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Hornady or Dillon?

joe1231913

joe1231913

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So I am less than a year old to reloading. I have two Lee Loadmasters that function pretty well. I am loading 350 rounds an hour very comfortably on these two presses. However, I am coming into a decent amount of money and am thinking about a new press purchase. I was thinking the Hornady LnL versus the Dillon 650. Pricing them out, I figured I could get a Dillon 650 with a case feeder for the same amount I could get the LnL with a case AND a bullet feeder. Anyone have experience with both of these and willing to weigh the real pros and cons relative to ease of use, company customer service/warranty, caliber changes, rate of rounds per hour, etc? I havent really found a place I can see either of them in action (besides youtube). Thanks in advance.
 
I have a Dillon 650 and I love it. It is nearly impossible to double charge a case and relatively fast. I've taken advantage of the No BS Warrenty a couple of times (broken springs). Buy Blue.
 
my budget did not allow me the LnL or 650 so I am at single stage right now. I decided to buy a hefty amount of components which should last me while.
BUT I checked out the dillon 650 and Hornady both where set up correctly and ran smooth. The only advantage I did see was the Hornady was just a little less complicated and a breeze to change cals.
I dont think you can make a wrong choice here, funny the green press doesnt get much attention ?
 
I have a 550 and its a great piece of equipment. I do use quick conversion with separate tool heads but changing the primer tube is the biggest pain out of the whole deal. That being said I have used it 4 years without any major issues, broken pieces, or headaches to speak of.
 
I started with the 650. I found it pretty easy to work. If you start slow and pay attention you will do fine. I also dont use the case feeder, the tube that comes with the 650 will hold 20 .40s&w cases. When the tube runs to the bottom, I check the powder charge, OAL and refill the tube. Someday when I get more experience I will order the case feeder.


I have had zero problems with my 650 so far. I've made 1500 rounds so far.

But I have no experience with the LnL.
 
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It's pretty much Ford vs. Chevy. They both have their strong and weak points. The only hiccups I've had in 20+ years with the Dilllon 550 is an occasional hangup with the primer feed. The Hornady is a more modern design. But I've seen guys complaining on here that Hornady parts are sometimes hard to find.
If he isn't tired of answering this question, maybe Eddie Coyle will chime in. He probably loads more calibers than anybody here, and he's gone from a Dillon to a Hornady LNL.
 
My progression over the years was.

Lee pro1000 - That spit .40SW out like butter
Lee loadmaster - wanted another station for .357sig loading. I got it running .40sw great but had trouble with .45
LNL -AP - Wanted the number of stations and was used to auto indexing from Lee (I will never go back to manual index) Picked it over 650 since I liked the 1/2 indexing smoothness and less complex design. It has been running great with only an occasional doesn't grab a primer from tube. This isn't a big deal since you instantly can tell when you push to seat primer and can manual reactivate primer bar to grab one.
 
I have both the Dillon 650 and the Hornady LnL. Both have their advantages. I like the quik change of LnL dies = Lock n Load. A quicker change out between dies. Change out the case plate. The primer tube. The primer punch. Where the Dillon you change the tool head that has the dies you put in and adjust. Changing out, you replace another tool head, the primer tube, the primer punch, ect. The change out could take as long as 15 to 20 minutes. And expense for the additional tool head and powder hopper.
Here's where it gets interesting. DON'T waste your time or money on the Hornady Auto Case Feeder. Its a bad design. I just disabled and took off all the Auto Case parts last night. Fed up. Manually loading the casings are better on the LnL.
The Dillon on the other hand for Auto Case Feeding. Trouble free. An assortment of cams, switches and levers. Tho the indexing from station to station, the Dillon and Hornady work excellent.

