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Scrounger
09-07-2009, 04:58 PM
Looks like I'm going to be loading 9MM. I would like to get a progressive press for my pistol calibers but the only one I'm familiar with, the Dillon Square Deal, has gotten too expensive to buy. I hear good things about the Hornady press and also the Lee Classic Turret. Do they work well? How many rounds an hour can a lazy man turn out on one of these? Years ago on my dill Square Deal .45, I could do 250 to 300 an hour, about half of what they said they were capable of doing.

Salmon-boy
09-07-2009, 05:32 PM
Here's my .02..

I've got a Lee Pro 1000, and for me, I can't beat the $160 spent, including the case collator (funnel). It's solid and once you get used to it, reasonably fast. If you're finicky about your charges, you might not like the differences in the Auto Disk powder measurement.

If I'm just hanging out, "playing the slots" I average somewhere between 100 to 200 per hour. I run cartridges through a Factory Crimp die afterwards, and I think the 3 stations of the Pro 1000 is it's only real drawback.

If you're used to a Dillion press, expect a big difference and some adjustment.

Storydude
09-07-2009, 05:37 PM
Lee Loadmaster. Best (only)progressive for it's under 200 dollar price.

www.loadmastervideos.com

NEeds some tinkering to run correctly, but when adjusted right, it flat out performs.

Scrounger
09-07-2009, 05:43 PM
I'm looking hard at the Classic Turret. No advocates for that one here?

Baron von Trollwhack
09-07-2009, 05:56 PM
I use a hornady AP for 5.56 and find it fully satisfactory. Factory set up was perfect. I went through set up step by step, using Lee case lube (industrial water soluble wax) on every moving part that touched a case, including primer seating parts, and it's flawless in operation.

Getting a thousand of Hornady 30 caliber deer bullets free was nice too. BvT

Esau
09-07-2009, 06:00 PM
I'm looking hard at the Classic Turret. No advocates for that one here?

I'm getting a casual hundred and fifty rounds per hour out of The Classic Turret. Although, I watch old movies while I re-load and double check things too much (still a nube). If the press/me operated flawlessly, we would do at least 250 an hour, but we never do [smilie=f: Check these recent threads too:

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=61992

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=55485

DaveInFloweryBranchGA
09-07-2009, 06:37 PM
Scrounger,

Answers to your questions within the quote below in red.


I hear good things about the Hornady press and also the Lee Classic Turret. Do they work well?

I've owned the Lee Classic Turret and I own a Hornady LnL. Both presses work extremely well. The only reason I sold the Lee was I had the Hornady and was no longer load small batches of milsurp rifle.

How many rounds an hour can a lazy man turn out on one of these?

On the Lee, my average was right at 200 an hour. I had mine tuned to the gills with all the bells and whistles and if I worked at it, I could hit 300/hour, but that was a lot of work. 200/hour, on the other hand, was no sweat.

With the Hornady, the only limiting factor has been the primer tubes. With that limitation, I can easily load 400 30.06 rifle cartridges per hour with ZERO strain while having myself a snack and piddling around. Buy a few extra of the primer pickup tubes and I'm sure you can hit a good bit more. But I'm too lazy to work any harder at it.

Years ago on my dill Square Deal .45, I could do 250 to 300 an hour, about half of what they said they were capable of doing.

The Hornady is not as fast as the Square Deal, but it is a heckuva lot more versatile. You use standard dies, have an awesome powder measure and if you use Lee dies, you can use a Lee Pro Auto Disk for pistol powders, leave them setup and have extremely quick caliber changeovers. Faster than my 550 back when I had it, much faster.


Some really sweet things I like about the Lee and the Hornady:

Extremely clean press, with the spent primer disposal system that gets rid of the spent primers and crud, routing them through a tube out of your way and out of the press, thereby preventing press filth and the associated wear/cleanup.

Easy, fast caliber changes.

Good primer systems, both very reliable when setup right.

Good powder measures, both handle pistol powders well and the Hornady also handles rifle powders (extruded) well.

Easy to adjust, once you've taken the time to tune and understand how the press operates. This should be done the first time you set it up.

An auto advance that doesn't sling powder on both.

Both have plenty of room for small hands.

The Lee is very sturdy and doesn't take up much bench real estate relative to some presses.

The Hornady is very sturdy and plenty of room for large hands.

The new Hornady EZject eliminated the one major issue with the Hornady. At this point, it's a pretty refined press.

The Hornady gives better runout on rifle cartridges than a 650.

The Hornady matches the Dillon powder measure with pistol powders, beats it with rifle powders.

I can think of more, but you can see I've been happy with both presses.

If you want boring reliability, durability and some free bullets, get the Hornady.

If you want affordability, boring reliability and simplicity, get the Lee.

Either way, it's a win/win situation.

Regards,

Dave

dragonrider
09-07-2009, 06:38 PM
I have been loading 9 MM on a Lee Pro 1000 since they first came out, they are easy to work with, a few little quirks but are easily corrected. I have loaded a lot of rounds on it and replace parts here and there but overall it is a good press. I did have a loadmaster for a while, they're junk, enough said. I don't have or ever have used a Lee Classic turret but have heard nothing but good about it. It's on my want list and I don't think you would go wrong with one.

Scrounger
09-07-2009, 07:06 PM
I'm getting a casual hundred and fifty rounds per hour out of The Classic Turret. Although, I watch old movies while I re-load and double check things too much (still a nube). If the press/me operated flawlessly, we would do at least 250 an hour, but we never do [smilie=f: Check these recent threads too:

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=61992

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=55485

A hundred and fifty an hour would do me fine. A couple of more questions: Does it come with the powder measure and primer feeder or must they be bought separately? It says other die brands can be used, what about the powder drop, does that also require another Lee Die, if so, one for each caliber?

Recluse
09-07-2009, 07:38 PM
I'm looking hard at the Classic Turret. No advocates for that one here?

Why I haven't picked one up (Lee Classic Turret) yet is beyond me. I keep promising myself I'm going to.

Got to pull the handle on one several weeks ago and it is SWEET. What a setup--and even moreso for the price!

Rugged, simple to use and the guy who let me stroke his Classic Turret said he can easily do 150 rounds per hour--or better, without breaking a sweat. That's not Dillon 650 production, but it's also a lot better than single stage production--which on a 9mm or .380ACP would drive me nuts.

Great press.

:coffee:

AJ Peacock
09-07-2009, 07:46 PM
I borrowed and used the Hornady and it did fine for me (used single stage before that). But I ended up getting a Dillon 650 and it's a whole new ballgame. I could do 100-150/hr on the hornady pretty easy. If I push myself, I can do 900/hr with the 650. But the price point is just as far apart. I'm sure you'll be happy with either the Hornady or the Lee.

Good Luck,
AJ

dolang1
09-07-2009, 07:58 PM
I recently bought a Classic Turret from Kemph Gun Shop.

Kemph Kit w/ Classic turret Press (select set of Lee dies)
Both upgrades (+$22.00) came to $199.95

I bought 3 extra turrets @ $9.95 came to $29.85

My total delivered price was $250.38

I love mine. Later Don

angus6
09-07-2009, 08:33 PM
I recently bought a Classic Turret from Kemph Gun Shop.

Kemph Kit w/ Classic turret Press (select set of Lee dies)
Both upgrades (+$22.00) came to $199.95

I bought 3 extra turrets @ $9.95 came to $29.85

My total delivered price was $250.38

I love mine. Later Don

Kemph is the place to get a LCT, I can easily do 100 9mm in 17 mins on my LCT , it's about 3 mins a 100 slower the my SDB

