Yes, I sent the measure body to Hornady and they did it.
Stu
Stu
First session with brand new Hornady progressive, some glitches
- Thread starter sasu
- Start date
For those that might like to see the modification from Hornady, I just snapped a photo.
Stu
Looks like that might be useful. My tube popped out once and dumped a bunch of bullseye all over. The tube was loose, I wrapped some strapping tape around the tube to add some friction.
I got a new hopper back from Hornady after my first one fell off. I tried to install it and it was so tight that it would not fit in the measure body. I was afraid of breaking it. Another call to Hornady.
I explained to Hornady my problem and frustration and asked them if they would pin in a new hopper like yours was done. The technical representative said they don’t do that and never did. I told them I had pictures. Nope not done. Go figure. I’m sure they did it. This representative also told me not to use silicone caulk to secure a loose hopper like the last representative did. The hopper should just be held by friction alone. The Hornady technical support staff are not working from the same play book.
I sent the measure back to Hornady for them to install the hopper. It also included a letter and your picture and requested that they do the same thing. Right now, I’m using my LEE Auto Drum Powder Measure and expander. So simple to set up to bell the case mouth and very accurate with WW231. It looks cheap and is. It’s relatively inexpensive at $50 with expander die. But looks can be deceiving. It works great. I’m not sure even if I get the Hornady measure working again I want to bother with setting it up with the PTX expander. I had enough frustration
I’ll let you know what happens.
They used to put those lock buttons on the older H 366 shotshell loaders. I think I even have a 266 out in the grudge that has them.
I've had the same run around when phoning Hornady when a guy by the name of Seth wasn't available. I just hang up and phone back to talk with him. There is also a retired LEO that works the phones as well but can't remember his name he is also very good. Seth has treated me very very well and has never given me any grief.
DRAINSMITH
Member
Sweet, I knew you would do it. But, now I think you need to get the case feeder.
Now you do know after you get that running perfectly I will recommend the bullet feeder right? And then the deluxe control panel.
The one thing I would like to know is if you still plan on getting the 650?
Now you do know after you get that running perfectly I will recommend the bullet feeder right? And then the deluxe control panel.
The one thing I would like to know is if you still plan on getting the 650?
OP
sasu
Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2007
- Messages
- 720
- Reaction score
- 643
Sure, I need to satisfy my curiosity and try out the Dillon 650.
As to case and bullet feeders and control panels, they cost quite a lot of money and so far I have not seen them providing that much value. But don't tempt me!
As someone cleverly wrote: "I shoot to support my reloading habbit."
As to case and bullet feeders and control panels, they cost quite a lot of money and so far I have not seen them providing that much value. But don't tempt me!
As someone cleverly wrote: "I shoot to support my reloading habbit."
DRAINSMITH
Member
Fair enough. I had the same curiosity between the 650 and the L-N-L also. But fortunately, I had it before I bought my first press.
But all I ask of you is to do a fair test. Run a plain L-N-L aginst a Plain 650. You will find out that the 650 is designed to run with a case feeder, where the L-N-L can be used either way. The L-N-L and 650 that are properly set up with the press and case feeder run about equal. But once you add a bullet feeder to the L-N-L it will blow away the 650 due to the fact that Dillon does not make a bullet feeder.
But all I ask of you is to do a fair test. Run a plain L-N-L aginst a Plain 650. You will find out that the 650 is designed to run with a case feeder, where the L-N-L can be used either way. The L-N-L and 650 that are properly set up with the press and case feeder run about equal. But once you add a bullet feeder to the L-N-L it will blow away the 650 due to the fact that Dillon does not make a bullet feeder.
I found the case feeders to speed up my reloading to more than twice as fast as without. I'm not a crank them out nut, just a pleasant cadence of dropping a new round into the bin box. Also saved a lot of shoulder wear and tear on the double reach, a case and a bullet. That's important at my advanced age. :~) With a handful of bullets, no shoulder movement for some time.
Stu
Stu
The case feeder is a welcome addition for me. Bullet Feeder? They are ok if all you use are plated or jacketed bullets. But I do many cast bullets and the feeders don't work so well there. Yeah I know you can gewt plated fairly cheap and can also coat bullets with paint etc etc. Just either more expense or more time. The Mr Bullet feeder works so much better than the Hornady also...but I can do just fine putting the bullets on the cases and don't really need the extra "speed" of reloading with a bullet feeder
Last edited:
I finally got back my powder measure from Hornady. They did not make the change to pin the hopper to the measure like they did for stu1ritter as I hoped. This is so very disappointing.
