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Posted: 8/15/2015 3:39:36 PM EDT
| So, I've been thinking its time for me to step up to a progressive press. I've been looking at the various options, trying to decide which way to go. I've pretty much ruled out either of the Lee progressives, and have decided I will probably go with a RCBS or Hornady. So, here's my question. Between the Hornady Lock-n-Load AP and the new RCBS Pro Chucker (5 or 7), which press would you guys recommend? Any specific info you have on the pros and cons of each would also be greatly appreciated. I haven't ruled out Dillon, but I'm definitely leaning towards the Hornady or RCBS. |
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I've had a xl 650, and now own a 1050. Nothing against and no experience with the red and green.
In my book Dillon is hard to beat for progressives. I'd say you would LOVE a XL 650. The Dillon case feeder is hands down superior to Hornadys, and RCBS doesn't even offer one yet. |
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bm3 bought the RCBS Pro Chucker maybe he will chime in , a 1050 is hard to beat, don't fall for the BS on conversion cost or change over times. I have a 1050 and use only if processing 700-1000 rnds at a time. It's a pain to convert everything and there is too much setup. However, once it's running, its fabtastic.. The Hornady requires a bit of adjustment with each caliber but I prefer its faster/cheaper conversions over any dillon press for calibers I tend to run 1-500 per sitting. There seem to be fewer lovers of green. Personally, I dont get a good feeling about green when I call them. They seem a step above an indian call center in terms of customer service. I think its too big a company.. "outsourcing". Basically, I dont trust green. Hornady and Blue have treated me "too well". |
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I'm a big blue fan as well, although I prefer the 550B.
As a manually indexed press, it can be operated as a progressive press, a turret press or as a single stage press. It's also much faster to switch calibers than a 650 of 1050, it has a wider range of options when it comes to rifle calibers, and the conversion kits are about half the price of the 650 and 1050 presses. |
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I'd say you would LOVE a XL 650. The Dillon case feeder is hands down superior to Hornadys, and RCBS doesn't even offer one yet. This is so true. The Dillon case feeder is the best. No question. I've had them all. I kept the RCBS (although it's now dusty) and the Dillon 650. I now have three 650s. One is small primer pistol. One is large primer. The other is dedicated to prepping and loading 223. |
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I had one of the early Hornady Projectors. A good press, but the newer ones are nicer. I went with a Dillon 650 and then added a Dillon 1050. The 1050 is a machine to say the least. I think, unless you will be processing a ton of 5.56, 308, or makin 300 BO a 650 will serve you best. The conversions do add up quicker with the 1050, but are not the much more challenging to change over. Plus the 650 has a lifetime warranty.
Mike |
| If I had my life to live over again, it would be a Dillon 550B instead of the XL650 I ran for more than 20 years. The XL650 was fast; but, as things turned out, it was just too automated for my liking; and, if I didn't, 'watch it like a hawk' a mistake could happen very easily. |
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I was in the same boat 18 months or so ago. I chose the Hornady over the Dillon for a few reasons other than cost. Price a Dillon with case feeder and Hornady with case feeder and the prices are nearly the same.
I started with the Hornady without a case feeder. I had issue with the priming system. Turns out it really was me. I did not pay close attention to setting it up. I also had issue with crimped primer pockets and the Dillon Swager I used to swage the pockets. I spent time on here and YouTube and worked on the proper setup for the priming system. Once I did the setup carefully and switched to reaming the primer pockets I have loaded thousands of rounds with no issues priming. Then I added the case feeder. That was a major headache and caused me to consider saying "fuck it" and buying a Dillon. Then I calmed down and spent time on here, YouTube and Googling. I found my press timing was not perfect and the case feeder really made that evident. Well at first not really evident but then I found a guy on YouTube who shows you how to adjust and dial in the pawls on the Hornady. That is when I noticed mine was not really smooth. it was good enough for hand feeding but not for the case feeder. So I toom my time and practiced adjusting the pawls. I screwed them up and readjusted. I did this maybe 6 or 7 times. Then I adjust the detent balls a little bit. Now my press was advancing silky smooth. then I went back to the case feeder and played with the timing of that. Once I did this I have loaded several thousand rounds without assisting a case into the shellplate. I am only loading .223 on my press right now. Soon I will be loading other calibers, .30-06, .45ACP, .308 namely. Someday I will also do 7.62x39, 7.62x54R and 9mm when the cheap ammo is gone for good. EDIT: Now that I have my press dialed in I would highly recommend it. I am sure the Dillon is good too. With the Dillon you get free blue kool-aid. LOL. |
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So, I've been thinking its time for me to step up to a progressive press. I've been looking at the various options, trying to decide which way to go. I've pretty much ruled out either of the Lee progressives, and have decided I will probably go with a RCBS or Hornady. So, here's my question. Between the Hornady Lock-n-Load AP and the new RCBS Pro Chucker (5 or 7), which press would you guys recommend? Any specific info you have on the pros and cons of each would also be greatly appreciated. I haven't ruled out Dillon, but I'm definitely leaning towards the Hornady or RCBS. IMO there hasn't been enough presses/time in the field to evaluate the new RCBS offerings, so buying one of those is something of a gamble. So if you are down to Hornady and RCBS, the recommendation atm would be Hornady. I have one, and it works just fine. While not in line with your question, I'd suggest you explore the Dillon 650 as well. It is more expensive than the Hornady but as you can tell from this thread many folks think highly of them. Nothing in your post suggests a 1050 is needed or appropriate for your use. There are pros and cons to either the Hornady or the Dillon . . . they all have quirks and issues but you will be satisfied and well served with either press. |
| I started with a Dillon 550 for .40 and .223. Then I was given (gift from wife) an XL650 for .223. Then I bought myself a S1050 for .223. I still have all three so you can guess what my recommendation is. The 550 is now relegated to 9mm and .380. The XL650 is dedicated to 10mm. |
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I have owned a Dillion square deal for over 25 years. Any small part that broke was replaced free of charge to this day.
