[33ZIGZAG]

Want to buy progressive loading press for loading 223 and hand gun loads.What to people think is a better press Dillon or Hornady????

 

[AEST BOSS]

Which color do you like better? Blue or Red?

I recently went with Red--LNL AP. The "half ratch" is what sold me.

 

[Kerz]

loaded 223 NRA HP 200-300 yds, and many handgun loads for years. Wouldn't consider using others.
Vic

 

[oz]

different strokes. blah blah blah...I have the hornady and like it. I have had several reloaders. The hornady dies are ;pretty nice too.

 

[zzt]

I have a Dillon, but if I ever go back to reloading more than one caliber I'm switching to a Hornady LNL.

 

[threedeuces]

Had them both. Horn addy L N L.

 

[100straight]

I prefer red, but all my rifle and pistol presses say LEE on them.

Mark

 

[omgb]

Here's my take...I have both. If you shoot cast bullets the Hornady is THE way to go. You get an extra die station that allows you to have both a powder cop die and a neck expander with a separate taper crimper. If you shoot only jacketed, there is no advantage to the extra station. That's point one. Point two, the Blue machine has a slightly less troublesome priming system. Just slightly. If you get sloppy with the Hornady and let any powder get spilled into the primer slide path it's jam city ahoy. The Blue machine is less susceptible to that issue. Score one for Blue. The Red machine is always auto advance. Learn how to use the machine and that's no sweat but....the learning curve is steep. Score one for Red and Blue. The shell keepers on the Blue machine are little studs that get lost, are hard to use with fat fingers and generally are a PITA. The Red machine uses a spring band..very simple to add or remove cartridges. Score one for the Red. The powder measure on the Red machine is minutely adjustable just as it comes from the box, the Blue machine needs some aftermarket stuff to make it easier to adjust and repeat. Score one for the Red. The Blue machine uses a strong mount to make it bench friendly, the Red machine needs a 1.5" overhang to make it fully swing on the bench. Score one for the Blue but...the strong mount costs more $$$. Both have a no BS warranty, score i each Blue and Red. The dies on a Hornady are cheaper and they have rapid change lugs so you can leave them adjusted and change dies quickly. Score two for the Red. The Red machine is cheaper and the bullet feed and case feed if you want them, are cheaper too.

That's my experience

 

[ivanhoe]

"The Blue machine uses a strong mount to make it bench friendly, the Red machine needs a 1.5" overhang to make it fully swing on the bench."

Not any longer, there are strong mounts available for the Hornady AP press.

Bob Lawless

 

[nglitz]

Having owned both, Hornady.

 

[BryanF]

Dillon. Not only do they work, Dillon's guarantee is the best!

Bryan

 

[MDMike]

Hornady. Steve Hornady makes a great press.

 

[build4u]

The Hornaday is basically trying to copy what Dillon designed and has been making for many years. The Dillon has a removable tool head for rapid caliber changes. Dillon 650 is 566.00 and the casefeeder is 218.00 Total 786.00. The Hornaday is 520.00 and 335.00 for the casefeeder total 855.00. Dillon comes with a warning system for low primers. I never lost a station button or found them hard to use and I started with Dillon in 1983. If you want to turn the Dillon into a real powerhouse the options are much greater. I would search on some USPSA shooting forums, IPSC shooters load a huge volume of ammo.

 

[skeezix]

I have a new LNL that I'm working on for handgun only. I like the 5 die stations for handgun. You have to go to the Dillon 650 for that.

The primer feed is the Achilles heel of the thing though. As said above - one flake of powder in the wrong place and you have a problem. Keep a can of compressed air handy. Every once in a while I'll get a shell loaded with no primer - that shell will leak a bit of powder out of the flash holes at every station along the way. I think I'm just not used to the push back on the handle to seat the primer - If I forget to do that - then no primer is set and you have a train wreck in the making. Operator error.

On my PW - the primer feed is right in front of your nose - you can't miss it if you take a glance at it. The LNL primer feed is in the back and the shuttle is only exposed to view for a moment near the top of the stroke. It's next to impossible to KNOW there is a primer there.

There are some folks over on "The High Road' forums that have developed a home built buzzer that warns that the shuttle is locked back - either empty or jammed. Only cost a couple bucks to make - I may make one up. It still won't tell you that you didn't set your primer though.

I'd definitely buy it again. It's just going to take some time to get used to it's quirks.

 

[omgb]

Quote "The Hornaday is basically trying to copy what Dillon designed and has been making for many years. " I hate to break it to you but Dillon is a Star knock-off with a few new tweeks. That's not a critique, the Star was a really good press.

 

[SBray]

I have only used a Dillon 550B. It is a well built machine! If you are loading both .223 and handgun rounds, the Dillon 650 would probably be a better choice for the Dillon line.

Like others have said, red or blue, Ford or Chevy, I don't think you could go wrong with either choice. The only other consideration would be re-sale value if you decided to stop reloading. My guess is that Dillon might be the choice in that respect (but I am just guessing).

Steve