Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

[SJshooter]

I'm trying to decide between a Hornady Lock N Load Auto Index press or a RCBS Pro 2000 Auto progressive press.

I currently have a Rock Chucker single stage and a RCBS Competition powder measure along with the dies I would need to reload.

I would be able to use the RCBS dies with the Hornady press. I also like the die bushing that the Hornady uses more than having to buy a Die Plate for the RCBS. And when I was in Cabellas last month I was able to compare the 2 side by side, and I noticed that the Hornady had less wiggle so I'm thinking it has better tolerences. I know how the RCBS APS priming system works and I don't know much about Hornady's. Also, which has a smoother stroke?

<span style="font-weight: bold">I NEED HELP making up my mind. Anything you know or have an opinion about please post. I will take it all into consideration.
</span>
Thank you.

 

[smgrendel]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

I had a dillon sdb, sold it and bought a hornady lnl. I really regret it! Dillon was far better quality and i will be going to a 650 soon. Hornadys customer service is great, but so is dillons. Can't comment on the rcbs.

Spend a little more and get a dillon.

 

[71firebird400]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

Completely the opposite experience of smgrendel; I did a lot of reloading on a 550b and recently bought a Hornady LNL for myself. I have no idea how anybody can think the SDB is better than the LNL. I think the LNL is vastly superior to the 550 (and the 550 is quite a bit nicer than the SDB). I'd put the Hornady on par with a Dillon 650 but at a significant cost savings. Better priming and indexing system on the Hornady as well.


Dillon has built an extremely dedicated fan base, but that is no reason to only consider them. Can't comment on the RCBS due to never using one myself.

 

[Wannashootit]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

Can't compare, since I've only owned the Hornady.
I've had it for nearly a year now, no issues at all. If I had to guess probably about 4-5,000 rounds of .223, .308, and 7.62 x 54R through it.

Likes:
Changing from small to large primers is simple and takes minutes.
I have no problems "feeling" the primers seat when actuating the ram.
The quick-change meters on the powder drop are nice... changing from .308 to .223, just change out the meter. Much faster (and a lot less frustrating) than trying to make huge swings in metered loads.

Dislike: The case eject never seems to work properly. I just pop the finished cases out by hand...

 

[SJshooter]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

Thanks guys who voted so far.

Wannashootit, did you try calling Hornady about case ejection problem? Do you think its a common thing between the LNL presses?

 

[LawDog101]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

Only experience with LnL here. Had mine a year now commonly reloading .223 and .308 (2000+ rounds). Here is my opinion. My .02.

Changing the plate and primer gear from caliber to caliber takes less than 5 minutes. Changing the dies is simple too with the LnL dies. Less expensive than the Dillon.

Action of the press is really good and I agree that the feel of seating the primer and bullets is VERY good. You can 100% tell when something just isnt fitting right. Adjusting the plate turning mechanism is easy too. Mine needed a little to get the plate to turn to the right spot each time.

The ejection deal is a simple fix. You just have to mash the spring down into the groove and the rounds fall out. Mine were not ejecting and I put the spring where it was supposed to go and BAM, every single load falls right out. No problems.

I am a 100% novice reloader and the LnL really makes things easy. The powder drop really is badass. Mine drops no more than .1 gram +/- over several thousand rounds reloaded.

I know that Dillon also makes a quality product. No doubt, but when choosing, I went with the LnL over the dillon due to simplicity. Plus, Hornady CS is awesome.

Also give a thumbs up to the Horndady trimmer, too. Oh, forgot to add, that I do not like the Hornady sizing dies at all. They did not size far enough down on my 223 or 308 by following their instructions. Switched to RCBS sizing dies and I have had zero problems. Hornady seating dies are awesome though. YMMV.

LD

 

[cega]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

I have had my LnL for close to 2 years now and have run over 8k through it. I reload all my pistol and almost all my rifle using the LnL and have been very happy. The only rifle exception is for my 338LM though the Hornady Custom Shop does make a special shell plate for the LnL to handle the 338LM.

About the only problem I have had with it is from time to time small brass shavings can get in to the primer feed arm and jam it up. Not a big deal to deal with and definitely not a serious problem.

 

[SJshooter]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

Wow, ok, so it looks like Hornady is winning this one by a long shot. Anyone have anything good to say about rcbs?

