I have owned mine for two years approximately. I only load pistol on the press so I cannot comment about rifle cartridges. However... Most of your issues can actually be resolved without a problem honestly. I don't like to watch videos to learn in general, i prefer to read, but there's a channel called 76Highboy Reloading that addresses almost everything that you mentioned. Your only challenge with his videos is that they are 25 minutes+, so you'll have to choose a way to find the exact topic that he discusses. Regarding tightening the shell plate down, you can put something like an allen wrench in the primer drop hole so that shell plate remains still when you tighten it down. My shell plates have never loosened up, not once. 76 Highboy carefully uses a lock washer, but I don't find it necessary. Verify the thread is not worn in the carrier where you screw in the bolt that holds the shell plate. U could even use vinyl plumbing tape around the bolt/screw. That will help it stay in place but not too permanently like lock-tite. But again, use an allen wrench in the primer drop hole to keep the shell plate in place while threading down the screw. Regarding the powder measure, I have problems with it as well but different than yours. I use Hodgdon Universal for all but one of my pistol calibers. The Hornady powder measure binds on me every 20 rounds or so and will leave me with an empty case if I am not watching my cases on my camera setup for my press. I even sent it back to Hornady. I got it back and had the same problem. I gave up for now as I am too busy. I continue to use Lee Auto Drum for each caliber (I have around five of the Auto Drum powder measures). If you ever want an aftermarket case feeder I recommend looking up Jeff Goodness. I bought one from him that he makes with 3D printing. His product is light years better than 99% of the crap that others make and see for reloading. Good quality SS screws, washers, rollers, positive locking systems and more. Price was around 120 doll hairs I believe. Nothing is perfect but it is damn good 99% of the time if I do not rush myself on the press. Lastly, if you watch 76Highboys videos, you do not necessarily need what I am about to recommend. But it makes things easier. BragginRights Precision Reloading makes really good tools for setting everything up well on the LNL AP. I bought his stuff before I even received my LNL AP. They work great. But again, following 76Highboys methods, you can achieve the same results with a little extra time and effort. Let me know if this helps please.
You should consider the new Lee Ultimate Turret press - 6 stations, auto index (easy to also manually index), tried and true priming (pez dispenser).I have the XL750, Hornady LNL AP, Lee Loadmaster and have never used the priming system on any of those to keep all 5 stages set up with powder charge in 1, powder lockout die in 2, bullet feeder (new Lee inline, Hornady using Bully adapter, and DAA MBF (best) in 3 , seat in 4, crimp in 5. I use the Lee Pro 4000 to decap/size, prime (pez dispenser), and expand (Lyman M die) 100 cases at a time, then move everything over to one of the 5 stage progressives. Since this is a hobby (I shoot so I can reload) don't need to make 500-1000 at a time. I bought the Lee 6 pack pro when introduced and it has proven to be very good for my needs, including priming on press. I use the Lyman 8 turret for bottleneck rounds (223/556, 300 BO, 357 Sig, 400 Cor-Bon, 22 TCM) for precision and consistency, but the new Lee ultimate turret is (surprizingly) working good so far. I've reloaded 38 Super and 357 Sig on it and the auto indexing makes up for the lack of a case feeder time-wise. If I was just starting out, I would buy this or the Lyman 8 as a first press and probably not deal with the progressives. For the money, $275 for the Lee kit or the Lyman 8 and a powder measure would be a great way to start.
Ive had a Dillon 1050 with Mark7 auto drive, to do bulk 9mm. That thing had issue too. Nothings perfect. As far has LNL, I have one too and still have it. Ive loaded over 150k on it over the past ten years. Ive had most of the issue you had but was able to fix all of them. I am very surprised on how you tighten the shell plate on your LNL. Your technique is sad. I will leave it at that. I prefer LNL because I didnt want a different tool head for each calibur.
I’m struggling to believe what I’m watching here. What the heck is the point of a progressive press if you are doing your reloading in 3 different stages 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
As far as dies go …. I don’t use RCBS or Hornady dies ….. Dillon dies or Redding/forester dies by once cry once If you have tape stuff up to get stuff to work properly, I would find a Dillon xl650 who cares about condition ( if it needs work send it to Dillon for reconditioning- I did and it only cost me to ship it to Dillon they shipped it back and no charge ) Send this vid to Hornady and see what they say
Turkeys opinion, you ask viewers to comment but you are not interacting in the comments much anymore. I like to comment as I did above, but I generally stop commenting if the video creator does not interact. I don't doubt that you are busy, of course.
Hornaday should be ashamed honestly. Having only experience with dillon progressive presses makes me wonder why anyone would put up with this janky setup?
I’ve run the Lock n Load for years and everything you are mentioning are all things that I’ve ALWAYS experienced. I’ve been super tempted to sell off all of my Hornady stuff and move over to Dillon. I never run rifle on this. I use an Iron Press for that.
Dillon is in my opinion a more consistent press and i used Hornady before I bought my Dillon XL750 I can never go back there that good, not perfect but better. I still have the hornady and still use at times.
Throw those rubber washers away! Use the jam nut only. Lee does the same thing. Downside Lee doest have a jam nut on the seater die. I own 3 sets of pacific and one new hornady. The pacific are great but the new dimension dies I don't care for. My presses are the old pro 7s. They still work good after hundreds of thousands of rounds.
I have a Dillon XL650 that’s great. Keep your eye out for a used Dillon, they are out there from time to time, I load a lot of my match quality rifle rounds on my single state RCBS Rock Chucker. I like to slow down and weigh every powder charge. The rifle cartridges that I do load on my Dillon are done a little differently. I deprime and resize my brass separately. I have found that it’s much easier than doing it progressively as you would pistol calibers.
I've loaded 1000's upon 1000's of rounds on my LnL AP and I don't do any of the wonky things you do. Never had the primer shuttle guide rod pop out or my shell plate bolt come loose. Never had a need to tape my dies as they don't move once set right. Sure you can have issues with the primer shuttle sticking, it's a close tolerance system to work right so there's no room for debris in the system. Keep the area clean. No progressive is going to load match grade ammo. All it takes is a piece of brass or a bullet just a little out of spec which causes the shell plate to flex just a little differently under load to throw another procedure off a couple .000.
Ive got two. They work....but have issues. I dont like them. If its not the pawls, its the case feeders, or something. Always. Every....single....time I use them, ive gotta tinker with them. I have not however, had issues with the powder drop or seating depth. I also hand prime so I cant say the primer syatem is okay or not. When ita setup, it tends to run great. I keep one setuo to process brass and ones almost always setup for 9mm. Its weird tho, cuz you go to bed and bam....something changes. I can say that the hornady LnL swage tool mixed with case feeder is super awesome. That and the Lyman M die and dillon rt1500 makes REALLY short work of 223/5.56 brass. Hoooooly crap its awesome. Soooo. Its a wash.