But My Personal Favorite and recommendation......go with the Dillon.
With the 110% Customer service, I believe they will all back up and replace components free of charge. As I related above about my Hornady LnL Hornady gladly replaced a major component (the pivot block) free of charge. They admitted very humbly they are working on the Auto Case Feeder issues. But at the present state I tore mine down and just dont want to deal with it.
As I see it, Dillon has been making progressive presses longer than Hornady. I'm sure Dillon had their issues at first. I would expect Hornady that they will come with totally new concept and design that really works. As a manual case feeder grab a casing / bullet in a rhythm, mine works fine. On the other hand my XL 650 with its Auto Case Feeder, I pump out faster loads in shorter period of time. Both index properly.

Being on the west coast we all support the same cause. I belong to www.calguns.net. I wanted to see the other side of the country's forums are like.

I have my Dillon set up for 1911 45 ACP as it is my favorite gun to shoot. My Honady, is for 9 mm. I have ordered another set of Hornady components for the Springfield XD 40 cal.
 
This subject has been beaten bloody on numerous occasions and on many different fora. It's kind of funny though as it is how I stumbled onto this site while trying to decide on Red vs. Blue.

I can't tell you which press to buy although if having customer service on speed dial is the biggest selling point then go Blue. Everyone raves about their service. I have not had any problems getting replacement parts for my press reguardless of my wearing them out or just breaking them through stupud mistakes.

My press also doesn't come with a 300 page manual for assembly and parts list which is a plus in my book. Again, the no BS warranty comes in handy for their gear. With fewer moving parts, my press is a great tool for what I want to reload whether that is rifle or pistol and the setup changes take minutes to complete. One company is geared towards selling lots of extras to make it "easier" to change from one cal. to another by buying heads and die sets and the other is simply out to make the best for your needs while not charging an arm and a leg.

Square Deal B= cheap progressive.

550= manual indexing progressive single stage. (my opinion)

650= nice machine (big bucks)

1050= best machine and I wish someone would give me one. (Can't see spending a fortune on a press)

The decision is your and if I were you I would check out the different machines in action first-hand then decide.

The answer will be obvious. Enjoy the LnL.
 
my first piece of advice is to visit the Brian Enos web site, there is some

info as to what to look for when buying a press.

Secondly, what are you shooting, this will make a difference on which

press you choose.

In this forum you'll get a opinions, but some may be biased towards

one of another.....
 
I've never owned a Hornandy LnL but I do own 2 650s. I consider the priming system on the 650 to be a real PITA to change.I could never find any kind of wrench to fit in such a tight space. That's why I have 2. Now IMHO if your going to get a fancier press get the 550,granted it isn't truly progressive but it will spit out ammo almost as fast as the 650. Easier and cheaper caliber change and now that it has a case feeder what's not to love? The priming system is the weak point on the 550,but it's much easier to change from small primer arm to large primer arm. 1 spring and 2 cap screws with plenty of room to get them in an out.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I will only be loading with small pistol primers, so changing primer set ups is not really an issue. I load .38, 9mm, .40 and .45 right now on my Lee. I am keeping the Loadmaster set up for only .40 as it is smooth loading that particular caliber. I will primarily be using the new press for 9mm, as I shoot about a thousand per month in 9mm. I am still up in the air.

For some of the guys who said they own both.........if you are somewhat close to the South Shore, would it be at all possible to get a look at them side by side and see them work in person? I would be willing to make the trip and pay for coffee. Thanks again guys.
 
I started with Lee and went to a Dilon 550 twenty years ago it has been very good to me.

I bought a used Dillon 650 a few months ago because the deal was to good to be true it is a great machine.

The Hornady wasn't a option back then and the Dillon I just bought couldn't be passed up.

I can only tell you I needed some replacement parts on this used Dillon and they replaced them for free and I told them I bought it used, they said it didn't matter.

Hope this helps.
 
joe1231913 said:
Thanks for the input guys. I will only be loading with small pistol primers, so changing primer set ups is not really an issue. I load .38, 9mm, .40 and .45 right now on my Lee. I am keeping the Loadmaster set up for only .40 as it is smooth loading that particular caliber. I will primarily be using the new press for 9mm, as I shoot about a thousand per month in 9mm. I am still up in the air.

For some of the guys who said they own both.........if you are somewhat close to the South Shore, would it be at all possible to get a look at them side by side and see them work in person? I would be willing to make the trip and pay for coffee. Thanks again guys.
Click to expand...