In the meantime, I’ve been using the LNL AP press with the LEE Auto Drum Powder Measure and expander die. What I have now works great and probably leave it that way. Otherwise, I would constantly be checking the Hornady measure’s hopper and I don’t need the frustration of having to set up the complex PTX expander. Yet, I have almost doubled my output over my LEE Classic Turret Press. The LCT is a great press but not as fast I would like. After much research and limited hands-on testing, I cautiously upgraded to the Hornady LNL AP even though it had some mixed reviews. It had all the features and options I needed without needless extras. It looked like the best fit for the price. Despite not being as trouble free as I hoped and the disappointing customer service, overall, I believe it has given me what I wanted.
Hornady would have a great product if they focused more on quality control and customer service. It’s a good press for the money but has some negative reviews because of quality control issues. The press isn’t perfect. Obviously, I’m not happy with some design features such as the way the hopper is secured to the powder measure body and the overly complex PTX expander. I’m sure others can add to this list. Simple things make a big difference in how one feels about the press. Quality and support are on the top of that list for many and is reflected in people’s opinions. Parts should not have to be polished nor complex adjustments made on a new press. These should be done at the factory. The consumer should not have to rely on the luck of the draw on whether you get a good one or not. They all should be great.
Every press has its issues. None are perfect even those painted blue. But having a press work without problems right out of the box goes a long way in developing brand loyalty and makes some of the design quirk’s tolerable. Even blue has their share of design faults. Listening to some of the comments people make about blue, one could almost believe that Moses carried one down with the tablets from Mount Sinai. Any manufacturer would envy such loyalty. Blue earned it because they focused on providing quality products with great service. However, blue was just not the right fit for my needs. Everyone’s needs are different. Hornady had just the features I needed at a reasonable price. It is also a good press once it is set up right. Unfortunately, it just takes some time to get there and their customer service has left a bad taste in my mouth. If red wants to level the playing field and be great, red needs to take a few pages from blue’s playbook.
In the meantime, I’ve been using the LNL AP press with the LEE Auto Drum Powder Measure and expander die. What I have now works great and probably leave it that way. Otherwise, I would constantly be checking the Hornady measure’s hopper and I don’t need the frustration of having to set up the complex PTX expander. Yet, I have almost doubled my output over my LEE Classic Turret Press. The LCT is a great press but not as fast I would like. After much research and limited hands-on testing, I cautiously upgraded to the Hornady LNL AP even though it had some mixed reviews. It had all the features and options I needed without needless extras. It looked like the best fit for the price. Despite not being as trouble free as I hoped and the disappointing customer service, overall, I believe it has given me what I wanted.
Hornady would have a great product if they focused more on quality control and customer service. It’s a good press for the money but has some negative reviews because of quality control issues. The press isn’t perfect. Obviously, I’m not happy with some design features such as the way the hopper is secured to the powder measure body and the overly complex PTX expander. I’m sure others can add to this list. Simple things make a big difference in how one feels about the press. Quality and support are on the top of that list for many and is reflected in people’s opinions. Parts should not have to be polished nor complex adjustments made on a new press. These should be done at the factory. The consumer should not have to rely on the luck of the draw on whether you get a good one or not. They all should be great.
Every press has its issues. None are perfect even those painted blue. But having a press work without problems right out of the box goes a long way in developing brand loyalty and makes some of the design quirk’s tolerable. Even blue has their share of design faults. Listening to some of the comments people make about blue, one could almost believe that Moses carried one down with the tablets from Mount Sinai. Any manufacturer would envy such loyalty. Blue earned it because they focused on providing quality products with great service. However, blue was just not the right fit for my needs. Everyone’s needs are different. Hornady had just the features I needed at a reasonable price. It is also a good press once it is set up right. Unfortunately, it just takes some time to get there and their customer service has left a bad taste in my mouth. If red wants to level the playing field and be great, red needs to take a few pages from blue’s playbook.
DRAINSMITH
Member
I have NEVER had a problem with customer service. But that is probably the way I deal with them. The first time I called and they answered the phone the first thing I said was "How the hell are you kids at Hornady". A little moment of silence and the answer was "Pretty good. How can I help you?"
Now every time I call I ask the same question. On my third call after I asked the same question the answer was "Pretty good. How is Smitty?" Well after a small giggle I told her I need to buy a part. I told her that I had just gotten the new pocket primer swage tool and I had forgotten to take the V-block off and smashed the hell out of the spring in the case slide assy. She said No problem that they would send one out. I told her No I wanted to pay for it because it was my fault. She told me not to worry about it that it will be sent out at no charge. I then told her that I would not give her my address. That is when she told me "Not only do we know your name, but we also know where you live." Two days later in my mailbox was a complete case slide assy.
I own my own business and I know that I can do the best job for some customers and give them a free horse and carriage ride, and someone will bitch about the view of the horse's ***.
