Hornady Lock N Load AP Rocks!

[JohndeFresno]

After some research and online conversations with earlmck, I have added a Hornady Lock N Load AP (Auto Progressive) press to my reloading bench.

The wonderfully dependable, inexpensive and relatively quick Lee Turret Press will go to a relative. But I am using one of the clever Lee innovations with the new Hornady to speed and simplify the reloading process, as described below.

HERE ARE MY RELOADING CRITERIA - are they yours?
1) For various reasons that don't need to be here - my free time is limited and precious
2) I do small batches, many calibers - e.g. 50-100 at a time
3) Quick changeovers, preset dies are a huge premium - long setup time does not work
3) When a load is right, I want to load several hundred handgun rounds fairly quickly and accurately
4) I love fiddling with new loads. I hate fiddling with misaligned or jammed equipment. See #1.
5) Priming - the bug in the ointment for all equipment (except the Dillon?). Too many jams.
6) I therefore size/deprime, hand prime, then finish the process. Twist and Lock dies were the answer!

I believe that all currently made reloading presses have a device to prime the cases as they are sized. My single stage press has a cumbersome little flip lever device; others have a feed tube and shuttle mechanism. None of the automatic priming systems are 100% dependable, unless Dillon has solved that problem.

Small amounts of powder or debris accumulate, or adjustments eventually slip, or the operator might occasionally use uneven or abrupt motion of the lever, or even primer residue can build up in the primer tube or on the priming shuttle (lead styphnate residue, I guess). All of this is documented in various posts, factory instructional videos, and YouTube reviews. All can cause a failure that stops your loading process.

So, like many others on this forum, I use a hand priming device and forgo the autoprime features of my presses. I size a batch of brass, then relax on the couch and use my RCBS hand primer to prepare the cases before putting them back into the press.

[JohndeFresno]

Mini review (my point of view) of other presses vs. the $400.00 Hornady equipment

DILLON

Progressive models
"Top of the Line" Dillon (studied many videos, have seen setups, have not owned one)
The investment is steep after you purchase the equipment, tool heads and accessories, and the mechanism is rather complicated, requiring careful adjustment from time to time. Changeovers to different calibers are not quick and easy. A separate tool head with various preset dies is quick to put into operation, however. But then, different preset loads means purchasing more dies and tool heads - very expen$ive after a while.

Many heavy volume shooters swear by this equipment, usually dedicating one machine to just one load or caliber - those who shoot many hundreds of rounds monthly. So this must be a good arrangement for those folks. Just not for me - the experimenter with a moderate retirement income. Of course, Dillon's bulletproof guarantee must be acknowledged.


RCBS

RCBS Piggyback Progressive Press (an add-on to the Rock Chucker single stage; I have an old one)
Note: I have not worked with or seen the new Pro Chucker 7 (7 stage progressive); but it, too, is expensive.

My first progressive press, a hand-me-down at a great price from a friend who moved to (you guessed it) the Dillon family. It functions reliably, but changing shell plates (the disk that holds the cartridges on the carousel) is cumbersome and very time consuming. Two tiny screws anchor a small metal plate, and the center bolt is hard to tighten just right without clamping it down too tight for the plate to rotate - all in a crowded area. Dies must be reset each time, since the most reliable way to set them tightly is to tighten the lock rings AFTER the dies are screwed into the top. But its powder measure works flawlessly. Its cartridge ejector, a small bent wire held in with a small hex screw, is quite reliable and rarely needs a quick and simple adjustment. I would have to believe that the newer Piggyback add-on is that much better.

RCBS Rock Chucker Single Stage Press
Advantages - Reliable, consistent, durable, relatively inexpensive, absolute lifetime guarantee and excellent support, less confusing for beginners. Most stable and consistent for precise rifle target loads (So far; have not yet tried the Hornady AP for this). Lifetime guarantee, excellent phone and e-mail support, replacement parts shipped immediately. Powder measure setup is extremely quick and simple.

Disadvantages - Processes one step at a time, then requires die change. Powder charging is done from a separate device, unless you use an add-on powder measure in the top. It is difficult to look down into rifle cases while mounted in the press. For absolute consistency, the lock ring must be set AFTER the die is screwed in or there is some variance. Each die must be checked and set each time.

