Dillon XL 650 or Hornady LnL Ammo Plant?

[slicknova]

is it just me or is it cheaper to buy the hornady ammo plant in parts vs as the kit?

It appears that way, but they advertise very poorly the extra things you get with the ammo plant.... extra primer tubes, powder meter inserts, lower powder meter assembly, ammo bins, you get 15 bushings total..... I cant remember what else but was happy the the extra stuff vs extra cost (of buying press, bullet and case feeder separately)

Thanks again Henry!

 

[CeeZer]

My 0.02 on LNL:

I got mine when it came with PRO-JECT system (2008) and it sucked while loading 9mm. 9mm is all I load on it.
I got EZ-JECT conversion kit ($30) later and am very happy with it and how press works since! All new LNL presses now come with EZ-JECT.

I do not use case or bullet feeders and load them by hand. Still, crank out 400rds/hr on average (real life numbers) and it's good enough for me with amount of shooting I do.
.40s&w and .45ACP load very similar as far as process, time and how easy it is.

Personally, I seriously considered D650 before I got LNL and have no regrets I went with Hornady. After 70K+ 9mm ammo I loaded on mine.

 

[TedNugent]

I can't wait until I am able to do enough shooting to face this tough decision. until then, I'll be using my two rock chuckers. I haven't really had the chance to get into production mode yet, as I still don't have a range membership. I'm assuming when I get a handgun, I'll probably look at things a little differently.

 

[Henry Nierychlo]

is it just me or is it cheaper to buy the hornady ammo plant in parts vs as the kit?

It's a better deal to buy as a Kit. You get lots of aditional items. Also you get Free Bullets from Hornady for buying it.
Regards, Henry

 

[thump_rrr]

I will start by saying I have the Hornady LNL with both case and bullet feeders.
The press and feeders work very well, not perfectly, 1000 rounds out of 1,000 on every caliber but very well.

Caliber changes are quick as far as primer size and dies but where you will lose time is changing the powder measure setup between calibers and between pistol and rifle rotor.

To avoid this or to get it down to a minimum a second powder measure and case activated powder drop kit will be required.

This will set you back another $200.00 unless you are lucky like I was and found a like new setup with a free LNL single stage for
$100.00.
The. For every caliber you buy a case activated lower assembly for $30.00.
This way there are no expander adjustments to be made between calibers.

The upside is that you et a much higher quality powder measure than you do with the Dillon.

The negatives on the Dillon are a much lower quality powder measure and the high cost of caliber conversions.
Case feeder plates are double the price of the Hornady equivalents.

To be perfectly honest even though I have no complaints with the LNL I may opt for a Dillon 650 to do .223 exclusively since the Hornady bullet feeder only does pistol calibers.

 

[slicknova]

I will start by saying I have the Hornady LNL with both case and bullet feeders.
The press and feeders work very well, not perfectly, 1000 rounds out of 1,000 on every caliber but very well.

Caliber changes are quick as far as primer size and dies but where you will lose time is changing the powder measure setup between calibers and between pistol and rifle rotor.

To avoid this or to get it down to a minimum a second powder measure and case activated powder drop kit will be required.

This will set you back another $200.00 unless you are lucky like I was and found a like new setup with a free LNL single stage for
$100.00.
The. For every caliber you buy a case activated lower assembly for $30.00.
This way there are no expander adjustments to be made between calibers.

The upside is that you et a much higher quality powder measure than you do with the Dillon.

The negatives on the Dillon are a much lower quality powder measure and the high cost of caliber conversions.
Case feeder plates are double the price of the Hornady equivalents.

To be perfectly honest even though I have no complaints with the LNL I may opt for a Dillon 650 to do .223 exclusively since the Hornady bullet feeder only does pistol calibers.

They now have a rifle bullet feeder! and some other cool new stuff!

 

[nevanevan]

Loaded 1700 rounds of 40 and 38 special in the last two days on my lnl with nary a problem. Probably took me 6 hours total with caliber changes and verifying powder charges and refilling primer tubes. It does have its quarks but once you tune it up with some grease and fine adjustments, it runs like a swiss watch.

An aside, if you do decide to load 223 on a progressive make sure you lube the inside of the case necks PRIOR to using them in your progressive. It will make the experience much better. Also x2 on the hornady powder measure, I have a redding as well and for pistol the hornady equiped with the small pistol metering rotor cannot be beat.

 

[scott_r]

I was debating the 2 a few months back and the Hornady LnL AP is the better deal, customer service is as good as Dillon and you get a bunch of free bullets when you buy it and some dies. Dillon guys all say their 650's are so much better but never actually say why??
I've now loaded a few thousand 9mm's and my LnL AP functions flawlessly.

Cheers!!

 

[beltfed]

The upside is that you et a much higher quality powder measure than you do with the Dillon.
...The negatives on the Dillon are a much lower quality powder measure and the high cost of caliber conversions.

These statements are simply not accurate.
The Dillon powder measures are every bit as good as the Hornady ones, and in fact can be made better with modifications.
The cost of the caliber conversions are only higher if you remove items such as powder measures and the like from the Hornady - comparing apples to apples (insofar as what is set up for each caliber) between the machines, they are about on par for costs.

While it is true some items may be more expensive between the two when comparing item to item, it is important to remember one will be using (and buying) the system as a whole.

Dillon ships direct to Canada with no worries of cost limits or tariffs other than GST.

 

[kb007]

The Dillon powder measures are every bit as good as the Hornady ones, and in fact can be made better with modifications.

Care to expand on that a bit? what mods etc? I don't seem to have any real issues with my 650, I generally get +/- .1 grain when I take samples on pistol or 223. TIA.

 

[Kryogen]

Dillon is #1 to me.

I think I'll be getting a 650 in a close future...

 

[beltfed]

Care to expand on that a bit? what mods etc? I don't seem to have any real issues with my 650, I generally get +/- .1 grain when I take samples on pistol or 223. TIA.

Most work out of the box with ball and flake powders really well. I've never had issues with the small charge bar throwing pistol caliber loads. I think most of the complaints (and stigma) are reported issues with extruded powders.
Most internals could use a good polishing - the smoother they operate the better they seem to be with not getting caught on a kernel of powder, and they tend to be more consistent from throw to throw (a principle common amongst all powder throwers, not just the Dillon stuff). There also is a trend amongst powder manufacturers to be making shorter kernels with their extruded products.
Another tip would be to try and keep the powder levels within the measure as consistent as possible - I keep mine topped up and don't let it fall below the 2/3 mark - especially when I'm loading rifle.