I have always been a single-stage user, but I find it way too slow for loading large amounts of handgun ammunition.

Is the Hornady Lock-n-Load a good choice?

George

Hornady is OK and so is Dillon.
The latter is what I chose to replace my old Hornady Pro-7 (Lock-n-Load's ancestor). Based on that previous experience, I gave my preference to the Dillon's priming system. Apart from this personal prejudice, I think both are quite close, the Dillon having a little higher production rate, while it is easier to switch calibers on the Hornady. Anyway, the optional case feeder is a must in both cases if you really want to benefit from the progressive's advantage.

quote:

Is the Hornady Lock-n-Load a good choice?

I don't have any experience with the Hornady, but the Dillon's are great. Their customer service is also very good. Their machines come with their no BS warranty. If something should break they will fix it at no cost to you.

I shoot with a large bunch of action pistol shooters at my gun club and Dillon loaders are by far the preferred brand.

george,
other than my longer than 3.65 or 1" dies, i basically only use my Hornady LNL AP for everything from 500 accRel down to 7.62x25...

you MUST MUST MUST keep loose powder off, or it will lock the priming, and lock the priming cam... 8 bucks, sure, but annoying...

if you are just going to do ONE or perhaps 2 calibers, the dillion SDB is a darn good pistol class progressive ..

jeffe

Regarding my post above, I'm referring to the Dillon XL-650 (the SDB is Dillon's entry level press, hence not comparable to The XL-650 or LNL). Jeffe's remarks further confirm my personal experience with both priming systems.

The LNL has some issues, but is a fine press for the money. Tough to go wrong w/ the Dillon 550B or 650, great presses, I run one of each. I actually prefer the 550B for general reloading, it is dead nuts simple. The 650 is a bit more complicated w/ the case feeder & auto indexing, if there is a problem, it is more diff to fix. Just don;t buy a Lee!

If you can find one used at a reasonable price, the older Star presses are also very good progressives for pistol cartridges. In the '50s through '70s, many small police departments used them for loading their service and/or practice ammo.

I won't comment any on various makes, other than to say that I currently use three Dillon 550Bs, a Dillon 300, and two Stars, each dedicated to its own pistol cartridge.

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
The LNL has some issues, but is a fine press for the money.

i am NOT being a jerk.. what are these issues, if different than a dillon? i am the only person i know with both, so i'd like to know what you see as issues with the hornady, from personal use

quote:

i am the only person i know with both, so i'd like to know what you see as issues with the hornady, from personal use

I've posted many times that I own both as well....the LNL AP has a coil spring around the shell holder that is quite fragile and easily damaged.

Other than that it's a fine tool.

vapo... i bought a 10 pack.. i think for 4.99 on these... its a disposable part to me...

Thank you all. I should have mentioned it in my original post, but automatic indexing is a requirement.

George

george, i have a dillion SDB and hornady lnl AP, and have loaded a bit on the 550 and 650 ..

i put MY scottish dollars on the hornady, if that tells you my opinion

jeff, there is quite a bit of slack or spring in the ram, at least on the one I have loaded on. It can cause issues w/ priming. The shell kicker is really a weak design & my friend made up a nifty wire kicker, runs way better now. The case feeder seems to have issues form time to time getting cases delevered to the shell plate plus it's noisy as hell. The individual die lock rings seem to come loose often & require constant tightening.
Don't get me wrong, I like the LNL, would probably have bought one if I wanted a progressive today & didn't already own a 550B & 650. The 650 has it's own issues. I hate the little pins to locate the cases, I prefer the LNL spring. The case feeder on the 650 is almost flawlwess, 2 speed & quiet on low. The priming system is nearly bullet proof, mine never jambs or misfeeds. I think it's the best press of it's type going but you will pay for it. Most can get by nicely w/ a LNL w/o case feeder or a 550B w/o case feeder. Simpler the better for the hobby reloader IMO. The 550B is what I recommend a lot, then the LNL & the 650 only if you are a high volumn one or two caliber reloader.

I have owned a lnl for a few years and I'm very happy with the press. It does have its quirks but for the money i think it's a great press. Mine has the EZ eject system (or something like that) and i haven't had any issues with it. I like the die bushings but i always check to make sure the powder measure is snug after 20-30 rounds since it can sometimes work its way loose. Once you get in a routine you can crank out pretty respectable volumes of pistol rounds. Ive never used a Dillon but nobody seems to have anything negative to say about them. I will admit though, after reloading a few hundred pistol shells, the handle on the Dillon looks much more comfortable than the lnl's.

The high volume USPSA and IDPA shooters nearly all use one or an other dillon. The 650 is a nice machine.

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions.
Okay, so I bought a Dillon 550B.

Does anyone have a copy of the instructional video on DVD or in a file on their computer?

George

I have a Hornady and like it very well, I use it for handgun and .223 loading. The only thing that I don't care for about it is the cartridge ejection but they took care of that after I purchased mine when they switched to the EZ Eject system. I've thought of buying the upgrade for my press but haven't personally used it so I'm not sure if it's fixed it or not...mine you will occasionally have a cartridge snag and when it finally pops free it flys across the room. Most of the time I just manually remove the finished round before I pop the new piece of brass in the press.

I bought a used Hornady Pro Jector and it can crank out the ammo. It indexes! I use a Lee Disk powder thrower on mine.