RCBS or Hornady?

[Qualitymilk]

New to the reloading world, and I have read (great thread by the way) the "definitive new to reloading thread" here.  Just starting to price presses and components.  Wondering if the Hornady LNL press and dies are of comparable quality to the RCBS RC stuff?  Hornady has a great deal going on them at Midsouth with the 500 bullet deal, just curious on the quality of their stuff if anybody has experience/opinions on them.  Thanks!

[Graybeard]

I've been loading on the Hornady LNL single stage press for a bunch of years now every since shortly after they came out with it I guess. By preference I chose Hornady dies when I can get them. I realize they don't have as wide a selection as RCBS or Redding but unless you're looking for something kinda odd they do make dies for it.

My preference in dies in order is Hornady, RCBS, Redding and finally Lyman at the bottom.

When I bought my Remington LSS Limited Edition .257 Wheatherby Mag rifle the dealer tossed in one box of ammo and a set of RCBS dies. I used them until a member here had a like new in box set of Hornady dies listed and I bought them to use even tho I had the RCBS on hand for free. That should tell you something about my preference in equipment.

[Land_Owner]

Now the decision is yours. 

I am an RCBS RC guy because my hunting partner and reloading mentor uses RCBS gear.  RCBS is all that I know. 

I make a LOT of ammunition, like GB does.  I shoot a lot.  After years of one-at-a-time, which is great by the way, I was able to expand my RC to a Progressive - the Piggyback II.  I don't know if Hornady has that capability.  Now I can crank out rounds for handguns with five to ten times the speed of one-at-a-time.  Did I mention that I shoot a LOT. 

I am certain whichever way you decide, you will enjoy this hobby for a lifetime.  Hornady is a VERY GOOD BULLET maker.  So their dies and reloading equipment are probably not less than top quality.  I know that RCBS stands behind its equipment for the lifetime of that equipment, even if you are the 25th owner.  I can't say about Hornady's warranty.  I just don't know.

[Lloyd Smale]

well the two single stage presses i have are a lnl hornady and a rockchucker. Out of the two i probalby prefer the hornady mostly because of the lock and load feature. I use it for odd ball stuff like swadging, brass trimming with the dillon trimmer and i can keep dies set up ready to go at the right case lenghts for the trimmer. Its also faster to swap dies out for loading. Out of the two though i think the rcbs is a bit stouter in the linkage. Ive used the hornady for primer pocket swadging but for something heavy duty like jacketed bullet swadging I use the rcbs. As to dies personaly for rifle dies i prefer redding and for pistol i usually buy lee. I have some hornady dies and rcbs and there both decent dies. Like bill said stay away from lyman dies though. To me there junk.

[wncchester]

" Hornady has a great deal going on them at Midsouth with the 500 bullet deal, just curious on the quality of their stuff if anybody has experience/opinions on them."

I've used and like most presses and dies, they've all worked fine for me and my personal preference is irrelivant to your needs.  Understand that no maker can hold a large segment of the market nor last for decades if their stuff isn't good.  Some slight user features have some people's total loyalty but only a few of us are silly enough to slime all choices but ours. 

Get what you want without fear of making a mistake.  Whatever you learn on is likely to remain your "favorite" forever, that's common.  Hornady's current "free" bullets deal is very much worth your serious consideration.

[Qualitymilk]

Thanks a bunch for the insight - I think that is the single best feature of the GBO forums - learn from other's experience.  Sounds like both choices will get the job done and are of similar top quality.  I really would not consider the Lee or Lyman - seems cheap and I want to build up my equipment once and have it last.

I thought the 500 free bullets from Hornady was a good deal, and its good thru the end of the year. Thanks again guys.

[Old Fart]

It's almost a chevy, ford, or dodge type deal.
But given a choice I buy Hornady.

[OLDHandgunner]

If I was just starting out again probably would go with the great deal from Hornady, but I've been a RCBS man for 40+ years. Started with a JR, moved up to a Rock Chucker when I could afford it, then bought another Rock Chucker a few years ago at a tag sale for $ 5 ( long story ). Then added a Dillon 450 ( now converted to 550 ) in the early 80's. My grand-son will get one of the RCBS presses in a year or two.
I've heard nothing but good stuff about the Hornady LNL press. And the free bullets are a bonus.

[skarke]

I like everybody's dies.  I have mostly hornady, all redding for precision stuff (wilson and an arbor press is what I used to have, really the best bullet seater design available, but a pain in the neck), and I'll catch flak, but I have Lee carbide dies (4 die set) for the 45 acp that I absolutely love.

