Lock n' Load progressive & Lee Auto Drum

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santacruzdave

santacruzdave

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Well it looks like it's time to move up to a progressive press. I'm seriously considering the Hornady LNL and have some questions for all you LNL users out there in reloading land.

I currently reload 9mm on a LCT with a Lee Auto Drum powder measure. I like this setup, but I've been shooting a lot more 9mm lately and I'm really interest in a progressive. I prime off the press and would be waiting a while, perhaps a long while, to add bullet and case feeders.

I would like powder verification and will be dedicating a station to a lockout die or the like. I also will be seating and crimping in two seperate stations. I'm planning on flaring and powderdroping in one station. I have looked at the Hornady PTX addition to the Hornady case activated powder measure. The PTX and the Hornady powder measure looks to be a fairly complex setup. Compared to the Lee Auto Drum and Lee powder thru die, the Hornady solution seems over complex and hard to setup.

My question is twofold: 1. Will the Lee Auto Drum and powder thru die work on the Hornady progressive, and 2. Is there any advantage in using the Hornady PTX setup over the Lee?

I'm interested in hearing from those who have a Hornady progressive and your experience with either of the two options; PTX and Hornady powder measure or Lee Auto Drum with the Lee powder thru die.
 
I size first before loading on the LNL, so station one is empty. Much smoother loading with no sizing going on. I also hand prime, so my cases are sized and primed when I load them on the LNL.

I use a normal expander in station two, then dump powder in station three. Seat (Sometimes crimp) in station four and if I crimp separately I do it in station five.

I don't see why the Lee Auto Drum would not work in station one or two, leaving you a station to use a normal expander in if you wanted to, but I am not thoroughly familiar with it.
 
I reload 9mm on a LnL; from decapping and priming onn the press, flaring, using their powder measure and then seat/crimp with one die. Works great, no issues. I have not had any issues once everything was first set up. I do not see the need for half of the operations to be done off the press - it seems, IMO, to defeat the purpose of having a progressive. I used a single stage for over 35 years, and this just works fine.
 
Yes the Lee Autodrum/Lee disk measure will work on a LNL, at least they do on mine.
Usually the press comes with the Hornady measure.
I generally leave mine set for my match loads and use one of the Lee measure for other loads.

I don't know why but it took me a bit before I decided, hhmm if I am making a deprime resize pass might as well flair then as well.
I don't use a lot of different bullets in 9mm or .45 so I don't need to change the amount of flair very often.



I own a LNL (and like it a lot)
I like to deprime brass then wet tumble.
I hand prime while watching the tube/inspect brass here while priming. (doing some .45s now)
So I make one pass,
Deprime/resize
Flair

wet tumble

Second pass
Station
1. Powder drop, Hornady measure (Lee autodrum/Lee LPD will also work)
2. RCBS loackout die.
3 Hornady bullet feed die/tubes (only have this for 9mm)
4 Hornady Seater/taper crimp for 9mm, (other seaters of other flavors depending on what I am loading)
5 Lee FCD

For anything other than 9mm I just leave station 3 empty
I bought the powder cop first but you still need to watch it, I like the RCBS lockout die for pistol much better.

Some people will cringe because I make 2 passes, twice as many handle pulls, but
1. I like to deprime the brass then wet tumble it, it may not shoot any better but clean primer pockets make me happy.
2. I just prefer not messing with primers when I go to load. Never bought a tube filler so stabbing the primers with the tube is slow. No time lost priming because I do it while listening to music or watching TV. I like to inspect the brass before loading it so this is a good time to do it.

And yes I have done it all in one pass.
 