I finally gave up on using the press to prime cases and use an RCBS hand primer. It's another step but I was fed up with the aggravation of having to stop and deal with primer issues. The case feeder is a steaming pile of crap. I've spent countless hours messing with it. I've worked with customer support and watched all kind of video's on how to fix issues but it is not consistently reliable. It was a waste of money and I no longer use it. Other that those problems, and they aren't insignificant, I've used the press to load well over 10,000 9mm and 45 rounds. If I were to do it all over again I would probably look at Dillon.
You just discribed almost every issue Ive had with my RCBS Piggy Back system over the last 30 years. Now that I'm up to close to 20 shell plates for it, my tightness won't let me update. Primer flips, yep. Had a spell of it tried everything under the sun to fix it. Not sure what I did but I think it's mainly related to that primer alignement as it gets pushed up. My issure was indexing consistantsy. Primer slide rod pulling loose. Yep. Thats a Gremlin deal no one can explain Powder drop changes, yep. Remember it depends on what cheek you have most of your weight on. To back off lean left to increase lean right. To lock it in just clinch a little. I'll tell you something to try and it will feel awkward after you have been using yours the way you have for so many years. I started holding the press with my left hand as I cycled it. Especially on the up stroke to seat primer. For some reason it steadies the whole press and helps with several issues. Maybe it's more of a Piggyback thing but might help you. If you think you are going to update, do it sooner than later. Eventually you get to the point of saying I'll just keep this old girl going till I die.
Consider the Lee 6 pack pro. RCBS lockout die. Comes with a case feeder. Has available bullet feeder. No powder measuring device that work on a volume drop is going to be super accurate. I think Lee has come a long way with a relatively inexpensive setup. 6 stations is nice.
I put a washer and lock washer on my shell plate and it stays tight. I fouled up a few springs and that fixed it. Also Hornady customer service is awesome I’m sure if you called them they would replace that worn out press.
Have you tried purple loctite for the shell plate's bolt? It would allow relatively easy removal, but might just give you enough friction to prevent it loosening all the time.
I have had every single head ache you mentioned with this machine as well. Loosens up too easily, guide bar pops out and seating depth variations. Frustrating.
Maybe a crush washer in that shell plate bolt also that rod that keeps popping out try to remove a little material in the pocket that the rod top pops into so it’s in there a little more deep and maybe it won’t pop out
I've loaded hundreds of thousands of rounds on three LNL APs. Some observations. 1) Put a Dillon primer alarm on, and use aluminum tape its sticky and durable. 2) the primer guide rod should be adjusted with top screw and slid with shellplate fully up, looking down you can make sure the tube is centered and tightened 3) Use lockwasher under shellplate washer. 4) Adjust your pawls so the plate indexes properly 5) Get the roller handle from inline 6) Besides loc tite on powder screws use the limiting bar to prevent stress, its free from Hornady 7) You observe variances in COAL but that's more likely variations in bullet ogive/meplat which is typical, esp if you use conical with flat points 8) The microadjust on powder measure is precise, needs zero tape 9) Despite good intentions the powder cop is virtually useless as it shows almost no visual improvements, skip it and crimp properly.
I have the Lyman 8 turret press little slower than Progressive press. It is more like a single stage press. You might need a new press that one seams like a lot of work ?
I have a Dillon XL750 for 45 acp, 44 magnum and 10mm. Also have a Dillon RL1100 for 9mm, 357magnum, 223 and 300 BO. They aren't perfect but they don't seem as troublesome as what you are dealing with. You could keep your Lock and Load then get an XL 770 and get conversion kits a little at a time. It is a great press.
I have one and can relate to some of the issues you are seeing. The shell plate can get loose and does need to be re-torqued occasionally. I have never had a primer issue that you talk about; flipped primer, or primer shuttle bar coming loose. The powder drop and die bushings do move a little throughout a loading session. The powder drop isn't necessarily dead on but is with in .1 grain usually on mine. Good enough for me. The fasteners on my powder drop don't seem to ever come loose like you say, but the knurled screw can and does need to be snugged up once and a while. One thing that I did notice is that the indexing of your press looked a little off on the close up video of to talking about the primer seating. The primer seater should be in the middle of the cartridge slot. Yours looked a little closer to the right side. That can be adjusted by the index fingers on the bottom of the press. That being said, for the money I am happy with how mine has preformed and would still recommend this press for the average shooter. Thanks for the video. It was very informative for people interested in the Hornady LNL.
I got fed up with mine and re-thought everything. I use mine like a 10 station in 2 passes using a Hornady case feeder, Lyman pro stainless dies, Mr bullet feeder and a double alpha magnetic powder check. NO DOUBLE OPERATION IN ONE STAGE!11 First pass - 1) Lee universal de-primer - 2) prime 3) Hornady sizing 4) Lyman size again 5) Lyman bell Second pass. 1) powder drop 2) powder check 3) Mr. bullet drop 4) Lyman seat 5) Lyman crimp. Hornady is the only press you can run this way because it is the only press you can put the powder drop in station 1. I double size to eliminate jams because I use mixed range brass.
I started loading on the little cheapo Lee like you do your crimping on then upgraded to the Lee Classic Turret. I've had the LNLAP for about 14 years now. I always size and prime off press. To use any progressive press as a true progressive you must use new brass. I haven't had near the issues you've described. My press has a lock washer in addition to the flat washer for the shell plate. The biggest problem I have is the powder measure/bushing will walk out after a few hundred rounds if I don't keep an eye on it. Most of the powder deviations (I believe) come from vibration variances while cycling the press. This causes the powder to settle in the cavity differently depending on how much vibration occurred during the previous stage. OAL can be a nightmare to get consistency on any press. A lot of the inconsistency comes from neck tension and the "spring" effect of the brass itself. Mostly due to variances in the brass itself (brand, times reloaded, etc.) Now that I think about it, I don't even own a set of Hornady dies. Most of my dies are a mix of Lee and RCBS.
Yeah a lock washer on the shell plate stops it from coming loose. As to the powder measure working itself loose, just replace the rubber washer with a slightly fatter one and it'll never come loose again.
primingsystem at 4 min - never had that problem actially. Might be something with your system? 5 min - one screw shellplate - you need a lockring!! Problem fixed!! you need to know your machine 😉
Bullets are generally seated by the ogive, not the tip of the bullet, and not all bullets are exactly the same length. Also when packing compressed cases, the same amount of pressure won't = the same length
Even SMK's I get inconsistencies with my Lee seating dies. But as long as the ogive is in the same place and the long ones aren't longer than max length, it's perfect. Rim to ogive is the distance you want to be the same, consistent distance from the lands
dude your way to aval .5 grain is nothing to worry about, and i dont know how your dies loosen mine have been tight for 20 years, your doing somehting wrong
Some of your gripes are legit. I don’t have a lot of issues with the primer feed but the ones you listed I do come across occasionally. Fasteners on the powder drop do come loose. I tighten the shell plate bolt and don’t have problems. I’ve never had a seater or crimp/seater combo die come out of adjustment ever. Same with the powder drop adjuster. In 2023 I ran about 24,000 rounds of 9mm through it and probably have well over 75K of 9mm through it. I agree it’s not great for rifle. Overall there are much better options like Dillon or Mark 7, but I bought mine when I didn’t know better. It works, but it’s meh. I’m kind of surprised you didn’t talk about the lock and load bushings constantly working loose. Inline Fabrication’s pull handle is a nice upgrade.
