cartridges, you have to
I could get a Lee progresive, load master or Pro1000 and just use it for .223. $153 ready to go for .223
While I really like Lee's Classic Cast single stage and Classic Turret, most folks are ill advised to get the Lee progressives. They take a significant amount of mechanical aptitude (and work) to get and keep running. Why subject yourself to this when you already have a Hornady LnL, a fine progressive, sitting on your bench.
get a Pro1000 basic model ($84 + dies) and just use it to run the brass through (deprime, resize, prime, expand) then finish each round at the turret?
Now this may have some value, but don't forget to figure trimming into the equation at least one time. You can use a X-die after the first trim, but the brass still has to be trimmed and priming is one of the known major problem areas of this press.
What makes the most sense? looks like its around the same $, or am i missing something completely?
Sometimes it isn't just the dollars. It's the associated headaches. Based on quantities, efficiency and etc., you'd be better off just buying a caliber conversion without buying a case feeder. You may want to consider a case feeder and a bullet feeder when the quantities you're shooting exceed a thousand a month for .223. Right now, based on your numbers and extrapolation (sure fire wild reared guessing), I think you'll end up being happier with a caliber conversion.