I think I am going to pick up a new progressive press. I have narrowed it down to the Dillon 550B and the Hornady LNL. And I am leaning toward the Hornady.

Any comments about either press?? Tom.

Like everything else, those that own one or the other will swear that theirs is the greatest. That said, I bought a Dillon 550 in 1986. I load 5,000 to 8,000+ each year in a variety of pistol and rifle calibers. My Dillon was out of service once when the crank pivot pin seized because I didn't lube it. Dillon replaced all of the parts, including the crank, pivot pin, and snap rings. They also sent me the drift pin used to drive the pivot pin out, all free of charge. They have the best warranty in the industry as far as I am concerned. Here, take a sip of this blue kool-aid.

Frank

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sona si latine loqueris .

I bought the LnL in 2004. I've put 134,000 documented through it. I had to send it in for repairs around 85,000. The set screws holding the sub-plate to the top of the ram worked loose. Hornady rebuilt the entire press in a couple weeks. Not sure how any other warranty program would be better. I needed my auto index pawls replaced, and the auto index star replaced this last month. Free in the mail two day delivery. I really appreciate the auto index after being without it for a couple days.

I have never pulled a handle on a Dillon, so have no personal experience. I don't own stock in Hornady, or work for them.

Hornady is easy to change calibers, has a very nice powder drop and a reliable primer/seater system. Mine doesn't have the ejector sub-plate yet. I own it, but I'm told there is a big delay getting shell plates modified, so I'm waiting until after hunting season is over.

Two of my friends have bought the LnL in the past year and are delighted.

Red koolaid is better than blue.

Dillon make a very good press; however, I prefer the Hornady, especially when considered on a cost-effectiveness basis. The Hornady is, effectively, closer to the equivalent of a Dillon 650, rather than the 550B, as it is a true progressive, with the turntable advancing one station per pull of the handle, whereas the 550B is manually indexed (you have to operate the turntable by hand, it is not indexed by pulling the handle). Both are very well built, and both offer superior customer support and warranty. I have an old Hornady Pro-Jector, the forerunner to the L-n-L AP, and it just keeps soldiering on. I am considering buying a new L-n-L to augment it, partially for the ease in changing calibers on the L-n-L, and leaving the Pro-Jector dedicated to one caliber. I know Mike Dillon from the aviation community, and he builds a great press, but I consider the Hornady to be its equal and, in some details, better, especially regarding ease and expense of caliber changeover. When considered in light of the high quality of both, the cost difference definitely tilts the decision to Hornady. You would be well served by either, though. Have fun, and enjoy your new press!

I'm gonna have purple koolaid then! 'Cause the next press I buy is going to be a Hornady L-N-L AP.

I have 3 Square Deal B's, one is with son #1, an XL650 and a couple of single stages along with a Lee Classic Cast Turret in 4 hole configuration. They all work as designed, period. The blue ones work very well and as Frank has said, the customer service is second to none. Maybe as good as others, but surely not second to any of them.

"ejector sub-plate"?? What is that?? Are you sayng the regular press does not release the shell and that you have to pull it off the press by hand?? Tom.

I've got a 550 and a 650. I use the 650 for my .38s and the 550 for everything that needs large pistol primers.

The biggest difference is the case feeder.

Having to rotate the shell plate is no big deal on the 550. I just use my left hand thumb and move the plate right after I finish a round. Changing calibers is no problem at all, especially if you buy a separate tool head for each one. I have one set up for .303, 7.56, 44. I have separate powder measures on each so I don't need to reset the powder eigher.

Changing powder measures is no big deal though. .

I started with a Dillon 300, went to the 450 then 550 and finally lucked out on a 650.

Love their service and warrentee.

Used to load 9mm, 38/357, 44 & 45's on a dillon square deal. I bought a lnl & never looked back. These things are built like tanks, there's nothing better than being able to crank out a couple hundred .223's & then go out to the range to work on the rapid positions with the ar.

Good morning
I would find someone or a shop that has either press and put my hands on it.
I bought my 550 about 1988 and have no regrets. Dillon honored thier " Unconditional Garentee" twice. First time the powder measure actuating stub broke ..They sent a whole new powder measure. Second time the primer raceway on the frame was galling and they sent me the hardened upgrade plate. No questions asked and no need to send in the machine.
I find caliber change is very easy and fast as my fingers can move.
So would I buy another.. yep.. I have 2... One set up for small primer & the other for Large primer.

I am a big Dillon fan. My reloading bench looks like the Dillon catalog. I started with the Square Deal and moved up to a 650. I recently added a RCBS bullet feed for pistol rounds. Its hard not to like 100 rounds in two or three mins of work. I also have a Dillon SL900 shot gun loader. Along with all the blue accessories.