I have the exact single stage lee c press. It always works for me, and hornady dies do tend to move....but are much smoother than lee. Just my 15 years of experience.
You need a baffle in your powder measure. Also, prep the powder column by tapping on it for a minute or three. I’ve even read about guys taping a fish tank bubbler motor to the column to get the powder to settle. That’s why your powder throws vary over time. The LNL AP priming system sucks. I’ve polished surfaces, replaced parts, and everything else I could think of. It still sucks. In addition, when you size/de-cap on the progressive press it can make the shell plate deflect. That’s where your COAL variances come from. Bottom line: I size and prime my cases first off the Hornady LNL AP. This also lets me use the 5 stations as follows: expander/powder/powder cop die/seat bullet/crimp. For the amount of pistol ammo I make, this is good enough. For rifle cartridges, everything gets done on a Forster Co-Ax single stage press.
I have a hornady lnl it’s about 5 years old I found if I size and flare off the press I get better consistency on it I only use it for pistol caliber only for rifle I use the Lyman turret press it works great for rifle and the priming I use the rcbs bench prime but yes hornady needs improvement also sometimes dies and powder measure walks loose even when I get it tight so what I did I put fatter O rings on the lnl bushing to make it tighter so now it act’s like fixed bushing I’m ok about it now it runs pretty decent I’m happy with it thanks for sharing your experience with hornady
I wore out a Lee Pro 1000. Moved up to the LoadMaster.....big mistake. Bought a Dillon 650 and hated it. Sold it and went back to the LoadMaster. I MUCH prefer the lee powder measure and primer tray over all the others. Just for those 2 things alone, I'll stick to anything Lee. I had over 400k on the Pro 1000.
I don't think you're overcome hardly any of those tolerance issues with that press. Too many design features that allow inconsistent tolerancing. I have only used a single stage RCBS Rockchucker but haven't loaded to high volumes. However, I know Lyman and RCBS run a 6 to 8 stage turret press. Redding T-7 turret would be a incredible setup, but costly. You don't need to go to a Dillon.
Use this. Vibra-TITE - 12250 122 Oil Tolerant Removable Anaerobic Threadlocker. Stays on the bolt after curing and behaves a bit like a nylon lock nut. It will stop things from coming lose without a tool and avoid having to ruin the treads in the cast iron, which will acerbate the bolts and bits getting loser over time. Use the tread locker, torque to the right setting and then use a marker or a punch to impinge reference marks. This will optically let you see when things are getting lose. When you are done, you can either clean off the locker with carb cleaner and then oil before storing. Cast iron treads will get loose over time and is not the best material to torque down on then loosen repeatedly. Using a reusable tread-locker will alleviate these issues. Make sure your plate rod is adjusted when the plate is in the up position to avoid the rod being thrown from misalignment.
Been running Lee since '96. Same problems at half the price. Bought a Six Pack last year. Hell of an improvement over Pro 1000 or Load Master. For my precision loading, I use a Rock Chucker and a Lyman American 8. Built like a tank, but the priming system is meh.
I just started reloading for rifle loads. I thought this AP would be the best way to go. Right away I’m noticing some extremely frustrating issues you’re explaining. I thought it was me. Thanks for sharing. I’ll go back to the store, I guess
Interesting indeed. I have the Hornady L n L. It has worked very well for me. I’m not a high volume reloader. My friend and his sons are competitive shooters. They reload 30-50 thousand rounds per year. It sounds to me like you’re trying to use a device that is for the more casual reloader like myself. My friend’s Dillion takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’. Unfortunately the Dillion is what you really need. You can’t race a VW against a Corvette with any success. Same applies here. Save up for the Dillion and you’ll be happy…I bit poorer, but happy. Cheers!
I just reloaded 330 rounds of 556, so my process is on a single stage press RCBS rock chucker supreme because my rock chucker had play in it. It had no sentimental value in it cuz I bought it from another guy and 19 96 and I called RCBS and they replaced it for free and they kept the other one which it didn't matter to me. So anyways I had to start. The brass was already fired once and it was 556 Natal horny ammunition. So I had to ream the primer pocket clean the primer pocket tumble it size it the prime it trim the case prime it by hand with a Lee Auto prime primer, oh I forgot wiping the lube off of the case is also, way every charge out. I just don't throw charges. I weigh everyone out. I do it with every caliber that I do it with, put the ball in and seat the bullet. So that process start to finish which I didn't do it all at one time but I kept time of every time I worked on it. Over the course of 4 days I had 14 total hours in 330 rounds. I already had the cases. I already had the primer. Ari had the bullets and I already had the primers. I didn't have to buy anything and the only thing that was actually newer was the brass which was only 3 years old when I bought the ammunition. Everything else was 10 to 15 years old. And I didn't have to pay for the bullets because I live in an area in Pennsylvania where it's powdered metal capital of the world. And there was a small company making powdered mellow bullets and they were 42 grain and that's what I'm using cuz I got 3500 bullets for nothing because I bought 12,000 brand new PNC brass from them. So anyways, back to 14 hours over the course of 4 days and I already went through what the whole process was. Thanks a lot of time but I have consistent bullets I mean cartridges
I think one issue may be expectations: every PRS shooter I know uses single stage for precision loads. The progressive presses are not consistent enough. However, some of the issues are likely mechanical wear or loss of ca!ibration. Three upgrades I have made are 1) switching to the micrometer seating and powder stems, 2) buying a pistol cartridge alignment tool (the manufacturer sells them on eBay and has videos on YT), and 3) switching to RCBS dies (Horrnady dies are not that good). One last fix/thought: I had similar problems with the COAL coming out of the seater dies and was pretty frustrated until a more experienced reloader mentioned checking the bullet ogive. Variation in the curvature can throw of the interaction between the seating stem and the bullet and affects depth. You mention sorting bullets, so I assume you do check it. (One last thought: the powder drop works best with ball powder, stick powder seems to force the plunger, likely due to being cut off when the drop cycles.)
I agree! I too have a Hornady L&L press and the priming system sucks and I don't use it. I have this press for one reason, loading BP cowboy 45 Colt. Instead I size, prime, and expand all my cases on an old Star press. This also gives me room to crimp on the Hornady press. If you want to just load match 45ACP ammo on one machine get a Star setup for 45 and you'll never regret it. Just my opinion.
I liked the walk through. Once I committed to the shell plates and all the trouble shooting, I'd probably stick to the same press, but it seems so frustrating I'd stop investing in it. Mine is a Dillon 550, and it has held long term consistency. If a pull feels different, I take the case out and dump the powder back into hopper. Aside from drift of a setting, different vibration through the press will drop a different weight charge. I have done some steps off of the press, but I'd really expect to not have to do multiple runs through the machine for finished ammo. I also have a Whidden tooling head, and there's no doubt in my mind that the Dillon can put out precision rifle ammo. I'll set it up a bit differently, but I have unquestioned confidence in my powder measures. They hold their accuracy months and years apart, and I'll check occasionally with a scale, but I've gotten used to just doing clicks. That said, I've used the progressive far less in recent years. I get enough speed with a couple of turret presses, and a few single stage presses, hand primers, etc. To expand a bit on my Whidden comment, nothing gets locked down tightly, it uses the Tubbs(I think it's his baby) floating setup. I also have a bunch of dies, setup to pop in and out of my Forster coax. I always have my calipers and datum gauge to confirm nothing drifted. I've always used witness marks, say on the die body and locking rings for a quick glance check, once things are covered from view, such as tape, it's hard to spot problems until they compound. But, I have no issues with what works for others, not one bit.
