Hornady or Dillion
- Thread starter Pat C
- Start date
Beanie-Bean
New member
I've got presses from both companies.
The Hornady presses are pretty much AUX presses for my use: resizing/decapping on the SS, and decapping with the AP. No primer issues there for me!
The Dillons are my meat and potatoes production systems. RL550B has done the lion's share of my reloads, and I've only recently mounted my XL650 for 9x19 loads. The 550 does every other caliber I shoot.
I have experienced issues with both brands, and have received excellent customer support from both. Whether it was pawls on the Hornady LnL AP, primer shims for the 550, or the indexing ring on the 650, I have always had help. Dillon even helped me with one of their carbide sizing dies that was causing me some issues.
As an added note, there is a lot of great and helpful information out there from folks who have had issues which you may encounter. Their posts, along with their feedback have saved me a lot of heartache and have kept me shooting.
The Hornady presses are pretty much AUX presses for my use: resizing/decapping on the SS, and decapping with the AP. No primer issues there for me!
The Dillons are my meat and potatoes production systems. RL550B has done the lion's share of my reloads, and I've only recently mounted my XL650 for 9x19 loads. The 550 does every other caliber I shoot.
I have experienced issues with both brands, and have received excellent customer support from both. Whether it was pawls on the Hornady LnL AP, primer shims for the 550, or the indexing ring on the 650, I have always had help. Dillon even helped me with one of their carbide sizing dies that was causing me some issues.
As an added note, there is a lot of great and helpful information out there from folks who have had issues which you may encounter. Their posts, along with their feedback have saved me a lot of heartache and have kept me shooting.
Having also owned RCBS progressives I would advise against that. Once they have the issues ironed out of them and they have been around long enough that I might be able to find parts once RCBS discontinues them like all the other progressives they have quit making and no longer support, I would give it a second thought though.
Once you get older "new" is not always the best thing, let the other guys deal with the teething pains.
schmellba99
New member
Close your eyes, flip a coin and call it to choose. Honestly, between Hornady and Dillon, the difference in quality, customer service, parts, aftermarket parts, opinions and fan boys amounts to less than a rounding error - it's just that small.
Both are great machines, both produce high quality ammo, both have positives, both have negatives. I own a Hornady, but have nothing to say negative against Dillon. And an honest Dillon fanboy would say the same thing about Hornady as well.
Both are great machines, both produce high quality ammo, both have positives, both have negatives. I own a Hornady, but have nothing to say negative against Dillon. And an honest Dillon fanboy would say the same thing about Hornady as well.
What are the negatives with each . I know blue takes awhile to change to a different caliber 25min or something . Red case feeder needs to be assembled by end user and may take some tweeking . In general i've heard more issues with red then blue .
I'd like to know what are all the issues with both ???
I'd like to know what are all the issues with both ???
I have a Hornady powder measure and it works pretty good for me . Thinking of getting the case activated die and put it an my Lee classic turret .
When I looked through the Dillon catalog I saw that the powder measure uses a charge bar . That made me go hmm I wonder how accurate that is ?
When I looked through the Dillon catalog I saw that the powder measure uses a charge bar . That made me go hmm I wonder how accurate that is ?
Depends on what caliber you are going from and too, as far as how long a conversion will take, same is true on any machine though.
Here is an example of a Dillon converted from one caliber to another in under 30 seconds but that is going to be "best case".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=689Wzn4qY3w
The rest is pretty much it, the Dillon's just run better with fewer problems.
As far as the powder measures go, I bought my first LNL trying to use up a keg of old "long cut" 3031 that was given to me. The LNL measure didn't like it any more than the Dillon though. While we are talking about powder measures, it would be nice if Hornady had a method of locking the bushings in place like the Lee breech lock, it was my luck that the only bushing on my two LNL's that decided to self detach was the one the powder measure was in.
The half index on the LNL is not a bad idea and works for pistol rounds but for longer rifle rounds, if I set bullets on top of the case for seating when the ram was at the bottom of the stroke the tip of the bullet was already too high when the press finished the index so the die would knock the bullet off. So the only way I could load was to stick the bullet up into the die and lower the handle/raise the ram until it indexed, then set the bullet into the case mouth, remove fingers and complete the stroke. I didn't fool with that very long before I switched over to one of the Dillon's.