Dillon stuff holds its value eBay these things bring almost what they cost new today. I have seen twenty year old machines bring more that the original buyer paid new!

The support is top notch, anything I have needed or question Ive had always helpful and knowledgeable. They also arent in India and its not"peggy" (from the TV commercial).

On the other hand people really seem to be happy with the new LnL and if its got the free bullet rebate seems hard to beat.

I would stick with the blue because you can upgrade machines and reuse lots of your items. You can go to a 650 and reuse the dies and what not, same if you go to a 1050.


I also really like the Dillon dies and the system they use. Separate seat and crimp.

Its just my opinion, others will have different.

Its the old Ford VS Chevy argument and we all know Chevys are better, or is it Fords.....

The LnL is a Dillon XL650 equivalent. The 550 is a lesser press. So to me this is an apples to oranges comparison. Of course the LnL is superior to the 550 for the same price.

When you make the statement that the LnL is superior to the 550, and I don't have one of those, how do you mean?

In quality? In accouterments available for it? In functionality?

I think I know what you are alluding to, the auto indexing feature of the LnL. I would have to agree on that one point BUT as far as quality goes, they both are quality presses.

I will be real honest with you all. I, personally, wouldn't want a progressive press that didn't have automatic advance. Call me lane brained or whatever but, for me, remembering to advance the case every time by hand would be just asking for trouble. Just me though. I know LOTS of folks that have RL550B presses. They don't have any problems at all. I'm just talking about me.

I think I could have been the poster child for the ADHD syndrome had they diagnosed it 50 years ago! We just got spanked, no medication!

Older lnl used a spring ejector, new have a fixed bump on the subplate. Hornady sells the new subplate to retrofit.

The reason why I am comparing these two presses is because they are comparable in price. Not necessarily in features.

The Hornady has more features for the same money as the 550B. So I was just concerned about quality issues. I am sure both have great CS, so that is not an issue.

What I like about the Hornady is the shell plate moves itself, and it has extra stations for powder checking and separate crimp stage for revolver cartridges.

The press will be set up for one cartridge only(45 Colt). So changing dies is not a big concern. The plate on the Dillon does look a little easier to use(but not sure-why I asked). So I was just looking for overall quality differences. Thanks, Tom.

I've got Dillons, but I got them before the Hornady presses became better made. I think that you really won't go wrong with either. I would check to compare the cost of caliber conversion and see how they compare in difficulty of changing calibers and primer sizes. I would get a case feeder if I got the Hornady auto indexing press. I would compare owner happiness with the Hornady case feeders with the Dillon, as well.

If your only going to do 45 Colt, I would look at the Square Deal. It has the auto index feature. They are very nice presses, I think. Its also less money!!

I've had my Hornady LNLAP for...around 10 or so years now.
I've broken some springs when I first got it up learning it- and Hornady has been more than happy to send me stuff for it. Their customer service is top notch- they sent me a complete sub plate when I told them mine worked loose and broke. Which it did, but when someone in my family tried to crack walnuts with it- don't ask.

Just know that the Dillons and the Hornady work quite a bit differently. As one of the other guys said, go try them and see which one makes "more sense." I just can't get the hang of a Dillon personally.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

I have loaded many rounds in many calibers since 1986 on my 550 b, bought all the updates and it was flooded in 93, Dillion rebuilt or replaced everything. I may go to the 650 and keep my "old 550" My money goes to the blue.

Dave

I was trying to decide just like you up until last week and the Hornady LNL won out.

Here's a link to THE best deal on a LNL period.

Hornady 095100 Lock N Load Loader AP - ManVenture Outpost, LLC

That is a good price. How much was their shipping?? The only place I saw cheaper than that was Midway with their discount code they just sent me. Midway is $30 less with their discount(10%) If I bought the other stuff and got my Midway order up to $500 total then they would be $40 less on the press.

Problem with Midway is they tend to make up for their discount in shipping costs.

On another forum somebody pointed out something about the 550B that I had not thought about. And that was the fact that the 550B can also be used as a single stage press since it does not auto-index-and because the shell plate easily spins backwards. Tom.

Funny this should be posted today.

I just happened to be in Phoenix yesterday evening staying at a hotel. I woke up the morning and before starting my final leg of the trip home I went by Dillon Precision because I have been contemplating a progressive. After almost 30 years of Rock Chucking I'm finally thinking seriously of making the jump.

I had read about and seen plenty of pictures and videos of the Blue Machines but had never seen one in person. Until this morning that is.

I looked at both the 550B and 650XL. Both appear to be solid machines, well constructed and fairly beefy. Ultimately, I still have not decided, but I'm thinking it'll be the 650. My thought is that one only has to place a bullet and pull the handle. No setting cases, no rotating shell plates only setting bullets and a pull (followed by a slight push). With the extra toolheads, caliber changing appears to be a snap - pull two pins and slide out the head, coupled with changing the shell plate. Of course there is an extra step if going between large and small primers.