Now as far as the Blue press working right out of the box is true. But in order to do this, they had to make it idiot proof. To do this they use a detent ball 10 times the size of the Hornady detent balls. Well, this is stealing from Paul to pay Peter. It will help in getting the timing better but it also causes Dillon jump / jerk / bounce. Call it what you want but it is where the plate snaps into place and knocks power all over. Oh, this too can be fixed.
I would like to know why so few have problems with the hopper. Is it because you lay it down pushing it sideways? Or do you turn it upside down and tap it on your power to empty it? When you are the cause of the problem it's not the Micky Mouse Quality Control, it's Goofy. Goofy is the guy staring back at you in the mirror every morning.
Now every time I call I ask the same question. On my third call after I asked the same question the answer was "Pretty good. How is Smitty?" Well after a small giggle I told her I need to buy a part. I told her that I had just gotten the new pocket primer swage tool and I had forgotten to take the V-block off and smashed the hell out of the spring in the case slide assy. She said No problem that they would send one out. I told her No I wanted to pay for it because it was my fault. She told me not to worry about it that it will be sent out at no charge. I then told her that I would not give her my address. That is when she told me "Not only do we know your name, but we also know where you live." Two days later in my mailbox was a complete case slide assy.
I own my own business and I know that I can do the best job for some customers and give them a free horse and carriage ride, and someone will bitch about the view of the horse's ***.
Now as far as the Blue press working right out of the box is true. But in order to do this, they had to make it idiot proof. To do this they use a detent ball 10 times the size of the Hornady detent balls. Well, this is stealing from Paul to pay Peter. It will help in getting the timing better but it also causes Dillon jump / jerk / bounce. Call it what you want but it is where the plate snaps into place and knocks power all over. Oh, this too can be fixed.
I would like to know why so few have problems with the hopper. Is it because you lay it down pushing it sideways? Or do you turn it upside down and tap it on your power to empty it? When you are the cause of the problem it's not the Micky Mouse Quality Control, it's Goofy. Goofy is the guy staring back at you in the mirror every morning.
drainsmith, the bottom of the hopper shrinks from the solvents in the powder and becomes loose in the housing, no tapping required.
Stu
Stu
Have a LnL with the same problem. Essentially just the wrong material for the powder tube. Should be a ten cent fix for Hornady by changing the tube material. Many of the powder tubes discolor... have never had any other tube do what this one from the LnL has done
DRAINSMITH
Member
O.K. I believe you guys. I probably just use a power that does not affect my hoppers. But I was just pointing out that many have found out that most of the time folk have a problem, it was self-inflicted. Including myself.
Now I may not be the sharpest tool in the tool shed, but I do know how to use them. I would simply fix it myself and then take a photo of the fix and send it to Hornady. They are not going to fix a problem that they don't know about. But I do know that they have implemented some of my suggestions. Now let them know what powers you are using. It may be the key to the problem.
Now I may not be the sharpest tool in the tool shed, but I do know how to use them. I would simply fix it myself and then take a photo of the fix and send it to Hornady. They are not going to fix a problem that they don't know about. But I do know that they have implemented some of my suggestions. Now let them know what powers you are using. It may be the key to the problem.
I have found that all powders(I have used anyway) affect the powder hoppers/tubes to some degree. The Hornady tube is somewhat thinner and is affected by many handgun powders....probably bullseye the worst Ball powders seem to affect the plastic the least. When I was a P-W distributor I bought extra powder tube material because people left the powder in the machines even though the P-W had a powder drain feature. Eventually the tube would become very dark. We can buy a replacement tube even in places like Lowe's etc. that is affected by the powder less than what Hornady uses. IF it is not the exact same size the way to make it fit is to chamfer the tube and then put the end in a pot of boining water for a few minutes then press fit it into the powder measure. I think the thing that may irk many owners is that the company can use a better material rather than the crapo stuff they use. The tube material Dillon used is pretty good RCBS too Hornady's sucks and the plastic Lee uses is even better. I looked at the ol Hornady 266 in the garage and the shot and powder measures are both drilled and tapped at both sides to keep the tubes in place. Shotshell loaders seem to have more vibration /shaking than metallic and shot everywhere is a big pain...BIG pain. Fixing the powder measure problem is simple. But for the cost of the machine really should not be necessary. The Ammo plant I have is finally working ok. But then it is not as problem free as my 650s. some primer glitches every now and then auto advance slightly off a bit at times. But it does work. It makes the Lee Junkmaster look as bad as it really is. BUT the Lee machine's real problem is mainly the priming feature. And the previous poster is correct. For the most part most progressive suffer from operator error. But ...well y'all know what but means
I’m the first to admit my loose hopper problem wasn’t shrinkage caused by powder but by handling. The measure was brand new. The first thing Hornady wants you to do it take the measure apart and give it a complete cleaning. I followed the procedure as they described in their video. Also, I dump the powder from the measure by removing the measure from the press and dumping it back to the cannister. All this is normal handling. I treat the measure with care and don’t throw it widely around. This is the same process I used for more years than I care to count with powder measures from LEE and RCBS without any issues. I expected the same with the Hornady measure. That was my mistake. Never have I had the hopper fall off during loading or have one shrink over time. The worst that happened is that the plastic hopper may get a little stained after many years of use.