Lee Turret Press
(I have the old 3 hole "classic" version; 4 hole is better; allows for Powder Cop or Factory Crimp die)
Turret plates (aluminum) - The 3 hole is around $11 and the 4 hole plate is approximately $15 - compare this with other "tool heads!"

Advantages - The quickest changeover of any press! Pop in a shell plate on the ram, snap in a turret plate. Turret plates per above are very inexpensive. Lee dies are also economical; but of course others can be used. Operation is simple and straightforward, maintenance is nil. The auto-index feature can be disconnected by removing a metal rod; you can then nudge the wheel for hand indexing the press or do one operation repeatedly without changing stations. I removed the auto-index feature.

Disadvantages - no lifetime guarantee (although dies and parts are inexpensive and work quite well). With the crank of the lever, only one operation is done at a time, versus progressive presses where each downstroke produces a completed cartridge, start to finish.

The ingenious Lee powder metering solution (for all but the stoutest handgun rounds) is the Lee Powder Auto Disk Powder Measure. It screws into the Lee Expander die; at around $25.00 each, you can make life easier and have a separate powder measure for each caliber, preset for at least one load. The plastic autodisks that come with allow for a wide variety of loads; but it works best with the additional Adjustable Powder Bar. This is a plastic shuttle device with a knob on the end, and is infinitely adjustable from very small charges up to 1.6 cc.


(Showing the Lee Auto Disk Powder Measure and Adjustable Powder Bar on a Lee Turret Press versus dispensing powder to a loading block; Powder Bar is the black device at the base of the hopper)

Using the Lee chart (which shows many equivalents powder conversions), the 1.6 cc maximum load means it can dispense up to approximately this amount (gr.):
Alliant 2400 - 21.6
Alliant Unique - 21.6
Bullseye - 15.0
Hodgdon Varget - 21.8
IMR 3031 - 21.0

For a more complete list, you can download my list in PDF format (calculated from Lee's website information containing various powder densities). Here is the link:
Lee AutoDisk Charge Bar Max Gr.pdf
https://app.box.com/s/74oi41mt7u1j9udj48cl8hyaxtjy6e7m

(Edited for typos)

[JohndeFresno]

Any charge larger than this range means that you will have to either pour in a measured charge through the top of the die or use a separate powder measure. But this is great for every handgun round that I load in bulk. For Elmer Keith's hot load of 22 gr. of 2400, you will probably not be able to use this method - depending upon the temperature and humidity when you load.

WHY SO MUCH INFO ON THE LEE AUTODISK POWDER MEASURE AND CHARGE BAR?
I studied the information about the powder dispenser that comes with the Hornady AP, noting that you need to adjust the linkage as well as the powder gauge with each caliber change. And then there are two rotors - one for handgun loads, one for larger rifle loads. It's a bit of tedium to deal with that.

Lee's powder dispenser is activated by the case mouth. Like Hornady and some other presses, it will not dispense powder if a casing is not in the shell holder. But its operation is much simpler. In fact, foolproof - a good thing for this fool.

Hornady's new progressive press now allows me to lock a pre-adjusted die into a single station, start feeding cases into the shellplate and crank the lever as the carousel walks around. At the last station, each case is dumped into the bin attached to the press.

After hand priming the cases, I unlock and remove the sizer/deprimer, still preset for the next time. Locking the other dies in, I add in the primed cases and crank away to complete the reloads.

A side note on the newest Hornady press:
I have seen several complaints on the Hornady, as with other presses, dumping cartridges to the side or missing the eject cycle completely. The newest press that uses the "Improved Hornady Shell Plate" uses a small detent (bump) on the carousel beneath the shell plate. The shell plate is surrounded by a coiled spring bracelet which is easy to remove when you change plates. The bottom of each "improved" plate is grooved around its perimeter to allow it to turn. When the cartridge hits the eject station, the little nub bumps it into the takeup box; and it works well.