 

[Jumper]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

I just loaded 600+ .40 S&W rounds on mine this morning. I have a casefeeder and bullet feeder set up on mine so its really fast. The thing I remember most about the reloading session I guess is all the time it took me to re-fill the primer tubes. The 100 pulls in between that go by very quickly and without incident. The powder measure is very nicely done as well. Its like my own personal ammo factory.

 

[turbo54]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

I can't speak intelligently about the RCBS, but I can say their customer service is excellent. But so is Hornadys. Dillons is just over the top! But you pay for it.

I have a 550b and an xl650. Both good machines, but I recommend the Hornady because it is simpler and more elegantly executed than the dillons, plus you basically get a 650 for the price of a 550.

 

[71firebird400]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: turbo54</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I can't speak intelligently about the RCBS, but I can say their customer service is excellent. But so is Hornadys. Dillons is just over the top! But you pay for it.

I have a 550b and an xl650. Both good machines, but I recommend the Hornady because it is simpler and more elegantly executed than the dillons, plus you basically get a 650 for the price of a 550. </div></div>

This guy speaks the truth. The Dillon's are great machines, backed by a phenomenal warranty....nobody will argue that. However the Hornady offers a lot for the money, especially when you factor caliber conversions into it.

 

[725franky]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

I voted for the Hornady L-N-L; but, that is the only progressive I have experience with... I've had mine for a few years and the only problem I've had is the ejection problem listed above. I do believe Hornady recently (withing the last year and a half or so) modified the design to fix the ejection issues. But mine is one of the older style; when I bought mine, they had just started putting the grease nips on them.

 

[Palmershunter]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

IMHO the lnl is an easier press to set up than the Dillion have never used the rcbs so I can't comment. The lnl bushings and powder drop makes caliber conversions simple and quick.

 

[SJshooter]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

Hands down I am converting. Will be purchasing a Hornady LNL soon.

 

[Colohunter]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

I haven't used the RCBS so I can't speak about their machine. I like my Hornady LNL AP, other than the priming system. Sometimes I get it to run well, but it seems to be trouble a little too often. I also like the removable bushings.

 

[royboy]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

Hornady's on sale at Cabelas for 369.00 plus 500 bullets for free

 

[SJshooter]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

So I got my Hornady LNL press set up this past weekend and loaded a couple of .223 rounds.

I must that although I am impressed by the individual parts and functions, I am not overly impressed by the system as a whole

<span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Positive things:</span> </span>

1) The look of the press. It is shiny and new unlike the blued appearance of RCBS stuff which always seems to rust.

2) The almost complete lack of wiggle or motion in the center column.

3) The quick change bushings
<span style="text-decoration: underline">
<span style="font-weight: bold">Negative aspects: </span></span>

1) I found the primer system to be very tough to operate. I actually only tried seating a few primers, then a grain of powder caused the shuttle to not continue all the way forward preventing the next primer to be aligned with pocket.

2) Dis-figuration of neck of case from case activated powder measure. (HELP!!!)

3) Difficulty of setting up measure to ensure case fully cycles rotor.

4) Quite a large bit of wiggle between measure and bushing, although I suspect this doesn't really affect functionality.

5) One of the pawls broke clean off after depriming several .308 cases. And the stroke was not overly hard either. I will call Hornady soon and hope they send me some replacement ones.


I do really like the press though, and want to straighten it out so I can load large batches at one time. If anyone has tips that will solve the problems mentioned above, please post or pm me. <span style="text-decoration: underline">Any help would be greatly appreciated.</span>

 

[71firebird400]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SJshooter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">So I got my Hornady LNL press set up this past weekend and loaded a couple of .223 rounds.

I must that although I am impressed by the individual parts and functions, I am not overly impressed by the system as a whole

<span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Positive things:</span> </span>

1) The look of the press. It is shiny and new unlike the blued appearance of RCBS stuff which always seems to rust.

2) The almost complete lack of wiggle or motion in the center column.

3) The quick change bushings
<span style="text-decoration: underline">
<span style="font-weight: bold">Negative aspects: </span></span>

1) I found the primer system to be very tough to operate. I actually only tried seating a few primers, then a grain of powder caused the shuttle to not continue all the way forward preventing the next primer to be aligned with pocket.

<span style="color: #FF0000">I haven't had mine act up, but I keep it cleaned with Hornadys Cleaner/Degreaser/Lube aerosol. I have noticed that certain brand names of primers (Remington, Federal, CCI) work better than others.</span>

2) Dis-figuration of neck of case from case activated powder measure. (HELP!!!)