I quit loading primers on mine. I deprime and resize on a Lee App and use a Lee bench prime. That lest me use a DA powder cop and a bullet feeder and a Lee FCD. I just recently changed my powder measure over to a Lee. So much easier to do a caliber change now. I have a small fortune in trying to have a powder drop assembly for each caliber. Just the one powder measure though. Now I use a Lee Auto drum. So much easier to change calibers now and have set a exchangeable drums for each caliber. I bought the LNL used 20 years ago. It was my 1st and only progressive. Now I get the quality I want. I'm too old and cheap now to buy another.
I've only been reloading since November 2023. I bought the Hornady LNL over the Dillon 550/650 to start out with. I've had most of the issues you've had but I've worked through them. You can get some thicker rubber gaskets to keep the Hornady bushings from loosening during use. A lock washer would really help with the shell plate bolt. The baffle and REALLY cleaning the ENTIRE powder drop assembly will give you much better accuracy. There's always other seating dies that are more reliable. The Hornady is a very good starter kit for a beginner loader. I know it's not necessarily cheap but you know the term..... YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
If you use a ptx expander with your powder measure you do the expansion in the same operation as you drop the powder, and you free up one station. Also, you can use a lockwasher in addition to the regular washer on the bolt that holds down the shell plate and the bolt will not come loose. But otherwise I also often end up doing the same as you running them in two stages with resizing/reprime and expand in one stage then run them through once more for the rest of the operations. I however think that these presses have some flaws that Hornady really should have fixed.. I've got two of them and I am not very happy with them. I much prefer my dillon 550c over the lnl ap's even though it has one less station.. I never had any issues whatsoever with the priming system on the hornady though.. One problem I have that you did not mention is that when the case retainer spring dives down to prepare for case ejection, it dives under the rim of the case when it indexes to station five, lifting up on the outer half of the case rim, causing the case to tilt inwards and that causes the inner side of the case mouth sometimes colliding with the mouth of the crimp die. So if I crimp in station five I only use dillon dies that have a generous bevel on the crimp die mouth..
Not sure about the primer system woes but the dies and powder measure can be fixed. Buy the micrometer adjuster for the dies and toss the rubber washer, that is how I get consistency with the dies. Buy the micrometer adjuster for the powder measure and your inconsistencies will go away. All the screws that seem to loosen up?? I don't remember what the solution is?? I can tell you this though, a gun tuber by the name of 76highboy used to use the Hornady stuff and did a very detailed review of that system detailing maintained and improvements for everything you just discussed!
I run into the consistency issue as well on all my calibers. It's in the brass. Even if you use the same head stamp and trim the brass all to the same length. It's the stamping and the case rim having variations when the calipers are put on. The stamping causes a bubble effect much like a dent in a car fender making high spots around the dent. For case rim, its where its been over stressed so much it's slightly pulled down towards the pocket. Not enough the naked eye can see it but enough the calipers can.
Try Teflon tape on your threaded fittings. It won’t damage the threads but should hold things in place. Just use a new piece of tape each time you remove and replace a piece.
It's a few years old but i think it was"ultimate reloader" that's got some really good press reviews and details. You might watch through those for some ideas.
I'm new to reloading and I use a lee classic turret press and really enjoy it. I took the rod out of it and use it like a single stage. I can load a box of 50 pistol in 20 minutes and that's measuring every powder charge. I love being able to get extra die plates for all my calibers that way I don't have to mess with readjusting the dies after switching calibers.
I searched everywhere on the internet for about a year I finally found a Dillon progressive. I learned on the Hornady. I took a couple classes to learn how to do it especially with all the powders out there. What you showed is exactly what they showed me. It is common. And that's a shame because I love their products
I debated between this and my Dillon 550 c. Even though I have to manually index the Dillon I’m glad I went with it. But with all things it has its own little quirks also.
Talking to myself more than you here. Mine is a 550B. Be sure to index the shell plate EVERY TIME. Looking at the charge is a good idea. I made that mistake last fall. Because I was sitting down I manually loaded 2 charges of CFE into a 9mm case. BOOM in my Sig P225. Thankfully it just broke a grip. Now I use a mirror so I can view the charge even while sitting. Charges that you cannot load 2 changes into and still seat a bullet are a good idea.
I have one, I got used. It’s about 15 years old. I had to buy a bunch of parts to make it useable. Pretty much rebuilt the press. I use a hornady powder throw manually on it. Everything is extremely consistent.
12:59 Study the caliber conversion chart & buy only what you need. A shell plate is a shell plate & a button is a button. For example, if you have a 45ACP conversion & also want to load 270 & 30-06 just get the powder funnels for those cartridges as the shell plate & buttons are exactly the same - you do not need a cartridge conversion for each one of them. You do not need a powder measure for every changeover if you go to the micrometer stem powder bar upgrade & measure quick change kit. At least on a 550, you can load precision rifle if using floating toolheads & trickling powder. That does take two steps through the press (one to resize & one to load). That will be good until something like an Area 419, Forester or SAC Nexus is needed. I do not load or shoot to that level of precision though.
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I have owned mine for two years approximately. I only load pistol on the press so I cannot comment about rifle cartridges. However...
Most of your issues can actually be resolved without a problem honestly. I don't like to watch videos to learn in general, i prefer to read, but there's a channel called 76Highboy Reloading that addresses almost everything that you mentioned. Your only challenge with his videos is that they are 25 minutes+, so you'll have to choose a way to find the exact topic that he discusses.
Regarding tightening the shell plate down, you can put something like an allen wrench in the primer drop hole so that shell plate remains still when you tighten it down. My shell plates have never loosened up, not once. 76 Highboy carefully uses a lock washer, but I don't find it necessary. Verify the thread is not worn in the carrier where you screw in the bolt that holds the shell plate. U could even use vinyl plumbing tape around the bolt/screw. That will help it stay in place but not too permanently like lock-tite. But again, use an allen wrench in the primer drop hole to keep the shell plate in place while threading down the screw.
Regarding the powder measure, I have problems with it as well but different than yours. I use Hodgdon Universal for all but one of my pistol calibers. The Hornady powder measure binds on me every 20 rounds or so and will leave me with an empty case if I am not watching my cases on my camera setup for my press. I even sent it back to Hornady. I got it back and had the same problem. I gave up for now as I am too busy. I continue to use Lee Auto Drum for each caliber (I have around five of the Auto Drum powder measures).