The best story is one Saturday my son and I are loading some .45acp on the square deal. My Son gets a primer jammed sideways as he is loading the pick up tube. ( The tube that loads the tube on the press) After trying to get it out and not wanting to jab at it too hard, we finish up the last few rounds and are done. So I tell my Wife to give them a call and order another one.This is at 1:00 on a Saturday. It's completely our fault and I just need to buy another tube for the next reloading session. A very nice woman picks up the phone and my Wife explains the problem and she replies, " No problem we will get one right out to you". So my Wife asks if she needs our credit card number and she says "No its covered under warrentee". Monday comes and I get a Overnight package with the tube in it. Yea! Nothing against the other companies, But in my book , No Company , Making any product that I know of has customer service this good. 
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| Thanks for all the replies. I was originally looking at RCBS or Hornady because I can find them locally and not have to worry about shipping costs, but based on the overwhelming recommendations for Dillon and after doing a little more research, I'm now leaning strongly towards going with a Dillon 550B or XL650. |
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Thanks for all the replies. I was originally looking at RCBS or Hornady because I can find them locally and not have to worry about shipping costs, but based on the overwhelming recommendations for Dillon and after doing a little more research, I'm now leaning strongly towards going with a Dillon 550B or XL650. You won't be sorry, just go with a case feeder right off the bat, it's so nice.
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I have owned a Dillion square deal for over 25 years. Any small part that broke was replaced free of charge to this day. The best story is one Saturday my son and I are loading some .45acp on the square deal. My Son gets a primer jammed sideways as he is loading the pick up tube. ( The tube that loads the tube on the press) After trying to get it out and not wanting to jab at it too hard, we finish up the last few rounds and are done. So I tell my Wife to give them a call and order another one.This is at 1:00 on a Saturday. It's completely our fault and I just need to buy another tube for the next reloading session. A very nice woman picks up the phone and my Wife explains the problem and she replies, " No problem we will get one right out to you". So my Wife asks if she needs our credit card number and she says "No its covered under warrentee". Monday comes and I get a Overnight package with the tube in it. Yea! Nothing against the other companies, But in my book , No Company , Making any product that I know of has customer service this good. Dillon. For this reason, among many. Now own a new XL-650. Have owned my Square Deal B for 21 years. Dillon rebuilt it seven years ago when the frame cracked. No charge. That's even after I had loaded 100,000 plus multiple calibers through it. The XL-650 is bloody marvelous, by the way. |
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I own the 550b and the 650
If you're going to do smaller batches, like 100-500 rounds, then switch calibers, again and again, get the 550b If you're gonna do batches of 1000 and then switch calibers, get thr XL650 I use the 650 for bulk IPSC, 223, etc., ammo I use the 550b for smaller batches, like .44mag, 6.8SPC, etc. |
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For whatever reason, this forum seems to be heavy with Dillon users. Not a bad thing, but it may skew things a bit. I am sure there are forums where the ratio is reversed. I just got the LnL and while I have only done about 1000 rounds on it, I can say that I have had no issues with the press. I cleaned everything according to the directions then sprayed everything with Locktite dry spray lube twice. Setup was a breeze. No adjustments or fiddling needed. Powder measure is dead on . The only powder "leakage" I get is what sticks to and then falls off the plunger on the powder cop die. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. I think the 650/LnL question likely comes down to your favorite color. And they aren't quite "the same price after you factor in the case feeder" as the Hornady gets you 500 free bullets, so that is like an extra $100 there. However, since either will likely last forever, price isn't the issue when factored out over time. Room décor will likely be more important than $100.
