Dillon 1050s

I still keep my 550 mounted to my bench. I keep it there for doing developments of loads and pulling.

In regards to the 1050 and expensive broken parts. I keep about $2,000 USD worth of various parts on hand to try and minimize my down time. I learned from experience that if it breaks once it will break again.
 
Thank you Sir :)

BlackSheepBrass said:
I am not aware of any courses in regards to progressive reloading being available. I know there are some basic courses around. While a 1050 is a slick piece of kit by itself; it is not a beginners press. I would start with a 550 until you understand the process and are familiar how things should work. At that point then I would consider upgrading to a 1050, once you are familiar with the platform I would look at the drive unit.

This is why -
mistake on a 550 = a small amount of poor quality ammo or cheap broken parts
mistake on a 1050 = a large amount of poor quality ammo or expensive broken parts

I learned from experience
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Exactly, I have no qualms with Dillon's 1 year warranty on the 1050's reason being is that the press is actually rated for around 5 million cycles prior to rebuild as long as well maintained. Keep it well maintained and don't run it commercially and it will load enough ammo and last long enough that your grandchildren could be loading on it when they are grown.
 
I had the dilemma for more than a year and bought the 650.

In the end, really, unless you do it commercially, there is no real reason for the 1050... the 650 can swage the brass using the uniquetek swager on the 223 prep toolhead. That kind of defeats the 1050 advantage.
Also, I like priming on the upstroke because I can feel the primer.

I could not figure out how it would be worth 1000$ more to me, plus the increased cost of caliber changes.
The 650 does it all with a lifetime warranty.
 
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As Ferris said, "...if you have the means, I highly recommend it."
I agree. Take the plunge and get the 1050. You won't regret it.

Some people can't afford the best and will never know what they're missing. That's OK.
Ignorance is bliss and every market needs a middle class.
 
As Freedom Ventures said if it is within your means and you only load one or two calibers the 1050 route is the best way for volume shooters. I understand some people can crank out 1,000 round an hour of 9mm on their 650 which is a lot of ammo. If you run the same speed on the 1050 with it properly setup you will have more consistency, be less tired, and less problems. There are some things that you can't do any faster on a 1050 than a 650. IE load 223 as the powder flowing into the case is the thing that slows you down.

I drank the Kool-Aid and have two machines with 6 or 7 tool heads for the 1050. I will try and add another machine or two in the next year on Mark Vii. Again I am commercially processing brass so I am using the machines to their capacity.
 
seriously, I had the money for it, and still bought a 650 because I just didn't see the point with the 1050 (and still dont).

It's more "solid", it costs more, it looks more commercial, it depends I guess.

I probably don't reload enough to bother. The 650 with feeder works so well anyway that I really did not see any advantage with the 1050 and like I said, I had money for it and still do, and I just chose to spend it elsewhere on other gear.

Well, now, if you have a ton of surplus money and need to waste it, the 1050 is more expensive and probably? better.
 
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Love my 1050... After seeing 650's and primer kbooms (and having one happen myself) I prefer the captive primer system of the 1050.

Until you prime on the downstroke, you have no idea what you are missing. Plus the ability to adjust primer seating depth is well worth it.

If you can afford a 1050 and do high volume loading, I highly recommend it.

I like it so much, I bought another :)


My 550 is also used quite a lot for 223 and 204 and 44 mag and 270. But for .40 and 357SIG, I like the effortless speed of the 1050 :)
 
I probably dont reload enough rounds to care. Just a few thousands a year... Like 2-3k. I can do it all in a few hours on the 650 so I just dont need more...
 
Just a few thousands a year... Like 2-3k. I can do it all in a few hours on the 650 so I just dont need more...
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That is a good point. Most people who are serious about the 1050's are probably doing 15,000 rounds a year or more, at that point you will start to see a "return on investment".
Several of people who I shoot IPSC with where using Square Deal B's / 550's until they saw mine or other 1050's with Mr. Bulletfeeder in action.
 
the 650 with the case feeder, strongmount and roller handle is an incredibly good machine.
I have the mini mr bullet feeder on it and its much faster to load with it. Loading the tube with 2 hands is really fast and you dont have to worry about catching fingers or bullet angle.
With it, it takes around 3 minutes to load 100 rounds.... I dont need more than that.

Of course if I was loading 15k or more rounds a year it might be a different story. But at 2-3k, seriously, I dont see any benefit.

At some point you have to decide where to stop. Its not always about buying the most expensive of everything, unless you have infinite money. Same applies to house, car, boat, atv, travel, etc.
 
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