If you ever want an aftermarket case feeder I recommend looking up Jeff Goodness. I bought one from him that he makes with 3D printing. His product is light years better than 99% of the crap that others make and see for reloading. Good quality SS screws, washers, rollers, positive locking systems and more. Price was around 120 doll hairs I believe. Nothing is perfect but it is damn good 99% of the time if I do not rush myself on the press.
Lastly, if you watch 76Highboys videos, you do not necessarily need what I am about to recommend. But it makes things easier. BragginRights Precision Reloading makes really good tools for setting everything up well on the LNL AP. I bought his stuff before I even received my LNL AP. They work great. But again, following 76Highboys methods, you can achieve the same results with a little extra time and effort.
Let me know if this helps please.
Put a lock washer on that bolt
Agree the lock washers works great .
I Give myself a tolerance that works flawlessly with what I'm shooting with, take a breathe and have fun,
Good video. Great info. I'll keep my single stage RCBS it's slow but it's consistent.
You should consider the new Lee Ultimate Turret press - 6 stations, auto index (easy to also manually index), tried and true priming (pez dispenser).I have the XL750, Hornady LNL AP, Lee Loadmaster and have never used the priming system on any of those to keep all 5 stages set up with powder charge in 1, powder lockout die in 2, bullet feeder (new Lee inline, Hornady using Bully adapter, and DAA MBF (best) in 3 , seat in 4, crimp in 5. I use the Lee Pro 4000 to decap/size, prime (pez dispenser), and expand (Lyman M die) 100 cases at a time, then move everything over to one of the 5 stage progressives. Since this is a hobby (I shoot so I can reload) don't need to make 500-1000 at a time. I bought the Lee 6 pack pro when introduced and it has proven to be very good for my needs, including priming on press. I use the Lyman 8 turret for bottleneck rounds (223/556, 300 BO, 357 Sig, 400 Cor-Bon, 22 TCM) for precision and consistency, but the new Lee ultimate turret is (surprizingly) working good so far. I've reloaded 38 Super and 357 Sig on it and the auto indexing makes up for the lack of a case feeder time-wise. If I was just starting out, I would buy this or the Lyman 8 as a first press and probably not deal with the progressives. For the money, $275 for the Lee kit or the Lyman 8 and a powder measure would be a great way to start.
Ive had a Dillon 1050 with Mark7 auto drive, to do bulk 9mm. That thing had issue too. Nothings perfect. As far has LNL, I have one too and still have it. Ive loaded over 150k on it over the past ten years. Ive had most of the issue you had but was able to fix all of them. I am very surprised on how you tighten the shell plate on your LNL. Your technique is sad. I will leave it at that. I prefer LNL because I didnt want a different tool head for each calibur.
Maybe a lockwasher could solve the problem of the shell plate center bolt getting loose...
Yupp.that took care of mine
I’m struggling to believe what I’m watching here. What the heck is the point of a progressive press if you are doing your reloading in 3 different stages 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
As far as dies go …. I don’t use RCBS or Hornady dies ….. Dillon dies or Redding/forester dies by once cry once
If you have tape stuff up to get stuff to work properly, I would find a Dillon xl650 who cares about condition ( if it needs work send it to Dillon for reconditioning- I did and it only cost me to ship it to Dillon they shipped it back and no charge )
Send this vid to Hornady and see what they say
Turkeys opinion, you ask viewers to comment but you are not interacting in the comments much anymore. I like to comment as I did above, but I generally stop commenting if the video creator does not interact. I don't doubt that you are busy, of course.
You know I’m watching your video and I’m watching on prime if you have your machine set up right you just pull the handle and it goes
Thank you for your infinite wisdom......
Have you measured your bullets? Cheap bullets (including Hornady) vary by length.
Also check your sub-plate for wear as well as your drive hub.
Hornaday should be ashamed honestly. Having only experience with dillon progressive presses makes me wonder why anyone would put up with this janky setup?
I don't have near those issues on mine.but whatever as the saying goes 😮
I’ve not had his issues. The press isn’t perfect but it’s not terrible.
I think you'd be happier with a good quality turret press.
DAMN....and I thought the ToadMaster.....I meant LoadMaster was bad.
I had a buddy offer to give me a Load-Master for free after he upgraded to a Six Pack Pro.
I told him I didn't want it 😁
I’ve run the Lock n Load for years and everything you are mentioning are all things that I’ve ALWAYS experienced. I’ve been super tempted to sell off all of my Hornady stuff and move over to Dillon. I never run rifle on this. I use an Iron Press for that.
Dillon would be a wise decision my friend. They make a outstanding product.
Dillon is in my opinion a more consistent press and i used Hornady before I bought my Dillon XL750 I can never go back there that good, not perfect but better. I still have the hornady and still use at times.
Throw those rubber washers away! Use the jam nut only. Lee does the same thing. Downside Lee doest have a jam nut on the seater die. I own 3 sets of pacific and one new hornady. The pacific are great but the new dimension dies I don't care for. My presses are the old pro 7s. They still work good after hundreds of thousands of rounds.
I have a Dillon XL650 that’s great. Keep your eye out for a used Dillon, they are out there from time to time, I load a lot of my match quality rifle rounds on my single state RCBS Rock Chucker. I like to slow down and weigh every powder charge. The rifle cartridges that I do load on my Dillon are done a little differently. I deprime and resize my brass separately. I have found that it’s much easier than doing it progressively as you would pistol calibers.
I've loaded 1000's upon 1000's of rounds on my LnL AP and I don't do any of the wonky things you do. Never had the primer shuttle guide rod pop out or my shell plate bolt come loose. Never had a need to tape my dies as they don't move once set right.
Sure you can have issues with the primer shuttle sticking, it's a close tolerance system to work right so there's no room for debris in the system. Keep the area clean.
No progressive is going to load match grade ammo. All it takes is a piece of brass or a bullet just a little out of spec which causes the shell plate to flex just a little differently under load to throw another procedure off a couple .000.
Ive got two. They work....but have issues. I dont like them. If its not the pawls, its the case feeders, or something. Always. Every....single....time I use them, ive gotta tinker with them. I have not however, had issues with the powder drop or seating depth. I also hand prime so I cant say the primer syatem is okay or not. When ita setup, it tends to run great. I keep one setuo to process brass and ones almost always setup for 9mm. Its weird tho, cuz you go to bed and bam....something changes. I can say that the hornady LnL swage tool mixed with case feeder is super awesome. That and the Lyman M die and dillon rt1500 makes REALLY short work of 223/5.56 brass. Hoooooly crap its awesome. Soooo. Its a wash.
I finally gave up on using the press to prime cases and use an RCBS hand primer. It's another step but I was fed up with the aggravation of having to stop and deal with primer issues. The case feeder is a steaming pile of crap. I've spent countless hours messing with it. I've worked with customer support and watched all kind of video's on how to fix issues but it is not consistently reliable. It was a waste of money and I no longer use it.
Other that those problems, and they aren't insignificant, I've used the press to load well over 10,000 9mm and 45 rounds. If I were to do it all over again I would probably look at Dillon.
