opinions on this press? (hornady AP)

The Lee pro 6000 is a slick machine.One extra station and can use for just case prep if you want to.At the price point of the 6000 you cant go wrong.Just got one couple of weeks ago and am impressed and very pleased. pre.jpg
 
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thunderbyrd said:
unless some one can give me a good reason not to, i think i am going to buy this press:

www.youtube.com

How To Operate the Hornady Lock-n-Load AP Reloading Press

Hornady's Lock-N-Load® AP™ is a five-station progressive reloading press that pops out one round of loaded ammo with each pull of the handle. Brownells Gun T...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com


this looks good to me as a way to start. opinions from those who have used it would be helpful! and thank you.
Click to expand...


Alot of info covered here already so Ill just chime in with a few thoughts.
Im well north of 400k on a single LnL. Ive worn out a press deck, and pretty much rebuilt the press on any wear points at this time.

I would start out just feeding cases and setting bullets by hand and you can move right along at about 400 rounds per hour with a little practice.
The press itself is fine. Its when you start bolting extra stuff onto it is when it has issues so Im going to do a little comparison.

For pistol? The LnL will work just fine.

You will see some press deck tilt, which will influence the first 2-3 rounds COAL until you get the press loaded with cases.

The primer system does need to be kept clean or it will have issues. So if you plan on dry cleaning your brass, make sure you tumble out as much dust as possible. You will also want to probably put a washer under the priming ram so it doesnt eventually push into the press frame. You need to verify that the priming system travel is adjusted correctly as well.

I recommend buying the case feeder if you want to increase production. It will have issues from time to time, so be ready to tinker a bit to get it as close to 100% as you can. That being said, the Dillon 750 does have a much better case feeding setup because its caliber specific, vs the Hornady being a 1 for all type deal. This is pretty normal and is easily adjusted out. Depending on your production expectations, a bullet feeder might be in order, but that is probably a long time down the road.

Obviously there is a ton of things we can discuss here, but those are a few I didnt see covered.

If I was going to do it all over again would I buy a Dillon? No. I think the 2 presses both have their good and bad points. When I started reloading the LnL was easier to do short runs, and load development on. But for large production with case and bullet feeders, the Dillon is a better machine.
 
Kaldor said:
Alot of info covered here already so Ill just chime in with a few thoughts.
Im well north of 400k on a single LnL. Ive worn out a press deck, and pretty much rebuilt the press on any wear points at this time.

I would start out just feeding cases and setting bullets by hand and you can move right along at about 400 rounds per hour with a little practice.
The press itself is fine. Its when you start bolting extra stuff onto it is when it has issues so Im going to do a little comparison.

For pistol? The LnL will work just fine.

You will see some press deck tilt, which will influence the first 2-3 rounds COAL until you get the press loaded with cases.

The primer system does need to be kept clean or it will have issues. So if you plan on dry cleaning your brass, make sure you tumble out as much dust as possible. You will also want to probably put a washer under the priming ram so it doesnt eventually push into the press frame. You need to verify that the priming system travel is adjusted correctly as well.

I recommend buying the case feeder if you want to increase production. It will have issues from time to time, so be ready to tinker a bit to get it as close to 100% as you can. That being said, the Dillon 750 does have a much better case feeding setup because its caliber specific, vs the Hornady being a 1 for all type deal. This is pretty normal and is easily adjusted out. Depending on your production expectations, a bullet feeder might be in order, but that is probably a long time down the road.

Obviously there is a ton of things we can discuss here, but those are a few I didnt see covered.

If I was going to do it all over again would I buy a Dillon? No. I think the 2 presses both have their good and bad points. When I started reloading the LnL was easier to do short runs, and load development on. But for large production with case and bullet feeders, the Dillon is a better machine.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to argue w/ your point on shell holder tilt - I don't know how it'd be possible for press tilt. If you look at the bottom of a LNL shell holder, you'll find a round profile that rises up around the circumference of the holder. When you apply pressure to the shell holder like FL sizing, the profile comes into contact with the press and stops any "wobble". I've never measured the gap, but I can tell you it does not affect ammo quality. In order for there to be a progressive advancement mechanism, there has to be a bit of a gap for the shell holder to rotate.
 
