Hornady LNL AP for 9mm luger.

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tightgroup tiger

tightgroup tiger

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I have a question for you reloaders with Hornady LNL presses. Is buying a LNL ap press for loading 9mm shells an overkill?

I getting tired of loading 9mm shells in a single stage and have been looking at the Lock N Load presses lately. I get alot of shoulder pain from the repetitious nature of a Single stage and have to do something different if I want to keep reloading.

I have a Lee pro 1000 for 357mag but have reduced it to shell prep and priming. I had to many squibs and stuck bullets from the powder measure and don't trust it any more. Another one is out of the question.

This might be a stupid question because it is probably what the LNL does best, but wanted to get opinions because of the size of it and the fact that it does large rifle shells, it seems quite large for 9mm.

I load about 500 every two or three weeks.

Thanks
 
The LNL works great for 9mm. Use a ball powder with the correct rotor in the pm and you'll be in heaven. You didn't ask but I'll mention it anyway, your volume wouldn't justify getting the case loader.
 
I don't think so, but then I use the LNL to load up 25 test rounds, as well as a run of 1000.
 
I don't think it's overkill, I think it's a great idea. 9mm is cheap and usually gets expended in large quantities, so it's good to be able to make large quantities. My LNL was a huge improvement over my Lee turret and Pro1000. I also use it to make quantites between 10 and a few hundred.
 
At your volume of at least 9000 per year I would say the LNL is an excellent idea. I wouldn't use any non auto advancing press for your volume. I use mine for all calibers and test batches to full runs.
 
Like Walkalong, I have started to load small and large batches on my Hornady progressive.

Being able to move dies around the press to different positions for the task at hand has been very handy.
 
Hey Tiger,

If you have the dollars to buy an L&L progressive without neglecting your wife and kids, then by all means go for it. The L&L AP is truly a great progressive press capable of loading most metallic cartridges from .17 caliber all the way to .50 caliber. My personal loads run from the little .380 ACPs up to the fairly big 30-06 and 45-70 cases. About once a year or so, I load up a bunch of .25ACPs, but I do not do them on my L&L. Those little itty bitty cases are somewhat difficult to load when you have big fingers.

The 9MM, however, is a piece of cake to load on the L&L progressive. It is not overkill. Using 9MM dies with a carbide sizer, you do not have to bother lubing cases before sizing and removing the lube afterwards. The case activated powder dispensing system works very accurately with ball and flake powders. If you take your time and visually inspect the inside of each case before placing a bullet in the case mouth, you will not have a problem with empty or double charged cases.

I never had any interest in a case feeder for the progressive machine. I used machines with case loaders, and I neither like the noise nor do I like the practice itself. I prefer to place each case in the shellplate and place each bullet in the case mouth. The L&L AP will load plenty fast enough without either a case feeder or a bullet feeder. Just think, each time you cycle the handle on the L&L, you produce a finished round. That is a heck of a lot faster than what I can do on my single stage.

You will, however, want to keep your single stage press for those special jobs that are easier to do on your old press. Some folks like Walkalong will load everything on their L&L and somehow no longer have any need for a single stage. You have to make allowances for someone like Walkalong, however. He is a very nice fellow, and I hate to speak ill of a man behind his back, but the fact is, Walkalong is from Alabama and obviously has certain limitations based on his cultural background.

All kidding aside, Walkalong really is a good fellow, and he does seem to do almost everything on his L&L in a single stage manner. I prefer to do small jobs on my RockChucker, and I think most folks will agree that you should not get rid of your single stage press when you get a progressive. I actually have a couple of RCBS Jr presses in addition to my RockChucker, but I can really get by these days with just my RockChucker alongside my L&L.

An L&L is not overkill. Just take your time and learn how the machine works properly.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile
 
Can you imagine loading on a progressive press with only 3 or 4 stations? How limiting is that.
For 9x19 (remember, there are a lot of 9mm calibers), you may need to use a little case lube due to the tapered case. The taper means a longer carbide insert which means larger area of contact that makes it harder to remove the case from the sizing die.
The price seems high at first, but when you compare to the problems folks have with the LoadMaster and the expense of a 650XL (plus, the need for a case feeder if you are ever to enjoy using a 650), you see that it is very reasonable.
I never understood the "I can buy crappy 9x19 ammo for the same cost as loading my own, so why bother?" thinking. You can get cases for free at the range. You can get quality jacketed bullets from Precision Delta or others for about the same as commercial cast lead bullets. Thus, you can either shoot tailored loads with quality bullets in your gun or you can shoot steel-cased, possibly corrosive primed, foreign rounds. I know which my guns prefer...
 