You just discribed almost every issue Ive had with my RCBS Piggy Back system over the last 30 years. Now that I'm up to close to 20 shell plates for it, my tightness won't let me update.
Primer flips, yep. Had a spell of it tried everything under the sun to fix it. Not sure what I did but I think it's mainly related to that primer alignement as it gets pushed up. My issure was indexing consistantsy.
Primer slide rod pulling loose. Yep. Thats a Gremlin deal no one can explain
Powder drop changes, yep. Remember it depends on what cheek you have most of your weight on. To back off lean left to increase lean right. To lock it in just clinch a little.
I'll tell you something to try and it will feel awkward after you have been using yours the way you have for so many years. I started holding the press with my left hand as I cycled it. Especially on the up stroke to seat primer. For some reason it steadies the whole press and helps with several issues. Maybe it's more of a Piggyback thing but might help you.
If you think you are going to update, do it sooner than later. Eventually you get to the point of saying I'll just keep this old girl going till I die.
Consider the Lee 6 pack pro. RCBS lockout die. Comes with a case feeder. Has available bullet feeder. No powder measuring device that work on a volume drop is going to be super accurate. I think Lee has come a long way with a relatively inexpensive setup. 6 stations is nice.
I put a washer and lock washer on my shell plate and it stays tight. I fouled up a few springs and that fixed it. Also Hornady customer service is awesome I’m sure if you called them they would replace that worn out press.
Have you tried purple loctite for the shell plate's bolt? It would allow relatively easy removal, but might just give you enough friction to prevent it loosening all the time.
It would be great to watch you releas used 10mm
I have had every single head ache you mentioned with this machine as well. Loosens up too easily, guide bar pops out and seating depth variations. Frustrating.
Maybe a crush washer in that shell plate bolt also that rod that keeps popping out try to remove a little material in the pocket that the rod top pops into so it’s in there a little more deep and maybe it won’t pop out
I've loaded hundreds of thousands of rounds on three LNL APs. Some observations. 1) Put a Dillon primer alarm on, and use aluminum tape its sticky and durable. 2) the primer guide rod should be adjusted with top screw and slid with shellplate fully up, looking down you can make sure the tube is centered and tightened 3) Use lockwasher under shellplate washer. 4) Adjust your pawls so the plate indexes properly 5) Get the roller handle from inline 6) Besides loc tite on powder screws use the limiting bar to prevent stress, its free from Hornady 7) You observe variances in COAL but that's more likely variations in bullet ogive/meplat which is typical, esp if you use conical with flat points 8) The microadjust on powder measure is precise, needs zero tape 9) Despite good intentions the powder cop is virtually useless as it shows almost no visual improvements, skip it and crimp properly.
I have the Lyman 8 turret press little slower than Progressive press. It is more like a single stage press.
You might need a new press that one seams like a lot of work ?
I have a Dillon XL750 for 45 acp, 44 magnum and 10mm. Also have a Dillon RL1100 for 9mm, 357magnum, 223 and 300 BO. They aren't perfect but they don't seem as troublesome as what you are dealing with. You could keep your Lock and Load then get an XL 770 and get conversion kits a little at a time. It is a great press.
I have one and can relate to some of the issues you are seeing. The shell plate can get loose and does need to be re-torqued occasionally. I have never had a primer issue that you talk about; flipped primer, or primer shuttle bar coming loose. The powder drop and die bushings do move a little throughout a loading session. The powder drop isn't necessarily dead on but is with in .1 grain usually on mine. Good enough for me. The fasteners on my powder drop don't seem to ever come loose like you say, but the knurled screw can and does need to be snugged up once and a while.
One thing that I did notice is that the indexing of your press looked a little off on the close up video of to talking about the primer seating. The primer seater should be in the middle of the cartridge slot. Yours looked a little closer to the right side. That can be adjusted by the index fingers on the bottom of the press. That being said, for the money I am happy with how mine has preformed and would still recommend this press for the average shooter.
Thanks for the video. It was very informative for people interested in the Hornady LNL.
What's with all the yard bricks on you bench??
I got fed up with mine and re-thought everything.
I use mine like a 10 station in 2 passes using a Hornady case feeder, Lyman pro stainless dies, Mr bullet feeder and a double alpha magnetic powder check.
NO DOUBLE OPERATION IN ONE STAGE!11
First pass - 1) Lee universal de-primer - 2) prime 3) Hornady sizing 4) Lyman size again 5) Lyman bell
Second pass. 1) powder drop 2) powder check 3) Mr. bullet drop 4) Lyman seat 5) Lyman crimp.
Hornady is the only press you can run this way because it is the only press you can put the powder drop in station 1.
I double size to eliminate jams because I use mixed range brass.
I like it! Very nice👍👊🦃
I started loading on the little cheapo Lee like you do your crimping on then upgraded to the Lee Classic Turret. I've had the LNLAP for about 14 years now.
I always size and prime off press. To use any progressive press as a true progressive you must use new brass.
I haven't had near the issues you've described. My press has a lock washer in addition to the flat washer for the shell plate. The biggest problem I have is the powder measure/bushing will walk out after a few hundred rounds if I don't keep an eye on it.
Most of the powder deviations (I believe) come from vibration variances while cycling the press. This causes the powder to settle in the cavity differently depending on how much vibration occurred during the previous stage.
OAL can be a nightmare to get consistency on any press. A lot of the inconsistency comes from neck tension and the "spring" effect of the brass itself. Mostly due to variances in the brass itself (brand, times reloaded, etc.)
Now that I think about it, I don't even own a set of Hornady dies. Most of my dies are a mix of Lee and RCBS.
Yeah a lock washer on the shell plate stops it from coming loose. As to the powder measure working itself loose, just replace the rubber washer with a slightly fatter one and it'll never come loose again.
DILLON XL650/750
Pure joy
550C is outstanding
primingsystem at 4 min - never had that problem actially. Might be something with your system?
5 min - one screw shellplate - you need a lockring!! Problem fixed!!
you need to know your machine 😉
you really have no idea about useing this thing......
Bullets are generally seated by the ogive, not the tip of the bullet, and not all bullets are exactly the same length. Also when packing compressed cases, the same amount of pressure won't = the same length
Even SMK's I get inconsistencies with my Lee seating dies. But as long as the ogive is in the same place and the long ones aren't longer than max length, it's perfect. Rim to ogive is the distance you want to be the same, consistent distance from the lands
dude your way to aval .5 grain is nothing to worry about, and i dont know how your dies loosen mine have been tight for 20 years, your doing somehting wrong
You are special.
Some of your gripes are legit. I don’t have a lot of issues with the primer feed but the ones you listed I do come across occasionally. Fasteners on the powder drop do come loose. I tighten the shell plate bolt and don’t have problems. I’ve never had a seater or crimp/seater combo die come out of adjustment ever. Same with the powder drop adjuster. In 2023 I ran about 24,000 rounds of 9mm through it and probably have well over 75K of 9mm through it. I agree it’s not great for rifle. Overall there are much better options like Dillon or Mark 7, but I bought mine when I didn’t know better. It works, but it’s meh. I’m kind of surprised you didn’t talk about the lock and load bushings constantly working loose. Inline Fabrication’s pull handle is a nice upgrade.
how about dont use hornady dies i have used lee dies and they have been the same on my hornady for 20 years
I use lee when I can't find anything else.