OP, another satisfied Hornady LNL AP user here. While not at the level of the 100 - 400k loaders, I do have 2 presses on my bench. One is set for 9MM mostly and the other is used for a variety of pistol rounds and some rifle rounds. I can't compare to the blue presses, but I am quite happy with my Hornady presses. If you decide to get one, there are plenty of helpful folks here than can help you get it going right.
 
NMexJim said:
I'm not trying to argue w/ your point on shell holder tilt - I don't know how it'd be possible for press tilt. If you look at the bottom of a LNL shell holder, you'll find a round profile that rises up around the circumference of the holder. When you apply pressure to the shell holder like FL sizing, the profile comes into contact with the press and stops any "wobble". I've never measured the gap, but I can tell you it does not affect ammo quality. In order for there to be a progressive advancement mechanism, there has to be a bit of a gap for the shell holder to rotate.
Click to expand...

I havent found an issue with ammo quality. What I have seen, and only when making pistol ammo, is that until you have the press fully loaded, you will see that the station under the sizing die will deflect slightly, just a few thou, and only on the first few rounds. Once you get the press loaded, the force from the opposite side, generally the seating die, helps balance the press deck, and from that point on, the press will make consistent ammo. If I was loading pistol ammo right now, I could give you exact numbers on how it effect COAL, but Ive got 5k in in cans, so Im good for now! This isnt so much an issue with rifle as you are generally feeding it brass thats already been sized and the minimal force for seating a bullet is negligible.

Where I do see it quite a bit more is when sizing 308 with my RT1500 trimmer. To offset the press deck deflection, I run a standard sizing die in front of the trim sizing die. I set the dies so that if I want to bump say 10 thou total, I bump 5 thou on the standard die, and then the last 5 thou on the trim sizing die. The other upside of doing it this way? Saves alot of wear and tear on me and the press. In the pic below Im doing 223, but its the same idea, and die setup. Station 1 decapper (in case I missed a primer in the Lee APP), station 2 standard sizing die without expander, station 4 trim die. I set neck dimension with a M-die or mandrel after I tumble and in station 1 when I load.

GWsoKoi.jpg
 
I have never used a Hornaday press so I won't give advice on that particular press.

My first press, about 35 years ago, was a RCBS 4x4 progressive press. I did fine by skipping the "start with a single stage press first" advice (no internet back then). I had no problem jumping into a progressive with no prior experience. I am quite mechanically inclined.

After a couple of years with the RCBS 4x4 I was tired of its "quirks". I looked at a friends Lee progressive which I think he would have sold me for $20. His advice was to buy a Dillon press, which I did. I have been using the same Dillon 650xl ever since.

Without having ever used a Hornaday progressive I can't comment on that particular progressive press for you. My point is, if you are mechanically inclined I would advise you to not be afraid of starting with a progressive. In 35 years I have never had a squib and I reload all my various cartridges on my Dillon 650xl progressive.
 
I have two Hornady LNLs set up in my reloading room, one for small primers and one for large primers. My son runs them for large batches of 9mm, 10mm, .40 S&W, .45ACP, .357Mag and .223. He constantly cranks out ammunition at about 450-500 rounds per hour
We like them so much I sold two Dillon 550s because they were collecting dust.
We still load most rifle ammunition and big bore revolvers cartridges on a couple of RockChuckers.
I load the big bore revolver cartridges on the RockChucker because I am retired and enjoy loading on a single stage press. I load in stages...one day I will resize,flare, and deprime, next day I reprime. The next day I dump powder for however many cases I have in a caliber and then seat and crimp bullets.
I find it relaxing and manage to keep .30cal ammo cans full of .41Magnum, .44Magnum, .45Colt, .45AutoRim and .44Spl. loaded with cast bullets. I also load jacketed full power loads for those calibers on my RockChucker but usually only 1-200 round batches. I also load .38Spl on my RockChucker but I only have two .38Spl revolvers so I don't shoot very many rounds of that caliber.

Anyway...I heartily endorse the Hornady LNL presses. Mine have been user friendly and dependable but initial set up with any given caliber can be time consuming until you get the press dialed in.
As I said, I am such a fan of the Hornady LNLs that I sold my two Dillon 550s.
 