Everybody makes good stuff.

[necchi]

Everybody makes good stuff.

 I think that's it in a nutshell, and they all stand behind their stuff too. If something breaks, short of being hit with a mall, they'll all will fix it.
 I went "bargin" shoping, got several items used and saved 30-40%. Like Land Owner, my mentor is RCBS, but I have Hornady and Lee components also.

[wncchester]

" I really would not consider the Lee or Lyman - seems cheap and I want to build up my equipment once and have it last."

Having used both (in the instance of a Lyman press for some 45 years now) and regardless of Lee's massive cast steel press' low price, I strongly question your observations for both of those.  And the Hornady "LnL" and RCBS' "Partner" are of alum alloy, same as Lee's less costly presses.  


"Everybody makes good stuff."

That's true.  Seems the less we know, the more certain we are of some very wrong things about reloading and shooting.

[BigJakeJ1s]

A few thoughts...

For the price of a piggyback attachment, you can buy a first rate progressive press designed from the ground up to be one.

The RC is compatible with Hornady's LNL press conversion kit, so that it can use the LNL bushings too, as are several other presses (Lee Classic Cast and Redding BigBoss, BigBossII & Ultramag). Other presses have different quick change systems for dies: Lee has the Breech-Lock Challenger press with their own QC bushings, and Forster Co-Ax has a snap-in/out floating die retention system.

Neither Hornady or RCBS single stage presses have very good spent primer handling. Lee Classic Cast, Redding BBII/Ultramag & Forster Co-Ax all route spent primers and debris down through the ram into a tube to a bucket or catch bottle.

IMHO, Hornady and RCBS are equivalent in quality of equipment, and both of their kits have very good selections of tools, so whichever one is available at a better price (including incentives), get it. I do generally prefer Hornady over RCBS dies though.

Andy

[Land_Owner]

For the price of a piggyback attachment, you can buy a first rate progressive press designed from the ground up to be one.

According to eBay, you can bid on this one today for less than $200.00
http://cgi.ebay.com/Rcbs-piggy-back-2-conversion-unit-/230461205281

I have not seen, or perhaps have not looked, for a complete Progressive Press that costs less than what I paid ~10 years ago for PB2 upgrade to my RC.  I might agree, before seeing the numbers, that combining the price of both RC and PB2 comes closer to the starting price of a decent Progressive, but then, I would no longer have a single stage press.  I would also have had to stretch (then) unavailable dollars to reach that high for a starting Progressive, and that would have impeded my reloading hobby by perhaps a decade.

I readily admit, as have so many others, that the RCBS Piggyback is NOT ALL THAT when it comes to Progressive reloaders.  But as a cost effective place to start, it is doing an admirable job.

[wncchester]

"For the price of a piggyback attachment, you can buy a first rate progressive press .."

A progressive is a great tool...for those few of us who actually need a progressive.  Otherwise, a progressive is the pits.

They are quite costly, difficult to learn to reload on, hard/slow to change cartridges for and somewhat tricky to develop a "best" accuracy load with.  But other than that I suppose they're great. ??   But the question was merits between RCBS and Hornady single stage presses for a newbie.

[skarke]

Get a solid, cast iron press.  There are many, used ones are fine unless they have been purposefully abused.  A cast iron press will never wear out.  Since, for your single stage needs, it'll be the last press you'll ever need to buy, get the one you like the best.

[saddlebum]

I have used both for years at a time. Given the deal you are talking about, I would probably go with Hornady. I like H's powder measure better just because of the larger capacity. The scales are about the same. I like the H primer better than the R's, or the Lee for that matter. I like H's seating dies for the floating sleave that holds the bullet in place while seating. Hornady has made some improvements over the years since I used their stuff. Their case trimmer looks a heck of alot better than my old one. Shame neither one comes with a powder trickler. I think they are as good as RCBS now from the looks of it. Go for the deal!

[BigJakeJ1s]

Somehow I don't think the OP is interested in purchasing used equipment on ebay, or how little it cost new 10 years ago. Well, he might be interested in the latter, but it does little good for his choice of what to purchase today.

Today, the piggyback attachment (sans RC) sells new for ~$400, or you can purchase a new Hornady LNL AP or Dillon 550b progressive press for the same $ or less.

And when the piggyback is in use on the RC, the RC is no longer available for those quick jobs like pulling bullets, etc.

However, I also agree that a single stage press is preferable to learn on, and always comes in handy no matter what progressive press you might end up with.

Andy