I have the exact single stage lee c press. It always works for me, and hornady dies do tend to move....but are much smoother than lee. Just my 15 years of experience.
So yes saying, get a dillon
You need a baffle in your powder measure. Also, prep the powder column by tapping on it for a minute or three. I’ve even read about guys taping a fish tank bubbler motor to the column to get the powder to settle. That’s why your powder throws vary over time.
The LNL AP priming system sucks. I’ve polished surfaces, replaced parts, and everything else I could think of. It still sucks. In addition, when you size/de-cap on the progressive press it can make the shell plate deflect. That’s where your COAL variances come from.
Bottom line: I size and prime my cases first off the Hornady LNL AP. This also lets me use the 5 stations as follows: expander/powder/powder cop die/seat bullet/crimp. For the amount of pistol ammo I make, this is good enough. For rifle cartridges, everything gets done on a Forster Co-Ax single stage press.
I have a hornady lnl it’s about 5 years old I found if I size and flare off the press I get better consistency on it I only use it for pistol caliber only for rifle I use the Lyman turret press it works great for rifle and the priming I use the rcbs bench prime but yes hornady needs improvement also sometimes dies and powder measure walks loose even when I get it tight so what I did I put fatter O rings on the lnl bushing to make it tighter so now it act’s like fixed bushing I’m ok about it now it runs pretty decent I’m happy with it thanks for sharing your experience with hornady
I wore out a Lee Pro 1000. Moved up to the LoadMaster.....big mistake. Bought a Dillon 650 and hated it. Sold it and went back to the LoadMaster.
I MUCH prefer the lee powder measure and primer tray over all the others. Just for those 2 things alone, I'll stick to anything Lee.
I had over 400k on the Pro 1000.
I don't think you're overcome hardly any of those tolerance issues with that press. Too many design features that allow inconsistent tolerancing.
I have only used a single stage RCBS Rockchucker but haven't loaded to high volumes.
However, I know Lyman and RCBS run a 6 to 8 stage turret press. Redding T-7 turret would be a incredible setup, but costly. You don't need to go to a Dillon.
Use this. Vibra-TITE - 12250 122 Oil Tolerant Removable Anaerobic Threadlocker. Stays on the bolt after curing and behaves a bit like a nylon lock nut. It will stop things from coming lose without a tool and avoid having to ruin the treads in the cast iron, which will acerbate the bolts and bits getting loser over time. Use the tread locker, torque to the right setting and then use a marker or a punch to impinge reference marks. This will optically let you see when things are getting lose. When you are done, you can either clean off the locker with carb cleaner and then oil before storing. Cast iron treads will get loose over time and is not the best material to torque down on then loosen repeatedly. Using a reusable tread-locker will alleviate these issues. Make sure your plate rod is adjusted when the plate is in the up position to avoid the rod being thrown from misalignment.
Been running Lee since '96. Same problems at half the price. Bought a Six Pack last year. Hell of an improvement over Pro 1000 or Load Master. For my precision loading, I use a Rock Chucker and a Lyman American 8. Built like a tank, but the priming system is meh.
I just started reloading for rifle loads. I thought this AP would be the best way to go. Right away I’m noticing some extremely frustrating issues you’re explaining. I thought it was me. Thanks for sharing. I’ll go back to the store, I guess
Interesting indeed. I have the Hornady L n L. It has worked very well for me. I’m not a high volume reloader. My friend and his sons are competitive shooters. They reload 30-50 thousand rounds per year. It sounds to me like you’re trying to use a device that is for the more casual reloader like myself. My friend’s Dillion takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’. Unfortunately the Dillion is what you really need. You can’t race a VW against a Corvette with any success. Same applies here. Save up for the Dillion and you’ll be happy…I bit poorer, but happy. Cheers!
I just reloaded 330 rounds of 556, so my process is on a single stage press RCBS rock chucker supreme because my rock chucker had play in it. It had no sentimental value in it cuz I bought it from another guy and 19 96 and I called RCBS and they replaced it for free and they kept the other one which it didn't matter to me. So anyways I had to start. The brass was already fired once and it was 556 Natal horny ammunition. So I had to ream the primer pocket clean the primer pocket tumble it size it the prime it trim the case prime it by hand with a Lee Auto prime primer, oh I forgot wiping the lube off of the case is also, way every charge out. I just don't throw charges. I weigh everyone out. I do it with every caliber that I do it with, put the ball in and seat the bullet. So that process start to finish which I didn't do it all at one time but I kept time of every time I worked on it. Over the course of 4 days I had 14 total hours in 330 rounds. I already had the cases. I already had the primer. Ari had the bullets and I already had the primers. I didn't have to buy anything and the only thing that was actually newer was the brass which was only 3 years old when I bought the ammunition. Everything else was 10 to 15 years old. And I didn't have to pay for the bullets because I live in an area in Pennsylvania where it's powdered metal capital of the world. And there was a small company making powdered mellow bullets and they were 42 grain and that's what I'm using cuz I got 3500 bullets for nothing because I bought 12,000 brand new PNC brass from them. So anyways, back to 14 hours over the course of 4 days and I already went through what the whole process was. Thanks a lot of time but I have consistent bullets I mean cartridges
I think one issue may be expectations: every PRS shooter I know uses single stage for precision loads. The progressive presses are not consistent enough. However, some of the issues are likely mechanical wear or loss of ca!ibration. Three upgrades I have made are 1) switching to the micrometer seating and powder stems, 2) buying a pistol cartridge alignment tool (the manufacturer sells them on eBay and has videos on YT), and 3) switching to RCBS dies (Horrnady dies are not that good). One last fix/thought: I had similar problems with the COAL coming out of the seater dies and was pretty frustrated until a more experienced reloader mentioned checking the bullet ogive. Variation in the curvature can throw of the interaction between the seating stem and the bullet and affects depth. You mention sorting bullets, so I assume you do check it. (One last thought: the powder drop works best with ball powder, stick powder seems to force the plunger, likely due to being cut off when the drop cycles.)
I agree! I too have a Hornady L&L press and the priming system sucks and I don't use it. I have this press for one reason, loading BP cowboy 45 Colt. Instead I size, prime, and expand all my cases on an old Star press. This also gives me room to crimp on the Hornady press. If you want to just load match 45ACP ammo on one machine get a Star setup for 45 and you'll never regret it. Just my opinion.
I liked the walk through. Once I committed to the shell plates and all the trouble shooting, I'd probably stick to the same press, but it seems so frustrating I'd stop investing in it.
Mine is a Dillon 550, and it has held long term consistency. If a pull feels different, I take the case out and dump the powder back into hopper. Aside from drift of a setting, different vibration through the press will drop a different weight charge. I have done some steps off of the press, but I'd really expect to not have to do multiple runs through the machine for finished ammo.