I have already loaded some 9mm Luger cases, which are small, lightweight and therefore difficult for many auto presses to handle properly. The system works quite well, even if not flawlessly. Once in a while if my downstroke is not sharp enough, I have to nudge the little feller into the box. But this works extremely well for a $400 (non-industrial) machine.

[JohndeFresno]

This is my current procedure:
1) Vibrate or sonic clean the brass if needed
2) Place the sizer/deprimer die (only) into the press. A Hornady Powder cop die is always locked in.
3) Feed the brass - as they go around the carousel, the sized, deprimed brass is dumped into the box. This saves the extra step of plucking out each case and inserting another - much faster in operation.
4) Hand prime the brass as I enjoy my family from the couch or watch some stupid show on TV
5) Remove the Sizer, plug in the other dies - Expander with powder measure (if a handgun caliber), set the Powder Cop die, add and set the seater and separate crimp die (saves time setting the seater)
Done!

I am pleased with the setup, and have the advantage of already owning several powder measures that I have purchased over several years.

Now the bad news. Using my time-saving setup, this little innovation is decidedly leaning towards the more expensive way to mate propellant with bullet. I was saved by the fact that I already have the dies, hoppers, and other items. Only the shell plates inflated the cost of running the new Hornady press. For reference, here is the approximate breakdown. I may have spent a bit more or less on an individual item, as some components were available at different places due to availability.

Hornady vs. Dillon costs


Workaround - one can save considerable expense by using one Lee Powder Auto Disk Powder measure with its Adjustable Bar. It screws into the top of the Powder Through Expander die very easily and quickly, and then you just set the little turn screw on the Adjustable Bar for the powder setting. That brings down the price of this setup to a very reachable progressive press ensemble.

Your outlay then is just the $35 (or so) for the shell plate and a Lee Powder Through Expander die for each caliber (fairly inexpensive), plus the dies you probably already have. That saves about $40 for each caliber change, so instead of $96.00 it costs you about $56.00 (not counting the other necessary dies).

My bench is still a mess, so I have not wanted to photograph the setup. Still rearranging stuff. Mebbe later, if requested.

Thanks for the tips, earlmck.

EDIT!
In all fairness to Dillon's product, the bushing price above is not accurate. A bushing is needed for each die, thus 3 bushings are needed for a caliber change - Sizer/decapper die, Expander die, Seater die. If you use a Lee Factory Crimp die, that requires a 4th bushing.

[Old Savage]

John, interesting as always. I started with a Dillon RL550B. Loaded about 14,000 pistol and 10,000 rifle. Priming, no problem for someone as detail oriented as you (or even me). It allows for loading any number of whatever you are up to. I use it with rifle as a serial single stage meaning one cartridge goes through every step before I start the next. You can become pretty automatic with a little practice. I have loaded since with single stage and with a Lee Hand Press due logistics but the Dillon is far superior.

[JohndeFresno]

...I started with a Dillon RL550B. Loaded about 14,000 pistol and 10,000 rifle. Priming, no problem...I have loaded since with... a Lee Hand Press due to logistics but the Dillon is far superior.

Thanks for the input, OS.

You answered my main question about Dillons - the priming factor. Since it is reliable, that puts a huge plus on their side, since much time is saved. However, I'm very happy with my current purchase!

Not mentioned above, I also have that large nutcracker, the Lee Hand Press, and tried it a few times. Cumbersome but (as simple things usually are) very reliable and maintenance free. I only purchased it for the off chance and never wished for situation where survival is a factor, such as quick escape from town. I also have some Lee Loaders, each for a different caliber - tiny boxed things that are the ultimate in portability, but very, very slow in operation. I only used one once, but it's handy to have.

[earlmck]

That's quite a write-up John... thanks! I can see from your experience that us Hornady AP users might be well-served to use the Lee autodisc for our pistol loading and the Hornady powder drop for rifle loading. By far the biggest pain with the Hornady powder drop setup is going from rifle to pistol when you want to change to the smaller pistol meter drum (better consistency with small charges) and you also have to change the charge tube because of the shorter throw on the pistol cartridges.

You are right that the auto-prime feature is the source of most ooopses with the progressive: just the least bit of debris and you get a failure to feed the primer which leads to a whole bunch of "debris" when the powder dribbles out through the flash hole that isn't covered by a primer. I do use the autoprime anyway, but I have used it enough to develop a sensitive "feel" for anything amiss. Also it helped to polish and champfer the bejeesus out of all the primer mechanism with the polishing stuff in a dremel tool. My one bugaboo now is that every once in a great while I fail to get a primer seated fully, and the resulting high primer can bring everything to a halt for a bit.

I took grandkids camping last week and the leetle buggers burned through a bunch of .223 out of the AR (yeah, a fellow probably shouldn't let kids even see such a thing, but the power/accuracy/light recoil/adjustable length makes them all quite fond of the black rifle). Right now I have the AP set up for .223 and so fairly rapidly replaced 300 rounds almost flawlessly with about two high primers that I felt soon enough to just back the plate back a bit so get the primer seated fully. But I will say once again "thank you thank you thank you!!!" to the folks who steered me to the Hornady One-Shot spray lube. It would take a whole lot of "easy" out of progressive rifle loading if I still had to use my old greasy lubes.

[JohndeFresno]

...Also it helped to polish and champfer the bejeesus out of all the primer mechanism with the polishing stuff in a dremel tool...

Hornady One-Shot spray lube. It would take a whole lot of "easy" out of progressive rifle loading if I still had to use my old greasy lubes.

Earl, you brought out another point, from what I have gleaned in various reviews and articles: Hornady's AP occasionally comes with a somewhat rough autoprime slide mechanism - ? casting imperfections or milling process imperfect ? - thus the bottom of the shuttle might need touching up, and perhaps the primer hole can use a tiny bit of ramping as you would on a semi-auto target barrel.

Also, way back in 2010 at AR15.com, a poster using the tag "Mugwump" offered this advice with the Hornady One Shot spray, when lubricating cases. I never used the Hornady product for that purpose. But I purchased the One Shot spray with the new press for its cleaning and maintenance, per the advice of the factory video. It would stand to reason that the advice below can be used with the Hornady equipment, as well:

Per Mugwump at AR15.com, the bold type is mine -

1. Shake the can for a full minute before starting to use the lube. I find inverting the can so the bottom is up helps mix the lube with the carrier agent if it has been on the shelf for a long time.

2. Make sure the can is at room temperature or warmer. The lube thickens as it get colder and can lead to problems with poor mixing.

3. Regardless of what the label says let the lube dry at least 10 minutes before sizing. The lube thickens as the carrier agent evaporates, sizing early can lead to a stuck case.

4. When spraying your brass you need to occasionally give the can a good shake to keep the lube mixed in the carrier agent.

5. The amount of lube needed is also misleading on the label, when starting off I suggest the following, if you think you have enough give them another good dose to be safe. Once you have used the product a bit you will get a feel for how much is enough. I feel it should be called Two Shot, you can't use too much but you sure can use to little.

6. Clean all other lubes out of your sizing die, use a spray de-greaser for this. Once clean and dry give the whole die a light spray to avoid rust then give the bore of the die a heavy shot and let it dry at least 10 minutes before use. This is one time process when you change to One Shot though a occasional shot in the die is not a bad idea.

7. This should go without saying but make sure your brass is clean, dirty brass will ruin your die regardless of what lube you use.

[JohndeFresno]

Some Advice on Using the Lee Auto-Disk Powder Measure
(This is the Lee product that fits on top of the Lee Expander Die, for handgun calibers)

Since this thread addresses the introduction of the above captioned powder measure, some tips on its successful use seem to be indicated here. I don't recall if any of these instructions come with the product; I'm pretty sure that #1 does not.

1) Whether you use the Auto Disks that come with it, or purchase the much more useful Lee Adjustable Charge Bar (also sold as "Lee Auto-Disk Charge Bar"), you should the run the side of a #2 lead pencil generously across the top of the disks or bar. The graphite safely lubricates the mechanism as it slides in and out, where it comes in contact with the plastic hopper above.

2) There are two screws, one on each side, holding the hopper on. Just carefully loosen one screw and swing the hopper open to replace an Auto-Disk or put on the Charge Bar. Then carefully replace the screw, making sure that it bites (not forcing it). It screws into plastic, so don't bulldog it.

3) If, for some reason, you have powder leaking after having placed graphite on top of the disk or charge bar, remove the hopper and see if a very slight sanding with a fine grit solves the problem; the bottom edge must be perfectly even. Or maybe you can return the unit. I have 7 units and never had this problem.

4) Rather obvious, but... Start with small charges and turn the screw clockwise to increase the opening (increase the charge). Don't decrease the charge without emptying the measure, which would compress the powder in the measure hole. Dumping the powder is very easy - just remove the little powder measure from the press and pour from the top.

[JohndeFresno]

Now that most of my other work on the bench is done to accommodate the new press, this is what the setup looks like -

LEFT: Size and deprime procedure (only) - The casing is just about to bump into the takeup bin. Note, if you can, the small bracelet type spring that surrounds the base of the shell plate. This is what holds the cases in. At station #1, the spring dips down so that a new round can be inserted. You can see that the Hornady Powder Cop die stays on the press at all times. It does not interfere with anything or react until powder is added to the case.

RIGHT: When sizing and then hand priming are completed, note that the die at the top of the photo (Sizer Decapper) is removed. Then, only 2 or 3 dies need to be added to the existing Powder Cop die to finish the hand loads: The preset Expander with its Powder Measure on top, and the Seater - preset for the cartridge and only needing adjusting for bullet seating depth.

I actually use an additional die, the Lee Factory Crimp Die (also preset, not shown) so that I can easily change the Seater with different bullets without having to adjust it twice it to set the crimp. The FCD is always set and ready to lock in, thanks to the Hornady Lock N Load operation.

[JohndeFresno]

Followup

I have purchased the last of the Hornady Shell Plates needed for using the various calibers I load on this press; and mated all of the dies intended for use on this press with their Hornady Lock N Load bushings. These allow for the preset dies to lock into the press with a simple twist and lock motion.

My first load was the most problematic ones I have encountered - the 9mm Luger with lead bullets. The small size requires a very careful powder measurement. In this case, 3.6 gr. of the very fine grained AA Nr 2 was tested using the Lee Auto Disk powder hopper with Auto Measure Bar as shown above. The bullet is a 147 grain plated lead Berry projectile.

I have read of some of these powder measures leaking, and indeed this one did, with a few grains spilling onto the top of the moving powder bar.

Following my own advice, I carefully unscrewed one side of the hopper and swung it away from the bar, added more #2 pencil lead to the top of the sliding bar, and checked the bottom edge of the plastic copper for any unevenness. There was none. I had just not screwed both sides down precisely. In reassembling the hopper, not screwing the hopper too tightly but evenly, this leakage stopped and the powder was discharged consistently the same with no leakage.

As for lead bullets in semi-auto cases (head spaced on the mouth of the case, ya know), I used only the slightest crimp just to remove the belling of the casing and snug the case onto the bullet - less than the 1/2 turn recommended by Lee for their Factory Crimp Die. I had run into cycling problems in the past when too aggressive a crimp was used.

The tiny cartridge remained steadily planted in the turret as it made its rounds in the reloading process. Another common problem with progressive presses - case ejection - has apparently been solved with Hornady's innovative use of a bump plate on the bottom of the press. Using a steady stroke, I had no ejection problems, as the little bullets cooperated by jumping into the plastic takeup bin.

This press is a pleasure to use, and gives me the quickest production rate yet - a success!

[Griff]

I have trouble reading long sentences... so... is the powder hopper press or hand operated?

[JohndeFresno]

Griff,
Lee's genius lies in the simplicity of his designs.

Your press handle stroke bells the case while powder is dumped through the die automatically.

Other hoppers have linkages needing adjustment in several cases.

Lee's powder measure is plunger activated.

Press ram brings casing to the die, casing pushes up plunger inside the die.

This cams the powder shuttle, just like a primer shuttle.

If there is no case in the shell plate or shell holder, no powder is dumped.

[Griff]

Griff,
Lee's genius lies in the simplicity of his designs.

Your press handle stroke bells the case while powder is dumped through the die automatically.

Other hoppers have linkages needing adjustment in several cases.

Lee's powder measure is plunger activated.

