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Hornady Lock and Load opinions?
- Thread starter woodstock
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For about 3-4 weeks now, I have been looking on-line at information on the Dillion 550B / 650, Hornady LNL AP Progressive, Lee Pro 1000, and Lee Loadmaster.
I have gotten information that leads me to believe that none of them are without problems, all of them require close attention to adjustment & Operation, and the weak point on ALLof them is Priming!
I will say that both Dillion and the Hornady LNL AP have the fewest complaints, and that while most will say that the Hornady is the best for the money, they also say that you should get a Dillion becasue of its lifetime no-questions-asked warranty.
As for me, I'm reloading all of my rifle ammo (except .223) on a Lee Clasic Turrent because that's the way I will load rifle ammo.
For pistol and .223 my plans are to get a Lee Pro 1000 and use it without the primer arm. All cases will be either bought pre-processed and primed,
or I will process and prime them separately befor they are powdered and bullets are seated on the Pro 1000. And, I will conduct pistol reloading in the same
manner on the PRO 1000.
Why? Shipped, .40 S&W fully processed brass is about $40 per 1000 now, fully processed .223 about $80 per 1000.
Earl Clark - Cumming, Georgia
I have gotten information that leads me to believe that none of them are without problems, all of them require close attention to adjustment & Operation, and the weak point on ALLof them is Priming!
I will say that both Dillion and the Hornady LNL AP have the fewest complaints, and that while most will say that the Hornady is the best for the money, they also say that you should get a Dillion becasue of its lifetime no-questions-asked warranty.
As for me, I'm reloading all of my rifle ammo (except .223) on a Lee Clasic Turrent because that's the way I will load rifle ammo.
For pistol and .223 my plans are to get a Lee Pro 1000 and use it without the primer arm. All cases will be either bought pre-processed and primed,
or I will process and prime them separately befor they are powdered and bullets are seated on the Pro 1000. And, I will conduct pistol reloading in the same
manner on the PRO 1000.
Why? Shipped, .40 S&W fully processed brass is about $40 per 1000 now, fully processed .223 about $80 per 1000.
Earl Clark - Cumming, Georgia
I purchased the Hornady Lock and Load progressive press about a year ago. It was bought to upgrade me from from a RCBS single station press. I have been thrilled by the press and would recommend it heartily. I have a Dillon press for m7y high volume loading for pistol but find it too hard to breakdown for using a new caliber. The Hornady is great and it takes me only about 10 mins to reconfigure from rifle to rifle, or from rifle to pistol loads. I cheat a bit as I have purchased the quick change die accessory. Once adjusted fro a specific bullet and case/caliber, I can just set it and lock it in place so that setting it up next time is VERY FAST. I also notice that I use the small pistol powder insert for all my pistol loads, where the press only comes with one large powder insert. I can easily do 500 rounds in a evening with no sweat. Not as good as a Dillon, but hey...
S
sandman375
Guest
I have no experience with the loader, but other Hornady products that I have used have been less than great. The dies often don't work worth a crap and I have now broken the handle on two of their bullet pullers.
Hey Thanks guys-
Very informative and detailed info on this and other loaders.I really like that it is quick to change calibers. Was considering a single and the get a progressive later, but now maybe I'll start with this progressive.
Sandman I hope it's just bad luck and not a true indicator of their quality.
Very informative and detailed info on this and other loaders.I really like that it is quick to change calibers. Was considering a single and the get a progressive later, but now maybe I'll start with this progressive.
Sandman I hope it's just bad luck and not a true indicator of their quality.
S
sandman375
Guest
I'm not impressed with Hornady in general. A good example is the claim they made about their brass when they began selling it. One of their claims was that it was consistent from lot to lot so re-loaders would get consistency and not have to work up a new load when they had to by new brass. Technically they were truthful. What they didn't say was that the way they get that consistency is by having very low standards for consistency with a single lot of brass. I have seen as much as 10.0 grains in weight variation from one lot. When it's that crappy to start with all you have to do is reproduce the same junk and you can make their claim. Like I said, technically true, but..........
The L-N-L is not difficult to set up and the time it takes to do so will depend on your familiarity with reloading. I definitely do not recommend a progressive loader if this is your first venture into reloading unless you have someone with experience to get you set up and provide guidance. I really appreciate the L-N-L for loading pistol rounds as it is a great tool when loading large volumes of cartridges. Hornady eliminated many of the issues with the L-N-L when they upgraded to the EZ-ject system, so if you purchase one of these( particular a used one) be sure it has the EZ-load system. The staff at Hornady is extremely knowledgeable and helpful if you run into any problems and I think it has a lifetime warranty. Many of the problems with progressive loaders occur if you don't keep the shellplates spotlessly clean of powder residue and other grime. Also, regardless of which progressive you go with, I highly recommend the RCBS lock out die when loading pistol rounds to prevent double charges and squib loads. There are several good videos on Youtube which show how to set up the L-N-L and it being used so definitely check these out first.
Dillon hard to change out? Just slip out the toolhead, insert a new one, switch out the caliber conversion plate and bingo. Takes all of about 3 mins top (if you already have your dies set on the toolhead).
I have the LNL and love it. I have ran around 2000 rounds of 9mm and 45acp so far. No issues.