My best suggestion is to get one of each. After you use them both, you will appreciate the one you decide to keep more.
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Understood and my most likely loaded calibers on a 650 would be 9mm 223 & 45acp . All requiring the longer change over time . I may do some bulk 308 loads and in that case the 45acp shell plate will work .
On the hole I'm still trying to justify to initial cost . It would take me a long time to recoup the cost of the 650 and all the different things needed . My thinking is the time it will save .
I've said this before . I thought I liked reloading but it turns out I really don't . Well . Actually I love reloading but HATE reloading when I have to . I can prep cases and load all day when I feel like it . A few months ago I invited a family member to go shooting not realizing I did not have enough ammo . So there I was days before we were to go . Trying to find spare time to load enough ammo to have a good day at the range . I ended up pending 5hrs + over 3 days loading what we needed that likely would have only taken 1 or 2 hours in one sitting with a 650 .
It depends on how many of one you are going to load before you change calibers. If you are going to load 20 of each a single stage will beat any single progressive. Personally I don't convert a progressive over for less than 1000 rounds, then again I have 10 of them so it's not really the same as just having one for everything.
The added time changing case and bullet feeders are another "depends on how many" answer too. Without either I can load 100 rounds in under 10 min but it seems like work pretty quick. With bullet and case feeders I can load 100 rounds in under 4 min and it's so easy it's seems like cheating.
Yeah I saw that video you posted a week or so ago , very cool .
I just watched two videos . One of the Dillon and full caliber change and the other showing the Hornady and full caliber change . WOW night and day , case feeders not included . Hornady can be changed in 6min while the Dillon took 24min .
Am I wrong in concluding with the Hornady you can change calibers and have 100rds loaded before the Dillon can complete the caliber change ? hmm I'm now rethinking the Hornady . While I think I'd change calibers often . In reality I likely would just load more of one at a time . I base the idea that I'd change often because that's what I do now . How ever that's what I must do in order to load enough ammo in all calibers to shoot for the month or two . With the progressive maybe I load enough each time to shoot for the year instead of just a couple months . I still have my single stage and turret press to load of batch loads or uber match loads .
I don't know it's a big expense and when I run into these when it comes to firearms . I often just buy another gun or more reloading components rather then a press I really don't need but sure would like to save on my time at the bench .
What is the biggest issue with the Hornady . Is it primer feed issues , inconsistent sizing of bottle neck cases ? What's the one thing you wish the Hornady never did ?
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That's not possible, per post #14 the 650 comes, stock, from Dillon with the tube, post and the mechanics to take cases from the tube and insert them into the shell plate. Most people on earth would call this a case feed device. If you took all of that off a 650 and threw it in the trash, you would have what you start out with on an LNL.
No one in their right mind would do this so a conversion on a 650 will always include case feed parts as well. If you also have the collator you might have to change the feed disk too but that is a drop in part, takes longer to empty out the cases you didn't load that it does to swap the disk.
I never did have an issue with the LNL priming system but I also used Dillon low primer alarms and followers on them. Only issues I had were in #31 and a paw adjustment or two and one spring that gave up.
I ran >80K rounds through my LNL before buying a dillon 1050. The only issue I have with the LNL is the case feeder for 9mm. Loading >5K rounds/month I just wasn't willing to work through the tweaks that folks use to get the CF working properly. If I were loading 2K rounds/month on an LNL I probably just get a Mr. BF and manually feed the cases. Never had a problem with small primers or pawls (or anything else really).
The Dillon is in a different class but in 3K rounds I've had one inverted case.
So, if you don't need a case feeder I don't think you can loose with either brand. If you're a relatively high volume loader the 1050 is a nice machine. If you can figure out how to get an RF100 to work at near 100% reliability with small pistol primers you're my hero.
The Dillon is in a different class but in 3K rounds I've had one inverted case.
So, if you don't need a case feeder I don't think you can loose with either brand. If you're a relatively high volume loader the 1050 is a nice machine. If you can figure out how to get an RF100 to work at near 100% reliability with small pistol primers you're my hero.