I also have a Whidden tooling head, and there's no doubt in my mind that the Dillon can put out precision rifle ammo. I'll set it up a bit differently, but I have unquestioned confidence in my powder measures. They hold their accuracy months and years apart, and I'll check occasionally with a scale, but I've gotten used to just doing clicks.
That said, I've used the progressive far less in recent years. I get enough speed with a couple of turret presses, and a few single stage presses, hand primers, etc. To expand a bit on my Whidden comment, nothing gets locked down tightly, it uses the Tubbs(I think it's his baby) floating setup. I also have a bunch of dies, setup to pop in and out of my Forster coax. I always have my calipers and datum gauge to confirm nothing drifted.
I've always used witness marks, say on the die body and locking rings for a quick glance check, once things are covered from view, such as tape, it's hard to spot problems until they compound. But, I have no issues with what works for others, not one bit.
I quit loading primers on mine. I deprime and resize on a Lee App and use a Lee bench prime. That lest me use a DA powder cop and a bullet feeder and a Lee FCD.
I just recently changed my powder measure over to a Lee. So much easier to do a caliber change now. I have a small fortune in trying to have a powder drop assembly for each caliber. Just the one powder measure though. Now I use a Lee Auto drum. So much easier to change calibers now and have set a exchangeable drums for each caliber. I bought the LNL used 20 years ago. It was my 1st and only progressive. Now I get the quality I want. I'm too old and cheap now to buy another.
👍🏻👍🏻
I've only been reloading since November 2023. I bought the Hornady LNL over the Dillon 550/650 to start out with. I've had most of the issues you've had but I've worked through them. You can get some thicker rubber gaskets to keep the Hornady bushings from loosening during use. A lock washer would really help with the shell plate bolt. The baffle and REALLY cleaning the ENTIRE powder drop assembly will give you much better accuracy. There's always other seating dies that are more reliable. The Hornady is a very good starter kit for a beginner loader. I know it's not necessarily cheap but you know the term..... YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
If you use a ptx expander with your powder measure you do the expansion in the same operation as you drop the powder, and you free up one station. Also, you can use a lockwasher in addition to the regular washer on the bolt that holds down the shell plate and the bolt will not come loose. But otherwise I also often end up doing the same as you running them in two stages with resizing/reprime and expand in one stage then run them through once more for the rest of the operations. I however think that these presses have some flaws that Hornady really should have fixed.. I've got two of them and I am not very happy with them. I much prefer my dillon 550c over the lnl ap's even though it has one less station.. I never had any issues whatsoever with the priming system on the hornady though.. One problem I have that you did not mention is that when the case retainer spring dives down to prepare for case ejection, it dives under the rim of the case when it indexes to station five, lifting up on the outer half of the case rim, causing the case to tilt inwards and that causes the inner side of the case mouth sometimes colliding with the mouth of the crimp die. So if I crimp in station five I only use dillon dies that have a generous bevel on the crimp die mouth..
For the Dillion
Yo TBP! Those things are sweet. Smoth like butter. But im so invested in the lock n load. Thanks bro! The dillon fund is started😁👊👊👍🦃
@@theturkeysopinion hahaha, well it’s a start. About the time your next lock and load is worn out we’ll have an enough in the Dillon fund for you! 😂🤣.
Not sure about the primer system woes but the dies and powder measure can be fixed. Buy the micrometer adjuster for the dies and toss the rubber washer, that is how I get consistency with the dies. Buy the micrometer adjuster for the powder measure and your inconsistencies will go away. All the screws that seem to loosen up?? I don't remember what the solution is?? I can tell you this though, a gun tuber by the name of 76highboy used to use the Hornady stuff and did a very detailed review of that system detailing maintained and improvements for everything you just discussed!
I run into the consistency issue as well on all my calibers. It's in the brass. Even if you use the same head stamp and trim the brass all to the same length. It's the stamping and the case rim having variations when the calipers are put on. The stamping causes a bubble effect much like a dent in a car fender making high spots around the dent. For case rim, its where its been over stressed so much it's slightly pulled down towards the pocket. Not enough the naked eye can see it but enough the calipers can.
Try Teflon tape on your threaded fittings. It won’t damage the threads but should hold things in place. Just use a new piece of tape each time you remove and replace a piece.
It's a few years old but i think it was"ultimate reloader" that's got some really good press reviews and details. You might watch through those for some ideas.
Try straightening the z rod ever so slightly.
Baffle in the powder should help with the increase in drops.
I'm new to reloading and I use a lee classic turret press and really enjoy it. I took the rod out of it and use it like a single stage. I can load a box of 50 pistol in 20 minutes and that's measuring every powder charge. I love being able to get extra die plates for all my calibers that way I don't have to mess with readjusting the dies after switching calibers.
Appreciate the sharing of knowledge TTO. Good stuff, thank you.
I use RCBS dies with no issues.now the powder measure thats another story lol😊😊😊
I searched everywhere on the internet for about a year I finally found a Dillon progressive. I learned on the Hornady. I took a couple classes to learn how to do it especially with all the powders out there. What you showed is exactly what they showed me. It is common. And that's a shame because I love their products
I debated between this and my Dillon 550 c. Even though I have to manually index the Dillon I’m glad I went with it. But with all things it has its own little quirks also.
Talking to myself more than you here.
Mine is a 550B.
Be sure to index the shell plate EVERY TIME. Looking at the charge is a good idea.
I made that mistake last fall. Because I was sitting down I manually loaded 2 charges of CFE into a 9mm case. BOOM in my Sig P225. Thankfully it just broke a grip.
Now I use a mirror so I can view the charge even while sitting.
Charges that you cannot load 2 changes into and still seat a bullet are a good idea.
I have one, I got used. It’s about 15 years old. I had to buy a bunch of parts to make it useable. Pretty much rebuilt the press. I use a hornady powder throw manually on it. Everything is extremely consistent.
Nice. Yeah, mine needs some work. Ive got to get to that soon👊🦃👍
Thanks for the video brother. I have been really tempted to buy this for the last few years. Now I will know better.
I put a lock nut under the screw for the shell plate .it holds well🤪 😊
5:19 WOW, my Dillon 550B has a lock screw on the main shaft.
I also have the roller bearing kit & that makes the press index much smoother.
12:59 Study the caliber conversion chart & buy only what you need.
A shell plate is a shell plate & a button is a button.
For example, if you have a 45ACP conversion & also want to load 270 & 30-06 just get the powder funnels for those cartridges as the shell plate & buttons are exactly the same - you do not need a cartridge conversion for each one of them.
You do not need a powder measure for every changeover if you go to the micrometer stem powder bar upgrade & measure quick change kit.
At least on a 550, you can load precision rifle if using floating toolheads & trickling powder. That does take two steps through the press (one to resize & one to load). That will be good until something like an Area 419, Forester or SAC Nexus is needed. I do not load or shoot to that level of precision though.
She'll plate needs left handed threads ot system rotate the other way
I think u need a overhaul u have a lot of rounds through it
Seen one passed and bought a s&w model 66. 👍🦃
🤘🏼❤️🩹🇺🇸❤️🩹🤘🏼
Good stuff thanks 👍