Press ram brings casing to the die, casing pushes up plunger inside the die.

This cams the powder shuttle, just like a primer shuttle.

If there is no case in the shell plate or shell holder, no powder is dumped.

Ah... like the Dillon. The only linkage is to assure positive return of the powder shuttle.

[buckeyeshooter]

Several years back I bought a Dillon 650 with the case feeder and a lot of options. I had about $1200. in the set up. I could never get it to seat primers properly and the powder checker had to be readjusted every 20 rounds. After sending it back to Dillon and getting it back still not working properly, I requested a refund. After going round and round, I finally got one.
I then bought a lock and load and have lived happily ever after.

I refuse to buy blue anything at this point!

[earlmck]

Nice write-up John, thanks!

The little bump that ejects cartridges on the Hornady AP works almost flawlessly for me, for all except 45ACP. Some of these want to wedge instead of eject. I have nothing but range pick up cases, so have bunches of different headstamps, but haven't been able to detect a real trend so that I could simplify my life by just getting rid of the offenders. I give a finger-assist to 45ACP rounds, but this slows down the process slightly. And I have one of the early presses made shortly after they went to the "improved" eject system, so it may just be my particular press. Interestingly, the 308-style cases which use the same shell holder have never shown such an ejection problem.

Levergunners using the AP might note that:
a) The #6 shell holder for 38/357 is also correct for the 30 Remington case (and 25 and 32 Rem, of course).
b) The #9 shell holder for 44/40 also works fine for 44 mag and 303 Savage.
c) And the #16 for .223 also is correct for 380 Auto, but that is one that the Hornady guide will tell you about.

[JohndeFresno]

...I refuse to buy blue anything at this point!

My hat is off to those who get good use out of their Dillon equipment; but it is not for me, either.

Ah... like the Dillon. The only linkage is to assure positive return of the powder shuttle.

Griff,
The Lee measure handles that function extremely well with a strong return spring. Other than turning the knob for the powder weight, absolutely nothing else is required when you swap out one preset expander (with its powder measure on top) for another one.

Check out the heavy spring that runs under the base of the Auto Disk Powder Measure and its pivot piece. Also, note that the powder measure screws into the top of the Lee Expander Die, so you only use one station to expand and fill at the same time.

Note that the above picture depicts an "Auto Disk" in place of the infinitely adjustable "Auto Disk Powder Charge Bar" that I use on all of my setups.

The Auto Disks come with the powder measure, and are also a very clever innovation, with several pre-measured holes on several interchangeable disks. They come with an equivalency chart for many powders. But the Charge Bar is much more useful. All of this stuff is essentially plastic, so it is very inexpensive and surprisingly durable in normal use.

Since you are using a lever to raise the ram, you don't really notice the resistance.

I don't know of any manufacturer that has duplicated or equaled this ingenious setup for handgun calibers.

...
Levergunners using the AP might note that:
a) The #6 shell holder for 38/357 is also correct for the 30 Remington case (and 25 and 32 Rem, of course).
b) The #9 shell holder for 44/40 also works fine for 44 mag and 303 Savage.
c) And the #16 for .223 also is correct for 380 Auto, but that is one that the Hornady guide will tell you about.

Thank you for the compliment, Earl.

Yes, that little bump plate is quite the upgrade, since it even handles the super lightweight empty .9mm casings quite well, when I just run them through the size/decap die and then they ride around the turret. They dump easily.

Thank you for the money saving tips on the shell plates - they are pretty costly.

[JohndeFresno]

I am now going into full production with the new press, so perhaps this is one last comment, based upon some complaints regarding lockups on the press:

1) I run the cases through the first time with just the sizer/decapper die, then I hand prime each one.

2) An occasional lockup was caused by the spent primer not clearing the shell plate assembly.

3) Fix: Set the decapping pin out further than with other presses. Problem solved.

[Griff]

Dillon used to use a return spring for the powder shuttle also... I guess they had a lot of complaints about it, as they "upgraded" to this linkage for a positive return. I never had any trouble with mine, but then I use mostly pistol/shotgun powders than don't require "cutting". Even running BP thru it, I never had any issues with it not returning. That spring looks a lot stouter than the spring Dillon used, tho' they did use two. In fact, I still use that original measure for my BP 45 Colt loads.