I especially enjoyed the discussion on the lifetime warranty - a problem with defects or user error, its covered.

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Non illegitimae carborundum

Tom,
That is the culprit of having BAD things happen in a load when you turn the case backwards in the process. If I could give some advice, get that out of your mind, please. You can use ANY progressive as a single stage, ANY! Even if it auto advances. Run only one case through the process and, wala, you have a single stage press!

Even the XL650 can be used like this with the removal of the automatic primer advance cam. One #10 32 Allen screw and you can do it. If you only put one die in the head at a time, you can use the press as a single stage. You can change the dies and do all one part of the process and put the cases in the container, that is until you need to have the powder put in the case!



No, no backwards motion with a progressive press, please.

If the progressive press is to be used in single stage mode, there is scarcely a reason to index the shellplate at all and certainly not backwards.

The shellplate should only turn FORWARD. That isn't just a habit that you should form, it is a religion to be practiced faithfully.

Those who deviate from the faith will find themselves aligned with kaboomia the Godess of reloading disaster.

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too TOO young!!

The fact that Hornady is offering the free bullets is enough to sway your choice between the two machines.
Add into that the price of caliber changes, The auto indexing of the Hornady, and the Hornady powder measure make it a no brainer!!
If you want an apples to apples comparison you need to compare the 650 to the Hornady

Cabelas has the LnL right now for $399 plus $5 shipping.

I've had a Square D in 45 acp for over ten years and even though everyone swears it's a great press (and it is) it is not perfect. It uses a lot of plastic parts, the plastic wears and / or gets dirt embedded and creates problems. The LnL is a few hundred dollars cheaper than the Dillon 650 (which is comparable). It doesn't use plastic parts. It doesn't use the little pins that you need to remove to pull a case out at different stages (I seem to always drop them and lose them). I seem to have problems too often with the primer feed which necessitates me taking it apart every few thousand rounds and spending a day or two to get it going again. The linear stroke of the pull lever is translated to the powder measure linkage thru a plastic pin. It gets sloppy, pops out and goes un-noticed for a few rounds. Result is squib load or more usual, I end up taking a hundred rounds apart.

I've decided I want to load another caliber. Cost to convert the Square D to another caliber is almost $200. After looking at the LnL I've decided to go with that. I also think the quick LnL is better than buttered bread.

Hornady service warranty, service and customer relations are just as good a Dillon.

I know I'm the only guy in the world that has had any problems with a Dillon press so please don't flame me. Just my 2 cents.

$81.50

Dillon Precision: Reloaders, Reloading Equipment, Bullet Reloading, Bullet Reloaders

Mark,

This is not a flame on. I respect your post and opinion. Caliber conversions for the Square Deal B press do seem to be expensive AND when you figure in that they are proprietary to only that kind of press, their usefulness makes you suspect. That is a great point.

Like I said, I have three. Only two are at my house at the present time, one is going to get it's walking papers as soon as we go to Missouri to visit our daughter and son in law. I like the press and have bought all of mine used and in various states of repair or rather disrepair!

I have a mechanical mind and like the challenge of SOME machines. The Square Deal B just happens to be one of those machines. It is a marvel in that they get all of that work done in such a small area, at least in my opinion.

But once I got them up to factory new, I found that they served me exceptionally well. I have less than $500 in all three of them and can load 9mm, 38/357, 40S&W/10mm, 44spl/44Mag and 45ACP.

Back to the caliber change kits: You do know that you can buy individual parts, right? OK, so I can load for 45ACP, the dies are the same for the 45AutoRim. Do I buy a whole conversion or just the shell plate? The shell plate is $31.50. Now that would be a cheap conversion. Not as cheap as a single stage shell plate but, cheap for a progressive!

p.s. Their new primer pin STINKS in my opinion! It should have stayed metal!

Never used a Dillon. Spent a couple years on a Rockchucker and the past 6yrs on a LNL.
Only problems I've had were self-imposed and support was great. Parts were shipped free, 1st Class mail.
I'm very happy w/mine. I chose to use my RCBS powder measure in the setup only because I had polished it up, ran great and was familiar w/it. No reflection at all on the Hornady measure. I load only straight wall cartridges. Caliber change-over is easy. I really like the die bushing system, my dies are all RCBS and completely compatable.
I'm still using the ejector wire system, have a few spares on hand, don't expect to change to the newer system any time soon.
Never tried cracking nuts on mine but would love to hear from those that have.
In all fairness, if I'd chosen to go the Blue route I'd probably be telling you about my good experience w/Dillon.
Kevin

The many little springs and plastic parts are why I chose Hornady over the 650 in the first place a long time ago.