Lloyd Smale
09-08-2009, 06:31 AM
Ive allways been a dillon man and would never bad mouth them there that good. After my fire i needed a bunch of gear. I went with lnl progressives (3 of them) because with the free bullet offer they were about giving them away. If you factor in the 1000 free .30 cal bullet i got with each they cost me about a 100 bucks a piece. thats probably cheaper then what your going to pay for a lee and its 10 times the press. Its a no brainer to me. I was lucky enough to have dillon replace one of my presses a 550 for free and was sure glad about that. If the free bullet offer wasnt on the table the first press i would have bought would have been another 550. there not the fastest of the progressives but probably the most versitile press a handloader can own.

smith52
09-08-2009, 01:37 PM
The Lee Classic Turret Presses are tried and true. I have two older Lee turret presses, before the had cast bases, one three hole and one four hole. I love them both, I double check all my powder charges and still manage to do 100 to 125 rounds an hour with brass that is already primed. Buy extra turrets for every set of dies you plan to use with that press so you can leave your dies set up for each caliber.

DaveInFloweryBranchGA
09-08-2009, 02:10 PM
Scrounger,

Your answers in red below.


A hundred and fifty an hour would do me fine. A couple of more questions: Does it come with the powder measure and primer feeder or must they be bought separately?

The Lee does not come with a Lee Safety Prime or Powder measure in the box. Here are the ones I'd suggest buying:

Lee Safety Prime Kit, large and small primers
Lee Pro Auto Disk powder measure, one for each caliber you're reloading for, they're inexpensive, so spoil yourself and they work great with pistol powders.
Lee Pro Auto Disk Riser, one for each powder measure you buy
Lee 4 hole turret, one for each caliber you buy/have dies for
Lee Double Disk Kit
Lee Universal Charge Bar
Lee Micro Disk
Lee Deluxe die set for each caliber you want to reload for.

Why so much? It's inexpensive to buy all of it and by buying it at the git go, you'll have it ready when you want it and be glad you did. I was.

You can get all of this from Kempf's gun shop for next to nothing. Do a websearch and you can find them easily and they specialize in these kits. Note: DO get the upgraded items.

It says other die brands can be used, what about the powder drop, does that also require another Lee Die, if so, one for each caliber?

The Lee Pro Auto Disk requires the Lee powder through expander die to work in automatic mode.

All that said, if you buy the Hornady LnL and get the free bullets, you'll net out less than if you'd bought the Lee and the Hornady is more the equivalent of a Dillon 650.

Regards,

Dave

Dan Cash
09-08-2009, 03:50 PM
550B and forget the rest. You will be money ahead in the long run, even iv you figure your leisure (reloading) time worth 25 cents an hour. Besides, It will load rifle too.

Idaho Sharpshooter
09-08-2009, 05:23 PM
550 Dillon, plus one!!

the Lifetime Warranty is what makes it worth the price, along with the quality.

I own six SDBs and two 550s. Changing primer sizes makes the second one very worthwhile.

Rich
DRSS
In 13 days I will be firing a pair of serious big bore double rifles. The little one is a 700H&H.
The big one is a genuine 4Bore.

Ed K
09-08-2009, 05:27 PM
Two thumbs up on the 550B. Had it for almost 20 years. Pretty good recommendation considering Dillon pulls no punches in calling me an "*******" in their Blue Press because I don't vote Republican.

Bill*
09-08-2009, 07:15 PM
I can only speak of Lees Pro 1000, but I have loaded a fair bit on it in 5 pistol calibers and never had a serious problem. Simply works!!!

DaveInFloweryBranchGA
09-08-2009, 08:44 PM
Hate to say it 550 guys, but having owned a 550 and now owning a Hornady LnL, the Hornady is the better press. The 550 ain't bad, but it ain't a LnL.

Regards,

Dave

Esau
09-08-2009, 09:58 PM
A hundred and fifty an hour would do me fine. A couple of more questions: Does it come with the powder measure and primer feeder or must they be bought separately? It says other die brands can be used, what about the powder drop, does that also require another Lee Die, if so, one for each caliber?

I don't think Lee has a kit for The Classic Turret Press, but Midway usually sells them with a set of dies. I bought The Powder Measure and Lee Safety Prime (large and small) separately. Although, you can operate the press without either. It would still be pretty fast.