<span style="color: #FF0000">Sounds like the powder measure is not setup correctly. Back out the measure until it's barely hanging into the bushing; now run a case up into the station until it's maxed out. Begin threading your powder measure down until the powder drum has rotated about 95% of the total travel (I like to leave a little play in case you have a longer case, and just to insure it doesn't max out). Does that make sense? Let me know if it doesn't. It should not deform the cases AT ALL. The only other thing I can think of is if the linkage is binding, but I can't imagine that is happening unless it is assembled wrong.</span>

3) Difficulty of setting up measure to ensure case fully cycles rotor.

<span style="color: #FF0000">This and the case deformation you're seeing are probably related. It's a pretty simple process (like I described above) so it shouldn't be difficult to set up. Let me know if you need clarification on anything. You should only have to move the powder measure up/down in the LNL bushing based on case length. I can get away with running 357 mag and 44 mag through my press without moving the powder measure, however if I want to load 10mm then I have to drop the measure accordingly so that the shorter cases will activate it.</span>

4) Quite a large bit of wiggle between measure and bushing, although I suspect this doesn't really affect functionality.

<span style="color: #FF0000">Wiggle between the bushing and the powder measure? Vertically or is it sloppy in the bushing? This doesn't sound right, can you describe the problem a little clearer?</span>

5) One of the pawls broke clean off after depriming several .308 cases. And the stroke was not overly hard either. I will call Hornady soon and hope they send me some replacement ones.

<span style="color: #FF0000">I'm confused, because the pawls shouldn't be affected by the depriming process. The only scenario I can imagine is if your resizing die did not 'eject' the primer all the way which can then bind the machine as it tries to rotate the case (with it's protruding primer) to the next station. If that was the case, then drop down your decapping rod so that it easily clears the primer. Dillon dies actually have a spring assembly that "pops" the primer out to prevent it from jamming the machine.</span>

</div></div>


Sounds like you're having a lot of issues that I haven't seen before, but let me know if I can help at all. I have had great success with Hornady's CS; I had an issue loading some 44 mag. I ended up videotaping the problem I was having and hosted it on YouTube; after showing that to the Hornady Rep they sent out a call tag to take a look at the press. A week later I had my press back along with a couple new parts to take care of some tolerance issues and it has been running seamlessly ever since. Hornady's CS is great and I have no doubt they'll take care of you.

 

[SJshooter]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

Firebird,

Thanks for the tip about setting up the powder measure.

There is side to side motion in the powder measure and linkage on the side, but that's not a huge concern because the part that is actually in the quick change bushing that the case goes into is rock solid.

And I don't really know how to explain the pawl breaking, but the primer did clear the case at the top of the stroke. I'm sure because I had the tube going into a empty coke can and it makes a pretty audible noise when the primer gets ejected and drop into it.

 

[71firebird400]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SJshooter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Firebird,

Thanks for the tip about setting up the powder measure.

There is side to side motion in the powder measure and linkage on the side, but that's not a huge concern because the part that is actually in the quick change bushing that the case goes into is rock solid.

And I don't really know how to explain the pawl breaking, but the primer did clear the case at the top of the stroke. I'm sure because I had the tube going into a empty coke can and it makes a pretty audible noise when the primer gets ejected and drop into it.
</div></div>

That is very strange about the pawl, not sure what happened there?

As far as the powder measure, I would recommend taking apart the linkage/drop tube assembly and checking everything out and then reassembling. It sounds (from the fact that you said a kernel of powder jammed your priming system) that you may be getting some powder spillage. I would check the orientation of the powder bushing (the metal tube that actually touches the brass case) and make sure that the "funnel side" is interfacing with the case. See this video- (3:05 for exactly what part I'm talking about)

http://youtu.be/f4OEoYpFA1I

Also, here's another Hornady Video that shows how setup the powder measure on the press; at 3:00 he starts explaining how to make adjust it for the case length-

http://youtu.be/Q4Cw5dkWbTg


Please don't hesitate to ask any questions or if anything isn't making sense.

Mark

 

[Rookie]

Re: Your opinion? Hornady LNL AP vs RCBS Pro 2000 Auto

This question gets asked occasionally around here. The thread always turns into Hornady vs Dillon. It never seems that anyone one here uses the RCBS, as no one can ever offer feedback on it.

Having said that, I love my Hornady LNL. I have both the case and bullet feeders. BTW, the new bullet feeder is fantastic.