I think what a person will like depends a LOT on what's convenient for the user. I'd only ever loaded on a RCBS Jr. II, and frankly, the 550B isn't a true "progressive" IMO. It's a single stage that does 3/4 separate operations simultaneously! (Depending on how many dies you have in it). And that's one of the features I like about it! I had only tried a RCBS progressive, and two different Dillons... a 450 & a 550. When I ordered my 1st press, Dillon had only recently introduced the "550B". In fact, ISTR, that you could still order the vanilla 550. There was no 650, 1050, or any Hornady progressive. I'm not even sure that Lee had one available.

There weren't a LOT of choices back in 1986. And in comparison to the RCBS, the Dillon operated smoothly, and cranked out ammo without a lot of fuss!

[JohndeFresno]

Griff, I would hasten to add that this press, too, is the very latest edition. I might have not liked earlier Hornady Progressive presses, because (as stated) I like things to work without fiddling with them all day, which also means I don't like to stop the press for failures and assess the problem. Having spent many years assessing and sometimes fixing other folks' messes, now I just want things to work!

Earlier Hornady Lock N Loads, like Earl's, had an ejector wire on the top of the shell plate. It was imperfect in its operation.

This latest model bumps the cases out from underneath the shell plate, like a speed bump. The retainer spring that surrounds the plate takes a dip at the precise location. The very essence of what I admire about Mr. Lee's creations - clever, bone simple and reliable.

As you surmised about the Auto Disk Powder Measure, the spring is very, very strong. It hurts your finger pad when you try to emulate the action by pressing upward on the piston to move the shuttle; and in fact it takes a very strong grip.

[Old Savage]

Converted my Rockchucker to Hornady Lock N Load system.

[JohndeFresno]

Converted my Rockchucker to Hornady Lock N Load system.

Cool!

[piller]

I am still using a single stage press. I am seriously considering changing. PillHer is the one whom I need to convince for the cost to make it worth it. Working for the company which pays the lowest of all for my Profession can have its drawbacks. Wal Mart pays $15 per hour more to start than my employer pays for anyone below district manager level. An employer change is in the plans.

[JohndeFresno]

...I am seriously considering changing. PillHer is the one whom I need to convince for the cost to make it worth it...

We are part of the "fixed income" gang. Admittedly, this Hornady purchase was an additional expense. But I will now be able to visit the pistol range and rifle range a lot more.

Preparing the dies, loading, then cleaning up and putting things away in my small corner in the garage required more time than was available on most days - family medical needs and other commitments grab a huge part of my schedule. So I couldn't load and practice as regularly as I should (and want to).

No loading time = buying cartridges at the range, which I have done several times. No more. Therefore, no more expensive cartridge purchases at the range.

Yesterday, after having decapped and sized and primed the cases in a separate operation, I loaded 150 9mm rounds in about half an hour. And I started speeding up as I got used to some small anomalies between this press and my other setups. I will probably reach about 400 rounds per hour as I refine my technique and lay out the components better on the bench. And I am confident that they were good loads, because the availability of stations allowed me to use a Hornady Powder Cop die to signal that the charge was correct as administered by the Lee Auto Disk Powder Measure. I have never loaded that many that fast before.

An inexpensive alternate time saver is afforded by purchasing a Hornady Lock N Load adapter for your single stage press, and a set of Hornady Bushings for your dies, like OS did, above. You preset the dies and just twist and lock them into your single-stage press. That in itself saves a lot of wasted motion and time, and approaches the efficiency of using the Lee Turrets which pop into the top of that press.

Then, if you have Lee Powder Through Expander dies, and additional $37 greatly speeds up your expansion and metering operation for handgun calibers - $26 for a Lee Auto Disk Powder Measure and $11 for an adjustable powder bar. You can move the powder setup from one (Lee) expander die to another for your various calibers. In that way, you are doing two operations at once on your single stage press!

Lee Adjustable Powder Bar

[JohndeFresno]

Here is an option for consideration of single stage users

A turret press won't allow this, but your single-stage press (such as the RockChucker) uses a screw in die holder that you remove and replace with the Lock N Load adapter.