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I had a LNL that I never did like. Maybe it was just me. There are a lot of great reviews out there. Mine just seemed to never run quite right. Every time I got one thing adjusted, something else would be off. Called customer service and felt like the rep was trying to get me off the phone as quick as he could. Ran into a guy who already had 2 that he loved and sold mine to him. Bought a Dillon 650 and couldn't be happier. After getting the dies set, it ran flawless right out of the box for about 10k rounds. Then I had a primer go off in the tube which was a freak accident and thankfully the steel outer tube kept me from getting hurt but it did mess up the primer feeding and seating section. Since I felt like it was my fault, I called Dillon to order new parts and not only did they replace everything under warranty, the rep told me to call him when all the parts came in and he would walk me though the replacement and adjustments, which I did and he was more than patient and probably spent at least 30 minutes on the phone helping me to tweak everything and has worked perfect ever since. I'm not knocking the LNL at all, it just didn't suite me. But I've been so impressed with the Dillon equipment and their customer service, I'll never be a customer forever. I still have two Lee turrets I use for small runs but my 650 gets the bulk of my loading which is 38spl.
 
I use the LNL with a Lee auto disk. I also like to size and deprime, clean, and then prime off the press so I have plenty of open spaces. Space 1 is flare and powder, 2 is lockout die, 3 is bullet feeder, 4 is seater and 5 is crimp.

I got my LNL's used and already had mostly Lee dies for pistol calibers. I gave away my Hornady powder measure to someone starting over reloading.
 
Can't speak for the Hornady LNL, but I use an Auto-Drum measure on my Dillon 550 and see no reason why it won't work on the LNL. I even have my own fail-safe linkage setup to automatically reset the powder measure. Without the fail-safe linkage, you would simply reset the measure manually just like you would on the LCT, or you could disable the disconnect completely.
 
I've had my LNL-AP for over a decade now. Started off just like your doing. Yes you can use the Lee Auto-drum if you want. The Hornady powder dispenser and auto dump base is not that hard to setup. The instructions are pretty good on what needs to be done. If you need help there are plenty of u-tube videos or just post here and get the correct answer. The newer PTX are M-type expanders. As with any AP press set it up right and they will run smoothly. Take all the time needed to get the index perfect, and the primer feed set. If you do this you will eliminate 98% of the problems that arises from these mis-adjusted.

I run all hand gun calibers in full operation as design, size/deprime, seat primer on forward stroke, expand/powder dispenser, powder cop or lockout, bullet seat, crimp die. I do have a brass feeder on mine but no bullet feeder.
 
I've loaded 1000's of 9mm on my LNL with a standard setup. It's pretty easy to look into a 9mm case and see if the powder is there. .38 Special and other tall cases with small charges are a problem. It's still possible to check in a .38 case it just requires you to look directly down into the case.

Pretty much all the typical auto-loader cases can be verified by paying attention while placing the bullet onto the case mouth. Typically you'll be looking at the case anyways while setting the bullet down.
 
santacruzdave said:
Well it looks like it's time to move up to a progressive press. I'm seriously considering the Hornady LNL and have some questions for all you LNL users out there in reloading land.

I currently reload 9mm on a LCT with a Lee Auto Drum powder measure. I like this setup, but I've been shooting a lot more 9mm lately and I'm really interest in a progressive. I prime off the press and would be waiting a while, perhaps a long while, to add bullet and case feeders.

I would like powder verification and will be dedicating a station to a lockout die or the like. I also will be seating and crimping in two seperate stations. I'm planning on flaring and powderdroping in one station. I have looked at the Hornady PTX addition to the Hornady case activated powder measure. The PTX and the Hornady powder measure looks to be a fairly complex setup. Compared to the Lee Auto Drum and Lee powder thru die, the Hornady solution seems over complex and hard to setup.

My question is twofold: 1. Will the Lee Auto Drum and powder thru die work on the Hornady progressive, and 2. Is there any advantage in using the Hornady PTX setup over the Lee?

I'm interested in hearing from those who have a Hornady progressive and your experience with either of the two options; PTX and Hornady powder measure or Lee Auto Drum with the Lee powder thru die.
Click to expand...

LnL is a fine choice, and runs very well hand feeding cases and bullets. The hardest thing to setup right is the pawls and the shell plate detent depth, but once they are right, it will be fine.