MikeInOr said:
I have never used a Hornaday press so I won't give advice on that particular press.

My first press, about 35 years ago, was a RCBS 4x4 progressive press. I did fine by skipping the "start with a single stage press first" advice (no internet back then). I had no problem jumping into a progressive with no prior experience. I am quite mechanically inclined.

After a couple of years with the RCBS 4x4 I was tired of its "quirks". I looked at a friends Lee progressive which I think he would have sold me for $20. His advice was to buy a Dillon press, which I did. I have been using the same Dillon 650xl ever since.

Without having ever used a Hornaday progressive I can't comment on that particular progressive press for you. My point is, if you are mechanically inclined I would advise you to not be afraid of starting with a progressive. In 35 years I have never had a squib and I reload all my various cartridges on my Dillon 650xl progressive.
Click to expand...

I started on a single year ago with my grandfather, but going to a progressive the first thing I learned when setting it up ws to treat it like a single stage with lots of shell holders until you get the hang of it!
 
I am quite happy with my LNL.

I would suggest getting a RCBS lockout die if you are loading pistol ammo.

https://ultimatereloader.com/2010/09/19/rcbs-lock-out-die-part-i-theory-of-operation/

RCBS Lock-Out Die Part II: Setup and Maintenance – Ultimate Reloader

ultimatereloader.com ultimatereloader.com
I think the lockout die is a good thing to have, but kind of a catch 22, if it never locks out it's sort of why did I spend the money for this, when it does you will know why.

I learned on a Lee turret and I like the earlier suggestion of starting with on die at a time on the LNL until you figure out whats going on, then move to using all the dies as intended.
 
Another satisfied user of the LNL-AP press. I've had mine for ~20 yrs, lost round count but > 200,000. Like said take all the time necessary to set it up correctly. Not doing so will bite you in the end.. Mine still has the original primer feed system, never upgraded it. Like any AP press it takes time to learn since there are multiple things happening at the same time. Start off with 1 die, 1 process. If satisfied go to the next step till you have all your dies adj as needed. Once all stations are loaded the seating die may need a little tweak to correct for all stations being full. You must make full stokes at all times, any short stroking causes problems.

Would I buy one again, Yes.

I do have a brass feeder on mine which is one of the earlier ones which has problems, most have been corrected. If I ever get a 3D printer it will be the first thing I print. I still set bullets by hand so I can peak inside to confirm powder even though I have a powder cop.
 
I started on a Dillon 650 and haven't been to worse for the wear for it. That was about 10 years ago. In the beginning, I did kinda run it like a single stage with each die in a separate tool head on the first caliber (45 ACP). Once I got the hang of the operation of each of the dies, they all came off the separate tool heads and onto a single tool head. Those extra tool heads then got setup in different calibers.

Kind of a round about way to go, but I did that because the Dillons tend to hold their value in resale, should I not have liked the hobby. Otherwise, I knew I would want a progressive and would be loading to all the calibers I shoot eventually.

That being said, I don't think reloading saved me any money at any point. I just shoot more and fall further down the reloading rabbit hole, as there is always another tool to buy or another caliber to set up for.
 
thunderbyrd said:
unless some one can give me a good reason not to, i think i am going to buy this press:
this looks good to me as a way to start. opinions from those who have used it would be helpful! and thank you.
Click to expand...
I think you hit the motherload of info here for you to ponder. I +1.
My first press was an RCBS Rock Chucker II that I still have bolted down as it is now my utility press. It has been modified to accept the Hornady bushing system and I am very happy with that.

But I will toss in a few cents as I've had a Lock-n-Load for 10-15 years. Mine being an early model, I have updated mine with ALL the modifications. Hornady paid for most all of the parts. I use Hornady dies in it for 9mm. I added the case feeder and am happy I did.
I've been using it to load 9mm only so far. Being hard to find the bullets I like in retail ammunition, it does well for me. I laid it out thusly.
LnL Layout3.jpg

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If you are really starting out new at reloading, I personally would advise you to buy the Redding Turret Press T-7 as a first press.
You could buy Hornady dies if you like and use them on a LnL later.
You will learn so much more that way with way fewer headaches due to learning curve.
Redding tech support is great.
Best of luck.
 

