Dillon 550C or Hornady Lock-N-Load?

powwowell

powwowell

Located in Deep Run, NC
Charter Member
Benefactor
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2016
Messages
1,114
Location
Deep Run.
Rating - 100%
79   0   0
I had pretty much decided to order a 550C from Dillon, when I discovered that Midway USA is selling Hornady Lock-N-Load presses for $409.99, with no shipping. I gather that the Lock-N-Load, from a speed stand point, is the equivalent to the Dillon 650? And, the initial setup cost would be considerable less with the Hornady than with the 550 C. The Hornady seems like a no-brainer to me. What do you experienced progressive press owners say?
 
Geerubb said:
I think @Lucky13bullets has a LnL in stock for you.
Click to expand...
He does. $420 cash. First thing I did when I saw the post was check to see how far away they were...and it's a pretty good ride. ~175 miles.
 
BigWaylon said:
He does. $420 cash. First thing I did when I saw the post was check to see how far away they were...and it's a pretty good ride.
Click to expand...
ahh - didn't check that.

to OP - I can't speak to the Dillion, but I picked up my LnL for my first press, and haven't had any issues with it. I've only done one caliber (9mm) so I can't speak to switching out cals either. Seems easy enough with the LnL collars.
 
Geerubb said:
ahh - didn't check that.

to OP - I can't speak to the Dillion, but I picked up my LnL for my first press, and haven't had any issues with it. I've only done one caliber (9mm) so I can't speak to switching out cals either. Seems easy enough with the LnL collars.
Click to expand...
It is pretty easy if you have bushings.
Easier still if you have whatever they call the dies for the powder measure, but not a big deal without.

It is not incredibly fast, beats a single stage by a mile.

No problems from mine that weren't caused by me.
 
I have decided to stick with my Classic Turret Press. With my "wants" turned off and my "needs" turned on, I don't reload enough to justify the expense of a progressive press. Thanks for the replies.
 
The LnL is probably more comparable to the 550 rather than the 650. If you equip them with similar case/bullet feeders, I'd say they're comparable and produce ammo at a fairly equal pace. To me the issue is with Dillon's business model of virtually no stocking dealers anywhere (although there is one hiding out in Charlotte in the dusty warehouse of a hardware store!). Need LnL stuff, Hornady is pretty much wherever reloading stuff is to be found. I'm not saying Dillon isn't good stuff, but rather even with their stellar customer service, you still have to deal with shipping delays for parts. So you pays yer money and makes yer choice. Lot's of folks out there swilling blue koolaide.
 
Dave951 said:
The LnL is probably more comparable to the 550 rather than the 650. If you equip them with similar case/bullet feeders, I'd say they're comparable and produce ammo at a fairly equal pace. To me the issue is with Dillon's business model of virtually no stocking dealers anywhere (although there is one hiding out in Charlotte in the dusty warehouse of a hardware store!). Need LnL stuff, Hornady is pretty much wherever reloading stuff is to be found. I'm not saying Dillon isn't good stuff, but rather even with their stellar customer service, you still have to deal with shipping delays for parts. So you pays yer money and makes yer choice. Lot's of folks out there swilling blue koolaide.
Click to expand...

I read that the Dillon 550 has to be manually indexed. I'm thinking that would make the L-n-L more comparable to the Dillon 650? Having never had any of the Dillon or Hornady presses, I don't know from experience.

Amazon now has a killer deal on the L-n-L. $382.49 sale price. Same price as Cabela's ($409.26). Free shipping from Amazon if ordered to receive it in 5-8 business days. Sales tax (6.75%) brings it to $408.31. Get an Amazon credit card and they knock $20.00 off the total. So it's $388.31, shipped to me. No travel time to go get it and no travel expenses. Reason has flown the coup . . . I have one on the way.
 
Not exactly comparable to the 650, except for auto indexing. For the money, I'm with Red because of very common customer support without resorting to mailorder from AZ. Big user group on FB.
 
I have the 550B and have no desire to upgrade. If I had it to do over again, I don't know. The 550 fits my needs.

The LnL has 5 positions and auto-indexing, which to me puts it in the class of the 650. The 550 only has 4 stations, and the case feeder for it will not handle rifle brass, only pistol brass.

The Dillons have a toolhead that makes it a little easier to swap calibers, like swapping the turret on the Lee turret press.

BTW, I have a 550 on one end of my bench, and a LCT on the other end. I use the 550 for my semi-auto pistol rounds, which is mostly what my wife and I shoot. I use the LCT for revolver and rifle rounds, and I also use it to decap all of my brass before I wet tumble. The way the LCT handles the spent primers is the main reason why I chose it. If I had to give up one of the two presses, I would keep the LCT.
 
powwowell said:
I read that the Dillon 550 has to be manually indexed. I'm thinking that would make the L-n-L more comparable to the Dillon 650? Having never had any of the Dillon or Hornady presses, I don't know from experience.

Amazon now has a killer deal on the L-n-L. $382.49 sale price. Same price as Cabela's ($409.26). Free shipping from Amazon if ordered to receive it in 5-8 business days. Sales tax (6.75%) brings it to $408.31. Get an Amazon credit card and they knock $20.00 off the total. So it's $388.31, shipped to me. No travel time to go get it and no travel expenses. Reason has flown the coup . . . I have one on the way.
Click to expand...
That's a smoking deal! I was recently toying with the idea of a LNL to supplement my Lee turret and found midsouth shooters had the best shipped price of $394 (https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/00005095100/lock-n-load-ap-auto-progressive-press).
Don't forget about the 500 free bullets which equate to roughly $100 back (net resale value, after their "processing" fees). So you're getting a LNL for $300!

You'll have to let us know how you like the LNL compared to the Lee. I've decided to buy another gun vs a new press. I'll survive with 250+rds/hr for now.
 
powwowell said:
Amazon now has a killer deal on the L-n-L. $382.49 sale price. Same price as Cabela's ($409.26). Free shipping from Amazon if ordered to receive it in 5-8 business days. Sales tax (6.75%) brings it to $408.31. Get an Amazon credit card and they knock $20.00 off the total. So it's $388.31, shipped to me. No travel time to go get it and no travel expenses. Reason has flown the coup . . . I have one on the way.
Click to expand...

Didn't get a order confirmation, nor shipping info. Cancelled the order.
 
Toprudder said:
The Dillons have a toolhead that makes it a little easier to swap calibers, like swapping the turret on the Lee turret press.
Click to expand...
The Hornady LNL doesn't have a swappable toolhead? Meaning you have to seat dies every time you change calibers?

That would be a deal killa for me, but I'm guessing Hornady's design isn't that retarded, and that I'm missing something.
 
drypowder said:
The Hornady LNL doesn't have a swappable toolhead? Meaning you have to seat dies every time you change calibers?
Click to expand...
They use the bayonet type inserts, similar to the Lee breechlock. To me, the turrets or toolheads are easier.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom