Which Press do I get?

[Mopar85]

I am trying to decide on my first progressive press. I dont have the money for a Dillon. Probably has something to do with being enlisted but I enjoy working for a living.

So I am looking at the Lee Loadmaster or the Hornady LNL(not the ammo plant, Just press) and I dont know which one to get. I have the single stage LNL and love it and have the Lee Turret and like it as well. I dont reload thousands of rounds at a time so the Lee might work for my needs. I am worried about the priming problem and the case feed anchor in the press stripping out. With the Hornady I am worried about all of my Lee dies not working in the press.

Any knowledge will be appreciated and yes I kone there is nothing like a Dillon.

[sdkevin]

*uck! Do you expect everyone else to do your work for you?

Much has been posted on presses..

[Bumslie]

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

Read this. I own a LnL. I do not care for dillon at all.

[Mopar85]

Oh really?! I never thought of that.

I have done a lot of research into the presses. Videos, forums and product reviews. I was looking for a direct comparison between them.

[Mopar85]

http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillon...Comparison.pdf

Read this. I own a LnL. I do not care for dillon at all.

Thank you

[Dark Mod]

If its between the Loadmaster and the LNL, for the love of god get the LNL. Not that i have anything against the loadmaster, but you would be hard pressed to find a better value than the Hornady.

I was in your boat a few years ago and did a ton of research. I ended up with the LNL and rarely regretted it. Ive had a large influx of cash several times over the years, and considered getting a dillon to replace my current Hornady setup. I decided to keep the Hornady every time and spend the money on components or guns.

[Psychbiker]

If you have a single stage and a turret AND don't reload thousands then it sounds like a progressive is overkill. Unless you plan on selling the Turret to help with your costs.

I got as a first press a LNL Progressive. It was a jump into the deep end and a steep learning curve. Only reason I did was the seller was including the case feeder, die set and other stuff for free. $450, not bad. I'm now looking at a single stage to aid in rifle rounds.

If you arent shooting IDPA or action pistol type matches or 3 gun then a progressive is too much. Those put out easily 500 rds an hour.

[Bumslie]

Thank you

Your welcome. It's a very good comparison of all 3 side by side. I only wish it would have included the rcbs pro 2000. But with the use of their aps strips, permanent 3rd station powder measurer and higher price tag. It was already out for me.

I was like you when i was looking for a press. I loved reading the red vs blue debate, which I sometimes engage in now I was ready to drop $1200 on Brianenos.com for everything I would need wkth a dillon 550b kit. I'm so glad I never did. Dillon and I mix like oil and water. When I use someone's dillon, I go home and kiss my LnL. I love it so much more.

For me, one of the huge deciding factors in dillon vs hornady was cost of caliber change kits for the dillon. They are about $15-20 per kit than the hornady, and if you want to get the tool head for each caliber, it's alot more money. As a student, this just wasnt cost effective for me. Some other members time is more valuable than mine, so the less time the set up, the better for them. In all honestly, caliber changeover time is minimal with the LnL and painless.

What it will boil down to is that everyone here wants to feel they spent their money the wisest, and got the best equipment for their money. Then they will come on here and argue it to again reinforce their purchase was better money spent.

All presses are good presses. They all have pros and cons.

As someone else will say, depending on how much you load. You might be better off with a lee classic turret. Great little presses for the money.

[Mopar85]

This should be a sticky

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

I am going with the LNL and thats the way I was leaning to start with.

[Psychbiker]

This should be a sticky

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

I am going with the LNL and thats the way I was leaning to start with.

$50 shipped and I'll take your LNL Single Stage

[gemoose23]

Lee Dies work in Hornady LNL AP.

You have a Turret and a SingleStage, but think about getting an AP but you don't need 1,000's at a time?

How much do you shoot now? (Personal firearms.. not Uncle Sams Ammo
If Less than 400 a week... I would just look at your reloading process and getting something that speeds up your current process.

i.e. Acquire a Case Activated Powder Drop or a powder drop if you aren't using one now. Start Hand Priming while watching Football games or purchase many load blocks to powder drop factory style.

Another option is to buy a BL550 from Dillon and upgrade as you go, eventually making a 550B Manual indexed machine. (i'd sell your lee turret to reinvest it in this Dillon Blue)

[BigBronco]

Do yourself a big favor and get the RCBS Lock out die for it. Also the powder check die should you plan on loading rifle on it.

[kranedog20]

RCBS supreme kit, hornady l and l quick change, redding dies. Enough said. Just got it last week and having a blast.

[shooting4life]

All I have is a progresive LNL. What I have learned is you have to reload in batches to make it worth while. The other day I loaded 1k 40 s&w in 2.5 hours. Then last night I loaded 500 9mm. A week ago it was 500 223.
You have to load in quantity otherwise you spend all your time switching back and forth and fidgeting with the dies to get everything right and once you get it all perfect your done reloading.

So you don't have to shoot a lot to justify a progressive, I don't shoot more than 500 various rounds a month tops, but I don't spend that much time reloading to get the ammo I need.

[jakuda]

I have a Lee single Lee Pro 1000, and Dillon 550.

Honestly, if you're only loading one type of caliber and maybe only just pistols, the Lee Pro 1000 kits are hard to beat in value. The primer system is a bit funky; you do have to keep your eye on the amount of primers in there, and sometime give it a gentle tap, but aside from that I've never had an issue with it. Purists will hate that the taper and crimp functions are stuck on one station, and it's a trade off. Again it only really matters if you're a bullseye shooter. Another slight downside is that the powder measure disks don't allow for fine tune adjustments in powder, which can be important for precision shooters like in bullseye, which is what I shoot. That being said, the powder drop mechanism and disks are very consistent. Also the Lee Pro1000 are REALLY easy to swap out for a new "head" with a different set of dies on it.

Regarding Dillons, yes they are sturdy have a great warranty. 550 is probably the best all-around press for the general reloader.