I've had 3 Dillons and thought they were great presses. Started with a 550 and sold it for a 650, later picked up a 1050. Never a problem with Dillon.

You'll most likely be happy with whatever you choose. That said I'll admit I'm not a Hornady fan. Do some internet searches and you'll find most problems on the Hornady are primer seating and the press getting out of time. You won't find those problems with Dillon.

I'm teaching the young man across the street to reload on my LnL. He's made 700 .38 Specials and about 750 .45ACP in the last few days. We started out running one case through the whole process until he understood what was going on, then added a second case, and so on until he had the shell plate full.

My auto index plate broke a few months ago. I had a 550 equivalent. No fun.

True, the dies are $81.50. The time and effort to get the dies set up correctly in the tool holder is a PIA. Thus they offer the tool holder and connected powder measure for (with dies) about $175 plus shipping.

I have a 550 and had a 650 Dillon, I sold the 650 because of the time it took to change from a .38 to a .45 cal, the 550 you can change in 10 mins. and you are done. The Dillon is the best on the Market, had the reds and green machines before the Dillon. They can't make a bumb on the Dillons BUTT .

I spoke to a rep at Hornady today. And they definitely do have an adapter that allows you to bell the case mouth and drop powder at the same station. That is a great feature. And seals the deal for me. I am ordering the Hornady LNL. Tom.

Tom,
You are now required to post pictures of your setup when you get it AND you need to become an advocate for the "Other Red Press"!

Enjoy and all kidding aside, I would like to hear of your experiences. I am seriously considering getting a LnLAP and would like to hear from actual users what they think!

Marcus,

Here is a picture of what I do. On the inside of the lid of each caliber change that I have, I wrote down the settings from a good run. That is my starting point. I have only one tool head, (cheap) and use the backside of my calipers to measure the height of each die. This takes all of the guess work out of a setup. Pretty simple and you should already have a set of calipers.

You can go to Harbor Freight and get a set of depth micrometers if you are so inclined. This works though!

Just a tip!



Excuse the rust on the press. It is one of the used ones I bought. The rust is not there now!

p.s. Forgot about adjusting the powder measure, I fixed that too! Take a look.



(The large red knob!)

I think I am going to order it from Midway. I have one of their 10% discount coupons. But I am going to wait until they send me my "birthday" discount and see how much that is. I was also hoping that Hornady might up the free bullets back up to1,000. Only problem is I do not use any of the bullets on their "free list". So I am not sure which one of those to get. but I will be buying it sometime between now and X-Mas. Just waiting for the best deal!! Tom.

Nothing quite like it. HEE HEE

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Joshua 1:9

And a very good tip.

I see this type mod a lot but I have several Dillon measures & can move the adjuster by hand (fingers).

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Joshua 1:9

I had the same dilemma at the beginning of this year, did a lot of research, and ended up going with the Hornady LnL. I'm very happy with my decision. The LnL is a quality machine, and I have not had any issues with it.

I had a Lee Turret press, and had good results with it, but just wanted a faster/better press. So much nicer to have a progressive! My only issues going from the Lee to the Hornady, was that I loved the Lee Powder Through Expander/powder measure system. The Hornady powder measure is an overall better quality unit, and works well, but the Lee PTX is definitely a better system. I like having the 'powder cop/check' die with the progressive, so I do need to have expand and drop in the same station. Hornady does have expanders that you can use, but they are a set diameter, so I've found they work ok in some calibers, but not others... I found a work-around expander plug (I think it was 'powder funnels.com') that works better (you can adjust the amount of expansion...) in the Hornady measure. This being said, I still find myself using the Lee powder measure and PTX in some calibers; it just works great (just pop it into the LnL bushing, and you're good to go...). If you don't use a powder check die, you would not have this issue, you'd just expand and drop in two separate stations...

IMO, there is no question that the Hornady LnL press is the best value. The caliber conversions are very, very quick and convenient. Even the change over from small primer to large primer is a snap. I also like the 1/2 indexing of the press operation, very smooth. My experience with Hornady customer service has been positive, and from everyone I've talked to, they stand behind their products.

I've used Dillon presses, as well, and they are also very nice. I don't think you could go wrong with either. I just found that the LnL was a better value (do the math, caliber conversions are definitely cheaper with the Hornady...). Good luck with your new press!

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NRA Life Member

dmar you can get the bell adapter for the powder drop and do it in the same step with your Hornady. You just have to buy the bushing. That was a feature that helped sell me on the Hornady. Tom.

So, what's wrong with a RCBS Ammo Master. I have one that has been used for many years, got it when they first came out, have not had one major problem with it starting from day one. I like RCBS, I use RCBS enough said.

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Muddy Dog