You have to have "The Auto Disk Riser" to use "The Lee Safety Prime," with "The Auto Disk Powder Measure."

In regards to other dies, I've only used Lee dies. Lee claims you must use "The Powder Through Expanding Die" to operate "The Auto Disk Powder Measure." Unfortunately, that die flares the case to accept the bullet. So, it would seem like you would need one for each pistol caliber. Although, apparently, just one for rifle. It sounds like that puts you in a jam. Sorry about the bad news.

I do have a suggestion: buy "The Lee Powder Measure Kit," with "The Powder Funnel" for about 15 bucks! My take on that is it should work pretty good. The Powder Funnel should fit and stay real well in The Powder Through Expanding Die and The Powder Dippers that come with the Powder Measure Kit, should be easy to move fast with. It's just one more thing to do, but not a big deal.

FIY: Lee Dies come with Lock Rings and with those, you don't really need extra turrets. It takes less than a minute to change calibers and the lock rings "remember" where you should tighten the dies down to. So, that's just more money you could spend on Primers :bigsmyl2:

Scrounger
09-08-2009, 10:52 PM
All good ideas. I read here or on another board, that I can use RCBS (or other) dies arranged in this order: Sizer; Expander; Lee Universal (one size fits all) Charging Die; Bullet Seater/Crimper. For rifle cartridges, the Charger Die is #2 and the Seater is #3. I'm going to go for the Lee Classic Turret, so I have a new in the box Lee Classic Cast Press for sale. Price same as Midway but I'll pay shipping.

DaveInFloweryBranchGA
09-09-2009, 10:42 AM
Scrounger,

You don't want to sell that single stage. Trust me on this. You're going to find uses for that press and it goes really well as a set with the Classic Turret. How do I know? I have one.

BTW, with the RCBS or Hornady LnL case activated powder drop, you can also use an RCBS Uniflow very nicely atop the Lee Classic Turret. Do a search on my nickname and you should be able to find a thread with pics of the setup. Works great for rifle or pistol.

Also, the Lee powder through dies come with their four die and three die sets. I tried out one of their 4 die pistol sets and was so pleased, I sold off my Hornady pistol dies and ended up having change to spare.

Regards,

Dave

Esau
09-09-2009, 08:50 PM
All good ideas. I read here or on another board, that I can use RCBS (or other) dies arranged in this order: Sizer; Expander; Lee Universal (one size fits all) Charging Die; Bullet Seater/Crimper. For rifle cartridges, the Charger Die is #2 and the Seater is #3. I'm going to go for the Lee Classic Turret, so I have a new in the box Lee Classic Cast Press for sale. Price same as Midway but I'll pay shipping.

Have Fun [smilie=p:

STAR4ever
09-10-2009, 11:11 AM
As my user name suggests I must place my vote in the STAR reloader camp. "Old" Star reloaders are perhaps the ultimate and first progressive machine for bullseye and target pistol shooters. Star did make 9mm shell plates and the favorite dies are the LifeTyme dies followed by the Perfection dies.

I have a STAR set up for 9mm with a Moon Unit Indexer and case kicker and Rich Daniels case feeder. Every pull of the lever results in a loaded 9mm round. All I simply do is place a bullet atop the charged and belled case mouth.

This machine is an early 1950's system with the above add on's. As far a dependability and ease of use and wonderful workmanship and materials used, there is not much out there that can compare to the original STAR progressive reloader.

Pretty much all newer reloaders tip their hats to the STAR design with the exception of the C&H 4D Autochampion Mark V which is a linear progressive press.

The STAR is worthy of your attention if high accuracy reloads made on a wonderful mechanism.

Cheers

Art

Ugluk
09-10-2009, 02:06 PM
I was wondering when someone was going to mention the Star. So far it's the only real press I've used, as I have borrowed one set up for 38s from the club.
I've fitted a simple casefeed to it and is working on a collator.