Your Auto Drum will work fine on the Hornady press. Just add a bushing to it. However the Hornady drop is probably superior long term to the Auto Drum, especially for ball powders. Im not knocking the Auto Drum, its awesome for the price, but no plastic parts to wear out on the Hornady. You do have 5 stations available on the LnL so make use of them. Dont be afraid to split out powder and flaring unless you are really sold on it. I run an M-Die as my flare die as I have found it just works better. I do think the Lee has a better PTX than the Hornady, much more gradual, so if you want to stay with that setup, its better in that arena.

#1 - sizing (Hornady)
#2 - flare (Lyman M-Die)
#3 - powder drop (Hornady, no PTX)
#4 - seat (Hornady)
#5 - crimp (Lee FCD)

I use a mix of dies for my purposes, but you can do it however you want obviously. :)

The priming system on the LnL works just fine. The only time I ever have a hiccup on mine is on the last primer. Sometimes I need to give the transfer bar a little nudge on the last one. Other than that, seat the primer firmly, and if you are worried that its not deep enough, a dime underneath the primer seater punch will help, so a 10 cent fix.
 
Dudedog,

Thanks for the description of your workflow. I do something very similar. Since I retired I find that I have time to spend on getting the process just right for me. And that includes decaping and wet tumbling all my brass. Getting cases bright and shiny is a must for me as my reloading bench is in a spare bedroom and working with dirty cases is not acceptable. Fresh range pickups get a pre-wash and dried before decapping. I use a Lee hand press and universal decapping die so I can decap outside or in the garage. Once decapped the cases go into plastic jars and are inline for the wet tumbler. Once tumbled, with SS pins, and dried, I prime the cases at my leisure. I now have what I call ready to load brass. As a side result this process makes me feel more comfortable about storing primers. Our local fire codes restrict the number of primers one can store in their original packaging. There is nothing in our local codes that cover storage once a primer is installed in a case. So, I keep a few plastic containers of cleaned and primed brass for each caliber I load; so no need to me to setup the priming function on the progressive.

The rest of my current process uses the Lee Classic Turret press with Lee dies and auto drum powder measure. I have a turret setup for each handgun caliber I load. Rifle is all done on a Forester CoAx. I will keep loading all but my 9mm rounds on the LCT, at least for a while. Since I started shooting Steel Challenge and Action Pistol (my local club has an Action Pistol monthly event) I find my consumption of 9mm rounds has greatly increased, weekly practice and events add up. So my plan is to ease into progressive loading. I've a reloading pal who is going to give me a "tour" of his Hornady LnL. A 5 station press looks like it would fit my needs. Since the Hornady powder measure is included in the package, and the PTX powder thru expander is only a few bucks. I think I'll plan on spending the time setting up the Hornady powder measure with PTX expander. Having more time than money has me looking at the most cost effective solution to my reloading needs. The LnL progressive seems to fit this bill nicely with an entry cost of around $400.00. I have read quite a bit on both the 650 and the LnL and I know there is a lot of folks that swear by the blue brand. So thanks in advance for your recommendations short. I know that adding case and bullet feeding will bring up the LnL costs to close to the 650. I get that. From the many forums I have read it appears there are many happy users of both 5 position presses.

The current plan is to set up the following stations:
A. manually set a case
1. resize (Lee carbide sizing die)
2. Flare/powder dispense - Hornady PTX/Powder Measure. Lee powder thru die and Auto Drum as a backup.
3. Powder check die of some kind. Still doing research
B. manually set a bullet
4. Seat bullet (Lee seating die)
5. Crimp (Lee factory crimp die)

Thanks to all those LnL users for letting us know that the Lee case activated powder measures work with the LnL.
For me reloading is a great hobby. Hope it is the same for you.
Stay safe!
 
Only took 4 posts to turn into a Get a Dillon derailment.:uhoh: Which the OP was not asking about,

I see no reason why the LEE powder measure and die will not work, I just got a LnL and use the Hornady measure and just look at the powder drop. I have not decided if a the RCBS Powder check die is worth it and the Hornady is just a thing to look at so why not just look in the case.?