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For whatever reason, this forum seems to be heavy with Dillon users. Not a bad thing, but it may skew things a bit. I am sure there are forums where the ratio is reversed. I just got the LnL and while I have only done about 1000 rounds on it, I can say that I have had no issues with the press. I cleaned everything according to the directions then sprayed everything with Locktite dry spray lube twice. Setup was a breeze. No adjustments or fiddling needed. Powder measure is dead on . The only powder "leakage" I get is what sticks to and then falls off the plunger on the powder cop die. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. I think the 650/LnL question likely comes down to your favorite color. And they aren't quite "the same price after you factor in the case feeder" as the Hornady gets you 500 free bullets, so that is like an extra $100 there. However, since either will likely last forever, price isn't the issue when factored out over time. Room décor will likely be more important than $100.
look at some of the shooting leagues data on what presses are used and you'll see that this forum tends to follow what those results show |
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Thanks for all the replies. I was originally looking at RCBS or Hornady because I can find them locally and not have to worry about shipping costs, but based on the overwhelming recommendations for Dillon and after doing a little more research, I'm now leaning strongly towards going with a Dillon 550B or XL650. The 650 also auto-indexes, a feature not important to some, but once experienced it helps. |
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I also greatly prefer the 550B. I like the level of manual control over it. I still have a RCBS Turret and a Special 5 single stage on my bench, they all have their roll.
I am probably going to get the case feeder for the 550B soon though, since I added on the RCBS bullet feeder. Always chasing down those efficiency bottlenecks! (I wasn't even aware that RCBS had a new progressive out, I'll have to check it out. I like RCBS stuff the best overall.) |
| When I was looking to buy I looked them both over and decided on the Hornady. I wasn't planning on a case or bullet feeder and with the Hornady I could place cases and bullets from the left side and pull handle with my right. Just like I did with a single stage. I like the press and it works pretty good. The powder measure is set for 25 gr of h335, it drops within .1 gr and I haven't had to readjust it since initial setup (yes, I check it) Along comes my brother who insists that I need a case feeder to speed things up. He buys one (I get to pay half). It's toss up between me throwing it out into the street or cutting my wrists. Got a XL650 for 223 with case feeder scheduled for delivery Wed. Can't wait to see how it goes. If I like it, caliber conversion kits and more tool heads with powder measures to follow. |
| I refuse to get hosed when I need to change to another caliber. I went with another Lock N Load. the Blue Koolaid machines are way more expensive to change over and take a ton of time to do so. I liked my first LNL but it was OLD so I just replaced it and am going to set it up this week. For the money the Hornady gives WAY more value with it being a 5 station, auto indexing as well as WAY cheaper and easier to change from one caliber to the next. |
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I also greatly prefer the 550B. I like the level of manual control over it. I still have a RCBS Turret and a Special 5 single stage on my bench, they all have their roll. I am probably going to get the case feeder for the 550B soon though, since I added on the RCBS bullet feeder. Always chasing down those efficiency bottlenecks! (I wasn't even aware that RCBS had a new progressive out, I'll have to check it out. I like RCBS stuff the best overall.) As a 550B owner I avoided the case feeder as I haven't heard very many good things about the 550B case feeder and while there is a hack to be able to load 223 it isn't supported by Dillon. The biggest thing is that you can't just disable it (ie not use it) if you don't want to, rather, you have to take the whole thing off to manually feed cases (I am 99% sure anyway that is the case from what I have read). Honestly, I would upgrade to an XL650/S1050/LNL AP for a case feeder as it has a great track record but my combo right now of a Lee Classic Cast SS, RL550B, and S1050B seems to be about the best combination for me. |
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I refuse to get hosed when I need to change to another caliber. I went with another Lock N Load. the Blue Koolaid machines are way more expensive to change over and take a ton of time to do so. I liked my first LNL but it was OLD so I just replaced it and am going to set it up this week. For the money the Hornady gives WAY more value with it being a 5 station, auto indexing as well as WAY cheaper and easier to change from one caliber to the next. I actually compared the LNL AP/XL650 in Excel and once you figure in the bushings for the LNL AP it really isn't that much difference between the LNL AP and the XL650 ($15 or $20 iirc). |
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When I was looking to buy I looked them both over and decided on the Hornady. I wasn't planning on a case or bullet feeder and with the Hornady I could place cases and bullets from the left side and pull handle with my right. Just like I did with a single stage. I like the press and it works pretty good. The powder measure is set for 25 gr of h335, it drops within .1 gr and I haven't had to readjust it since initial setup (yes, I check it) Along comes my brother who insists that I need a case feeder to speed things up. He buys one (I get to pay half). It's toss up between me throwing it out into the street or cutting my wrists. Got a XL650 for 223 with case feeder scheduled for delivery Wed. Can't wait to see how it goes. If I like it, caliber conversion kits and more tool heads with powder measures to follow. I was ready to sell everything when I first got the case feeder. I was ready to kill. I have a ton of patience and the LnL case feeder tried mine. I spent time starting from scratch with timing the presse and then the case feeder. Now I am several thousand rounds into using it without one case feed issue. out of the box the LnL needs some tweaking. I can't image Dillon doesn't but I have no experience so I won't comment. I can say if you sniff around certain four,s you can see Dillon presses have their issues too. Do you want to sell your setup? |