It's a sweet press with quality feeling oozing from every part, but how does it compare to something lika a new dillon?

The star seems rather high priced for what should be an obsolete press with odd die threads and no factory support, is this due to superior quality or just hype?

The only thing I've messed up with it so far is forgetting to advance the shellplate after placing the boolit and ramming it all the way down in the case with the powder measure and sprinkling powder on top..

longhorn47
09-10-2009, 06:47 PM
for you Star people check out www.starreloaders.com good place to be for imfo. Star is the best reloader that is why the star machine are still around and getting a big price. Dillion use to make parts for the star it was for reloading rifle amo. That was when he worked for TWA

STAR4ever
09-11-2009, 07:00 AM
Well, yes, the wonderful STAR reloader does ooze old time hand made quality and performance. The beautiful blued, hardend steel parts just snick, snick with every pull and push of the lever.

On www.starreloaders.com there are a avid group of STAR machine folks (yes including the wonderful STAR Lubrisizer) who provide support better than any factory could. There are also quite a few folks there that make/sell replacement parts as well as accessories for the STAR. Some machines are always being parted out or rebuilt and help is available there online.

To be frank, I have a Star set up in 45ACP that I personnaly have reloaded upwards of 60,000 rounds on over the last 25 years. The machine was used when I picked it up. It works flawlessly and shows no signs of wear other than the plastic powder magazine being darkened with age. They are a joy to use. You must consider yourself a caretaker for the Star as it will outlast you in most likelyhood. Cleaning the dies is the only annual task as well as lubing the main shaft and connecting rods. I use a shop vac to suck up stray powder from the works.

A good STAR ready to go with dies for one caliber and case feeder usually runs in the $450 to $650 range on the used market place. They show up on Ebay and Gunbroker on occasion.

Things to look for are wear marks on the deck of the STAR (rarely seen). Under the shell plate which holds the shells and rotates, there is a deck. Machines with massive amounts of reloading (say 800K+ rounds) use may show wear on the deck caused by the friction of the shells as they rotate. The deck can be milled smooth a few thousandths to clear this up.

Dave at CH4D makes dies for the star as do a few of the folks on the Star forum who are gunsmiths.

For pistol calibers, the STAR is the ultimate accuracy reloading machine. With indexers and case flippers added to it, it can churn out rounds as fast as you can seat a boolit.

cajun shooter
09-11-2009, 09:07 AM
You would do yourself a favor if you have the money to buy a 550 Dillon for your general reloading. The Lee Classic turrent second for that small reloading job where you need 250 or more for the next day. The Classic can be a single stage in just seconds. And next a single stage for that one case that needs to be sized, deprimed, belled, bullet seated or what ever the chore. Last but not least the Lee hand press for range work, camping, hunting trip or TV watching. Oh I'm sorry I talked too quick, a RCBS ROCK Chucker for those heavy duty jobs and using the RCBS Brass Shotgun dies. Ok let's see we have 5 presses and the gear to run them. Now you see why I'm broke as I just gave you my inventory of needed equipment. Ha!! Ha!! Later David

giorgio
09-11-2009, 05:20 PM
The Lee pro 1000 is OK if your pistol rounds do not need the factory crimp die,the one that sizes the whole loaded cartridge.It has only three die stations.
For rifle rounds that need neck expanding and the three fingered crimping ,nothing beats the 650 Dillon.
With both those machine it is practically impossible to pour a double dose of powder.
While the Dillon 550 ,where the shell plate is manually advanced ,in a separate motion ,may make you commit this mistake.

