Loading for M21 stick, Hornady LnL or Dillion?

[Airborne Falcon]

A buddy and I are thinking about pooling our resources, running surplus cases through one of the two mentioned in the subject line with some pulled 147 pills (I handload all my 175s through a Rockchucker) on top of some Radway Green 4895 ... I wanna be careful what I feed my M21, he's not so picky with his FN FAL.

But can I get somewhere near factory specs on that surplus brass - making quantity runs on one of those two progressives, without worrying about bending an op rod or totally fubarring my rifle?

Anyone else doing big count runs on either of these presses using surplus milspec LC brass?

 

[justinbaker]

Re: Loading for M21 stick, Hornady LnL or Dillion?

i load LC 223 (once primer pockets are swaged) no prob on my dillon 550 and 650


you cant go wrong with either company.

do you want auto index = dillon 650 or hornady lnl

no auto index = dillon 550

 

[gunsnjeeps]

Re: Loading for M21 stick, Hornady LnL or Dillion?

I load all my rifle ammo single stage but I shoot with several competitors who load match ammo (200 and 300 yard)on progressives. As long as you get a good full length size and trim, you'll have good brass. Some shooters do one run on a progressive to deprime, decrimp, and size. Then trim, clean off the lube and go back to the press to finish the loading process.

You won't have gun problems running ammo from a progressive press but you may or may not get the accuracy you want at longer ranges. I don't know if anyone loads their 600 yard ammo on their progressives, most single stage load it.

Of course with a pulled 147 you're probably not going out past 300 yards.

 

[Airborne Falcon]

Re: Loading for M21 stick, Hornady LnL or Dillion?

Much appreciated men. Yeah, I was hoping this was doable. We're basically looking for something that can roll'em out at a decent click for the 300 meter line - plinking stuff but also trying to save a nickle for the cache.

Looks like we are going to go halves on a LnL Ammo Plant we can get our hands on for a little less than a grand plus the cost of the large casefeed plate.

I've been trying to break it down and by the time I add all the extras to a 650 we'd be looking at a little over $1200.00 not counting plates, case gauges, tool heads, etc. Seems like the LnL set-up and fine-tuning may be a little less complicated than the 650 as well.

I just want consistency. I'd frickin' go ballistic if I end-up with a bent op rod because one or the other's dump creeped-up during a big run. And I've read one or two scare stories, or rather words to the wise, to do a manual check on the Dillons every few hundred rounds. Which I do anyways, but I don't need anything making me anymore paranoid about it than I already am.

 

[turbo54]

Re: Loading for M21 stick, Hornady LnL or Dillion?

I load all my "precision/match" ammo on a Dillon 650. Works great, and I wouldn't do it any other way.

I think progressives without autoindex are stupid (I have a 550 too), and I advocate the Hornady LnL over the 650 because the LnL is a great machine, and it's cheaper.