Hornady lock n load AP press owners

[jeo556]

I'm looking into a progressive and I'm leaning toward the Hornady lnl. Looking for owners opinions......any problems you may have had, powder drop accuracy, would you recommend, etc....

I plan to use for .45, .223,.45-70 and possibly for .243 if using a progressive is capable of "match grade" ammo although I'm not holding my breath

Thanks in advance for responses.


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[sawgunner2001]

I currently own and use one of these presses. I use it to load 9mm, 45, 300BLK, and bulk 223. I use a single stage to do my 'match grade' 223, 308, and 6.5 Creed. For comparison purposes, the only other progressive press I have personal experience with is the Dillon Square Deal B. The following comments are regarding the Hornady machine:

The priming assembly is really sensitive to dirt/debris/brass shavings/spilled powder. Must be kept very clean, which is a difficult task to do, especially when using ball powders.
I've had a hell of a time getting the case feeder adjusted to drop rifle casings with any measure of reliability. It does okay (but not flawless) with pistol casings, but when loading rifle it can give me a headache.
Those are my biggest complaints. They may seem like small complaints, but both of them can really be a downers.

I haven't had any problems with the powder drop. It can get a little inconsistent as the powder level changes within the hopper, but this wouldn't be Hornady specific. I haven't tried to load 'match grade' ammo on the progressive, as I still use a single stage for that. Could it? Maybe, I suppose. I remember running a powder test with Varget and seem to recall that it would throw to +/- 0.2 grains or so, which I think is acceptable for thrown stick powder.

I'm still using it, and haven't gotten frustrated enough with it to throw it in the trash. But if I were to do it over again, I would buy a Dillon 650. My experience with the Dillon SDB was wonderful. I think the Dillon machines are just all around 'smoother' machines.

 

[Darkside-Six]

I own one and use it to load 9mm, 45acp, and 5.56. Sawgunner kind of nailed it. It's a bit of a pain and takes some tinkering to set up to get it just right. Especially when you change calibers. I have found that if you clean it well after you use it then it tends to work great. The primer seating punch gets dirty quickly with the slighted bit of brass shavings down in there. I have found that if I keep a can of condensed air next to the press for when it happens it fixes it quick. Once you finally get everything set up right it flows pretty nice. I can rip through a good 300-400 rounds an hour. I do not use it to load for Precision though. All of my 5.56 is just plinking and defense ammo. I have a single stage I use for my Precision rifles.


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[MakeSawdust]

I agree with the above posts. The Hornady lnl ap is a good buy for the casual shooter, especially when they have the deal for 500 free bullets.  I typically load 1000 rounds at a sitting.  As the others have said, things will start to get gummed up with debris and stop working.  It depends on the situation, but I find it usually happens between the 500 and 1000 round mark.  The few times I have tried to load 2000 rounds without doing maintenance I have never made it.  I always have to stop and clean things out to keep them working.

The powder measure is pretty accurate with ball powder.  With pistol powder it is usually dead on using normal equipment that will measure to the tenth grain.  With extruded powders like imr 4064 I find + or - .2 grains will probably cover 95% of the throws or more.
Even with the griping it does fine for what I need it to do.  I almost never load more than 1000 rounds at once so it does all I need it to do.  It will produce fairly accurate ammo when used as a single stage press, but I feel like i have more control of the process with a single stage press for precision ammo.
If I had a bigger budget I probably would have bought a Dillon, but the Hornady serves me well for the few thousand rounds a year that I load.  If I was more serious and shot 1000 rounds a month I would definitely have gotten a different press to load them on.

 

[jeo556]

Thanks for the replies gentlemen. Just a couple of extra questions. When you guys say cleaning the priming system is needed after 500-1000 rounds, what type of time investment are we talking? Also, in doing my homework on the press I've seen a few YouTube vids that suggest slightly modifying the priming system to alleviate problems. Any chance you guys performed any mods yourselves?


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[Darkside-Six]

Thanks for the replies gentlemen. Just a couple of extra questions. When you guys say cleaning the priming system is needed after 500-1000 rounds, what type of time investment are we talking? Also, in doing my homework on the press I've seen a few YouTube vids that suggest slightly modifying the priming system to alleviate problems. Any chance you guys performed any mods yourselves?


