Hornady LNL or Dillon XL 650

J

jojo4711

New member
I have a single stage and Lee classic turret press I have used for about a year. They work fine but I'm ready to load more faster. I don't have a bunch of time to fiddle around with things, so I just want it to work. Lee products aren't bad, but they need constant attention. So for 300-500 rounds a session, should I go with Hornady and save some money or just get the Dillon? I don't need or want a $1000 setup, just want to do more bulk loading for 9mm pistol and .223.
 
I've used both ...and I prefer, and bought, the Dillon 650.

What tipped the scales for me...is the extra customer service from Dillon - they have experienced guys there to discuss setup, or issues on loading.../ I think the 650 is a little heavier built than the LNL ....but both are good presses. Dillon stands behind their equipment ---if you break or lose something / they're quick to ship.

Among my buddies ...90% of them went with Dillon ( a couple with SDB or 550, several went 650 and one 1050 / a couple went with the LNL / and one went RCBS... Hornaday guys are reasonably happy - but they have some issues with the way it handles primers ...RCBS not so much just general stuff... / guy with the 1050 admits it was not a great choice over the 650. Guys that bought the 550 - wished they had gone 650 now... A couple of guys that bought SDB - kept them as dedicated one caliber operations ..and have now purchased a 650.

Not a scientific samply ...just the 20 or so guys that I hang around with at the local range.
 
I went with the LNL. But mainly because of price. I got it over Memorial weekend for $314. Couldn't pass that up. But now that I have it I really like it. I'm still working on developing my "method", but that must be done with any new system.
If you want to see some really good videos on the LNL search youtube for 76hiboy. He has a complete series on setup and operation.
 
I run a LCT and a 650.
No experience with a LNL, I'm sure that it's a fine press.
I do know that I've never regreted buying the 650 though.
 
I like the LNL and would like to have the 650, but I can do everything I need on the LNL. One limiting issue the LNL has is the primer feed. Every time you use it, the divot on the base grows. Eventually you will need a spacer (not so big as to impede the pawl system) or else your primer depth will not be enough for AR's vs that free floating firing pin. Using CCI 41's will help mitigate that for awhile, but eventually you will have to deal with it. Other than that, it all seems durable. If you are in a damp environment, you will need to winterize your powder measure or it will rust. I use grease and a plastic bag. I have since moved over to the Lee auto drum as it is accurate and easy to clean. I bought spare drums so my pre-set drums are just a matter of screwing it in and going to work.
 
I dont want to regret getting the LNL just because I wanted to save some money. But If they are comparable in quality and customer service if something does go wrong, I dont want to spend $200 extra that I could use towards components. Seems like I cant go wrong either way.
 
I went with the LNL. I don't regret it. It is a great machine and hasn't let me down over the last year and a half.
There's certainly nothing wrong with the Dillon 650, though.
 
I went with the LNL and am very happy with it. A simple fix for the primer seating dimple is to glue a dime over the dimple.
Dillon is a fine press as well and I doubt you could go wrong with either the LNL or the Dillon. Any press has its quirks and there is a learning curve to transforming from a single stage to a progressive.
 
I dont want to regret getting the LNL just because I wanted to save some money. But If they are comparable in quality and customer service if something does go wrong, I dont want to spend $200 extra that I could use towards components. Seems like I cant go wrong either way.
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You won't regret going either way. And Hornady's customer service is every bit as good as Dillon's or RCBS in my experience.

You can pretty much flip a coin and you'll end up happy - both have great qualities, both have quirks you'll need to figure out, both have areas you'll decide should have been improved on as time goes by and you use it more.

I have an LNL, it's nearing 10 years old. Still runs like an absolute champ. There was a learning curve (still is, but I'm not all that smart), a few quirks, several user errors and a whole lot of really good ammo that has been the result of using it.
 
I would recommend a 550. Less money, faster caliber changes. You can check out this at www.brianenos.com and go to the forum link and check out his opinion on the 650 vs 550. Just has some valid points to consider
 
I have no experience with the hornady but love my dillon 650. Dillon even replaced some parts free when I admitted that I'd done a dumb thing and broke them.
 
Either the LnL AP or Dillon 650 will do the job fine. I recently made the switch from a LCT press myself and ended up with the Hornady. I really looked at the 550 but since that one manually indexes, after running my Lee, that almost seemed like taking a step backwords. There are a lot more sources for Hornady accessories/parts/options than the Dillon products though. From what I've read, the aftermarket support for both is extremely good.
 
Is it easier for a beginner reloader to make a mistake on the 550 because it doesn't auto index ? I mean if you mess up and pull the handle a second time without manually indexing wouldn't you get a double charge ?
 
Yes you could. A beginner should be going slow anyway, not trying to mass produce. I am beyond that and understand what I need, just trying to get everyone's opinion. That's why I like this forum, everyone can have an opinion and people can make a choice for themselves without all the name calling and fighting back and forth lol.
 
Is it easier for a beginner reloader to make a mistake on the 550 because it doesn't auto index ? I mean if you mess up and pull the handle a second time without manually indexing wouldn't you get a double charge ?
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True, and that is why we need to pay attention while reloading. My plus for the 550 is that if something jams or goes wrong during the process you pull a pin and remove the case/round in question while on the 650 you have to cycle through which could be more daunting to a beginer
 
With the LNL you can take any case out at any time and put it back again if you just want to look at it closely.
 
JoJo I read your post and I cracked up. First thing you said you wanted to make 300-500 per "session". How long is your sessions? I had two sessions yesterday. The first one was when I was waiting for my wife to go for dinner, it lasted 35 minutes. The second one was after dinner and my wife was pissed off because I drove to my favorite Mexican restaurant instead of going to her favorite Italian restaurant. To be fair I did ask her where she wanted to go, and she said "I don't care". Now this one lasted 3 hours.

Now the second thing you said is you "don't need or want to spend $1,000.00". Now I don't think that this statement is factually correct. I think your wallet doesn't NEED to spend $1,000.00, but if you reloaded on one of my machines I guarantee you that you would WANT.

I reload on 3 ammo-plants. All 3 are equipped with the In-line lighting system, roller handle, and the ultra mount. They all so have the deluxe control panel. One is set up for rifle and one is set up for large primer pistol and the other one is set up for small primer pistol. They average about $1,600.00 each.

Now when I was on an other form I found the exact same post, but in that one you later stated you load .45. So now I have taken this as a challenge. I set my rifle Ammo-plant up for .223, my small primer machine up for 9mm, and my large primer machine up for .45. I got all the cases, bullets set up and filled the primers up in all three machines, with 2 extra primer pick up tubes for each. I set the stop watch and started cranking out rounds. After 41 minutes I had 300 of each. Not one single primer error, not one single case feeding error, and not one single bullet feeding error.

I would suggest a Hornady L-N-L AP over the Dillon. You can ad a case feeder later then a bullet feeder next, and eventually have an Ammo-plant. Dillon doesn't have a bullet feeder. Hell RCBS and Lee both have a case feeder and a bullet feeder now.And if you look at 90% of Dillon set ups they have a green machine next to it.
 
What I did with my LNL to prevent the "divot" is to take a .004" feeler gauge and put it under the primer punch. It is made from hardened steel and is thin enough not to cause any issues.
 
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