I'm from the Monterey Coast of CA. If you want to make the trip, you are surely invited. After that we can do some shooting at Scotts Valley.
 
Watch the videos on youtube. There's a bunch of every flavor.

Sent from the Hyundai of the droids, the Samsung Replenish, using Tapatalk.
 
I own the Hornady LNL. I agree with all the comments above. It's like comparing a Chevy and a Ford. Customer service has been unbelievable. No quesitons asked when I need replacement. In fact, they are currently shipping some things on new presses. I found out, called, and they sent me the new items.

Caliber change is a breeze. Primer change a breeze.

As for the case feeder, I have mine running flawlessly. There is a trick - which should not be needed frankly at this price point - which I learned from other sites of using some card stock to stop cases from rolling off the press, and another for preventing some cases from turing sideways from the hopper. I would not reload without it. In fact, there is a little piece used to activate the case drop. I lost mine (I take it off when finishing a session) and refused to reload until I got another (actually I now keep spares).

Add a bullet feeder (I have the RCBS) and the press flies.

My one disappointment is that I cannot get a PW autodrive for the Hornady. I have begged them (both PW and Hornady) to make one. For that reason I would instead buy the 650 now if starting over. If in a year the autodrive isnt available for the hornady, I may in fact buy a Dillon just because of that.

Just my $0.02.
 
If you want fully automatic reloading, just get a Camdex and be done wirrh it.
PW autodrive is nice but what prevents crunching things when there's a problem?

Sent from the Hyundai of the droids, the Samsung Replenish, using Tapatalk.
 
Either way, you can't go wrong. The case feeder is better on the Dillon, the caliber changes are easier and cheaper on the Hornady, and the Hornady has a much better powder metering system. If you buy the Dillon, you should get Dillon dies.

Both companies have outstanding customer service.
 
I have the Dillon 550 and think it's a great machine. I loaded so many rounds through the years that I felt it was getting sloppy. I called Dillon and they had me send mine in for servicing and in return got a brand new machine. No, it may not be perfect but it's really good. I've loaded 9mm, 45 ACP, 38/357, 7TCU, 7BR, and .223 on mine.
 
I use Dillons (650 & 1050). ~1/2 million rounds spread out over 17 different calibers in about 6 years with very little down time. I'm hard on equipment...the Dillons are pretty durable.
 
What did shipping cost???? Just curious.

highscore said:
I have the Dillon 550 and think it's a great machine. I loaded so many rounds through the years that I felt it was getting sloppy. I called Dillon and they had me send mine in for servicing and in return got a brand new machine. No, it may not be perfect but it's really good. I've loaded 9mm, 45 ACP, 38/357, 7TCU, 7BR, and .223 on mine.
Click to expand...
 
DukeInMaine said:
What did shipping cost???? Just curious.
Click to expand...

They told me $49 for refurb and shipping was to be paid by me when I inquired about a press I had been gifted.

Sent from the Hyundai of the droids, the Samsung Replenish, using Tapatalk.
 
I agree with Eddie Coyle.......can't go wrong either way. I have a L-N-L with case feeder and have had very few problems with it. It's a bit quirky sometimes but most loaders have their own personality. I have a couple Dillon Square Deals and a 550B and have tested the no BS thing a few times. Both Hornady and Dillon have exceptional customer service departments although I'd have to say you can't beat Dillon no matter what.

Flip a coin.
 
Autodrive has a slip clutch that prevents crunching. Plus there is always taking your finger off the button. I have no issues with crunching stuff on the two machines I have the autodrive on.
 
JackO said:
Why? Could you please explain your statement?
Click to expand...

When you load lead bullets, sometimes it's necessary to clean bullet lube out of the seating die or crimping die. With the L-N-L it's simple - you pop out the die and clean it.

With a 550/650 it's not so simple. You either have to unscrew the die or pull out the toolhead. Dillon solved this by making seating dies that you can disassemble without having to unscrew them.
 

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