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I didn't do any mods on mine. What I was talking about with the primer system needing cleaned is you will get small brass shavings that fall down and start to bind up the tray so it won't set all the way back in when the ram returns. I will just remove the punch really quick. It just unscrews so it's not difficult. Then I blow it out with condensed Bauer and blow out the primer tray as well and screw back in. Takes all of about 5 minutes. I just hate having to stop and do it in the middle of loading once I get in that zone and it's working well. I don't usually sit down and load 1000 rounds in one sitting but rather will load a few hundred here at a time spread over a few nights. I did buy extra primer tubes and load them all up at the same time so that when I run out of primers I can swap it out in a few seconds and keep going. I have 3 small primer tubes so I try and load 300 rounds at a sitting. If I can get through all of them then I'll pull the shell plate off after and wipe down everything with rubbing alcohol after and clean everything up.


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[z7.jled]

To "clean" the priming system takes 3 minutes

I have been using the ap to load 308 "match type" ammo, but i have been hand priming and then trickling powder. I will powder up 50pcs in a shell plate and then seat the bullets on the ap, i have seen no accuracy difference in seating and it is faster then a single stage.

I would venture that with a good load and powder that you can drop accurately enough you would see little to no loss on accuracy.



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[kingzero]

I have been using my AP for about 5 years now and haven't had any problems. I load 9mm, 223, 7mag, 6 creed, 22-250, 308 and 7wsm for a buddy. I use it as a single stage for everything but 9mm and 223 and have no problem making accurate and consistent ammo that way. I live about 1/2 hour from Dillon and at the time worked 10 minutes from them and stopped in to check out their presses multiple times. I chose the AP because of the 5 stages and don't regret it. Keeping the priming ram and shuttle clean is easy unless I forget to prime a case and have powder fall onto the base plate. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one again.

 

[bigmac55]

i got my lnl set up about 3 months ago and have added the case and bullet feeder, set up case feeder last night and adjusted the timing seems to work fine. was bummed to find out the bullet feeder is for jacketed only so i am looking for help. Have any of you used the double alpha die with the hornaday bullet feeder? im told it will work but they arent sure how to set it up for hornaday. Apparently this die will allow plated and coated bullets to be fed.

As far as the priming system i did modify the shuttle and clearanced around the wheel to free it up and it works flawlessly now..check it out on u tube

 

[Bantam1]

I have the AP press that I use for 9, 45 and 223 loads with ball powder. It works well for the loading process. However, my priming system sucks. I have tried everything to make it work. Flipped primers, binding, etc. I even ordered extra shuttles and polished them to try that. Every parts of the priming system has been replaced at least once in my attempts to fix it. To be fair Hornady CS was great to deal with and sent me many parts and offered countless time on the phone trying to help diagnose the issue.

I keep the system clean but I still have many issues. I just gave up and hand prime everything now. Less headaches and no more getting pissed when i load a few hundred rounds and find 5-10 pcs of 45 with upside down primers.

 

[tenringx]

I have one, and began using it when I got into reloading. Operated it as a single stage press, and using only one station at a time. I did use a chargemaster combo and a powder funnel die to use, however I have since went to a single stage for seating bullets.

I do use this press still for brass prep, and can process a lot of brass quickly with this press. I use the AP for decap, resize, priming, full length sizing (without expander ball/pin), and finally finishing up on an expanding mandrel. Have been monitoring runout using this technique and have been able to keep it between .0005 and .002 at the neck/bullet area, so very little runout.

I haven’t setup this press for a full on progressive start to finish reload setup but will eventually. Too many projects for now.

 

[Quackaddict]

I would agree with most of what is said. Ball powder runs fine and gives me plenty of accuracy. I load 45, 38, and 9mm. Primer conversions take a little time, and I spent some time tuning everything, which made a difference. I would echo that there are some issues with the priming system, but mine has never been so annoying that I cannot use it.

 

[Carlos Danger]

I'm just getting going with reloading. Cant say I have any complaints but I haven't gotten too many rounds loaded yet. I loaded some .243, 6.5 Grendel, and 6.5 Creedmoor. I'd say powder drop is consistant up or down .1g using IMR8208. Seems to seat quite well. Checked concentricity on 6.5 Creeds and run out was .001 or less. Still learning my way around but I have no major complaints thus far.

 

[elfster1234]

This is coming from someone who owns and still uses a LNL... if you can afford it, then get a Dillon 1050

I'm looking into a progressive and I'm leaning toward the Hornady lnl. Looking for owners opinions......any problems you may have had, powder drop accuracy, would you recommend, etc....