The Hornady Powder measure works very well, my issues have been with the priming but seem to have fixed that.
 
The LNL-AP comes with a Hornady measure with two drums, one has a smaller cavity for pistol charges and the other for rifle. I have a Quick Change Powder Measure Assembly for each cartridge I load. The vast majority of the cartridges I load are for pistol. I’m a big proponent of the RCBS Lockout Die for pistol loading.

I started loading rifle ammo a couple of years ago and decided to give the Lee Auto Drum a try. The measure plus the rifle charging dies were less expensive than buying additional Quick Change parts, it kept me from having to swap rotors on my Hornady measure, and reports were that the Lee measure worked well with extruded powders. I also used the Lee measure atop a Lee Powder Expander Die to load some .38 Special.

The Hornady measure “feels” like a quality product. The Lee measure feels kind of cheap but it works.
 
I used Lee powder measures on my LnL AP while I had it. Used the Hornady measure for awhile but the Lee powder measures are simple, easy to use, and accurate with the powders I use. Plus I could still use my Lee powder through expanding die that I liked much better than Hornady’s. Don’t know how many ten’s of thousands of drops on my auto disk but it just keeps chugging along. Plastic wonder?

Any more caliber changes on my XL650 will get a Lee powder measure on the tool head, too.

Maybe consider buying the bare press since you don’t plan to prime on press, or possibly use their powder measure? Don’t know if they even sell it that way but maybe crunch some numbers?
 
Rule3 said:
Only took 4 posts to turn into a Get a Dillon derailment.:uhoh: Which the OP was not asking about,

I see no reason why the LEE powder measure and die will not work, I just got a LnL and use the Hornady measure and just look at the powder drop. I have not decided if a the RCBS Powder check die is worth it and the Hornady is just a thing to look at so why not just look in the case.?

The Hornady Powder measure works very well, my issues have been with the priming but seem to have fixed that.
Click to expand...
I prefer leaving the station where a powder check die would go, empty.
The powder in the case is easy to see when the shell plate is up and the case is visible through the empty station... and you can set the bullet in it then too:thumbup:
No need for a powder check die, no mirror to look inside the case or reach into/around to set the bullet in the case with the shell plate down :uhoh:
:D
 
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The current plan is to set up the following stations:
A. manually set a case
1. resize (Lee carbide sizing die)
2. Flare/powder dispense - Hornady PTX/Powder Measure. Lee powder thru die and Auto Drum as a backup.
3. Powder check die of some kind. Still doing research
B. manually set a bullet
4. Seat bullet (Lee seating die)
5. Crimp (Lee factory crimp die)
Click to expand...

If you have already decapped your brass off the press, why didn't you size it at the same time? The depriming die also resizes the brass at once.
 
I don't think there should be any concern for using the Hornady measure with expander insert. I have both Lee and Hornady equipment and have not chosen to mix brands in the setups. 9mm will need a pistol caliber metering insert or the micrometer version.
 
George P said:
If you have already decapped your brass off the press, why didn't you size it at the same time? The depriming die also resizes the brass at once.
Click to expand...
Not to jump in here, but I decap the dirty brass so that it can be wet tumbled and clean before it touches my sizing die. Having the primer out does two things - the primer pocket gets cleaned during tumbling, and having the primer out aids in water draining and drying of the wet brass.
 
Definitely dirty brass. I decap first with a Harvey de-primer and then they go into the vibrator with corncob media and new finish. The large primer pockets get cleaned and the small pockets less so. The main reason I do this is so that all that carbon and gunk do not get into my press. I would rather sit in front of the TV, or out on the patio and de-prime than have all that gunk to wipe out of the crannies with q-tip. As an added bonus, I actually enjoy using that Harvey tool.
 
I guess I am just old school, I clean first, then size/deprime and reprime. On a single stage, that was two strokes, on the progressive, it still is two strokes, but the second is al50 working on the next case......
 