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Lets leave the buying and selling to the EE, as it not allowed in forum posts. From the conduct code; SPECIFIC TO SALES
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The 550 is a 4-hole press, the 50 has 5. If you are down to these two, choose the 650 for its flexibility. The 650 also auto-indexes, a feature not important to some, but once experienced it helps. Quoted:
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Thanks for all the replies. I was originally looking at RCBS or Hornady because I can find them locally and not have to worry about shipping costs, but based on the overwhelming recommendations for Dillon and after doing a little more research, I'm now leaning strongly towards going with a Dillon 550B or XL650. The 650 also auto-indexes, a feature not important to some, but once experienced it helps. This is important to consider. Have a good idea of how many stations you need for your particular loads. I decided I wanted to add a bullet feeder (http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/349969__28_00_Bullet_feeder_for_Any_Progressive.html, and so I needed that extra station. |
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OP, I don't know if you have made a decision but I just had a Dillon type experience that you might be interested in.
Two weeks ago I disassembled my rl550b for cleaning and Monday decided to reassemble and get productive  .
As luck would have it there was a very small but critical piece missing. Called Dillon at 10:00 AM on Monday and at 10:00 AM Wednesday the part was in my post office box 1250 miles away FREE OF CHARGE. Customer service just don't get no better than that! |
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Really need to back it up, and how do you plan on running on the machine.
If with both a bullet feeder and case feeder, then Dillon. Hence Dillion builds the 650 and 1050 around a case feeder system that flat out works without problems, where the rest of the manufacturers have case feeders as an weak after thought to add to the machine instead. If you are not going to run the press with a bullet feeder or case feeder, then its a toss up between LNL and the Pro 2000 auto index instead. The LNL is under $400 (but will take some prep work.polishing/timing to get it running correctly), while the Pro 2000 a little more, but is ready out of the box instead. As for why the Pro-2000 even with RCBS phasing it out in the near future, it's the last of the APS priming presses and this priming system is the safest of all the priming system on the market!!!! With the tube type primer systems, you get primer dust in them after a while and if you do not keep the tubes clean (all the tubes, including the feed tubes as well), one static shock to ignite the primer dust in the tube and the tube is going to go blow apart in your hand. With the APS system, the plastic clips are 25 primer strips, and easy to keep them clean and pre-loaded when not actually reloading instead (read you do not leave a primer fill tube, loaded with primers when you are not reloading!!!!). |
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I've been running a Hornady LNLAP for 4 or 5 years now, and I have no complaints with my press at all. It does what I need quickly and without any major issues. I typically load small batches of 200 to 1000 9mm, .223, or .40 s&w. No case feeder, no bullet feeder. It works well for this. This post and another on "what is the best auto-drive?" got me to thinking. I've seen YouTubes on putting autodrives on 1050s and on 650s, but never have I seen anyone even talk about putting an autodrive on a LNL. So, how about it all you guys with LNL AmmoPlants, is anyone out there confident enough in their LNL to put an autodrive on it? I'm not. No, I'm not going to drink the blue koolaid, like I said my LNL does what I need it to do. Just some food for thought.... |
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Hate to say it, but your never going to see an auto drive offered for the LNL.
In the full ammo plant set up, the feeders would no be able to keep up the machine run at that pace. Plus lets face it, with the pusher type case feeder having to jump the spring channel, your going to have problem with jams on the machine with case feeds as well. Bluntly, when there is an auto drive on the machine, your hands get no where close to the machine when it running, Period. So auto drives are reserved for machine that can be run for thousands of round without self induced jamming problems, where all you need to do is keep the machine full itself as it running (cases, bullet, primer, powder). Again have nothing against the LNL when cleaned/tweaked up and you are hand feeding it bullets/case and running the machine via the handle so you can stop to clear a jam/problem, but run full auto by the thousand of rounds each time, it's not up to the task. |
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I have the Hornady LNL Ammo Plant sitting in my basement, waiting for me to finish remodeling the gun room.
It sure looks pretty sitting there in its box, for what it's worth. 
After doing tons of research, it's the one I settled on. It will also match my red Lee stuff better than the other brands, so there's that, too. |
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