the count
Member
I started reloading on a Lee Classic Press. Probably made between 6000-8000 rounds of various caliber on it, mainly 9mm, 38SPL and 45 ACP. My workbench is really loaded to capacity with powder measures, boxes of bullets, case gauges, trimmers, etc etc etc. You know what I am talking about. The LEE press is really good for beginners IMHO. Its kinda like a steam locomotive where you constantly have to check valves, lubricate here and there and adjust settings. LEE manuals are terrible. What saves you is the fact that the classic press is pretty basic and eventually you will figure it out. Fast forward to last week. I decided to bite the bullet and go all the way with a higher end press. After some research I decided to go with the Hornady LNL AP + case feeder + bullet feeder! Once this baby starts up I expect to crank out 750 or more rounds an hour. With the LEE the most I could make was about 100 an hour. The setup is going to cost around $1,300.00 less dies but includes essentials like several shell plates, large and small case feeder discs, PTX expander inserts and bullet feeding dies.
As my workbench was 100 percent occupied I remembered that I had a Black and Decker collapsable workbench that I hardly use. As the following photos show, I came up with a way to use a heavy duty laminated piece of wood as a work plate. The entire setup is so compact even an apartment dweller can reload serous amounts of ammo.
Current status: Press and case feeder essentially are usable. The Hornady manuals are just about as terrible as the ones from LEE, just in a different way. If you have never reloaded you have no idea what you are trying to accomplish so good luck figuring everything out. Luckily their tech support is pretty helpful.
Some pointers if you want to take my route and switch over from a LEE setup. Your dies will work OK, but some will have to be screwed in all the way as they are a bit short. THe LNL comes with 5 die bushings, you will want to buy more, one for each die you plan to use the LNL with. Once you have adjusted the die you can just remove the bushing with a 1/8 turn and pop out for future use without having to do any more adjusting.
An absolute must get are the shell plates as NONE are included. Each runs about $35. Some like the #6 can be used with several calibers like 38SPL, 357 and 7.62x39. Currently the one for 45 ACP is sold out everywhere.
The LNL powder dispenser does not flare the case like the Lee powder dies do UNLESS you order the right PTX expander inserts for the powder drop. The LNL powder dispenser is built like a tank, yet it lacks a simple mechanism to accurately dial in loads with some kind of numerical scale. Yes, its trial and error each time....!
TO BE CONTINUED.... (finish up with the case feed and then tackle the bullet feeder). Time spent so far: about 5 hours incl. prepping the workbench.
As my workbench was 100 percent occupied I remembered that I had a Black and Decker collapsable workbench that I hardly use. As the following photos show, I came up with a way to use a heavy duty laminated piece of wood as a work plate. The entire setup is so compact even an apartment dweller can reload serous amounts of ammo.
Current status: Press and case feeder essentially are usable. The Hornady manuals are just about as terrible as the ones from LEE, just in a different way. If you have never reloaded you have no idea what you are trying to accomplish so good luck figuring everything out. Luckily their tech support is pretty helpful.
Some pointers if you want to take my route and switch over from a LEE setup. Your dies will work OK, but some will have to be screwed in all the way as they are a bit short. THe LNL comes with 5 die bushings, you will want to buy more, one for each die you plan to use the LNL with. Once you have adjusted the die you can just remove the bushing with a 1/8 turn and pop out for future use without having to do any more adjusting.
An absolute must get are the shell plates as NONE are included. Each runs about $35. Some like the #6 can be used with several calibers like 38SPL, 357 and 7.62x39. Currently the one for 45 ACP is sold out everywhere.
The LNL powder dispenser does not flare the case like the Lee powder dies do UNLESS you order the right PTX expander inserts for the powder drop. The LNL powder dispenser is built like a tank, yet it lacks a simple mechanism to accurately dial in loads with some kind of numerical scale. Yes, its trial and error each time....!
TO BE CONTINUED.... (finish up with the case feed and then tackle the bullet feeder). Time spent so far: about 5 hours incl. prepping the workbench.
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