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I have a fairly early LNL and have generally been satisfied. Others have covered most of the points, but one thing I think is important on any progressive press is a powder check die.
The RCBS lockout die stops you if the powder charge is significantly over or under what you set it for. While many will state they have never had a squib or double charge, I fell much more comfortable knowing that my system makes it harder to screw up.
 
Add me to the LNL fan club. I've had mine for over 15 years. They still had the old spring wire loaded round ejecter then. I upgraded mine to the newer ejection system eventually. I am not in the 100K club but I have not had any problems that weren't caused by my own stupidity and lack of paying attention. You do have to keep it cleaned and lubricated but mine has run flawlessly when I do. When I got mine they were giving away 1000 rounds of bullets with it. I got 1000 Hornady .45 caliber XTP's that I still have a couple boxes of left.

It is a good press and not at all difficult to learn if you just read the instructions. And as others have said if you do have a problem plenty of help is available here on THR.
 
bfalcon00 said:
I started on a Dillon 650 and haven't been to worse for the wear for it. That was about 10 years ago. In the beginning, I did kinda run it like a single stage with each die in a separate tool head on the first caliber (45 ACP). Once I got the hang of the operation of each of the dies, they all came off the separate tool heads and onto a single tool head. Those extra tool heads then got setup in different calibers.

Kind of a round about way to go, but I did that because the Dillons tend to hold their value in resale, should I not have liked the hobby. Otherwise, I knew I would want a progressive and would be loading to all the calibers I shoot eventually.

That being said, I don't think reloading saved me any money at any point. I just shoot more and fall further down the reloading rabbit hole, as there is always another tool to buy or another caliber to set up for.
Click to expand...
no, i'm not under the delusion that i'll save money. and i'm sure i'll shoot lots more if i can get going. looking forward to it!
 
dannyd said:
I have two LNL's and between them loaded 120,802 rounds.

If your not mechanically inclined and take your time to set it up right you will not like it.

Plus I have over 200 bushings, so I have to like them :)

View attachment 1168854
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Are those the ones you wore out?? I’ve got a few that won‘t snug up anymore even with oversized cross section o-rings, but I mean, man, like wow !! 😮
 
thunderbyrd said:
this looks good to me as a way to start. opinions from those who have used it would be helpful! and thank you.
Click to expand...
The LNL was my first progressive press after many years of SS reloading. I went with a case feeder to automate case feeding so I could concentrate on making sure there was powder in the case before placing the bullet.
Dialing in the timing was important for proper operation and once all the dies are setup correctly it’ll crank out high quality ammo. I did run with an RCBS lock out die, not the RCBS powder checker die. Between myself and my sons we have 4 of them, and I still use it for some calibers.
 
I have had a few LNL AP’s I used over the years, for handgun I think they are OK. Can be a real pain for some rifle combinations.

I really liked the half index on down stroke/ other half on up stroke but with longer cases/bullets the shell plate is already too high for the bullet to clear the die when it finishes the index, knocking the bullet off the case. Have to stick the bullet up into the die, raise the ram enough to finish the index, then set the bullet into the case mouth, get those fingers out of the way and finish the stroke.

Think I only made it a few hundred before I decided such nonsense wasn’t for me. They do seem to work well for pistol though. Only issue I had was one of them liked to self “quick detach” the powder measure, that’s kind of exciting but if your on top of things you can catch it before you eject it from the top of the press. I used a thicker O-ring on the bushing to keep it in place.
 
dannyd said:
if I was just starting over this is the kit I would buy.

https://www.powdervalley.com/product/hornady-lnl-classic-kit/

At that price call them and make sure it includes the press.
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I'm not a fan of the Hornady single stage press.
It has a lot of side to side movement in the handle.
I have one and it sits unused.
I also have the Hornady LnL AP Progressive which I have been using for around 15 years with no complaints.
My cheap Lee 50th anniversary press still is in use for priming alongside my Forster Co-Ax.
That tells you how much I dislike the Hornady single stage.

If a Forster CO-Ax isn't in your budget I would get the Lee Classic Cast press with the Breech Lock Bushings. (SKU:90998)
Great press and made in the USA unlike the RCBS which is now made in China.
 
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