I bought my LnL AP to load .45 ACP. When I got a 9mm, I used it as well. 500 rounds takes about an hour to do. This is at a nice steady pace that allows me to check each and every round as I tip it. I normally load up a couple k per session and then am good for a while. Since I also do .45 ACP, I don't want to have to change primer setups more frequently than I need to.
 
Over Kill, Not unless you like spending hours on the SS to shoot up in 15 min. I bought my LNL-AP to load 9mm, because all I was spending all my free time reloading. And my tennis elbow and back was complaining. After 1 yr I added the Brass feeder. Now I just dump the brass in, and feed the bullets. I generally load up 1000+ per sitting. Now I load all my calibers on it. Change over is fast, even if you have to change primer size.

You will enjoy it.
 
I think what walkalong is saying is the LNL will work for small batches without being a pain just as good as it does with large batches. That's what I'm looking for.
I figured it would be a shoe-in for 9mm loads but I wanted to here it from those of you who have one.

I'm not parting with any of my single stage presses, my rifle loads are strictly hand loads done with bench rest dies.

Thanks guys, that's what I wanted to hear.
 
I would think twice about loading 9mm on the LNL IF I planned on ever getting the case feeder.

9mm is very problematic with the LNL case feeder, enough that my loading rate with one was about the same as without, and my frustration rate was much higher.
 
I use the LNL AP for 9MM along with a number of other calibers. It does an excellent job and sure speeds everything up.
 
tightgroup tiger said:
I think what walkalong is saying is the LNL will work for small batches without being a pain just as good as it does with large batches. That's what I'm looking for.
I figured it would be a shoe-in for 9mm loads but I wanted to here it from those of you who have one.

I'm not parting with any of my single stage presses, my rifle loads are strictly hand loads done with bench rest dies.

Thanks guys, that's what I wanted to hear.
Click to expand...

If you think outside the box, the Hornady progressive becomes incredibly flexible.

With the ability to install dies in any location, you can perform multiple tasks at one pull of the handle. You do not necessarily have to set it up to complete a loaded round all the time. Primer handling is the only thing that is locked in.

I load virtually all my rifle ammunition on a single stage. 30 Carbine is an exception, if you want to call it a rifle round, and I have been dabbling with my AR plinking ammunition.

Except for 30 Carbine, loading rifle on the progressive has not excited me. But other folks like loading rifle on their progressives.
 
I bought mine about a month ago for 9mm, 10mm, 45acp, 44, 357. I have only loaded 9mm so far. a couple hundred and it works great. This weekend guess I will work the setup for 45 as I am slap out of 9mm cases now. Before long I wont have any empties and off to the range to make some.
 
I like loading rifle on the progressive. The LNL powder measure works great, and I can load a lot of rifle ammuntion at a time feeding it processed brass.

If you get one, make sure that you get all other adjustments right before filling the primer tube, maybe even using primed brass when you are developing a load. It'll feed primers whether there is a case or not.
 
I can't say there's nothing better out there, but I love my LnL-AP for .45ACP, .38/.357, and 7.62x25. It's a heck of a machine. Hornady customer service rocks, too. I've seen 'em on sale for $379, all you'll need to add is a #8 shellplate (I assume you've already got the dies) and you're good to go.

Just make sure your bench is really good and stiff. I added a 2x8 block, through bolted to my bench top, to really solidify things; made a huge difference especially with priming.
 
I originally got my LNL AP because I was shooting 5k of 9mm a year and needed a faster speed than my Lee Turret, and the LNL AP is fantastic for it.
 
Some folks like Walkalong will load everything on their L&L and somehow no longer have any need for a single stage. You have to make allowances for someone like Walkalong, however. He is a very nice fellow, and I hate to speak ill of a man behind his back, but the fact is, Walkalong is from Alabama and obviously has certain limitations based on his cultural background.
Click to expand...

Hahahahahahahaha

I'd consider Walkalong one of the most experienced reloaders on this forum. I use the LNL AP for everything, it's a nice press. Just be careful with the primer feed cam-rod. They have a tendency to bend inward if you get going too fast. You can fix it back to original straightness, but after three or four "fixes" they will break. Hornady sends new parts if you break things, usually free of charge.

But if that happens, and you absolutely gotta/wanna load up some ammo, you can pull the primer feed slide by hand. Since I deprime/resize and prime separately from loading, this is no big deal.

Another thing to accept beforehand if you're moving over from a single stage, is that your OALs will have a spread of about 0.003". Don't worry about it like I did, it doesn't matter at all for pistol ammo. You can try to tighten the shell plate all you want, it's just a fact of life with a progressive press.
 
Hornady is good to go for sure... I have broken a couple things on mine and they hooked me right up.

I use my LNL for 9mm, 380,45 acp, and bulk 556. I like the single stage for other things, especially match ammo or anything I am goin long with.
 
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