If you already use Lee dies, then you can subtract the cost of the Powder Through Expanders, since these come with your die sets.

Hopefully, the chart is otherwise self-explanatory.

[JohndeFresno]

In looking at earlmck's post one more time, I realized another embarrassingly glaring mistake in my price quotes:
I stated that you need a shell plate for each caliber change. That is not entirely true, since (like with shell holders or shell plates for the RCBS and other presses), one shell plate fits a family of calibers.

For instance, this is my working list of Hornady Shell Plates - and it ONLY includes the calibers that I am currently loading.


(To allay any confusion, I accidentally ended up with an extra .45 Colt shell plate - working on that)

The .45-70 and .32 Auto shell plates are quite expensive. I would have to guess that this is attributed to the cost of milling the original templates versus the less than stellar demand to offset the production price.

As stated above, the .308 Winchester (for instance) is not a caliber I load, although it is included in the.30-06 shell plate. For a more conclusive list of shell plates go to this link:
https://www.hornady.com/assets/files/sh ... -chart.pdf

[piller]

I might be able to use that to convince her.

[Old Savage]

Rock Chucker with the Hornady Lock N Load bushing installed.

[M. M. Wright]

I still load a lot of stuff on single stage presses. I have 2 old Herters presses mounted to my bench, one of which is dedicated to 45-70/45-90.
Any large quantity run is made on the Dillon 550. I have about a dozen sets of dies set up in tool heads. The only hassle with the Dillon is changing the shell plate and the primer tube/slide but it takes less than 5 minutes to do it and the primer feed is faultless. Loading the primer tubes takes a couple of minutes each too but I have 3 or 4 in each size so can make decent time once I get started.
One great thing about Dillon is their guarantee. I call them up and tell them what's broken, (nothing in the last 10 years or so) and they ship it out that day no questions. A couple of times they asked for the broken part so they could see where they went wrong.
I even load black powder 44-40s on the Dillon and really like indexing by hand as sometimes I add grease cookies and a wad to my SASS loads.

[JohndeFresno]

Thanks for showing the press setup, OS.

M. M. Wright, it's good to hear from folks who really handload instead of folks who just show up in the product reviews.

[JohndeFresno]

UPDATE -
My reload center has been modified for the new Hornady Lock N Load setup and is in use.

Here, you see what is for me the acid test - reloading those annoying leetle 9mm Luger ca'tridges. Their short size and light weight has caused them to wobble occasionally during sizing and get crushed, or fail to eject properly in other setups.

I pop these in and resize/decap them - only - after cleaning. You see that I have a Powder Cop die always in its station, since it ignores empty cases, anyway.

When I get the occasional case that is not centered, I only have one station to deal with. I can feel the resistance before damaging the case, and just a nudge with my finger corrects the alignment. Then, they walk around the turret and dump neatly into a container for hand priming.

This is very, very quick. After priming, as noted earlier in this thread, the sizer die is removed and the other preset dies are put into stations 2 onward, with the Powder Cop die always checking the load.



Primer catcher: Since the plastic ejection tube moves up and down with the press action, I taped together two paper towel cores, punched a hole in the top of a large screw top plastic food jar, and taped the outer towel cores to the opening. The plastic feed tube moves freely up and down within the cardboard tube and the big plastic bin rests firmly on the ground. No more sweeping up the floor for strays, since this press handles the decapping neatly.

Brass bin: To minimize fumbling and speed up my process, I cut away a Clorox* plastic bleach bottle. The curved bottom (side, actually) keeps the brass fed to the center as I reach for it.

I have now loaded a few hundred 9mm Luger rounds, and have never been more pleased - or quick - with the reloading procedure. Now a die hard Hornady Lock N Load fan.

*Edited - Clorox container. Purex ones are squarish, now.

[Shrapnel]

I don't make a lot of money. I do reload a lot of ammo though and with some work, you can still have a blue reloading room...

[earlmck]

Now that bleach bottle case keeper and the cardboard towel holder are both neat ideas. Gonna' try them out!
Thanks, John.