I run a quick 1/2 hour pass in the wet tumbler for the brass I bring home from the range.
Gets it more than clean enough to run thru the resize die.

I have the tube type bullet feeder, still have to fill the tubes but nice since you don't have to place the bullets by hand.
1 hand pulls the lever the other feeds cases.
The Hornady bullet feed die is about $27 from Midway
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...-load-pistol-bullet-feeder-bullet-feeding-die

While the tube type feeder may not be much faster in the long run it makes the loading sequence nicer IMO.

The bullet feed tubes are another $27 but if you make a support you can use plastic aquarium tubing which is cheap.
I seem to recall that some one SCDave? sent me a link to get some. I will see if I can dig it up. (if you are interested in the tube type feeder PM me for additional thoughts)
While the tube type feeder may not be much faster in the long run it makes the loading sequence nicer IMO.

RCBS lockout die info
http://ultimatereloader.com/2010/09/19/rcbs-lock-out-die-part-i-theory-of-operation/
http://ultimatereloader.com/2010/09/21/rcbs-lock-out-die-part-ii-setup-and-maintenance/

Using WSF in 9mm it will lockout at about + or - .2gr and of course on a double or a no charge.
Since it is measuring by volume the amount it will catch from ideal varies but always on a double or a no.
Otherwise it is just there and does not need to be watched unlike a powder cop.


PS: watch for deals they usually offer free bullets with the press. (well sort of frre I think you have to pay shipping) Hint, you may not want to get the bullets for the caliber you shoot the most, you may want which ever ones are the most expensive for a caliber you shoot:evil::).

I shoot mostly 9mm but took the .45 Bullets more $$. (If I was loading for .30 cal rifle I probably would have took rifle bullets)

I like my LNL faster than the Lee turret, not as expensive as the Dillon.
I think if I was going to have went whole hog electric bullet feeder abnd case feeder I might have got a 650.
But even without the bullet and case feeders the 650 was more, and additional calibers cost more to add than the LNL.
550 was the about the same price as the LNL but manual index and only 4 stations.

And of course the LNL is red and matches my Lee press.;)
 
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Santacruzdave: I'm going to answer your first question first. When I was first looking to get into reloading I had this young punk that stated that he had a Hornady press. I had already seen one Hornady press and was not impressed. The guy was quite happy with it even though he had to asist it into the die every time. The young punk said it was poorly timed and I should see his, so I did. I'm glad I did that press ran as smooth as silk. It is only a stand alone press, no case or bullet feeder. On a good day he might be able to rub two nickels to gether so he is tight with the coin. Now, I have more dollars then sence, so I bought an Ammo-plant with a power measure for each calipar I shoot with two extra one for rifle and one for pistol. When he came over he liked the idea to have a seperate power measure for each calipar being loaded. But he couldn't afford the Hornady so he bought 4 Lee power measures and they work just great on the Hornady press.

Now as many of you know I have a friends and family shoot weekend every Memorial day and Labor day weekend. With the Memorial day weekend we have a "My Johnon is biger than your Johnson" contest with our reloading equipment. Our first contest was powder measers Lee, RCBS, Hornady, and Dillon. WE did 100 drops of ball powder, 100 drops of flake powder, and 100 drops of stick power. Now, that "cheep" plastic turd of the Lee came in first. And not by a little the RCBS came in second with the Hornady close behind. All I have to say to Dillon is don't run stick powder. So don't be afraid to run your Lee on the Hornady.
 
santacruzdave said:
I'm interested in hearing from those who have a Hornady progressive and your experience with either of the two options; PTX and Hornady powder measure
Click to expand...

I guess I don’t understand why you need to deal with the PTX if you are priming off press. I deprime, bell, (and prime) on the first pass. Store the primed brass away for later.
When I want to load - powder, bullet, and crimp on the second pass. If you want to use a lockout die of some kind you can just back the powder die up one station.



If you do go with a LNL I would suggest you get a bunch of bushings. The beauty of the LNL is how fast you can switch it around to do what you want. But only if you have enough bushings.
 
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