Scrounger
09-16-2009, 06:58 PM
Started looking for the needed Lee items, they were just as cheap on Ebay as they were at Midway. Found a guy in Las Vegas who said he had everything I needed, I figured I'd rather spend the money for gas to visit my sister than to give it to UPS, so I made arrangements to meet him Saturday afternoon near the Red Rock Casino where we had lunch. When I called him, I got his voice mail. Twice. So much for that plan... When I got home he called me and said that his phone hadn't rang. Twice. Wanted me to come back over to get the stuff. That ain't going to happen. Then he said he'd let me know what it'd cost to ship it. Last I heard from him. I found another guy on Ebay who can match his prices and ship it for $16. Done deal. Still can't figure out the first bozo; I figure he was taking a nap and missed the boat, or got a chance to sell it before I got there and was just trying to stall me. Doesn't matter... I was going to refer other reloaders his way but that's out of the question now.

DaveInFloweryBranchGA
09-16-2009, 08:22 PM
There's a reason why folks recommend Kempf's Gun Shop for those Lee kits.

Regards,

Dave

jeff423
09-16-2009, 09:01 PM
I realize this was not part of your original post but I had an LNL - sent it back and got an XL 650 with all the accessories. It was a lot of money, but it only hurt once.

I've heard Hornady has improved the LNL ejection system in the past year and that would be a help. It's a good - but not a great progressive. The free bullet offer is nice but you will have your press for a long time after you've shot the bullets.

Jeff

Russel Nash
09-16-2009, 09:27 PM
DISCLAIMER: all I have ever used have been Dillons. I have a 550 and a 650. The 650 is set up to reload .223 exclusively right now. The 550 is set up to load 9, .40 or .45, although flip flopping between large primers and small primers can be kinda inconveinient.

All of my friends that I know who I shoot matches with, reload on Dillons. Well there is one guy...he has a Hornady LnL the last time I talked with him.

At each IDPA Nationals, the competitors are required to fill out an equipment survey before they get their free range bags and other free schwag. The results of the survey get printed in the IDPA magazine Tactical Journal a few months after the National match. Easily 2/3's of the shooters reload on a Dillon. Probably more.

Russel Nash
09-16-2009, 09:32 PM
Oh, yeah, comparing a Hornady LnL to a Dillon 550 is kinda apples to oranges.

AFAIK, the LnL autoindexes, so that should really put it on par with the Dillon 650.

Also, AFAIK, the LnL doesn't take a toolhead that slides in and out of the press. I like having caliber specific/dedicated toolheads for my 650 and 550. Slide out the one for the 9, switch out the primer system, then slide in the dedicated toolhead for the .45 and VOILA! I'm cranking out .45 ammo.

Me? I take the time to clean the press when swapping calibers so about 15 minutes is what it takes.

It also takes about 15 minutes to crank out one hundred rounds of pistol ammo on the 550.

the 650 is a different story since it is set up for .223. I timed my friend once on his case feeder equipped 650. Extrapolating out how many he made in a minute... in an hour, he would have made 1,200 rounds.

Lloyd Smale
09-17-2009, 06:32 AM
with the lock and load dies its no slower to swap three dies in then it is to swap a tool head. Both need the plate changed and its a toss up there. I keep powder measures allreay set up for a few calibers and have ajustment stems set up for many powder charges so its just a matter of poping in three dies changing the plate and poping on the measure and snapping in an insert and im ready to go. I personaly think with the snap in bushing for the measure its actually faster to swap a hornady then it is a dillon. That is if you want to be completely ready to load a specific round including the powder charge. With the dillon you can do the same but you about have to have a measure set up on your tool head and changeing the powder bar is a pain in the but comparted to snapping in an insert. Im not saying the lnl is superior to the dillon. I actually like the case feeder system better on the dillon and think the mechanics for the shell plate rotation are better designed. But in my opinion the primer feed is slightly better and swapping calibers and loads are slightly faster on the lnl. One more thing that i like on the lnl is that the shell plates are much more ruggedly built. I broke proably a half a dozen shell plates on the dillon and i dont think theres a way a guy could break one on the lnl. Disadvantage though, especially with the new ejection system is the plates are as versitile. You cant do like you do on a dillon and use say the same plate for 45 acp and the family of rifle rounds that share the head size with the 308. I have two of the new lock and loads and one of the old style ejecting ones and actually think I like the old style better. I dont know why hornady decided they needed to change it. Its basicaly the same ejection system dillon uses and works just fine. We can argue to were blue in the face about which is better but ive used both extensively and know the quirks both have and its basicaly a toss up to me as to which is better. I bought the hornadys because of the free bullet offer. With a 1000 free 150 grain 308s if you factor that into the price there almost giving away the press. to be honest ive used dillon presses for 25 years and still have a 550 and if it werent for the free bullet offer i probably wouldnt have gone with the 3 hornadys but im more then pleased with them and hornady has been as good as dillon for tech info and replacing parts. When i got my first one i tried loading 45s and 308s with the same shell plate and the 45s were hanging up on the ejection boss. I took a file to it and got it to work but found out that after filing on it no other rounds would eject. they sent me a whole new plate assembly and when I called them i told them i had three of the presses and asked what spare parts i should buy and they sent me a seleciton of springs and high wear parts for free.