I plan to use for .45, .223,.45-70 and possibly for .243 if using a progressive is capable of "match grade" ammo although I'm not holding my breath

Thanks in advance for responses.


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[Jrb572]

I had one and hated it with a passion. It never worked correctly the two times I sent it back to Hornady. The third time I sent it back it got sold. I run a Dillon 650 now and glad that red piece of crap is gone. It constantly jambed Case feeder and press. It always amazes me when people talk how great there Hornady press is. I’m glad it works for you but never would I recommend it to someone I didn’t even like.

 

[Jake the dog]

The video in post 9 covers a few simple mods to the primer system that will eliminate a lot of the issues. I would add, you can grind a small bevel on the lower leading edge of the slide to provide some clearance when the inevitable grains of powder get pushed along the front of the slide. If you are having problems with trash getting caught in the punch, be sure you have the newer punch. The older one has a shoulder where bits of brass would get hung up. The newer one does not, and is one diameter all the way up the shaft.

 

[Followme438]

I have been using my LnL AP with casefeeder for 9 months now and have had nearly zero issues with it. The only problem is 9mm like to bounce when dropped by the casefeeder and can come off the mechanism. However, I have 3d printed a part to stop that, and now have no complaints. I also use a bullet feeder system with the press and, after some tuning, have had great success with it with cast pistol bullets.

 

[D-Huf]

I am a 10 year owner of the Hornady LNL AP, in fact I own two of them. I hated the idea of having to go through all the additional set up to switch from pistol to rifle. One is set up for pistol, one is set up for rifle. I have the case feeders, and bullet feeders on both. They are finicky. I bought the first generation when they came out. Later they came out with the ammo plant, I have simply added parts and pieces as I went. Once you learn the things to watch they work great. The mod above was good information for me too. I have simply learned to pay good attention during the reloading process. I check the rounds as they come out to make sure they are all primed. I have had one or two with the primer flipped and the occasional one without the primer in it. However just like anything else, you have to pay attention. I do hand prime some of my cases depending on what it is. I do not trust 100% the priming system. However for AR or for plinking pistol rounds, I will use it. I just check as I go. I have loaded thousands of rounds through the systems. The service I have had from Hornady has been excellent. When I have had a problem with a broken part ( typically the plastic piece that holds the primer slide post ) they send it out immediately with no argument or issue. I have started keeping a few spares around just in case. If you are cycling the press and you hit resistance when you shouldnt, stop, look and find out why. I like the simple design and they do work pretty well.

 

[D-Huf]

One other note, ball poweders or flake powders feed best. Spend the money and get the michrometer style adjustments for the powder thrower. My AR load is around 26grains. I consistently hit 26 grains, I set the measure so they its either 25.9 or 26. I never fall to 25.8 and never go over 26. I think .1 grain accuracy for AR or pistol is just fine. That is however my opinion. If I want accuracy and minimum run out, I use the single stage. Its an LNL too.

I run plated bullets for plinking on my pistol, I have never had any issue with feeding plated bullets. I simply use some Hornady One SHot on the spring guide and they feed just fine. No scrapes, no problems.

 

[Followme438]

To build off of what D-Huf has said, as I own a Dillon 550B and regularly use my Dad's XL650, you have to pay attention to the feel and results of all progressive presses.

 

[CaptJim]

Hi,

Long time user of the LNL AP here. Mine has s/n 1001. Being an older model it had limitations. As time went on I upgraded it to current standards. I was happy that Hornady did not leave us owners of older machines out in the cold and I was able to bring it up to speed. All that said, the other posters are correct that the priming system can be a bit of a pain when it gets dirty. I still often load handgun ammo using the primer setup and it is fast. With rifle I usually prime off the press and do the rest on the LNL. No primer tubes to load and no possibility for primer problems. I just sit and prime with my hand primer while watching TV. For precision and load development I usually use a single stage. The powder measure is more accurate than you would think and does not leak the fine ball powders. I have thought about buying a Dillon and I know it may be better in some ways but the LNL is hanging in there and I don't want the hassle of the changeover. If you load 5.56, Hornady has a swage attachment that is great! You can swage brass as fast as you can put them in the press. I thought this process would loosen up the linkage or otherwise degrade the press mechanism but it is still as solid as a rock. I think any press will have its quirks and really you can't go wrong either way.
JB