Hornady tolerances are wide. The original hopper after it fell off wouldn’t stay in securely. It was very loose. I’m not sure what held it place initially. Did some of the One Shot cleaner effect it? Maybe I don’t know. I tried to avoid spaying One Shot on the plastic. The replacement hopper they sent I couldn’t get it to fit in the measure if I used a pile driver. It was too large. I sent the measure back with the replacement hopper. When they returned the measure to me, it was with a third hopper. I guess Hornady couldn’t get the replacement hopper to fit either. This is systematic of other tolerance and finish issues with the press.
I can’t believe Hornady doesn’t know about some of the quality issues with this press. It’s all over the internet. All you need is a simple google search. YouTube is full of fixes and tips including screwing the hopper to the measure. They just choose to ignore them which is a real shame since many of the problems are quality related and so simple to fix. It’s a lot more than a loose hopper.
For my hopper problem I also sent them the picture stu1ritter posted along with letter describing my concern and a request to pin the hopper in place. They ignored it, not even a note. Customer Service is far more than just sending replacement parts under warranty. The quality of the support should also not be based on who answers the phone. I got two contradictory recommendations for the same problem. They need to take a page from an IT support desk – scripted known solutions for problems. By chance, in another concurrent tread on this forum about a problem with a 550, DIllonHelp responded to the tread telling the poster about some videos to help solve their problem and to call in when they are at the press to walk them through any issues they may have. I’m sure Hornady would walk you through it over the phone as well, but following a tread on a forum is certainly going the extra mile.
Yes, I do expect the press to work right out the box. Just as if I bought a brand-new car, I don’t expect to take it home and put it on blocks to work on the brakes. I knew, however, going in that I may have some issues to fix from my research. And I did and not just the hopper. I had problems with priming, shell plate and even the treads that held the handle in place had to be deburred. I just wish I didn’t have too and that is my main gripe. It’s a good press but it could be a great press.
Would I buy the press again? Yes, it now is working fine. Would I recommend the press to someone relatively new to reloading? No.
Hornady tolerances are wide. The original hopper after it fell off wouldn’t stay in securely. It was very loose. I’m not sure what held it place initially. Did some of the One Shot cleaner effect it? Maybe I don’t know. I tried to avoid spaying One Shot on the plastic. The replacement hopper they sent I couldn’t get it to fit in the measure if I used a pile driver. It was too large. I sent the measure back with the replacement hopper. When they returned the measure to me, it was with a third hopper. I guess Hornady couldn’t get the replacement hopper to fit either. This is systematic of other tolerance and finish issues with the press.
I can’t believe Hornady doesn’t know about some of the quality issues with this press. It’s all over the internet. All you need is a simple google search. YouTube is full of fixes and tips including screwing the hopper to the measure. They just choose to ignore them which is a real shame since many of the problems are quality related and so simple to fix. It’s a lot more than a loose hopper.
For my hopper problem I also sent them the picture stu1ritter posted along with letter describing my concern and a request to pin the hopper in place. They ignored it, not even a note. Customer Service is far more than just sending replacement parts under warranty. The quality of the support should also not be based on who answers the phone. I got two contradictory recommendations for the same problem. They need to take a page from an IT support desk – scripted known solutions for problems. By chance, in another concurrent tread on this forum about a problem with a 550, DIllonHelp responded to the tread telling the poster about some videos to help solve their problem and to call in when they are at the press to walk them through any issues they may have. I’m sure Hornady would walk you through it over the phone as well, but following a tread on a forum is certainly going the extra mile.
Yes, I do expect the press to work right out the box. Just as if I bought a brand-new car, I don’t expect to take it home and put it on blocks to work on the brakes. I knew, however, going in that I may have some issues to fix from my research. And I did and not just the hopper. I had problems with priming, shell plate and even the treads that held the handle in place had to be deburred. I just wish I didn’t have too and that is my main gripe. It’s a good press but it could be a great press.
Would I buy the press again? Yes, it now is working fine. Would I recommend the press to someone relatively new to reloading? No.
Last edited:
