hutchman

I recently purchased a new Hornady LNL AP press after many years of using an RCBS single stage and a couple of Dillon Progressive Presses. I purchased this particular press after doing some research and reading reviews online. The feature that convinced me to buy one was the seeming ease of caliber and primer changeover.

I set the press up yesterday and the setup went without flaw. The supplied DVD illustrated every step and describe all needed actions very clearly. After the setup, I don't think it will be need however because it was also a great training tool! Thumbs up to Hornady for the DVD!

I loaded my first 100 rounds today and I am a happy camper. Right off the bat, I decided the crimp die needed to go in another position...........no problem, just twisted it, removed it, and installed it in the next location. No change in seating or crimp depth. Painless..........!

I really like the ease of removing a case from the shell plate. Simply slide it out and pop it out of the retaining spring....done deal. Because of this feature, it is very easy to recycle a case to a previous station if needed.

The powder feed is flawless and easy to adjust. One thing that is needed is a can of Hornady One shot cleaner and lube. I suppose something else would work, but the Hornady product is designed to work correctly.

The only complaint I have is with the shell ejection system. I have the new one and sometimes the shell gets hung up and has to be tapped to completely eject.

If I had to choose between this press and my old Dillon 650, I would take this one every time. It simply is easier to operate for me. I would highly recommend this one to anyone stepping up to a progressive press.

Hairtrigger

Hornady is the best press for the money imho. You can spend more money but all you get is blue paint and a lesser powder measure and weak primer system.
I would call Hornady about the case eject... they have great service and should be of good help

b.hutchman

I received my LNL end of last year and I researched all the progressive presses pretty hard. Everyone in my gun club had blue and everyone was telling me to go blue.

Most that I shot with that used blue had a complete tool heads built up for every caliber they reloaded for ... even powder measure! When I figured up how much $$$ it would be to "keep up with the Jones'", I reasoned that the Hornady LNL would suit me just fine.

I fixed up my Rock Chucker to accept the LNL dies so I can pop one out of the LNL and put it in the Rock Chucker without having to change a thing. I had to shim the Rock Chucker to getting the settings to match. They match as close as I could get them but don't match the LNL 100% on all does. Some do, others don't and I think it is due to the shell holder in the Rock Chucker. They make cause things to be a .002 or so off from the LNL but for jobs that don't matter (resize/deprime) it is great.

This setup gave me the ability to do quick change overs like the blue guys with lots of $$$ but without me spending lots of $$$ or time monkeying around with setups.

The powder measure on the LNL is amazing. It throws powders dead on and doesn't vary as much as my RCBS Uniflow even with the pistol cylinder installed.

I would have no problem recommending the LNL to anyone.

The only thing that has happened to me is I won't have the case activated powder measure setup quite right and if I don't watch careful it will stick and not drop powder. I've had several squibs from this so now I am investing in the RCBS lockout die which will lock up the press if something goes wrong and get your attention.

I've seen several posts on here where newbies start out on a progressive ... I don't recommend it. Too much going on and too easy to miss something. I know, I'm very anal in my reloading practice and if it happens to me it can happen to anyone. Start with a single stage ... you'll need one for odd jobs anyway and move up to a progressive when you have mastered the single stage.

Iowegan

hutchman, My neighbor is a retired Hornady employee from Grand Island, NE. Of course he is very "pro-Hornady" and I've been one of those "blue press" guys for many years. We get together fairly often and load on each other's equipment ... he has the Hornady L-N-L AP and I have the Dillon RL550. We both immediately agreed ... the ergonomics of both presses are quite different, neither being better than the other ... just different. I firmly believe the L-N-L concept is better than Dillon's tool head concept, both in cost and function.

As we compared features, we both came away with a mutual respect for each other's equipment. We both agreed ... the Dillon powder measure with the "slider" baffle is by far better with many types of powder, especially extruded IMR rifle powders. However most people don't load rifle ammo on a progressive, even though both machines are fully capable. Flake powders such as Unique dropped more consistent on the Dillon. Both functioned flawless with Winchester ball powders. The negative with the Dillon powder measure is you have to use Dillon powder bushings that are part of the caliber conversion kits. Hornady's rotating drum powder measure is nearly identical to the old RCBS Uniflow and has external linkage. We had several "no drops" from the Hornady powder measures (Unique powder) due to the poor design on the drop tube. This makes a powder check station a necessity. The Hornady machine is a 5-holer so it will accommodate a powder check station. The Dillon 550 is a 4-holer so there's no way to adapt a powder check station and still separate bullet seating and crimping.

We both agreed ... Dillon's primer feed is in a much more convenient location and has manual operation capability. Due to the primer tube being up front, it's easier to load primers but also gets in the way. Both primer feed systems worked flawless. No winner or loser ... just different.

The LNL AP has an auto advance shell plate and the Dillon has a manual advance. For normal reloading, the Hornady is by far easier but for special purpose stuff, the 550 manual advance will do things the AP won't. Dead heat .... personal preference.

After several sessions of reloading together and putting brand loyalty aside, we concluded we should disassemble both machines, put the parts in a bag, shake them up, then reassemble using the best features of both. The Frankenpress would have the Hornady 5-hole LNL feature, the Dillon powder measures, and an auto advance shell holder with a manual bypass.

Lots of people bad mouth progressive presses. Like any other mechanical device, you have to adjust them properly and keep them clean if you expect trouble free function. Both the Dillon and Hornady are very capable presses. If I didn't already own a Dillon and have all the accessories, I would seriously consider buying a Hornady LNL AP.

wild willy

Hutchman did you push the spring down in the groove at the shell ejection station ther only time I have any trouble if I forget to put it in the groove

WhistlerSWE

I sometimes stumble upon the Hornady Pro-Jector. It looks the same as the L-N-L AP. What's the difference?

hutchman

After owning "blue" equipment for many years, I would never bad mouth them for quality or warranty, they are really second to none. I had a 650 for yeas and loaded on a SDB before that. They are both high quality pieces of equipment.

The thing that initially got me to looking at the Hornady was the cost of caliber changes.......it is significantly higher than the Hornady. The cost of equipment for stand alone caliber changes made me look at the Hornady.

I at first wondered if the Hornady bushing system would return each die setting to the correct point when removed and reinstalled......so far is seems to be great.

I appreciate the info concerning watching the powder drop. I have not had any trouble yet, but will watch closely. I was using 296 and it seemed to throw a consistent load each time. However, my experience has been that 296 is consistent from any powder measure......

I am glad I switched, and would again recommend this press to anyone stepping up to a progressive, but I would never run down a Dillon. They are a very high quality product backed by the best in the business no BS Dillon Warranty!

For those who are just starting in reloading..........get a good quality single stage and learn there.

Shiloh13

I like the LNL bushing system so much that I adapted it to the Redding Big Boss II single stage press I use for reloading. It is not as fast as a progressive, but much quicker than any other single stage I have used.