I am thinking of buying one of these. I have a Dillon 550B now, but I am selling it so I can get a 650; I want the fifth die station missing in the 550B. However, I spotted the Hornady setup and it also has 5 stations. It seems to have all the features of the Dillon 650.

Anyone have one of these? What do you think of it? Is it as rock solid and dependable as the Dillon equipment? And, can it be realistically used without the auto case feed? Using the case feeder, how many rounds per hour can you load?

Thanks,

RobertD

Further thoughts: Does the LNL feature work well for dies? It works great on my Hornady powder measure, but the die LNL has a rubber O-ring which gives the die a snug fit in the press. I wonder if it will secure the die adequately or if the tiny amount of wobble that seems to be present is a problem. Perhaps the wobble is just something relative to the one single stage LNL press I looked at?

Thanks,

RobertD

One of my employees had one of these.
I believe he used it for years and never really had much for complaints.
I think capacity was his big thing and he has now bought an RCBS Pro-2000 from me and loves it.
The Hornady, however, is a good deal and Hornady reloading equipment is quality in general.
I have the LNL Press and most everything else Hornady makes currently in stock.

www.cliffsgunsmithing.com

-Spencer

Thanks Spencer, I appreciate the info.

If you have one in stock, will the Lee Factory Crimp die work on that press? I have Lee FC dies for just about all the calibers for which I reload. I have heard, but not confirmed, that the Lee FC dies are too short to work in that press.

I suppose I could crimp them individually on a single stage press, but that defeats the purpose of having a progressive. If that is the case, I might be better served by a Turret press for the rifle calibers.

RobertD

You can get them to work. I have turned the lock nut upside down and have also used a different nut that has more threads so it jams on the checkering of the die. I noted that other presses leave very little thread remaining as well so its not like the Hornady is drastically different. I also grinded some off the side at the bottom of the FCD so the auto ejector wire will work better. This is real easy for a reloader to figure out as soon as they see it. I have an AP and actually got a classic in the mail today to go with it. I really like the bushings. A hint, order a couple extra primer tubes and bushing packs.

If you get an AP, you gotta LMK how they compare

PEI ROB:

I will do that. I am most curious myself on the comparison to the two presses, especially the number of rounds per hour I can load.

I have a Hornady Projector that I have owned for several years. It is "pre" LNL. I use some of the Lee dies on it. I have had the occasional part break. Probably spent about $60-75 dollars in ten years for small parts that either got bent or broken. You can load on it as fast as a Dillon. I just do not push that hard, but 400-500 rounds/hour is not unreasonable.

It is a very solid piece of equipment. I have a Dillon powder measure on it, because Hornady did not make a case activated powder drop back then. I do not like Dillon dies all that much. They will do a good job resizing your brass though. Redding or RCBS are probably the best dies on the market. Redding makes a series specifically for the Progressive loader called the "Pro Series."