Which progressive reloader?

[Lurkus Maximus]

Or this for less than $20:

Home Made Auto Primer Tube Filler Ver. 1.0 - YouTube

also get one of these... best thing since sliced cheese...

Frankford Arsenal Vibra-Prime Automatic Primer Tube Filler

 

[Classic]

So call me cheap? but I used a Dillon 550 and can knock out between 350 & 400 rounds per hour. I live where it gets pretty cold and my reloading bench is in my garage so to keep momma happy I spend time with her in the warm house watching TV as I hand prime:

I have 4 different quick change setups so in less than 3 minutes I can swap from 9mm to 45acp...
My entire setup including the bench and 4 additional quick change set-ups, 2 tumblers, calipers and workbench I'm in my setup $1200 so with my own brass I was able to save $300 per thousand 45acp. Needless to say, this paid for itself over 2 years ago.
I do have to say that reloading wont save you any money!!! But it does allow you to shoot 3 times as much for the same money

 

[rainyday]

beware if you get the hornaday that there fit up is lousy and there parts are coming through lousy. some one on another board im on bought a hornaday lnl and had several parts that had to be replaced. he bought it brand new and both primer cups left a dent in the primers during the primer seating.
in my opinion the dillion is money better spent right now and you wont have any issues with needing parts or fit issues when you open the box

 

[nastybynature]

Sounds like it is a get what you can afford. That being said, I am looking at a lyman single stage stage for hunting/accurate reloads. I have never heard anyone complain about buying a Dillon.

If i was on a budget, i would look art the RC2 for $75 or $100 with dies to get you started if you find it. But 2 or 3 books from the library, may help you understand the amount of parts involved, make it hard to save money....

 

[skydiver]

Here's a detailed review written by someone who owned and operated the Lee, Dillion and Hornady:

http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillonLeeHornadyComparison.pdf

 

[PX4WA]

Here's a detailed review written by someone who owned and operated the Lee, Dillion and Hornady:

http://www.comrace.ca/cmfiles/dillonLeeHornadyComparison.pdf

very nicely written... but I'm sure somebody will call it biased... Blue always wins...

I actually agree here on a few things..

1 - powder measure -- hornady is much more consistent
2. primer handling -- hornady loads primers only with a case... it can get dirty and needs to be cleaned from time to time.. but uses the same system as the 1050...
3. case feeder --- dillon actually feeds better... some 9mm don't feed completely from time to time on the hornady.. .will take a slight push to get it fully into the shellplate
4. removing cases from shell plate --- hornady uses a spring that makes it easy... grasp the case, slide it out--- one hand operation...
5. the hornady primer arm reaches it maximum before the primer arm travel ends... so you know you hit maximum when you get to that give.. more consistent
6. warranty --- dillon hands down... hornady can sometimes be tricky for used machines... warranty is officially for original purchaser only... although they've taken care of me all the time, they always give me the line of how they are extending it as a courtesy because I'm not the original owner... one time they told me they will charge me (5$ part) and took my card, but then shipped it for free without cost... I guess they are trying to discourage you calling?

so overall I'd get a dillon if money is not an object... but a hornady is not junk either...

heck I started with a loadmaster and loaded a few thousand rounds on it... slow and takes tinkering.. I probably got 300rounds per hour on the loadmaster, 500 rounds per hour on the hornady and 800-1000 rounds per hour on the 1050...

 

[decay]

My first foray into the progressive reloader was an RCBS piggy back . THAT would make you appreciate either !!!!

 

[usagi]

beware if you get the hornaday that there fit up is lousy and there parts are coming through lousy. some one on another board im on bought a hornaday lnl and had several parts that had to be replaced. he bought it brand new and both primer cups left a dent in the primers during the primer seating.
in my opinion the dillion is money better spent right now and you wont have any issues with needing parts or fit issues when you open the box

no problems with fit up here with my LNL. one of my friends has two LNL presses, one permanently set up with large primer and the other small primer so he wouldnt have to spend time changing the primer assembly. many thousands of rounds reloaded without problems.

after talking with gavin gear of ultimatereloader.com. he has just about every press, and he recommended the LNL.

 

[usagi]

very nicely written... but I'm sure somebody will call it biased... Blue always wins...

did you read his conclusion? he chose hornady.

 

[Bxc53]

Thanks again for all the good input. It's a close call for me but the Hornady L&L AP just went on sale at Cabelas for $389.99. With the 500 free bullet deal, it looks pretty good.
So, with apologies to the Blue Team, I think I'll jump on the Hornady.

 

[Bxc53]

I picked up the Hornady LnL AP from Cabalas. I thought I'd share a few thought on the assembly, set up and the first 100 rounds

Assembly:

The box was still in the shrink wrap and all the parts were there plus a few spares.

I used the written instructions plus the notes from the Ultimatereloader.com site. It went together pretty well. The primer slide was a bit sticky initially but I was able to clean up some sharp edges and get rid of a little bit of debris from manufacturing. After that and cycling the press empty for a few minutes, it runs smoothly. No adjustments to the pawls were needed.

Per the instructions, I de greased all the powder measure parts while I set it up for pistol. I had some automotive brake cleaner and it worked fine.

