When I started with progressives, I found basically no detailed information on the web, or anywhere else, that talked about strengths/weaknesses/function of what are now the "big three" - the Dillon 650, Lee Loadmaster, and Hornady LNL AP.
I found two kinds of writeup:
- stuff from people who had used only one (1) of the above - so they either hated it for quirks or loved it for speed compared to single stage, with no other progressive to measure against.
- angry "I dumped that { crappy | overpriced | poorly supported } thing and am now in heaven surrounded by endless beer and pizza" - strictly because they had a bad experience and were bound to think the next thing was better.
So, after using a Loadmaster for several years, I acquired and used a 650 for about half a year, then a LNL AP for about the same.
And then I wrote about my experience. Here it is. To emphasize what should be obvious: people have different needs from presses. I swap calibres and components and loads regularly. If you crank out ten-thousand .38Supers each year with the same bullet, OAL, and powder your needs will be different.
For fun, - an LNL video.
EDIT: courtesy of the new board feature, here's the video embedded:
[youtube]oHCYnILM6u8[/youtube]
Manuals for each press are available online from the manufacturers, and I would urge anyone who is considering a purchase to review the manuals, and the drawings in them, in detail.
Factual and objective feedback is welcome. I only have one of the presses now, so corrections will have to be specific and maybe include pics, as I can't go over to the bench and directly confirm.
Regarding the choice of presses: in my view, there's no point in a non-auto-index progressive, so RCBS was not reviewed (edit: they now make an AP press, but I haven't tried it). And the 1050, while a brilliant piece of work, is just plain out of the price range for most people, so it too was not reviewed. Any progressive without a case feeder is also out of the running.
I found two kinds of writeup:
- stuff from people who had used only one (1) of the above - so they either hated it for quirks or loved it for speed compared to single stage, with no other progressive to measure against.
- angry "I dumped that { crappy | overpriced | poorly supported } thing and am now in heaven surrounded by endless beer and pizza" - strictly because they had a bad experience and were bound to think the next thing was better.
So, after using a Loadmaster for several years, I acquired and used a 650 for about half a year, then a LNL AP for about the same.
And then I wrote about my experience. Here it is. To emphasize what should be obvious: people have different needs from presses. I swap calibres and components and loads regularly. If you crank out ten-thousand .38Supers each year with the same bullet, OAL, and powder your needs will be different.
For fun, - an LNL video.
EDIT: courtesy of the new board feature, here's the video embedded:
[youtube]oHCYnILM6u8[/youtube]
Manuals for each press are available online from the manufacturers, and I would urge anyone who is considering a purchase to review the manuals, and the drawings in them, in detail.
Factual and objective feedback is welcome. I only have one of the presses now, so corrections will have to be specific and maybe include pics, as I can't go over to the bench and directly confirm.
Regarding the choice of presses: in my view, there's no point in a non-auto-index progressive, so RCBS was not reviewed (edit: they now make an AP press, but I haven't tried it). And the 1050, while a brilliant piece of work, is just plain out of the price range for most people, so it too was not reviewed. Any progressive without a case feeder is also out of the running.
Last edited:
Sometimes you have to push any company, but the feedback is that they're generally good about warranty.
