Anyone have expirance or general coments on Hornady reloading equipment

Go to midway and look up the equipment you are interested in , and read comments from owners !

Hornady stuff is as good as anyone elses or they wouldn't survive in the market.

Greetings!
I recently purchased a Hornady Single Stage L-N-L press, powder measure, case spray-lube, and primer feed for the press. I could NOT be happier... all the equipment is absolutely top-notch and works as advertised. I don't like the Hornady powder trickler as much as the Redding trickler - so I got the Redding instead. I still think RCBS makes the best primer flip-tray, and my case trimmer is an L.E. Wilson. Just because you buy a Hornady press, don't lock yourself into buying ONLY Hornady equipment - shop around and see how other manufacturer's stuff compares!
Overall, though, I'm really pleased with the Hornady stuff listed above.

Cast iron is a superior material for a press. Hornady makes good equipment, but look at Redding also.

I started out reloading with a Hornady reloading kit - including a single stage press called '007', or some such thing. That worked fine.

There are things about their dies I dislike (the way the decapping assembly is fixed in the sizer dies), and there things I like (tapered expander).

Nothing wrong with Hornady equipment, although if I were to buy today, I would compare prices with RCBS and Redding, and then choose. Forster would be my first choice these days, but their stuff is more pricey.

- mike

quote:

Originally posted by mho:There are things about their dies I dislike (the way the decapping assembly is fixed in the sizer dies)....

Hornady redesigned their de-capping stem several years ago so that it is no longer self-adjusting, and replacement assemblies are available. The new design is floating.

quote:

Originally posted by Winchester 69:
Hornady redesigned their de-capping stem several years ago so that it is no longer self-adjusting, and replacement assemblies are available. The new design is floating.

I hear you. Of late, I got a couple of custom Hornady dies with the new and improved (grooved?) decapping stem. Much better than the old smooth stem. However, I'm still not crazy about the nut that holds the decapping stem.

Btw, what do you mean by: "The new design is floating". Do you indicate the expander "floats" in the die?? That would be an advantage. My custom Hornady dies are designed to be used without an expander.

- mike

As I understand the new design, the locking collet on the stem is left loose to permit the expander to self-center. Don't know how this affects de-capping.

All this may be so, but as I understand it, people had trouble with the old depriming stem because they wouldn't or couldn't tighten the lock nut enough.
I assumed the difference with the new one was only that it had more "grip" for the lock nut to hold???

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:
All this may be so, but as I understand it, people had trouble with the old depriming stem because they wouldn't or couldn't tighten the lock nut enough.

JAL, I may be wrong, but I think the better hold on decapping stem comes from this being "ridged" now - as opposed to the old smooth stems. That is a bit of a strange description, perhaps what they have put on there is a very open thread? It does not look like a conventional thread, though, thus my (inadequate) description. It seems to do the trick, though.

I did not notice any difference in the nut holding the decapper (and thus allow it to float), but I could be wrong.

- mike

Quoted from the Hornady catalog:

"SELF-CENTERING SPINDLE
Free-floating spindle design ensures precise,
concentric neck expansion."

WoW. No more run-out??

quote:

Originally posted by Winchester 69:
Quoted from the Hornady catalog:

"SELF-CENTERING SPINDLE
Free-floating spindle design ensures precise,
concentric neck expansion."

That does sound positive!

- mike