I set it up for 9mm initially, using RCBS dies I had for my single stage press. No surprise, but they needed to be readjusted for the LnL. It was straightforward using a few cases run through 'dry' -no primer or powder

Once cleaned up and de-burred, the primer system worked well with no hang ups and consistent seating.

The powder measure dialed in to my 5.0 gr of Autocomp and held the setting fine on the spot checks.

I set up the dies in the same sequence as my single stage loading:

Location 1 - resize/decap
Location 2 - expand
Location 3 - powder drop
Location 4 - empty. Future powder cop, maybe
Location 5 - bullet seat/taper crimp. This combo has worked well for me on the single stage for 9mm. For 45 ACP I use separate seat and crimp dies as it seems to work better for my pistols. I may try the PTX setup for 45.

With everything ready I ran 100 rounds. It took a couple minutes to get the rhythm and get used to the LnL system. I forgot to push forward a couple times and missed the primer seating. Clean up was pretty simple and I appreciated the spring retention system making it easy to pull the case.
Once I got used to the system, the next 70 rounds went smooth.

Initial Impressions:

It took a bit of tinkering to get it set up and running. I like to tinker so it was no big deal. Some one looking for a pure Plug & Play system might be frustrated.

Once set up, the powder drop, bullet seating and crimp stayed very consistent. This is Big for me to make good consistent ammo.

The primer system gave me less hassle than I has anticipated after reading the blogs.

The case feeder option is looking interesting but I'll run a thousand or so before deciding.

The bullet feed seems less needed, but again , I'll give it a while

I may look into an accessory "Ergo" handle. The stock one seems a bit awkward.


Anyway, if you're still reading after the long ramble, I hope this helps someone looking for the right progressive machine for them.

 

[Ben B.]

I'm about 90,000 rds into my Hndy LnL AP with case feeder. I have also spent some time on a borrowed 650. My opinion is that each has advantages & disadvantages. I bought LnL AP and would do so again, but be just as happy with a 650.

1050 trumps either.

 

[PX4WA]

1050 trumps either.

that +10000

despite the fact it may take 30 minutes to change calibers, the time saved when loading a single claiber is impressive...

I just finished 3000 rounds of .45acp of a 5000 round run... going slow and sorting small pistol primered .45acp I am doing about 600 rounds per hour including primer loading and breaks after every 200 rounds...

the biggest difference is the effort... with the LNL and xl650, you are using a lot of your muscle to crank the press... with the 1050, the mechanical advantage of the lever is doing it all for you.. with lubed .45acp cases, I can technically crank that lever with just two fingers on the downstroke and one on the upstroke...

after 3000 rounds, my arm is not even sore... with the other presses, it gets sore after a few hundred rounds.. but that's just me... I'm not a huge hunk of muscle.. more of a blob...

 

[PX4WA]

this video shows the effort or lack thereof in the process... and there is virtually no flex in the machine at all...

I had to stop the second time to remove the small primer .45acp case..

[video=youtube_share;wIVGrsRot3E]http://youtu.be/wIVGrsRot3E[/video]

 

[PX4WA]

So call me cheap? but I used a Dillon 550 and can knock out between 350 & 400 rounds per hour.

you know I actually appreciate what you are saying... I used a lee loadmaster and could get 300 rounds an hour easy...

and I know you can afford a 1050 as well...


did I need the 1050? probably not... do I regret buying it? absolutely not...

it's a you don't know what you're missing until you try it kind of deal...

for me the main draw was being able to sort out the small primer .45acp cases via the swage rod binding slightly... but I'm glad it brought me to the 1050 when I tried to search for an answer...

I'm as cheap as the next guy, but I'm lazier than I am cheap...

 

[Ben B.]

...I'm as cheap as the next guy, but I'm lazier than I am cheap...

Now THAT is a great quote!

 

[PX4WA]

Now THAT is a great quote!

thanks... it's the truth though...

I actually now enjoy cranking out rounds when it was a chore to me previously...

I used to just load prior to going out and just crank out a 100 or so rounds at a time..

now I don't mind cranking out a thousand rounds as it is not physically taxing at all...


my biggest problem is I know I'm going to be shooting a lot more now just because I have rounds sitting asking to be fired...

 

[usagi]

never felt the need for a bullet feeder or case feeder.

you can use the powder thru expander for 9mm and free up a station.

forget powder cop, get rcbs lockout die.

 

[PX4WA]

forget powder cop, get rcbs lockout die.

that's what I've been using... actually have a powder cop in my parts bin as well.. but never used it once I saw the lockout die

 

[PX4WA]

never felt the need for a bullet feeder or case feeder.

you can use the powder thru expander for 9mm and free up a station.

I got the powderfunnel one and it works a lot better than the hornady PTX... it took him a month to ship mine but eventually got it...

Powderfunnels.com -- Fully Featured Powder Through Exapnder

as for the bullet feeder and case feeder, they are not necessities and probably not good for a new loader...

but they do make things easier by helping you just focus on a few things instead of several things at once... convenient, not necessary...

never met a guy that has one that stopped using it.. (case feeder), the bullet feeder is hit or miss.. and I gave up on it until I got the powderfunnel...

a lot of people just buy the bullet feeder die and use a pvc tube to drop the bullets into manually 10 or 20 at a time... I did that for 6 mos before I actually bought the bullet feeder mechanism..