DaveInFloweryBranchGA
09-17-2009, 07:29 AM
Like Lloyd, I've owned a Dillon 550 and have had lots of time loading on a 650. I've also had time to compare the rounds loaded on a 650 with those loaded on a LnL.

When it comes to pistol rounds, it's pretty much a wash. They all do a great job. When it comes to speed, the LnL beats the 550 and ties the 650. When it comes to warranty service, it's pretty much a wash, as both companies do a good job of servicing them.

When it comes to rifle rounds, the Hornady pulls ahead of both the Dillons. It has better runout on every cartridge a buddy and I have measured over the past year or so. I've decided that's inherent in the design. The LnL bushings or the individual locations simply allow better alignment than a toolhead does.

When it comes to powder measures, the Hornady measure also beats the Dillons and handles extruded powders much better. It is faster to adjust, allowing you to use only a single measure with minimal adjustment time for various cartridges. I used it for ten years before I ever bought another measure. Even then, I only did so because I switched to the Lee Powder through dies and wanted to try out the Lee powder measures and have a new toy.

The primer system on the LnL has proven to be more reliable than the primer system on the 550 I had. It's also easier to change calibers. It's also safer than the 650, because there's no line of primers running from the seating area to the primer tube to blow up and lead to a tube full of primers blowing.

As far as the advance, it's faster than the 550 and I don't get a sore thumb pushing the wheel. Everybody is different, but I hated the manual advance. I prefer the LnL automatic advance over the Dillon 650 because it doesn't sling powder out like the 650 can. It's simply less abrupt.

Related to having room, the LnL has more room for your hands to work. If you're a guy with big hands, this is especially beneficial.

On spare parts that wear, I've had my press about ten years. I've reloaded continuously on it during that time. No longer sure how many rounds, but plenty, especially in the first 7, when I was shooting high power, three gun, IDPA and IPSC. I never replaced a shellplate. I never replaced a spring till March of this year, when I decided to take the press apart, clean it, lube it and do a long term maintenance. So I replaced the springs, regardless if they needed it or not. Next year, I may replace the two feed pawls, as they're starting to show a little wear.

Primer disposal. The LnL primer disposal system routes the spent primers and primer filth through a tube and to any receptacle you choose, keeping the primer filth from contaminating your press. This saves wear and tear and you don't have to keep cleaning the press or deal with spent primers except when a coffee can or trash can gets full of spent primers. In the meantime, your press stays clean.

Rebuild it like you hear so often with Dillon presses? It doesn't show enough wear to rebuild it. I not sure it ever will as long as I keep it clean and lubricated.

I can't say about the case feeder, because I haven't needed one, as the press has always cranked out enough rounds without one to feed all my shooting habits with ease. I may get one this year, just to spoil myself. In the meantime, I'm mighty pleased with my LnL.

Ejection, the Dillon used to be a little better. But with the new system, even that advantage is gone. The EZject system is as good as the Dillon system.

Of course, with the free bullet deal, you end up getting the press for less money than either Dillon. Hard to pass up, especially for a press this sweet.

Regards,

Dave