Help choosing press

[21SF]

My girl is getting me a press for xmas, i think im set on the hornady LnL progressive. Seems like solid contruction, i plan on using it for pistol and rifle.

Any experience with LNL?
Pro and cons?
Budget is 400-500 just for press.

[GeoffLinder]

Go here and look at the Dillon RL-550B. Brianenos.com has the best pricing on Dillon anywhere. Dillon has a 100% No BS lifetime warranty.

http://www.brianenos.com/pages/dillon.html

Call Brian Enos directly and ask him what he thinks you should do, he only reps Dillon because he has tried everything else in his career

In 5 years you will be glad you went Dillon. My 550 has served me well for over 20 years and I have had very little break and what did break, I got replaced free and fast. You will not find that to be true for everyone who bought other brands of progressive. The horror stories outweigh the success stories with other brands of progressive.

I know some folks have made Hornady, Lee and RCBS progressives function for them, but they are not the overwhelming majority of the customer base like is true for Dillon.

Happy Holidays :-)

[freonr22]

for your consideration

http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillonLeeHornadyComparison.pdf

lnl owner here

[GeoffLinder]

The only thing I disagree with is caliber change difficulty. You should always get the caliber change kits with a new powder measure. When you do this, no readjustment is needed and calibers changes are measured in just a couple minutes. Add a couple more minutes if you also need to change primer size.

Also, that article compares the Dillon 650, I don't recommend the 650 for someone who wants to reload pistol and rifle on the same press. I recommend the 550 which is a simpler beast, cheaper and easier to deal with over the long haul.

The 550 doesn't have a case feeder or bullet feeder, but this is not an issue IMHO and simpler is always more reliable in my book.

[sonnyt650]

Nevermind -- I looked over that comparo link and verified my observation. Very good link!

[21SF]

Go here and look at the Dillon RL-550B. Brianenos.com has the best pricing on Dillon anywhere. Dillon has a 100% No BS lifetime warranty.

http://www.brianenos.com/pages/dillon.html

Call Brian Enos directly and ask him what he thinks you should do, he only reps Dillon because he has tried everything else in his career

In 5 years you will be glad you went Dillon. My 550 has served me well for over 20 years and I have had very little break and what did break, I got replaced free and fast. You will not find that to be true for everyone who bought other brands of progressive. The horror stories outweigh the success stories with other brands of progressive.

I know some folks have made Hornady, Lee and RCBS progressives function for them, but they are not the overwhelming majority of the customer base like is true for Dillon.

Happy Holidays :-)

thank you

for your consideration

http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillonLeeHornadyComparison.pdf

lnl owner here

Thank you


Keep it coming

[five.five-six]

I always recommend starting out with a single stage press, you will always need it for precision rounds and you will learn each of the stages that are taking place in your future progressive, you can have a clear understanding of what happened

rockchucker

[rsrocket1]

The LnL is an excellent choice. The 550 is also a good choice. If auto-indexing is important or 5 stations rather than 4 is important, then the LnL wins. The 650 has 5 and auto-indexing, but will send you over the $500 budget.

The LnL bushings make caliber changeovers both cheap and quick. This really helps when you want to load several different types of rounds in one setting. Switching primers types is fairly quick and so is switching powder drops even from large (rifle) to small (pistol) charges. A complete switch with all adjustments and a few test rounds is something that takes only a few minutes.

Watch the Hornady LnL instructional videos on Youtube or from the Hornady site. They are much easier to understand than the written manual.

The LnL is $350-$400 with 500 free bullets using a mail-in rebate and $15 postage.

Added costs would be a shell plate for each caliber ($30), a primer flipper tray ($7-$10), dies, and a can of One Shot Dry Lube gun cleaner($7). This is mandatory and ought to be thrown free in by Hornady. As the video states, you MUST clean off the packing grease in the powder drop. This is used to prevent rust while its in the box, but will cause powder to stick to it and really mess up your powder drop consistency if it isn't cleaned off.

If you are on Cabela's mailing list, they constantly have promotional offers such as free shipping or $$$ off orders. I got my LnL in September when they gave a $150 gift card for a $500 purchase. That and the free bullets got me into reloading and sealed the deal on the Hornady. If Cabelas sold Dillons, I'd have probably torn out my hair trying to decide.

[GeoffLinder]

I always recommend starting out with a single stage press, you will always need it for precision rounds and you will learn each of the stages that are taking place in your future progressive, you can have a clear understanding of what happened

rockchucker

True Dat! I started with a RCBS RockChucker setup and I still use it all the time for my low volume calibers and most of my rifle brass sizing duties.

I agree that a basic single stage setup is a good starting point AND a good thing to have in general.

[RaymondMillbrae]

Buy once, cry once.

Get the XL650 and be done with it.

With the XL650 you will need toolheads for each different caliber, and you will also need a toolhead for "prepping" your .223 brass. (If you decide to do it progressively with an electric trimmer).

If you are reloading .223 brass, then progressively prepping the brass is a HUGE time saver. .

Check out the RELOADING .223 VIDEO below my signature.

The Hornady LNL is also a good press, based on many reviews. But I do not own one, so I cannot comment on it. But I can definitely vouch for "The Blue"!

Bottom line...how much do you shoot? If you compete, go progressive. If not, then save your shekels and go the cheaper route. (Not to be confused with a "lesser" route...just a cheaper route).

Oh yea...from what I have read, the "free boolits" you receive are only what they offer. You cannot get any type of Hornady pistol boolit you want. (Some people were bummed about that).

In Christ: Raymond

PS: I read your comment about "your budget". But we all know that can be played with.

[Waldog]

I have used all the Dillon presses and the Hornady LNL. Both companies make excellent equipment. Both companies provide outstanding customer service.
Based on my experience, the LNL is by far my favorite. I would not trade my LNL for any new Dillon, except maybe the 1050 which is really commercial machine. I own a LNL and a Dillon SDB.

[Oceanbob]

Dillon 650

Or the 1050.

Don't look back. Get what's right.

[Fyathyrio]

While the advice to start with a single stage is sound for most, you have to determine your mechanical ability first. After over 20 years as a mech in the Navy, I knew I had the ability to deal with the more complex machine right off the bat. I taught myself the process running it as a single...one piece of brass through the whole process until I had each station down, ect. I'm glad I took that route myself...a single stage is great to have for some operations though and I'll pick one up soon.

For your budget, it's hard to beat the Hornady. Five stations allows you to run some form of powder check for safer operation, while still allowing for separate seating and crimping. The auto indexing is nice, plus smoother then the Dillon. Cheaper caliber conversions are a big plus also. No need for extra tool heads or powder drops, the Hornady powder drop is easy to set and adjust, and the LnL bushings allow you to swap dies without losing the settings. Once you get the process down it's like the slots in Vegas, but you get paid each time you pull the handle!

Oh, check www.manventureoutpost.com for pricing...frequently they're pretty cheap.

[tujungatoes]

I just recently got my LNL, and I'm loving it. It's a very well built machine. caliber/primer changes are quick and very easy. I really like the LNL bushings vs. having to buy multiple toolheads for a dillon. The only things lacking are a roller handle (available here), and a larger cartridge catch bin.

As stated previously there are limited choices in the free bullet category. Here's a link to the redemption form with their list of bullets.

[oddjob]

I would also recommend the Dillon 550. I still have mine from 1991 (?) and it runs like a champ. I now run 1050's, but still have the original 550 (large primer) and another 550 (small primer).

If you decide to upgrade you will have no troubles selling the 550. My guess is you will upgrade and keep the 550 as well. The 550 is a great progressive for a new reloader.